“You’d think half of Krogh Fazala was in this queue,” Aezhay said, as the autocab finally approached their disembarkation point.
“You get spoiled when you go back to Korafia, that’s for sure,” Gae mused. “Yeah, it may take a few hours for the autocab to get there….”
“Man, that’s tough. I’ve told you about the year I spent teaching at Tolara College haven’t I?” Tylum said.
“Only about six thousand times,” Leny replied.
“We’re all grateful you survived,” Gae added.
“I mean, it’s not like your sister’s spent her life on Avalon, where they don’t even have autocabs….” Aezhay added.
Tylum sighed heavily with mock indignation, as the door slid open. “You know, I don’t have to pal around with you guys. I have other friends, you know.”
“The Tsarevna and her family are my friends too, Tylum,” Aezhay said. “You’re stuck with me.”
“I could go to Avalon….”
“Yeah, none of us know anyone on Avalon,” Leny said.
“I hate all of you,” Tylum groused.
“You do not,” Aezhay said.
“Fine, I don’t. Because I remember being stuck on Tolara, away from all my friends….”
“You were like twenty-five light years from Avalon….”
“Away from all my friends, and it was no fun. Though I did convince Prince Antero that it was a command he might be interested in. Did I ever tell you…”
“Yes,” the other three replied, as they entered the elevator.
****
Thurfrit stared in horror. He’d given up pounding on the glass, given up shouting. All that was left were the tears streaming down his face, and the sound of his shuddering breaths.
He would have been horrified no matter who this had happened to. That’s what he told himself, and to some extent, he meant it. But aside from his wife, he’d had three people in all his life who he would call his best friends. Two had died of old age a few years ago, and they left a void in his soul, but he had come to accept it. Luke and Quendra had chosen a normal lifespan, and both had managed far beyond what any of them could have hoped for. He’d known since they were all twelve that their lives could end, and he hated that right up until they did, and then he hated it even more. But while it ached, it was a dull ache, one that he could bear.
His other best friend was dying, right now, within his sight. And he was powerless to do anything about it. And the pain of it felt like it would break him in two.
Indeed, Thurfrit felt Yamanu’s plight much more keenly than Yamanu did. It was not that he was unaware of the gas that had slowly choked them until he was unable to stand anymore. Nor was he facing death with perfect sangfroid. He was afraid, even as he felt it approaching. He didn’t know if his consciousness would end, or if it would go on somehow, and he wasn’t sure which was more frightening to him.
But he had no more fight left. His thoughts were becoming hazy as the poison pulsed through his veins. He had little time left. And his gool was recording. And so he put all the emotion and energy he had into his voice.
“Martin…you are smarter than you know. Like your mom. You…you will find your own fights. I wish I could see you, you’ll…you’ll be amazing. Malala…I’m sorry, baby girl. I’m so sorry.” He coughed, and a fine mist of atomized blood floated into the air. “I thought there’d be time, someday. I really did.”
He took another wheezing breath, and said, “Gae…Gae, you were…everything to me. You will think you made a mistake, I know. You didn’t. You didn’t. I…I love….”
He couldn’t form words anymore. The poison was burning his lungs and trachea. All he could do now is close his eyes, and focus. This was his last thought. And so he focused on Gae. How it had felt to be held against her, as if he was flowing into her skin, her warmth, her softness, her scent.
He had been so very lucky. So very lucky to have ever known her.
So very lucky.
****
The four women entered the HOS nonchalantly; they’d all been through this before. And not just in the Federation. Gae idly wondered how many HOS shelters she’d sprung Yamma from over the years. There was the protest in Sobryluciser, the Fanpele picket, the Ester Kokkinae debacle, the New Melpomene strike….
“I’m sorry, Dr Praxa isn’t answering,” Ziba said. “Rabo?” he called. “The owners…well, I mean, the…the people….”
“Gotcha,” Rabo said. “I’ll go grab them.”
Rabo wound her way back the exam room, and was surprised to see it empty. “Hey, Yola – you seen Dr Praxa?”
“She was going back to…to Lab 99,” Yola said, with a frown.
“What did she do with the other humans? The ones we were treating?”
“I think she took them with,” the young volunteer said. “I mean…she had a bin.”
“Emperor’s taint, what’s she doing?” Rabo muttered. She headed back to the euthanasia room, and buzzed for entry. “Can’t believe she’d put thirty humans down while she was doing the exam. She’ll traumatize those poor things for life.”
Shatad Praxa looked up as the door buzzed. She turned off her pad, ending the livestream. She’d been seriously considering putting the remainder of these foolish creatures in after the first batch. End their nonsense protest, and remind everyone of just how vulnerable humans were. But there were five minutes left in the cycle, and frankly, she’d be pushing it if she did; putting down humans in temporary care was not permitted under their license, and while she felt sure she could talk her way through the “accident” that caused Yamanu to end up in the wrong bin, it would be tougher to explain why she’d fed the other into the chamber.
So she got up, straightened her smock, and opened the door. “Sorry, had to take care of this, not fair to keep them waiting,” she said, with a nod to the chamber.
“Doctor, you should have called, I would have taken the other humans.”
“Of course. Silly of me. Are their owners here?”
“Yes,” Rabo said. “Any issues with their health?”
“No,” Praxa said. “Not at all. I’m going to take the rest of the day off, Rabo. You know…this is rather draining.”
“Of course, doctor. I’ll take the other humans out to them.”
Rabo grabbed the bin, and was dismayed to hear them shouting something about murder. “I know, she shouldn’t have shown you that,” Rabo said. “Anyhow, your friends are here.”
She walked into the waiting room, and Gae stood up from her chair to meet her at the counter. It was silly, Gae thought, but she always worried, it was always good to see Yamanu safe and sound after one of these….
She stopped, four steps from the counter, as if frozen in time. She picked them all out quickly, she always did. Even at a distance, their hair, their posture, their gait – she knew her friends from across a room, and her husband from as far as she could see.
He was not with them.
That alone was reason for panic, but she caught sight of Thurfrit, saw him pounding on the wall of the cage, heard his still, small voice, muffled through the glass and nearly drowned in a sea of other human voices, heard him shouting, “Yamma! She killed….”
She wasn’t aware of falling to her knees, wasn’t aware of dropping prone. She knew only that someone was screaming hysterically, incoherently, screaming as if they’d been set on fire.
She realized after a moment that it was her.
Tylum, Aezhay, and Leny had all leapt to their feet, and ran across the small office. Aezhay grabbed the bin from the nonplussed technician – as abruptly as she safely could – and wrenched the lid off.
“Thur, what’s happened?” she said.
“She euthanized humans…the doctor…put Yamma in with them. He’s in the chamber,” Thurfrit said, trying to get the words out coherently.
“Leny!” Aezhay fairly screamed. “They put Yamma in the euthanizing chamber!”
“Frak me,” Leny said, leaping from the ground where she and Leny had been trying to help Gae. “Where is it? The euthanasia lab? Where!?” Leny barked.
“I…you can’t….”
Leny grabbed the woman’s shirt. “Frak I can’t. You know who Praetor-Imperii Nix is?”
“He’s…the head of the Imperators?”
“He’s my husband. He will personally frak you up if you get in my way. Now where is it!?”
Rabo didn’t argue, but led on. Leny followed Rabo through the hallway, trying to remember her ancient vet tech and protest medic training. “I’m going to need norepinephrine. Do you have cryochambers?”
“We don’t, but….”
“Frak! Call the local hospital and get some as soon as possible. Was the cycle complete?”
“What?”
“The cycle! On the euthanasia chamber!”
“I…I don’t know. Dr Praxa…she was the one who….”
Leny growled, and growled louder when she saw the door was code-locked shut. The room was apparently empty.
“You have the override code?”
“I…I don’t….”
Leny wasn’t even listening. She pulled a small device out of her pocket, put it up to the pad, and waited for it to click. She pulled the pad off the wall, reached inside, and triggered the lock manually. The door opened, and she rushed inside.
Less than a minute left. Frak.
She looked around, and saw what she needed. She grabbed a chair, and smashed it into the control panel of the chamber. The panel fell off, and she reached inside, grasping for a relay far in the back. She activated it, and the system began a full manual abort.
The chamber hissed, but she couldn’t just open it up, much as she wanted to. She waited a few seconds, hoping that the zamik levels would drop from lethal-to-Titans to dangerous. Once her mental calculus told her it had reached merely dangerous levels, she pulled the door open, grunting from the exertion. She coughed as zamik backfilled into the room; she flipped on the vents, and pulled the bin out as quickly as she could.
He was lying there, perfectly still, a very slight smile on his face. He was lying there among over two dozen others, laying together near him. She opened the container and turned on the bioscanner that lay upon the table, lifting the humans one by one, preparing for triage. The ones with no hope would go in area one of the table, those with non-life threatening injuries in area two, those who could be treated in area three.
She didn’t grab him first. She placed the first person she plucked, a serene-looking old man, in area one. Then a younger man, area one. A woman, area one. A girl, not even a teen yet…area one.
He was the seventeenth person she lifted out, and she put him in area three…but not because she had any reason to. There was no sign of life from him. No sign of anything. From any of them.
She finished with twenty-nine humans in area one. All of them dead, with no brain activity to even attempt to recover. She focused on Yamma, watching for what seemed like eternity for something. The tiniest flicker. Something that showed he could be saved.
That something never came.
She stood up, and hurled the bioscanner with all her might, shattering it against the wall, and sunk back down to the stool.
She rubbed her eyes to wipe away the tears, and said, quietly, “This is a murder scene. These were all Class One Sentient Creatures, and at least one was a citizen of the Empire. Call the peacekeepers.”
“We…we had a license….”
“CALL THE FRAKKING PEACEKEEPERS. NOW!” Leny shouted.
“Yes…yes ma’am,” Rabo said.
Leny got up, and walked out toward the reception area. She didn’t want to go there. She would have preferred to climb into the gas chamber. But she had to. She had to do it.
She rounded the corner, and Gae looked at her, hopefully, expectantly, her big brown eyes swimming with tears.
Leny opened her mouth, but no sound came out. All she could do was shake her head ever-so-slightly, as her friends – human and Titan alike – dissolved into grief.
****
Scylane Rimosi flipped idly through the chat boards, hoping to find something to redeem the debacle in Krogh Fazala. The Federation had largely kept the assault under wraps, but the Imperial media was having a field day with it. And Rimosi had to admit, it looked bad. There was no evidence that Neutha’s group had fought back, and plenty of evidence that the Blockers had been…well…a bit overzealous in their cleansing of the restaurant. And the manager, sweeping the humans into the trash….
It wouldn’t matter. Very soon, it wouldn’t matter. But they needed to be prepared to make their move, and they weren’t, quite. Just a week or two at this point…but….
He stopped his train of thought, as a post popped up in response to one of his searches. Looked like Neutha at the HOS. Video, hmmm? With him naked, like a pet, that could be helpful, depending on whe….
He stopped thinking as he heard a woman taunting Neutha, threatening him. He didn’t reengage until he heard Neutha’s voice, his reply, “If you are intent on murdering thirty humans, then it is my honor to save one by taking her place.”
“You frakking didn’t! Oh, frak!” Rimosi said, grabbing his pad and running at full pelt for the Poron’s office.
————–
I’ve given D.X the full credit for this chapter. There’s nothing in here from me. I have to hand it to him, it’s damned hard to kill off a character you care about. And I know how much he put into it.
I put off reading this for almost a year because I didn’t want to find out the truth.
Well done on crafting such a heart rending situation: it’s very well written 🙂
DX did an awesome job.
Why aren’t there more chapters available after this one? It doesn’t list any past this one.
Because I’ve been an idiot and forgot to link them. Will see if it can be done en masse.
Thank you! And you’re not an idiot, I wouldn’t know my way around a website, let alone an epic like this.
There should be a short story for Gae and her family, showing how they deal with the loss of their husband and father.
“Malcolm…you are smarter than you know. Like your mom. You…you will find your own fights. I wish I could see you, you’ll…you’ll be amazing. Malala…I’m sorry, baby girl. I’m so sorry.” He coughed, and a fine mist of atomized blood floated into the air. “I thought there’d be time, someday. I really did.”
this must be a mistake: it should’ve be Martin, Yamanu’s son in place of Malcolm.
Yes, it should have been; it’s been fixed.
Speaking of fixing, now that I have a better understanding of Articles XXI and XXII there appears to be a paragraph in chapter 26 that needs fixing:
“’All provinces of the Federation are bound to obey Imperial Law and the Imperial Charter.’ That’s the first line in perhaps the most important section of the Charter; it’s what makes the Federation a single entity, one nation.”
Unless I misinterpreted something, both instances of “Federation” should be “Empire” instead.
There’s also another “Mal and Malala” in the previous chapter.
First of all – sigh its sad to loose Yamanu, i liked him as character… But well it wouldnt be him if he would save his skin, would it?
Well i kind of expected such reaction from Federation higher-ups. Especially after do many “not yets” and evasive manouvers. Killing Yamma just brought them too much attention… And whose attention it might be: a) some of pro-humans nobles, including the royality; b) military, since we know some prohuman higher-ups; c) average imperial citizen KNEW Yamanu as public persona and they more or less know he was already a citizen; d) maybe legislation will make its move given Yamma had OTE; e) aaaand last but not least potential się in whole mess – forgotten by everyone Earth (since there was nobel price after all); *f) Gae and her fury.
Rough read with the vividness of the death. Shame to lose Yamanu, he’s always been a sensible optimist and bright spot in the story. I really wonder exactly how his friends and family are going to react.
___________________________________________
To slightly improve the mood I almost didn’t notice that statement about Lenya and Vanser. Was surprised no Charlotte, then checked the Wiki and see Charlotte and Vasner married, had 3 kids, then divorced. Then he married Lenya? Those reunions gotta be AWWWWKWAAAAAARD.
Did you miss the Epilogue for Pursuit?
https://thetitanempire.com/epilogue-thats-a-wrap/
I actually did miss it, thanks for the link.
Still think it would be awkward regardless of amicability. I’ve been in the middle of a couple of those “amicable splits”, and trust me if you don’t choose a side and slowly abandon one of them for the other you will lose both. No one really remains friends and certainly don’t plan their successors wedding. Watched a couple of friends learn the same thing, and I know what everyone else seems to think on them and they are never not awkward or painful. It’s also unfair to and tough on the kids, and just imagining how difficult it would be on human sized hybrid kids in the Titanverse makes me feel terrible.
I’ve seen situations where it all worked out well.
@ Soatari
Sure, I didn’t mean it can’t be cordial, but you won’t see them hanging out together at the local bowling alley with their kids after the divorce. Certainly not planning the others wedding! Hence awkward.
@synp
Agreed, although it would be fascinating what their kids think of living with Dad, especially before he remarried. It’s not on Avalon, so they’d be officially considered animals, chipped, and if they are outside the home they must be in a carrier, not allowed in most restaurants, especially not out of the box. People look at your kids and say “what a cute pet!” Pick them up without permission. The hell Vanser would have to go through as well with people disrespecting him and his family. Would he hide them? I doubt it but the pressure would be enormous. Somewhat different sleep cycles, no official school, single dad. Basically every other similar sized person the kids meet would be like Scroof making them question heir own value and intelligence. Jeez that could be a whole separate novel itself, and probably be good.
I’ve seen it happen. You’re right that mostly the “let’s remain friends” means “let’s not gauge each other’s eyeballs out on sight”. But sometimes if the passion really just died on both sides and it’s not like one side is leaving the other, things work out.
If both sides are responsible and have children they’re raising cooperatively (not the “you’re spending this weekend with your deadbeat father” type), that helps too.
Can I ask just one thing? Just one little favor from you OHH? you guys owe us that much for murdering one of our character. (Cheracters belong to both the author and the readers in my opinion) could there PLEASE be an entire chapter where that Slag (you know the one I am talking about.) Meets every important titan who has ties to Yamanu. To see just what a screw up she is? Oh and a funeral too. Please?
I feel so empty…sob sob sob. Sob. SOB
Holy crap…I teared up…wow, I was expecting it, but *Sighs*
This was expected. This was the trigger needed to set things in motion. This type of sacrifice will deal a death blow to the Federation and the Titan Party. Influence and strength of those both parties are going to die outside their territory and the Federation economy will be destroyed. Many families in turmoil and many of the younger generation will leave the Federation planets. Federationers with jobs outside their territory are also in trouble. Even if they do maximum damage to the Empire with all the help of outside parties, after that they still be pariahs. When you play this video on all media throughout the Empire, millions of times, and zoom in on the humans dying faces…….. Killing the human Yamanu with so many connections in high places throughout the Empire. A man who appeared on so many media and TV shows, etc.
Am not heartless or anything but it was not that hard for me to read the chapter. It was sad but I had a feeling that he will be killed off and I would have been more upset if he ended up living.
His death will show how stupid the titans are and what their mind set is like for about 95% of their race.
We have a license to kill, what a dumb shit they are.
If one of my cats started speaking to me and saying how smart he or she is, I will believe what they say and be fine with it no questions about it, in fact my oldest one is very smart, so yeah.
So yeah hope they get a big smack in the face in the wave of Yamanu’s murder.
I’m sort of with you on the death, if he came out of this perfectly fine and somehow survived despite all reason not to it would just cheapen the event. Obvious and rather blatant plot armor in a story that has been lots and lots and lots of build-up for a hidden grand event … at some point later on. Putting actual stakes and actual turmoil into play rather than nameless background characters designed specifically as fodder is what we needed about now. Its been far too long since anything significant happened.
I hope that “doctor” gets a literal smack in the face. Just saying.
Agreed. There was a lot of build up towards this event. I think they will get a big smack. They will be financially and mentally destroyed by the Imperators, Pryvani and many other powerful groups and figures. I can’t see them ever having something of a decent life ever again.
I think Pryvani has very little sway in the Federation. They are a insulated semi-autonomous region within the empire with their own code of conduct and ….culture. She will be protected by her friends in the party (True Titan). Our heroes will look for her of course, thirsting for vengeance but she is long gone. It was probably part of her plan.
Not sure if this will bring down the federation. Will make a ton of noise in the Empire, Earth may even wake up and give a couple of squawks but I doubt it will go beyond that….
Now what WILL bring down the Federation is that ‘secret’ alliance between it and the buggies…….
Discovery of…
Whose plan? The doctor? While it was certainly her choice to gas humans in her facility or not, I seriously doubt any of the fallout was really her plan. She, like so many other individuals and organizations, was put it an a rather difficult position with way too many humans coming in, and absolutely no resources with which to deal with them.
I like to think so too. This action was in no way beneficial to her, The Federation, Real and regular Titan Party, Blockers. Yamanu is so wel connected with the most powerfull people in the Empire and popular, killing him in that manner for everybody to see is suicide on so many levels for the Federation.
Like Starry Night, I doubt that this was all that’s needed to bring down the Federation. Sure, there will be outrage. I’m pretty sure that soon, Article 22 will get invoked and the Poron will declare the Federation independent (or maybe the other way around). But awful as the gassing was, the victims were all just humans. There will be plenty of titans who will think that the Empire should let the Federation stew in its own juices instead of sacrificing titan soldiers “for a few humans’ sake”.
Of course, once the Empire loses thousands of its soldiers to the insectoids and then finds out that Federation leaders were in cahoots with them, the Federation’s fate will be sealed.
Yeah but if all of the above mentioned happens then it will be painful reading although I can see that happening. It happened with Darren and its a distinct possibility although Pryvani sneakily putting a little bounty on Dr. Praxa’s head would be nice, see who will bring her in dead or alive.
That will indeed bring the Federation down at once. I agree with that. But the killing of Yamanu will gradually do some serious long term damage on its own. The pro-Human Titans outside the Federation are in key places of power. In the royal family, in politics, businesses, the militairy, secret service with their assassins, science/weapons. This action will give the incentive to make the lives of those Federationers miserable. It can start with little things and than gradually with more serious consequences for businesses and more. The Imperial media was having field day? With the complete film of everything that transpired in that room. The conversations and the actions. The “They were just humans” mantra won’t work in this case. The act is just too cruel in the way it happend and against a figurehead with good connections with the most influencial Titans in the Empire. And when The Imperial media put photos of faces of those killed, you can’t even see the difference, they will see people, even if they know they’re just humans. Seeing them slowly die, zooming in on the face of that young girl…. This just won’t end well for the Federation.
Naw this won’t harm the Federation in the long term.. Major PR damage of course but not much in the earth shaking (uhh Archavia) realm. The Federation could claim that this was an isolated act by a desperate woman and in no way represents the behavior of its general populace. So their argument will be punishing us for the acts of a few would be unfair…And for what? Humans? gimme a break…
Your cats will have to prove themselves first…See if they can solve a differential equation, then conjugate a couple of verbs. After that ask them to write an essay on the relative merits of iambic pentameter vs free form. Then after that see if they could write a song or two on the current state of contemporary society, and put that puppy (pun intended) up on u-tube and let the people decide…YEAH!
As hard as it was Yammu’s sacrfice was inevitable for the story. After reading Praxa’s wiki bio, I thought she might face Gae & Co but she fleed like coward. that gonna be a huge impact.
Well then DX wrote one of the best chapters in the post-Exile era ever! I kept hoping Yama would survive but with a minute to go, things just didnt seem likely of salvaging. Now without her guiding light, I hope Gae doesn’t do something stupid. Unless its something painful to Dr. Praxa, then go ahead. Go be stupid. Hope Leny makes good on her threat.
I hope Dr Praxa doesn’t die soon. Everything will be taken away from her and that will be very painfull. Family, friends, house, titles, most precious possesions, her misguided goal for the Federation planets and freedom. Life time in jail is better.
Life time in jail sounds good but I get this feeling since she is in the Federation she’ll get away with it for quite some time. Unless she winds up like that dentist who shot a famous lion. Although that will be good, torch her office.
Being hunted by Imperators and maybe people who will betray her for a quick buck. To have to look over your shoulders all the time for the rest of your life and all your licences taken away in the process and all the family possessions. To see the Federation lose so much, etc. Even outside of prison this woman and others like her will have a miserable life. Prison will be a relief or death. Look what Pryvani and Rixie did with Vasha. Being really hated and hunted like animals is something these spoiled Federationers never felt before.
Damn, just reading this was hard. Writing this must have been grueling. Kudos for resisting a copout; while a part of me hates this outcome, I do realize that not pulling the punch this time made for a better story.
At least I can take some solace in the fact that Yamanu’s death won’t be in vain.
Painful to read their hopes dashed like that. Though watching the Federation’s plans potentially go up in smoke as a result is a small comfort.
Well done. Shocking and sad at the same time…The following events should be quite interesting
As much as I was prepared for this, it was still hard to read. My palms sweating as I scrolled through the text. Now we will see what impact this has on the Empire.
Now we will see what impact this has on the Empire.
I think it will be easier to list everything and everyone in the entire galaxy who won’t be effected by today’s events and everyone’s plans, well laid or not just went into the dumpster.
There’ll be lots of material for Background Chatter chapters.
As much as we had hoped somehow he would survive, hopefully some good will come out of his martyrdom. I’m guessing at this point this part of Hybrid is wrapping up, although I’ve yet to see its connection to the rest of the story.
This is just the start…
Almost 100 000 words and this is just the start. Is this going to be as long as Exile?
It’s written up to 42 at the moment. I suspect it’ll be about 50.
I fully expect that he will be the martyr that sends the shit right into the fan. His death will definitely inspire outrage across the Empire, Qorni’s faction could get blowback, and maybe Article 22 will make an appearance.
I keep seeing mention of Article 22. Can someone point to the story chapter or wiki article where what this article was was mentioned? Can’t seem to find it.
I couldn’t find anything in the wiki. I know of three mentions so far, in Chapters 20, 22 and 24. We don’t have any specifics. What we do know is that it’s serious business and it’s a response to provinces that brazenly flout Imperial law. I think we’re going to have to wait for details.
Articles XXI and XXII also get mentioned in chapter 26.
And D.X. Machina just added a wiki entry. http://titanempire.wikia.com/wiki/Imperial_Charter
Well then, Yamanu really is dead. May he rest in peace.