Tina Iapaku, the new maid in the manor and the daughter of a long-indentured Old Japan family, working for us instead of the capital (since she just came of age and her family wants to branch out into different areas), was pointing a gun at me. Looked like a rifle of some sort, probably Union-made; it had violet all over it. My father had a handgun to his head, the captor being the servant Gahra Niivir (her family being from the city) Ella's roommate and the cook's sister. The cook, though, seemed surprised at this. He talked quietly to try to reason with his sister, but she was a stubborn kid.
"Get off of him or else we'll kill you and Yrguon." That being my father.
"Do you really think I care about him dying? I'm a murderer for God's sake." Even as I said that, I got off of the boy. I did enough damage. He'll die of bloodloss, hopefully. I keep the knife in my hand, though.
"Do you really want him to die?" Not really. He's my father.
"I said I don't care about him dying, not that I want him to die." All lies, I tell you. 'Tis the truth I say now. T'way with it.
"Well then, Aegrov, we'll dispatch of him then. How about th—"
"Charge!" What? Charge? Who's charging? Aliens charging? Are we being atta— oh.
"Fuck!" The slave-soldiers from one of the barracks start beating up the maid and servant with their rubber bullets. That was easy. Or not.
The soldiers from the other barracks start firing upon the slave-soldiers with their rubber bullets. Judging by the situation, I say that they thought the slaves were rebelling. Long story short, all of the soldiers got into a fist fight, that I may or may have not got involved in, and my father yelled out in a fury. The soldiers who were on the ground scrambled to their feet. The ones already up went on their knees. I just hid behind one of them.
"What is going on?!" my father angrily yelled, "I demand an answer now!"
"Sir!" a slave-soldier adjacent to me began, "Minor-Major Aegrov started it!" I stood and glared at the soldier. His name is Dusk, I believe, the one Dawn hangs around. I'll make sure he gets a punch or two.
"I can confirm that, Sir!" Dawn now? Oh, come on!
"Aegrov! Meet me in my office, and you soldiers arrest the terrorists. Have them ready for the train next morning. The boy on the ground goes, too."
"Yes, sir Major," all the soldiers responded.
The soldiers picked up the Union activists while wincing at their newfound bruises and I was escorted by Ella, who surprisingly had a handgun (ancient, custom-made Glock 19 it seemed, painted deep velvet (the color of the international Acriterian flag before we burned them to the ground in dust and ash)), and we followed my father to his... office. More like a saferoom is what I think. Once we entered the room, father thanked Ella and dismissed her. I was left alone to my impending doom. Or perhaps not.
"So the Union finally reached the Apus star system," my father calmly started, having a faint smiling of knowing and stealth, "What do you know of this, son?" I was wondering if he heard my bluff out there when I said I don't care about him... I'll just answer him, I thought.
"Alice told me to talk to Ella," I responded as if reporting a patrol, "Ella told me that the boy was an agent of the Union and I have to kill him before he can get our land by marriage or by force. And according to Joies the mechanic, the veteran Dorman Sickle who owns the weapons shop and is freelancing for jobs was asked by the boy to fix some military equipment unlike that of mass-produced equipment. I suspect Union-made."
"Well then..." He sounded like he was beginning a rehearsed monologue. "I'll have him executed. Treason is punishable by death. The only thing punishable by death nowadays. Good job, Aegrov, and listen to your sister and.. Ella. They seem to know more than any of us."
"About Ella, why did she have a gun?"
"The only reason why she isn't a slave-soldier is because she's a natural-born assassin, and I bought her as the secret bodyguard of the 93 Manor."
"Well I hadn't known that..."
"I keep many secrets from you kids. It's good that you know that one, though, so know you know how wise it was to order the slave to guard and stay with Alice. She told me how you ordered her so."
"I didn't order her. I told her as a friend. She's like chadaheir." He smiled at that.
"Your dear friend? Good. Befriend her. God knows what mercy she would show if she's enraged and you're her friend."
"... Is she dangerous?"
"She's just the first Acriterian child born on this planet that is familiar with war. She was trained well, but not well enough, though she is the equivalent of a yari-, yumi-, katana-, wakizashi-equipped onna-bushi in feudal Japan; not the best, but a damn force to be reckoned with. Once we found her, we trained her enough. She can kill a man in split seconds with any near object, and without one it takes her only few seconds. No one in their right mind should ruck with her." A lot to take in.
"Neat."
"Indeed. Now, son, you're dismissed."
"Then I'll excuse myself. Oh, and I had been bluffing outside; I wouldn't really want you dead." Especially since you have 'many secrets' from us. Not only do I want you to live because you're my father, the man who grew me into who I am (sort of), but now I know you know things that I don't know. It's like a pet peeve.
"I knew it was a bluff. Now go." I was already at the door.
I was wondering what other secrets he kept locked away. Alician and I could be in the dark about many things, all about different people. Actually, how exactly can a human and Acriterian mate? I mean, Alice is proof of that, but just... how? Maybe cloning? But it's impossible to clone humans. Maybe Ella would know?
And just like that, I find Ella in the living room.
"Hey Ella," I said, catching her attention, "I have an extremely irrelevant question to the events of the day, and thought you'd know the answer."
"What is it?" she asked.
"Well—" Wait. Maybe I... shouldn't ask that. She would get a wrong message, being Acriterian. Yeah, I shouldn't. "Well nevermind. Have a good day."
"Hm... wait, Aegrov, Port is started."
"Well okay then."
"Listen carefully."
ns 15.158.61.20da2
