James squirmed. He massaged his side. The waitress moved away, and he gave an unrestrained gush of relief - and then gagged again as she switched feet. Huraii tapped her thigh, and then gave a nod. One of the doors opened with a throaty hum and a brief flash of orange. Two of the ship's security trundled in. She gazed down back at the human. He was reaching for her foot again, and snatched his hand away. He was almost pleading. "Human, know that you have violated our axioms and committed one of the most maximal crimes. Were this in Roliem Keep, the intruders would have been skinned and their beheaded corpses returned to the opposing family, issuing the declaration of war," She dug in her heel. "Then there is this exception, where the violator hails from a differing species and the onset of conflict calls upon greater contemplation from Sangheilios as a whole." She stepped off the human. The guards knelt, holding his arms and ankles. He shouted something. "Realise, human, were this any of the compliant races hostilities would have already commenced. Your kind has always been a meddler in others' affairs, and you will find your prying nature met by blood and blades on Sangheilios." James flailed frantically. The gut-rending fear, cold and merciless, mangled his insides and butchered his mind. A burning snake of terror coiled around his spine and squeezed his throat, drowning his brain of any emotion except the suffocating, heart-stopping fear. And throughout his torment, was the pounding question, [i]how does she know?[/i] One of the males grinned down at him. His head blotted out the ceiling light. "The Second Matron is gracious, and nothing beyond a small recompense is necessary. When you leave, consider yourself fortunate to return with your sanity, if not your dignity." She stared back down at him for one final time, and then walked away, each footstep a drumbeat closer to his cruciation. Huraii paused just before the doorway. "Enjoy yourselves." -- "The guards disabled every limb, mistress. I could hear the human cry two hallways away." Alaiya typed into three separate pads. Their tangled, mirrored code flickered on her face in a slanted jumble. "The pilot has just left to escort the humans back onto the planet and should return within an hour," Huraii continued. "The violator's screaming - I never knew a creature could have such a throat." "The creature needed a lesson," Alaiya stood and withdrew a bundle of papers. She untied the fibres and laid out the vellum. "What makes you think the human is more than simply an angry relative, mistress?" She tapped the vellum distractedly. "View his age, Huraii. He is no older than the war. While that does not entirely justify my reasoning, there are also other roots of suspicion. He was alone throughout the entire time, and I saw him as well, fidgeting and squirming. Other than that, his pathetic display of theatrics was falsified to the core; his actions were not impulse driven. More probably he was waiting for something to give him the chance to stir." She eyed Huraii pointedly. "My apologies mistress, it will not happen again." [i]The numbers weren't adding up.[/i] Alaiya sighed, flipping through the sheets. "Even if the human was acting on his own senses, then nothing will come of my accusation. But if the assumption is correct, then let those schemers understand Roliem is not to be challenged. Either way, it outcomes in our favour," "Perhaps he was a mercenary?" "Perhaps," Alaiya took a stylus from her pocket. She crossed out one of the lines in a satisfied stroke. The ink glistened. "Set coordinates for Sangheilios. Tell the crew to go into stasis." Huraii put the cup down. "Of course, mistress; shall I escort you to your pod?" "Not now. Roliem is in a mess, and the time is needed. Stay in your room." The stylus scribbled deftly. Huraii left with a bow, letting the door close with a soft click. "Qaetha ought to be missing me by now," she muttered. She broke the nib. [quote] There we go. Never knew posting up a chapter would be harder than writing it, lord. Hope you guys do enjoy![/quote]