Hate And Heresy

Although their fight had ended, Cain seemed far from accepting the truth. In the shredded remains of the shop, Moya served coffee and tea while the women sat on the damaged couches of the living room. A great deal of fluff had been let loose from the furniture and even more comically erupted as tired bottoms gave the seats a job to do.

Suizu stared off into the unknown as she tried to contemplate the story she had been told about the dead god Kool. She had been nothing but a soldier following orders. A special tool for their queen and their gods. If her ways were indeed wrong, it would take a good moment to forget.

Cain was far more upset. Her face was that of great frustration as she wanted to deny the truth. The imperial guard fidgeted with her hands and tore unconsciously at the couch cushions. The Seven Sisters were devout followers, but the Imperial Guard were far closer, having access to their most holy of sites and the scarce opportunity to see their queen personally. When presented with a cup of tea, Cain shook and blinked many times in her skittish state.

"T-thank you, for your hospitality, despite our great rudeness," Suizu said, accepting a cup of coffee.

"You only tried to kill me and take away my master," Moya teased in reply. "Don't worry about it. Are you sure you don't want to take off that armor? It doesn't seem very comfortable."

"It's acting as a metaphorical shield, I think," Suizu explained, staring into her cup. "It's helping me feel safe while I ponder."

Adella sat her sword down on the kitchen table and with the action, her armor quickly faded into nothing. The short blonde was left with a white nightgown and her long wavy hair.

"Such a relief!" Adella said with arms stretched high.

Meek thought for a moment to do the same, but remembered she would have been nude without the red armor and instead fetched some clothing.

"Feel anything yet?" Adella asked Moya, accepting her cup of tea.

"I don't think so," Moya replied. "I feel just as I did before the fighting. Maybe there isn't really supposed to be any difference? Maybe I should try lifting something I couldn't have before? Give it a test?"

"Did our sister die well?" Suizu questioned.

"She died in an instant," Adella replied. "I offered her mercy."

"Corinth was deeply rooted," Suizu said. "She often told of visions she would have or voices of the gods she could hear. I don't think she would have left the Ordan."

"But you did, easily enough," Meek pointed out, coming down from the second floor wearing a white tank top and blue jeans. "You weren't a rooted follower?"

"I was a firm believer in our queen's truths," Suizu explained, "but when I heard you mention Kool and the Old Throne, I didn't need any more explanation. It is said that a single true creator made us all, but the birth of the galaxy and its inhabitants burned away the creator's life. The throne left behind held his infinite power and a new true creator was to be made, but when the lesser god beings could not agree who should be the new creator, one of them hid the throne away so that no one could claim the old one's power. Kool must have found the throne and was killed for it."

"That old fairy tale?" Cain questioned. "That can't possibly be true."

"I had never even heard of it before," Meek said, sitting with the women. "But Kool f.u.c.k.i.n.g died giving me a memory card and saying I had to take this holy chair."

"Have you looked at the information yet?" Adella asked.

"No," Meek answered. "I'm lacking the nerve necessary. Figured I'd take a look once we were off the planet."

"Which should be soon, if we don't want to meet the executor," Adella reminded.

"I can't believe the queen would go to such great lengths to have you return home," Suizu said.

"I don't know how much the gods would divulge to that crazy hag, but I bet Koi, I mean Meek, has to return home because Kool reached out to her about the throne," Adella guessed. "I'm sure the gods would like to know where that throne is, which is why an executor is involved."

Moya sipped her tea gently while raising a hand like a confused child. Meek smiled and gave a soft laugh.

"Executors are the shadowy figures of the Ordan," Meek explained for the the slave. "They take orders from the queen and cannot be defied. An executor's actions are treated as the direct will of the gods. They're violent f.u.c.kers and are typically sent off to distant systems out of the army's reach to sew the seeds of rebellion and topple empires that could be a threat to the Ordan. They do whatever the hell they want and don't care who or what is in the way of their goal."

With a tap of her foot against the shield on the floor, Cain's armor quickly faded away and the tough redhead was down to a bra and p.a.n.t.i.e.s on the ruined couch. She let out a deep sigh and sank into the cushion with her eyes closed and her carved muscles relaxing.

"That solves it," Cain said. "There would not be an executor involved unless the story is true. The Ordan are lying about their gods and consuming all."

"I think it's weird that none of you could see this on your own," Moya said. "You were all crusaders spilling the blood of the innocent. It all seems pretty no-brainer to me that you were following the forces of evil."

"When you've been taught that what you do is the only right answer, you don't tend to do otherwise," Meek said. "But when your perfect structured life suddenly has other factors to consider, factors you were made to believe weren't real, then shit gets… real."

"So close to a profound explanation," Moya teased.