(Thank you so much for reading this. This is the conclusion to the first chapter of Terava. If you would like to read the previous chapter, please copy the link below, highlight everything in your search bar and then paste it into your search bar.
http://www.comicvine.com/forums/fan-fic-8/swgot-terava-chapter-1-part-2-1593819/
Thank you and enjoy!)
Blue shields blaze on my forearms just in time for Mazer’s first two shots to glance off and spark against the wall. Two metallic arms have unfolded from his back, ending in laser gun barrels instead of hands. “What admirable reflexes”, he murmurs. His arms, the normal ones, are folded across his chest and something gleams in his eyes. “Good girl”. The gun barrels flash.
I leap over one blast, roll beneath the next, sidestep and block the next three with my shields. Now I’m racing towards him, my legs as light as air and that cocky smile coming up fast.
“I see now. You’re plan is to negate my ranged tactics by getting up close and then procceeding to beat me to death. Is that right?”
I’m close. I can nearly see the liver spots on what’s left of his face. I slide my hand into the pouch at my left hip-
“Because if that’s the case . . .”, Mazer pauses. The gun barrels light up again.
I throw up my arms without breaking stride, now seeing everything through a sapphire haze.
“I might just have to return the favor.” The robotic arm is a silvery flash, the blow shaking my skull in my head and cracking my helmet. I manage to turn my fall into a roll, leaping back onto the balls of my feet and bending away from another laser blast, close enough to feel it’s heat.
The Imperial assassin claps, the sound distorted by metal under the skin. “Spectacular. An incredible performance. Terava, the Royal Assassin, you may just be the greatest opponent I have ever faced. “ He leans forward, his eyes brimming with harsh sincerity, like a father gesturing to his child as he says, “But do you honestly think that you can win? My newer parts don’t strain so easily. I could keep going for a long, long time, Terava. You look like you’re about to fall apart.”
“Will you”, my voice booms, unnaturally loud and scratchy through the helmet. Mazer shifts his head to hear better. “Just shut up and die already!” My hand slips into the pouch on my right hip and I throw down a grey metal pellet. There’s a crack, a hiss and then black smoke blooms, erupts, filling the room.
“Trying to escape, are we?” He tuts, “Just when I’m getting excited, too. You know Terava, I am very disappointed in you.” I let my face stretch into a smirk. He doesn’t that he’s already lost.
My pointer finger taps something on the side of my helmet. My armor hums, then Mazer’s body etches itself into the darkness, white, red and purple. The metal on him and under his skin looks black, as if he’s been carved up and punched full of holes. I realize that he has.
“Oh well”, the thing filled with shadows said, “Looks like I’ll just have to find you myself. I suppose a hunt is just as good.” He extends a fleshy arm, pointing in the direction opposite to me. I wonder if he has gone insane before I see the string of pale fire he’s releasing from the fingertip. He swipes an arm and the laser whip flies wildy, unprejudicely through the room, slicing walls and floor and furniture..
I bring up my shields, but the laser whip curls around, cutting through me armor and into the flesh. I bite my lip to keep from crying out.
Mazer laughs, beginning “Terava, my pet, I will-”, he bends slightly as he coughs. And coughs. And keeps coughing. His blood burns white in my vision as it falls from his mouth and nose. He brings up a hand, but whiteness still leaks and pools around it.
The smoke is beginning to clear. That’s fine, its done its job. Several toxins are ground into the smoke powder before it’s put into the pellets. It took years of sucking ever small, ever increasing doses before I built up enough resistance to use it like this.
Now there’s a needle in my hand and one thought in my mind; put Daniel Mazer out of his misery. I allow myself another smirk.
I bring up the needle, my path clear, hand steady. Look at him. So cocky, so sure and now all he can do is snivel and retch into his palm and wait for himself to die.
My hand comes down, needle snugly in position, his neck bare and exposed. Then he turns, a fist engulfed in a red force field turning with him. I try to flip back, but the arm snakes out, faster than anyone could believe and my breath is crushed from my body.
He laughs, spurting more blood, his voice a warped croak as he says, “Excellent. Excellent! I think you have killed one of my lungs. I’ve never fought a master of poisons such as you. I can see how you’ve survived up to this point.” He grinned, a hundred fingers of pale blood blazing on the black of his metal face. “I shall have to tell Dr. Kimnarel that the cybernetic lung was worth the credits and surgery after all. Who knew?” He laughed again and sent me a lash of a laser whip with a flick of his finger.
I spin, the the lash dashing where I was as I go straight into the path of Mazer’s fist. I haul up the shield one last time, his red force field smashing against it. Then the blue light flickers and fades.
One of my shields is down. It’s surprising how very calm that thought is. Maybe that’s because of how very simple the situation is. With only one shield, a prolonged fight with Daniel Mazer ends in my death. So that leaves me one option. End it immediately.
I dance around a couple of swipes from his robotic arms. Then I spring, going in for the kill. I snap his laser whip away with my remaining shield, his fist immersed in red light as it dives for my chest. I catch it by the wrist and crack, the bone gives with a single twist. My fist flies and gets him at the base of his throat. He reels back, rattling, choking, his airway blocked. His eyes bulge, gleaming with fear.
My kick gets him behind his leg, locking it. He wobbles, knowing the price of standing still but not wanting to fall over. On his feet or his back, it makes no difference to me.
I draw back my fingers and use my open palm to smash that fat red nose two inches into his brain.
He sort of twitches around for a few minutes, then he’s still. I feel his pulse, double checking. Then I walk out the door, out of the house and head for home.
“I’m sorry Bin-2”, I say, “What was the name of the man who built you again?”
Bin-2 looked at me. He whirrs, “A great scientist, named Dr. Komnarel”. As always his, his steely face is expressionless, though his voice, jittery and rough though it may be, is full of pride.
I lean my head back, thinking out loud, “Where have I heard that name before? Anyways, it’s about time for me to make the rounds. Keep up the work, Bin-2”. He nods, then continues tinkering with a half-finished laser rifle.
I squint as soon as I brush my way out of Bin-2’s tent. The sun is too bright, the air is too cold and there’s a blinding headache throbbing in my forehead. In other words, it’s morning.
I don’t know who’s idea it was to have Elizabeth watched as the soldiers trained, but I’m glad they did. Most of the troops are Revolutionary soldiers and they fight like mad when their Princess can see them. Bin-2 crafted a makeshift throne for her to sit on, and I have to say that it came out better than anything that belongs in a royal court and is brought out into the rain and dirt and grass has a right to. Maybe it’s something to do with her noble upbringing, but Elizabeth can somehow manage to look ominous on that thing. Hands folded on her lap, inky hair pulled back, her eyes scanning the assembly of soldier as if she was evaluating all of them individually. Sometimes her head will dip and her body will relax, which I’ve heard the soldiers say that means that she is going through a process of deep meditation. In truth, I think she dozes off.
. I stepped up next to Inosin, the “soldiers” assembled before us. Most of them had been trained, either by Noble officials or Imperial warriors, some had been following me in my attack on the Revolutionaries, but for many the closest they have ever been to a battle before is holding a pitchfork or cutting crops off the stalks. I try not to think about Castle Vernot.
The Bounty Hunters closest to Inosin give me wary glances. They’ve looked at me that way ever since Inosin told them that I’m the reason he lacks in the eye department. Good. Each of the Bounty Hunters are associates of Inosin, each are promised a small fortune if we succeed in our campaign and the trust I carry for each one of them equals that of a starving carnivore. All of them were employed either by the Republic or the Empire, had a falling out and couldn’t be accepted into the opposing side. To them, all I am is a job and if they don’t fear me I’m sure they’ll sell me out to the highest bidder.
Inosin is different. He only cares about the money at the end, but unlike the others he . . . what? I don’t think trust is the right word. Respect is probably more accurate. He respects me, because he knows me well enough to know that if I have a goal and when I’m serious, it doesn’t matter who gets in my way. He knows that first hand.
I yell, loud enough for every soldier to hear me, “Listen up! Today we will focus on weak points, both in hand to hand and a laser fight. In battle, the longer you fight, the greater chance that you’ll die. So we want to defeat our enemies in as few moves as possible. The first one we’ll go over is here”, I tap the base of my neck. “Do it right and you can lock up someone’s airway. I’ll tell you first hand, if they can’t breath, they can’t focus. We won’t be doing this on each other, we’ll do it on wooden dummies. We”, I gesture to myself and the bounty hunters, “Will instruct you and tell you if you are doing it right. So move, dammit! WE DON’T HAVE ALL DAY!”
. . .
Elizabeth peeked into my tent. “May I come in?”
“Sure”, I sit up from my bed. “It’s not every day I get a Princess is here. It’s more or less every other day”.
“You killed my father”.
I should probably tread cautiously here. “Yes. This isn’t something you just found out. You’ve known it for years, so why bring it up”.
“No. I didn’t mean it like that. I mean, I did, but not anymore.”
“That’s comforting.”
“I feel like, if I was born where you were and I had to go through the same things you did, I would have done the same thing. Besides, if Tail-Mearene is ever to have peace, people will have to forgive much more than that. My point is, even when I didn’t know you, when you attacked, when i saw you and what you are capable of, I gave you my army to lead. Do you know why?”
“My pretty face.”
“It was three things really. You are Tail-Mearene born and you are fearsome, but most importantly you wanted peace. I could see that. I still can. I’m a Princess, it is my duty to give my people hope, but I didn’t believe that was possible until I saw you”
I don’t say anything.
Elizabeth pulls out a box, about the size of a fist. She begins, “I know it doesn’t really change anything and I know this isn’t something you would usually accept, but I thought . . .” She opens the box and hands me a silver ring.
“Are you trying to propose to me?”
“Even before the revolution, my family was in charge of appointing the generals. Every General has worn that ring.”
“You want me to be a General.”
“You already are, just not officially. This will increase your authority among my men and the respect that they have for you. Additionally”, she looks away, “You can have a home after we win. And a job, if you want it.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“There is a public ceremony for appointing a General. The person being appointed swears to uphold justice and the law, then he kneels down and kisses the Royal hand. You don’t have to do that part, if you don’t want to . . .” She looks at me again. “What is it?”
“Nothing. It’s just . . . all of the Generals have been men, right?”
She stares at me in amazement. Then she bursts out laughing “That is what you’re worried about?”
“It’s not that funny”, I grumble. Elizabeth beats her hand on the table. After a moment, I start laughing too.
Log in to comment