This is chapter one of the background story I came up with between Ruleth a bureaucrat and Releuth a metaphysicist. They are twin sisters. Let me know what you think! I may edit it later depending on what you all say.
EDIT: I wish there were a way to do normal paragraphs.
Sibling Rivalry
by Ruth R Davidson
Chapter One
Ruleth loses her sister
“Sir, I need a new helper bot,” I insisted once more. “This one just keeps botching things up.” I sighed. “That’s what you said last time…sir.”
Finally the man decided that I was serious. The damn thing’s defective. You would think with a promotion you’d get better help. Guess not.
“Thank you, sir. Yes sir.” I pushed the “end call” button on the datapad, and sighed into my hands. Work has been more stressful lately. Too many bloody clan infiltrations.
As I rested my head between my thumb and forefinger, I sighed again. The datapad rang. Not another conference call. Or worse, another mission. I felt too tired to do anything productive for a while. The emotional drain of Arthur didn’t help either. We haven’t been doing well lately, and Releuth has been acting oddly. The ringing stopped. I didn’t really notice until there was a rapping on my office door.
“Busy,” I intoned.
“Miss Ganes?” I looked up to see Gertrude’s dark frame in the door way. She was a small frail woman, but I liked her. She was always reliable when I needed help around the office.
“Yes?” I didn’t feel like reprimanding her for barging in.
“There’s someone here to see you, about your sister,” her eyes looked worried then, as she made way for a large dark bearded atrox in an omni-pol uniform to enter.
I quickly stood up, almost knocking my chair over. “What is it?”
“Your sister is Cathleen Releuth Ganes?” asked the atrox in bass tones.
“Yes,” my heart started hammering inside my rib cage.
His expression became sorrowful, and I found myself wishing it was business like again. “She is missing. She hasn’t reported to work in the last few days. She hasn’t been reported to be seen entering or leaving her apartment in the same amount of time.” He sighed, and looked at me again, regret displayed across his face. “Miss Ganes, when was the last time you’ve spoken to Miss Cathleen Ganes?”
“A-about five days ago,” I stammered. I knew what was coming.
“I’m sorry Miss Ganes, I’m going to have to take you into custody for questioning,” he became all business again, and I discovered that I much preferred his previous expression.
I nodded. “She wasn’t in any of her usual places?”
“No ma’am.”
I nodded again. “Do you think she really-“ I choked on my words. I couldn’t bring myself to say them.
“I don’t know. Would you come with me now?”
“May I have a moment?” I asked, the floor wrapping itself around my vision in blurs.
Silence. “Certainly ma’am,” he said at last.
Gertrude strode over to me. “Do you really think she’s defected?”
“I don’t know Tru. She’s been acting strangely for a while,” I replied, gathering all the composure I could muster.
“Do you think they suspect you too?”
I stood up and looked her straight in the eye. “Of course. They will be proven wrong. I’m no foolish clanner,” and thus I left for my interrogation.
*****
I am no longer Cathleen Releuth Ganes. I am now Cathleen Releuth Bannister, wife to Dietrich Bannister, and member to the Pilgrims Clan. I was on my way to a mission near Borrealis. I was new to the area so I took a wrong turn and found myself battling alone with Akane, my anger manifestation, against a few Mutants. I was almost toast when Dietrich came along with some friends of his.
He took me and nursed me back to health. His blue eyes were so intent, and caring. The most passionate I had ever seen. I stayed longer than I needed to, getting to know him. He spoke frequently about the Clans, and their quest for freedom. To say he was inspiring wouldn’t do him credit. A few other members of the Pilgrim Clan were also kind to me. Kinder than anyone I’d ever known.
Heh, Ruleth must be terribly upset with me. To her, I’ve become a lowly foolish clanner, swept away by folly ideals. For all her good intentions, she never truly knew me it seems.
Sometimes I still can’t believe I made it. I accepted some silly mission, and then I left, and never returned. They haven’t found me, and it’s been months. I suppose they’ve discovered that Ruleth had nothing to do with my departure. I could have planted false information, but for all her faults, she is my sister. I could never harm her that way. Dietrich understood my position on that.
It’s exciting though. Dietrich has become an Elder! A good one too. People listen to him. The respect leaks over to me as well, especially since I wasn’t born a clanner. I have some information that others don’t have.
Tomorrow we will be going to New Land to speak with another clan. Why New Land though? It’s not like we’re talking to anyone from Omni. Ah well. So much to learn and absorb.
*****
Gah!
It’s been months, and no one has even seen Releuth anywhere. No reports of her being with any of the Clans. I’d rather discover her dead, then to find she truly left Omni-tek for their foolish ideals. Hmph. She damn neared ruined my career too.
Arthur and I broke up. Good riddance I say. Too obsorbed in my work. HA! He just didn’t have what it takes to have a real career woman for a fiance. Hm, I wonder how he’s doing on his long term mission?
The datapad rang. Oh, for crying out loud, what now? “Yes?” I asked. “What? Tomorrow? You’ve got to be kidding me! Do you have any idea how swamped I am? I-“ I sighed. “Yes, sir. Yes, I understand, sir. Thank you sir.”
The datapad bleeped as the call ended. Another mission? All the way in New Land and put the others on the back burner, huh? Why? Oh well. Such is life sometimes.
*****
The day before the meeting I started feeling queasy. We arrived in New Land early to make sure all was in order.
“I’m not feeling well,” I told Dietrich.
He turned to me, clearly concerned. “What’s wrong?”
“Mm, just feeling lightheaded,” I replied.
“Have you had enough water today?”
I laughed. “Do we ever have enough?”
He smiled at me then, and gave me his water sack. I drank, returned it to him and left for our quarters at a local bar and inn.
*****
Gah!
Where is he? What was his name again? Ah yes, Dietrich Bannister. I’m to observe him and if I deem him a threat to Omni-tek remove him from the playing field. Oh joy. Oh well, one less clanner to worry about either way.
I finally found him, and I watched him. He spoke clearly and with great influence over those he spoke to. He could have made a wonderful bureaucrat in Omni-tek, but he was only an adventurer. A passionate one.
Unfortunately, his passions led him down a rather folly path. I almost felt sorry him, but not quite. To my dismay, his words were powerful enough to inspire neutrals to join his Clan, as well as a small unknown clan he and his group spoke with. Sometimes I saw him with a woman, but I could never get close enough to see if she were important.
Then, to my great astonishment, I saw a few Omni-tek personnel remove their uniforms, and don Clan uniforms! Oh yes, this man was a threat. I also, much to my sorrow, saw Arthur in clan uniform remove his Omni-tek communications device and a few other assorted spyware from his person. He crushed them, and shook hands with this Bannister follow.
I guess there really is no hope for us Arthur.
Anger welled inside me. I was past thinking and feeling. Bannister was a dead man. There was only a cold void. I followed the bastard to his temporary quarters when he retired that evening. No one else was present, which made my life much simpler. I pick locked his door open and my bot, Darth Sp00n was on him in an instant.
Suddenly, a metaphysicist anger manifestation attacking Sp00n! Maybe I was wrong about him being an adventurer? Assuming this, I took my shots at Bannister. He fell, but I knew he wasn’t dead. As I moved closer to get a better shot at him in the dark, I was hit with a direct damage nano. Where in the hell did that come from?
I turned, and when I saw my attacker, I froze.
Time seemed to slow down in that instant as I looked at the person who shared my face. My heart broke. I made myself believe she was dead, but no, she became one of them!
“I thought you were dead,” I whispered, removing my helmet.
She gasped, but her eyes quickly narrowed. Hmm, interesting. In hindsight, I think that meant something, but I’m not sure.
“You mean you wished I were dead,” Releuth replied cooly. “Now stand aside. He’s going to bleed to death because of you.”
I was always better at combat than she was. She never tried very hard to be a good fighter. It was like she lacked motivation for it. I didn’t understand that, but that didn’t matter right now. What mattered was that I knew she could do very little to me. Her anger manifestation wailed as it was destroyed by Sp00n.
“Why?” I asked her.
“Move damn you!” She demanded of me.
“Not until you tell me why you left Omni-tek, for this,” I pointed at the man slowly becoming a corpse.
“You wouldn’t understand. I’ve never met anyone or any people so strong and passionate about freedom, and-“
“Fanatical you mean,” I spat.
“I’ve answered your question, now MOVE,” panic crept into her voice.
The man stirred. “W-wife,” he croaked.
My eyes widened. “You married this…this...clanner!?”
She pushed past me, and knelt beside him. I let her, and I suddenly understood what had happened to her. She fell in love with this man, and love makes you blind. I don’t know what she saw in him, but if he talked to her the way he talked to those other fools who defected…what a fool my dear sister was and still is. Watching her attempt to keep him alive, I also realized, that killing him would cause her to hate Omni. Now, more than ever.
I lost her.
My dear sister, who was never quite up to speed, but tried anyway to make our family proud. I knelt beside her. “I’m sorry,” I said. “I wouldn’t have accepted this mission if I knew he was yours.” I meant it too.
“Someone else would have attempted it,” she sadly said, craddling his head. “But there’s a chance he’ll live. His breathing’s stabilizing some now.”
“No insurance?” I casually asked.
She shook her head. “No. Most clanners can’t afford it, but he could have, but lent his funds to the cause instead.”
“I see.” Good, I thought. “What do I tell Mother and Father?”
“Heh. I don’t know.”
“It’ll break their hearts to know you’re Clan now.” Like you broke mine. We were best friends! I screamed at her in my mind. Come to your senses!
“I know.”
“You can always come back you know. It’s not too late for that.”
She shook her head. “I won’t leave him.” I knew she would say something like that. “Did you see Arthur here?” she added
“Yeah, good thing we already broke up awhile back.”
She looked at me. “Oh, I’m sorry.”
“Heh, I’m not,” I said sourly.
I stood. “I’m sorry,” I said. “But you know how Omni is.”
She frowned up at me.
“Darth Sp00n,” I said. “Attack her.”
Releuth gasped.
Time moved in fast forward again.
I finished the job quickly and easily; and left. I knew Releuth could handle herself with Sp00n. He was a fairly low level bot anyway, and I could always get another one. I really meant it when I told her I was sorry. I never wanted to cause her so much grief, but she brought it on herself. She joined the clanners and bought herself a life time of misery and woe all in the name of foolish ideals about freedom. They don’t know what they are talking about.
Freedom. Bah. Freedom to die in the desert, to permanently die from lack of funds. Freedom to suffer needlessly. If they just did their part with Omni they wouldn’t have to die or suffer. They would have food and lodging and security. But, no. That makes too much sense.
Mother and Father will believe her dead. They were off world anyway.
Some where along the way back to Omni, I decided to omit the part about Releuth in my report. I’m still not sure that was the right thing to do.
I sighed.
I was tired and emotionally drained. It was a long way home.
*****
I cried for a long time that night. No one could comfort me.
If only the neutral authorities could have done something to catch her. But she was Omni, and I don’t know if it would have made a difference. My Dietrich was gone. I heard people around me discussing what had happened. They thought me a fool for believing that my sister wouldn’t kill him after she found out he was mine. I think I believe them.
I sniffed, blinking back another wave of tears.
I think Ruleth really was sorry for having to hurt me, but not sorry for killing an innocent human being. It doesn’t matter though. I will never trust Omni again. Ever. I will make them pay. Somehow.
I uncurled myself from the corner of the room, and stood. The buzzing voices of my follow Pilgrims hushed.
I will make him proud of me.
I walked out the door into the early morning dawn. I could feel their eyes on me.
I will not let him down again.
I gazed out beyond the horizon.
We will have our freedom, my love. I swear it.
