The Religion of Death (Part 2)

It did not surprise him that David too had heard the noise and was already there; the man slept lightly and had a curious nature, an unusual but useful combination. He also was dressed.

The knocking came again and was more insistent this time. When Chandler opened the door a security deputy stood before them, his posture erect and formal. Chandler noticed he was armed, which was unusual; security tended to carry weaponry only when they were in a situation where they thought it might be needed, not just for random patrols.

"I’m sorry for intruding upon you, governor, ah, upon both of you," said the deputy in a crisp voice without a noticeable accent, "but we have a situation."

"Deanna sent you, didn’t she?" said Chandler quietly.

The deputy nodded. "Yes sir. Some of the colonists are rioting, heading for the kitties. We managed to reach them before they got to the forest but we won’t be able to stop them for long."

"And you want me to try to talk to them."

"That’s just about it, sir, yes."

Chandler gestured to David. "If I come, so does he."

"Okay." The deputy waved a hand behind him. "My speeder’s out back, it’ll get us there."

Chandler stepped outside. David closed the door behind them.

-------

The gold-orange artificial flames of flares was what first alerted them that they were nearing the riot, bright artificial fires vividly illuminating the darkness of night. There were a lot of people gathered there, a large group of many dozens being restrained by security. The flares caught the metal-silver weapons they held; the reflected light glimmered and glistened madly, and in that moment David knew it was not likely that a peaceful resolution to this situation would emerge. The people were charged on anger, an emotion that was extremely difficult to deflate. Soon the security speeder was gliding over the crowd. The sounds of cheering and shouting and chanting were overwhelming, assaults on those forced to listen. It was only a matter of a few hours ago that he had travelled across these fields and entered the forest, but then it was deserted. It startled him how things had changed so quickly, and how yet again his instincts had been proved right.

The speeder parked at the edge of the forest and the occupants disembarked. The deputy hurried to join his security comrades while Chandler and David met Deanna who was arguing with Patrick while the rest watched the confrontation, only occasionally voicing their thoughts, content to wait to proceed.

"You’ll be murderers if you go into that forest," said Deanna.

"Or heroes," Patrick replied. "One man’s devil is another man’s saint."

"How is butchering the kitties heroism?"

"They’re the ones who are attacking us, remember. They started it. We are ending this before they can maim or kill any more of our people."

"They started it?" she echoed. "Shit, Patrick. What are you, a man or a ten year old?"

"I’m a person who knows the truth, one of the few who will recognise it when it stares at you directly," he replied.

David and Chandler faced the crowd. David had never seen such livid expressions before; the colonists were acting upon thirty years of anger and frustration and loathing. Right now there was no stopping them; they halted at the security presence only because they had no desire to harm humans as well as kitties.

Patrick regarded the two newcomers through his implants with utter disdain."Ah, the governor and his observer arrive," he sneered.