A Big Shiny Blue Marble Ch. 57

She reached for one of the pieces of one sword and holding it up to her face, Jerrthi regarded her new visage and she decided that she liked it very much. Her eyes had gone black.

Black irises on black eyeballs.

She looked down toward her thighs and saw the way that they now mimicked the tone and the pattern of the artificial wood and she smiled before she changed herself back to the way that she'd been before. Her vision changed slightly and she knew that her eyes were once again as they'd been all of her life.

She placed her hands on the floor and shifted her position so that she now sat cross-legged for the next part of this.

She set the shard of the sword back down and she began to chant slowly and cautiously as she reached for the haft and the tang of the larger one. This was something which she'd had to practise often during her visits when her family had come for her teaching when they went on their vacations. She'd had to demonstrate to her aunt and her trainer that she could say the words, though she'd never performed the acts which went with them. She'd had no sword of her own, after all; only the wooden ones which her father had crafted for her use.

She set the tang into the haft and felt the draw there between them as the pieces neared each other. It felt like magnetism, and yet it was only evident whenever the correct pieces were held near to each other and she could hear her aunt's gentle voice in her hear, telling her once more that the purpose was so that she could assemble what she needed in absolute darkness.

All the same, it came to Jerrthi that it was the will of the blade itself and she knew at that time -- out of all of the other times that she'd done this with her wooden replicas -- that this one time, it was the god's will for her.

There was a quiet snap as the pieces clicked together and Jerrthi saw the soft glow as the seams disappeared. When the glow was gone, she took up the next piece and the next, and when she had the whole of it assembled, she felt the gentle quiver in her fingers as the blade trembled to signal its acceptance of its owner.

Jerrthi was a bit surprised at this, but she reasoned that if her aunt was among the spirits, then she'd have given her assent that her beautiful niece take up the ways of the dark trade and become one the warriors who gave their lives over to the gods for it.

She was still chanting softly as she carefully laid the blade aside and took up the other one to repeat the process and when she was done, she laid out everything in its order and as her chants reached a point which was like a very quiet crescendo, she watched as the weapons changed, their cruel edges glittering with the reflected light of the candle from the thousands of tiny crystals which now appeared to her, revealing how they'd lain hidden there for all of this time.

As she smiled, the glitter disappeared but Jerrthi knew what it was that she had seen.

The gods had accepted her, and as their instrument, the weapons had done the same, revealing the tiny crystals which meant that they could carve through the hide of any living creature -- even a four-footed Xer.

It wasn't something that she wanted to do in any regard, but if it happened, then it was the will of the gods and she'd accept it then.

She rose up, moving from her cross-legged position to stand without moving her feet in any way. After a quiet moment where she regarded her weapons, they disappeared, though she felt it as they came to her, lying hidden against her skin.

After a moment where she did nothing but stand still to get used to the feel of them, she launched herself into a series of movements against seven imaginary foes.

She hadn't practised this one in a while, but she knew that she wouldn't be feeling the strain and weariness from this tomorrow. This was what she was now; as much a part of it as it was of her. She almost laughed in joy to feel the way that her ages of hard work and struggling practice had prepared her for the real thing.

As she spun and leapt impossible distances through the air to engage an enemy who was not there, she extinguished the candle and caused it to fade from sight along with the old cloth bag and the towel.

She felt the approach of someone -- a member of the base's security element as he walked over to investigate why it was that this building was in darkness.

From what he knew by what was on his clipboard, this barracks was the temporary quarters of a pair of journalists. It was a little early, he thought, but they might be asleep. Even so, he knew that he should have seen the light of at least one lighting fixture from the street.

Jerrthi turned to the door that she knew he was outside of and ran at it, gaining speed as she did.

He found the door locked at first, but on the second pull. It seemed to unlock itself and as he drew it open, Jerrthi sprang and vaulted out of the building and into the night through the space of the opening between his head and the top of the door frame.

The glorified security guard noticed nothing during that instant.

He only wondered why all of the building lighting came on then and he stood scratching his head in between his horns as he tried to think of how he was going to call this in.

Jerrthi smiled as she landed, looking far off through the barely adequate street lighting at the one who was walking toward them. She thought about the timing against the pace that he was walking at.

"Excuse me, what are you doing?" Jerrthi asked the security guard as though she'd just walked up behind him.

He turned and looked dumfounded while he tried to come up with anything which might make any sense at that point, but seeing her for what she was, she watched the features of his face turn hard, "This barracks was locked when it should be open. The lights were all out and at least one has to be left on at all times."

"Why are you telling me this while the lights are obviously on and the door is open?" She peered for a second at his ID badge and number. "Next you'll tell me that it must be my fault that I happened by while you were trying to gain entry so that you could steal from me. It wouldn't be an issue if they'd given me a fucking key to somewhere that I could lock my personal property up.

But they didn't since they wouldn't ever want to make one of MY kind feel very welcome to be here, right?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, you crazy Grottoid bit-"

He didn't finish, since he found his feet hanging over two feet from the ground just an instant before he was looking into the eyes of a rather annoyed-looking Xer.

"Did you know that the Xer have their own name for the most common species of Merren?" Ter'l growled in the Merren language as he held the terrified guard off the ground, "I'm certain that you have nasty names for us, since in my experience, Merren shits like you need to have them for some reason or other, weak and malformed things that you are.

Our name for your kind is much simpler, being based on the sounds you make as we crush your throats.

We call your kind squeakers."

As the guard struggled and tried to threaten the Xer, he found that he was being held up even closer to the intense, golden irises of those eyes. Jerrthi watched fascinated as the Merren seemed to stop struggling and slacken in Ter'l's grip.

"Get into your floater," the Xer grumbled quietly," and drive until you see the bridge three blocks over in the distance behind you. You understand what I say?"

"Yes."

"Good," Ter'l smiled, "When you see it, you are to accelerate and aim for the right abutment, yes, my friend?"

"Yes," the distant-sounding voice replied and he found himself on his feet once more.

"Now go and do what was told to you, loyal and faithful friend and you will have the reward that you deserve so much."

They watched as the guard began to walk away toward the street a little mechanically. "Hurry, my friend, " the Xer said with a smile and the guard almost dove into the vehicle, starting it and then motoring away.

Jerrthi was about to say something to Ter'l since he seemed to be a little fixated on the departing floater. But she heard the sudden way that it accelerated and looked to see it slam into the bridge abutment to burst into flames several seconds later.

"Stupid Merren shits," Ter'l grinned, "Lucky for you that he was the dim kind and not High Merren. I'd have had to explain why I killed him for insulting you and it just couldn't have gone well."

Jerrthi laughed a little, "Thank you, Ter'l. Please come in."

As he followed her inside, she seemed to disappear from sight right in front of him. As he was about to say something, the lights all went out -- except for one.

Ter'l looked in that direction and saw only the wall behind the illuminated area and the deep shadow in the corner.

But he saw it then -- something that he hadn't seen in ...

Jerrthi held her changing skin to the way that it had been a second before and she began to step out of that shadow. As she walked to him, she heard him gasp as he watched the way that her skin turned completely black and then he saw her as he'd seen her just minutes before and the way that she'd looked to him that morning as she walked to him.

The beauty that he saw took his breath away.

Again.

She strode up to him and put her arms around his neck, pressing herself against him as she looked up.

Her expression changed then and she said, "I'm so sorry that I did not recognise you before today. We have seen each other before this, Uncle," she said, careful to use the particular Grotto inflection meant to signify that she remembered his lessons in love to her so many years before.

It was not meant as the way to address her real uncle, who had also been there that night long ago.

He nodded, "I knew you the first time that I set my eyes on you."

"We have lain together, and though it was not ever meant to be more than a lesson in loving, I want to say that I am thankful for your lesson to me and also for what it causes me to feel rising in my heart."

"I saw in your face that you had not ever worked in the trade," Ter'l said low and quietly as he held her gently, "But I see that you have given yourself over now. For who you are, lovely Jerrthi, it does my old heart proud. I am not one of your kind or your clan, but for a time, I held the love of one of you."

She looked into his eyes and saw scenes from out of his memories of her aunt and she had to fight off the urge to weep at what she saw there. It wasn't like what the fool guard had seen. For the right kind, there was no bending of one's will when looking into the eyes of a Xer. There was only the truth.

It might be a hope, but it would be genuine, or it might be profound sadness as it was in this case.

But for one like Jerrthi, it was always and would always be the truth.

"I have no need anymore or desire to know your commander, "she said, "as well-meaning and young as he is. But I want to say words to you, Ter'l. That is, if you will listen."

"Speak," he said with a nod.

She told him of her life -- the abridged version and then she told him of her sadness. "I thought for a short time that I'd found something in Xhan's arms but he dashed that as he showed my error to me this afternoon.

Before you tell me again that you are an old fighter, I will remind you of me.

"You were a young male when you loved the one which we would both give anything to only see alive and drawing breath once more. It will do you no good to hear it spoken, but as you must know by now, I have given myself over to the ways of my kind, being one of the few left of my generation. Perhaps I will be the last.

As I said the words and began my preparations, I saw her once more for the first time since that time long ago and she was here with me, the younger sister of my mother. I do not know if she ever said it to you, but she was very much younger than her sister, being only about nine winters older than me.

You were a little younger than she was, by her words to me."

She saw what he wanted to tell her as the thought came to him and she held her finger to his lips to stop his objection.

"We have both had our loves and lost them, but we are here together now. I know the measure of the lives of the Xer and it is every bit as long as that of my kind. I see only a little of the passage of the time on you, Ter'l and I have a wish.

I have found a want in me for a male of your kind. We have not known of each other for so long, but ... if there is no one in your life -- and I have seen no one such as this in your eyes, then I offer myself to you. Be the one for me, Ter'l and I will do as I can for you. I had no chance to ask it of her, but I think that we both know what the one in our hearts would tell us if she were here and could say it.

She has some ability to affect things here, my friend. They are hidden on me, but I wear her weapons as my own. To do that needs her knowledge and assent and I had no trouble. If it were not so, then the weapons would not have allowed it. You know this to be true of us, yes?"

Ter'l nodded sadly, "I had them for so long -- almost all of my life as an adult. I knew that the weapons could not be put together by anyone but the right person. I tried it anyway once, just wanting to see something which she held once and, ... and I- "

Jerrthi reached for him and pulled his huge head down as they both wept for long minutes.

"I have no want in me anymore to live here," she said, "Be my male and I will go where you go. We are both still young enough to make little ones and it was said to me by my aunt that it may be done between our two kinds, though it is not easy. If you want that, well I offer it to you. Take me with you where you go and I will not ever forget your kindness."

He looked up a little then into her face and she nodded with a soft and hopeful smile.

"Your kind needs to be kept warm," he said.

Her smile widened at that and she nodded, "And the one I want and hold in my arms has fur for me.

Your kind needs to mark the one who gives herself to you and I would be proud to wear your mark on my flesh so that everyone will know that my male is a strong Xer. I have no fear of it and wherever we are; there are none of my kind to look at it in a bad light. A few of the more usual Merren might know it for what it is, but I do not care what they think.

They can be as jealous as they like. I will sleep in the bed of a Xer male and be warm and well-loved."

She kissed his lips very softly, "Please say yes, Ter'l. If you wish it, I would feel honor to do what no one understands but us. There are the showers. Come with me and I will wet your hand to show you how I feel."

She didn't need to go that far, but he understood what she meant and he agreed to her offer.

"I accept you, Jerrthi, and I'll do what I can so that we stay together. I'll need to ask Xhan, but he already owes me like crazy. The first time that he fought with us -- the first action, he proved his courage, but even so, I saved his tail twice that day, though I hope that I won't be forced to bring that up."

He held her then as they kissed each other, remembering a time long before when they had done it once before, but this time, they were doing it for themselves and each other and there was no doubt or hesitation at all.

He leaned down a little and picked Jerrthi up so that they could look at each other at the same height and she laughed and said that it was even better than the first time as she rubbed her face against his throat and laughed.

But that was when he remembered what he'd come there for.

"We'll have to hurry now, Jerrthi, but we have to be in Xhan's cabin very soon. There's a meeting that he's called and if I know him, he's called it to give you and ...

What the fuck is that girl's name again?"

"Ronkahh," she laughed and he nodded, "Yeah, her. I think he wants you two there so that you can walk away if that's what you want."

"That's not what I want," she said, "I want to be with you."

"I know that now," he said, "but you didn't let me finish. We've gotten a warning from 43rd HQ. We have two days to prepare, but unless something changes very soon, we're to prepare to be deployed."

"I am yours, correct Ter'l?"

"No," he chickled, "you've got it wrong. I'm yours."

"I want to be where you are," she said and he nodded, "Then let's go."

She grabbed her flightsuit, her helmet and her camera bag and they ran out the door. Both of their kinds could run far and very fast, and neither of them paid much attention to the flashing lights of the base fire crew vehicles as they worked to put out the blaze by the bridge.

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When they got to Xhan's office they watched his eyebrows rise for a moment and then he began juat after the others arrrived.

"This evening, I received flash traffic from our headquarters on Xer. I have specific instructions for the Members of the Xer contingent in this room, but first I wanted to offer the correspondents the chance to disembark and not leave with us when we go. I have a little time to prepare the unit -- a matter of days and not much more.

But as it stands now and unless I receive an order to stand down again, we'll be leaving for deployment at that time. I strongly caution you both that nothing is to be mentioned to anyone before our departure, and nothing is to be disseminated or transmitted via any means whatsoever, electronic or even verbal.

So you can pack up and go, if you wish."

Jerrthi looked at Ronkahh who looked back at her and said only, "I'm staying."

Jerrthi nodded, "Me too."

Xhan looked as though he couldn't decide whether to smile or frown, but he nodded, "Then you may continue to enjoy our hospitality as our honored guests."

"Where are we going?" Jerrthi asked and he looked a little uncomfortable, "Well, it seems that I was right about the fine print in the contract. We're not going to Lorthian and we're also not going to Ethens.

I've been where we're going and with luck, I think you'll enjoy the place, but likely not the task.

We're going to an unimportant blue rock called Earth."