So yeah, I've got a little piece of fiction. This was my submission to the recent fiction contest, and I have decided to leave it unedited and unpolished. There's so many things that could have been improved. Some things I've noticed myself, and some things were pointed out by others. I've already thanked everyone one helped me with critique and such, but in the interest of letting it stay genuine, I've decided to not 'fix' all the small issues.
Hope you enjoy it.
In Service to God
by
Mizhara Del'thul
Prologue.She knew she was bleeding out. The gunshot that had echoed through the hallway had been followed by a pain in her gut that she could never have imagined. Something was wrong with her legs too. Probably a spine injury, as if the gutshot wasn't bad enough. Her fingers were clawing on the steel deck of their own volition, her mouth open as her body and mind wanted to scream in pain, but couldn't quite do it. By sheer force of will, she managed to roll over to her side, looking at her murderer. The hooded man staring down at her with fear in his eyes. Only moments ago, it had been a victorious grin draping his gaunt features.
He looked towards the nearby viewport, something out there in the cold dark space catching his attention. She didn't really care. No matter what, she'd be dead in less than a minute anyway. It was okay... she had said her prayers and now God was coming. Her death was worth it. She exhaled one final time, a peaceful look on her face.
Explosions started echoing through the ship as her murderer raised his hands towards the viewport and screamed...
PlanningFreedom... she found it to be such a strange concept. Free to do what? She was happy where she was, a slave in the service of God, under the care of her Holder. She was as free as she wanted to be, and had a life of fulfillment and contentment caring for her fellow slaves and their spiritual needs, again in the service of her God under the care of her Holder. She smiled softly as she walked quietly through the halls of her Holder's estates, having a long time ago laid her own fate and freedom in the capable hands of God. If she was to be a slave, a free Matari or even die... her God would see to it that it happened.
She entered the opulent quarters where her Holder held his council sessions, debating with his advisors on matters pertaining to his holdings. While her eyes remained on the floor, she knew she was bathing in glow of luxury and opulence. She made sure her robe was draped around her properly as she quietly positioned herself along one wall and knelt with her hands folded before her. Her murmured prayer came with the natural and quiet ease of practice, and in return she felt the warmth and joy of speaking to God, who she knew listened to all faithful subjects.
«Destroyed?» The voice of the old man caught her attention. Her Holder was old by any standard, and was rumored to have trouble adjusting to an Empire that had changed much since he took the position. He was as steadfast and strong in his faith as ever, though. His rasping voice continued. «How can the slave shipments be destroyed? We had the full support of the Navy! Our might is unequalled!» He sounded agitated before he got into a nasty coughing fit, and his advisors had to support him while he got back into his chair.
«We suspect there has been... capsuleer involvement.» Her breath caught as she noticed the latest speaker and his attire. A Seeker! The Ministry of Internal Order had sent a Seeker? How many destroyed shipments had there been, to warrant the attention of these most lethal and zealous Seekers of Sinners and Evil? She couldn't help studying his features under his hood. A beautiful young man, while somewhat gaunt, she couldn't help but think he was the prettiest man she had ever laid her eyes on. Until she noticed his eyes and shivered. This... was an evil man, that much was certain. «Capsuleer involvement in the destruction of these shipments, and that they have... sources, here in your household.»
Her Holder looked... disappointed. She had expected anger or even shock, but he just looked... sad. «You... are certain?» The Seeker merely nodded, his beautiful gaunt features holding a hint of arrogance which certainly angered her. «Very well... such heresy must be rooted out before it can destroy us. You will have the full cooperation of my staff and myself. However, you will bring any revealed spies before me before you do anything else. Is that clear, Seeker?» Again, the Seeker gave nothing but an arrogant nod before speaking.
«I have already made plans for the next shipment. There will be four decoy shipments, and one real shipment. They will all take different routes, and only one will actually arrive at the breeding facility. I will keep the details to myself until the ships depart in order to safeguard the facility. Now... I have an investigation to deal with.» His voice turned almost mocking in it's arrogance. «Go with God...»
She almost seethed with anger as she watched him leave the room, but quickly adopted a calm and content expression as she finished her prayer just before an advisor beckoned her to him, near the exit. Keeping her hands folded over her chest, she walked up to him, her eyes on the floor. «Yes, Advisor?»
«And how... are your... fellow people... doing?» His voice was as dry as the man. While he was easily the most correct and neat man on the estates, he was drier than a desert, and never seemed able to summon any interest in anything but his job. «Are they... firm in their... faith?»
«Yes, Advisor. I have spoken to each and every one of them. I think I can say with certainty that there are few that do not yearn to serve God with their every breath, and the few that don't will come around, given time.» She didn't look up from the floor as she spoke quietly to him, her voice holding that calm certainty of someone convinced what they speak is the truth. «Do you have any orders for how I should proceed with their spiritual care, Advisor?»
«No. Just make... sure.. they all attend... the services. The... Holder is... most pleased by... your work... girl. He has... said you may... be a generation or... two less away... from purity...» She widened her eyes slightly as he spoke, and glanced briefly at him before returning her eyes to the floor. «Now go, girl. Go to the others... and reinforce... their faith... to be as... yours.» She bowed deeply before turning and moving to the exit. She would follow his order to the letter, and smiled to herself. She was free... to spread the word of the God she loved so deeply.
PreparationThe village was quite beautiful, she thought. Surrounded by the large fields that covered most of this agrarian planet, it was simple in all respects. This, she imagined, must have been how mankind overall lived thousands and thousands of years ago. Peacefully, not caring much about the stars they saw at night, or how to get there. She wandered through the village, stopping at every cabin, house and hut to say a few prayers and give words of encouragement. «God will care for you. Each of you will be judged... and God will give to each of you what you deserve. You will know when, when you are called to serve. As the Words say... on the third hour of the third day... God shall come.»
Some people just nodded and smiled, providing little but lip service in their prayers and words. Others fell to their knees and praised both God and her, which embarrassed her immensely. She also made sure that those she trusted to serve as faithfully as her would bring her words to those still working the fields. She tried to subdue her pride in doing her work so well. Pride would be a sin, after all. Then her pride was replaced by anger and fear, as she noticed the Seeker move through the village almost in her footsteps. Where she had sown content and faith, he spread fear and doubt. She could even feel her own faith and peace tremble as he glanced upon her with the same cruel smile he used on all the slaves. Why was he here? Had he sensed sin in this place?
She resumed her work through the village, shaken by his presence, but outwardly remaining calm and serene in order to assure those she spoke with. Yet, she could feel it... his presence was a shadow over the whole village.
She almost squeaked as she exited a house only to walk almost straight onto him. «My apologies Master Seeker.» she muttered, with her eyes on the ground.
«You are... the caretaker of this stock?» He didn't even bother waiting for an answer before speaking again, radiating danger in a way that belied his beautiful countenance. «You will accompany the crew on the ship. I assume you understand which ship I speak of?» She merely nodded, her eyes still on the ground and her thin frame trembling slightly. «Good. Take this access card. It'll allow you entry into the spaceport, dock 17. Be there tomorrow morning, after service.» He turned and moved on through the village, but not before putting a finger under her chin, lifting her eyes to his. His cruel smile widened as she couldn't keep her fear of him hidden any longer.
The card felt warm in her hand, as she watched him move to yet another house, seeking the sinners who had caused her Holder such distress. Putting it safely in her pocket, she went to her own tiny cottage to meditate and pray. How did this fit into God's plan for her, she wondered? After an hour she went to sleep, smiling to herself. She would serve God wherever she went.
ExecutionShe grimaced slightly at the smell. Besides the supremacy of God, she considered vomiting in a toilet to be one of the very few constants in the universe. No one could possibly enjoy the experience. Warping and jumping from the planet to their destination – the slave breeding facility – upset her stomach no matter how good the inertial dampeners on a Bestower industrial class ship was said to be. She rinsed her mouth and made sure the air scrubbers were working before exiting the quarters she shared with the slave portion of the crew. Her task was ostensibly to do the same as always, but she rarely had an option to do so. Not that she needed it. She had met them all, and they were all devout believers.
She'd counted the jumps to herself, and made a small prayer every time. Reassurance never hurt anybody, and she had to admit she was afraid. Against the vastness of space, this ship was a mote of dust. Anyone inside... didn't even exist against the vastness of space. Prayers helped her. God knew of her existence and would guide her. She moved on to the bridge, as she had been ordered by the Seeker. He was also on the ship, and terrified her far more than space. As she was moving through the dark and cold corridors, she reflected upon their task. To collect thousands of a new generation of slaves, born and bred in space, inside a deadspace pocket used exclusively by her Holder. And to do this without attracting the attention of the capsuleers who had singled him out as a target. In the grand scheme of things, not much to speak of. As individual fates, the concept of thousands of slaves weighed down on her like a mountain.
Most of the slaves used for breeding were believers too. A lifetime working for her Holder had allowed her to speak to and influence almost all of his slaves, and spread the faith to each of them. Some resisted, holding on to their own ways. Most of them, though... most of them served God as she did. And would gladly die in that service. She allowed herself to pause for a moment, at a viewport. Looking out into space, she came to another realization. While vast, cold and dark... it was not to be feared. It was, after all, God's domain and property just like she herself. A tear came to her eye as she bent her neck and smiled happily to herself. She was closer to God than ever, wasn't she?
And closer to danger. She saw movement from the corner of her eye and instinctively turned her head, saving her life as the bullet glanced off the bulkhead next to her. Her blood froze as she saw the Seeker at the end of the hallway, cruel grin on his face and a pistol aimed directly at her. She wasn't sure what made her move faster than she ever had before. Instinct, terror or the unwavering determination to serve God. She couldn't do that, dead, after all. Within seconds she was almost at the other end of the hallway, ducking into a maintenance shaft and out of his field of fire. What was going on? Why was he trying to kill her? Something between a whimper and a sob escaped her as she realized she would never be able to outrun him long. It was a ship in space, and only so far she could run.
Ducking out of the maintenance shaft again, she realized she'd entered the cargo bay. Thousands of small cots were laid out, stacked five tall over eachother, with the very back of the bay holding supplies for the breeding facility. Not wasting any time, she started running straight across the cargobay to the maintenance shaft on the other end as the Seeker's voice suddenly came over the intercom.
«You didn't think you'd be able to hide, did you? All the decoy ships made it to their destinations, and never saw a single hostile ship. That only leaves this one. And the only one on board this ship that knew the others were decoys besides myself... was you. That's right, girl. I noticed you both in the village and in the Holder's chambers. How long have you been a traitor, I wonder? How long have you only paid lip service to God and your Holder?»
His words infuriated her as she ran even faster than before. She never paid lip service to God! She had served and prayed earnestly, and knew her faith was even more steadfast than that of her Holder! How dared he speak of her like that? Well... why should he not dare? He was a Seeker, she was – when all was said and done – just a slave girl who had embraced God and preached about him. She wondered why she had been singled out like this. Why would he have come to consider her the reason for the attacks? No matter, she was dead as soon as he caught her.
She had almost reached the maintenance shaft as suddenly her view lurched for a moment, and her head slammed into a bulkhead. Warp. The ship had just gone into warp. Her head rang and as she touched the point where her head had impacted on the wall, she felt blood. The world swimming before her, she managed to enter the maintenance shaft and started climbing up, her hands barely keeping their grip on the ladder. With an effort, she managed to exit into a hallway identical to the one where she had first known fear of death. The head injury must have been worse than she thought, as she stumbled across the metal floor towards the viewport. Through a haze and a pounding headache she braced herself as she saw their final destination. The slave breeding facility.
She fell to her knees, folding her hands in front of her, and started saying her final prayer. A few tears slowly trickled down her cheeks as her words were tinged with fear and despair. And then... she felt joy. She wondered if she had finally become mad as the voice of God spoke directly to her. «Do not fear, Child. Do not weep. You have served me well, and been steadfast and true. Rest now. I will come.»
She was still on her knees, her hands folded in front of her as the Seeker turned the corner at a leisurely pace, gun in hand. «And here she is, once more seeking the forgiveness of a God she has betrayed. Do you think he will accept you as you die? I think not. God has given up on you and your entire kind. You will...» He raised an eyebrow as she cut him short.
«Be quiet, Seeker, and do what you will. Your God is irrelevant to me. A falsehood. A vile construct conjured up by your evil kind, in order to justify the horrors you unleash upon the galaxy. My God... is different. My God is real. When you pray, you never receive an answer, do you?» She turned to him as she got up from her knees, her eyes blazing with the fire of a fervent believer, opening her hand to show him the small communicator. «My God hears every prayer I make... and my God... is coming.»
The gunshot echoed through the hallway.
Epilogue:«Confirmation received. Warp to coordinates.»
«Roger.»
«Eyes on target. Bestower is primary, the facility is next.»
«Very well. Your source?»
«Last message was clear. Destroy the Bestower.»
«Roger. Did she really refer to you as God?»
«What else are we, to these mortals?»
«... as you say. All gangmembers, fire at will»
---------------
«In other news, a Holder was found dead after a slave uprising on a small agrarian world coincided with what seems to be a coordinated terrorist attack on all his space assets. Most of the slaves on the planet had been evacuated by unknown parties by the time the authorities and Navy managed to get to the site, and it is rumored that the only ones capable of doing something like this would be capsuleers. CONCORD has no comment on the matter. We will follow the story as it develops.»
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Topic: In Service to God (Read 2405 times)