"Brave New World, Part 4"
By Nyja Asketi (PC)
Melina Asketi (SC)
Grand Vizier Essten (NPC)
Jul Del Frek (NPC)
Secretary of the People, Jynsen (NPC)
Priest of Tys (NPC)
High Priestess of Tys (NPC)
Location: Jungles of Quilove, Quilove Grand Palace, Underground Hideout
Date: TBA
The fight lasted for a few minutes, at the most. Jul’s men were trained soldiers with weapons stronger than their opponent. Nyja helped as much as she could with her lightsaber and her budding Force powers. Melina joined the fray with her blaster and kept the enemy at bay while Jul’s men finished them off.
However, a group of enemy soldiers were able to catch the trio off guard and toss a stun grenade between them before they could react.
**
Nyja woke up in a cell. She was the only one in the cage and there was no one else in the room. She reached down to her belt, but it was gone, as was her lightsaber, her communicator and her blaster. Her vision was a little blurry and she rubbed her eyes trying to get them to respond properly to what was in the room. Nyja looked around and noticed that the room was empty. There were no apparent designs or markings anywhere in the room. There was nothing that she could do without weapons or a communicator, so she chose to meditate. Ny! ja was finally starting to discover that meditation with the Force was helping her gain strength in the Force.
**
Armed guards escorted Melina and Jul into the Grand Palace Throne Room. Their hands and feet were cuffed so there could be no chance of escape. Once in the palace, they noticed Grand Vizier Essten waiting for them.
“Ahh,” he started diplomatically. “Jul, what a pleasant surprise to see you. You are a dear friend. I so wished you had kept in touch.”
“I’m not here for pleasantries, Essten,” Jul responded.
Essten walked down from the raised throne and approached Jul, looking him directly in the eyes. “Why, Jul, how can you be so callous?” Essten turned to Melina. “Who is your new friend? A little young for a wife, isn’t she?”
“She is not your concern. Let her go.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to tell you, Jul . . . “Essten motioned to his guards to leave the room. He then moved to his throne and pressed a small button and waited for a response. “She is exactly why you are here.”
“Yes, Grand Vizier?” came a voice from the speaker.
“Please send for the Secretary of the People. We need to put some citizens on trial for treason.”
Melina’s eyes widened with the statement and Essten turned to them and smiled.
“Welcome home, Melina. It’s too bad you had to get involved with a traitor to the throne. Unfortunately, there is not a lot that I can do. I have video showing you consorting with the criminal, Jul Del Frek and his followers. As such, I have to condemn you as well.”
**
Nyja was meditating when she felt a disturbance in the room. She opened her eyes to find a man was standing in front of her attempting to crack the code for the door. Nyja opened her mouth as if to speak.
“Quiet,” the robed man said. “I will tell you anything once I have freed you.”
The man worked for several minutes and was finally frustrated with himself. “I’ll return shortly,’ he said and left the room. Several more minutes passed and Nyja was unsure what was occurring. She saw the man enter again and this time place a small device on the lock. He stood there, impatiently tapping his foot and muttering to himself. “Come on, come on,” he said quietly. “Work!” After a few moments of the device working, there was a small beep and the lock opened. “Hurry,” the man said! . “It won’t take them long to know that this cage was not opened properly.”
The robed man rushed out of the room with Nyja close behind. They ran down halls and corridors that looked the same. Nyja had no clue where she was. She also didn’t know where Melina was.
“Wait!” Nyja said as she pulled the man’s arm to stop him.
“Not here. Not yet. We’re not far enough away!”
The man pulled himself free of Nyja’s grip and kept running. Nyja had no choice but to follow with the hope that this robed man would offer some answers.
The hallway ended at a wall and the robed man looked around to make sure that no one was following or near. He took out a second device from inside his robe and placed it on the wall. It beeped quietly for a moment.
“You’re not going to blow a hole in the wall, are you?” Nyja asked with trepidation in her voice.
“Wait,” was the only thing that came from the robed figure.
Seconds later, the wall began to move slowly and quietly, revealing a hidden passageway. Nyja did not offer a response, but continued to follow the man through the passageway.
After thirty minutes of running, the man finally stopped as they approached yet another dead-end.
“Okay,” Nyja said slowly, obviously out of breath. “What’s going on? Who are you?”
The robed man looked at Nyja and then looked at the wall. He walked toward the rock face and suddenly disappeared. Nyja looked again and rubbed her eyes, thinking something was wrong with them. However, the man’s arm appeared again and his hand motioned for her to follow. Nyja did as requested and walked through the hologram of a rock face and into an anteroom where the robed man was waiting.
“Okay,” he said as he sat down. “We have some time before the others arrive. Ask your questions, off-worlder.”
Nyja could sense the prejudice in his voice even without him coming out and saying it. “First of all, who are you?”
“I am a Priest of Tys, one of the gods of Quilove. Tys is the god of justice. Our followers and acolytes noticed your abduction and knew that it was wrong. Therefore, because of our belief in justice, we freed you.”
“But isn’t it illegal to free a prisoner from jail without permission of the acting government?”
“Not in our belief system. Tys overrules all government. Our religious beliefs have often confused even the most learned scholars of our planet. However, those that follow the right path and know the true meaning of what the gods were telling us, are able to do the god’s will, not the will of the government. The gods act for Quilove, the government acts for themselves.”
“I believe that,” Nyja said, finally sitting down on a bench next to the priest. She changed the subject rapidly. “Where is my sister?”
“If you mean the girl that was captured with you, I am afraid that she has been arrested for treason and will be placed on trial to determine her sentence.”
“Wait a minute,” Nyja started. “If you knew that the abduction of me and my sister was wrong, why didn’t you help her escape?”
The priest looked across to Nyja. “For one, we did not know that you were related. For the second, you were the one in a cage, not her and therefore, we assumed that you were the one that was being punished. Obviously, she is too.”
**
An older gentleman entered Essten’s office. “You called for me, sir?”
“Yes, Jynsen,” the Grand Vizier said. “These two have been arrested conspiracy. We must hold a trial immediately.”
“Treason?” the other gentleman spoke. “Who are they?”
“They are from House Telayan and they have been caught spying and conspiring for the downfall of House Yina.”
“Such dreams!” the older man said. “Very well, Grand Vizier. I will appoint judges and a jury. The trial will begin in two days.”
“Thank you, secretary,” Essten said as he bowed his head.
The secretary bowed his head in return and exited the room. Melina and Jul stood in silence fearing that any verbal retaliation or response could cost them their lives.
**
“So what are you going to do about it?” Nyja asked the priest.
“Unfortunately, there is nothing that we can do. She is going to be tried and sentenced. Once the trial begins, the gods cannot interfere. It is up to the people to understand the path that the gods want them to follow.”
“You can’t be serious!?” Nyja exclaimed as she stood.
“He is most serious,” a woman said as she entered the room. “We cannot interfere in the people’s decision. Once a jury has sentenced an individual, there is nothing that we can do.”
The robed man knelt down and motioned for Nyja to do the same. She, however, did not oblige. “Thank you for coming, High Priestess,” the robed man said from his crouching position. “It is difficult to make her understand.”
“I have noticed,” the woman said. “Please, sit, I will try to explain our ways.”
Nyja sat as the High Priestess moved forward and removed her cloak. The robed man moved to take the garment from her and held it until she called for it again.
The woman arched her back, and then looked at Nyja with confidence. “There are many gods of Quilove. Each house has a god, as do each of the various organizations and high-ranking officials; a god for the Grand Vizier, a god for the Secretary of Defense and so forth. There are even gods for the various Ministry positions within the government. As we are the priests for the god of Justice, so too are there priests for the other gods of Quilove.
“Some of the gods act in dual purposes, such as the god that we serve, Tys, is the god of Justice and of House Telayan. This is common within the houses and practiced throughout Quilove.”
Nyja thought about the concept and spoke up. “Excuse me, High Priestess,” she started. “But I don’t see what this has to do with my sister and why you can’t break her out of prison.”
“If we were to interfere in man’s matters, then the gods would have no respect. Long ago, the gods told the ancestors of Quilove that the gods would control everything except the people’s free will. If the people wanted to put each other to death, to kill each other and wipe the planet out, that was their choice. However, if the gods saw something that even the people should not have done, such as arrest and imprison a young woman as yourself for no reason, then, the gods feel like they can adjust the course of fate as necessary.”
“Won’t the Grand Vizier know who set me free?”
“No. We are very deliberate in what we do and make sure that no trace of a person or persons is left behind to track.” She paused. “Besides . . . it’s not you they want.”
Nyja shook her head. Obviously, it seemed as if these “priests” were not going to help her rescue Melina. She didn’t even think about rescuing Jul, because he hadn’t even wanted her on the planet. However, if he happened to be with Melina, then that was different. “Okay, high priestess,” Nyja said. “I really need to rescue my sister before she goes on trial. And I need to do it now. But I don’t have any weapons. Is there somewhere I can go that has weapons?”
The High Priestess stood up and moved toward the opposite side of the room, the side which she entered from. She reached through yet another hologram and pulled a weapon from it. “We were unable to retrieve your equipment from the House Yina guards, but here is a blaster and a blaster rifle to help you.”
Nyja took the weapons and held them tight. “Okay,” she said as she was ready. “Which way do I go?”
The priest started moving back toward the direction they had come originally. I will lead you back to the palace. But after that, I cannot help you.”
“I understand,” Nyja said.
**
