Erilaz sat in the spaceship's corridor, lazily gazing through the small window and propping his chin. His tousled hair was tied untidily, and a few strands hung over his face. He scratched off the dried bits of mud and wiped his face but his shirt remained blotchy. The monotonous view lulled him to sleep as if he completely forgot about the upcoming task.
The industrial district had no atmospheric streets, charming tenement buildings or green belts full of flowers and old trees. Each block of flats was rectangular, grey and symmetrical. Only the rows of windows reflected the sun, brisking this forest of concrete. Like mountains among the trees, a few factories towered over the blocks. The streets seemed almost completely dead because the residents were in their workplaces. Usually even in the middle of the day some vehicles and individuals hung around the buildings but this time no one show up.
Pretty odd, thought Erilaz when a small explosion flashed between the blocks.
He blinked and turned towards the cockpit. "How bad is it down there?" he mumbled.
"Commander Arnorsson says it's a bit violent," responded Ermdahr, tapping the touch pad icons on the console, "but nothing too special."
"Are there any orders only for me?"
"No, I'm gonna ask if he has anything new." Ermdahr chose the communication icon and said, "Captain Ermdahr here, any orders for Vardir Erilaz?"
A voice from the speaker replied, "The king just gave more info about Vardir's assignment." After a second of consideration, he continued, "It's a negotiation mission."
Ermdahr raised his eyebrow and glanced aside in puzzlement. "That... makes more sense now, thanks, Arnorsson."
"I'm waiting under the communication tower," added Arnorsson, "we're on standby."
Erilaz listened to their conversation, trying to figure out the whole point of his mission.
They flew for a few more minutes. A tall tower soared over the blocks like a skeleton in the museum. Clouds of black smoke throttled the air of the settlement behind it. Larger or smaller explosions surrounded the blocks with yellow and orange halos.
"Here," Ermdahr said to himself, heading his ship towards a straight road. Since he didn't trust the board computer a hundred percent, he strained all his senses and moved his fingers over the touch pad like a surgeon. "Damn, that's narrow," he added, leaning over the console similarly to a creeping predator.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
"What?" asked Erilaz but he got the answer when the ship zipped between two tall blocks. The g-force pushed him at the backrest and fuzzy lines flashed behind the window. The engines of the ship bellowed, jiggling the floor. The vibrations flipped Erilaz's breakfast all over his stomach.
Descending and slowing down, the ship scratched a balcony with a stabiliser on its wing and spread little sparks. When the vehicle touched the ground, Ermdahr slogged the brake icon. The ship throbbed once again and the engine began to grumble monotonously. A puff of a stream left the pipe and the hatch slid up.
"Nevermind," breathed Erilaz with his eyes closed.
"Come on, Commander!" called Ermdahr and threw a LiqWatch and a holster with a gun at him.
Erilaz caught it, regaining control over his body. Small meals, insomnia and wild g-force weren't pleasant to his stomach or brain.
Ermdahr jumped out of the vehicle first and Erilaz followed him. They crossed the street and stopped on a square with a communication tower in the middle of it.
A group of armed Celestians ran from the opposite side. They wore grey suits and dark blue armoured vests. Helmets with shiny face shields protected their heads, giving them quite a mysterious aura. They held dark brown rifles and leg pads with the same coloured boots.
One of them had his helmet in his hand, showing his oval face and pointy ears with round, hollow earrings. His purple mohawk still stood straight despite streams of sweat on his skin. An aquamarine image of an eagle in the nest decorated his chest and his rifle distinguished itself from the rest by its sky-blue colour.
He halted in front of Erilaz and Ermdahr, waving his hand in a rushing gesture. "Vardir Erilaz, Captain, follow me," he recited, turning around.
"Commander Arnorsson, wait," said Erilaz, raising his hand to stop the Commander. "What am I supposed to do?"
Arnorsson, the Commander of Metropolitan Militia, spread his arms. "Make those folks stop throwing things at us, so we won't need to deal with arresting them and the whole mess around it." He pushed the helmet on his head, sighing, "Paperwork..."
Erilaz nodded. He buckled the holster to his belt and put the LiqWatch on his wrist. This device resembled a thin wristband and could be easily hidden under a sleeve.
"Come on," said Arnorsson.
He and his people ran into the concrete jungle again. Erilaz had no time to rethink this situation. He followed the group, recalling all he learned during training.
A group of the militia members and workers in dark green boiler suits stood on the square in front of the factory. The militia used air pistols and fake bullets to keep the enraged crowd away, covering themselves with shields. Cans, fragments of pipes, bricks and other items were falling on them from above. The crowd pushed against the barricade, yelling and threatening the officers.
A caterpillar freight vehicle stood behind the militia group. It was previously used for transporting cargo but now it looked like the only safe place among the fighting Celestians.
Arnorsson led Erilaz towards the vehicle and climbed on it. He waited for Erilaz to join him and looked around. The situation didn't change much. The workers rioted with anger but he couldn't do anything serious without Erilaz. That was the king's order.