CREAM RISES

Chapter 2 – Brothers In Arms

Poggle lay almost unmoving for two days after the petrana-ki. The service drones assigned to his residential cell did their best for him and managed to get him clean, and trimmed off the bits of shredded skin and otherwise tended his wounds as well as they could. They brought him water, and one of the other Lessers even scrounged up a little food, but Poggle felt too ill to eat. He simply lay there on his platform, alone and brooding, dozing occasionally, enduring his hurts with the stoic resignation of his kind. During one doze, the Lesser to whom the cubicle had been assigned after Poggle was arrested, crept in and removed his meager possessions, and so his quarters were his own again.

On the third day of his recuperation, while Poggle was moodily licking a nasty cut on the inside of his elbow, a Royal Warrior suddenly appeared in the entranceway to his cubicle. Poggle felt his heart jog, but he refused to stop licking. He tried to surreptitiously examine the officer's face as he pretended not to care that he was standing there, then came recognition.

"Oh," he grunted. "It's you."

The officer from the arena stepped fully into Poggle's cubicle and looked down at him. With his wits about him, Poggle could see that the lopsided impression had been caused by a thin yellow scar running up one side of the Warrior's face and into his eye, also pale yellow. It gave him an alert, faintly inquisitive expression.

Poggle began to chafe under the officer's silent scrutiny. He couldn't very well tell him to get out—Warriors were higher in status than he and could go into any Lesser's residence with impunity—but still, he was annoyed. He addressed the officer with rather more force than he should have.

"Have you come to arrest me?"

A safe enough question. He could already smell that his visitor was alone. The Warrior cocked his head.

"No."

"What do you want, then?"

His tone was even harsher; another transgression. But the scar-faced officer did not seem to mind.

"I came to see how you were," he said.

"Well, here I am," Poggle replied sourly. "Alive and well."

The officer didn't think that Poggle looked well at all. In fact, he thought he looked pretty terrible. A goodly portion of his exoskeleton had been scraped bare in patches, the chitin gleaming through the rings of cracked scabs and showing pits and scores. The softer parts of his body were crisscrossed with little cuts and wounds, some still open, like that gaping gash in the crook of his elbow. Yet his spirit seemed to have survived intact. The officer could see it smoldering in the Lesser's brown eyes and hear it in his voice. He decided that he would fan the flames a little.

"Everyone's talking about you," the Warrior said.

"Wonderful."

"It was quite an accomplishment, what you did."

"Mm."

"I'd heard that you died of your wounds, though."

The effect was galvanic. Poggle actually pushed himself into a half-sitting position, instantly enraged.

"Who— What— Where did you hear that!" he spat. "It's that Hadiss, isn't it? Spreading rumours about me? Lying about me!"

The officer's head near spun, caught in the tempest of the Lesser's fury. "I just heard it around the barracks," he expanded soothingly. "Some drone's misconception, no doubt."

It seemed to mollify Poggle. He sank back. The Warrior regarded him thoughtfully.

"Perhaps you should go to one of the messes for a meal. Let people see you."

Poggle looked back, a little surprised. "That's—not a bad idea."

"I'll come with you, if you like."

Poggle was not so proud that he would turn down an offer of protection in his weakened state. He nodded agreement and moved to stand up. When he tried to take a step, he almost fell over.

"I'm all right," he snapped, shrugging aside the other's proffered hand.

"Yes, you certainly are," the officer replied, bemused.

Poggle hobbled into his cell's common area, his joints frozen with disuse and strain. It was downright painful just to watch him. The officer waited while Poggle relieved himself—the Lesser groaning as he miserably discovered that not a single part of his body had escaped the drubbing he'd suffered—then accompanied him out into the passages. He had to adjust his normal stride down to a mere crawl for Poggle to keep pace.

The Lesser looked over at him out of one eye, gratefully, a little suspiciously. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Sun Fac," the Royal Warrior said.

They went on, the Warrior strolling, the Lesser limping gamely, and were soon having their meal under many interested gazes…

A week passed and a dense layer of stratiform cloud settled over the plains surrounding Stalgasin and dipped low enough on occasion to envelope the exterior structures of the hive colony itself. Conditions became gloomy, almost night-like, and surfaces everywhere gleamed and dripped with moisture. The hive shut its doors to the outside and curtailed any foraging until the weather improved.

Sun Fac stood on the walkway before the lowest tier of seating in Stalgasin's coliseum. The variable fog had put a literal damper on events; he could barely see halfway across the floor of the great arena. Despite the poor visibility, many arena personnel were taking advantage of the temporary lull. He could just make out a group of picadors putting their orrays through their paces, and elsewhere several Gladiators were honing their skills, some sparring against one another, one taking on several droids. Fac watched the Gladiators with especial interest. His own duties would be light until the arena resumed normal operations and he enjoyed the opportunity to play mere spectator for a change.

Fac heard a distant low thrum and felt the rock beneath his feet tremble, ever so slightly. A large spacecraft was departing from Stalgasin's spaceport, probably one of the enormous, fuel-guzzling Trade Federation core ships. The sharp tang of its distinctive exhaust, more pronounced than usual in the damp air, soon permeated the bowl of the arena and Fac was able to confirm his tentative identification.

A far more pleasant odour suddenly filtered through his nostrils and Fac turned his head and chirruped to someone coming down the passageway behind him. A moment later, another Warrior appeared, uttering a similar soft purl of greeting. He went straight up to Fac and they licked each other on the mouth. Even for Geonosians, their faces bore a marked similarity of type, and well they should have; the newcomer was Fac's gene brother, Rit, the only other Sun left. Their line had been discontinued as temperamentally unstable after most of its members had gotten themselves recklessly killed or maimed. Fac and Rit were the only individuals in which the Sun strain's other noted trait, intelligence, had prevailed.

Rit had also inherited a rather mischievous sense of humour, where from, no one knew. He eyed Fac expectantly.

"I searched for you during rest time," he said.

"I was busy," came the short reply.

"I'll bet you were." Rit already knew who was monopolizing Fac's time these days. "So. Is he crazy?"

Fac looked back, a trifle wearily.

"Only as much as he needs to be."

Rit laughed at that. "What a slick little lackey you've become," he said. "Always the perfect lieutenant. Well, you keep your secrets, Fac. The reason I was looking for you is to tell you that I've got another one."

"Who?" asked Fac, surprised.

"My sergeant in number three."

"The one with the notch in his inner left wing? Big fellow?"

"That's the one."

"That's a good drone," Fac said, sounding dismayed. "Can't you talk him out of it?"

"You know what drones are like when they finally get an idea in their heads."

"This is ridiculous." Sun Fac was getting more and more upset. "That's the fourth one, no, the fifth! Doesn't he realize that he'll be exiled if he wins?"

"Course he knows, Fac. That's the whole point of it. No more hive, no more duties. No more annoying officers telling him what to do."

"Exactly, and this one is telling him no!"

"A soldier's got a right to fight for his freedom," Rit pointed out. "C'mon, Fac. They've got nothing else. So we'll get another drone."

"It's a waste. I won't put all that training into someone who's just going to run off and get himself killed in the arena. And he will be killed, Rit. He's not that good a fighter."

"His choice," the other said, tipping his snout in a flippant manner. "And I don't know why you're so upset about it. It's your buddy, Poggle, who's the cause of all this. His victory inspires them, you know."

"Poggle is not my buddy. He's—"

Silence. "He's what?" Rit persisted. "An investment?"

Sun Fac put his tongue out and carefully licked the top part of his mouth.

"Perhaps."

Rit laughed. "Lackey."

A rustle of wings preceded the sudden arrival of a soldier drone, who set down next to the two Royal Warriors. "The Commander wants to see you, sir," he said, addressing Fac.

"I'm just about to go off duty."

"Right away, sir," the soldier insisted.

"Very well. Go on, I'll be along in a minute."

The drone flew off. Rit had that smug, amused glint in his eye again.

"You're in trouble now," he proclaimed.

"No, I'm not. You go away too, Rit. You give me a headache."

"Fine. Go hobnob with your stiffs. I'm going to see if I can't talk some sense into that sergeant. By the way, whatever you and Poggle are planning, I'm in."

"Really?" Fac exclaimed.

"Sure. Who wants to live forever?" Rit said as he spread his wings, then took off. Fac watched him go until the fog swallowed him up. That was Rit for you, always full of surprises.

Fac launched himself and began flying laboriously towards one of the highest towers on the other side of the arena. Adult Geonosians were weak flyers at best, and the thick mist, wetting his wings, made flight all the more difficult. Fac was breathing hard by the time he reached his destination and identified himself to the sentries at the door of the Commander's office.

Commander Nadeer the Devout was already entertaining several other middle-class Geonosians involved with arena security, and Fac found an unobtrusive place just inside the office and waited patiently to be noticed. He waited a long time and the others ignored him utterly throughout. They were still ignoring him when they finally filed past him and out the doorway, even though he was standing right there.

"Ah, Sun Fac," said the Commander at last, acting as though his visitor had just arrived. "What can I do for you?"

"You wanted to see me, sir."

"Oh yes, of course. Fac! This Lesser character we had, Poogle or Popple or whatever, I've heard reports that you've been keeping company with him."

"Yes, sir, I am," Fac confessed readily. "Given his criminal background, I thought it prudent to keep a very close watch on him for a while."

"Oh. Did you."

"Yes, sir. And the best way to watch him, I thought, would be to befriend him and gain his confidence. That way, I would know immediately if he began plotting against us again. Sir."

"Ah ha. And no one told you to do this, Fac?"

"No, sir. It was my own idea. I'm only doing it during my off-duty time, sir."

"I see. Well! I'm impressed, Sun Fac, I truly am." Nadeer, who thought of himself as a kindly, well-liked leader, rose to the occasion to praise one of his favoured underlings. "Well done, Fac, very well done. I've always liked your initiative. It's most unusual for one of your class and I commend you for it. You truly are remarkably intelligent, for a Warrior."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

"Well, carry on then. I'm sure I can count on you to let me know if anything comes of your little plan."

"I will indeed, sir."

The Commander turned his back, dismissing him, and Sun Fac saw himself out. As he walked, he deliberately ground his jaws together, once, twice. It was the only way he would ever allow himself to express his resentment. Nadeer would have been shocked to know how much his favourite Royal Warrior loathed him.

Fac flew back to his starting point and entered the network of tunnels granting public access to the coliseum. Poggle was due to come off duty and Fac hurried, wanting to catch him. He had a lot he wanted to tell him.

Fac took up station in a major thoroughfare near the administrative sector. No one paid the Warrior much mind. Security folk were a common sight throughout the hive.

Poggle soon came along, easy to spot because of his stilted gait. His eyes brightened when he saw Fac waiting for him. Like all Geonosians, Poggle did not mourn the dead and he had the capacity to form new attachments as quickly as he forgot the deceased. He was already fond of Fac and even more so of the support he offered.

"Well, hullo," he called. "Weather's given you a reprieve again, has it?"

"Yes it has."

The Warrior fell in beside Poggle and they made their way forward, weaving expertly around their fellow Geonosians in the passageway without conscious thought. The Lesser was still limping badly, Fac noted, alternating sides depending on which leg currently pained him the most. The muscles had evidently been severely wrenched, probably during his wild ride on the acklay. Some of the scabbed areas looked bloody. Fac knew from personal experience how much new skin itched as it was growing in and guessed that Poggle had been digging at himself.

Sure enough, a hand reached up and scratched, even as Fac watched. "Itchy?" he asked, sympathetically.

"Hideously so." Poggle rubbed at his upper arm, which was both aching and prickling abominably. "I think I'd almost rather fight those battle droids again," he groaned.

"You ought to have a long hot soak," said Fac with concern. "It'd help that soreness, too."

"Ha! You think I can afford something like that?"

Sun Fac worked his jaws, nervously. He was about to do something counter to a lifetime's worth of conditioning.

"I have a little money set aside," he blurted.

Poggle regarded his new friend with interest, his itching forgotten. Warriors were almost as poorly paid as was his own class. There was really only one way for them to make any money.

"You've fought?" Poggle asked.

"A couple of times. Just low-risk matches."

"Still…" By Geonosian terms, that meant even-odds at best. "I think I remember you now," Poggle went on slowly. "Didn't you fight a Rodian?"

"Yes."

"And two soldiers?"

"Yes."

"That's hardly low-risk."

"I knew the soldiers. They were both useless."

"Is that how you got that scar? Competing?"

"No. I helped repel a raid when I was still working security for the foundries. An energy lash got me."

"You're lucky you weren't blinded."

"I was, for a short while. One of my supervisors spoke up for me."

"Even luckier," said Poggle, a bit enviously. His own record with supervisors was abysmal. There wasn't a one of them, he thought, that wouldn't happily slap on the humane killer himself if Poggle ever became seriously incapacitated. Even now, a couple were watching him closely, hoping his injuries would interfere with his work. On the other hand…

"Speaking of supervisors, there's something important I need to tell you," Poggle continued.

"I have news too," said Fac. "Why don't we save it for the baths?"

"Oh. You mean…you were offering?"

The genuine surprise now evident in Poggle's voice warmed Sun Fac in a strange way. The Lesser was clearly unused to having favours extended to him by higher-status folk. Fac felt that he suddenly understood Poggle a tiny bit better and the last of his nervousness left him.

"Of course I was. I could do with a good soak myself," he said, and was gratified again by the immediate exuberant response.

"Let's go get a meal first," Poggle urged happily, near skipping along now. "It'll be even better with a full belly."

"Your wish is my command," said Fac, equally pleased.

TBC