Excerpts #5 From Fiefdom 17... Currently Being Written By Verily Prime....

Excerpts #5 From Fiefdom 17… Please Read The Previous Excerpts 1, 2, 3, and 4 To Be Familiar With The Saga So Far....

Beljazza is in her modest bedroom and with only scented candles providing the illumination… her fiancé was sleeping besides her when she received the call about the murders of the family of seven… she is speedily and skillfully dressing… putting on her official work uniform that was hanging on the bed head. Beljazza did not ask the Dragon Lords at the sub-station in Goshen Minor how they knew about the murders of a family of seven so quickly or the fact that they already had suspects and their descriptions and whereabouts… sent to her via her Com. Beljazza was more interested in and pondering who was the other glider rider assigned to her, especially since the Ecclesiast intimated that she was the only one to have given the privilege of being allowed to assist the Dragon Lords in enforcing the Fiefdom’s codes. Beljazza is also pondering how come no Dragon Lords were dispatched to capture these murderers… murderers who not only murdered a family - but saplings too. Beljazza was ambivalent about the situation: she was happy to investigate a crime on her own, but on the other hand, to have an assist from another rookie glider and no assist from any of the Dragon Lords, especially a crime of this magnitude was nagging her - something wasn't right….

Beljazza is outside her home where the streets are partially lit; there is a contrary breeze and the mostly palm trees are dancing to its rhythm. Beljazza is hurriedly programming her glider and replacing the power cells, which look like multiple colored lighted marbles as she places them in the oval grooves located all around the circumference of the glider… the glider powers up disturbing the silence of the night… its sudden noise also catches Beljazza by surprise, especially since she thought that it was in whisper mode… she quickly corrects the glider’s noise setting so as not to wake anyone. Beljazza pauses, looking over the length of her glider in its entirety, mentally checking to see if she has all of her equipment needed for the mission: guns in her holsters; extra power cells; guns in some of the crevices of her glider; hand-cuffs; and even a two-edged sword in one of the glider’s crevices. As Beljazza is airborne… but hovering, she momentarily looks up as she places what looks like contact lenses in both her watery brown eyes before donning her helmet – her contact lenses are actually a combination of night goggles/binoculars. Beljazza’s com, which is fastened to her left hand, lights up, signifying incoming data… the Com is a powerful miniature computer that enables many functions, including, at the present, the coordinates of her glider assistance. As Beljazza takes off and picks up speed and her Hamlet’s home disappearing in the distance, and with her night goggles/binoculars activated, she sees a figure attired in the distinct Dragon Lords’ uniform, and, as she glides closer, she also sees a white transparent glider that is bigger and a few feet longer in length than hers in a hovering posture.

Beljazza glides along the side of the white transparent glider and sees that even the marble size power cells, encased in its crevices around its circumference, are also all white… visually maintaining the color symmetry. The rider is not curious as Beljazza is of his glider… he is mostly petite tall, with two seven-inch pronounced blasters on his sides… and instead of a helmet, he is wearing what looks like a white winter mask… to fend off the wind generated when gliders are at their top speed. Beljazza’s fellow officer reaches out with a white gloved right hand to formally introduce himself, while simultaneously reading data being generated on his Com nestled around his left hand. Beljazza, straightening up all of sudden, is formal as she too extends her hand….

Beljazza: “Officer Luna… and you must be officer Gratis Zero….’ ‘Did I pronounce it right?”

Gratis Zero ignoring the query on whether Beljazza pronounced his name right: “What is your plan… did you read the com’s data with the description and location of the perps….?”

Gratis Zero is interrupted by Beljazza… the look on Beljazza’s face shows that she is offended that the rookie thinks that she would not have by now read the Com’s data as to the perpetrators’ description and location….

Gratis Zero seeing the disappointment on Beljazza’s face: “I meant no disrespect officer Luna… are you familiar with Fiefdom 11, specifically Golgotha….?”

Beljazza with a smidgen of sarcasm: No, but the com will assist us and the coordinates were fed into my glider’s computer along with the tactical plan… we are going to take a route that hopefully will not attract attention, notwithstanding that no one should be up anyway on account of the lateness of the hour and curfew… if anything goes sideways, watch me and follow my lead and adjust… I hope you can keep up….”

Beljazza’s glider powers up and she takes off building her speed… Gratis Zero soon catches up and glides directly above Beljazza matching her speed... Beljazza is surprised but her helmet masks her surprise, which is borne out of Gratis Zero’s glider zero to warp ability. Beljazza tries not to look up at the transparent glider directly overhead, but it is like an attractive nuisance and even more so because of the night vision goggles/binoculars contact lenses that she is wearing. Beljazza gives in by satisfying her curiosity and looks up at the bottom of the transparent glider… her eyes follow the contours of its internal configuration that is naked for everyone to see… Gratis Zero is aware of Beljazza’s lingering once over of his glider and his eyes betray that he is coyly smiling under his mask. Beljazza, determine to not giving her rookie partner any more satisfaction, pulls ahead and then mentally starts to concentrate on the intelligence, tactical plan, contingencies, including the unknown, and the lack of combat chemistry between her and this rookie called Gratis Zero….

Beljazza powers down her glider… removing her helmet and looking back over her shoulder, signaling to Gratis Zero, who was cruising behind her, that Golgotha in Fiefdom 11 was drawing nigh… she is momentarily pensive… again pondering the fact that no Dragon Lord accompanied her on this investigation, but, instead send a rookie officer that dresses funny, with a weird name, but given a unique faster glider. Beljazza also wondered how many held the positions like her and Gratis Zero… a position she thought was pioneering; Beljazza then convinces herself for now, especially since Gratis Zero was powering down, that at least there were those out there, well at least one (Gratis Zero), who too has to go through the angst and emotional ambivalence of working for the Dragon Lords. By the time the inertia of Gratis Zero’s glider allows it to pull along side that of Beljazza, she is straddling her hovering glider… with her spit shined leather boots dangling and hanging off the glider. There is a semi pregnant pause by Gratis Zero, where in the interim of said pause… he is pleasantly surprise when he sees Beljazza without her helmet… it is enough of a pause to get away with momentarily without being seen as disrespectful or being insubordinate to a superior officer - superior because the Lords say that officer Beljazza Luna is superior. Beljazza, peeping the ‘look’ given to her by Gratis Zero, is back to her formal looking posture after quickly going from straddling her glider to standing on said glider on her two feet….

Beljazza: “Were you just ‘looking’ at me?”

Gratis Zero: “No ma’am… Officer Luna… I was simply admiring your glider and all your weapons.…”

Beljazza manipulates her Com and then shows it to Gratis Zero… he in turn looks over the data and checks his Com and nods in agreement….

Gratis Zero: “The Southern Quad… weapons hot….”

Beljazza: “Take them alive… if you have to - but we need first to find the motive for the killing and for God sakes… why the saplings….”

Gratis Zero: “You are one of those…?”

Beljazza: “One of those, officer….?’

Gratis Zero stammers in his attempt of clarification: “… I mean shouldn’t we just do what the Lords say…?”

Beljazza: “You not curious to know why someone would kill a family of seven… including children?”

Gratis Zero: “Well yes, but In Golgotha we are more about the punishment than the why….”

Beljazza: “Typical… so you from Golgotha… now I see why they send you as my chaperone… your weapons ready?”

Gratis Zero reaches into his pocket and retrieves one of white marble colored power cells. From the small of his back he also pulls what looks like a cross between a sword and a big knife, which is still sheathed. On the handle of the knife/sword is an oval crevice… specifically made for the marble energy cell… evidencing by the fact that when Gratis Zero placed it in the crevice… it fitted like a glove.

Gratis Zero addressing Beljazza: “By the time we reach Golgotha, it (the knife/sword) should be nice and toasty hot… I feel the need to inflict some pain… I don’t want it so hot where it’s going to cauterize my slices and dices on those animals….”

Beljazza... somewhat puzzled: “But supposed they have guns… remember the report says the family they murdered was shot and butchered….?”

Gratis Zero powers up his glider and brewing with bravado/confidence… shouts back at Beljazza: “So do I Officer Luna… so do I….”