Posted by The Black Knight on August 29, 2001 at 08:24:43:
Chapter 1
The silver crystalline towers of a castle stood out harshly against a bright red sunset. This was the planet called Merchan on the far reaches of our galaxy. The castle was the stronghold of a ty
rannical overlord named Ramin Ko-vär. Around the castle was a large walled city called Brisnat. Inside the castle in a large throne room sat Ramin Ko-vär and is lovely young wife Lavia Milos. Ramin was a
large muscular man in his early forties with black hair, black eyes, and a black heart to match. He was dressed in a dark blue military like uniform with a long broad sword on his belt and a bright red
cape. Lavia was a petite young woman barely twenty with long jet black hair and deep brown eyes. She wore a long bright white dress with a slender gold belt holding a smaller sword at her side and a
dark blue cape tied fastened on the collar of her dress. Aside from the lord and his lady there was only one man in the room.
"Tal-sha-dor come." Ramin said in a deep booming voice.
He was a younger man almost the same size as Ramin and had an odd very sinister look about him. He walked toward the throne.
"Tell me Kai Shaduk. Have you captured any of those rebels lately?" Ramin asked.
"Your magistrate has done his best, my lord, but the rebels continue to elude him." the Tal-sha-dor said.
"Have you done anything in the past month?" Ramin asked.
"We have in custody a courier for the rebels, a young woman. They have moved back out of the province, my lord." the Tal-sha-dor
said.
"Bring her to me. I will interrogate her myself." Ramin said.
The Tal-sha-dor pulled a small transmitter about the size of a pen out of his belt.
"Magistrate bring the courier to the throne room." the Tal-sha-dor said.
A smaller man came in pushing a small young woman in chains. Lavia stood up as the courier came toward the throne.
"Milana." Lavia said bowing slightly toward the young woman.
"My lady." the young woman said bowing toward Lavia.
"You know this woman?" Ramin asked.
"Yes, she lived near our summer home when I was a girl." Lavia said.
"Rebel where is your base?" the Tal-sha-dor asked.
"Subtlety doesn't become you Shaduk." Milana spat.
The magistrate raised a club, but Lavia drew a long slender sword from her belt and batted the club out of his hand.
"There was a time when the name Ko-vär meant something in this province. A time when the Tal-sha-dor was a respected office." Milana said defiantly.
"Were I cruel man I would have you flayed for insulting my name that way. However you may still be useful to me." Ramin said.
"I will not allow my friends to be butchered by a tyrant." Milana said.
"You're that close to the rebellion?" Ramin asked as he stood up.
"Close enough." Milana said.
"Hang her." Ramin said.
"Don't you think that's a little extreme?" Lavia asked.
"We hang people for treason here." Ramin said.
"Wait!" Milana said desperately.
Ramin motioned for the magistrate to take her away.
"I can give you the information I was carrying." Milana said as she reached the door.
"Bring her back." Ramin said.
"We found no dispatches on her, my lord." the Tal-sha-dor said.
"They're encoded on a memory chip. I was there when they encoded it. I can tell you what they said." Milana said.
"Then inform us girl." Ramin said.
"It was a response to a message sent three days ago to the other clans. Yasin Man-yin and the daughter of Hovär Mi-yär are to meet the leader of the rebellion outside of Brisnat in three days." Milana
said.
"I'm surprised he didn't send word to the King." Ramin said.
"He did, but Can-ler is not well enough to act." Milana said.
"Man-yin and Mi-yär coming here to the Boshian province. They're just a bit out of their jurisdiction." the Tal-sha-dor said.
"The Man-yin, Mi-yär, and Ko-vär were Merchan's original clans. Even out of their provinces they are still respected by the people." Ramin said.
"Don't forget that Yasin Man-yin and Shan Mi-yär are both holders of the Terran swords." Lavia said.
"That is just a myth." the magistrate said.
Lavia held up her sword.
"Is this a myth? One of the Twin Swords of Kierna." Lavia said.
"Tell us girl where did you hide the chip?" Ramin asked.
"If I tell you that then I will become of no use to you." Milana said.
"Smart girl." Ramin said as he walked toward her.
He grabbed her chin and pulled her head up to look directly into her eyes.
"Where is that chip." Ramin said forcefully.
Milana looked up at him in a daze.
"Swallowed it when I was caught." Milana said with her speech very slurred.
He turned and left her standing where she was.
"How long ago did you catch her?" Ramin asked as he sat back down.
"Three hours." the magistrate said.
"Kai Shaduk would you care to retrieve it for me?" Ramin asked.
"It will take her twelve hours at least for it go through her digestive system." the Tal-sha-dor said.
"Run her through a medical scanner, find the chip, remove it from her body. I do not care whether she lives through it or not, just get me that chip." Ramin said.
Milana backed away as the Tal-sha-dor came toward her.
"No way. You're not gutting me." Milana said.
The magistrate grabbed her arms.
"Lavia!" Milana screamed.
"I can't help you Milana. You should have chosen your friends more carefully." Lavia said as she sat down.
Milana screamed as she was dragged out of the room kicking and scratching.
"You know this Man-yin, my lord?" the Tal-sha-dor asked.
"Yes, he was a General the last time our paths crossed. The Commander in Chief of the Merchan military." Ramin said.
"That is Yasin Man-yin?" the Tal-sha-dor asked.
"Yes, I see you know him as well." Ramin said.
"We have had dealings in the past." the Tal-sha-dor said.
"What of this Shan Mi-yär. I have never met her." Ramin said.
"She's the oldest daughter of Hovär Mi-yär and Cela Man-yin." Lavia said.
"You know her?" the Tal-sha-dor asked.
"Yes, she's the same age as I am. We met four years ago at Court during an archery contest. She is Yasin Man-yin's niece and just as dangerous as he is rumored to be." Lavia said.
"That's not a rumor." the Tal-sha-dor said.
"What could a politician do anyway?" Lavia asked.
"It's his brother Yoshin that is the politician. Yasin is the military leader." the Tal-sha-dor said.
"Leave us." Ramin said.
The Tal-sha-dor bowed and left. Lavia turned to face her husband.
"What is this Man-yin to you?" Lavia asked.
"During the clan wars we were all a little wild. I led a raid on his home, but he was already here. He had left his wife and his second child in his house." Ramin said.
"I've met his wife Resa. She's a nice lady." Lavia said.
"His first wife, Atla."
"I didn't know that he had another wife." Lavia said.
"Actually he doesn't, now."
"Oh now that makes me feel very secure. Retaliation is one of the few things that survived those wars. I'm your wife and you killed his wife." Lavia said.
"Retaliation was usually against the heir, not the relatives."
Lavia looked down a little. Ramin lay his hand on her small hand.
"Someday Lavia." Ramin said.
She grabbed his wrist and twisted it as she stood.
"If you ever lay your hands on me again without my permission I will make sure the name Ko-vär dies with you."
She let him go and walked to the door.
"This is Boshia my dear." Ramin said.
"I am still the niece of the King. Even you're not crazy enough to touch me."
Ramin drew a dagger from behind his back and threw it over Lavia's shoulder.
"Don't tempt me Lavia. I am master of this province, don't forget that."
Lavia shrugged her shoulders and walked out the door.