Cloak pushed back from the his desk in a daze. As usual, the only illumination in his quarters came from the many computer screens that covered the walls. What he had just discovered was almost too much to comprehend.
"Bring the lights up full." He said tiredly. He rubbed his eyes against the harsh bright white of the Tangent's automated lighting. "Computer, play back last journal entry."
'ELIX GATHERI, ENTERED 12.47.01 HOURS AGO: Elix here, there isn't much time. Elle's been accused of murdering Avinash and even though he was a stinking damned tyrant they're putting her on trial. To be tried by the Conclave at least, thank the goddess. I didn't think she had it in her... No. There's no way. I know that she and Peace had a thing but there's no way in hell that little human would gun someone down in cold blood...'
His own voice rang with surprising passion and desperation in his ears and he adjusted the volume down, even though he knew that no one else could hear it. This next part he'd listened to many times over and many times he'd been tempted to delete it.
'...But she did save my ass. At the end. When the Resistance started bombing the palace and the walls were coming down around our ears. I don't know where they got their grubby little rebel hands on a Shriek, but they sent it straight to the throne room. Would've done the same myself. Communications were down and they had no way of knowing that we'd cornered Avinash there. Peace had a pistol pointed straight at the tyrants head and Elle was trying to talk him out of it when the Shriek hit. We were all laid flat. I've heard of the damned things but I never thought I'd ever get to encounter those delightful effects firsthand. None of us could move from the sound and the shrapnel flying around. But Elle... Elle got knocked down and then stumbled right back up again. Must be those human ears of hers, something about shit being inaudible on a different decibel from the rest of us I don't know. I was hurt. Hurt bad. I don't remember much but I woke up out of the noise-blast range, Fay was dumped next to me. She was unconscious and there was blood everywhere. I remember seeing Elle looking down at me, field-dressing my wounds--she did a really shitty job at it. Her nose was bleedin. Her ears too. She smiled at me and said something. I couldn't hear anything but I wouldn't have been able to understand what she said anyway because my translator was scrambled from the blast. Then she went back. She must have gone back for Peace. I can't believe she... Anyway I passed out. Now they're saying she was caught red-handed killing Avinash. Caught on vid no less! Only that human would be stupid enough to walk straight in front of a security camera and shoot a planetary leader in the heart.
"Bring the lights up full." He said tiredly. He rubbed his eyes against the harsh bright white of the Tangent's automated lighting. "Computer, play back last journal entry."
'ELIX GATHERI, ENTERED 12.47.01 HOURS AGO: Elix here, there isn't much time. Elle's been accused of murdering Avinash and even though he was a stinking damned tyrant they're putting her on trial. To be tried by the Conclave at least, thank the goddess. I didn't think she had it in her... No. There's no way. I know that she and Peace had a thing but there's no way in hell that little human would gun someone down in cold blood...'
His own voice rang with surprising passion and desperation in his ears and he adjusted the volume down, even though he knew that no one else could hear it. This next part he'd listened to many times over and many times he'd been tempted to delete it.
'...But she did save my ass. At the end. When the Resistance started bombing the palace and the walls were coming down around our ears. I don't know where they got their grubby little rebel hands on a Shriek, but they sent it straight to the throne room. Would've done the same myself. Communications were down and they had no way of knowing that we'd cornered Avinash there. Peace had a pistol pointed straight at the tyrants head and Elle was trying to talk him out of it when the Shriek hit. We were all laid flat. I've heard of the damned things but I never thought I'd ever get to encounter those delightful effects firsthand. None of us could move from the sound and the shrapnel flying around. But Elle... Elle got knocked down and then stumbled right back up again. Must be those human ears of hers, something about shit being inaudible on a different decibel from the rest of us I don't know. I was hurt. Hurt bad. I don't remember much but I woke up out of the noise-blast range, Fay was dumped next to me. She was unconscious and there was blood everywhere. I remember seeing Elle looking down at me, field-dressing my wounds--she did a really shitty job at it. Her nose was bleedin. Her ears too. She smiled at me and said something. I couldn't hear anything but I wouldn't have been able to understand what she said anyway because my translator was scrambled from the blast. Then she went back. She must have gone back for Peace. I can't believe she... Anyway I passed out. Now they're saying she was caught red-handed killing Avinash. Caught on vid no less! Only that human would be stupid enough to walk straight in front of a security camera and shoot a planetary leader in the heart.
