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Kale
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Chapter Four: Sekat
Galactic Quadrant: Darna Quadrant
Ruling Government: Republic of Hekat
Solar System: D-447
Planet: Ora
Location: Sector B-150, Kuwathi settlement, Outside the Dekarn Tribe's Lodgings
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Spinning quickly, I look around for the source of the whistle, but before I do, Arrum puts a hand on my shoulder seeing my worry. He waves above us. My eyes follow his hand, I see her now, it is Isola peeking her head out of the barred window above. She seems excited to see him, she holds a hand to him, then moves from view.
“Ah my brother, this is the girl for me,” Arrum says slapping me on the shoulder.
I sigh as we approach the doorway, a man stands guard, putting a hand on his blade when we draw nearer.
“I come to see Isola,” Arrum says, giving the man a bow, and handing me his knife and cutter. They will not permit him inside with them.
“Arrum, her father was very clear that you aren’t to come around here anymore.” The man says, his tone is not angry, there is an air of expectation in it.
“I come bearing a gift so that I might speak with her for a time,” Arrum says, pulling out a power core.
He must have found it in the unlooted room and hidden it. Clever Ulima. Nekam would not be pleased that he was giving something so valuable, for potentially nothing in return.
The man grabs it from him and peers at it, turning it on, there is a small hum to it as the light flickers on.
“This’ll do… this’ll definitely do.” He says then looking at Arrum inquisitively he asks “Didn’t steal this from Nekam right?”
“I found it last night on the ship. Right before the carvers came.” He replies, now leaning in “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t tell him.”
The man chuckles and nods, banging on the door. Arrum pats me on the shoulder with a big grin and walks through the door, on the other side of it I see Isola beaming at him. The door closes quickly and I lean against the wall waiting for him to return.
My mind begins to wander as time passes, thinking of what Neeba has done. My blood runs cold at the thought of sating the hunger of my blade. If he was not Nekam’s son, I would have slew him already. I push the thoughts from my mind, such desires are not healthy if I wish to survive. Or maybe they are, my gut is rarely wrong.
My mind drifts again now to his sister Nevari, they are only half-blooded, their mothers different. Reaching into my pocket, my hand feels the cloth is still there. I know I should throw it out, but my heart says no. It tells me to listen to the words of Arrum and the Sage Artemius. How would I even begin to raise my station to meet hers though?
Before I can think further on it, I hear a commotion in the alley beside us. Shouting from different voices, someone crying, and the sound of metal against flesh. A sound my people learn to avoid.
There are few so brazen to do such a thing in the streets. The Dakarn tribe's guard looks at me, then towards the noise. He bangs on the door and whispers something.
“I would hide if I were you.” He says. The door opens and he departs leaving me alone now.
“Sekat…” I curse to myself.
Looking around, I see few places to hide. I do not want to venture far because I do not know if they will kick Arrum out. I hear singing now as one of the voices draws nearer, he sounds drunk.
Keeping my head low I try to stand in the shadows behind a beam. Hearing now the heavy metal thud of their metallic armor, the whir of the servos that move them. I dare not look. I pray once more to my forsaken gods that they will pass by.
“Oi, you in the shadows.” One of the men says.
Even through the mask, I know the voice. He is the guard that struck me the night before. The one who stole my extra bag.
“I got thermal," he pauses for a hiccup "Vision in this helmet. Come on out we just want to,” he hiccups again, staggering forward "Talk."
My jaw clenches, but releases when I hear a bang in the distance and scuffling, like someone is running.
“That sounds promising.” The other man says. He doesn’t sound drunk but the hairs stand up on the back of my neck, there is a coldness in his voice. The kind of voice that does not carry emotion.
“Your lucky day.” The other says with a hiccup, stumbling after the second man—towards the noise.
Relief washes over me. A bolt slides and the door opens once more, the house’s guard emerges again.
“Nasty bunch. Nothing personal, you understand.” He says to me.
I do understand, we would not let an armed stranger into our home either. Even to protect them from drunken city guards. There is no reward for the risk. It does not make me less annoyed at him though. The Ulima in me nods to him anyway, there is no point in bad blood between us.
***
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
Four more hours pass in silence until I finally hear the bolts of the door sliding again. Arrum has a smile from ear to ear. I am about to speak to him when I hear Isola’s voice from above.
“Arrum! I love you Arrum!” she declares loudly. I look up and see she is by the barred window again. Her arms reaching out towards him desperately.
Arrum looks at her and then to me, a wicked grin on his face. I reach to grab him but am not fast enough, he jumps to the wall and scales it like a spider quickly, and with purpose. She reaches through the bars, grabbing his face, pulling him in for a kiss.
“Sekat, Arrum.” I curse.
The guard lurches forward trying to climb after him now. Arrum kisses her once more, leaping to an adjacent landing, now running.
“We will be together someday! I will wait for you Arrum!” she yells after him.
Arrum turns now and yells to her “On my honor, you will be my wife Isola!”
The guard turns to me now, his face red with anger, his Kuwathi eyes ablaze. I turn and run after Arrum before he reaches me. He does not chase—but we do not stop our run until we are far away.
“Did you see?” He exclaims, hands in the air “The gods have listened to my prayers. She loves me—she really loves me.”
“I got that,” I say, somewhat annoyed with him. If we are lucky, Nekam will only beat us a little when he hears.
“She is so beautiful, and perfect, and her lips—her lips on mine!” He yells, pounding his chest.
“We should get back,” I say to him, looking around. It seems we are alone in the narrow passage.
He nods as we walk, but he keeps shouting and yelling with glee.
“Brother, hold yourself,” I say to him. His eyes are glowing with passion.
We reach the end of the passage and it opens up into a larger space with many houses, there are no house guards posted, and my heart drops.
I rush to Arrum and place a hand over his mouth to silence him.
He does not protest, he looks to me, the glow of his eyes fading as he takes stock of our surroundings. He has realized what is wrong, too late however.
Thump—Thump—Thump of metal against metal.
“Oi, we got us a little lovesick boy over here.” The city guard from before says. His drunkenness seems to have worn off.
“Indeed.” The cold voice says.
I tap Arrum three times on the back as they approach, then twice, then once. We turn to run as fast as we can towards the passageway we came from. I hear a whiz and a cry, turning around to see Arrum on the ground convulsing. I try to drag him and I feel a burning, then a buzzing sensation and I too am on the ground seizing from the electricity.
When it stops I look over at Arrum, drool coming from his mouth, his mouth bleeding where he bit his tongue. I see in the small of his back a circular disk with prongs meant to incapacitate someone with electricity.
They drag us now to a more secluded area, without prying eyes to watch what they will do. I should have stopped Arrum sooner. Sekat.
I feel a heavy boot slam onto my back pinning me in place.
“We can’t have you running off like that now can we.” The first guard says.
“Wouldn’t be any fun if they didn’t try.” The cold one replies.
Arrum groans as he sits up from the ground, looking at me, and then to the guards. He knows as well as I—if we resist they will kill us. Especially since there are no witnesses now.
“Now I got to thinking, how’s about we pay a little visit to that girl? Where’s she living?” The cold one asks, I can hear the menacing smile behind the mask.
Arrum says nothing. The man walks towards him and strikes him. He slams to the ground from the force. After a few moments, he sits up again, his eyes filled with defiance, but they do not glow. He will make things harder for himself if he does not beg.
They seek to torment and relish in it. The cold one strikes him again as the other laughs. I grit my teeth, there is nothing I can do. The boot holds me firmly to the ground.
“I want to feel this with my own hands.” The one with the cold voice says. I hear a whirring as the suit opens and he removes the gauntlets. A dull thud as they hit the ground. The other opens the front of his helmet so he can see better.
“Where’s she live boy?” The one with an open visor asks.
“Don’t worry we’ll treat her nice.” The cold one chuckles as he slaps Arrum to the ground again.
They strike him again, blood flows steadily from Arrum’s face now. I grip the knife under my cloak tightly. The blade beginning to sing.
The one with the open visor looks down at me now.
“Oi, you’re the little shit that argued with me last night aren’t you?”
Sekat.
He presses the boot deeper into my back, I can’t breathe now.
“Yes—Lord…” I manage with my last gasp of air. The boot loosens a little and I breathe shallowly.
“I thought that was you. Little shit stain with no manners. We’ll teach you good and well today though, don’t you worry lad.” He says, spitting on me now.
The other guard kicks Arrum in the ribs, he clutches his side in agony and begins wheezing.
“I’m not going to ask again where is she?” He punches Arrum in the face. Arrum sits up once more, the look of defiance growing, his eyes glowing.
Arrum whispers something under his breath.
“Speak up.” The man says.
Arrum whispers something again, the man bends down to hear better, then places his bare hands around Arrum’s neck.
“If you don’t speak up, I’m going to choke the life out of you.” The man says with an irritated tone.
Arrum spits blood onto the face of his suit. The man squeezes his throat. My eyes burn brightly as I struggle to stand but cannot. Arrum reaches for a hidden knife in his boot and drags it under the man's wrists, they go limp as blood sprays out of his arms.
The man stands suddenly and backs away, trying to use his hands but they flop uselessly, the tendons sliced cleanly. He falls to one knee cursing and yelling for the other guard to help.
Arrum falls to his side unconscious, the moment the metal boot leaves my back I am to my feet—blade in hand, the song of my blade singing for blood fresh in my mind. I move in the man’s shadow and stab my blade into his exposed face, just as the visor goes down. The visor drives the blade through his skull and blood spurts from the sides of the mask—unable to close fully. The suit twitches for a moment then falls over with a loud metallic thud.
The other man falls to the ground from his knees with a dull bang. I rush to Arrum’s side and scoop him up throwing him over my shoulder. Running like I have never run before. Not stopping until I remember the devices they shot us with. I rip it out of my back and Arrum’s throwing it into a hole in the metal. I do not know if they can track it. Moving swiftly again, I carry Arrum to our tribe's lodging, the guard there takes one look at us and swears under his breath.
He bangs on the door and yells “Nekam, we need you now!”
Within moments the door is open and we are rushed inside, it slams shut behind us, and Nekam yells for one of the older women to come. She is the best of us at treating injuries. They cut Arrum’s shirt off, there is large bruising over his chest and abdomen.
“He’s bleeding internally, get me my kit Nevari!” The old woman yells.
Nekam grabs me and shakes me from my shock.
“Quickly tell me.” He says, then slaps me so I look at him “Who did this, are there more coming?”
“The city guards—we killed them.” I say, his eyes look at me puzzled, so I add “They were killing Arrum.”
“Were there any Bipki to see you?” he asks me, he wants to know if the demon eye drones saw us “Think clearly.”
“No, I didn’t see any.”
“Okay, take me to their bodies.” He says then yells “Brothers on me now. Lock it down no one in, no one out until I return.”
I turn to look at Arrum, Nekam grabs me and pulls me with him.
“Let them do their work, we have our own.” He says.
Focusing myself I nod to him and lead them towards the bodies. We all cover our faces now and keep our heads low.
When we arrive the men form a wall and move metal to block the entrance to the area we are in.
“Sekat… you two really killed them,” Nekam says, his tone is not angry—more impressed.
“In their battle armor no less.” One of the men says, patting me on the shoulder.
“Let’s get the armor off them and take it in pieces.” Nekam says “It’s a shame we can’t keep it.”
“Why not?” Another of his brothers asks. He holds up one of the gauntlets admiring it.
“They can track them,” Nekam replies rapping his knuckles lightly on the metal armor.
“We could remove the power cores,” I say.
He looks at me for a moment pensively.
“You know how?” he asks.
“When I lived with the Sage Artemius, he taught me. I used to clean the suits when I was a boy.”
“You still are a boy.” One man says with a playful chuckle slapping me on the back. The others laugh, then look to Nekam who is thinking about it.
“Can you do it with this?” Nekam asks, tossing a large bag to me.
I open it, looking inside, seeing many different tools and nod to him.