GENESIS - THE BEGINNING. Book 1

CHAPTER 26 ... Katya Brotivich. Fear

All four women sat silently in the slow cruising flitter nursing their own thoughts. Katya's was more in the line of how to find some fresh air as the stinking bucket of Porcine blood had found its way back into the flitter.

"Katya," Tobor called. "Come look at this." She waited for the girl to step forward. "What do you see?"

The gasp of incredulous surprise from the slim girl said it all. "What the hell is that huge monstrosity?" Katya asked, pointing at what looked like the mother of all flitters.

"A carrier. They come in all sizes and can transport up to two thousand people. Look. There's another. And there's some rich guy's yacht and it's a big one by the looks of it." With sails unfurled, the grossly expensive looking yacht sailed gracefully towards its destination. The air bristled with flitters of all sizes, enormous passenger carriers and vehicles that she had never seen before. One type that stood out as they were usually painted a bright red, were small and extremely fast. They darted back and forth between the slower moving traffic.

"There are literally thousands of them. Where are they all going?" she asked.

"Most will not land," said Tobor. "This, funny enough, is where we can be extremely grateful that we have Polrobs to keep the chaos at bay. Without them there would be pandemonium."

"But why are they here?"

"It's the last day of The Month of Reckoning. They have come to see you Katya."

The sudden sick feeling was like a punch to the stomach. It engulfed her and she staggered away from the large windshield.

"Use the bucket," Tobor said loudly and laughed at the retreating girl. "A little more to the mix won't hurt." The other two warriors glared at the retching girl.

After a short while, Katya stepped unwillingly to the fore again. "Fear Katya, has to be crushed." Tobor removed a hand from the flitter's yoke and clenched a tight fist for emphasis. "Otherwise you will lose and join the ranks of the dead. forget about the screaming, shouting ghouls. Remember why you are here. Build up your anger and hate. Let them carry you forward." The instructions came steadily with the knowledge of past experiences. "You will be Emperor in a few hours, girl. Start acting like one. Every one of those people out there are your subjects. Prove to them that you hold their lives in the palm of your hand and are capable of the job. Today you will not only be judged by the Empire but you will judge yourself."

Two red lights flashed on the dashboard and Tobor tapped on the small comp screen. She read the instructions and tapped some more and a slight shudder ran through the ship as the automatic landing gear was activated. "We will land in three minutes," she said softly, turning towards a decidedly pale looking Katya staring at the mass of flying ships converging on one point out in the distance.

She took note that the airway along the path of their decent was clear of traffic. She noticed that ships of all shapes and sizes and color were turned about and she could see into the cockpits. Hundreds of cheering people waved at her. "I feel sick," she said.

"It is fear, should you care to think it over," she turned to smile at the retching young girl. "If you think it over, this is nothing compared to what we had to go through in Hammer. There, you were up against over a hundred. Here..." she indicated with a thumb. "Here you only have three. You can dispense of them in a few minutes and still have the rest of the day to get cleaned up."

"Thanks, I think." Standing up from the bucket that she refused to look at, she held onto the back of the flight chair and tried to still her heaving stomach.

The flitter was starting to drop earthwards as Polrobs in their hundreds darted about and seemed to be everywhere at once. "Let's put it another way," Tobor said evenly. "You are a credit to your Sensei. Whoever he or she is, you were taught so well that you can stand your ground with any of us Hadiens, and that Katya Berotivich, is praise I don't give lightly." She watched in satisfaction as Katya drew herself erect as her words sunk in. She turned to the view outside as their flitter cleared the top of a thickly built wall. Katya gaped in astonishment as she realized they had entered a vast stadium. Even through the Grayvite steel constructed paneling, she could hear and feel the cheering of an enormous crowd. It came as one continuous roar of sound and carried on as the flitter came to rest on the perfectly trimmed lawn. "Two hundred and eighty thousand people have paid to see you crowned as the new Emperor, Katya." She stood up from the flight chair and gripped the frightened young girls shoulder. "It's the culmination of all your dreams. Now take your anger and hate and clutch them to your breast. Think about the past. Think of all the loneliness. The tears of despair. Think about why Adelia wanted so much to die. Close your eyes girl and don't breath. It's time for our secret weapon." Before Katya could respond, Tobor had grabbed the bucket of porcine blood and upended the lot over her head.

"What the hell." Katya screamed in furious anger as she spluttered. She stood there, arms apart, glaring at Tobor in anger and hurt.

"Almost," said Tobor who bent down to scoop clotting blood off the flitter's deck. She rubbed it into Katya's hair and scalp as the shocked girl stood there without so much as a word. "I mixed some other ingredients with this lot back at camp so it could stay thick and liquid for a while longer and I must admit that I'm pleased with the results. Aah, perfect." She turned to the two silent and decidedly green looking warriors. "What do you think ladies...No? you girls are jealous." She turned back to Katya, "Where's your swo...aah. Thank you, Joan." Numb fingers closed around the grip, repositioned themselves and relaxed.

"Bitch," Katya whispered her anger and disgust.

"This is not a game girl," Tobor pointed outside. "People are going to die. Three against one it's going to be Katya Berotivich. You will need every ounce of help I can give you. Now this is what I want you to do..."

nt-fam.]