The SYS-soldier’s trembling trebled in rate and reach as he peered out from behind his weapon at the ever-increasing mass of hostility. His voice wavered in perfect synchronisation with his trigger finger: “Uh...you t...too, then! All...of you. Under arrest. Come with me now and...there won’t be a problem.”
Nira’s lips curled into a relishing grin: “And if we don’t?”
The SYS-soldier mustered his most ineffectually intimidating look: “Then, there will be trouble.”
Nira’s eyes brightened over her smile as she replied calmly, “I think that ship drifted off quite some time ago — with all of us on board!”
“NOOO! Wait!” cried Shen in a fulvous flurry of fear and pushed in front of Nira with his hands reaching for the silver sky. “Young man,” he said, flushing over immediately to a dusty shade of neutral, “We’d really rather not have any trouble. You don’t need to arrest us. No. No...we’ll just be on our way.”
The SYS-soldier took a nervous step towards Shen and aimed the muzzle of the flare-repeater directly at his head. Shen stumbled backwards into Nira screaming in a sudden ruby panic, “FINE! FINE! FINE! I GET IT! FINE!”
“Idiot!” hissed Nira and pushed him away.
“Maybe they’re right!” stuttered Shen, “Maybe we should just do as we’re told.”
Nira’s eyes stabbed blazing blades of incredulous disgust back at him, nodding in Kai’s direction: “He’s young! What’s your excuse?!”
Onnd stooped down and whispered in Kai’s ear, “It is time — ‘Chosen One’. You believe yourself to be special? Now is your moment. Make your choice and lead, if that is indeed your fate.”
“What she means,” said Nira, “is to decide — them or us! Because if you don’t,” she patted the red roll of fabric by her side, “I’ll decide for you!”
Kai turned and looked at Nira as the silver sun broke through the clouds, then Sann — she smiled back at him — and finally he lifted his eyes to Onnd as she straightened herself impossibly tall again.
You saw to make me free.
And with a slight smile curling onto his lips, Kai nodded up at the greatest of the I’sta.
My way is clear.
Onnd turned around immediately and readied her staff, calling out at the SYS-soldier for all her kind to hear.
“It seems as though we are at an impasse.”
“I’m sorry,” whispered Nira at the SYS-soldier, “That’s a hard word. It means you’re screwed.”
As the SYS-soldier’s eyes flicked around in search of a sound to stop his lower jaw from shaking loose entirely, his spine shot straight to automatic attention as shadow pierced his ear again and sheared through his skull.
“Yes, sir,” he spluttered over the communicator, “There are more now.... Yes, and her.... And a boy. Yes, sir, that’s right.... How did you...? Yes, of course, sir. I’m sorr.... Sir?”
As he stumbled his way through the hopeless exchange, Onnd signalled to the long line of I’sta — each one of the hundred warriors readied her staff. Onnd turned back and stepped up with ominous ease towards the SYS-soldier. The ranks of SYS-troops readied their steely weapons and aimed into the line of white as their commanding officer floundered between impotent words and slightly more impressive silences. Suddenly he looked up — Onnd was towering over him, engulfing him in her shadow.
“Sir? Yes, sir! How many? Well...I think they’re tall here, sir. I mean, all here. Sir. No...no, they are not co-operating, sir. So...please advise.”
High up in the temple, standing in the shadow of his begetting filth, Luéz watched out over the forum and cackled into his communicator: “Advise? Ad...vise?! Certainly. I advise you to take your little gun, point it up at her head, pull the trigger and kill her. Then kill the boy. Then kill the rest.”
Next chapter — Consequences
Sunday 4 September 2011
Share
