The two Nummerfa Marah and Frest pointed their unknown weapons at Liana and her companions and led them to an unknown destination through the overcrowded heart of the city. They had no idea what those weapons were for, and didn't really want to find out either, so for now they just did as they were told. All of this to Liana’s big surprise, and it all happened so fast that she barely realised what happened too.
They passed an endless series of strange ruins and terrifying machines and a lot of people in the same uniforms, until they were finally sent up on some sort of staircase. On top of the roof of a grey building they were taken to a strange bunker, completely newly built in a way that stood out against the rest of the architecture of the old aliens here. That in itself didn't bother Liana much, because that ironically gave her a feeling of recognition. The Nummerfa or whoever had built the new constructions here had a much more human architectural style than the strange structures of the original natives had had, and she even recognised some typical late-industrial influences that clearly were imported from her own world. Marah opened a door in the bunker with something on her ring, and Frest forced the guests to enter through the dark gaping opening that appeared in front of them. Inaya and Lun seemed too confused to react and just went in, and Liana couldn’t do anything else but follow. When they got inside, the door closed itself.
Now they were trapped, cut off from the world. Liana looked around in the cell. They were locked in the semi-darkness of a small room without any windows. All the available light seemed to come from all sorts of strange devices embedded in the walls, some of which were clearly based on electricity. “These walls close everything off. I can't feel anything anymore. That is very unexpected.” Inaya muttered, disgruntled, sitting on the floor. Liana, too, felt strangely trapped in a way she didn't understand. “Indeed, I can no longer feel the outside world. Not even Marah and what was his name.” she said. "That has two sides then, because then they can't make contact and read our minds themselves either." Lun noted. Liana shook her head. “Not telepathically maybe, but they probably will monitor us with those strange things over here.” She pointed to some strange devices built into the wall that seemed to be a combination of the most advanced forms of Orranderran and Kavanderran engineering together. “This looks like a camera that can transmit images. And there must be a microphone there too.” She pointed to a black button. “And God knows what else they have here too, but I don't. Oranderran hi-tech, alien technology and rotten machines from hell…”
They paused, and all three of them looked around. Liana grabbed her backpack. "We still have our stuff," she said hopefully. “Yes, because they know it's of no use here for us. Except that we don't starve and die of thirst quickly.” Lun said. "This room is sealed against all the powers that Nummerfa have, and against any possible weapons we might have with us." Inaya nodded. The trio kept silent for a while. Liana had immediately known what Inaya had meant with the room being closed off, and she felt strangely cut off from the world indeed. It was almost as if she was alone with the other two in a tiny empty universe, where she was also completely cut off from the possibility of dimensional bending that they had hoped to use to get back from here to the oak wood on Nuanderra. Even Inaya hadn't anticipated something like this room, just as the Council of councils itself hadn't even considered that such a thing could exist when they had sent them out to investigate.
And that was just the first of the unknown technologies of the Onnobolda that they came into contact with. What else had come of the mix of technologies and possibly even magic from the three worlds of Oranderra, Nuanderra and Kavanderra? And what role did those people from her own world have in this? They shouldn’t have been here at all. What did "STC" mean? So many questions. They hadn’t even known what the weapons that had been pointed at them had been for. What kind of devilish weaponry were they putting together here in a world which once had reached the level of wiping out all life from the entire planet? Liana didn't even want to think about it.
And what would happen to them now? Was this the end for her, the representative of the world d species that was now targeted with possible weapons of mass extinction by the people who had captured them? Would the Onnobolda just kill her? Or would the STC people protect her as someone of their own species. Something in her feared that that just wouldn't be the case. “What are they going to do with us?” she asked her companions. Inaya didn't answer, she seemed embarrassed and had closed off her head, but Lun tried to make a guess. “They can't hurt her. Not councillor Inaya I mean. Then they not only have the council of numberfa but also the entire Council of councils against them. They know that's a bad idea. The consequences would be severe if they harm her.” “But what about you? And me, as the terrible Gorchbold? What are they going to do with me?” He became silent again. Several times it seemed as if he wanted to say something, but each time he swallowed it again. Until Inaya unexpectedly spoke up. “I failed us all, friends. Or as Liana would say, I've been too naive. I thought we could have escaped at any moment, and had hoped that Marah would send us straight to their leader, and that we could have reasoned with her. That clearly wasn’t the case. I didn’t anticipate this closed-off cage. Forgive me."
We surrendered without further ado. I didn't realise they wanted to lock us up. We have indeed been terribly naive.” Lun said, and Inaya looked at Liana apologetically. “And you are indeed facing the most risks right now. But we will protect you. You are under my personal protection, and therefore that of the Council of Nummerfa and of the Council of councils of Nuanderra itself.” Liana wasn't quite convinced yet, so far from the jurisdiction of both councils, who had been naive themselves and not helpful at all, and hadn’t giving them any plan to start with either. “And you think they will take that into account? I'm probably just an obstacle that they need to get out of the way. My life means nothing to them.” said Liana bitterly. Inaya looked serious. “That may be true, but you're also my friend. And I'm Inaya who is a councillor for a reason. And friends protect each other's lives. I personally make sure that nothing will happen to you; even if I have to take out all the hostile nawa in this whole world myself!”
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
She had suddenly become much brighter, and had a rather creepy glow in her eyes now, which scared even Liana a little. For some reason, she no longer doubted the possibility that Inaya could do such a thing when the opportunity was there. She only wondered if Inaya would ever be able to decide in time that it was indeed the time for it, instead of holding on to considerations about the 'laws of the protection of the nawa' and things like that which assumed fair play on both sides. But that would be a lot to ask from the Onnobolda. Inaya came right up to hug Liana, but Liana felt cold and unreal when touched and they let go of each other. This wasn’t the moment.
The wait was long, especially because they didn't even know what they were waiting for. Liana didn’t know what else to do so she studied all the lights and bulges of the cell until she knew everything by heart, and then she stared into nothingness, half sitting, half lying. Suddenly she realised that she had been asleep, for she awoke. The cell was still exactly the same. Lun was also asleep, but Inaya sat cross-legged on the floor, as if she were meditating. She took her water bottle and had a drink, and then she ate some acorn cake, but she didn't really enjoy it. Not here. Everything that was beautiful or tasty felt wrong in this environment.
"What are you doing?" she finally asked Inaya. Her voice broke the silence like thunder. “I focus on myself. I seek peace. And I think about the possibilities.” She whispered. Like the empty dead city where they first arrived, this cell was so quiet that every word or sound seemed one too many. “Have you found a plan yet?” Liana asked hopefully, but Inaya had no answer. "Why do you think they keep us locked up?" asked Liana. “I don't know, I think they are afraid of us. They don't want any interference from the council. And they are afraid of you too.” Liana looked at her. Did she understand that correctly? "Afraid of me? I am a nobody!" Inaya shook her head. “That's right. You're from an unknown nobody from Oranderra, but you don't fit their picture at all. Innocent Oranderrans that don’t radiate evil confuse them. They think they understand you Hmana-orr but they really don’t. They think you will just be evil, and then they expect the worst your kind can do. And then they suddenly have a little Gorchbold with less evil in them than they have themselves…”
She looked at Liana thoughtfully, from her toes to her hair. “And besides, you have your gifts. You are truly a rare specimen, my friend!” “Gifts? I have the curse of being plagued by things that other people can't see, and I can apparently transfer myself to other worlds where I always get in even more trouble than I was before. I don’t even have an idea what I’m doing even. Beautiful gifts…” she said. “But you did do it. And you can do even more than you think. Plus you have the confidence of the Council of councils of Nuanderra. That may not mean much to you here and now, but it most certainly does to our opponents. A very powerful dimension bender from Oranderra who doesn’t even exist, and who teams up with the Council of councils to invade their base must confuse them.” said Inaya.
“But I'm just a simple schoolgirl. Invisible to most people maybe, but not in a magical way.” Inja looked at her, shaking her head, and Liana could see the purple glow in her eyes. “That's a strange way of thinking from your primitive culture, and one that Nummerfa don’t know. Young girls are not worth more or less than old men. And don’t forget that our culture is primarily female. As a woman you’ll be listened to more automatically with us, even though we officially listen to everyone who has something to say, regardless of gender or species. We just have more women with talent for leading among the Nummerfa I think. I don't know if it's different with other species." Liana didn't know what to answer, bitterly thinking about her own invisibility in a male world, and Inaya continued. “Our opponents here see you much more as you are, and thus value you much more than your classmates can; and they probably don't see you as a threat without a reason. Though they may have the wrong reasons. But there's something else you have, more than many other people in your world perhaps.” Liana looked at her expectantly.
"What do I have?" she asked. “Your honesty. You're just honest, and you don't play games. Normally that should come naturally to us, but the Onnobolda have apparently unlearned that, which is a very bad sign by the way. Think also of the hidden Nummerfa guards that we saw that even the Drotnira didn't see. The different cultures of Nuanderra play games with each other here, and if there are indeed people from your world here, they also participate in them. Or they are left out and more treated like toys.” She paused and sighed. “I was too naive about that myself. But you are just openly who you are, to anyone who you can read you. And I think too few people have tried that in your world.” Liana shook her head. “I thought I was just a closed introvert. Antisocial as my classmates would say.” Inaya shook her head. “Only for people who play games and expect you to play those games yourself. But you can only be who you are, and you don't pretend. That is also a gift.” “Hmm.” Liana just said, and was silent. She would never have seen it that way herself. Slowly she felt herself fall asleep again.