In the Shadow of the Rings by Frank Kennedy (grave mercy .txt) 📕

and lives as one of us. He works freelance intel igence for the seamasters.”

He pounded the table. “I am no kil er.”

“Delusions are not your strength, Ryllen. I used my contacts in Nantou to retrieve this man’s particulars. You wil find them on the memglass. I recommend you locate him. Once you prove your birthright, you wil be able to dissolve any legal obligations to Jee.

Even change your name. I give you a path, Ryllen. Take it now, while time stands in wait.”

He grabbed the memglass and stood, staring at this tiny woman in disbelief. At some level, this was the moment he longed for. It was the release he sought every time he acted on orders from Green Sun or gave Kai love and comfort. So, why did it hurt?

“My brother. My sisters. Do they know about this?”

“No. I never speak to them about you. Nor do they ask.”

She stared ahead, as if he were stil seated. Ryllen wasn’t going to let her get away with it so easily.

“Did you ever love me?”

She finished her tea. “As much as your Honorable Gran? No. More than your Father? At times.”

He turned and started away. He thought better of it and pivoted.

“For the record, I loved you al . You took me in and gave me your name. I thought that was enough.” He laughed. “They’re right about me, Mother. If I can stil cal you that. They say I’m the Idiot of The Lagos. And maybe I am. But I’m also a soldier, and I’m going to protect The Lagos. This is my home. I don’t care about Earth. If I have to kil people to protect my home, I wil .

“But you, Mother? You’ve given up.”

She broke from her trance and met his eyes with a resigned smile.

“Yes, Ryllen. I suppose I have.”

So much stil hung on his chest, but what was the point? Ryllen fumed as he walked through the suite for the final time. He passed the door to his bedroom without a flicker of curiosity. Had she already removed his things and redecorated? Might he find anything of sentimental value?

I’m not that boy anymore.

Ryllen ignored al those he passed in the building’s corridors. He

shaded his eyes from the suspicious men who shared his lift to the lobby. Only when he hopped inside his rifter and closed the dome did the finality cut deep.

He studied the controls through blurred vision and wiped his eyes.

Then the tears came too fast. The pain seared his chest.

Ryllen tried to hold back the storm, but his desolation overtook him in furious, unceasing waves.

Only when he found the shadowy corner where his rage was hiding did Ryllen discover how to fight back. He saw the future, where al those named Jee would join the chorus of others who cal ed him the Idiot of The Lagos. They’d mock his memory and degrade him to their friends – the ones who remained, that is. In time, they’d lose interest in this playful banter and simply forget he ever came to Hokkaido, bringing new wealth and influence to Jee.

Play your cudfrucking games, but never cross my path.

Ryllen said nothing to Kai when he returned home. He threw the memglass into a jewelry box along with his collection of rings, necklaces and braiding bands.

His birthplace was more than two hundred light-years away, its star almost indiscernible on the clearest of nights. Once the home of a great empire, now engulfed in a civil war – the least civilized world in the Collectorate.

“Earth,” he whispered. “Chancel ors. I spit on you.”

He fel into Kai’s arms, and together they slept through the afternoon. Long after the sun fel , they gathered at a nondescript location in the Zozo District and turned their eyes toward the next phase of their service to Green Sun.

Lan Chua, more charismatic than usual, laid out his vision and summoned his personal security, who entered with a treasure trove of weapons. Ryllen never saw such a variety of kil ing tools in one place.

Some were Hokki design, some left over from the Chancel or evacuation, but several smuggled from other colonies.

Chua’s guards explained the ful inventory, distinguishing the simple point-and-shoot from the more intricate devices which required special training. Lan turned to each of his captains and lieutenants and asked a simple question.

“Wil you kil anyone who is an enemy of The Lagos?”

Each answered in the affirmative, which Ryllen thought was al too easy. Lan came to him last, perhaps because this was Ryllen’s first meeting among the inner circle.

When Lan asked the question, Ryl en felt al the weight of his past dissolve. He grinned.

“What are we waiting for?” He told Lan. “Let’s start tonight.”

3

Death of the Idiot

Standard Year 5364

YLLEN JEE LOVED THE COMPOSITION of a GB-X Mark 4

R pistol, which fit snug into a semi-closed fist. A tap of the thumb triggered the Mark 4 to flip open, drop its ten flash pegs into the dispensary cylinder, extend the suppressor tunnel four inches, and acquire a