Clerical Choices 2

Chapter 2

The Sheriff worked quickly to round up the Grand Master and his escort, who kept their identities hidden for the time being. They used their right to remain silent in the face of the law. It was an old but well respected tradition that had lasted until the modern day. And it was the first of a few ways that Skrilxya and Ben would remain undercover even when that cover was nearly blown.

It was apparent to the two officers that Sheriff Keltos was accustomed to local security work rather than dealing with interstellar subterfuge. He hadn’t taken any obvious scans of their bodies, retinas, or brains to identify them. Instead he shoved the five into an armored transport after he had his Malluman guards restrained them with wrist-bindings. All obvious weapons were removed and they were half stripped out of their spacesuits before the Sheriff made it obvious that the Governor was impatient by rushing his team.

The armored hover-truck was now steadily moving. Ben guessed they were going one hundred twenty kilometers an hour and on their way to the “Institute,” whatever that was. He could tell from a slight change in Skrilxya’s face when she heard the name that it had a reputation in the system. Ben didn’t need to do much guessing about why it had a reputation; the Mallumans of the Ruby Banner were clearly hired muscle and the hover-truck was completely unmarked and painted dull grey.

One strong and tall Malluman Brave sat facing the back door of the truck in the compartment where they were all held. She wielded a baton that had a shocker attached and was not buckled in her seat. The Grand Master was moved to the front with two other guards and Sheriff Keltos, while the other four who landed were shoved in the back with this guard, hands restrained behind their backs, while two other guards were hanging off the backside of the truck outside. Ben thought they must be hanging on with waist-hooks given how fast the hover-truck was moving. The ride was smooth though, Ben could tell they were on a road even if there were no windows to look out from.

Ben looked at his Captain, at his cousin, and at Bolamey. Young Kalvin was breathing heavily and visibly nervous. Ben wished he was an active psychic so he could silently communicate calming words to him. Nothing he could do about that right now. Bolamey had her typical scowl of disapproval. Her Clan was also a rival to the Chalmuns of the Ruby Banner, and he knew that he would hear nothing apart from “What disgrace! What mongrels!” out of her when they returned safe to the Happy Customer. For now, Ben focused on Skrilxya. While just a twinge of nerves showed in the way she held her lips and fangs, he could tell she was thinking. He nudged her.

Ben waited. They were making almost no noise between them other than the sound of heavy exhalation. Skrilxya nudged him back with her elbow. He glanced out of his peripheral vision and she nodded slowly toward the guard with a move like she was cracking her neck. Ben sighed and looked, also making it look like a natural shift in position. He saw it too. The shock baton was turned off and their guard was getting drowsy. So much for hired muscle, he thought.

Ben bumped her elbow again to confirm he saw it. Skrilxya nudged him twice and he heard a slight rattle. The guard was up again. “Get quiet!”

“Sorry, what was that?” Skrilxya said, rattling her wrist restraints some more. “I have trouble understanding Mallumans with Haman accents.”

“Ha!” shouted the guard half-laughing, half-fuming. “That’s rich coming from the lap dog of a Priest from the Sages. Governor Opalton is one who guarantees our rights, the church treats him like it treats us.”

Ben wasn’t sure at first what Skrilxya meant by antagonising the guard, but then he noticed where the rattling had come from. She had used one of her finger claws to pick the lock on the wrist restraints Ben wore. Incredible! Ben thought. And he now understood her plan.

The guard stood and moved to Skrilxya, standing in front of her face while supporting herself with one hand holding the roof of the cabin. “You have a Sannish look about you, but the build of a colonial. What’s your clan, scum?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Skrilxya chuffed. “Looking to duel? Or do you recognize me from when I bedded your brothers?”

“You welp!” shouted the guard as she raised her baton, but before she could click the electricity on Ben was up. His hands were free and he shot a set of knuckles straight into the guard's unprotected jaw. Skrilxya stood too and used the force of her weight to knock the punched guard down to the floor with her hands still tied behind her back. Kalvin made a face like he was going to scream but Bolamey, who also picked her own wrist-locks, covered his mouth with her immense hands.

Ben quickly undid Skrilxya’s restraints while she was on top of the guard, and Skrilxya wasted no time strangling the overpowered Ruby Chalmun. Releasing before a fatal lack of air, Skrilxya landed one more punch to her snout and knocked the guard clean out. “No point in killing one so young,” Skrilxya said as she grabbed the guard’s baton.

“We may still have to kill,” Ben said. “The other guards are standing on the outside of the truck, we need to think of a way to get them off.”

“Right,” Skrilxya remarked, “and we have no contact with the front of the truck either. Not even a grated window or a camera.”

“At least not one we can see,” Ben said, “quick, check the guard’s outfit!”

“Too late!” Bolamey said as she jumped up to face the back door of the hover truck which was now swinging open. The two Mallumans who were grappeled to the outside by the waist were now making their way inside through the wind and dust of the highway.

Bolamey punched at both the guards with each of her hands. One missed but the other landed in the left guard’s faceguard, caving it in and forcing that guard to throw their helmet into the road, causing a trailing vehicle to swerve. The guard on the right tried to get an advantage but Bolamey kicked out and landed her foot in the guard’s stomach, sending her out of the door and uncoupling her stomach hook. She rolled into the concrete distance behind the truck as the left guard tried to get in, avoiding her flung comrade. Then, out of nowhere, the remaining guard started moving toward them with greater resistance. Almost like she couldn’t move forward at all, the guard stood trying to walk but failing. This only phased Bolamey for a second before she brought both fists down on her opponent’s head.

Bolamey turned and said “Good work boy!”

Ben and Skrilxya both looked with confusion and then pleasant surprise. Kalvin stood in a meditative pose with his right hand forward and eyes closed. He had used telekinetic repulsion on the guard. Kalvin broke his concentration and slouched with a loud gasp of air. “Well done Kal!” Ben shouted proudly. Skrilxya happily asked “Did you convince him, Sergeant?”

“He convinced himself,” said Bolamey with a gravelly tone, “but I did nudge him in the right direction.”

“Very good,” said Skrilxya as she began to look around. Ben knew she was formulating the next step in their escape plan. He saw one path to their objective clearly and decided to remind his Captain of their goals. “Captain, let’s restrain the guards in here now, we’ll have more leeway if they can’t move.”

Skrilxya only replied with a short “Hrff” but she went about that task with him, giving the cabin and door guard who were still unconscious the wrist-restraints that they were wearing, and this time they cuffed them in the front where they could see the restraints were locked. Kalvin was beginning to lose his composure now. “What do we do, what do we do, what do we do?”

“What are you talking about lad?” Skrilxya half-asked, slightly unconcerned “this is a battle won, we have but one more to win now.”

“But how? There isn’t a way to the front of the truck.”

“Isn’t there?” Skrilxya said as she rummaged through one of the guard’s vest-pockets, finding a comm-device with a small pin-hole camera. She glared at it and spoke, “acknowledge, Sheriff. We have bested your guards.”

Silence. Skrilxya raised a hand to stop Kalvin from saying anything as Ben and Bolamey looked on. Then, the device blinked from the pin-hole. “Copy” said a muted voice.

“You have the priest, we have more muscle. Pull over and we can negotiate.”

“I am under orders, the Governor will speak to you.”

Skrilxya started to grow irritated “the Governor is under no authority to bargain with an Emissary of the High Sages. I did not infer that WE would negotiate on fair terms, ‘Sheriff’.”

“You mistake your place Malluman, you are couriers, and have no authority with a representative of the law.”

“I-” Skrilxya nearly yelled before Ben stepped in. He recognized the fire in her eyes here. Righteous fury. He would need to quelch it if they were to make it safely to the governor. “Please forgive her Sir, she still has some of the ‘blood-lust’ in her.” Ben gave Skrilxya a knowing look. She silently, but grumpily, passed him the mic.

“I am the boss of this escort,” Ben lied. “You can negotiate with me. How far are we from our destination?”

“You have twenty five minutes before we reach the Institute, the Governor is waiting.”

“I take it you don’t want the exalted Lord Opalton to think he can’t trust his Sheriff? It would be a shame if he saw his mercenaries of the Ruby Banner tied up in the back of the truck and illegal smugglers loose in the cabin of one of his armored transports. I know he knows you aren’t a simpleton, but this doesn’t seem professional.”

The comm was silent. Thirty long seconds passed and the Sheriff replied “what do you propose?”

“Say you made a deal with us!” Ben suggested brightly. “You could say that we agreed to come quietly if the mercenaries didn’t come due to an unavoidable clan rivalry. Or you could say there was another task that they had to attend to. Say insurgents on the highway or something. One of your guards is dead or injured on the side of the road.”

“Let’s pull over and discuss it,” said the Sheriff after a pregnant pause.

It was not long before Ben and Skrilxya could feel the truck turn and pull to a stop. Kalvin was calm now and Bolamey was meditating to soothe her own nerves. As the truck touched ground they heard the front door open and shut quickly, and the four former captives made their way to the back door. Jumping to the ground Ben looked about and saw they were pulled under a bridge in a large runoff moat that divided part of South Polar City near the ocean. The air was briskly blowing as dusk approached. The large red sun was slowly descending beyond the horizon and was already hidden from their point of view. It was “late autumn” and the South Pole’s long winter nights were now approaching on I’yrcon. It was not as severe as Old Hame’s but similar nonetheless.

Ben and the others were not dressed for this biting wind whistling in the moat: he felt goosebumps rising on his arms and knew Kalvin, who was from a warmer part of Hame near the equator, was probably freezing. Captain Skrilxya and the Sergeant seemed fine, at least for the five seconds or so before Sheriff Keltos approached. The Sheriff still wore his mask and cloak, obscuring his entire form except for its basic human frame.

“Make your suggestions, interlopers,” Keltos said, directing his attention toward Ben.

“Well for a start you could be more polite” Ben said with a smug grin “Show us the Grand Master first!”

Keltos whistles and the Ruby Banner guard he had in the front brought out Sedrick Landings, shocked but unharmed. Ben and Skrilxya nodded at each other approvingly. “Second” Skrilxya said “I demand you introduce us to the Governor as a military escort and representatives of the Nav-”

“I don’t take orders from underlings,” Keltos said. Ben replied “She is NOT an underling. She is my commanding officer, Second Commissioner Yonamey. She and I both represent the navy’s interests, but she has the final word between us.”

“Thank you Third Commissioner; as I was saying ‘Sheriff,’” she sneered at Keltos “We are a naval envoy as well as escorts for a Wali of the church. You will introduce us as such to the Governor. I think he will respect the ‘context’ of his guest’s visit when he is properly acquainted with us.”

The Sheriff was dumbfounded. He stood silently before them and Ben thought he could almost feel him thinking. He definitely thought he heard teeth grinding but wasn’t sure if Bolamey was scraping her nails on the concrete instead. Ben never took his eyes off of Keltos to make sure of what he was up to, and he could tell that Skrilxya was eagerly waiting for what this masked man would say.

“I… agree” the Sheriff said with a sigh. “There’s no salvaging this now. For your sake I hope Lord Opalton will be in a generous mood. The Grandmaster being on the planet has put him in a bind that he is not pleased about.”

Ben gave Skrilxya a knowing glance which she returned. Their plan had not gone smoothly but it was still on its feet. Back in the truck and without shackles, the hour left on their drive to the Governor’s Institute was much more comfortable.

To be continued…

Chapter 1: https://shopping-feedback.today/fiction/clerical-choices%3C/p%3E%3Cstyle data-emotion-css="14azzlx-P">.css-14azzlx-P{font-family:Droid Serif,Georgia,Times New Roman,Times,serif;font-size:1.1875rem;-webkit-letter-spacing:0.01em;-moz-letter-spacing:0.01em;-ms-letter-spacing:0.01em;letter-spacing:0.01em;line-height:1.6;color:#1A1A1A;margin-top:32px;}

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