Binary

Chapter Eleven: Sword For Hire

Xora stood in front of the Skystorm Council of Alphas, straight and defiant. Careful not to tremble.

She had hoped the news of her escapades wouldn't spread. But by the time she had gotten back to Rose's ranch, it was clear that the entire Zone was in an uproar over the events. Most people in the Desert Zone had never even seen a Gunner, now they had heard that Xora Skystorm, daughter of the mighty Chieftain Ena Skystorm, had shown up and dealt with their bandit problem in a single night.

It would have been the greatest moment of Xora's life, except that every Skystorm in Starlust knew Xora was no Gunmaiden. The minute she had crossed into the Fertile Zone she had been surrounded by group of Snipers and escorted back to Estraya. For a brief second, she had been terrified that they were a Skystorm Kill Squad, but they had ridiculed her for thinking she warranted such a thing.

Instead, she had been hauled back to the capitol, and now she found herself in a private chamber in the Skystorm Headquarters. There was a main room for hearings and trials, but the Alphas had opted instead for a more private gathering.

Xora stood there, keeping her breathing calm and her heart rate steady. They wanted her to be scared, but she was determined not to give them that satisfaction.

Chieftain Ezra finally walked into the room, and the table of Alphas stood up and saluted as he entered. Xora saluted as well, but she could see that his eyes were hard set, and he didn't look at her as he sat down.

There was a brief shuffling of chairs as the Alphas all returned to their seats. A score of glowing white eyes locked onto her.

"Xora Skystorm," announced a tall, imperious Alpha with a long, braided beard, "you've been brought in before this council after your trip to the Desert Zone. How were your travels?"

"They were fine," Xora said.

"Did you visit your cousin Rose, at her husband's ranch?"

"Yes."

"How long did it take you to reach the edge of the Fertile Zone?"

"Six days."

"Did it rain while you were out?"

"Nope."

It felt like he asked her a hundred such questions until finally, he looked around at the table, and every Alpha nodded. They were ready to begin.

"Xora Skystorm," said the speaker, "you stand before us today under charges of impersonating a Gunmaiden. How do you respond to these charges?"

Xora looked around at each of them. She hated that they were making her hands shake.

"Yeah," she said, "I lied, but in the context of the situation, I would argue I am justified."

"Justified?!" the older woman at the end of the table shrilled, "to impersonate a Gunner is to jeopardize our entire public image! You were unarmed and unaided. What reasoning could you possibly have for such an act?"

"I didn't ride out to the Desert Zone with the intention of impersonating a Gunmaiden, I needed the help of a nearby battalion of soldiers-"

"You wanted to play commander," interjected another one of the Alphas, "So you lied to a bunch of Starling soldiers and lead them into battle."

"No-"

"Do you know how many troops you lost? How many died for your little game?"

"It wasn't a game! It was a rescue mission!"

"Approved by who? Submitted under what authority?"

Xora went quiet; she knew there was nothing she could say.