Salt In An Open Wound

Posted on 08 Dec 2022 @ 8:39am by Lieutenant Xu Chang Lau & Captain Jonathan Reynolds

Mission: Through the looking glass
1304 words - 2.6 OF Standard Post Measure

ON

"...and that is the situation so far my Lord!" Xu spoke into the small handheld com devise, the image of someone very familiar smiling back at her. She needed to be quick because his twin would not be far away, no doubt trying to slide his way into her bed once again. "How would you like me to handle your twin?"

She could hear Jon in the other compartment of the small craft, no doubt getting inebriated again, celebrating his triumph, or what he saw as a triumph. It would be short lived, and she was just waiting for the order to slit his throat. An act she had been anticipating for some time and many a dream she had at the thought.

"Let him summon this goddess. Hes always been destined to do something. Shame he did not show loyalty to his brother. You will ensure she allies with us and bring his arse back to me once that's in your beautiful hands," he said. "And the El Aurian too. I want her very much. Then I will allow you to reunite with your lost love who I happened upon recently. Seems my brothers been keeping secrets from you as you him in this little game of resistance."

"Ollie?" Xu whispered his name. He was alive.

The emperor nodded to someone off screen and then another man was yanked in front of him. "My twin sent you on a secret mission didn't he."

"Xu ...." her husband looked thinner and to have aged in the time they had been apart. "I was supposed to come back. Jon never said anything about .... ..."

"Luckily we rescued you," the emperor interrupted. "That planet was not very civilised, was it? The Empire will civilise it I promise. Perhaps for a reward to the loyal service of your wife I will allow your permanent return to her and gift you both rule of that planet in my stead." he said simply. "Although my favourite concubine does wish you in court. I know you would get bored though."

"Your alive!" her voice weak and small, tears tugging at the corners of her eyes. She had no illusion that the injuries Ollie had would have been inflicted by the Emperor's goons. She said nothing though, just over joyed to see he was alive.

"What do you wish of me?" her voice returning to the steel and grit she often shrouded herself in.

"Someone of your talents is not to be wasted. Flaunting around in a pretty dress going to parties is not your thing and to be honest other than playing happy families there I doubt you really want to rule a backwoods planet," he said simply. "You have your orders. When you bring in the Goddess and my twin - alive, minimal harm please as he may still be useful .... then we will find a suitable position for you that will keep your interest and allow me to keep a very useful asset. With him at your side if you wish it," he indicated Oliver. "I cannot promise that Cassandra will not insist of your attendance at some social events," he rolled his eyes. "One has to keep face to keep the people."

"By your command my lord!" a noise from behind her alerted her to Jon stumbling towards her quarters. "I must go before I am discovered!" she cut the line just as the doors were pushed open and in stumbled the man she wanted to kill, now more than before. She knew however that if any harm came to him then she would loose Ollie for good.

"How is your El'Aurian... friend?" the words dripping with contempt, once again surrounding herself with the façade she had adopted, her own personal masquerade that had become more a part of her than she was her true self now.

"Shes beautiful. Exquisite. Cannot hold her liquer or wants me to think that," Jon said. "I can dream shes gone to put on something more comfortable," he winked at her ...... "Anyway I was worried about you. Not like you not to be out in the rec room keeping eyes on us for blackmail stories."

He pulled a joint out his pocket and lit the red. "No lectures. We have the crown and we have the means to do the ritual. I have one of the ancient sect arriving very soon.

"Go on then why do you hate her so much? Your emotions are as dark as Agorain chocolate right now. I'm a couple of sheets to the wind for sure but even that's not softening it. Perhaps you need this," he offered the joint. Rarely did she join him, usually looking down her nose at his use of this stuff. Perhaps though one time riding on a high she might.

"I refuse to poison myself with that shit. I rather keep my senses sharp and my faculties my own!" she slapped his hand away, allowing him to believe her darker mood was due to her hatred of the El'Aurian.

"I was tired of your sickly sweet dance to try and get her undressed and in your bed. We have what we need from her. Let me kill her?"

"It's none of your damn business who I choose to want to seduce or take to my bed. Why do you even care anyway. Unless despite my attempts in the past you're now wishing you had said yes and then it's an entirely different conversation as I have not had her in my bed and if you want to change things on that score my bed is ALWAYS open ......." he said trying to suss out what was different right now. Something was different.

"Look at the bigger picture Xu," he sighed ..... "Her race are technologically more advanced than several of the races we know. And she's high up. Connected. If you kill her you could invite another enemy upon us. Not just you and me us, but the whole organisation. All our friends. Everyone we care about. Better to have them on our side than let them hate us and get to the Emperor's side. And you really don't have to kill everyone you know."

"Everyone has their hobbies!" she shot back, dropping in her customary dark humor. "When and how do we summon this thing of yours?"

"Thing. Thing, Xu this is a goddess. Power of the old world. She's not a thing. She deserves our respect. And that's what the religious sect bod is about. She knows the ritual," he said suspecting it would annoy her no end. Xu did not seem the type for putting your faith in the unknown. In truth Jon didn't fully know. Only women were ever allowed in the Betaziod Mysteriaa"

"Give me a heading and we will see what this mystic voodoo crap brings!" Xu was in a dark mood and she needed to kill someone and soon!

"We will at that. Now if you excuse me, as your determined to mope and be generally miserable and you haven't jumped at the offer again, to be in my bed... I'm going to return to the beautiful el Aurian and see what her stance might be there," Jon said. "Of course there is room for you both,"

"Don't smother yourself in those fake tits of hers!" Xu spat back, not the least bit interested in anything more he had to say. Her thoughts turned towards Oliver, her own emotions possibly betraying her. Sorrow, upset... a hope that she might see him again one day.

"If I get lucky I will report back on if they are fake," Jon chuckled leaving her too it.

OFF:

AU Jon Reynolds
Resistance officer
NPC Jon Reynolds

AU Xu Chang-Lau
Resistance Officer - Double Agent - Assassin
NPC Cassie Higgins