190-1106 Jump Space
The action opened with the So Much For Subtlety in jump space, on her way to the ancient Sindalian space station known as The World. In one cabin, Timaeus was honing his rhetoric, using his skills in writing and persuasion to write a speech, laying out how Hteilotorl had been cruelly betrayed by his father’s old servant and friend, Koaleia. Knowing that the Aslan had little time for legalistic arguments and lengthy proofs, he was focusing on appeals to emotion and to references to what the epic sagas of the Aslan people said about heroes of old who had been betrayed and who suffered unjust deaths.
Deanna helped, with references to Aslan history. Dr Parsifal, in the meantime, continued his studies in cybernetics, longing for vengeance against Dr Nazif, his old enemy and one who had, in the past betrayed him, too.
Timaeus delivered a practice version of his speech on the ship: Sharyl roared his approval, righteous indignation flowing through him despite his disdain for the Hierate and its ways; Krrsh pulled at his fur in frustration and demanded that they return at once to Sink to strike down the betrayer, then launch a jihad of holy vengeance across the stars against all those linked to the treasonous acts on Arunisiir.
One night, the party awoke to the sounds of violent roaring and crashing sounds from Hteilotorl’s cabin. They found him tearing open the metal of his own cargo container with his monofilament-coated claws, unable to speak with frustration and rage. When calmed, he eventually offered an apology to the crew: “I apologise for my outburst. Spending even two of my last hours in the company of that treasonous worm was too much to bear. I do you and your house dishonour by my response, when you have only been kind and honourable towards me: far more than your duty dictates.”
196-1106 The World
On arriving at The World, the travellers found it a ramshackle, crumbling affair, thousands of years old, patched and re-patched and with only two of its hangars still functional. Emerging from the ship, they met two friends of Hteilotorl who were acting as security guards: his friends were reduced to taking jobs on this backwater in order to make ends meet. Regardless, they were delighted to see their old leader, and terribly saddened to see him going to his death. Soon, the Docking Controller emerged: Eleahasei, the betrothed of Hteilotorl. Their joy soon turned to her tears and his sorrow as he explained where he was going, and why.
Nonetheless, Hteilotorl’s friends insisted on honouring him with a last dinner together, and he insisted that his companions – the crew of the Subtlety, joined him. As they strode through the arrivals hall of The World, they were attacked by assassins who, knowing that Hteilotorl had friends at this last stop before Tyokh, had gambled on him paying them one last visit to bid farewell. Caring little about the bystanders, they hurled a small assassin droid filled with explosives at the group, and opened fire on Hteilotorl.
Luckily, the party had gleefully noted the low law level of The World and were armed and armoured to excess, encouraged in doing so by Patrick, who had offered his usual artorial advice and reminded them that Aslan were more impressed by military garb than sharp suits. The party advanced under partial smoke cover, despatched the assassin droid quickly and then took only flesh wounds as they dealt with the would-be assassins.
The dinner was a sombre affair, full of emotional speeches and memories of past glories together as children and as adults. However, the travellers were able to converse on less sombre matters with polite fellow guests. Eleahasei in particular approached Eric: he had fought alongside Hteilotorl. Could he not turn the Prince aside from his mission and persuade him to seek out a new life outside the Hierate? All of his friends would join him, to an Aslan. Eric promised to attempt this, but stated his scepticism.
During the speeches, Timaeus rose and delivered his own practised speech on what they had found on Sink, and about the betrayal of Hteilotorl by the Aslan he had known since he was a child. This was delivered in Trokh with such aplomb and eloquence that the listeners were roused near to violence, and swore vengeance on Koaleia [double sixes were rolled]. Timaeus took a recording of the speech for later use.
197-1106 – The World
The next day, the crew of the So Much For Subtlety departed The World in sombre mood for the final jump of their journey.
206-1106 – Tyokh
Arriving at Tyokh, they were told that there was a two day delay for docking at the lowport, but when their mission was discovered they were quickly sent to the Iuwoi clan’s private lowport. Before landing, they sent the information they had seized on Sink ahead to the clan, including the recording of Timaeus’ speech.
Informed by Patrick that military garb and ostentatious uniforms with every honour and medal visible were the way to impress their hosts, and reminded by Sharyl not to pettifog or plead like a lawyer, the party were announced by Hteilotorl as his companions of honour before he descended to the surface of his planet for the last time. Bound to silence until he met his executioner, he lead Timaeus, Lars, Parsifal and Eric to the great hall of the Iuwoi-ko, leader of the clan and his father.
The Iuwoi-ko spoke to his aide, who demanded that the party announce who they were and by what right humans stood by the son of a Clan-Lord of the Aslan, and each did so in turn, telling of their fights alongside the Prince. Then the aide asked if they had any final statements to make on the case before the verdict of the Clan-Lord upon his son was carried out. With this, Timaeus once more made his speech, put off a little by the rising anger of the surrounding crowds of Aslan. Nonetheless, by now he knew exactly what to say, when to pause to allow the Aslan anger to rise, and what to say to further fuel the indignation against the dishonour portrayed.
When he finished, the minister of the Iuwoi-ko turned to the ambassador of the Tykhisto clan and demanded to know if this was true? The ambassador replied cooly that it was, and that if the Iuwoi could not ensure the loyalty of their oldest servants then it was not for others to stand aside. With that, he left with his retainers.
This was a signal that the Tykhisto no longer enforced their full bargain, but Hteilotorl was still under sentence of death, by order of the Iuwoi-ko. The Clan Lord turned to the companions of honour of his son: would any take his place before the executioner?
There was a lengthy silence, before Timaeus spoke out in Trokh: he would die in Hteilotorl’s place. He asked only to use the sword of his ancestors. There was a murmur of awe and astonishment from the crowd.
The aide spoke once more to the Iuwoi-ko, who then announced that, should one stand in Hteilotorl’s place, they would not be bound by honour to lose the fight. If he could defeat the executioner, he could win. But if he lost, both he and Hteilotorl would die
Timaeus was taken to an antechamber to await the fight, while others went to bring his sword from the ship. Sharyl gave them advice to pass on to Timaeus: the first minutes of the fight would be an opportunity for each of the duellists to display his prowess, and honour called for neither to strike a deadly blow until each had done so.
As the fight begun, Timaeus challenged the executioner to strike first if he wished both an innocent Aslan and an innocent man to die. The executioner was taken aback but clearly frustrated. If Timaeus would not fight, he said, then he would die and so would the one whose champion he now was.
Fuelled by his frustration at this injustice, Timaeus struck first. He was not quite as skilled nor nearly as strong as the great Aslan before him, but he was nimbler and quicker on his feet, especially with neither wearing armour. He lunged quickly and cut the huge Aslan deep with his first attack, before the fight devolved into a rapid series of cut and parry, attack and riposte, with neither side seemingly able to get past the other’s guard.
The crowd were silent as they watched the mismatched pair each defend against the skillful attacks of the other. Then the executioner over-committed to an attack, lunging past Timaeus who was able to use his momentum to counter-strike. Somehow, the mighty Aslan warrior slipped – Timaeus was certain that he had not done enough to put him on his knees – but the executioner was on his knees, Timaeus’s blade at his neck. The crowd waited for the final blow, but Timaeus stepped back and gestured the Aslan to rise and continue, to the amazement and applause of the crowd.
With that, the executioner stood, bowed, and placed his blade on the ground in a sign of submission. As Timaeus accepted his surrender, the Aslan leant forward and whispered to him, insistently: “remember, you defeated me. There can be no doubt over this one thing: that you defeated me.”
The great hall of judgement erupted in roars of delight, and Timaeus was brought before the Iwuoi-ko, who finally deigned to speak to him himself. “You were willing to sacrifice yourself for my son and your honour has saved him. You may ask any boon.”
Timaeus replied: “The boon I ask is to help your son gain what was denied him by treachery. I place in trust my family blade as a pledge of success. I ask that you hold it in honour to return it to me when you deem that pledge has been fulfilled.” The Iwuoi-ko, touched, accepted his pledge. Prince Hteilotorl, perhaps overcome by the emotion of the moment, in turn pledged that he would take his land on Arunisiir and hold it in fealty not to the Hierate but to the Drinax-ko, Oleb, whose house had saved him from dishonourable death.
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