Father stood in front of his throne to make another speech about how brave these soldiers were. I noticed one of the pins which held his elaborate cloak of state affixed to his robe had come undone. I moved to fix it before it jabbed him in the shoulder.
A pain shot through my chest milliseconds before there was a crackle of a pulse rifle firing and knocked me into Father's arms. I looked up into Father's golden eyes, my mouth trembling as the scent of burnt flesh assailed my nostrils.
"Molechu akbhar!!!" someone shouted.
Gunshots erupted.
Mama screamed.
The soldiers leaped into action. A red stain erupted onto my white Nehru jacket, ringed by the precise black burn mark of a laser-pistol, the tool of an assassin.
"An agent of Molech has crept into our midst!"
The air charged with e
