by H. T. Kofruk
Fighting to stay conscious, Heera moved frantically away from him in a shuffling motion. Miraculously, she still had the saw in her hand. She saw the image of Haseeb slowly approaching her through the black dots in her vision. She put the saw to the other leg of the chair to gain mobility. The face of Haseeb had lost its shade of confidence which was promptly replaced by concern. He seemed almost shocked when Heera managed to get up.
She was thankful for another opportunity but still lacked the balance and strength to handle the weapon. She still held it limply with her right hand. Haseeb was much more cautious in approaching her this time. He moved more quickly with the intent of punching her in the stomach after dodging her clumsy blow.
Her kick to his jaw was one of the nastiest surprises he had ever had. He almost felt like he was going go out cold but he just managed to hold on. His vision was now showing doubles. Shaking his head seemed to have no effect. Heera was in no better shape either. In her best condition, she was confident that one of her kicks could kill a man if aimed correctly. But the action took so much energy out of her that her vision was getting blurred.
When she lifted her head, Haseeb was brandishing a sharp metallic tool. She no longer had any juice in her. She thought of using her last strength to run at him so that he would at least kill her. She slumped to the floor, realizing that this wouldn’t end well. She would die without seeing Terry again or forever be condemned to the interior of this ship in a semi-coma.
Haseeb looked at her with malicious eyes. Sweat glazed his round face. He ran towards her, determined not to give her another opportunity to fight back.
For the last few seconds of consciousness, despair engulfed her.
Two weeks later, Bin’ja and Heera met with a small group of Hummers, among them was Weirdo.
“Harmony has finally come back to our village now the man from the sky is dead” he said.
She still couldn’t believe what had happened. She had awoken with a splitting headache and her body feeling as if it was made of lead. After coming to her senses, she had realized that something heavy was pressing down on her. She had managed to push it away but almost screamed at the sight of Haseeb’s contorted face staring down at her with eyes void of emotion or life. The laser saw had been lodged in his chest, still red hot. The sickly smell of cooking meat had filled the lab.
In his rage to subdue or kill Heera, Haseeb had rushed too quickly, unable to escape the upturned blade. That was the only explanation she could come up with.
Heera learned after Haseeb’s death that he had basically made the village his personal fiefdom, threatening the Hummers to do his bidding. He had shown them magical weapons of death that he would use if they didn’t comply. Weirdo, along with a few of the other members of the village, was trying to find out the tyrant’s weak spots.
“We would have killed him soon anyway, even if it does mean he would kill many of us” hummed one of the elders.
“Sorry we couldn’t save the ones who were being held prisoner” said Heera. The four specimens found in the lab died soon after taking them out of vegetative state for unknown reasons. Perhaps they would be happier in death.
“You have done many good things already. And I will miss wrestling with you, Hard Back” said Weirdo.
Bin’ja understood what was being said through context and nodded his head.
“Where will you go now?” asked the elder again.
“I have many places to go, and one person that I absolutely have to see” replied Heera.
Chapter 25: Fall
‘Undue celebration will always bring disaster’ – Caasi proverb
Sixty jets flew in tight formation above the Heavenly Tower, each one leaving a trail of black or golden smoke. To the applause of the onlookers, they suddenly started to jostle and weave in between each other. Their respective speed started to vary. From the ground, it almost seemed as if the squadron leader had completely lost control and a disaster was imminent. Anxiety rose in the crowds assembled in the imperial capital of Huangjing as millions of eager eyes followed the chaotic formation.
A collective gasp rose from a million mouths as they simultaneously saw what the threescore of jets were doing. Ever so elegantly, as if by the brushstrokes of a master painter, the image of a flying dragon took shape. It flew majestically in the sky and clouds of fine gold powder dispersed throughout the city. A city-wide round of applause thundered through the air sounding like a heavy monsoon rain. Holographs of the proud Chinese Imperial Forces emerged from countless public projectors and each citizen of the New Han Empire gained more than a grain of patriotism. They were the first citizens of the Yinhexi, members of the foremost advanced civilization in the known universe.
For Xiao, this was the greatest day of his life, even more so than the day of his coronation. The Pacific Federation and the Atlantic Alliance had formally surrendered and pleaded for the decent treatment of their people. The Peace Alliance was more divided as pockets of resistance in North Africa and the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula accused their wiser compatriots of making a dishonourable deal with the New Han Empire. The Afrikan Republic was silent but Xiao knew that they would soon come knocking with questions about trade terms and contract agreements between their powerful trading enterprises and the Empire.
In effect, he had basically conquered Earth, a feat no one had ever managed to do in the history of the human race. Rendens were finally all bound to the paternal righteousness of China, the oldest surviving civilization. He could feel the smiles of his ancestors beaming down on him. He had bested all of them and created the first block of cohesion among humans. He imagined how history would write about him and smiled blissfully.
Kitsch holographs of him commanding troops and bringing his vast fleets of warships to victory were displayed. He looked much less dashing in a military uniform but context had forced it upon him. He had never put on an amplifier suit in his life but the holographs showed him, nonetheless, clad in a shiny black armoured suit thrusting a jian through the bowels of an obscure alien. His digital effigy raised a fist to the darkened sky and thousands of his faithful soldiers cheered and wished him a long life of ten thousand years. He chuckled at the display. The Imperial public relations office had decidedly gone a bit overboard with the deification of the young monarch.
The holograph abruptly changed to show the much closer-to-reality image of Xiao standing at the mouth of a giant golden dragon. The glass had been removed from the tower and replaced with a gravity shield to protect Xiao from the winds. He looked down at the city with a fatherly smile on his young face. He felt the masses looking up to him as their parent, their saviour, their protector and their god.
When he raised his arms above his head, a deafening cry of euphoria erupted. Ten thousand soldiers in the Earthen Square saluted him. Two thousand bio-engineered Nikruk soldiers stood motionless, their fearful presence reminding the masses of the miracle-creating qualities of their god. He returned the salute solemnly.
Unlike at his coronation, he hadn’t prepared a speech. His PR advisor had told him not to burden himself too much with words. Words were not necessary for the populace, only sentiment. All they needed was a sense of security, pride of their allegiance, and happiness in their roles. He could deliver all that by showing images of himself as a young, confident and truly omnipotent leader. His smile and his gestures were all that were necessary to convey that message, that they were in good hands as long as they showed unquestioning loyalty to him.
The victory celebrations lasted well into the night. Sophisticated fireworks lit up the dark sky with images of dragons, phoenix and other mystical animals. Six concubines entered the Imperial Chamber, the emperor’s private room at the ‘throat’ of the dragon. They were each only wearing soft silk gowns that barely hid the curves and crevices of their bodies. Each brought a gift of victory for the Walking God: fine wine, exquisite food and hallucinating drugs. Tonight will be a night of the most divine pleasure fit only for the
greatest of gods.
Xiao awoke with the foot of a concubine on his face. The bright sunlight indicated that it was early afternoon. He got up and covered his naked body with a yellow silk cloak. He slapped the buttocks of one of the sleeping concubines who consequently stirred groggily.
“All of you leave!” he shouted.
More stirrings occurred as the girls struggled to regain focus through their splitting headaches and exhaustion. He sat down and held his head with both hands. It felt as if a thousand dragon eggs were hatching inside his skull. Already knowledgeable of his horrible mornings following parties, serving girls arrived swiftly with pain-killers and tea. Two dozen types of fruit from the four corners of Earth and beyond were arranged neatly on a golden table, beckoning his taste buds.
He grunted and walked sullenly to the table and drank a large glass of iced oolong tea. The cold liquid ran down his chin and onto his chest. After emptying the glass, he took a bit of huoguo, or fire-fruit, an exceedingly sweet, mango-shaped fruit that had been bio-engineered to fit the taste and environment of Earth. As soon as the thick, juicy flesh of the fruit went down his throat, he felt intense heat build up in his stomach as if he had swallowed a flame. He then took a pain-killer tab and stuck it to his neck. The effects were immediate as his migraine and the pain from his abused intestines seemed to melt away. He looked up at the ceiling and stretched his arm backwards, creating cracking sounds from his neck and shoulders.
The holograph of a golden dragon suddenly appeared, indicating that someone was trying to reach him urgently. With an irritable gesture he activated the dragon which morphed into the head of General Chung Shuei, his army chief of staff.
After saying the ceremonial greeting to his emperor, the general spoke of the purpose of the rude intrusion. “We have received reports of an attack, Your Highness.”
Xiao didn’t say anything and merely looked at the holograph with an expression that said he was waiting for more.
The general cleared his throat. “We have lost contact with seven of our ships and the wormhole station in the orbit of Onut. The attack seems to have been well planned and carried out clinically, Your Highness.”
Seven ships? He interrupted my morning because of seven ships? “So, do we know who attacked? Remnants of the Atlantic Alliance Navy?”
“No, Your Highness, although some of their ships seemed to have taken part.”
“And who else?”
General Chung seemed slightly uncomfortable. “There were two Pacific Federation destroyers, five upgraded Afrikan trading vessels and three of our own ships.”
Xiao could feel his rage rising. It was as if the heat of the fire-fruit was rising from his stomach to his head. The effects of the pain-killer tab suddenly wore off and he became aware of an acute pain in the back of his head.
“Three of my own attacking me? On this glorious day of all days?” he said as he grinded his teeth menacingly. “I want the name of the traitors on all three ships. I want all nine grades of their families rounded up and publically put to death in the Earthen Square. Who was their supreme commander?”
The general looked even more uncomfortable. “Prince Fann…I mean the renegade Han Fann appeared to be leading them.”
Xiao’s world turned. He suddenly felt dried of all his blood and the fire-fruit threatened to exit the way it had entered. Fann was a distant memory, a lonely renegade who would be hunted down. He had almost forgotten he had a brother at all, erased the memory of how it felt when he plunged the dagger into his father’s throat. The moist belching sound and the hard scraping sensation of the blade digging ever deeper resurfaced. The image of his father with blood spouting like a fountain from the wound appeared in front of his reluctant eyes.
You have dishonoured the Han family. Your name, Xiao, means the love and respect that a son shows his parents and ancestors; you have shown that you have no such thing. This is the punishment from your forefathers. You have committed the ultimate crime.
“I have created the greatest empire ever seen. I am the father of a new dynasty. Why would I be punished?”
Your victories are my work, nothing more. You are a snake trying to be a dragon. No, you are a worm. The spirits of all your ancestors will bring justice.
Another figure wearing full battle gear appeared from behind his father. The visor opened to reveal the confidently smiling face of Fann.
Father, let him be. He is just a weak little boy. You should have made me emperor and I would have made you a thousand times prouder.
“What? Can’t you see? Can’t you see what I created?” screamed Xiao.
Fann smiled a condescending way. His mouth opened to show razor-sharp teeth. His beard started to grow and change to a rich golden colour and his torso also stretched. Golden scales replaced his armour. The dragon that was Fann opened his terrible mouth.
I am coming for you, Xiao. You will see who the real dragon is. I will beat you like I did when we were boys. I am coming for you.
“Get away from me!” he screamed flailing his arms wildly.
“Your Highness, please calm yourself” said Colonel Bo.
Xiao looked up at the Shadow who was holding his shoulders down. Two other Shadows were in the room. He had seated himself down on a silk chair at some point. He lifted his hands and saw they were shivering. The holograph of General Chen was still there with a look of concern.
But what if they weren’t concerned? What if they enjoyed seeing his weak side and secretly prayed for it? How could he know they were not all seeking his downfall? After all, weren’t all great men met with commensurate jealousy? If he was the most powerful man in the Yinhexi, if he was the creator of the first single unified Renden Empire, didn’t that make him the object of the greatest jealousy?
He suddenly imagined Colonel Bo chatting smilingly with Fann. They were discussing how weak and feeble he was. Fann said a joke, something about beating his elder brother as boys, and the two men laughed heartily. General Chen enters the conversation and Colonel Bo repeated the joke, bringing out another bout of laughter. The three men turned their heads towards him and their good-natured laughs became malicious. Their eyes glowed red and forked tongues flickered from their open mouths.
“Everybody out” said Xiao quietly.
“Would you like some more tea?” said Colonel Bo in his characteristic flat voice.
“Everybody out!” he shouted again. “All of you are traitors! Treacherous snakes! Leave me now! I will spend no more words on those who conspire against me!”
The holograph of General Chen disappeared. Colonel Bo stood silently, looking at his shivering, sweating liege.
“I said get out!” screamed Xiao.
He brandished a tea cup and threw it with all his might at the Shadow. Colonel Bo didn’t budge and the porcelain cup smashed against his forehead. Blood started to seep out of a cut. Xiao suddenly became afraid of his chief bodyguard. What if Bo really was in league with Fann? Couldn’t the assassin kill him easily right now? He held his breath and waited for Bo’s next action. To his relief, Bo silently bowed before disappearing along with the other two Shadows.
As soon as he was alone, Xiao broke down and started to cry. He didn’t know whether it was because of remorse, guilt or anger. When his tears started to create a small puddle on the floor, he realized that it was none of these things; it was loneliness. Exhaustion crept into his body and mind. He had to rest, to sleep off the torments of the world. He laid himself down on a velvet armchair.
It was already late afternoon when he awoke. His neck was stiff from the awkward position in which he had slept. The late spring day was pleasantly warm. Instead of the whiff of flowers, however, his nose detected the smell of burning. The sick feeling of being a solitude figure in a world of enemies and conspirers emerged in his gut again. Or was it just the fire-fruit? He needed to go to the toilet badly.
The sound of pulse rifles going off in the Earthen Square abruptly made him attentive. He got up and arched h
is back to release some of the tension before calling for someone, anyone to come. No one complied. He tried to conjure up a Web-Com holograph but only a screen of static appeared. Why was no one responding? He started to shout for the serving girls irritably. Not one soul appeared.
He began to feel afraid; had his subjects finally decided to dispose of him? Was Fann in the Imperial City right now with the people supporting his grand retour to claim the throne?
He walked to the mouth of the dragon but fell back when a fighter drone whizzed past the Heavenly Tower. What was a drone doing flying so low in Huangjing? Didn’t they know it was forbidden to fly any vehicle in the vicinity of the Imperial residence? The sharp sound of pulse fire greeted his ears again. Breathing heavily, he got up and peered down to the Earthen Square.
A large claw grabbed at the edge of the frame where the reinforced glass had been a day ago. Xiao wished he had not had it removed. The second claw gripped the frame and then a brown blur entered his divine chamber.
Xiao couldn’t believe that a Nikruk soldier was standing in front of him, his yellow eyes burning. He didn’t know whether he should run. After all, what good would that do? The alien was many times stronger and faster than he was; he had made sure they were engineered that way. Where was Bo when he needed him? He felt a pang of regret at throwing the cup at him earlier and dismissing him.
The sound of pulse fire came from a much closer place this time. Xiao dove to the ground and covered his head. The shriek of his terrible creation seemed to scratch the very insides of his ears. When he garnered enough courage to look up, he saw the alien battling in the air with a drone. He couldn’t tell whether the liquid dripping from the small spinning aircraft was the alien’s blood or mechanical fluid. The Nikruk was clearly winning the battle as it ripped out chunks of machine parts with its powerful metallic claws. The drone soon started to fail and suddenly dipped its nose and dove down to the ground.
Xiao only heard the explosion but wanted to make sure the alien was dead. Despite his fear, he edged closer again to the mouth of the dragon. Smoke rose from the Earthen Square, obstructing his view. More pulse fire rang from the ground, making him swiftly put his head back inside. It felt as if his lungs would burst from the tension. Warm liquid soaked his crotch.
