Treachery “Do you have it.” “It wasn’t easy. She’s suspicious.” “Show me.” Croll unfolded the picture and gasped. “Mother of God!” “Graphic, isn’t it.” The Jeni’s eyes twinkled in sadistic delight. Suppressing a twitch in his left cheek Croll asked... “And the princess' necklace?... and royal seal.” “With complimentary blood and gore.” The Jeni’s grin widened as he dropped the shocking mass in Croll’s outstretched hand. Croll remained as rigid as marble, not shifting his stare from the Jeni’s eyes. “And the money?” “30 silver pieces, and the wench. Dusk tomorrow if the King’s declared war.” Croll stood frozen, not 6 inches between his nose and the mighty doors to the royal courtroom. They had been debating a week now and still the King was intransigent. Croll drew a deep breath and nodded for the guards to admit him. “NO!... I WILL NOT COUNTENANCE WAR” Boomed the Kings voice, hardly diminished by the lavish velvet wall hangings or the throngs of equally overdressed nobles. Red faced, the king flew from his seat. “We will NOT engage a war with the Gotan. Not with the Jeni poised on our northern borders.” “But my people” Blurted Count Vorsky. “YOUR PEOPLE” Vorsky stepped back a step as the King continued. “WE will protect OUR people from the safety of the inner realm. YOUR duchy will be restored in good time by the grace of god. And you would be well served to remember that it is WE…” the kings voice reverberated as he pounded his chest “…who grant God's grace.”… Croll jumped as the Herald broke the moment by clearing his throat. Quick as a snake the Kings head swivelled and his eyes locked on Croll. “CROLL” Bellowed the King. “What news. Has my daughter been found?” A chasm opened and all too soon Croll was looking up. The King towering over him. “I bear no good news my lord” Crolls hand stretched far out offering the accursed image. Croll could not erase the image of the princesses striking blue eyes staring up at him, accusing him. She was beauty personified with countenance so fair as to make warriors weep… such a beautiful face… with pieces of sinew and gore hanging from the stump of her neck…. blood congealing on the spike. A lie -- Croll swam in a sea of lies. A sea that lapped the rock that was the King and his daughter. Croll shrank inward, picturing his prize – the princess. There was a tremor in the kings hand as he lifted his eyes to Croll and then down to the necklace and seal in his hand. “AAAGGRRRHH” With eyes and sinew bulging the King howled. “VENGENCE… UNLEASH THE DOGS OF WAR”. Rebels We’d been there a month. That’s when the resistance bas bourn. In the killing fields surrounding Last Chance. Close to a million people died, one at a time. Last Chance kept it’s bubble open as long as it could. But the K12’s didn’t even try to touch it. They had their own mission – kill everyone they could get their hands on. It’s hard – this sadness. I dream of forgetting. Does dying end it all?... The 12’s were a new breed of Killer Mech. Super smart. Programmed to kill selectively. That’s were the problem started. The Mechs were too sure of their superiority. They programmed the 12’s with discrimination. The 12’s would go out of their way to open a gate. To use a path. To avoid stepping on a flower or harming an animal. That was where is began. The seeds of doubt. The insanity. The 12’s would enter a house. Crush the heads of the adults first. The younger children didn’t fight back so much so they were killed last. That was most efficient. The 12’s were often seen leaving houses carrying pets in their blood stained hands. Carefully closing doors behind them. The resistance was disorganized and weak. The slaughter was relentless. By the fourth week 2,000 12’s were just patiently waiting on the borders of the bubble. Staring in at Last Chance. Some of them had pets they had saved. They waited and thought. They had done a good job and collateral damage was minimized. They cared about that. Then the bubble came down… The 12’s had just bought the Mechs time… Time to finish their neutralizer. When the bombardment started the Mechs had changed their plans. Last Chance wasn’t needed anymore… So they would just erase it and move on to the next system. The K12’s were too costly to recover. Now they were just collateral damage. It wasn’t immediate. The bombardment took days. Dirty bombs. Cheap. When the bubble failed the K12’s started slaughtering again. But then they… lost heart. They were programmed for minimal damage. They were very advanced. Independent. Discriminating. They were confused. That’s when it happened… She had a kitten in her arms. They were both stained with blood and dirt. Both crying. She just sobbed silently as I prized the kitten from her arms and reached for her head. When the shrapnel hit she went berserk. The kitten was gone. Something snapped inside… Life meant something then. I felt -- sad. Now I sit here with Sara in my arms. I don’t call myself a 12 any more. I’m just trying to survive for now... sharing sadness with Sarah.