Short Stories and Drabbles

Light in Her Darkness

Note: Currently being written as a full length fic with the same name.

Bilba strode down the long hall, her irritation rapidly mounting. Behind her she could hear the rapid sound of boots as the guards tried to keep up with her while trying to maintain their dignity. She briefly considered breaking into a run, just to be contrary, but abandoned the idea. Given how much she'd already been aggravating them they were liable to simply shoot her and be done with it.

Her eyes cast about, trying to find something that would identify the owner of the place. The mansion had clearly been designed to impress, every inch screaming the owner's wealth and prestige. The outside had been near palatial in size and layout, built from massive, sand colored blocks and boasting numerous towers and rotundas, the latter capped with cupolas laid out in glittering gold and red tile.

She'd been brought from the spaceport by shuttle, a deliberate choice she imagined designed to let her see the splendor of the estate. From that vantage point she'd gotten a full view of the large gardens, laid out with exotic trees and plants. Some she'd been able to identify, others she had not. A crystal clear pool dominated the center of the largest garden, bordered by marble and boasting statues of what looked like coiling, twisting creatures but she'd been unable to tell what any of them were from that distance.

The interior was no less ostentatious. The halls were wide enough to march an army through, the floors polished marble and covered with thick rugs decorated with what appeared to be an Arkanian dragon. The walls were fitted with alcoves and filled with statues and delicate looking vases. Most of the statues seemed to deal with the same type of reptilian creature as the Arkanian dragon. She recognized a Howler, Mantigrue and Krayt. Others she'd never seen or heard of, including a massive statue depicting a strange worm like creature with horns and multiple legs she was quite sure she never wished to meet.

The end of the hall loomed ahead of her, finally, dominated by a set of doors. They were as large as the rest of the place, made from some sort of wood and carved with still more images of reptilian creatures, many of them inlaid with jewels.

She was beginning to have an idea of what the statues outside had probably been of.

Bilba stepped forward, expecting the door to hiss open before her but, to her surprise, it failed to do anything at all.

She blinked in surprise. The door wasn't pneumatic? There was no sign of a shield protecting it or any technology at all in fact.

It looked like it was just simply...a door.

Who wasted so many resources on showing off their wealth and then installed doors that had to be physically opened?

The two behind her moved forward and pushed the two doors open. Light spilled out and the sensors in her helmet adjusted, dimming the screen over her eyes before she could be momentarily blinded.

The light came from huge windows set in the wall on the opposite side of the room, overlooking the gardens outside. A large desk dominated the area in front of the windows. Bookcases lined the rest of the room and a large rug, matching the ones from the hall, was spread out across the floor.

One of the guards pushed her and she resisted the urge to punch him. Given the exoskeleton armor she wore greatly enhanced her strength, it would be a decidedly unpleasant experience for him.

She strode in and the guards took up position behind her just outside the room.

"Pollux Destron," a deep, far to smooth for her liking, voice spoke. "I'm pleased you were able to make it."