All That Glitters Ch. 55

The shuttles set down on the central shuttle port of Sim Shall and disgorged Hallan and the witnesses. They immediately went to the Gathering Centre of Sim Shall where they knew Gurn Corva Mutt Sim would be holding court at this time of day. As soon as they entered the Shall's, Hallan stormed into the Petitioner's Circle and bodily threw the current supplicant out of it.

"High Gurn Corva Mutt Sim, I High Gurn Hallan Mutt Hude make High Challenge against you for historical grievances against the people of Mutt Hude. Your ancestors stole Sim Shall from us. I intend to get it back!" Hallan thundered.

"Are you insane Hallan?" Corva returned. "High Challenge has been banned for more than two millennia. You cannot bring it back on your own!"

"I have brought witnesses to this challenge, Corva! You will accept challenge or I will call you a coward and ask the Gurn with me to denounced you as the rightful High Gurn of Mutt Sim!" Hallan answered.

Corva looked at those around Hallan, seeing many with power weapons on them. She realized that she had been painted into a corner by Hallan. She would never be able to call a Gathering of the Gurn in time to stop this challenge. She turned to her aide Winta Mutt Sim and gave her instructions.

"I will not survive this trial," Corva told her subordinate. "You must enact justice for our Mutt against Hallan."

"How do you suggest I do that, Corva," the younger Winta asked humbly.

"Hallan has her witnesses, we shall have ours. You must request an official Gathering of the Gurn of AsocAR before I fight Hallan. They must witness all that will occur here," Corva replied. "I will make you my Hand in this issue."

Winta bowed low to her boss and turned to some of the staff, swiftly passing instructions. She was by her superior's side within minutes.

"Hallan, you are mad to attempt to re-enact High Challenge. It was banned for a reason. Why would you wish to bring it back?" Corva demanded.

"To right a long standing injustice, Corva. We will have our rightful Shall returned to Mutt Hude!" Hallan snarled.

"High Challenge was struck down by all the Gurn of the time, Hallan, including the Gurn of Mutt Hude. Without her consent, this law could never have been banned. Yet you would bring it back against the wisdom of our elders?" Corva said.

"I bring it back for a reason, to take back Hude Shall!"

"Yes, you bring it back for a reason, the very reason that High Challenge was initially banned, Corva. But I see that I cannot sway you from this decision. You intend to conduct challenge against me."

At that moment, one of the younger adults of Mutt Sim brought Corva's >Curlat to her. It was a pre-determined signal. The young female gave a low bow to Corva and held out her sheathed >Curlat to her.

"I will not need the sheath, young one," Corva told her gently. She noted the young one's lips fluttering. "Be brave, young one. You do not have to witness this if you do not wish to."

"If you can go into this battle, Gurn Corva, knowing that it could be your last, then I can witness it," the young female replied, giving a low bow to her High Gurn.

Corva said nothing, drawing the <Curlat from its sheath. The fact that they young one had brought her >Curlat meant that all necessary preparations had been made. Her own death would be the catalyst to strike down Hallan. She turned to face her antagonist.

"One last chance to end this madness, Hallan. You will not succeed in your objectives this day," Corva stated for the record. "Is this according to civil challenge rules?"

Corva meant that on first blood, the challenge was considered over.

"Do you not understand, Corva? High Challenge is to the death." Hallan returned with a sneer.

Corva nodded and stepped into the Petitioner's Circle. Hallan waited in the center of the fifteen meter circle but as soon as Corva stepped across the threshold, Hallan rushed forward and swung her >Curlat with force.

While Corva could no longer be considered young, nor in the prime of her life, she was seasoned in combat. She two hand idly raised the hilt of her >Curlat above her head, with the flat of her blade along her arm. Hallan's blade struck Corva's and rebounded harmlessly off it.

Without a pause, Hallan added power to the movement of her >Curlat and swung it around for a second strike, which was also easily parried by Corva. Once again Hallan used her strength to add momentum to the parry to bring her weapon back around against Corva. The clang of the two weapons as Corva blocked her strike was loud in the open centre.

Hallan's followers were beginning to become vocal as they started to cheer her on, while the inhabitants of Sim Shall watched silently. Had Hallan or her cronies been watching, they would have noted the larger numbers of the inhabitants gathering around the centre, many of them security types.

Hallan decided to change her method of attack and pulled back on her >Curlat in order to shift its momentum in a different direction. Corva noted this. She had been waiting for it and managed to slip the tip of her blade along the upper arm of Corva, causing a noticeable cut there.

"HOLD, HALLAN!" shouted Winta Mutt Sim. "Gurn Corva has drawn first blood. Under the regulations of Civil Challenge, you have been defeated!"

"We are not engaging in Civil Challenge, you fool!" Hallan snarled. "We are engaged in High Challenge, combat to the death!"

Suddenly the monitors around the centre went live.

"Cease this challenge immediately!" came the authoritative voice of the High Gurn Praatra Mutt Korld, the leader of the Gurn's Assembly of AsocAR. The people of Sim Shall had been waiting for this and suddenly surged in to take Hallan and her witness into custody. The surprise was complete and they were swiftly subdued.

"Explain this, Hallan. High Challenge has been illegal for more than two millennia," Praatra thundered.

"Unaayel is returning to the old ways, Praatra. We will be able to engage in High Challenge once she is Asoc!" Corva retorted.

"Even if Unaayel becomes Asoc, Corva, she still needs the consent of the Gurn of the Realm in order to change this law. That would require a Gurn's Assembly of all the High Gurn of the eighty-one planets. You as High Gurn of Mutt Hude should be aware of this Hallan.

"That you are not, or that you have chosen to ignore this, tells me that your true purpose in conducting this challenge is simply greed. Enough of this.

"I, Praatra Mutt Korld, High Gurn of Mutt Korld and leader of the Gurn's Assembly of AsocAr, call a tribunal of the Gurn's Assembly of AsocAR. Call the roll." Praatra's aide identified all those who were monitoring this issue.

"We have 172 of the 192 Gurn on this tribunal, with five not available, and fifteen currently under trial at this tribunal," Praatra stated formally. "High Gurn Corva, what is your grievance?"

"I, High Gurn Corva of Mutt Sim, state formally that High Gurn Corva Mutt Hurd attempted to illegally initiate a High Challenge in order to take Sim Shall from the rightful inhabitants of this Shall.

"I did not accept this High Challenge and initiated Civil Challenge in my place, for which I claim success as I took first blood from Hallan," Corva ended.

"Was the incident recorded?" Praatra demanded.

"It was, High Gurn Praatra," Winta Mutt Sim indicated and showed the respective recording of the entire affair.

"Do you have anything to say for your actions, Hallan?" Praatra demanded.

Hallan gave her version of events including the 'fact' that the laws were changing.

Praatra then allowed the remaining fourteen Gurn who had supported Hallan to speak. Most repeated Hallan's 'facts'.

"Unaayel is currently not the Asoc and cannot change any of our laws. Even is she was Asoc, she would need the support of the Gurn of the Realm to change this law. As such, you have acted outside of your authority, High Gurn Hallan, and did so knowingly. In addition, your purpose was to kill High Gurn Corva in order to complete the High Challenge and 'take' Sim Shall from her and its inhabitants.

"You are therefore charged with attempted murder and high theft. You are permanently suspended as High Gurn of Mutt Hude. Mutt Hude will find a replacement for you as soon as is practical.

"As for the remaining Gurn that supported you, they are all temporarily suspended as Gurn and charged with Aiding and Abetting Attempted Murder and High Theft.

"Due to your rank, you will all be rendered over to the Beerlen AsocAR for trial.

"High Gurn Corva Mutt Sim, if the Gurn's Assembly can impose upon you to hold these fifteen Asocans until a trial date can be set, we would appreciate that.

"As to the so called 'witnesses', those who supported this action from 'behind', your names will be passed back to your Mutt Gurn provided that they are not already part of this Tribunal. Your Mutt will decide what your punishment will be.

"Once again, High Gurn Corva Mutt Sim, if you can retain these people until the Beerlen AsocAR contacts you for their parole, the Gurn's Assembly of AsocAR would be appreciative.

"Corva, I am proud that you had taken first blood in this challenge and very much pleased that you were not injured or killed during this event," Praatra told Corva with a smile.

>Clot<, Asoc Shall, AsocAR, The Asocan Realm

Unaayel was furious when Tarrest told her what had happened to Hallan and the other Gurn. Fifteen of her faithful now in custody awaiting trial.

I will deal with that when I am Asoc, she thought to herself. Why must everything be aligned against me?

Tarrest was in fear as her mother raged. No others would venture close to Unaayel, leaving Tarrest to bear the brunt of her fury.

But finally, Tarrest had some good news to bring to her.

"I have just been informed that we have captured Guro< Mutt Korld and Mattan Mutt Sin. Those who attacked our security team last month," Tarrest informed her mother.

"Where are they now?" Unaayel demanded.

"On their way to your favorite detention center, mother," Tarrest stated.

That got a feral smile from her mother. "Make sure they never leave that place," her mother ordered.

"I need good news, Tarrest. All that I have heard of late is not good."

Tarrest bowed to her mother and opened the link to Imbuff Mutt Shemet. "What can you tell us?" Tarrest asked of Imbuff.

"The mercenaries are ready to implement their plan, Tarrest. They now have the coordinates for the nearby stellar system," Imbuff indicated. "They will be ready to send their attack force within the hour.

"That will mean that within a few hours, we can expect >Catal and her forces to attack us here," Imbuff explained.

"We will be ready," Tarrest assured her.

Unnamed Star System, Twenty Light Years from AsocAR, the Asocan Realm

The Officer of the Watch on the NS Trim, a Fairling Class Frigate, was waiting for the entrance to the system of the Warship Burtell.

"Sir, Science. We see an FTL event some 400km from us port side forward twenty degrees up from center line."

"Roger, that should be the Burtell," the OOW noted. "Captain Pides to the bridge."

The captain came out of his ready room and took his Command Chair in expectation of another simple clemency offer.

"SIR! There are multiple FTL events in the location of the Burtell. I count five ships on sensors!" Science suddenly called out.

"Red Alert! "We have a major situation here," the captain called out over all ships comms. "Comms, alert the fleet and get the Tac Link up now!"

TRANSIENT, TRANSIENT! We have torpedoes coming at us. All five ships have launched torpedoes!" the Tac O called out.

"Launch countermeasures. Pilot, manoeuvre as required. Launch a full spread against those ships," Pides ordered.

"We're too close to the enemy fleet. We are going to take hits!" Science called out.

"We've got more ships out there, I count at least twenty ships!" the Tac O shouted, putting the data up on the main monitor.

"Comms, get that out to the Ensch and to the other half of the fleet, NOW!" the captain ordered.

The Comms O sent a data packet out on a broad ICS transmission, positive that all that needed to would see it. Seconds after he sent out the data, the ship took four hits from torpedoes.

The NS Trim, the only large ship in the small fleet, and the only ship capable Command and Control and of sustaining a Tactical Link to the fleet, suddenly went silent...

Unnamed Detention Camp, Somewhere on AsocAR, the Asocan Realm

Guro< groaned as he came awake. He had the mother of all headaches. He must have been stunned several times.

"Ah, finally awake are you?" a familiar voice called out.

"Mattan, must you be in my nightmares too?" Guro< asked plaintively.

"Funny, Guro<, funny," Mattan quipped. "How are you feeling?"

"They must have stunned me pretty good. This headache is going to be a strong one," Guro< replied. "Where are we?"

"Unknown," said an unfamiliar voice. "We are in Unaayel's favorite detention center, but where that is only the gods know."

Guro< looked around, moving gently because of his headache. What he saw didn't please him.

"How large is this compound?" he asked.

"It is 2,300 of my paces in diameter," replied the voice. Guro< turned to look at what appeared to be a large middle-aged female. From the size of her, one of her paces was roughly one and a half meters. Meaning that the compound was just over six million square meters in size. That would hold a lot of Asocans.

"Do you know how many are in this compound?" Guro< asked curiously.

"It goes up each day. I think there may be as many as 15,000 of us now," she replied. "And why are you here?"

"I beat up five of Tarrest's security people. They were trying to abduct me and I wouldn't let them," Guro< replied.

The female snorted. "And then you ran..." she said simply.

"Ya, well we didn't want to wind up here too early," Mattan replied for the both of them, giving a shrug.

"All of us are here because we have angered Unaayel and her cronies in some way," the large female replied. "I have been here only three days. Others have been here for more than three weeks. They are in the worse shape."

She pointed over to several Asocans laying on the ground. Their mouths were open so they could breath, a certain sign of physical distress in Asocans. Guro< noted unhealthy splotches on their skin. Something twigged at the back of his memory.

"What are their symptoms?" he demanded; his headache suddenly forgotten.

"Lethargy, weakness of limbs, aching joints, difficulty in breathing, those sores on their skin, other signs as well," the female replied.

"Castan!" Guro< exclaimed. "I know where we are. We are North of Semt Shall."

"How do you know this, Guro<," Mattan asked his friend.

"Because all the streams and rivers coming out of Semt Shall flow North.

"Do you remember our studies on heavy metals and the possibility of picking up radioactive isotopes in heavy metal?" Guro< asked of Mattan.

"Yes..." Mattan replied uncertainly.

"Radiation poisoning has all these symptoms, especially the skin splotches and sores in the latter stages. It is fatal if not treated.

"I assume that there is little in the way of treatment happening here?" Guro demanded sharply of the large female.

"Only from those who are incarcerated with us and they have no supplies," the female answered.

"Semt Shall is radioactive. All of that radioactivity is flowing North out of the Lost Shall and this small swamp we are in is right smack in the middle of that flow," Guro< explained as he looked around. "If we are not rescued soon, or do not escape on our own, we will eventually die of radiation poisoning..."

End of Chapter fifty-five

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