8th January
18:35 GMT
"Any other students of the arcane?"
S'yrra
stares at the barrier with obvious concern and I feel something move within the structure of the monastery.
"An attack… Here?"
"Oh, it's better than that." I smile. "The uprisings are focused on cities, and are largely being conducted by their dispossessed residents. We're some distance from any of the cities here-" A part of the barrier is visibly pulled back, while local atmospheric pressure remains the same. Someone knows what they're doing. "-and Whites still hold these places in high regard. Which means that
isn't a mob of protestors." Plus I can
see one coming this way. Useful things, these goggles.
"Hyperclan."
"Almost certainly. And since I'm going to assume that a place like this has a decent magic barrier, I will repeat-."
"Good deduction."
A white martian in a long white robe pinned at the neck -inasmuch as they have a neck- by a red circle brooch phases in just in front of us. "
Grey? Are you slumming-"
S'yrra's eyes flare for a moment, and the new martian briefly hesitates before becoming partially translucent.
"-it with a new skin tone?"
Sinestro, status of my guests.
The Euphorians and Miss Shimmer just left through a hush tube. Circe, Cyprian and Endor are staying.
Their skins, I suppose. "No, I'm not a martian. I'm actually visiting from Earth. If you saw M'gann's images, I should have been in
some of them."
"I don't watch that sort of thing. Rots the brain. Though I
do appreciate not being afraid of
fire any longer."
"Not making yourself Red?"
"Why would I wanna do a thing like
that?" He holds his talon-fingered hands out to either side. "I don't have a problem with being White.
Reds and
Greens have a problem with me being White."
"Because without the Guardian programming your natural colour is red. You're only white
now because that's the colour you're choosing to make your skin."
"I don't have a problem with the
Guardians either." He drifts slightly closer. "Maybe they created this situation, but… They weren't the ones saying I couldn't go to a proper school, that my parents and grandparents and all my brothers and sisters couldn't either. That's all Reds and Greens, and I
know they don't think I'm Red now."
S'yrra backs up slightly as he comes forward. "You are a murderer and a terrorist."
"
Murderer, yeah. When you fight the people who make the rules, when you kill for the cause… Then you're a murderer and the people on the other side are
totally legitimate even if they kill just as many. But a terrorist is someone who tries to create political change through fear and intimidation. And I've always tried to bring about political change by killing people." He switches his attention to S'yrra. "I'd like to kill
you. But my boss wants an audience for this. Head back to the main chamber and I won't gut you right now."
Sinest-. No, never mind.
I can see her fear.
"
The sorcerers of this monastery are
more powerful than
anything you have faced before."
"I'm happy to kill you
right here, Red."
"I will
aghhh!"
She collapses,
clutching at her head.
"Stupid worm. We knew they'd be too proud to get their heads fixed, so we're broadcasting the image of a roaring fire." The clansman returns his… His?
Coin toss… Her attention to me. "So what about
you? I've never killed an alien before, but if you're
here…"
"What's your name?"
"L'atroma Z'orr. Oh, and you weren't lying-" She taps the side of her head with her right hand. Telepathic contact. "-about being an alien. Are those humans?"
"Amongst other species." I bend down, pick up S'yrra as gently as her
convulsions will allow, then nod. "I will accompany you, Missus Z'orr, but you should understand that Martian internal affairs are only a
tangential interest of mine. Unless you or yours directly attack me or mine, I'm inclined to let you fight it out."
She waves her left land in the direction of the corridor, and I start walking. Hm. Telepathy, shapeshifting, in theory she could do that molecular destabilisation thing the Burner did… Some sort of enhanced phasing. Nothing I'm not
reasonably confident I couldn't take. But my main priority here is protecting my guests.
"This is one of the most off-limits places for White Martians. We get called into centres of government sometimes, but I'm the first White to come here in… A very long time. Funny place to be if you've only got a 'tangential interest'."
"I'm interested in
magic. Who else was I supposed to as-?"
"Stop."
I stop, half turning towards my escort. "What-?"
The corridor in front of me is
pulverised, dust exploding in all directions! The torn and bloody remains of a Red… Well, I'm
guessing a Red Martian, are
slammed into a wall and pinned there as another White Martian wearing black and gold armour flies after them to admire their handiwork. They turn to me, eyes glowing-.
"Careful, N'Rixot. This one's
cooperating."
"The Red he's carrying-."
The dust around -
coin toss- her swirls and then explodes with electricity!
"gYYAHGH!"
She flies away, shifting shape to minimise her surface area as a Red Martian sorcerer priest flies through the gap. He-. Ah, just call them all 'he'. He gestures, and the dust takes on the form of some sort of electrified wurm and flies after N'Rixot. He then turns our way, L'atroma lunging forward with her claws out-.
A piece of the wall turns into a hand, grabs the priest and throws them back the way they came.
"
I seek a meeting with the Primate."
The sound… Seems to be coming from everywhere. L'atroma freezes for a moment, then gestures down the hole. "Head down that way."
I comply, floating down through the torn floor and wall. Below, in the entry chamber, I see a
hulking great White Martian who appears to be taking his cues from the Durlans. Great slabs of metal appear to have been integrated directly into his body, along with pneumatic drivers, some sort of… Electronic sensor array and a couple of force field generators. Next to him is a far slighter figure, another White Martian who is affecting a more humanoid appearance. He's wearing a green body stocking and red cape, and where the others wear a red circle insignia he wears one comprised of three blue diamonds.
Portals open around him, electrical discharges blasting at him! And… Bending, merging together to form a crackling ball just to his left. The rock around him
shifts, and the Red Martian who came down here a moment ago emerges unconscious from the ground.
"
If I am not granted a meeting, I will kill this one and then proceed inwards."
A diffuse cloud of dust rises up from the floor in front of him, forming the outline of a Martian.
"Petty sand wizard, there are magics here you cannot comprehend. This act of brutishness will do nothing but reveal your cause for the savage narcissism that it is."
"Sand wizard? I'm sorry, I'm a little behind on the modern vernacular." He turns to my escort. "L'atroma, is that supposed to be an insult?"
"Yes. She's saying that your learning is shallow."
"Ah." He turns back to the projection. "I am
Karmang. I foolishly taught the principles of sorcery to your distant forebears. And I am here to reclaim what I gave to you."
