Chapter 2: Jivo's Shadow
[Torbus attempts to leverage his access to the Gurratan government and parts of Akis Blad's consulship to act as a double agent for Colonel Jivo and Delos.]
"Yu got the rock. Black sorium? That why weall came today. That mean yu know it important, but from I seein' today, yu cannado nothin' like Blad cando. Yu still just lookin' at it. Yu naga own my ass, Colonel Jivo. Yu naga stay me here. Yu gonna watchin' me walk out e door, and yu gonna pickin' up smarfo when Torbus call and payin' me for inteli on Gurrat."
Torbus spat the words out in a thick Chellokan creole accent and looked up defiantly at Colonel Jivo. He scowled to add to the act and partly to disguise that his heart was beating so hard it was hurting his bruised ribs. Jivo's reaction hinted nothing useful. He only squinted slightly, inspecting Torbus like he hadn't noticed him until now, and then met his gaze directly. The stare-down lasted so long, the wrist Torbus was using to support himself started to ache. The Colonel's aftershave filled the room like it was Jivo's will incarnate surrounding and probing Torbus. Did he have an optical implant that could detect heart rate? Was that why he was staring? Torbus had scanned the room countless times by now and seen no cameras, but any of those recessed holes in the cement could house a range of IR or optical sensors... if this was really an interrogation room.
Torbus cracked and looked down and then around the room for the glare of a lens from under the shelving. Nothing. He licked his lips and could taste the bitter packing material they had crammed in his mouth to muffle his screams earlier. When he finally looked back up, Jivo broke the silence.
"You got the right idea, Belgran. Just a little slow. Told you we had you in the pop logs. You grew up in Bothos, one of many insignificant, sugran-infested towns along the border. Except Bothos was founded by three family units at the height of the breeding program. In fact, they probably carried you out there in ectogen and risked de-sleeving you without the normal safeties. But despite your betraying your own species, I'm sure I can find someone in one of the four farming sheds out there that you won't want to watch starve to death on livestream. No, Belgran, you're not gonna get paid to feed me intel on Blad. You're gonna pay me in intel to keep your mother Gamia out of a Dorsia Von pleasure ship."
Adrenaline had been holding him together through the mission, battle, and beating afterwards, but now Torbus lowered his head into numb shaking hands. Jivo's aftershave became noxious. With each short breath Torbus felt the blood drain from his face towards his gut until, finally, he vomited into the Colonel's unmoving shadow.
◊◊◊
Torbus stepped off the bus into the streets of Valpon, home to a defensive outpost on the Eastern edge of Delos' territory. Looking to the horizon, Torbus saw humanity's home moon, Prakyun about to set behind a tower of the base, which sat on a hill looking down over Valpon. When the whine of the electric motor died away with the wind, Torbus noticed a din of excited voices. A gaggle of human and sugran bodies were gathered around a plastic restraining cage placed in a small plot left fallow for the summer season.
As he walked towards the commotion, Torbus recited the cover story the Colonel had fed him. He was pretty sure his fool of a commander back in Gurrat, Sebo Lommar, would fall for it, but others would be suspicious. Torbus had no choice but to play the part. The open air of the town was a fresh change from the slightly burnt recycled air of the bus. But then the breeze shifted. An unmistakably pungent odor: zeko feces. The crowd was hurling bags of shit towards the cage along with curses. Torbus moved upwind of the crowd and lit a cigarette to help mask the smell. Before he took his last draft, either the shit or energy ran out and the townspeople began to disperse.
On the ground inside the cage was a half-naked sugran with dark orange and green spiracle patterns. The sugran was covered in wounds and feces yet looked across the street at Torbus with fierce yellow eyes. Curiosity winning out, Torbus crossed the street, and approached the cage. White letters shone through a small, blue shit-smeared screen on the door, "SUGRAN BANDIT. TO BE EXECUTED AFTER FIRST-DAWN Y23/M9/D13."
The bandit lurched and spat. "Kolish niannor sekkerth!" Torbus wiped his left eye and cheek and looked again at the prisoner.
CHOOSE (Leave a comment below or message me somewhere to vote for which scene comes next.)
UPDATE --> D wins.
C) [Torbus commiserates with the imprisoned sugran and shows him sympathy. He reaches through the bars and touches the sugran's head.]
"Yu naga deservin it, but yu cana acceptin it. Iga pray on you, shuu-eth."
D) [Torbus bends down and washes his hands in a gulley of shallow rainwater. Then, he turns away from the bandit and looks up towards the Delian military outpost. He figures with a few more hours of sekora-light he could hike up the hill and rendezvous with his handler before dark.]
