It’s night at the military base in Otzin. Most people are asleep, but not Tzilpapali, and she suspects that neither is Tsuk’A. She heads to Quixila’s room and knocks on the door. She is received by a very wide awake Quixila, who smiles knowingly upon seeing Tzil’s face.
Tzil informs Quixila that she is ready to tell the empress her decision. Quixila phones one of the empress’ attendants, and moments later, a group of bodyguards is surrounding her from all sides. The sheer number of them makes her practically invisible while she is taken towards the empress’ chambers.
Inside the bedroom, the empress does a hand gesture. The group responds by disperses to the edges of the ample room prepared just for Tsuk’A. The empress pulls her own chair to sit in the middle of the room. Tzil follows suit.
"I was hoping that you’d make it a bit more dramatic. Tomorrow, mere moments before I left for example. Still, I am happy that you are letting me hear it."
Said the empress.
"I’m sad to disappoint."
Says Tzilpapali before continuing.
"After thinking about it, I’ve decided that I’m perfectly capable of acting as the pilot for the Bluelight under any circumstance. Your highness"
Tsuk’A smiles.
"Straight to the point and no nonsense. Both, Il’Ilo and you could bear with relaxing a bit."
Tzilpapali isn’t sure what to make of that so she waits for the empress to continue.
"Still, glad to hear that."
Once the empress says that, Tzil relaxes.
"So everything goes back to normal, your highness?"
Asks Tzil.
"Not quite, you’ll come with me for a couple of days."
Tzil is surprised by the empress’ words. She tries to think if she has done something that warrants being taken away. When she finds no answer, she can only muster a
"Why?"
"Piloting the R-Suit is just part of what you need to learn. There’s much more that you don’t know. This will be a crash course on the people you are protecting."
Says Tsuk’A with finality.
"We’ll be leaving tomorrow prepare your things before then. You are dismissed."
Tzil is impotent to say anything in return and simply resigns to following the empress. She gets to her room and places her accoutrements in a bag. She falls asleep easily, and waits to do her daily duties the next morning.
When she wakes up, she sees a note on her door
You are excused from morning exercise. You’ll be picked up here at 11:30. Do as you wish in the meantime.
With that out of the way, she findsherself at a loss of what to do. The time provided was not enough to head to the city. Instead, she finds herself looking at the ceiling. She closes her eyes and tries to fall asleep.
It doesn’t take long for her to figure out that she’s conditioned herself to waking up at a certain hour. While laying in bed, she thinks of one thing she can do. She takes her cellphone, then begins looking for a number. Once she’s found it, she calls it, it’s Quixila’s.
"Hello?"
Says Tzilpapali.
"Hi Tzil, how’s it going?"
Responds Quixila
Well, I get to keep piloting the Bluelight so that’s good.
"Yeah, I heard, you’ll be going away for a couple of days right?"
"The empress told me to go with her, I don’t know why."
"I’d like to tell you that it will be a nice vacation. Knowing the empress, the traitor’s underworld of Tlacan will seem nice compared to this."
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"Did she take you too?"
"Il’Ilo once made me protect her for a couple of days."
"And did you?"
"I think? She could probably beat the average recruit in unarmed combat, maybe even me back in her prime."
Tzilpapali laughs thinking that Quixila is joking. After a few seconds, she realizes that Quixila is completely serious.
"Is she that strong?"
Asks Tzilpapali.
"I suppose they teach it later in school. Only people of royal blood who have accumulated military accomplishments and reached the highest possible rank can be nominated to be the next ruler."
Responds Quixila.
"They probably taught that after I left school. I don’t think she wants me as a sparring partner though."
"Probably not. She has something in store for you, just not that".
Tzil quiets down when she hears that. She was already nervous before that, and the conversation is not helping. Quixila continues with a more positive note.
"Hey, forget that. Wanna have breakies together?"
"Sure, want me to go to your room?"
"I’ll be waiting whenever you feel like."
Responds Quixila.
Tzil gets ready. She puts on a sleeveless shirt and sweatpants, washes her teeth and hair, then finally puts the last few remaining things in her bag. When she’s done with that, she makes way to Quixila’s room.
She’s never gone there before, so she has to ask around. After a short while, she’s there, and she knocks the door. Quixila doesn’t take long to open.
"Didn’t take you long."
Says Quixila.
"I wanted to see you before I left."
"Same, who knows what’ll happen with your training after the empress frees you."
Says Quixila knowingly. She’s had her fair share of experience in meeting and leaving people that went on assignments. She still remains friends with many of them and meets them when she’s off duty.
After that exchange, the two of them sit down in a couple of chairs in Quixila’s room. Quixila had made pork simmered in sauce and sliced thinly. The two of them talk about unimportant things while eating. Then Tzilpapali brings up something about the empress’ request.
"She said that there were things for me to learn, what do you think she meant by that?"
"Something to do with the Bluelight definitely."
Responds Quixila. Both of them understand the influence that any relation to an R-Suit has on people. The empress knew that better than anyone as well. And from what Tzil had seen, she was not the kind to do anything without an important reason behind it. Nor one to waste time.
"I’ll learn soon enough, in 25 minutes it seems".
Says Tzilpapali while looking at the time in her cellphone.
"Get going then, go now, we’ll have time to talk later or when we are off-duty."
Quixila jokingly shoos Tzilpapali, the two of them say their goodbyes and Tzil leaves for her room. There’s a few minutes remaining before she gets picked up. And when the time arrives, a hard knock indicates that the people that will pick her up are present.
She takes her luggage and pulls it with her. Outside the door, there’s two rigid-looking men. They don’t speak a word and move along. Tzil takes this as a sign to follow. They reach an unassuming car, and that car eventually gets to the presidential jet plane.
Tzil’s bag is handled by a man standing guard in front of the plane. And she is taken to the ramp that leads inside. She’s not ready, nor does she think she’ll ever truly be. She enters at a constant pace, not wanting to delay things further.
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Il’Ilo sits at a wall sofa inside a loud fast food place in the middle of Iltzik. People go in and out repeatedly. A few families sit down. The rest are office workers who leave with their food.
A man enters the shop, he is lanky and the only person there that’s taller than Il’Ilo. It’s none other than Joh, the chief authority on intel in Huitzli. Joh moves to where Il’Ilo is and sits across from him.
"Welcome to my meeting room Field Marshal!"
Says Joh with childish joy. Il’Ilo tightens his expression and responds.
"I’ll assume that the couple bickering to my side are your people"
"And some others too. Necessary precautions to hide a superstar."
Says Joh. Il’Ilo is unamused by the fact that he can’t make a counterpoint to the other man’s mockery. For most people, the loudness of the place would be enough to conceal a conversation. Il’Ilo requires extra effort to be hidden from view with what seems like natural occurrences.
"Now we are not here so I can get your autograph. Why are we here?"
Says Joh.
"The Ilvyrians, what are they doing?"
Asks Il’Ilo
"Their thing mostly, They’ve been doing recruitment drives. There haven’t been updates on when they’ll attack us, but the talks about doing so are still there."
Says Joh.
"I assumed as much, then I’ll need help with a different task."
Continues Il’Ilo
"Oh this ought to be fun, what ever can I do you for?"
Rather than saying it out loud, Il’Ilo hands out a sheet of paper to Joh. The sheet has a detailed set of instructions with graphs that include timeframes and more. Joh reads it carefully. His expression changes as he reads the document to one of focus, then surprise, and finally one of joy.
"I didn’t peg you for the devious type."
Says Joh. Il’Ilo smiles slightly at this and responds.
"So, can you do it?"
"And I’ll enjoy it all the way through."
The two men then talk about all the information in specific places along the border of the Huitzlian Empire and the Holy Kingdom of Ilvyria.