An Easy Choice

The room was dark and the half aware audience lounged on either side of a low catwalk, drinking in the sweet smelling haze hanging in the room, all but ignoring their surroundings and the Amasec in their hands.

Only those of House Pantegrul blood or those they trusted without question were allowed access to these rooms. Lucios Pantegrul, grandson of the house patriarch, and several others occupied this one sitting in almost total darkness but for a single white light shining down on center stage.

At his signal a slow, almost hypnotic drumbeat filtered into the room through hidden speakers. Two figures covered by black cloaks with red accents entered from opposite ends of the room, their bare feet falling on the polished wood in time with the sound. He turned left and then right, but saw them as little but moving shadows. They stepped into the light, slowly undoing the silver cloak clasps and drawing back their hoods before dropping the garments to either side of their stage.

The figure on the left slowly spun around, translucent black silk barely covering very dark skin marked by raised scars, a mask of dots around her eyes and a back full of interlocking shapes. Her long black hair was tied into a single braid decorated with ornaments of ivory and silver and the jingling of her hoop earrings was the only sound amidst the drumbeats. “Thank the Emperor for Axamites…” Pantegrul breathed out as she turned to her partner, a Zaestan.

The Abhuman did the same, showing her audience pale skin marked with swirling patterns. He saw multicolored hair in a tight braid, one strand black, one red, another a pale gray and others already changing. Her mismatched eyes, one an icy blue, the other a warm golden brown looked straight ahead.

They walked toward the light, each footfall matching its opposite across the stage. They stood face to face for a moment before walking past each other to stand back to back. Raising their hands above their heads they began a slow shimmy. Each took a lap around the stage in opposite directions, shaking the outward facing hip, revealing their legs through the long slit in their skirts. Turning again they stood in front of him, side by side, each bent forward with arms outstretched adding a shake to their chests and bodies, tassels and jewelry jingling as they moved. They slowly returned upright bringing their arms back above their heads.

They turned in tandem on the balls of their feet, they slowly crossed the stage, rocking their hips back and forth sending the movement through their muscular bodies as they walked. Loukanis and the audience were utterly spellbound by their performance, the normal catcalls and lewd commentary had never materialized leaving only the sound of music. The dancers joined hands, bending outward in opposite directions- the first step of a figure eight that saw their upper bodies almost collide. They bent backwards almost 90 degrees, their braided hair trailing behind them. Slowly bending upright again they spun to face opposite directions in turn to face him, the Axamite first, then the Zaestan. She sank to her knees, rolling her belly and chest while behind her the Axamite did the same facing the other side of the room.

Both raised their arms above their heads and slowly moved back and forth with serpentine grace. The Zaestan shifted to give him a view of her in profile, placing her arms above her head and making a W shape of her legs before coming to rest on them. Stretching her legs out one last time she arched her back, moving her shoulders and upper body back and forth and slowly brought herself upright, her hair turning solid white for a moment. A few steps later and she traded places with the Axamite, performing the same moves for the other side of the table before rolling over and returning to her feet. The music slowed even more, coming to a stop and they sank to their knees their heads down and their skirts pooling around them. The Axamite faced him, the Zaestan showed him her back.

“Everyone out.” He calmly ordered without taking his eyes off them. He didn’t speak again until the room cleared. “Turn to face me- then give me your names.” He was used to having his orders followed- his name commanded respect, though he was more honorable than the previous generations of his House. They spoke so quietly he could barely hear them even in the quiet room. The Axamite spoke first “Tsango.” The Zaestan stood, spinning on her heel again, turning to face him in one deft movement. She gave her name as “Mireli.”

“Tsango, Mireli I swear on the Golden Throne… as a  reward for a performance so unspeakably beautiful… anything in my power to give is yours.”

“There is something…” Mireli spoke and only then did Pantegrul see the rings each they both wore on their right index fingers. Digital weapons- where…? He had no time to finish his last thought before a pair of las shots struck him, snapping his head back and filling the room with a momentary blinding flash and a sound like a small thunderclap. The room was totally silent for a moment after the echo died. They had done their work.

Estavos Pantegrul entered the room flanked by 2 Axamite House Guards. “I truly am sorry cousin, but you are far too sentimental, too driven by emotion. I did this for the good of the House. I wish there had been another way, at least the last moments of your life were ones of beauty-I owed you that much.” He turned to his guards “Contact a priest and bury him- properly.”

Leaving them to deal with his cousin’s body he turned to his accomplices and pulled a pair of dataslates from a vest pocket. “I keep my word. Your freedom and your money- enough for a lifetime of ease, just as I promised.” The two now former slaves took the offered slates without a second glance, leaving their old lives behind. They had weaned themselves off their addictions in preparation for this day, and now were truly free. The choice had been an easy one, a single life cut short in payment for two long since stolen.