Second Contact (Okal Rel Saga #1)

Chapter 13.2 - Consequences of Courage

A figure in pearly white clothing climbed out of the Reetion space craft, complete with hood and gloves. A figure with the wrong shape for Von, although Von's voice came from a large medallion it was wearing.

It cried, "Surprise, you retros!"

A crewman shouted, "It's a Reetion!"

The creature raised its arm at Larren, whose clothing and position made him prominent. There was a hiss and a burning smell and Larren fell, writhing on the floor. The creature pointed the wand at its next victim and Farin screamed as he, too, was struck by the okal'a'ni weapon.

H'Reth dropped to the floor.

The crew mobbed the stranger as one, incensed by the rule-breaking attack that threatened their survival.

"This is your doing!" Farin cried, spotting H'Reth. He charged with his sword drawn, the shoulder of his other arm giving off a reek of cooked meat.

H'Reth grasped that Farin blamed him for the Reetion's sin and screamed, "Jarl!"

He was saved by a darting shape that ran Farin through from behind.

The blade gave H'Reth a bad turn, coming right through Farin's body in front of him. Jarl pulled it out and kicked Farin's body over. Miraculously, they were nearly alone on their patch of floor.

"All right?" Jarl asked, just as if he hadn't betrayed him to the paladins by telling them about Von's conscience bond. He grinned despite his bloody mouth. "Looks like you might be in charge again, Lord-Admiral."

The white garbed Reetion thing was being dragged down, twisting and writhing, the laser wand gone from its hand. The suit contained a woman's body. H'Reth was sure of that much. He had a strong suspicion it was the Reetion pilot, Ann. As he watched, her pearly suit repelled slashing attacks by the crew, who were intent on punishing her with the death of a thousand cuts. Her grunts of pain and protest radiated from the medallion on her chest, still modulated to match Von's tenor register.

"Wait!" H'Reth cried, wanting to keep her alive because she was a link to Von. "Wait! Stop!" Jarl waded through the crowd beside him, buoying up his confidence.

The room smelled of fear and ozone around Larren's body. Someone brought H'Reth the weapon Ann had used, holding it between thumb and forefinger as if it were poisonous.

"Some sort of heat ray, Your Grace," said the disgusted crewman.

"Dispose of it," H'Reth ordered, "and get the Reetion out of that suit."

Jarl dispersed the guards around Ann and knelt on her chest to wrestle with her strange clothes, but he couldn't get them off. People began to close in again almost immediately, dissatisfied.

"Okal'a'ni," said a voice from the back.

Other voices picked it up

"Oh — kal — ah — nee," the assembled men began to chant.

The Reetion had breached the code of honor that made conflict in space habitats survivable. She must pay, or civilization would come crashing down the way it had in Killing Reach two hundred years before. Places in space that supported life were too precious to waste in any cause — this was the one truth all Gelacks held sacred.

H'Reth understood the crew's mood, but he wanted to ask Ann about Von.

He looked from face to face among the Blue Demish nobleborns and near-commoner crew, wondering if they would obey him if he told them to back off. He was nervous about daring too much. He already had an obstacle to overcome getting them to forget the business about Von being a sort of unofficial gorarelpul, which wasn't exactly okal'a'ni — like Ann's attack — nor considered as despicable as being boy-sla, but was nonetheless frowned upon.