“Wars punctuate the music of stillness.”
- Drexari idiom, Vol war-clade
The Drexari made a strange sound. A clicking ripple of harmonics. Feebee asked the QI to translate.
‘There is nothing to translate, that was zher laughing.’
“You laugh?”
“Yes. You came here to relax but ended up in a war zone, fighting. How fortunate for your warm bloods.”
“Lady luck smiled kindly on us.”
Feebee then thought for a while, “Why did you take hostages?”
“It is not our way to kill innocents. Some clades would, do, but not the Vol. We are not animals.”
“It is not our way either,” added Feebee. “We detest war. That’s why we want it over quickly, decisively. We prefer it when gentle quiet is the main event. War being a temporary interruption to outbreaks of peace and quiet.”
Ember made that clicking ripple again. Laughter.
“That’s very close to one of our key tenets, ‘War is but the pause in the music of stillness. End it swiftly, so quiet may resume.’”
“I like that,” said Feebee.
“Our beliefs are more aligned than I would have thought possible.”
“Yes, Ember. They are.”
Their footfalls broke the quiet, echoing off the cave walls as they circled the standing stone.
Carved on the other side was a spiral of intertwined black and blue light.
Ember walked up to it and pulled back the torn sleeve of zher uniform.
A similar pattern was burnt into zher flesh. Both lit up and pulsed in time with the beat of Ember’s hearts.
Zhe pointed to the brand then to the glyph on the standing stone, “The Void Spiral. In our Lore it represents the flow of dark energy through creation. This proves the very connections it foreshadows. It is a sign.”
“Indeed.” Was all that Feebee could say as she read out the inscription below it.
‘Only the oldest clade-lines dare silence.’
“No! “Impossible!” Ember’s shoulders slumped. “This is too much.”
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Zhe walked away and sat facing the darkness. All zher rear facing eyes were closed. Forward eyes open. Zhe was just looking at blank rock and the occasional flutter of motes.
Feebee walked around in front of Ember and sat down. “We have the chance to stop this conflict. Our people would accept a quiet withdrawal, if yours would.”
“It may be too late for that. We are an honourable people, but withdrawal is not usually an option, I can try.”
‘Is this a good idea? Can zhe be trusted?’ asked the QI.
‘I sense honour and truth.’
‘Oh great. And that makes it all Ok?’ The sarcasm had returned.
‘Are we agreed?’ Feebee asked.
‘Why are you asking me?’
‘Because it’s your life too.’
After what was an eternity for the QI it responded, ‘You sense truth; that’s good enough for me.’
So, after Feebee and Vol’Shaar agreed the plan, the QI lifted the block on Ember’s comms. Zhe was immediately pinged by the Orbital, its demands expressed directly in zher mind, ‘Report your Situation.’
Zhe looked at Feebee who nodded, before continuing. ‘Status – good. Situation – I have found significant cultural artifacts.’
‘Define significant.’
‘The artifacts point to the clade, possibly all Drexari and the warm-bloods having common cultural ancestry. 96% confidence. Propose we protect these culturally important artifacts and reassess the invasion of this planet. Possibly give it the status of a joint protectorate. Defences are stiffer than expected, there’s also humans here.’
‘How many?’
‘One identified, a musician but with access and intent to use an Instrument of Reckoning. This was used on my squad… and dissolved them,’ Ember added.
‘Repeat – did you say an Instrument of Reckoning dissolved your squad.’
‘Yes – dissolved. Id of instrument – 100%,’ confirmed Ember.
‘Wait. Assessing situation and your report.’
Ember was getting worried, “This is taking too long.” She said to Feebee.
Feebee immediately picked up Hissy, and started towards the entrance.
The QI, alerted checked outside, ‘Two copters inbound.’
She called back to Ember. “We have company. Two copters. How long do I have?”
“Best case, fifteen minutes. Worst, three.”
“How many will they send?”
“They’re facing a human with an Instrument of Reckoning. There are stories, recent stories of an invasion fleet stopped when the metal serpent sang.”
“And they think that’s me?” asked Feebee cautiously.
“Maybe, I was somewhere else. They will fear you are The Silent Flame. So, twenty, maybe thirty elite Vol Scouts,” said Ember.
Feebee smiled, “I like those odds.”
Ember shook her head, “Humans,” maybe all zhe’d heard was true and having experience of this one earlier, Ember didn’t like her Scouts’ chances.
Feebee walked towards the caves entrance, Hissy with her. She stopped and opened up her backpack. Took out two of the scavenged pistols, stuck them in her belt and slipped the recently opened Choc bar into a jacket pocket.
She then slowly approached the cave’s shimmering entrance and looked out. It looked all clear.
‘Get the backpack to make more Choc, greens and blues. And add something nice on the labels.’
‘Ack’
‘See anything?’ asked Feebee.
‘Nothing visible but they may be hidden or shielded. No comms chatter. Sensor sweeps more frequent with a broader range,’ was the QI’s immediate response.
‘Ack. Go dark. Max shielding. Can they sense Hissy?’
‘Comms – off. Shielding – MAX. Detection of Hissy – unknown.’
‘Ack’
Meanwhile, somewhen else… The Long Quiet reported.
THREAT: Hostile. Possibly lethal
OBSERVATION: Subject has options.
STATUS: WATCHFUL
And now…
Hissy’s jowls and flared head looked bigger, she looked angry, and somehow she’d there were more sigils on her core, densely packed.
Feebee took a deep breath, stepped through the cave’s veil and out onto the rock ledge.
‘Is Hissy getting bigger? Or is it me.’
‘Since some of your nanites moved into her and the motes started changing their programming who knows. Same with you.’
‘Wait what?’ asked Feebee, ‘And you’re only telling me this now?’
‘I told you earlier.’
‘When?’ Feebee calmed herself, adrenalin was getting the better of her. ‘Anyway, not now. SitRep.’
‘No change in Situation.’
The two copters were coming in low, heading straight for the gap overlooking the resort.
It was deja-vu all over again.
