13'Sao-La
Yachuach! Just moments ago. No need for Em-Deh for this kind of news. Once more, his True
Enemies, the anshin, had scored against the ollomani, overwhelming all these days of progress
toward the New Order. Their path to glory destroyed. The Voiceless returned to slavery even as
their chains loosened about them. Chaos stifled even as it did its job.
All five Ready Rooms engulfed! The Voiceless chattered with glee at the gangsters — gangsters! —
arrested, bound for Exile. They booned these events. The Governor non-canny about the Voiceless,
for they cherished their cheat in life. The Governor —
Governor Sigma had not died as ollomani, his skull cracked by a heel. He had died spewing blood,
his throat carved wide open. A shock of surprise widened his too-still face. His undisturbed
blood blanketed his bodyguards, dead first from a knife as well, one deep, broad wound each,
seeping sticky life.
Isolated in the crowd, 13'Sao-La once more wrestled his gorge into staying down. Death, his new
Ally, had betrayed him. Blood, a badge of glory, mocked him now. Especially freed so easily by
steel. What skill did a weapon demand? Yet, zhuhndí its effect. Almost missed among the anshin's
greater effect.
Governor Sigma: lost in secret. All Rollkeepers: lost in public. The First of the New Order,
those like 13'Sao-La chosen of the Governor, they too were publicly lost, sucked away by the
anshin.
Despaired, 13'Sao-La faded from the Voiceless, their soulless minds and bodies forever timid and
soft. His vex stirred in his throat, but could not rouse against the mud that clogged his soul.
In the dark chill, his mother, lost to him as well, cried out as his father chortled. This time,
the mud featured no figures, no images, as it had before ... when the Governors had rescued him
before ...
Other Governors! The other Governors will guide me!
He sought out another public entrance, found one next to a park. The Em-Deh had sullied for the
last day or so, but it did crystal at times. With patience — all katas taught patience — he
could find Governors Pi and Nu. 13'Sao-La readied the keyspace and waited.
Vex gnawed at him as the Voiceless churned around his booth, elating in their slavery. Bound to
this small space, he set vex aside with the Kata-for-Relaxation, his eyes closed, his breaths
filling his mind.
He heeded the entrance's foilscreen. It clued the virtual churn inside it. On it, the Em-Deh's
logo twitched. It zigged in all directions, scattering his focus. Vex repeated its taut. Without
a Governor, no path led to a future. He glared at the screen and declared it his future. The
Kata-for-Relaxation and the foilscreen, over and over and over.
In time, the entrance calmed, 13'Sao-La pounced. He stroked its agent-for-trade. It granted
access. He triggered its vanilla agent-of-limited-questions. He requested a search for "Governor
Pi." Nothing. He typed "Governor Nu" and hit the start-button again. A single cue/Em-Deh asked
for fiducia.
What can the Governor want here? No reveal came. He knew their figures, faces and bodies. Sigma
— he could only see blood on blond. Pi, compact, bald, distant, but grantor of 8'Issaw's heart.
Nu, stocky, dark like him. But he could not give images here. He had no such skills.
He also knew their names, but nothing more. So he typed "Nu, Sigma, Pi." Rejecting his offering,
the cue asked again. What could Governor Nu want here? He reached for a different ordering of the
names, but pondered. Sigma, Nu, Pi. All Greek letters! He cued the keyspace for that alphabet
and picked out those letters.
The foilscreen cleared and Governor Nu stared back at him, a recorded will-see. "Greetings,
survivor! Fourteen so far today. Power Combine welcomes you back. Mourn the Propaganda Combine,
but know that with me, victory is certain! Events have come to us, as I knew they would."
Instanter, 13'Sao-La elated and listened closely. The park loaned him shade with its trees. Packs
of Voiceless slithered around him, pelting him with their na‹ve and temporary blithe. Governor Nu
rescued him — and the New Order — with crystal leadership.
"We poise outside Ganj Dareh," the recording continued. "You sneak within it. I have work for you
there. We will come in through new doors. You must close the old ones, take out dromes, aero and
rail. I provide plan. I provide tools. You provide skill and devotion. Heed these
instructions!"
13'Sao-La settled to heed, but the recording garbled. He vexed that the Em-Deh should sully now.
The screen cleared and Governor Nu smiled at him in a true can-see. He stiffened in salute.
"You're late," she snapped, and 13'Sao-La flinched inside only. "Others implement my plans at the
drome as we speak. Go observe the results. Note effect and response. Do not arouse attention.
Report back to me when the anshin have cleaned up the mess we made for them. Schnell your ass!"
The screen cleared.
Though rescued, 13'Sao-La humbled. One Governor dead, another vexed. What are her rules?
Unknown. Despair flexed his legs to bolt out into the Voiceless milling around him, but heed
turned that off. Change thrashed his life once again. Governor Sigma had set aside the League's
Rules. Now death had set aside Governor Sigma. Amidst change, what did not change? Orders.
I do know her basic rules. Listen and obey. With time, the new rules will come. Crystal, this
path to parry the future, grasp control once again. His alert ramped as he vowed: her every
instruction, his every ponder in this recce, would reward the Governor. Eager, obedient,
he forged out of the booth and into the Voiceless, then throttled back into a trot not worthy of
gander as he targeted the drome.
