Muur Chronicles

EPISODE --- 3

"Today, I am going to expose a lie." Neddina continued.

"…A lie that the king has been feeding us for the past twenty years." Neddina's voice echoed over the audio system.

"Sir, they cannot block the broadcast." The officer communicated to him shortly afterwards.

"Why?" The chief asked, almost yelling.

"They are transmitting from outside Nol, and not just an outside frequency, high grade Muurian broadcasting equipment." The officer responded.

"We have to assume that everyone is watching it at this moment!" He ended.

At this point, it dawned on the chief that they were probably too late to the dance. He realized they have finally created and offered Neddina a nationwide platform on a platter.

*

"We have been lied to by our king over the years about a plan, a certain plan that will ensure our survival. Not just our survival, but our prosperity and technological advancements in navigation and Nolnadian science. We all bought into the story and soldiered on like good Nolnadians. It was a well crafted story to unite us, and we all did our best to unite and made sacrifices for a peaceful Nolnad because it is our home after all. Up till this moment, we continue to make sacrifices everyday for our homeland. That Nolnad has insufficient and limited energy sources are the core of the lies we have been fed to achieve this unity; that we need the unerg because its power is unlimited, safe and readily available for other conversions not possible with other energy sources. But, that's a very big lie." Neddina's voice echoed over the sound system.

**

"Sir, the king is on the link." the official informed the chief while he was focused on the live broadcast. Once he was connected, "Withdraw your men immediately" was ordered by Izemoru.

"I should withdraw the men?" he asked, as if he didn't hear Izemoru correctly.

"Yes, that's what I said."

"We have our duty to ensure that no Nolnadian life is further lost to this debacle, and that is what we are going to do respectfully your Highness." the chief replied.

"Don't make me invoke Nol TCN 23(1)(a)" Izemoru pleaded with him, suggesting he should defer to reason and not make the situation more complicated than it should. NolTCN23(1)(a) is the part of the Nolnadian Charter which grants the king power in a national crisis to make executive order for the security of Nolnad and its interests.

"Then we will both be doing what the law stipulated, and which i have no issue with." the chief replied him. Zoria, the chief of police is a wise man, and has always been acknowledged as such. As he watched the broadcast, he knows that whatever happens today, he has by acts and omission exculpated himself without tainting his conscience and image. His eyes are set for politics after his role as the chief of police in Nolnad.

"You are a good man Zoria." Izemoru said and declared the provision of Nol TCN 23 as subsisting from that moment in an executive order that was circulated to every agency in Nolnad.

*

"It is, and has always been for the king's personal gain, not the people. He doesn't care about the people as much as he would like us to believe." Neddina continued.

"We have enough refined energy particles to last us many years, enough time to get better relations with the Muurians. Why is the king hell bent on our destruction? I'm talking about the destruction of Nol itself. Didn't the last attempt teach everyone some lesson? Why did the king and his collaborators sign off on this suicide mission knowing full well what it means for us all?

"We are in Zelmi, somewhere in the Zurui coastal areas that our own Lacte is situated. We are surrounded by angry citizens who didn't like the fact we are exposing the government. They're backed by the police and some of the king's special assassin's. But, fear not, we shall overcome all of them and continue to expose them till Izemoru resigns or is killed by me!

"They have built a sanctuary for themselves to bunker out any reprisal attack from the Muurians if their suicidal mission fail. They also selected themselves and their families as the eligible. Is that the equality Izemoru the king preaches for us Nolnadians?" He asked, ending the broadcast abruptly, while giving the order for his men to engage with the Midlighters and police.

The broadcast was just a distraction to actually pin down the locations of the King's Midlighters who were gaining holds on them, and kill them without them knowing they were the ones walking into a trap. Zelmi was theirs after all, and Neddina knew exactly what he was doing. Few seconds after the broadcast, the Midlighters and police officers who were attempting to breach Oren's position met their Waterloo when many other gang members surrounded them after they fell for the trap set by Neddina. All of them, about seventy, were killed by the gang members on the spot.

**

"Status report?" Izemoru requested after the m******e which his men unintentionally walked into.

"Keiche? Anyone, report your status?" He inquired again but was met by the same silence and radio static noise. A few seconds later, a voice came over the frequency.

"...it was a trap." however, he didn't finish stating what he intended before shots was heard from his end; Neddina just finished him off.

"Expecting someone else?" Neddina replied him after taking the radio transmitter device.

"Listen..." but Neddina didn't wait to hear him, and ended the transmission immediately before blasting it to pieces and left with his gang.

   Izemoru did his best to conceal the defeat which currently stared him in the face as all his prominent officials trooped to the capital building for an emergency state meeting as a direct result of Neddina's act; the first of its kind in a while. When they started the deliberations, no one even bothered to analyze the damage to their campaign as it was obviously badly damaged. However, the first thing Izemoru did was reduce access to the Nol TCN 23 declaration directive, restricting clearance levels of some top officials he didn't trust.

There were a lot of oppositions to the modifications, especially from those directly affected by the directive. However, Izemoru's argument is to the fact that some of them have been compromised, and he couldn't risk it at the moment, especially as they were very close to their long time objective. He made them understand that the compromise is the reason they are in the situation they are at the moment.

"So, what's the way forward then?" a top ranking official from the commercial industry asked. Izemoru wanted to speak, but their chief Energy and Power Engineer cut in immediately, politely requesting for permission to make a suggestion he believes will solve the whole energy loss problem.

"Let's hear it then." Izemoru said.

"Personal scouts sent in an unofficial capacity to Duria reported positive feedbacks. There is enough energy particles, huge niobium and columbite deposits that can still help us successfully complete our long term plan, the reason why the people actually believed in your government." He ended.

"You know what you are talking about right? In case you have forgotten, you are insinuating an interplanetary level conflict that goes against the Muurian Planetary Autonomy Charter which they enforce to the later. Or am I mistaken?" Kamo questioned.

"Not if we control and coordinate it in the manner and means i believe we are capable of. It's stealing, and we will handle it as such." He simply stated.

"He has a point though." Izemoru acknowledged while laughing lightly about the stealing illustration he used.

"Can you liaise with the military and Midlighters within the shortest possible time to embark on the said mission?" Izemoru asked.

"Yes."

"Good...go about it then!" He ordered.

Izemoru also met with some other officials as well as prominent district officials, reassuring everyone that everything is still on track while urging them to keep the peace and manage the resultant fallout from Neddina's act against the state in the best diplomatic manner possible.

***

         Steve calmly smiled at Neerudi's beautiful cheeky and light-colored brown face for a while before asking her if she was supposed to be giving a direction to somewhere, making her to smile.

"Maybe...want to come?" she replied.

"Sorry, not today. Nice chat by the way." He said out loud and motioned with his hands as he attempts to walk away. His mind was constantly pacing as he didn't know who or what Neerudi is, nor did he understand what she was saying.

"My brother Linagu...you know him, he sent me." She said, making Steve stop in his tracks.

"What?" Steve asked, wondering what she was speaking as he didn't understand it.

"Damn!" Neerudi exclaimed in disgust in Kenuaui, their language. It was an angry reaction to the fact that the Intergalactic Translation Device was still switched on, probably from his last usage of it or it turned on while she was in transit inside the asport links.

The energy her body gave off in her exclamation made Steve's anani light up, something it normally does when it feels an agitation force of any form towards him.

Neerudi switched off the ITD afterwards, defused the situation with her hands, signaling that Steve should calm down and allow her speak. He agreed, culminating in the anani automatically switching off its defensive mode.

"You scared me there." She said.

"Sorry about that..." He said before realising himself.

"Did you just speak my language?" Because I can swear that I just heard you speaking something I didn't understand few seconds ago."

"It's the device, a translation device. Anyway, yes I speak your language, it's still very much easier than the rest as it has many similarities with ours." She explained to him.

"Okay...so, are you giving a direction to somewhere?" He repeated in a cynical manner, so uncharacteristic of him.

"Wow!" She exclaimed, but more in wonderment.

"Sorry if it came off the wrong way. I have had a rough night, and i wouldn't want to spend any seconds more than I need to inside this place. Have to be somewhere right now." he found himself explaining.

"I understand!"

"Thank you."

"I'm Neerudi, Linagu's sister."

"Who's that?"

"I helped him design your anani you know." She said, pointing at the Anani he was holding.

"Have I seen you somewhere?" Steve questioned.

"Probably...perhaps"

"Here, let me show you!" and her anani lit up just like Steve's. She did some configurations, scrolled through some files and algorithms, and flipped it over to Steve. A projection formed from it, displaying who she is to Steve.

"I can also render your anani defenseless from an attack coming from mine as further proof if you want."

"Why is that?" He queried.

"I have always anticipated a day like this. I have also anticipated how this conversation will go in this scenario a lot, and in each simulation, you always prefer to see it out, just like now." She told him, and he smiled a bit with the idea she may have cultivated about him from this scene already.

"Well, it's all in your favor anyway." he retorted back. "Good!" Neerudi said and went about with operating her anani. "Alright, done" She said politely a few seconds later.

"Cool then."

"Are you ready?" She inquired. Steve told her to go ahead with it.

"Alright; Wait for it...here we go!" She said and hurled two powerful energy bolts at him, followed immediately by a massive force field. As she stated, his anani didn't light up as usual and no defense field was created, rendering him powerless against the force that smashed him. The quick resultant effect hurled him backwards about 20ft from Neerudi, dazing him momentarily as he smashed through trees amidst a brief lightning spark. She hurriedly walked to him after that, inquiring if he is alright.

"You did warn me." Steve said in her defense, laughing at himself amidst expression of slight pain from the fall.

"This is one of my special friendly non-hazard blasts, and only a few people could handle it still." She said.

"Handle it she says..."

"You will be fine... You could have blocked or deflated it though if you were practicing." she replied.

"I'm into some family lessons today I guess."

"What is that?" she asked.

"He also said almost exactly what you are saying."

"So, why is that?" She questioned.

"It's just been three days... three days you know." He calmly replied.

"You are quite handsome you know, especially when you are resignedly talking about things you think are out of your hands." she told him, not minding what he just said.

"And you look adorable and quite beautiful." He replied.

"Thank you."

"And we are still inside the forest...shall we?" he said, motioning the last part of his speech with his hands instead.

"Oh no, I  have to get back." She replied.

"Great."

"We will see again tomorrow." She told him.

"How?"

"Your anani; once it makes this beep, I'm around and calling." She said, demonstrating what she meant by showing Steve.

"Noted"

After that, she bided him goodbye, created an asportation link and asported off the place back to Muur.