“So you have never seen any of these people before?” asked
the Federal Investigator as he flashed a series of images to Theodore and his
father. The man's Old Tongue was remarkably good, not as crisp as Janice's,
but still quite clean and precise.
Theodore took a careful long look before shaking his head
and sitting back in the plush chair. “Not a one of them.” The apartment was
nice at least. Very nice. The local security had been more than a little
embarrassed at their obvious shortcomings at the airport and so the Foxdale
family had been passed off to the Foreign Office and
their
security
teams. The family had quickly been ushered away and brought to the top of an
otherwise inconspicuous building in the heart of the city. They were safe now,
they were told. They had been told
that
when the family reunited at the
airport, but it was quite obvious things were very serious now. “Did the two I
knocked out provide any information?”
The agent cracked a grin, “Good thing you did knock them
out, I'm pretty sure your father wasn't going to be so nice to them. That was
all pretty amazing to watch, I do confess.” He turned and addressed Theodore's
father, “Sir, um... your skill you displayed was pretty extreme I must say.
I've seen a few other Highlanders throw Live Steel around before, but I've
never seen that
wall
thing you did.”
His father shrugged and grinned, “My flippant answer to you
would be maybe you've never seen someone have to protect their family before.
But I know that is only half the story. Yes, I am very well skilled; on
several occasions back home I have been approached about being a constable but
every time I've declined. While we could use the money, I'd rather not spend
the time away from my family.”
“You aren't a Silver, are you?”
Theodore laughed to himself. What an odd question... So
called Silvers could change their fur color and were usually quite impressive
with Live Steel, but his father was just an average Taik. Nothing out of the
ordinary. Well, save for his skill level.
His father laughed, “Contrary to popular stories, anyone can
become especially good with Live Steel. It is all about hard work, practice
and an understanding of how it does and doesn't work. Silvers catch a bit of
press because they tend to learn faster, but peak skill? It's pretty much the
same for everyone.” He thought a bit, “Okay, not quite right: there are always
High Silvers. But they are beyond rare...”
The agent laughed to himself, “Fair enough, sir. I've only
ever been around the young bloods serving with the Shukurae forces. Very young
and they were unmarried...” He turned and looked Theodore square in the face,
“Those two you knocked out, they aren't talking much at all. With a bit of
help we were able to identify them and they are of quite the bad sort. They
both have ties to off world mafia... Muscle men more than professional hit men,
but bad enough regardless.” He shook his head, “We've pulled contacts back at
your university, talked with professors, the floor monitor for the dorms... and
while there
have
been one or two racial spats among your peers, there is
nothing
we can find that might have put you crosswise with the mafia.
Even making wild assumptions about some of your fellow students, nothing makes
sense. Is there
anything
you can think of that might explain how you
came crosswise with them? Anything at all?”
Theodore shook his head, “Not a thing, sir. I'm just a
student. Only one of a handful of Taiks, granted, and I am young compared to
most of my peers... But it's quite a busy but simple life: lectures, labs,
homework, a few sports... Nothing out of the ordinary.”
The agent cocked his head and grinned, “I noticed you seem
to be a bit of a ladies man. Any of that cause any problems back at the
university?”
“Um!” Theodore's ears flared painfully red as his fur stood
on end. “Uh...”
“Articulate, isn't he,” grinned his First Mother.
“No!” barked Theodore, fearful that his First Mother might
make a production of the more recent situation. “I've no relationships back at
school, nor have I interrupted any that I know of... Anna... well...”
“You do seem to like her,” teased his father.
“Dad! I mean really!” This wasn't fair!
His father sat back and smiled broadly, “It's alright,
nothing to be ashamed of. It was obvious she means something to you: you were
able to extend your armor to cover her. Had you ever done that before?”
Mercifully the agent laughed and closed the subject, “I
think we all have embarrassed the poor boy enough. It will be a day before we
have transport arranged off planet. If you think of anything, no matter how
trivial, please contact me.”
Theodore nodded, grateful to end the interview. He smartly
shook the agent’s hand as did his father.
“Oh, one last thing,” the agent fired of his shoulder. “Are
you open for visitors?”
“Sure,” offered his First Mother with a smile. “Always glad
to meet people.”
The agent smiled as he nodded and then turned his attention
to the couple outside, “You may go in now.”
Theodore grinned broadly as Anna and her mother entered the
room. Awkward social situations or not, he was happy to see such a friendly face.
Anna beamed at Theodore and gave him a big hug before giggling and turning to
face his First Mother. “Good morning, Mrs. Foxdale, I'm delighted to meet
you,” she carefully spoke in the Highland Old Tongue. Someone had been
practicing! She giggled as she faced Theodore again, “Sorry, that's about all
I know in your language.”
Janice smiled at her daughter and continued in the Old
Tongue, “We were delighted to have had Theodore and your two daughters visit
us.” With that the rest of the pleasantries and small talk erupted. His
family was more than happy to meet them and they were tickled that she knew
their language. Theodore just smiled and sat to the side talking with Anna;
time passes quickly in the company of friends! In a few hours he'd be heading
back to school and his parents would be heading home. Maybe time was passing
too
quickly...
“Game point, Blackford,” barked the intercom high overhead.
“5-0, 5-0, 5-0 game and match to Team Phillips-Grauer for 'Open class, Open
form, Heidelberg Rapier' round. Five points awarded for Open Class. Two
additional points for the shutout. End of tier one. Phillips-Grauer
University-37, Mikaer Military Academy-23. Next tier starts in 45 minutes.”
Theodore grinned broadly as he peeled off his mask and
rubbed his ears. The masks were modified from human masks, but even then he
knew there was only so much one could do to make one's ears comfortable. Even
his sparring equipment with his father suffered the same problem. With his
mask tucked under his arm and his pair of blunted rapiers in his left hand, he
smiled and shook hands with the two line judges and offered his hand to his
hulking human opponent. No handshake was coming...
The human just glared at him as the pair walked off the mats
to the sidelines. “If that had been a real fight, it would have ended very
differently
pussy cat,
” he snarled.
“Cadet Burges!” snapped the coach from the visiting military
academy. “If you wish to continue in elective sports, proper sportsmanship
will be expected!”
“Yes, Major,” growled the youth.
“You are four years older, 30kg larger, 35cm taller, and you
have a 20cm longer reach. Do you know why you lost? Because he is
better
than
you! He probably started fighting with swords at age eight or nine. Practice!
Experience! Discipline! He has those in spades! He has 67 unanswered points
in competition. If we exclude points awarded by fault, he has 120 unanswered
points against him. He keeps
losing
points for improper strikes,
strikes designed to kill. He was holding back out there because he is still
trying to learn the
sport
of fencing rather than as a fight to the
death. You were competing in 'Open' class... what would you have done if your
opponent had been a Kiarazar or a Shukurae? Would you be smarting off to
them?”
“No, sir...”
“And to answer the question hanging in the air: had that
been a
real
fight, the Mountain Taik would have run you through! He
would have invoked Live Steel, closed, cut your rifle in half, all in the blink
of an eye. On the return stroke you would have been
dead,
your feeble
body armor would have been worthless.”
The cadet broke eye contact, “Yes, sir. I understand...”
The coach glared at him, “Get out of here!” He paused as he
regained his composure and turned with a broad grin, “Well, let
me
shake
your hand. You did an excellent job out there. On any other day I would have
challenged your third point in the last round, but that seemed moot and it
would have only prolonged the inevitable. He was thoroughly outclassed out
there.”
Theodore smiled broadly as he shook the coach's hand,
“Thank you, sir.” At least some people were both good sports and professional.
The coach cocked his head as he looked Theodore square in
the face, “I know that look, I've made some
faux pas
.”
Theodore laughed out loud, he was amazed that the human
could read him so well. Quite obviously he had served alongside Taiks for some
time. “It was only minor, sir, and I'm sure it's just a language game. We
prefer the term 'Highlander or Highland Taik' over 'Mountain Taik.'”
He laughed back, “My apologies! 'Highland Taik' it is!”
The man beamed as Theodore's own coach came over and the pair shook hands.
“You had another ringer this year! Can't complain, you had him competing in
the Open Class!”
“I thought you had a couple Old World Taiks this year, too,”
his coach grinned back.
The opposing coach shuddered, “I've fought alongside
Shukurae, T'Konzeg, as well Taiks from the
Highlands,
Kulpugrie Republic
and Altshea Confederation. I
like
to think myself a practical and open
minded individual, but the two Taiks from Afon we
briefly
had were both
Draeka. Ugh... One was dismissed for espionage, I kid you not, and the other
had a nervous breakdown.”
Theodore cringed. The Draeka were a secretive people, but
what little he did know made his blood churn. They lived in a strict
militaristic society where backstabbing was an occupation, not just a
metaphor. The people... well, they had genetically modified themselves to
create a perfect and equitable race... there was very little difference between
males and females and they were about all the same size, strength and
intelligence... They were also paranoid and prone to serious psychological
issues. “The one that had a breakdown, was he sent back?”
The coach smiled, “Even after all the hostilities between
you people, you still look out for the individuals! One of the Highlanders'
most enduring characteristics... No,
she
was granted asylum and has
transferred to a different school... with a bit of medical support...”
“My turn to misspeak,” grinned Theodore.
The coach just laughed, “Hey, if someone hadn't told me, I
would have had no idea she was a girl. Those Draeka are just... weird...” He
beamed as he changed subjects as he faced Theodore's coach, “Bring your team to
the canteen this evening. Whoever loses a tier buys a round!”
“Do you think you can afford to buy my kids three rounds?”
“Cocky, aren't you? I like that!”
Theodore just laughed, his tier was over and he had done his
part quite admirably.
Theodore laughed to himself as he looked up from reading a
letter from his Second Mother. He could hear the d'Evelston twins
approaching. They were a delightful if not mischievous set of human twins on
the floor of his dorm... always up to something.
“Oh, look, there he is!” mused Maurice d'Evelston. “Kicking
back, lounging on his bed, completely oblivious to the certain doom that waits
silently on the wind.”
“Evert is going to shave you bald, you know that,” grinned
Marcel d'Evelston.
“Oh, poor, poor Evert. What horrible wrong have I committed
this time?” asked Theodore in mock despair.
“You went and clogged the impeller on the hot tub again,
that's what you done!” grinned Maurice.
“Just when, old Evert had invited his lady friend in for a
dip!” finished Marcel.
“Not my fault,” laughed Theodore. “I changed the filter
when I left. It's not my fault that the maintenance people keep putting the
wrong mesh size filter in there!”
“That filter, it’s good for a run of fifty of us, or two of
you.”
“One, if you've been gett'n all botched up fighting.”
“How are you so sure it was I that clogged the filter and
not Tolvesk?” asked Theodore with a grin. Tolvesk was a Taik from the
Kulpgurie Republic. A first year, but a big lad!
“Oh, that's easy, as far as Evert is concerned...”
“Tolvesk is two heads taller than him. You are the safer
one to harass... well, that and you are a better sport about it all!”
“Oh-my-word!” began Maurice as he looked over Theodore's
desk. “He's got
another
photo of that hot chick he met the other
month.”
“Anna! That's her name, yes?” prodded Marcel.
“Not right, you with a girl like that. She might do
proper and better alongside me, for example,” kidded Maurice.
“She's sixteen, you two letches. She's just a good friend,”
smirked Theodore. He'd gotten no end of razzing for the pictures she had
sent. But he displayed them proudly in spite of the jibes.
“That's like a portrait photo, an original, not some
printout,” grinned Marcel. “She spent good money to send a hard copy like
that. Post isn't cheap!”
“No, but you two are! Cheap, that is!” grinned Theodore.
“What scheme has you two all wound up and down here knocking on my door, rather
than mooching off the others on a Friday night?”
“Mooch? I feel offended! We are just...”
“Spit it out, Marcel, or I'll lock the door.”
“Pushy! Quite pushy! Especially after all we were about to
do!”
“Pushy indeed! Called us letches, you hear that did you!
Verbally abused, I am!”
“Your coach, the one from that match today, he wants us to
come find you and bring you down to the canteen. Proper party going on down
there, and you should be there, too!”
“I don't drink,” replied Theodore with an honest laugh.
“Doesn't drink? That's beside the point, my lad! They have
other
things to drink than just a fine pint!”
“You did proud for your team! You should be there with
them, basking, being social and all!”
“If you two shut up, I'll agree to go. How's that!”
laughed Theodore as he got up from his bed.
The twins grinned at each other as the grabbed Theodore's
arms, “Fair enough!”