The Archer's Paradox - The Travis Fletcher Chronicles (29 page)

It was too late when her befuddled brain recognised the danger coming up behind her. It was not until she felt someone beside her, just outside of her eye line, that she registered that something was wrong.

“Keep walking and do not turn round.” She felt his hot breath as a voice hissed in her ear and a strange mix of fear and resignation hung in the air around him. “Do you know what this is?” She felt an object press into her side to emphasise the question. The accent was distinctly Xi Scorpii B and male, but she did not recognise the voice.

Her senses gingerly probed round the object. She felt its shape, texture and composition. It was a weapon, but the design was unfamiliar and the materials were wrong; it did not seem to be of Otoch origin. She gasped and stumbled as fear gripped her insides and tears brimmed round her eyes. Why would someone want to threaten or hurt her? She was only a lowly
Paal Kanik
. It must be something to do with her relationship with Travis Fletcher. She
felt an arm steady her, not too roughly. She expanded her senses to find out more about her assailant, but received a sharp mental slap for her efforts which made her stagger again.

“Do not attempt to identify me.” The voice in her ear warned.

“What do you want?” She stammered. “I am not…”

“Your assumption is correct; the weapon is not from Otoch.” The voice in her ear validated her findings. “It was from the team that attempted to kill the
Ts’ats’aak, Sundaravāda Ci
ṭṭ
e
.”

Niji No Tori struggled to keep her calm as her brain tried to make sense of the situation. “Then you are…”

“I am not of Éðel and neither do I intend any harm to Travis Fletcher.”

“Then what…”

“In fact I am attempting to save his life.”

“But…” this made no sense to her what so ever.

“My honour is at stake.” The voice hissed in explanation. “If you discover who I am then I will kill you and by using this weapon it will be assumed that The Children of Éðel are responsible.”

A wave of nausea hit Niji No Tori in the stomach and she fell to her knees and retched. Carmine red vomit splashed onto the immaculate street. She could feel the disgust emanating from her attacker, but there was also an undercurrent of pity and sympathy. She felt his resolve, but also that he would only kill her as an absolute last resort. Determined not to give him that reason, she rose to her feet and carried on walking with her held high and not looking back to see if he was following.

“What do you want?” The words were wrapped in a bravado she did not feel. She fought down her first instinct to run, but she also felt a deep responsibility to protect her friend, although she had no idea how or from what. The mysterious male had said that he also wanted to protect Travis Fletcher. That thought alone kept her from running, because she was sure the man would not shoot her unless she tried to discover his identity.

The man stayed just out of her eye line, so that they would not attract any attention, but she felt the muzzle of his weapon pressing into her side. “Honour is a harsh master.” He mused, almost to himself. To her he said, “The Council are considering handing The Original over to The Children of Éðel in order to placate them.”

“No!” Niji No Tori exclaimed in disbelief, as a thousand questions suddenly exploded in her brain. She suppressed the reflex to turn and face her mystery companion; the uncomfortable feeling of the weapon pressed into her side reminding her to keep her calm.

“But I cannot allow that to happen.” He continued, as if she had not spoken. “We are so close to saving the whole of the Xi Scorpii,” The emphasis he placed on ‘the whole’ indicated to Niji No Tori that he was including The Children of Éðel in his statement, “and I am not about to jeopardise everything we have achieved in order to have it snatched from us at the last moment.” he finished, with a bitter bite in his voice.

Niji No Tori took a deep breath. “What do you want from me?” She asked.

Ten days had passed since Niji No Tori’s encounter with the stranger and she was now sitting in a secluded spot in one of the City’s many garden areas, ready to enact her part of the plan that had been laid out to her that night. The days had passed slowly since that night, but the wait had been determined by her visitor, as well as the promise he had extracted from her about absolute secrecy and the dire consequences that would follow if she failed. She had hidden herself away from friends and family and thrown herself into her studies with even more gusto than usual, just in case she let something slip in conversation.

She had not visited this garden before. It was constructed as a maze of corridors, bordered by high shrubs and trees which opened out into oases of varying sizes and planned in such a way as to hide the manufactured skyline of The City’s towers, giving the sense of primitive isolation. There were no straight lines or geometric shapes and the air was filled with the scents of dozens of plants in a myriad of colours that had bloomed across Otoch before The Fall.

“Dishonour follows deception.” The words of her father echoed in her mind. “Dishonour
always
follows deception.” he had reiterated as he tried to drum the Code of Honour into his wayward daughter, who had the attention span of the insects that now buzzed between blossoms that surrounded her. She had smiled sweetly, hugged her father and watched his anger melt away before skipping off to cause more mischief and mayhem. She knew her father would never get really angry with her, but she could never comprehend why at the time. It was years later before she understood how rare and precious a child,
any
child was to their parents and to the Xi Scorpii. She had vowed to herself that she would never deceive anyone or bring dishonour into her family again, yet here she was, actively participating in possibly the biggest deception conceivable. Elements of the Code flashed across her mind and collided with others. Everything had seemed so simple; follow the Code, live your life with honour and serve the Xi Scorpii, but now it seemed nothing more than a list of conflicting ideals that had no answer for her current situation. She wanted to help her people, she wanted to save her friend, but to achieve both she had to be part of a plot to deceive The Council. She looked up enviously at the birds that flitted overhead and at the small animals that scurried in the undergrowth. They had no worries or thoughts in their little brains other than whether to eat this berry or that root or if it was time to mate yet. She smiled a little to herself.

The Garden, like every garden in The City, was encased within a dome of its own so that the wildlife could not escape to infest the rest of The City or cross breed with the inhabitants of the gardens of the other stars. It was wild and beautiful and just how she imagined Sol 3 to be, although Travis Fletcher’s descriptions were somewhat less flattering, but she drew no comfort or joy from the experience. Travis Fletcher had been moved to a more secure location as news of the impending threat had filtered out from the Central Pyramid. The fifth race of the Xi Scorpii had returned, they still held grudges that the other four races had put aside after The Fall and they wanted Travis Fletcher for themselves, even if it meant robbing the other races of the cure they had found. Outwardly, The City looked the same, but an invisible shroud had settled over everything colouring people’s actions. Thoughts were more guarded, people wore more muted colours as if trying to blend into the background and conversations were conducted in hushed tones.

Niji No Tori had more reason than most to be afraid; she knew more than most people and she wished she didn’t. She knew that The Children of Éðel had already tried to kidnap Travis Fletcher and assassinate her
Nuuktak
for what she knew or suspected and that lives had already been lost trying to protect them. She knew that many more would die if she failed in her task. She was a small but vital link in a chain of events that would not only save her friend, Travis Fletcher, but possibly everyone on Otoch. The Children of Éðel wanted Travis Fletcher and were willing to kill anyone who got in their way so he had to leave Otoch as soon as possible. If he was no longer here, then The Children of Éðel would have no reason to attack and would hopefully be more willing to negotiate a more reasonable arrangement, even joining in a joint venture back to Sol to find another Original, or so her mysterious visitor believed. It would be the first step in reuniting the fifth Xi Scorpii race with their kin. Now she was waiting for the next link in the chain. The same person, in fact, who had suggested this meeting place.

A movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention as a female entered the sanctuary and interrupted her train of thought. She was tall and beautiful, with the proud deportment of Xi Scorpii C, but somehow diminished. The last time they had met she had been holding a weapon and standing triumphantly over the body of Travis
Fletcher and Niji No Tori had been cowering on the floor and screaming hysterically. She pushed the memory to the back of her mind as she calmed herself and brought her thoughts back under control. She stood, unsure of the protocol of greeting someone who had so spectacularly and completely fallen from honour, and wondered if this was soon to be her fate if everything fell apart. On the ship she had looked up to Xnuk Ek’ as someone to aspire to and Xnuk Ek’ had treated her with respect and honour for the most part, but now everything had changed; she was no longer the ‘enthusiastic little
Aantah’
and Xnuk Ek’ no longer commanded her respect by default.

Sensing the other’s perplexity, Xnuk Ek’ bowed low, much lower than any
Nuuktak,
no matter how recently graduated,
should
bow to a
Paal Kanik
. “It is good to see you again, Niji No Tori.” her voice wavered slightly with emotions Niji No Tori could not identify. She wanted to slap her face, shake her by the shoulders and scream ‘WHY?’ She wanted to wrap her arms around her and cry.

Still feeling awkward, Niji No Tori returned the bow. “Xnuk Ek’.” she acknowledged simply. Her feelings were not lost on Xnuk Ek’ who smiled wanly and there was a deep pain behind her eyes. Xnuk Ek’ took a seat on a bench facing Niji No Tori and waited.

Niji No Tori opened her mouth as if to speak, then closed it again. She had rehearsed the speech a hundred times, but now she was here it sounded trite and condescending. Her thoughts floundered uselessly behind her shield. Sensing the other’s hesitation, Xnuk Ek’ took the initiative.

“Why did you want to meet me?” she prompted. When Niji No Tori did not reply. “I sense you hold resentment for what I did to Travis Fletcher and you are right to.” Niji No Tori’s head snapped up to catch Xnuk Ek’’s eyes. “But that is not why you contacted me, is it?”

Niji No Tori shook her head but still did not reply.

“This is difficult for both of us.” Xnuk Ek’ said quietly. “So just say what is on your mind.” A spark of the old Xnuk Ek’ showed for a moment, gently coaxing a response. “After all, you cannot hurt me any more than I have hurt myself.” And the spark had gone.

“I…” Niji No Tori stammered and nearly faltered. “I may have a way for you to regain some honour with The Council and with Travis Fletcher.” The words poured out with such speed that they all rolled into one. That was it, it was out.

Xnuk Ek’ raised an eyebrow, cocked her head to one side and gave a little smile. “And what influence would a lowly
Paal Kanik
have over The Council?” she asked, her voice laced liberally with sarcasm.

“Do not patronise me, Xnuk Ek’!” Niji No Tori’s temper snapped for a moment and she immediately regretted the outburst, but Xnuk Ek’ just smiled.

“You have grown so much in such a short time, young one.” she acknowledged. “So, will you now tell me why you asked to meet me, or must I give you another nudge?

Niji No Tori bit her tongue. Yes, she had changed a lot in a very short space of time, but in many respects she wished she was still the naïve young girl that had been invited to the Gaming Centre by a substantially superior opponent. In an odd way she was now the superior and it made her feel uncomfortable.

She took a deep breath and launched into her story, as much as she was allowed to, culminating in Xnuk Ek’’s part as a link in the chain. She did not know what Xnuk Ek’ would need to do, that was not her task. She only knew that she had to find someone suitable, determine their commitment and direct them to the next stage. It would be someone else in the chain that would give her more precise instructions, but Xnuk Ek’ seemed to be the perfect candidate, based on the criteria she had been given and it could, possibly, allow her to regain some honour, but if the plan failed, Xnuk Ek’ could fall no lower. The less each link knew, the less likely the plan, whatever it was, would fail. All she knew is that it was very likely that she would never see Travis Fletcher again, he would never know her involvement in his escape and she would never be able to say goodbye.

Two days later Kiiro No Wani sat in the council chamber with only half an ear listening to the debate going on around him. Arrayed in front of the Council were leaders of the City Guard, the Commander of the recently refitted Interstellar Explorer’s newly formed fighter squadrons and engineers of the City’s utilities. He would chip in occasionally to give the impression he was taking part or to deflect attention away from himself and kept a surreptitious watch on K'an Aayin, looking for any indication that he suspected his actions had been discovered. So far K'an Aayin seemed to suspect nothing, but Kiiro No Wani was not about to get complacent. He paused in his contemplations for a moment to ask a question about capabilities of the City’s shield which allowed the shield
engineer to launch into a full and convoluted rundown of its capacity and power drain under various scenarios while he turned his attention inward to tick off the components of his plan, which, if it succeeded, would render these discussions moot. All the people and equipment were in place, just like the pieces in an ancient game still played by people in the Jitaku sector. Honourable deception. The phrase K'an Aayin had used to describe him not so long ago resonated round his head. Deceptive? Most definitely. Honourable? Only time would tell. He turned his attention back to the debate just in time to table a supplementary question that sent the shield engineer off on another rambling monologue before returning to his introspective contemplations.

Travis Fletcher paced his new quarters impatiently. He had been hustled out of his apartments without warning and taken, with more courtesy than he could stand, to the Central Pyramid and ushered into, what could only be described as, a luxurious cell. There were no windows, his food was brought to him at regular intervals and he no longer had any access to The City’s database so he could not even read. He had shouted, screamed, pleaded and kicked the furniture, such as it was but the only explanation he got was that ‘it was for his own safety.’ Safety from whom or what, he had no idea. He asked if his friend could visit him and was politely refused.

Now he spent his time testing his heightened senses to pass the time. He cast his mind outside his cell to find other minds to probe and prod. He was usually treated to an untranslatable expletive or a harsh accusation of his lack of honour before shields were slammed into place, but he no longer cared. He was not Xi Scorpii, he was very quickly coming to despise them (except for a choice few individuals) and roundly criticised their own Code of Honour, inside his own mind, of course; he had no intension of getting shot again. Although his mental sojourns began as random attacks out of frustration and temper and to irritate his jailers, he quickly learned to recognise mental signatures and to modify his own signature to make it less obtrusive. He was still not skilled enough to slip around trained minds unnoticed, but he could see how it could be done. He was also desperately trying to glean any information about what was going on outside, what had got everyone so frightened and to see if he could find his friend, the nurse, which of course was not possible due to the dampening field that was built into the pyramid’s structure. Travis supposed it was the perfect place to stash him as no-one would know he was there, except the select few that saw to his needs, and he could not give himself away either deliberately or accidentally.

Life had become a repetitive ritual punctuated by regular deliveries of food. At least he would never starve to death, he had reasoned to himself. The routine started with what he called breakfast, although it bore no resemblance to his normal first meal of the day. Its arrival would wake him up, whereupon he would lay into the guard carrying the meal with choice insults and abuse that he had concocted the previous ‘evening’. The guard would normally stoically ignore him and leave, although occasionally he had a new victim who was never fully prepared for the onslaught that awaited them. This always pleased Travis the most. After breakfast, Travis would spend the morning exercising his mind and annoying anyone within his range, which was not very far, until the next meal, where he would apologise to the guard for his temper and plead to be let out for some exercise or to have visitors. During the ‘afternoon’ he would resume his campaign of annoyance. He had spent years on Earth being an ignorant, arrogant pain in the arse and he was putting all his knowledge to good use. At the third meal he would become angry and accuse all and sundry for his imprisonment. The evening was spent considering choice insults for the following day.