by Dani Hoots
The Representative turned back to me, realizing the only way to escape this was to do as I said. That I held his life in my hands and that if I wanted to kill him, I could. Unfortunately, Joss ordered me not to. “Don’t kill me, please, I haven’t done anything to deserve it.”
“I’m not going to kill you. That is, as long as you do what I say.” I motioned with the gun towards his desk. “Now, take a seat, will you?”
He quickly sat down, ready for my next command. Just like an obedient dog. I liked that, as I have had some trouble in the past with other representatives. He knew his place.
“Now,” I said, smiling. “As speaker for the Emperor, I am here to tell you we have a wonderful proposition for you and your planet."
“I will never side with the Empire. I am loyal to the Second Republic and the Second Republic alone. I would never be aligned with such filth as you,” he snarled. I was surprised he would say such things, especially since he was on this god-forsaken rock.
“It’s interesting you say that, especially since the Republic is on the verge of declaring war with you, bombing a few of your key cities.”
I watched as he gasped. It was always the same thing with these types of dramatic realizations, how a politician responded when they were betrayed by the government they swore fealty to, especially when I was sent to kill them by the Emperor himself.
“What? That is impossible, I swore my allegiance with them. Why would they do such a thing?”
“Simple. Your Chancellor decided to pick on you, to make sure his military weapons won’t be taken from him. He’s a dumbass, yes, but I used to work for him. What I say is true, I’ve seen the plans myself.”
The Representative was silent, as if thinking it over. He really never believed his so-called Chancellor would betray him like this. It was hard to explain, really, as part of it had to do with the future, with Wes having his wife die before his eyes on this planet, knowing it was the first to fall to the Empire. Well, history was going to repeat itself, Wes being the catalyst. And it all was going to end with more chaos and more destruction.
Who was the one with blood on their hands now, brother?
Allumas let out a brief sigh, as if he understood where that left him in all this mess. “If what you say is true, I need to think of my people.”
I was surprised to hear him say that, especially since he was so quick to cower down before me. Yet, when it was all explained, he knew what the right choice was. “That is true.”
He took a deep breath and looked out the window. “I have always wanted to help my people, that is why I became the Representative of this planet. The Senators are appointed by Valle, everyone at the capital, but not the people of the planet. They don’t understand what it’s like to be here, they don’t see how much we suffer.”
I stayed silent as I listened to what he had to say. I knew of the poverty this planet had to suffer through, hearing what Neil said about Laura. Though I hadn’t seen them myself, I could relate my harsh experience from the Kamps to this planet’s hardships. I understood how one could only endure for so long and not be able to do anything about it.
“Since Chancellor Atkins has come to power, he has done nothing but cause turmoil to not only this planet, but many others like ours. He doesn’t take the time to get to know his people, like the Chancellors used to. Our economy has been disrupted, causing many to go unemployed and living on the streets, which is not easy in this god-forsaken place.” Allumas turned to me, his aging eyes appearing desperate. “Can you promise me that my people will be safe if we form an allegiance with the Pandronan Empire? Can you promise me that?”
So even this far before the alliance was supposed to happen, the Representative was having second thoughts about the Republic. That was good for me to hear, because that meant he would hear me out, would understand that this was the only way to keep his people safe. The Empire was the only way that he and his people could survive.
“I can promise that Emperor Joss will do everything in his power to make sure you are safe from the Republic. He will also do his best to restore the economy of this planet and in exchange you must promise your loyalty to us. If you do anything to break that promise, I can swear that this planet will suffer more than you could ever imagine.”
The door opened and Dan appeared out of nowhere. He quickly closed the door behind him and locked it. He didn’t say a word as he stepped beside me. Allumas studied him, but realized that he was with me. If he tried to back out now, there was no way he was going to get past us.
Not to mention that no one was going to come help him.
“Was it only you two that snuck in?” Allumas asked.
I nodded. “Yes.”
He laughed. “Only two, huh? That shows me how powerful the Empire really is.”
Allumas bit his thumb, thinking. It was probably something he didn’t let the public see, showing his uncertainty was never good for a politician. I didn’t really care, from what I learned they were never certain about their actions. The only thing they were certain about was that if they screwed up then I would be sent to kill them.
“Fine. I will do it,” he said. “I promise my loyalty to the Empire. I will send my men in my place to talk to your Emperor shortly, and ban the senators of the Republic from ever stepping foot on this planet again. We are on your side of this war now.”
“Thank you. We will await your appointed visit. We shall send you access codes to arrive to Anosira as soon as possible.” I put the gun away and clapped my hands together. “Now, could you be ever so nice and call off your men. I don’t particularly want to be shot at when I step out of this office.”
“Of course.” He pushed a button on the table. “Johnson. Yeah, it’s all clear. Just a misunderstanding, seems they lost their passes and had to come in the back way. Call off the soldiers.”
Dan held out his hand to Allumas. “Good to know that you have some sense in this universe. We will make sure this planet is safe, I guarantee it.”
Allumas shook his hand. “Yeah, yeah. Leave here before I change my mind.”
And with that, we left Representative Allumas alone in his office.
***
“Well that went easier than expected.” I folded my arms behind my head, smiling in triumph as we walked through the corridors. “And I didn’t have to even hurt him to make a point.”
“Do you really believe that violence is the only solution to getting a person to change their mind?” Dan asked as we walked out of the Capitol Building. People stared at us but they did nothing to stop us. And why would they? Their Representative told them not to.
I shrugged, kind of surprised that Dan would asked such a question. He was the one who could beat me in a fight, yet he questioned my tactics. “No, but it’s definitely the fastest and easiest. Besides, does the person who I haven’t seen get beaten in a fight have an alternative way of persuading someone to their side?”
“That I do. Maybe something we can go over when we get back to Anosira, as part of your training.”
I laughed. Now he was trying to be the good guy here. After everything I had seen him be able to do, I knew no ‘good’ guy could ever come up with such things. There was definitely a darker side to him than he was letting on, and I would figure out what exactly what was. “We shall see. But for now, I will stick to my methodology.” I took a deep breath, the crisp air entering my lungs. Felt like breathing in ice. I hated it here, I hated every time I got sent to this miserable planet for a mission. “Man it’s cold. Would you mind going and getting me some coffee?”
He stared at me, narrowing his eyes. “You want me to get you coffee? Why don’t you just come along? If you’re so cold, then wouldn’t you want to go inside the cafe?”
“Want to look around for a moment, breath in some fresh air. I will be right outside, waiting. Don’t worry about that.” I smiled. Yeah it was a lie and he could probably see right through it. But Dan was nice, he would just give in to see what I w
ould do. Maybe nice wasn’t the right word, but more just curious.
“You aren’t coming off as being honest, Myra,” he sighed. “And I have no idea what you could be planning here.”
“I told you, I am always honest. I just need some fresh air. Nothing to be suspicious about. Can’t a girl ask a gentleman to get her some coffee? Now hurry before I get too cold to move.”
He frowned, but gave in and went inside the cafe. As quickly as I could, I ran around the corner, searching for the exact brick Violet had told me to look for. I don’t know if you ever have had to look for a certain brick before, but it was hard. They all looked the same, except the one I was looking for had something only I could decipher. Something only I could recognize.
Sanshlian letters.
To everyone else that passed by, it probably looked like chicken scratch. Because, well, it did look like chicken scratch. I also doubted people around here were that observant, as they tried to get from one location to the next before their body froze solid. Didn’t blame them, really. I wished I was inside the cafe getting the coffee myself. But this was more important than keeping warm. This might be my only chance at getting home.
Once I spotted the brick with the lettering on it, I took my knife and carved it out of the building. I read the Sanshlian. It simply said Myra. I smiled, as really that was all it needed to say for me to find it.
As Violet had said, it was hollow. I rattled it to find that it indeed had something in it. Throwing it to the ground, the brick shattered and a small clear gem was inside. I picked it up and examined it.
“So,” I whispered to myself. “This what the fuss is all about? Shouldn’t be surprised, looks are deceiving. It’s probably worth more than the entire universe’s riches.”
I pocketed the gem carefully with my pocket watch and hurried back to where I told Dan I would be waiting. Just as I stopped, he came out of the cafe.
“Where did you go?” Dan asked as he handed me to coffee.
I took a sip. “Didn’t go anywhere. Just stayed here.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Find that a little hard to believe.”
Shrugging, I started forward towards the train station. “If you didn’t trust me, you shouldn’t have left me alone. Now, we should head back to Anosira, Joss will probably have another mission for us already. Speaking of which, you promised when we got back you would help me start training on how to use my special powers. I would like to get that started, wouldn’t you?”
He frowned, knowing I wouldn’t tell him the truth about what I did. Did he let me go to see if I would tell him in the end? He was a fool for sure to think I would tell him the truth. He should have known better by now. “Yeah, I guess. Nice change of subject.”
I smiled sarcastically. “You said I needed to work on changing a person’s mind without violence.”
He shook his head, a hint of a grin appearing on his face. He definitely liked talking to me. “Whatever, let’s just get out of here. The cold is starting to get to me.”
Nodding, I agreed. “That’s for sure.”
***
We got on the train and started heading towards the port. I simply watched as we left the city, the snowy white covering everything around us. It looked like we were heading towards a snow storm and I wondered how it would affect the train. I doubted it would do anything, as Ttkas built everything to combat snow. I doubted we would even feel a shake of the car.
I breathed in deeply and listened to the train itself. It seemed okay, aging I could tell. This train had seen so many travelers over the years, I could feel its weariness. It was strange to be able to feel such things from an inanimate object, but I was starting to get used to it and enjoyed the connection. I felt I could finally link with something, even though it wasn’t living in the sense that we knew life.
“You seem at peace while traveling. Most people are tense, but you seem to be at home while you are moving,” Dan commented. I glanced over at him. He seemed cheerful now, not bringing up my disappearance when he got the coffee.
I stretched in my seat and leaned back. “I’m just used to traveling. I don’t like staying in one spot, too used to people after me. Staying means getting caught. So yeah, when I’m moving it means I’m usually safer.”
We entered the tunnel and the lights trickled on. Everyone around us went on with their business, simply waiting until they got to the port so they could leave this god-awful planet. I agreed with them, but being impatient wasn’t worth my time. One could only go as fast as their choices allowed.
“What about you, where do you feel most at home?” I asked, mostly trying to kill the time. Wasn’t something I was used to doing, talking to another person, other than Lance that is.
He shrugged. “I haven’t really found a place to call home. Well, that isn’t entirely true. I used to think home was where your loved one was, if you were with them, then anywhere could be home.” Dan sighed. “But I was betrayed and now am alone, so I guess I never knew what home was. Maybe I will someday.”
I nodded. “I think I understand.”
“Jack?”
Frowning, I turned back to look outside, which was pitch black since it was a tunnel. “Still none of your business.”
He laughed. “Sometimes you open up, and other times it’s like hitting a brick wall. You need to work on your consistency.”
“Yeah, well, you need to work on keeping your nose out of other people’s business.”
Dan went quiet and I kept staring out at nothing. Time went by when finally, the train came out of the tunnel. I could feel it before it happened, as the train was screaming out to me. Something bad was about to happen.
And suddenly the train stopped.
I jumped up, ready for anything, as did Dan. Everyone around us looked confused, frightened even. I glanced outside to find a group of five individual snow-cycles approaching. Someone was attacking the train. I almost laughed. This was the wrong train to mess with.
“Bandits?” Dan asked as he took looked out the window. “Well, this is going to get interesting quickly.”
I nodded. “Yes, it will.” I pulled out my Class Two gun and raised it in the air so that all the other passengers would listen. “Listen up, there are bandits coming straight for the train. If you want to live, listen to what I have to say. None of you move, do you hear me? Crouch down in your seat and wait for this to be over.”
Of course, there was always one that doesn’t obey. He stood up. “I’m a Republic officer, I can help.”
I aimed my gun straight at him. “No you can’t. Sit down. Now!”
It took him a minute, as if the gun pointed at him still made him think about what he should do next, like a deer in headlights. Such a joke of an officer. I turned to Dan.
“So what’s the plan?” I asked.
“Plan?” he whispered. “I thought you would have come up with one by now.”
“I have, but I didn’t want to leave you out of all the work.”
He smiled. “I am simply at your disposal on this mission. It’s all up to you.”
“Well then, if that’s the case, here’s the plan.”
CHAPTER 13
Dan agreed to the plan I made in a jiffy, which honestly was most of the plans that I did, and I quickly ran forward to the other cars, shouting for all the people to get down. I didn’t want to have to deal with shooting them if they got in my way. That wouldn’t help the Representative trust the Empire. Stupid orders, always getting in my way, not to mention the paperwork that would have been involved. I hated paperwork.
There had to be someone on the inside, a person on the train that was connected to the bandits. That’s how it always was, that way they could alert them of their location and where all the valuables were, which car to attack, etc. I just needed to figure out who exactly it was. It would probably be obvious, the only person who wasn’t scared. Then again, I was waving a gun around, everyone should be scared in that respect. But they would be trying their h
ardest to fit in, so any disturbance that wasn’t part of the plan then they wouldn’t know how to react properly to it.
Meanwhile, Dan hid in the shadows, having my back and keeping an eye on everything that was going on. He was the one to make sure I didn’t get shot or stabbed, which was unlikely since I was a pretty capable fighter. He would also keep an eye on those who were approaching the train, seeing if he could tell where the inside person could be, but I had a feeling the moment they approached, the person would join them. It was hard to tell sometimes, though, as many of these bandits had no brain or skill to go against people like us. People skilled in fighting and combat, and used to putting themselves in dangerous situations all the time.
I managed to get all the cars to keep quiet and still before the bandits got on the train. Damn automatic trains like this, no one actually steered the thing, but I had a feeling the authorities had been called. It would take them a good while before they showed up, being out in the mountains just outside the tunnel.
Which our bandits probably counted on.
When the first bandit stepped foot on the train, I opened fire. No reason to wait it out, it was all or nothing at this point. I just wanted to get going and leave the planet after all. This was just a waste of my time. Hell, even if I got shot I would still be fine. So unless they were a good aim, which I highly doubted, and shot me in the head, then everything would be okay.
First man was done, the bullet hitting him straight in the head. I was still a good shot after all. As he fell off the train onto the snow, the white innocence now tainted with red yet again, I wondered why he joined the bandits and robbed trains. He probably had a family to support or something. Didn’t matter to me, as it didn’t matter that everyone on this train also was supporting someone. Well, other than Dan and I.
The other four opened fire on me and I quickly shielded myself around a wall. Peering around, I shot another straight in the head. He didn’t stand a chance.