Lafier herself had already started shooting. Jinto extended his own right arm (the fact that he hadn’t dropped his gun deserved some credit, if he did say so himself) and pulled the trigger.
For a moment, the fruit of their deadly exchange was unclear, but the enemy had numbers on their side, and the horse was in any case exposed to a dense hail of fire. Luckily, they didn’t score any direct hits, yet the vicinity bloomed with discharges and detonations. The stench of gun smoke curled across showers of soft stone shards.
“It’s gotten harder to run. What’s going on over there?” said the horse, not knowing just how valid its concern was.
“Faster!” Jinto screamed, during a pause in the crossfire.
“Even faster? All right, here goes.” The horse accelerated into a headlong gallop. In so doing, it cleared two thirds of the plaza space without sustaining any fire.
“Jinto!” Lafier yelled in warning. “To your right, on that roof!” Thinking fast, Jinto grabbed onto the saddle’s cantle and leaned hard left. Lafier resumed fire just as a shot darted toward them. It grazed his sleeve, ripping it and leaving a welt.
“Crrhh!” Jinto gritted his teeth.
“More from behind!”
Jinto turned to look, to find three enemies in pursuit on horseback. They must have learned from their example and struck a deal with some wandering steeds.
“I can’t manage all of them; you have my faith,” said Lafier.
“You say that, but...”
The improvised cavalry clearly weren’t trained for equine endeavors. Firing intermittent shots while also clinging so as not to get bucked off proved mostly ineffectual. That being said, they were closing the distance little by little.
Naturally, Jinto too had no training to guide him, and even so much as bringing his gun to the ready was fumbly in this awkward position.
Jinto tucked the gun into his armpit, and retrieved a phaser cartridge .
“Lafier, close your eyes.” He tossed it. Due in part to his unsteady position, it didn’t come close to the enemy.
Right before it dropped, Jinto shut his eyes and faced away.
A dazzling gleam.
When again his eyes opened, he caught sight of two of the enemies fallen from their mounts, rolling and clutching at their eyes.
“I told you, no littering!” the horse admonished.
“Sorry. I’m a rotten little brat.”
The single remaining enemy ceased in their tracks.
“There, see it? The exit,” said the horse. A row of about twenty glass doors lay open for them.
“I can’t go any further from this point,” it added, coming to a stop.
“Thank you!” Jinto jumped off.
“C’mon, Jinto!” Lafier launched into a sprint. It seemed as though this time, the sugar really had bestowed her the strength to go on.
“I look forward to seeing you ag—” Then the horse took a crusher-bullet right to the abdomen. Searing fumes shrouded its saddle while electric sparks charged through the air.
“Looks like I’m malfunctioning...” It slowly fell to its knees as its legs broke down.
“I’m so sorry!” Jinto gripped at his chest.
“Hurry!” Lafier picked off the last of the makeshift cavalry.
“Yeah, I get the picture.” Jinto dashed for the exit.
They came to a small sort of hall. It housed some shops and guide maps, and there were ten stopped escalators before them. Needless to say, no other people were present. Jinto searched the sides of the exit.
“What are you doing?” questioned Lafier, her voice severe, as she’d already stepped foot onto the escalator.
“Just give me five seconds.”
There was no guarantee he’d come across what he hoped for, but there they were: three buttons, the controls under the words EMERGENCY SHUT-OFF DOOR. Next to them hung a notice reading, “WARNING: Activating without just cause will lead to criminal charges.”
The controls were a tad difficult to work (probably in order to prevent mischief from prankster children). Jinto followed the instructions and pressed Button 3, then 1, then 2. The buttons glowed when pressed, and then they started blinking on and off.
“Warning. Activating the shut-off door without need will hold you subject to criminal and civil affairs liability. Please confirm the situation is an emergency...” came the robo-voice, but Jinto paid it no heed. There was no time. He slammed his hands against the buttons.
“Danger! The shut-off door will now close. Please get away from the door. Danger! The shut-off door will...” The glass doors closed shut at once. A steel door dropped down from above and caused the ground to quake with a THUD.
“All right, we’re good to go!” Jinto ran up to her.
The staircase was lengthy, with at least five stories’ worth of height in all. They rushed up them without pause, and panted by the door.
“Are you okay?” asked Jinto, concerned.
“Uh-huh.” She was pale in the face, but she had enough left in her to give him a grin.
“Let’s head into town again. We’ll go back into hiding. I bet you anything the Empire ’ll be back in no time.”
The exit was unmanned. They stepped through it into the open. The daytime sky was without a cloud. Outside the exit, the ground slanted in a slight incline, shining hazily. The path stretched about as wide as the small plaza, and at its top, it divided in two. But they hadn’t even reached that far before hovercars appeared from both ends to block their way.
“Police!” Jinto looked back, and witnessed the darting figures of police officers.
“Don’t move!” The officers fired warning shots.
Lafier’s right hand made to move.
“No,” said Jinto, grabbing her by the wrist.
“Why!? You want to surrender here?”
“Yep, we’re surrendering!”
They were flanked on both sides, and besides, the cops in front were hiding behind their cars. There could be no victory.
“Terrestrial citizens are better than the alternative,” argued Jinto. “Better than falling into enemy hands.”
“But what if they hand us over!?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get there. But if we fight here, we die. It’s that simple.”
Lafier bit her lower lip, and dropped her gun.
A man exited the hovercar at the center. A man with brown skin and a smoke in his mouth.
“Name’s Entryua, and I’m an inspector with the Lune Beega Police. Now, I’d like to hear from you two about a grand theft auto incident that occurred some five days back.”
“Are we under arrest!?” cried Jinto, glowering at the inspector.
“Oh, so you speak Clasbulian?” Entryua beamed. “That’s a relief. Haven’t studied Baronh since school, so I’m pleased as punch you and I can have a chat in Clasbulian. And to answer your question, you’re not under arrest. You’ll be coming along with us voluntarily for a bit of questioning. We don’t even know who you really are, so we can’t issue warrants for your arrest, see. Though we probably could just arrest you on the spot for property damage and unauthorized possession of weapons.”
“We plead self-defense.”
“Thought you would, which is why I didn’t throw murder on the list. In any case, I think it’d be in your best interest to take a ride with us.”
“And we’re NOT under arrest, right?” Jinto pressed.
“Nope. Not as of now, anyway. So no cuffs, and no straightjackets.”
“What about the property damage and unauthorized possession?”
“Well, to tell you the truth, we’ve got an arrangement or somesuch with the Empire , so it’ll be the court that decides. I know your extenuating circumstances. So believe me when I say that at the moment, I’ve no desire to arrest. Now have we understood each other?”
Jinto nodded slowly.
“Good, that’s good. Can I get you to ditch the gun?” he said gently.
He let it go, du
mping it on the ground alongside the single remaining phaser cartridge .
Lafier still gripped hers.
“Now for the young Abh lady.”
“You can do it, Lafier,” Jinto said in hushed tones.
“I shall trust your judgment,” she told him, and she put it down.
Entryua, relieved, ordered a subordinate to take their firearms. “Now put your hands behind your head and come here. If you behave, we won’t have to get rough.”
Jinto did as he was told. Lafier also complied, albeit grudgingly.
“Don’t be naïve, Inspector!” Another man had exited the car, but this one was wearing a green-brown uniform. The uniform of a UH military officer.
“You tricked us!” Jinto tried throwing himself at the cop they’d given the guns.
In that moment, the tension ran high.
“Wait! You’ve got the wrong idea!” said Entryua. “Calm down and let me explain!”
Jinto froze in place.
“This is Military Police Lieutenant Kyte. He’s cooperating with us,” he rattled on. “Listen, we aren’t toadies of the occupiers. At the end of the day, I’m the one in charge here. So if you listen to what I say, there won’t be any problems.”
“Lunacy!” Kyte pressed a gun against the two. “There’s absolutely a problem. We haven’t even checked to see whether they’re totally disarmed yet! How can you trust them so easily?”
“‘Inspector Entryua ,’ was it?” said Lafier. “I don’t know whether it means anything to the people of the land, but I swear upon bar lupainec (the honor of the Abh) that I have no other weapons on me.”
“Yes, I trust you, I really trust you,” said Entryua in clumsy Baronh.
“NO!” Kyte disheveled his blonde hair. “Look here, Abh, if you want us to believe you, then remove all of your clothes and lie on your back. We’ll give you a thorough pat down.”
Jinto stepped in front of Lafier to defend her. “As if! We’re not here to humor your stupid power play...”
“Out of the way, you idiot slave!” Kyte suddenly pulled the trigger.
“Augh!” Jinto felt a searing heat in his left shoulder. His vision swam.
“JINTO!” Lafier caught him in her arms.
Fortunately, Kyte’s gun was a phaser . It hadn’t drawn much blood. However, he was assailed by intense pain, and beaded with greasy sweat. The light of the world dimmed for a moment.
“YOU WRETCH!” Lafier exploded with the wrath of a solar flare. “YOU SHALL PAY!!”
Chapter 8: The Üadrhoth Sathotr (Dance of Victory)
Entryua watched Kyte’s scandalous behavior with speechless bafflement. The man had transformed before his very eyes. His timid personality had all but evaporated like a puddle under a blazing sun, and a sadistic smile turned his formerly handsome visage into an ugly perversion.
“And how do you propose to make me ‘pay,’ you Abh scum?” Kyte scoffed. “If you really care so much for your little pet, then why don’t you get on with it and do as I say? It’s not like you sub-humans have any scruples or shame. You’re just a loathsome homunculus, you depraved scum Abh.”
The Abh lass embraced the youth in her arms and stabbed at Kyte with a glare not unlike a laser . She didn’t avert her baleful stare as she laid the lad down.
“N-No...” the young man could be heard mumbling.
Entryua was struck with admiration. I don’t believe it... The Abh girl means to scrap with Kyte bare-handed!
The boy cottoned onto her intentions, and desperately attempted to keep her from going. He tottered over to cover her. The Abh girl’s shield.
At that instant, Entryua had decided whose side to take. And it just so happened to be consistent with the mandates of Clasbulian law.
Entryua pushed a needlegun to Kyte’s temple. “Enough!”
“What are you doing?” Kyte panicked. “Are you afraid the Empire will retaliate? Then you needn’t worry. Our fleet may have suffered a temporary defeat, but our invincible land war unit is unscathed. We shall continue to defend and maintain this surface world until, by the favor of the powers that be, we secure all of space once again. So stick by the side of justice without fear—”
“Oh, that’s exactly what I’m doing,” Entryua interrupted. “I don’t give a rat’s ass who rules space. But on this planet, it’s Clasbule’s law and justice system that ought to prevail, and your actions right now fly against them. It’s a shame, too; I was starting to feel for you.”
“I’m just dealing with a fraught situation with the proper rigor!”
“Now I know why the police on your world were so hated.” Entryua then addressed his subordinates: “Hey, take this pinhead’s gun, would you!?”
His order was executed by the closest officer.
“You’ve made a terrible mistake, Inspector! Our proud army will surely punish you!”
“Abh girl,” said Entryua, ignoring Kyte’s forewarning. “It’s as you can see. I apologize for my mismanagement as the boss here, but I’m still going to ask you to come with me. That young man needs first aid.”
Her shadow-black eyes regarded him.
Such a pretty young thing... Entryua marveled. She was covered in dirt, but that only highlighted her shining beauty all the more. The pride and dignity that kept her from taking a single step back even amidst a sea of strangers and hostiles were clear to see in the glint of her eyes. He’d previously pictured the Abh as lofty beings perched beyond the clouds, but at least with her, the stateliness with which she carried herself had kissed the surface as well.
Can’t blame him at all for being so loyal , he mused, glancing at the boy who had been shot. For better or worse, he was the typical city boy that didn’t exist among first-generation settlers. Which was to say, he had a weakling, vaguely unreliable air about him, which wasn’t dispelled by the fact that he’d come to this point by surviving a firefight that had even the police too frightened to act.
Kyte’s mad laughter rang through the scene. “You can cover for the Abh all you like, Inspector! I’ll just have her dragged out of your detention center. Don’t forget, the Abh is MINE. I’ll be taking a whole host of soldiers straight to your doorstep, so don’t think for a second you’ll get away with this, Inspector!!”
Dammit, that rotter’s right, he admitted to himself. Aizan’ll hand her over to the occupiers quicker than breathing. But wait — that might not necessarily be the case. After all, if he’s got one good point, it’s how quick he is to adapt, and now that the Abh’ve returned, he won’t be quite so keen to butter up to this upstart army anymore. That said, by now the “liberation army” must’ve noticed they’re not particularly welcome here, and so their manners’ve turned rougher as of late. They might just be willing to blow up a police force or two. But us guardians of the law could hardly sit idly by as these rabid mutts have their merry way.
“Inspector Entryac ,” said the Abh. “I am choosing to believe you.”
“Good. In that case...”
“However—”
Entryua was never to hear the rest of that sentence. Three streaks of white smoke traced arcs in the air and exploded at Entryua’s feet. Entryua leapt back. “Who the!?”
“Mist shells!” shouted an officer, frantic.
Just before getting engulfed in the mist, Entryua spied a hovercar ride rushing over the embankment.
Jinto had no idea what just happened; before he knew it, his surroundings were suffused by a thick fog.
Looks just like the scenery of the river in the realm of the dead, like Grandma used to say, Jinto recalled. Guess it’s true after all, huh? Which means I’ve gone and snuffed it. Or have I? I can’t even tell. I mean, I can still feel Lafier’s warmth on my back... Is she dead, too? Or might I still be one for this world?
“Abh! Laimh !” A voice from beyond the mist addressed him by the word for imperial citizen .
Jinto started. It was Min’s voice.
“Don’t dawdle. Come! There’s no time to waste!”
Jinto slid an arm around Lafier’s shoulders and pressed forward.
“Don’t fire! We might shoot each other by accident!” Entryua yelled.
The hovercar began levitating within the fog. Jinto stuck his head through its open door. In this situation, Lafier of course pushed Jinto in and tried turning back.
“Where are you going!?” He grabbed her wrist in the nick of time.
“Let go of me.” Lafier was on a tear.
“There’s NO TIME.” Marca, who was beside Jinto, helped him pull her up into the car. “We’re set, Bill!”
“Time to cheese it!” Bill exclaimed.
The hovercar got rolling. In the space of mere moments, it wove through the officers and sprinted down the road.
“Let go of me, Jinto!” Lafier writhed in his right arm. “I have something I’ve yet to do!”
“Ow ow OW! Hey, I’m wounded here! A bit softer with me, please,” he said, scowling from the pain in his shoulder. “Besides, what’ve you gotta do, anyway?”
“What do you think?” she said, her ire more than plain. “I’m going to take the man who harmed you, and turn him into fuel for the plasma winds of space! A poetic end for him, I should think!”
It wasn’t a bad feeling, seeing her blow her top over him and him alone. But he couldn’t exactly let her slake her thirst for revenge. “But we’re not in the vacuum of space ,” said Jinto, to calm her down. “He’d at most turn into a charred corpse smearing a decent length of the ground, which isn’t the most poetic thing I’ve ever heard.”
“Good. That would be the most fitting death for him.”
“How would you even manage it unarmed?”
“I’d snatch a weapon!” she asserted categorically.
“So reckless,” Undertaker sighed.
“Now now, be precise with your words,” Min chided. “What he means by that particular choice of words is that you ought to take greater care in your deeds.”
“You can take your time killing his ass later,” Jinto told the royal princess .
The Return to Strange Skies (JNC Edition) Page 11
