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“Foolish, stinking human!  You dare bring such insult to me?  I will not have your head – not today!  But one day, mark my words-“

Brooks had listened to Ks’Kull’s rejection of his idea with as much serenity as he could muster, prepared to return to his ship – and do what?

He honestly wasn’t sure.  Could he sit back and watch a genocide?  Could he do the slightest thing to prevent it even if he launched his own counter-attack?

Ks’Kull began to spit another vehement word – and then he exploded.

It was too fast for Brooks to even register; he only realized it after it had occurred.

The fact that he could do that meant he was alive, he realized.

Because Kell had stepped in front of him.

The being had moved faster than he’d believed possible, seeming to nearly teleport, and had grabbed Logus, dragging the man along so sharply that his head snapped to the side.

He heard a terrible sound, like ripping, and realized that it was the shrapnel impacting Kell.

It should have torn through him; torn him apart.  Any human would have been.

But it did not come through Kell.  His face, in front of Brooks’s own, did not even change expression.

He felt the shockwave of the blast, it rattled him – but at this distance caused no injury.

His mouth was agape, and he heard Logus groan.  Then he heard the whimper of pain and looked over, seeing Decinus.  The man was alive, moving, but his upper arm was more blood than flesh, with bone jutting out.

“I could not shield you all fully,” Kell said, calmly.  “He may be dying.”

“Logus!” Brooks said, his voice soft in his ears.  The blast had hurt his hearing.

Logus was rubbing his neck, but seemed all right.  He looked up as Brooks spoke.

Emergency alarms were going off, sounding distant.

“The air is escaping,” Kell said.  And Brooks realized he could hear his voice just fine.  Somehow.

“We should leave.  I can bring Decinus if you wish him to continue living.”

Brooks looked at Kell, shocked, as the full realization of what had just happened sunk in.

The stand-in for Ks’Kull had exploded.  He himself had been a living bomb, walked right into their meeting without being detected.  And Ks’Kull had tried to assassinate him.

It meant war.

The show of force that Siilon was making, the threat of the Sapient Union crushing the Maig meant nothing.  Or perhaps Ks’Kull was so insulted he’d lost all of his scant control.  And so it would be, to sate his rage or bloodlust or insanity or logic or whatever the reason – it did not matter now.

It was war.”Get back to the shuttle!” he yelled, his voice barely audible.  “The Craton needs to know that we’re alive!  The Hev are going to attack!”

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< Ep 6 Part 33 | Ep 6 Part 35 >