The Shas'Vre Fal'Shia Es'Siet Chronicles I: The Approaching Storm PREVIEW
By Dylan.A.Brown
Ah Well.
It shouldn't matter, rationally. To remain at the rank you are; failing your trial by fire. No! Not failing. There is no such thing as failure in the eyes of the Tau'va. Only finding one's niche. However, for want of a better word…. Not passing. Yes. I might not be a Por'la but I know that diplomatic wording is very important, in all areas. Otherwise, why would the Auns have put it in a separate Caste? The cynical part of my mind, one of the parts I don't trust reminded me. "They Didn't." I said.
"Shas'vre?"
"Hm?"
I came back to reality with a mental bump. Focus. Unity. Equilibrium.
"You said 'they didn't'"
"Did I?"
"Yes, Shas'vre"
"Oh."
"Shas'vre?"
"Yes? Oh. Oh, nothing."
Why is it always me that speaks aloud by accident? "It's not, 'always me'" I muttered angrily under my breath. Selfish thoughts and rash words are the enemies of the Tau'va.
I caught a glimpse of Ui'Cho looking at me, confused. "It's nothing," I said again.
She didn't look convinced.
Shas'ui Fal'Shia Cho
I continued watching Heikan. He had been acting slightly odd, lately. As his Personal Assistant, it was my duty to see that he was not troubled.
"Vre'Es'Siet?"
He started. "H-what?
"Are you alright? Shas'vre?"
He sighed. We had been together as friends since our first Tau'Cyr of training, but… we had changed since then. Strictly, in manners of respect, I wasn't really meant to call him by his actual name. However, this did not mean he couldn't. Because, as he 'outranked me' as humans would say, he wasn't.
"Cho, for the last time, it's just Es'Siet."
Even so, he still looked over his shoulder first to check the door to the corridors of the Por'T'Vior Kor'Saal was still closed, in case anybody was listening in.
"Yes, Vre'Es'Siet"
He gave me a despairing look and grunted.
Kor'la Tash'var Mont'yr
I had had an eventful career starting right from when I lost my second Trial by Fire. I twisted the coil of wire in my hands happily, thinking of my training back on my home planet, Tash'var. Oh, if only I could…suddenly there was an odd noise. I looked up.
A large chunk of metal flew out of the Kor'Toroq'Fio'Tak and knocked me unconscious.
Shas'vre Fal'Shia Es'Siet
I left for the engine bay. An absurdly tiny drone somewhere nearby mumbled something that sounded like;
"Second Toroq-side Fio'Or'Tak engine heat level rising"
I grunted and ignored it. One of the Kor'las nearby looked up. There was a loud rumble as an armour plate of the generator took of with great speed. There was a loud crunch as it smashed into the side of one of the Kor'las head.
Kor'el Tau'n Udas
The Distant report of gibbering Repair Drones was beginning to get irritating. I looked up as the noise grew louder with a quiet hiss. A female Shas'ui walked onto my bridge through the door to the rear quarters. I noted that she was extremley beautiful.
Shas'ui Fal'Shia Cho
I entered the door and hissed in astonishment at the scene that met my eyes. Eight Kor'vres, at the comms. Twenty or so Kor'las and Kor'ui doing various errands. Plus, the absurdly tall kor'el was staring at me. Come to think of it, in a similar way that know-it-all creep from the Vior'la colony had, just twenty-four Rotaa ago I wish it had been longer. Ugh. I ignored him.
Shas'vre Fal'Shia Es'Siet
I loaded by pulse rifle hurriedly, and tried to open a comm-link to Cho. All I got was a jumbled mixture of noise and shouts. I frowned. This doesn't usually happen with fio'tak comm-links. What was going on?
"Hello?" I said, "Is anybody getting this?" suddenly the noise stopped with a quiet hiss. "What? by the path… "
"Hello? Can you here me? Who is this?" suddenly came a voice from the other end. I jumped. "oh, err Shas'vre Fal'Shia Es'Siet." I said. There was a pause.
"Apologies, Shas'vre. I am Kor'Ui Natash Shovah. There appears to be a type of fault with the comms. I'm patching it through the central Fio'tak. Should be able to boost the signal at your end. With all due respect, Shas'vre, I would advise you to see if you can contact the bridge."
"My thanks, Kor'ui… tell me, where are you now?"
"Me, Shas'vre? Oh, um… I'm in the central…" And I swear what The Kor'Ui said next wasn't any language I knew.
"Right…" I said, desperately trying not to sound Confused. "Meet me there. Are you armed?
"A pulse pistol, Shas'vre."
"Good. Stand by."