THE LAST KEEPER-Chapter 111: PLAN B
"Nokai?" he called, and the blades snapped out again, this time with even more force, and the air around where they touched sizzled.
"Sleep!" he commanded after a moment, and the blades snapped back and disappeared. silence stretched out in the room so heavy it was tangible.
"What the hell?!" Kolu cursed, standing to his feet.
"No machine invented listens to a voice!" Banga spoke, stepping closer. "How did you do that?" Banga was beside sagiri now.
"Like I said nokai is the legacy of my clan, and he only answers to me," sagiri said, still holding onto Nokai for dear life.
"Have you ever done that in front of everyone? Perhaps the man pulling all these strings knows about this weapon?" Senraki asked the most important question while everyone still watched him in astonishment.
"no. nokai had never answered to me before," sagiri said, and he could feel pride rolling off of N’varu in waves.
"I might not know the person looking for him, but if what I have seen is to go by, then it might have to do with the so-called legacy of his clan and this weapon," Lotaga said, and it was the first time sagiri had heard him say something remotely wise.
"Then he can’t walk around with such a weapon, what if it falls into his arms, or worse off, both of them?" Fuwuka said, and sagiri tensed, holding tightly to Nokai.
"The blades only obey me," sagiri said with confidence. He did not know how he knew that, but he knew it was true.
"Then that is much worse because if you react how you just reacted when you wanted to take nit from salka then he will use it to make you do his bidding," Torena said, and there were nods in the room.
"We need to have a plan B then. Whoever we are dealing with seems to know more about sagiri the blind. He is also no opponent we need to take lightly. we need a plan that doesn’t give us away," kiuga said, and the whole room turned to him.
"What could you do if you were the man pulling strings?" kiuga asked no one in particular. kiuga in his element, was no less like a war general.
"The fact that he didn’t kill him when he had the chance but also put him in a suffocation chamber seems like he gains if you die, but won’t lose anything if you do either," Kolu said.
"So he doesn’t find me worthy of killing or worthy of keeping alive either," sagiri said, and that statement alone made him feel angry.
"You are not worthy of killing yet. that is for sure," Kaka said, and kiuga slapped his forehead. he was not helping the situation at all, and he was even worse at reading a room.
"yes so in this situation, making it seem like you are not worthy to kill should be your goal," Matasi said. "But this person seems vindictive, and he might not allow you to stay in that position. he will push," he continued.
"That is why I assigned Lotaga as the squad leader. He could act like, well, like himself, even with a knife to his neck, and he will be best if we don’t want to give anything away," Salka said, and Lotaga gasped.
"What do you mean I act like me in all situations?" he clutched his pearls.
"he means you are stupid," Yavaga said, and Kolu laughed. It seemed as if he wanted to say the same thing, but Yavaga beat him to it.
"I think the captain means I’m good in undercover missions, unlike you kolu who almost got killed in Lanka twice for acting like a fragile lady." Laughter rocked the room for a second, breaking the tension as everyone created a picture of a huge Kolu acting like a maiden.
"It was once, and I was pretty fragile back then. It was my voice that gave it away." Kolu defended his eyes, narrowed at Lotaga.
"You have never looked fragile, let alone like a maiden," Matasi said.
"Then it seems we need a plan B," kiuga said. sagiri could tell the boy had not stopped thinking about how to outsmart the man behind the mask.
"Squad Salka will be in Zandeko’alsi for a mission undercover. that is plan B," Salka said as if he had already thought everything out.
"That is a bad idea," kiuga said immediately.
"Your squad is among the most elite squads. We have to assume this person had tabs on you, and if you move with him, he will know you have made a move and discovered him, and sagiri the blind will most likely move from his list of not-worth-killings to worthy killing if he has a whole elite squad behind him," kiuga said almost immediately.
"What do you suggest we do then?" Salka asked not at all, holding a condescending tone.
"We let him make the first move. We do not know who he is or where he is, but we do have something or someone he wants. No matter how much he hides, we have the upper hand because we have something he wants. So we lay low and show gratitude for being granted the opportunity. Banga can go to the base’s military innovation wings and show interest. Zoliath is interested in a bit of medicine, so he can go to the healing wing and show interest, too. We will spread out, but N’varu will remain by sagiri’s side at all times. We don’t know who to trust, so we will try to collect information as subtly as possible," kiuga said, and sagiri could not have looked at him with admiration more than he already had. kiuga was way past his years, and sagiri doubted many could rival him.
"Smart boy. But spreading out puts you at a disadvantage, and you are all possibly walking to his turf. he might have half, even a third, of the people there under his strings already," torena said.
"That also means that two-thirds of them don’t work for him. If we don’t spread out, we will be sitting ducks and even alert him more if we seem like we are protecting sagiri. we have to play the long game just like he is," kiuga said.
"So plan B is playing the long game?" Salka said.
"I can tell who wants to kill me if they come close enough," sagiri said, and everyone turned to him.
"Your sensory abilities and skill might be outworldly, but you can not presume to know."
"he can," N’varu said, shocking even sagiri. He was the one who always wanted sagiri to hide his abilities, yet now he was backing him up. guess he desperately wanted him not to die.
"Explain," Senraki asked, going to sit behind his desk.
"Just as I knew it was the tamelku who attempted to kill me twice. Everyone has a distinct smell of their intent and presence. that is how I can tell people apart even with my eyes closed," sagiri said, and Kolu looked like he could eat him alive with the amount of curiosity rolling off of him.
"recruit you keep saying things that make me think that the man pulling the strings wants you because of your freak senses," Kolu said.
"That is a possibility, too. the man might fear you or want to use you," kiuga said, and sagiri turned around swiftly.
"Scared of me?" sagiri had never thought of it that way. Use him, perhaps, but he had never thought of the possibility that someone out there could be scared of him.
"kiuga is right again. What could make a man with so much power care about you? Why does he want you so much that he’d send kidnappers into a war academy? Why want to go into a military base? He either thinks you might be useful to him or scared you’d be against him," Senraki said, and the room fell silent again.
"I have never harmed anyone for pleasure. Why could he be scared? sagiri was taken aback at that revelation, and he wished he had seen kiuga’s perspective sooner.
"You just talked to a weapon, think harder. What do you have that he wants?" Matasi answered with another question. sagiri thought long and hard.
"I have always known I was different. I could not have friends because no one wanted to have a friend who could hear their heartbeat two feet away," sagiri started. He pulled the oru’-seals, which were hanging loosely on his ears, so he could hear. "I wear this not to hear but because I can hear the academic commander is saying three rooms down." he paused a little, his ears twitching, and everyone held their breath.
"he is laughing loudly at someone for falling for his joke. Yes, I have always been different, and my step-parents wanted to hide me till this person found me. I can do things other people cant but I have never done anything to make anyone scared of me," sagiri said, feeling slightly distressed that someone saw him as a threat. Even so, some part of him welcomed it, and he did not know why.
"You can hear what a person is saying three rooms down?" Kolu said, and the room fell silent again. "At least now I know why someone is after you. id not want to be your enemy in battle. You can perceive people and hear them from vaara away. Why didn’t you say so sooner?"
"I’m not supposed to trust anyone," sagiri said, and they all nodded in unison.
"When you get to the military camp, you keep this to yourself. and not a word of this lives this room," Senraki said.
"I still don’t know why someone is scared of him. If anything, he now makes a worthy rival," Kaka said, and of course, all he saw was a worthy opponent, not a threat. Such a prideful fellow.
"We follow kiuga’s plan. you can only trust Lotaga in there and report to him," Senraki said. "If anything happens i will have my people in the base pull you out. I don’t care what they say about me later. I will protect every cadet of the Galka War Academy. Whoever this person is, and however different you are, you are a cadet now, and until you graduate, it is my responsibility to protect you. now leave before we alert this coward," Senraki sneered, and everyone nodded in agreement.
What a coward. hiding in the shadows.
"Yes, grand marshal!!" they all answered in unison before turning to leave with Lotaga in tow.
"Other teams should be halfway to the outer pentagon. I hate losing. let’s go!!" Lotaga announced as soon as they stepped out of the inner nonagon gate. It seemed like the talk in Senraki’s office had not affected him at all.
