Chapter 3, part 2
“Who is out there?” The distinct Sanzai voice of Thunderspear, one of her Teidar bodyguards, carried itself throughout the ship.
“What is it now Thunderspear?” Shadowcloud asked, already guessing the reply.
“Somebody is obviously playing games with me and the Farseer.” The Teidar replied.
“Calmwater is with you?”
“We met by chance and we meditated together.” The Farseer replied with barely hidden alarm.
“Someone is out there, obviously playing ‘pat the back’ with us.” Thunderspear added and Shadowcloud sighed at that, the Teidar liked to play that game with other castes, sneaking up on them with their Lotai and startling them. Truth be told the Mizol played that game as well, when they were still in their dirals, the Teidar however still kept at it; saying that it helped the other warriors stay on guard.
“Teidar Sezon Razormist one of yours plays ‘pat the back’ with Thunderspear and the Farseer.” Shadowcloud sent out to her senior bodyguard.
“Coldsword and Longblade are both here with me. Must be one of the Soroin trying to get back at Thunderspear.” The Teidar Sezon replied.
“No Soroin can possibly have that good of a Lotai, we can’t sense anything.” Thunderspear replied instantly.
“Then that means that she ain’t close enough for you to sense her.” The Sezon snapped back annoyed.
“The Farseer would pick her up regardless.” Shadowcloud commented.
“Have her shout that idiot out of her Lotai then. Serves her right trying to fool a Teidar.” The Sezon replied and Shadowcloud snickered at that.
“Farseer, the Teidar encourage you to shout out the culprit.” Shadowcloud sent as she raised her mental defenses.
“But everyone will feel it if I shout.” The Farseer protested.
“That’s the problem of the one who is playing games like she is still in her diral.” Shadowcloud replied.
“Fine…” A moment later a shrilly telepathic shout echoed throughout the ship and dozens and grunts of annoyance were heard a moment later as every last warrior on the ship reacted to it.
“Did you like that you idiot?” Thunderspear yelled in Sanzai only to receive a cacophony of angry remarks by those who were strong enough to have their sending heard in that distance.
“So who is the culprit?” Shadowcloud asked barely managing to hold back her laughter.
“I…still don’t feel anyone.” Thunderspear replied, worry and alertness clearly entrenched in her mind.
“I swear, if you are playing games Teidar…” Razormist begun, clearly annoyed with some hints of worry as well.
“Both of us heard footsteps and perhaps whispers.” Thundespear cut her off.
“Teidar, are you certain that you heard right?” Shadowcloud asked, all traces of humor gone from her.
“Yes Mizol.”
“Razormist, the time has come.” Shadowcloud sent with trepidation before checking her blaster pistol and taking out her amplifier from its pouch strapped on her right leg.
“But we should have sensed the Shells if they got close enough.” Razormist cried out.
“I was wrong, whatever trick they are using it doesn’t have to do anything with our amplifiers, they must have found a way to hide themselves completely from us.” Shadowcloud replied as calmly as one who made one last realization in the face of death could.
“But that’s impossible.”
“We don’t even know how telepathy works, no one knows what’s impossible.” Shadowcloud begun as she and other warriors rushed towards Thunderspear, the enemy undoubtedly being near her.
“Tell Darkwing to get the missiles ready and to wait for my signal, I want us to take as many Shells with us…”
“Mizol!” Thunderspear cried out urgently.
“What is it Teidar?”
“I see at least three of them, they ain’t Shells.” The Teidar reported.
“Are you sure?”
“They wear some sort of space suits and they are using flashlights…Damn they saw me.”
“Stand strong sister, help is on the way.” Razormist encouraged her subordinate.
“They are…trying to talk to me!” Thunderspear said with obvious disbelief.
“What?” Both Sezon Razormist and Shadowcloud blurted out at the same time, since the Shells and their allies rarely tried to talk with them.
“I got in cover the moment they saw me and one of them cried out for me to wait and that they are here to help!” Thunderspear replied.
“Here to help and we can’t even sense them. They must be agents of the Shells, for all we know they are the ones who make the Shells invisible!” Razormist replied instantly.
“One of them is slowly approaching where I am while telling me to not be afraid!” Thunderspear said perplexed.
“Are you making this up Teidar?” Razormist accused her subordinate.
“NO!” Thunderspear shouted truthfully.
“If the alien gets any closer I am killing it.”
“Have you told it that?” Shadowcloud stopped running as she said that.
“What do you think that I have been trying to do?”
“You spoke to them? Vocally?” Shadowcloud asked in disbelief.
“I am Teidar, I don’t use my mouth to speak to others, especially aliens.” Thunderspear replied angrily.
“Warn them vocally before you do anything!” Shadowcloud yelled in Sanzai, causing the warriors near her to flinch from the strength she put in her telepathic message.
“They have Lotai, they must be telepaths as well.” Thunderspear insisted.
“Stop being a fool, Teidar!” Shadowcloud screamed telepathically, not caring about those near her.
“It… The alien stopped and… it’s going back to the others and… still says that they are here to help and that they… come in peace?” The Teidar said, obviously not believing what she was saying.
“Everyone, hold your positions.” Shadowcloud ordered.
“Mizol, don’t tell us that you believe them?” Razormist cried out.
“If it is a Shell trick I don’t understand its purpose, we need to tread carefully.” Shadowcloud replied.
“It is a trick and we will be playing right into it if we don’t act now!” Razormist insisted.
“If it is a trick we are dead anyway Teidar.” Shadowcloud said dryly.
“As you wish Mizol.” Razormist relented but with clearly felt reservations.
“Don’t stay idle, fan out and search the ship, if there are any more intruders I want you to find them but do not attack them.” Shadowcloud added getting only a telepathic grunt as a reply from Razormist.
“What do I do now Mizol? They are still trying to talk with me.” Thunderspear asked.
“Where is the Farseer?”
“I told her to find cover in an nearby room and stay quiet, I am covering the approach towards her but the aliens have cut us off from the rest of the ship.” Thunderspear replied.
“Good, protect the Farseer and tell the aliens to stay where they are.”
“I think that I can take on all three of them…” Thunderspear commented.
“No, don’t do anything unless they threaten you, just…” The sounds of blaster fire cut her sentence short.
“Who is firing, what’s happening?” Shadowcloud broadcasted out.
“A Soroin squad rushed ahead towards Thunderspear’s position and…” Teidar Longblade replied immediately right before the blaster fire stopped.
“Just caught up with them; they run into another group of them, one of the Soroin attacked one of them with her combat knife and the alien killed her… No she is still alive but unconscious.”
“How many of them are there? Did anyone get a look at them?” Shadowcloud asked as she begun to run to their position.
“At least two and they say that they too were wearing space suits.” The Teidar replied.
“Just stay where you are, I am coming to you. Are they trying to talk to you?”
“Yes, they are telling us to not fire and that they are coming in peace!” The Teidar didn’t even try to hide her disbelief at that statement.
“Hold your fire and…”
“Mizol, one of the aliens has run off and the other two are arguing in their tongue!” Thunderspear cut in.
“Hold your ground Teidar, don’t do anything. Longblade are you close to Thunderspear’s position?”
“Yes but the aliens have cut us off.” Longblade replied.
“We haven’t found anyone else yet.” Razormist reported.
“Five so far, not enough for an attack.” Shadowcloud thought loudly in Sanzai.
“That still doesn’t change the fact of this being a Shell trick.” Razormist commented.
“Just hold your fire and tempers; we will get our answers in the end.” Shadowcloud repeated as she finally reached Longblade and the three Soroin who had opened fire; immediately realizing that they were Pasets, the youngest of the crew.
“What happened here?” She asked the Soroin, now that she was close enough to see them in person.
“We run ahead, toward’s Teidar Thunderspear and we saw two of them. Slingshot tried to sneak up on one of them but it turned and saw her; she lunged at it with her combat knife, hitting it but it punched her and knocked her out. We thought that it killed her and we opened fire.” One of the Soroin replied.
“Young idiots, the lot of you.” Shadowcloud yelled at them without thinking.
“We are not Mizol cowards!” Another one replied immediately and she pushed her against the wall with a telepathic shove and kept her there.
“Don’t worry youngling, I won’t hold your stupid thoughts against you this time but endanger the Farseer again and I will tear you limb from limb before turning your mind into mush.” She sent coldly before letting the hapless warrior go. The Soroin Paset was still angry but she and her squadmates were too scared to say anything else.
“Where is the one they knocked out?” Shadowcloud asked Longblade who had just taken a peek out of cover.
“They had dragged her with them by the time I got here. I still sense her presence at the end of the corridor.” The Teidar replied.
“Either as a hostage or to get her out of the line of fire.” Shadowcloud thought.
“Or to use her body as a shield, the Pasets didn’t hit them as they got in cover.”
“True, did the aliens fight back?” Shadowcloud asked as she in turn took a quick peek while spreading her mind a little, immediately sensing the unconscious Paset.
“No, I don’t think so.”
Shadowcloud stood motionless for a few moments, trying to bring her thoughts in order as dozens of warriors reached their position after finishing their sweep of the ship.
“Mizol, we have finished our sweep of the rest of the ship. The only places that are left are beyond the end of this corridor.” Razormist reported as she reached her.
“Understood, Thunderspear what’s your situation?” Shadowcloud asked.
“Unchanged, the aliens are talking among themselves in their tongue. Their agitation is obvious.” Thunderspear replied.
“Have they tried to talk with you again?”
“Yes but I warned them to stay away from me. I think that they are trying to decide what to do next.” Thunderspear said calmly.
It was then that Shadowcloud realized that less than 200 Solon had passed from the moment she sent out the alert. They didn’t knew enough about the aliens to form a clear picture and she had to agree with Razormist that this was most likely a Shell trick but she had nothing to lose at that point.
“Thunderspear I want you to tell them that in a few Solons a diplomatic officer will walk alone and unarmed towards their position.” Shadowcloud finally said in Sanzai.
“Mizol, what do you think that you are planning to do?” Razormist instantly snapped at her.
“What my caste is supposed to be doing Teidar.” Shadowcloud replied coldly.
“This is a Shell trick and I am still responsible for your safety, you are not doing anything of the short!” The Sezon insisted.
“When those missiles go off it won’t matter if it is a Shell trick; besides…” Shadowcloud turned at the Teidar and starred directly in her eyes.
“Do you think that you can stop me?”
“Damn you Mizol, at least keep your amplifier on.” Razormist relented after a few moments.
“Never planned to get it off.”Shadowcloud mocked the Teidar as she took off her sidearm and gave it to her.
“Mizol, I told them what you said and… they are asking how long a Solon is!” Thunderspear reported.
“Figures…” Shadowcloud activated her armor’s insignia lights before walking into the corridor.
It had been quite some time since the last time she was sent to mediate with aliens and she could sense and read those thus being certain that they weren’t Shell operatives. This time she just hoped beyond all reason that this wasn’t yet another one of their tricks. In that case she hoped that her diplomatic tact remained intact and that she hid her unease as good as she thought she did.
After she took a few steps a figure appeared from the far end of the corridor, slowly walking towards her. She couldn’t see much at first, only that the alien undoubtedly wore a space suit, the feint emergency lighting made it impossible for her to distinguish colors from that distance. What she could clearly see was the alien's two legs and two arms, both sets being in the same position as a Loroi’s were. This didn’t mean much; since there were a few species that had the same build but were still radically different.
As the alien got closer she begun to make out some details, its suit was perhaps white or yellow, she couldn’t be certain without some proper lighting. An empty holster was strapped on its left leg and she saw that it also had five fingers on each hand. She couldn’t make out any details due to its helmet, only that its head was round.
The alien stopped a couple of meters in front of her and she did the same; she still couldn’t make out its face but she spent a couple of moments to study its space suit. It looked outdated, with a large life support backpack but it wasn’t like the most primitive ones which were bulky and barely flexible; that meant that this species was space faring for some time.
“I am Mizol Torimor Shadowcloud and one of my duties is to act as a diplomatic officer of the Loroi Union; I demand to know who you are and what your reasons are for boarding this vessel!” She said with her most authoritarian voice.
“I am…” The alien begun to say but stopped in mid sentence, briefly talking with someone else in its tongue. Its voice was surprisingly deep and rough to her ears, not as much as a Barsam’s but close. The alien then reached up to its helmet and activated an internal light.
“That’s impossible!” She thought loudly, drawing numerous questions from the warriors behind her but the alien begun to speak and she pushed them out of her mind.
“I am Marine Lieutenant Josef Allerberger of the Terran Scout vessel Matveyev. We are on a mission of peace from the Terran colonial authority, on behalf of the six worlds of humanity. We boarded your vessel in search of survivors and to provide assistance.”
Chapter 4, part 1:
http://www.well-of-souls.com/forums/vie ... 664#p18664
EDIT: Fixed embarrassing misnaming no one mentioned, also typos.