Black Feather: Episode XXXVI
"Wandering Shard of Nine"
Laevaentteinn Rebel Base
6:39 a.m., 03/21
"Commander! Our chief engineer has made a discovery!"
"Bring him in." Lucifer's fingers intersected each other in an X fashion. The door guard made way. A chubby, oil-stained man entered the quarters, carrying a belt-full of tools on his jolly waist and a pungent stench on his oil-ragged attire.
"Sir!" The engineer's clenched hand struck his chest as a salute.
"What did you find?"
"A black box... in our guest's AC..."
"A black box...?" The words made Lucifer close his eyes.
"I-it... We can't dismantle or remove it, but doesn't seem to affect the performance of the AC..." The engineer prattled on as Lucifer deeply thought. In the midst of the incessant unilateral chatter...
"That's enough. You're dismissed. Thank you for informing me."
"Sir!" The chief engineer trudged his way out.
"Summon Markham and Scout." Lucifer's associate responded and requested the presence of the said couple. A minute later, they arrived and entered courteously.
"Sir!" They sternly greeted in vigorous unison.
"At ease." Lucifer stood up from his chair and paced about near his desk. Markham and Scout relaxed their postures. "I need you two to secretly occupy Ascalon Citadel. Don't ask why. Just trust me."
They accepted and parted. Exasperatingly, Lucifer dropped himself into his chair and swiveled to face the glowing curtains behind him.
His glass cup shattered.
_____________________________
Walking down the hall towards the transport area, Qastor passed by the quiet mess hall. The silence broke.
"Ah, let me go!" Qastor backtracked and peeped in. Two men seized a boy of ten years. Qastor intervened.
"Hey, what's going on here?" Startled, but not shaken, the men turned their eyes to Qastor, releasing their grip from the boy. They looked at each other suspiciously and turned to Qastor. One of the two stepped forward.
"Yeah, that little twerp stole my wallet!" The other stepped up and said the same thing. The first one looked at the boy and gave a threatening glare. Qastor, not noticing, turned to the boy who retreated behind him.
"Is that true, little guy?"
"I-I need money to buy some food..." One of the men lurched forward, but Qastor stopped him. The boy retreated into Qastor's shadow.
"Hey, come on. Give the little guy a break." The man withdrew. Qastor squatted down to the boy. "How about this? If you give those two guys their wallets back, I'll buy you some breakfast. How's that sound?"
The boy nodded with elation as he threw the wallets to the men. They walked out with fearsome looks at the boy. Qastor told the boy to wait as he bought two sandwiches, but the boy followed.
"Here you go, little guy." The boy accepted the plastic case of sandwiches with a smile. "Say, what's your name?"
"My name?" The boy was already munching on the first sandwich. "Aries."
"Aries huh?" Qastor felt an indescribable feeling well up inside him. He took off his right glove and slightly twisted his platinum ring. Rey Vyn's keepsake... He squatted down again and held the ring for Aries to see. "You see this ring? It's yours now. Keep it safe, ok?" Aries' eyes widened as he forcefully gulped down a sandwich wad.
"Are you serious, mister?"
"'Course I'm serious. By the way, you can call me Qastor."
"Thanks... Q-Qastor. Thanks a lot!" Aries' face fell when he discovered that the ring was too large for any of his scrawny fingers, but looked up with a thankful face. Qastor grinned with pride.
"Alright, Aries, eat up. Sorry I can't join you; I gotta ride to catch."
Aries stared at the raven on the ring and held it up to the light, where it gleamed with opulent magnificence. He turned back to the corridor and looked on as Qastor returned to his destination with a gray sack bobbing on his back.
_____________________________
Qastor settled himself down in the passenger cabin of the land transport. It was dark inside, so he lifted a window shutter to his right and watched the silent motion of the horizon. They were far from the base when one of the drivers entered the cabin. Qastor got up and moved to the main aisle.
"Is something-"
"We've been waiting for you... Mr. Qastor." The man pulled out a dark pistol from his jumpsuit. Qastor recognized a hidden insignia on the jumpsuit. Sphere!
Trigger pulled, Qastor fell to the ground.
"Wandering Shard of Nine"
Laevaentteinn Rebel Base
6:39 a.m., 03/21
"Commander! Our chief engineer has made a discovery!"
"Bring him in." Lucifer's fingers intersected each other in an X fashion. The door guard made way. A chubby, oil-stained man entered the quarters, carrying a belt-full of tools on his jolly waist and a pungent stench on his oil-ragged attire.
"Sir!" The engineer's clenched hand struck his chest as a salute.
"What did you find?"
"A black box... in our guest's AC..."
"A black box...?" The words made Lucifer close his eyes.
"I-it... We can't dismantle or remove it, but doesn't seem to affect the performance of the AC..." The engineer prattled on as Lucifer deeply thought. In the midst of the incessant unilateral chatter...
"That's enough. You're dismissed. Thank you for informing me."
"Sir!" The chief engineer trudged his way out.
"Summon Markham and Scout." Lucifer's associate responded and requested the presence of the said couple. A minute later, they arrived and entered courteously.
"Sir!" They sternly greeted in vigorous unison.
"At ease." Lucifer stood up from his chair and paced about near his desk. Markham and Scout relaxed their postures. "I need you two to secretly occupy Ascalon Citadel. Don't ask why. Just trust me."
They accepted and parted. Exasperatingly, Lucifer dropped himself into his chair and swiveled to face the glowing curtains behind him.
His glass cup shattered.
_____________________________
Walking down the hall towards the transport area, Qastor passed by the quiet mess hall. The silence broke.
"Ah, let me go!" Qastor backtracked and peeped in. Two men seized a boy of ten years. Qastor intervened.
"Hey, what's going on here?" Startled, but not shaken, the men turned their eyes to Qastor, releasing their grip from the boy. They looked at each other suspiciously and turned to Qastor. One of the two stepped forward.
"Yeah, that little twerp stole my wallet!" The other stepped up and said the same thing. The first one looked at the boy and gave a threatening glare. Qastor, not noticing, turned to the boy who retreated behind him.
"Is that true, little guy?"
"I-I need money to buy some food..." One of the men lurched forward, but Qastor stopped him. The boy retreated into Qastor's shadow.
"Hey, come on. Give the little guy a break." The man withdrew. Qastor squatted down to the boy. "How about this? If you give those two guys their wallets back, I'll buy you some breakfast. How's that sound?"
The boy nodded with elation as he threw the wallets to the men. They walked out with fearsome looks at the boy. Qastor told the boy to wait as he bought two sandwiches, but the boy followed.
"Here you go, little guy." The boy accepted the plastic case of sandwiches with a smile. "Say, what's your name?"
"My name?" The boy was already munching on the first sandwich. "Aries."
"Aries huh?" Qastor felt an indescribable feeling well up inside him. He took off his right glove and slightly twisted his platinum ring. Rey Vyn's keepsake... He squatted down again and held the ring for Aries to see. "You see this ring? It's yours now. Keep it safe, ok?" Aries' eyes widened as he forcefully gulped down a sandwich wad.
"Are you serious, mister?"
"'Course I'm serious. By the way, you can call me Qastor."
"Thanks... Q-Qastor. Thanks a lot!" Aries' face fell when he discovered that the ring was too large for any of his scrawny fingers, but looked up with a thankful face. Qastor grinned with pride.
"Alright, Aries, eat up. Sorry I can't join you; I gotta ride to catch."
Aries stared at the raven on the ring and held it up to the light, where it gleamed with opulent magnificence. He turned back to the corridor and looked on as Qastor returned to his destination with a gray sack bobbing on his back.
_____________________________
Qastor settled himself down in the passenger cabin of the land transport. It was dark inside, so he lifted a window shutter to his right and watched the silent motion of the horizon. They were far from the base when one of the drivers entered the cabin. Qastor got up and moved to the main aisle.
"Is something-"
"We've been waiting for you... Mr. Qastor." The man pulled out a dark pistol from his jumpsuit. Qastor recognized a hidden insignia on the jumpsuit. Sphere!
Trigger pulled, Qastor fell to the ground.