Private Cruel and Unnatural Gifts

[Ettiene Kharne]

Some years had passed now since a tragic fire had swept across the ancient city of Wiri, followed close in turn by a spate of brutal murders. And while the city’s denizens still reeled in some capacity to its recent traumas, it sought now to reach forward toward some semblance of normalcy. This began with the reinstitution of a once beloved festival that at one time took place annually. A festival that celebrated the city’s growth and prosperity, despite the estranged relationship it held with Yesmireen’s other major city. When the Confederacy had occupied the world all those years ago, the people of Wiri had seen a period of brief peace with its neighbor, but after its collapse and withdrawal from the planet, the relationship that had been grown between the two cities quickly devolved once more. The fire and the murders had quickly followed.

Today would be a day of plenty. A day of celebration. A day of triumph. That was the aim and the goal at large.

The streets of the ancient city, occupied predominantly by non-human species, bustled with life and fervor. A deliberate contrast to the city’s very gothic and crude architecture. Pale blue and green lights lit the gray-white fog that hung low over the city. It looked as though the city glowed with some kind of aura. An aura that suggested both promise and hope, feelings that had seemingly abandoned the world as quickly as the Confederacy had come and gone. Even though the temperatures were chill, there was an air of warmth that seemed to radiate throughout the city today.

At some point, the city’s leaders were supposed to speak to the residents. It’d be the signal to the true start of the festivities planned for the day.

It was here that Ettiene had found himself. He’d lived here since before the collapse of the Confederacy and has chosen to remain, even as tensions between humans and non-humans on the planet had quickly eroded. The totalitarian nature of the humans of Yesmireen hadn’t sat well with him as their tactics and policies threatened his freedoms to research and experiment as he pleased in his ongoing quest to expand his own understanding of life. While the societal and cultural stance of Wiri did not always agree with his goals and tactics of achieving them, the moral impasse had yet to infringe upon him. For now, at least.

A black overcoat hugged the contour of his well muscled frame. It was left open at the top, baring a portion of his well defined chest for all to see. Black slack contoured tightly one his legs, leaving his ankles exposed, a brief interruption to his black attire before returning with slick, black shoes that caressed his feet. His beard had been trimmed nicely, his hair slightly unruly and unkept, bangs swept back from his light brown eyes. A metallic necklace hung from around his neck, displacing some kind of religious talisman of the same metallic material. There was a confidence to his step as he walked, as there often was. Ettiene was a prideful man; some might say too prideful. Barring of the cusp of arrogance. But he held pride in the way he looked, in both his mind and his physical form. And he did not shy away from showing that.
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[Ettiene Kharne]

“Over here!” The call out came from a Chagrian vendor to Ettiene’s left. “Might I interest you in some of my wares?” Laid out before the vendor was an assortment of bits and pieces, mostly resembling parts stripped from different machines and vehicles. Most were not in good condition, their oxidation evident in the visible rust inlaid into their other gray, albeit dirty, sheen. None of it was of use to Ettiene, so he kept his pace, no matter the extravagant waving motions the alien made to try and draw him closer.

Various other calls would come and go, though they bled together and were often an incoherent roar of voices and languages.

Keeping his pace, Ettiene continued down the streets, his current path leading him toward a large, eloquent building that served as the capitol building for the city. Before it lay an immense stage decorated with various flags and other pendants representing the politicians that held offices here and their respective political affiliations. He received several disingenuous looks, teetering on the edge of disgusted leers as he continued. By all appearances, he was human, and humans were not overly welcomed within the alien dominated city. And rightfully so. Humans on Yesmireen had spit upon and shunned all alien races on the planet. While Ettiene did not align himself with those humans, his appearance was all it took to draw such attention.

“You don’t belong here, human!” The words were spoken nastily toward him from a four-armed Codru-Ji woman who waved one of her fists in the air. She was entitled to her distaste for him, even if it was misplaced in this instance.

Moments later, a thunderous roar erupted near the stage as a Falleen man stepped onto from the capitol building. He gestured to the crowd and the ovation grew even louder. Behind him, three others took to seats that lined the stage. Ettiene could only assume they were either other politicians for the city or more speakers set to talk all their ears off.

“People, people,” the Falleen man began. The crowd which continued to grow and grow began to quiet as the green skinned alien spoke. “It’s been my utmost pleasure to have served you in the capacity of your mayor as I have for the last three years. Truly, it has.” He paused briefly, allowing for a brief reprise of the ovation he’d received just moments earlier. “And I am thrilled to celebrate this momentous occasion with all of you here today. It’s been five years now since the tragic day the flames engulfed much of our beloved city. Five years since that spate of murders took so many from us that we held so dear. However,” he said, pausing only briefly. “We have come together in ways I only thought came in dreams. We’ve rebuilt, but not only physically through repairs to the city, but emotionally, spiritually and as a society. A culture!” A thunderous applause erupted once again. “When the Confederacy left here, our human brothers and sisters on the other side showed just how cruel and disgusting they were. They wasted no time in trying to repress us. No time in trying to subdue us. And what did we do? We banded together. We supported and stood up for each other. We said no. We said we will not be lessers. We will not be driven away as they did to the Immerin oh so long ago. Their story is not our own. We will write our own history and here we are doing it. Today is for you. Today is to celebrate your unrivaled resilience. To celebrate the strength of our community in the face of oppression. Today we celebrate our inalienable right to exist!”
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[Ettiene Kharne]

Ettiene shrugged as the Fallen man finished his speech and the crowd that had gathered, continuing to grow by the minute, roared with thunderous applause. The man, this Major, had not spoken in falsehoods, but he’d certainly keyed into specific parts of the truth. A truth he felt now painted an even larger target upon his back. It left him with a pitted feeling in his gut. A chill shrieking down his spine as he could only describe to himself as an ominous foreboding feeling.

He felt sick.

Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled it, allowing the unwanted feelings to fade away as the air coursed over his lips.

Recentering himself, he allowed his gaze to once more become fixated upon the stage where another figure had now come forward. A figure that surprised him in a way. It wasn’t a human, but rather an Irrukinne. A four armed, canine looking species, often with foul temperaments. Politics seemed that odd course for any member of their kind to take. Ettiene shrugged it off, even as the hulking creature began to speak. Without his attention focused on the speech, the words came across garbled and incoherent. Not to mention, the language being spoken was not one that Ettiene himself was familiar with. But that seemed to be the case a lot in this city. So many alien species called this place home that the wide assortment of dialects compounded in a way it was impossible for him to keep track. And as he actually cared little of the political landscape or what these so-called leaders had to say, he didn’t even bother to withdraw his translator device from one of his pockets.

He shifted his weight and began walking again, ensuring he kept aware of his surroundings. One thing was for certain, anyone like him - a human - had to keep their guard up here. And especially so after the Mayor’s speech which seemed to empower many of Wiri’s denizens that may have previously kept to themselves. More and more slurs were thrown his way as he walked, and he felt a certain physical warmth growing inside as his muscles tensed here and there. He could feel anger rising within as he slowly began to fall victim to his own pride. And in another situation, he may have actually given way to it, but here, he knew that option would more likely than not, lead him to places he had no intention of visiting.

Perhaps the time had come for him to return to his quarters and his lab. He’d been gone for long enough now and the crowds throughout the city, for whatever their reasons, seemed to be growing more hostile as the day progressed. It would take him several minutes, but he eventually made it back to his residence. His place of solace. The one place he felt free to do whatever however he pleased to do it.

As he entered the basement lab, the Shyrack in its cage in the corner stirred to life with a fearful screech, awaiting whatever test it could only assume was to be done upon it next.
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