Part Nine Seeming to know what I was thinking, the Captain walked away with a knowing chuckle, leaving me to think over what was happening in the little time I had left. "[i]Set course to the outpost commanded by Captain Rolas of Devils,[/i]" I heard the Captain command as he reached the cockpit, and my blood ran cold. Before long I felt the Skiff slow to a stop, and the deployment hatches opened up, letting in light and a blast of warm air. Two Vandals and the Captain from earlier approached my holding unit and turned off the containment field. Seizing me roughly by the arms, they dragged me over to the closest deployment hatch and the two Vandals jumped out, followed by me and then the Captain. There was a gathering waiting for us on the dock we landed on. Rolas stood at the head, with Fenkris and the other Captains standing at his sides and a Force of Vandals backing them. The four beady eyes of Rolas narrowed with both disgust and glee as I landed ungracefully a short distance away from him. The Captain that had taken me down approached Rolas and they locked arms for a brief moment in a respectful greeting before speaking. "[i]I hear this one abandoned you some time ago,[/i]" the Wolf Captain began, "[i]We thought you would want to execute him yourself, so we brought him as a token of good will.[/i]" "[i]Thank you, brother,[/i]" Rolas clicked merrily, "[i]If Skolas leads us to take back the Great Machine, I would gladly follow him to death against the City of Thiefs. I can only hope that the rest of Devils agrees so I may be permitted to add to your ranks.[/i]" "[i]Skolas wishes so as well,[/i]" the Wolf agreed, "[i]We must rejoin the fleet. Farewell, my kin.[/i]" A collective farewell rose from the throats of the gathered Devils as the Wolf Captain began walking back to his Skiff. With a motion of their Captains hand, the two Vandals tossed me forward to lay sprawled before Rolas, then proceeded to board their ship as it lowered itself to the dock's edge. I tried pushing myself up on weak arms as the Skiff shot away into the skies, but Rolas slammed his foot into my chest, knocking me back down. "[i]And now your execution will begin, traitorous Vasik,[/i]" Rolas growled with contempt. Once again being dragged by the arms by a couple of Vandals, I was taken to the gathering court of our outpost, where all gathered to hear reports and witness executions. As we drew near, I managed to get my feet under my body and begin walking between the Vandals rather than be dragged, and I glared daggers at Rolas as he walked before me. Upon coming into the open area of the court, I was met with angry yells and cheers for bloodshed when the crowd saw me. Fenkris and all the Captains aside from Rolas took positions at the heads of their respective crews, and following the movement of Fenkris, I spotted Yaskis standing at the front of the gathering. She had four arms now and bore the armor of a Vandal, showing she had shown great valor in battle since I had left, but her eyes shown with fear as she watched me be lead past her. The center of the space was cleared of spectators, and as we came to it, Rolas stepped in its center and turned to face me as I was brought before him. "[i]Today, we execute he who abandoned us![/i]" Rolas roared to the audience, and was met with a wave of cheers, "[i]Today we get rid of the weak and those who would prevent us from taking back the Great Machine! Today we end Vasik, who helped one of the ghouls, one of the soldiers from the City of the Death of Children, escape our grasp and then went to serve the Awoken, the cursed un-people![/i]" As Rolas finished this last phrase, he pulled out two Shock Blades and cleaved off my prosthetic arms. I screeched in pain and fell to my knees, for the nerve connections of the prosthetics ensured that it would hurt almost as much as losing real arms. This speech and action was met with a roar of malice from the crowd, and Rolas stared me down with a bloodthirsty glare as he sheathed his blades. "[i]Do you have anything to say before you are killed?[/i]" he growled wickedly, delighted thrill showing in his eyes and voice. The crowd grew silent as Rolas spoke these words, waiting to hear if I would plead for mercy or try worming my way out with lies. They would get no such entertainment from me. Slowly I rose up, refusing to kneel before such hate and holding back the waves of pain that threatened to break me. I thought of the human treasures resting on the shelf in my room, each holding some importance to someone killed by my kin long ago, and found that I could still use my voice. "[i]You call them the City of Thieves,[/i]" I growled, and Rolas narrowed his eyes, "[i]But they did not steal the Great Machine from us, we only tried to steal it from them.[/i]" My words were met with enraged cries from the crowd, but they again went quiet as Rolas began to unsheathe his blades again. Fenkris, however, stopped him. "[i]Rolas, do not dishonor yourself with such action,[/i]" my former Captain called, "[i]He is permitted to speak, and he will only disgrace himself with such words.[/i]" I silently thanked Fenkris for her words, glad that I had been able to work under a Captain with such honor and respect to the old ways. "[i]They have killed many of us and starved us of ether, but have we not killed just as many of them in cold blood?! We murder those who only wish to defend themselves![/i]" I cried out, my voice rising above the upset muttering of the crowd, "[i]We concentrate on killing the children of the Great Machine instead of those who would destroy the Great Machine itself! The wretched Hive who stole our worlds from us![/i]" The gathering of Fallen now grew silent at my words, listening to what I had to say. Rolas noticed as well and struggled not to end me on the spot. Images of Blake and his Ghost flashed through my mind. "[i]We can be great again![/i]" I roared, all of my emotion flowing out into my speech, and I locked eyes with Yaskis, who had moved to get a better view, "[i]We do not have to continue throwing ourselves to our deaths against the City that holds our would-be allies! We do not have to follow Skolas, the Rabid and angry, to war! I have met one of the dead soldiers and proved we can work together! There is still hope to rebuild what was lost to us, and this time we will have friends to make us stronger![/i]" The crowd stirred, fear showing in the eyes of many as they couldn't decide to speak out for or against me. Then Yaskis stepped forward, Fenkris trying to hold her back but failing to get any purchase on her armor. "[i]I will lay down my weapons for the Great Machine![/i]" she declared, and I swear I never loved her as much as at this moment. But then that pride was replaced with crippling sorrow as I saw her stumble back, the hilt of a Shock Dagger blossoming from her chest. Turning around, I saw Rolas standing with arm still outstretched from the throw, a smug look appearing in his eyes as the audience shrunk back. I looked back to Yaskis body and stared at her lifeless form, a weak cry of sorrow escaping my mouth. "[i]As I said,[/i]" Rolas bellowed, challenging everyone in the crowd who would step out as Yaskis did, "[i]Today we will rid ourselves of the weak. Your time is up, Vasik the Traitor.[/i]" "[i]Vandals, Captains, Barons, , Archons, Kells, and Dreg![/i]" I called in one last plea as Rolas began drawing his swords emphasizing the word Dreg and saying it after Kell on purpose, "[i]Do not let hate and fear rule you! Take up not your weapons, but your arms![/i]" Many stirred and shifted in the crowd, especially the Dreg, at my cry. Rolas had pulled his Shock Blade all the way out from its sheath. "[i]I AM A MARVEL,[/i]" I roared with all the strength left in me. Rolas raised his blade above his head. "[i]WITH TEN THOUSAND ARMS![/i]" The sword swung down in a silver crescent... __________________________________ Thank you for reading, I worked long and hard on this one. For more of my stories, go to my Archive Link to part 8: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/220870418/0/0 Link to Archive: https://www.bungie.net/en/Forum/Post/217384398/0/0