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4
Anubis
If I wasn’t already regretting agreeingto do this, I am now. The ridiculous headpiece they have made me put on, not to mention the skirt and the golden cross hanging from my neck, make me look like I’m auditioning for a wacky play. I can’t believe that this isreallythe best plan we have to get the humans back in line. I understand that we can’t just roll down there in our ships and order them to get back to work, but surely this is a little too elaborate even for the Dhaarrir military, who aren’t exactly known for their subtlety.
When I’m ready, the general comes in to give me a few final words of encouragement. “You look fabulous, my boy!”
I force a smile at him as I adjust the royal-blue headpiece to make sure it doesn’t fall over my face.
“You look exactly like a god of the underworld. This outfit mixed with your impressive stature will leave the humans with no doubt that you are the real Anubis!”
My first instinct is to let out a sarcastic ‘hurrah,’ but I think better of it in the end. “I will bring the humans back in line swiftly, Rah.”
“Good, good. I will hand you over to my first officer Chem-tat-ef for a full briefing of the particulars of your mission.” Rah gestures to a man working an enhancer in the corner of the control room. He is dressed in military uniform and seems to have somewhat of a resting scowl on his face.
Rah leans in, and, in something of a whisper, says, “Now remember, human casualty is necessary to strike fear into their hearts. You will need to be brutal when that is called for. But don’t go wild. Even though these creatures are incapable of complex thought, we still need them for the purposes of our empire. Don’t get carried away with the killing, no matter how reprehensible you deem them to be.”
“Absolutely not, Rah. I understand completely.”
“Excellent. I knew that I could count on you. Now, I’ll leave you in the capable hands of Chem. Your recommendation will be waiting for you when you get back.”
“Thank you, Rah!” I say, putting out my palm. He brushes it with his fingers, and I turn in the direction of Chem.
* * *
“Chem, right?”I say to the man, extending the top of my hand to him, as is customary with people of your own age and position. I can see from the markings on his uniform that he graduated the academy a year before I did, which puts us in the same range, despite him already being a first officer here.
Chet looks up from his desk and says, “Is that any way to greet a first officer?” I am completely stunned by his answer. I have never known someone of his age to require a formal greeting.
“Forgive me, but how else would you have me greet you?” I use the informal version of the word ‘you’ to piss him off a little more.
He stands up, stiff as a board, and almost shouts, “I am Chem-tat-ef, first officer of the Ebkherun mission, and you will address me accordingly.”
I look at him in astonishment—is this guy for real? It’s like he’s living in the Pharsic era. I can already tell that we are not going to get along. I follow his idiotic custom, just to keep the peace, since I won’t be here for long anyway, and turn over my hand. He smiles smugly and runs two fingers down my palm.
“That’s better,” he says, arrogantly.
“You were supposed to tell me the particulars of my mission, I believe,” I say. I can see in his eyes that the informal ‘you’ seems to cause him physical pain. He lets it go, since I already gave in to his asinine greeting request. If this were my permanent posting, I would have nipped that nonsense in the bud.
“Yes, indeed,” he counters dryly. “Look here,” he commands, pointing at the enhancer in front of him. He swipes up a map of Ebkherun. “You will be droppedhere,” he says, pointing to a place in the middle of nowhere. “From there, you will hike to Avaris, where your true mission will begin. The range is too far for our communications systems to reach reliably, so you will be on your own. You will send up a report every day at 2100 hours of your progress. Failure to do so will result in punishment. In two weeks’ time, we will have a mid-mission rendezvous in the desert, here.”
Again, he points to a spot way out from the city itself. “Is there a reason we need to meet so far away? Surely the humans won’t catch on to what’s happening here, even if they do see us.”
He looks at me with apparent disgust and counters, “It is imperative that the humans believe they themselves are in control. As far as they are concerned, anyone who looks like we do is the god of the dead, Anubis. How would you explain a group of us meeting?”
“I understand that the humans need to maintain the illusion of control over themselves. This stops the threat of any kind of uprising, since there is no one to rise against. I’m just saying that these precautions seem a little over the top.”
“Well, it is not your place to question said precautions. You will do as you’re told.”
“What is with you, mate? Why are you so aggressive about this stuff?”
“I’m not ‘aggressive.’ There is simply a proper way to do things, and you clearly have no clue about Ebkherun or our procedures on the station.”
“I’ve only just arrived; how do you expect me to know every single detail?”
“Exactly! You’ve just arrived, and the general has decided to give you this mission. I have been here an entire year and was not even considered. All I’ve been hearing is how great and intelligent Neb-en-khata is. Well, let me tell you, I’m not impressed.” Chem ends his little outburst, almost out of breath.
“I see, it makes sense now.”
