Wednesday Briefs: Ancalagon Ch. 106

 

When I wasn’t asleep, I drove everyone else nuts. First it was because of all my questions, then it was because I couldn’t stay still. I wanted to move, to go. I needed to do something, anything, to help Garjah. When I was sitting and doing nothing, all I saw in my head was horrible images of what could be happening to him.

We hadn’t talked about what happened when Garjah was forced to detain or punish someone; the worst I’d seen him do on the ship was assign shifts that were considered the night crew or duties that were tedious because they were done manually instead of with technology.

But I had a feeling the Kardoval would have other things in mind for someone they considered a rebel. Especially when that someone was as prominent as their head of planetary security. And as strong-willed as Garjah was.

Physically, all beings had their limits before they would break, but would they go there? I didn’t know if that was part of their culture or not. It shamed me that I was too afraid to ask, but I really wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear the answer to that question; I wasn’t sure if I could handle the answer to that question. Psychological torture was always an alternative, and I already knew they were good at manipulation. Look at what Mereval had done to me; twisting her words, making me doubt what I knew and thought.

By the time Chaintrik said we should leave, he was probably about ready to feed me to his precious althea, except I might poison them. I hoped so, because I was still nervous about traveling in dark tunnels they created.

“How long will it take us to get there walking?” It would a lot longer to travel in the tunnels by foot than it took to go by transport.

“Oh, we’re not walking.” Chaintrik led us down a tunnel that went away from the central hub.

“What? How is that possible in the dark?” I looked over my shoulder at Timok. “Don’t all your transport run on solar?”

“Maybe they charge the transports and bring them down.” Timok rolled his eyes. “Did you think of that?”

“Oh.” It was a simple answer. “Of course they don’t have to be in the sun every second to run.” The concept of a battery was so old it was ancient technology.

“We probably could do that, but it’d be risky,” Chaintrik agreed. “Remember, we’re rebels. We do rebellious things, like trade with aliens for tech that isn’t approved by our omniscient leaders.”

“Really?” Timok perked up at that. He was positively intrigued by anything new. Except Ases. It was weird the way he practically ignored him. “What is it?”

“Oh no,” Ases groaned. We stopped in front of what resembled a boat, for lack of a better word. It had a rounded front that came to a point and the back was squared off. The sides were slightly curved and from edge to edge were benches. Did we face forwards or back?

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“That’s Zusqner technology. Don’t think I don’t recognize the engine type.” Ases grimaced.

“So?” I climbed in through the door Chaintrik had opened and stepped over the first bench to a seat toward the front.

“You know they use static electricity propulsion for most of their ground transportation, right?”

Oh. Chaintrik and Timok wouldn’t be bothered by something like that, and neither would Bouncer, considering they were more skin and, not scale, but something hard. Me? It would irritate me somewhat, but Ases? It was going to drive him nuts as every hair on his body stood up.

“We don’t have a choice. This is the way we have to travel,” I said. “I’m sorry.” I really was, but I also wasn’t letting anything like a little discomfort get in my way.

Ases sank down with a resigned sigh. “It’ll be fine. Hopefully this goes fast.”

Chaintrik shut the door and then took a seat in the back. “It does. You’ll want to hold on to your seat.”

I barely had a chance to grab Bouncer with my lower arms and my seat with my upper before he was shoved against my legs. I leaned into the air pushing back on my face, my eyes stinging and tearing up despite the steady temperatures. Maybe I shouldn’t have taken the front. Bouncer curled up at my feet, which was easier since he stayed below the edges of the sides. I used one hand to shield my face. How could Chaintrik see?

Now that my hand blocked some of the wind, I was able to blink away the tears blurring my vision. A light flashed in front of us and then disappeared. Then another. And another. Maybe he wasn’t steering, maybe this thing was on a track. I had to hope nothing else was on it. I started counting the lights. We didn’t slow until I got to two thousand six hundred forty-one and when I started to ask a question, Chaintrik hissed, “Quiet.”

A male came out of the gloom just as we idled to a stop. He flashed a hand signal to Chaintrik who responded, nodding. I was dying to know what was happening, but I stayed quiet like he demanded. Bouncer followed me, staying right by my side. All around us people were bustling around doing something.

We came to another wide open hub, and there Chaintrik’s shoulders relaxed. “Sorry, but that’s really close to the exit to the city. We don’t speak out there, ever.”

“Okay, sorry. Are we close to Garjah, then? Can we go rescue him?”

“We have a plan, but you won’t like it,” Chaintrik said.

“If it gets Garjah free, I don’t care. Tell me what we have to do.”

“Turn you into the Kardoval.”

Ases growled, and he flicked out dark claws. “Now who’s the traitor?”

Bouncer crouched beside me, body tensed to strike. 

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Julie Lynn Hayes