Storm' Fury: The Shenkar War (26 page)

              Liam considered this for only a moment before he responded.

              “I give my word I will destroy it but I can assume you have no problem with me sharing this information with those I do trust?”

              “I trust you to use your best judgment.”

              A noise behind Liam caused him to look around to Shizta’s holding cell. What he found was Shizta doubled over clutching his leg where one of his bandages was affixed. It was clear the Shenkar was in pain by the expression on his face.

              “Are you okay?” asked Liam, although he knew it was clear that he was suffering from severe pain.

              “It feels as if a plasma sword is burning through my leg,” Shizta explained through gritted teeth.

              Without thinking Liam reached over to the cell controls and opened the cell door.

              Shizta started at the sound of the cell door opening as he looked up quickly, giving Liam a look of suspicion.

              “I intend you no harm, I only wish to help you,” Liam explained.

              “Why would you help me? You are obviously not stupid so you should know by now I will not betray my people like that traitor over there,” Shizta said, nodding his head at Cryta.

              “I do not care what you will or won’t tell me. My only concern is eliminating the pain you are so obviously suffering from. You mark me and my race as a people who would enjoy the suffering of our enemies but you couldn’t be further from the truth. We do not enjoy making war upon another but we will not back down from a fight. We will fight to defend ourselves, those we care about and any race that cannot defend themselves. Now put aside you hatred for a few moments and let me help you.”

              Shizta glared for a few seconds before he grimaced from another spike of pain. Finally Shizta waved Liam forward to look at his leg.

              Kneeling down Liam undid the bandage and examined the wound. The wound had been neatly stitched up after the shrapnel had been removed. Nothing appeared to be amiss and there was no sign of infection.

              “I can look further but it would be in a way you probably would not like.”

              Shizta looked at Liam suspicious, again gritting his teeth from another bout of pain.

              “How would you help me?”

              “I would need to reopen your wound and use my nanites to probe deep into the wound. This would mean my nanites, Meshtrell technology, would be inside your body.” Seeing objection rising upon Shizta’s face Liam quickly spoke. “I give my word that I will withdraw the nanites from your body once I have finished.”

              Shizta seemed to think this through for a few moments, clearly his conscious battling within himself over letting public enemy number one of his people from helping him. Finally either the pain was too much or Shizta decided he could trust Liam because he nodded towards his leg.

              “Do what you have to do, I figure if you had intended me harm you are not the type of person to do it so subtly.”

              Liam reached down and withdrew a hunting knife from a hidden sheath built into his right boot. He didn’t know why he carried it but he figured something solid that didn’t require an energy source could be helpful if he needed a concealable weapon. The blade was incredibly sharp, so with little effort Liam reopened the wound in Shizta’s leg before he ran the blade across his palm. Replacing the blade into the hidden boot sheath, Liam then press his bleeding palm against Shizta’s open leg wound.

              Liam withdrew into himself as he became one with his nanites. Commanding them to surge forward into Shizta’s leg. Liam had extensive knowledge of Shenkar anatomy so this wasn’t anything unknown to him. His studies had required him to learn everything about his enemy, including where every soft point or vital area could be found upon a Shenkar.

              Slowly and methodically he maneuvered his nanites throughout Shizta’s leg. As usual Liam did not know how much time had passed before he located the problem. A sharp fragment was cutting deep into what would be the femoral artery found within a human. If left in its current position, Shizta would have been dead within the hour. Liam maneuvered his nanites around the metal shard and worked it free. Leaving the shard aside, Liam worked to repair the damage to the artery. When the artery was repaired, Liam withdrew his nanites at the same time pulling the shard with them. Soon, Liam had withdrawn the shard fully and sealed the wound enough so it wouldn’t cause any lengthy harm. 

              Liam leaned back and examined the wound, looking for any indication the wound wouldn’t hold together. Satisfied with his work he stood up and stepped back from Shizta. Shizta looked down at his leg, taking a few moments to examine the wound also. Slowly, Shizta stood up, putting all of his weight on his good leg at first. Experimentally, Shizta put weight upon the leg, lightly at first before he finally trusted the leg would hold him and stood straight as he looked at Liam. Shizta’s looked upon his clearly showed a look of conflicting emotions.

              Liam held out the small shard of metal which Shizta took and examined.

              “It was cutting into a major artery in your leg; it must have been missed when the doctor stitched you up. You would have been dead within the hour if I hadn’t removed it.”

              Shitza’s face showed the storm of emotions that was surging through him. Clearly, having one’s life saved by a human that you only knew as your enemy was disturbing him. Finally Shizta’s curiosity must have got the best of him because he spoke.

              “We are enemies; you slaughtered the entire crew of the
Tryliene.
You know I will not divulge any information to you yet you saved my life. Why would you do this?”

              Liam didn’t even need to think about this, he just spoke.

              “What happened aboard the
Tryliene
wasn’t me,” Liam explained but seeing an objection rising on Shizta’s face he spoke quickly.

              “I know it was physically me but mentally it wasn’t. When I was captured your Shenkar scientists tortured me beyond anything you could image. My mind was broken for a time which resulted in my slaughtering of every Shenkar aboard the
Tryliene
in the most brutal of fashions.

              You think humans by nature are prone to violence and destruction but you couldn’t be more wrong.”

              “You claim to be not prone to destruction yet your people build and wield weapons like no other race I have ever encountered,” Shizta said challengingly.

              Liam sighed as he grabbed a nearby chair and sat down.

              “I did not say we are not capable of war, only that we are capable of more. Human history is full of accounts of man killing each other over land, valuables, love, religion and more. But for all our faults we are capable of greater. Do you have art on your world?”

              “Art?” Shizta queried.

              “Yeah, like sculptures, poetry, painting, music….”

              “Music,” said Shizta, cutting off Liam.

              “Do you listen to music often?” probed Liam.

              Shizta grimaced at Liam’s question.

              “Once upon a time music was a big part of my people’s culture but lately not so much,” Shizta explained grudgingly.

              Then, Shizta hesitated at this point, as if not sure whether to continue. What was clear, thinking of this subject angered Shizta. Finally, after several long moments Shizta spoke again, the anger more evident in his voice.

              “The Shelecore has censored music within our society, accounting that it warps the proper thoughts of a true Shenkar.”

              Liam sighed.

              “Do you really believe that?”

              Shizta’s mouth tightened at being asked this but didn’t answer.

              “Forget that we are enemies for the moment; forget what your Shelecore tells you to think. Just for this moment tell me what you feel when you listen to music.”

              Shizta grimaced at this but still didn’t say anything for several moments. Liam was about to continue when Shizta spoke harshly.

              “What I feel or think is irrelevant. Music has no benefit; it is just a frivolous waste of time.”

              Liam stood, replacing the chair from where he grabbed it.

              “I thought the Shenkar were supposed to be honorable. When you are ready to be honest with me and not lie to me then I will be back.”

              Turning Liam headed from the cell. He had just typed in the security code and pressed his palm to the keypad when Shizta spoke softly.

              “I can’t put into words how it makes me feel because there are many different variations of music. Different ones produce different feelings. When I want to find my center within myself I listen to a soft melody. For driving the warrior within to prepare myself for physical exertions I listen to something faster and louder.”

              Liam smiled at what Shizta said.

              “That is much like what we would do in my culture. I still find myself listening to music as I fight. Do you have any particular person you prefer to listen too? A specific artist or group?”

              Shizta seemed confused by the question at first but then dawning spread across his face and he actually smiled. Liam was surprised at how much that one smile change the way he viewed the Shenkar. It also made him question the society the Meshtrell had painted of the Shenkar.

              “You mean the ones who create the music and perform it. Yes, I do find myself listening to particular ones. There was one from my home world, when she sang; you would feel like you were coming alive. I used to dream of meeting her, she was beautiful beyond measure.”

              As Shizta said the latter sadness crossed his face.

              “What happened to her?”

              “With the banning of all music, she was ordered to cease all performances…never again allowed to sing. She refused and received an order of execution. She escaped execution with the help from a group known as
Voices of Freedom
. Last reports place her on one of the federation worlds but she has never been located.”

              Liam didn’t say anything but instead sat there studying Shizta. He wondered to himself if Shizta even realized that he had just named a faction within the Shenkar Federation that opposes the Shelecore. After several moments Shizta sighed and looked up at Liam.

              “I would like to rest now.”

              Not waiting for Liam to respond, Shizta lay back upon his cot.

Turning back to the security lock, Liam quickly typed in the code and pressed his palm to the reader. As the door slid open Liam turned back.

              “You follow a leadership that suppresses all that is beautiful. A leadership that deters free thinking, subjugating any who do otherwise. This is what you want for your people? To be known as monsters by others? It is plain by your own admission, as well as Cryta, that not all of your people feel the same as your leadership caste. How can you not open your eyes to see what is right?”

              Not waiting for a response, Liam turned and left Shizta’s cell.

              As Liam turned to head towards the cell block entrance he noticed Cryta standing at his cell door.

              “I am trusting you to help me and my people. Analyze the data and then seek me out. I will help you in any way I can if it means you will help me and my people overthrow the Shelecore and his cronies.”

              “I promise you we will consider everything.”

              Cryta studied Liam for a few moments before he spoke again.

              “I also can give you something else, something that isn’t on that data card. I can give you the location of one of our largest shipyards as well as the codes to deactivate the defense grid.”

              Liam nodded to Cryta and then turned and walked from the cell block.

January 3
rd
, 2014 7:02pm

EDF
Kraken
, Terran system, high Earth orbit

              Shizta’s emotions surged throughout him, troubled by what the human had said to him. Angry, for the human’s words, yet at the same time he found himself seeing the wisdom in those words. Feeling frustration, Shizta recited the warriors chant to himself, a chant used in the past to bring inner peace.

“The Shelecore is our glorious leader. Through our Shelecore we live. The Shelecore is the wisdom of the Shenkar therefore his words are law.  To question the Shelecore is to question the federation. I am but a servant of the federation and I live to serve.”

But now for the first time, Shizta did not feel the conviction he had before when he thought or recited those words. Shizta knew sleep would be a long time coming this night.