DIVISION BY SUBTRACTION
Scented smoke filled the air as Viyondr stood just beyond the opened ascender doors to the directorate’s air access depot. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much here for him to assess. The damage was even worse up close than what he had seen on the observance monitors. Nearly all of the Gunwinggu and Dimieux were smoldering masses of wreckage.
Emergency crisis personnel worked without disruption sifting through the debris for any survivors. He observed a severed upper body appendage a few manomedes away and cringed. An armament was still in its hand. This attack was a significant setback to their culture’s defense capabilities. There were only so many sites available in Fonantis for the military directorate to store these vessels, where they could also be mobilized at a moment’s notice.
“Honch.”
Viyondr turned to see one of his most trusted regioners, Onicex standing at a lacuna entrance.
“I think you should see this.”
Viyondr nodded. He carefully approached Onicex. He had his fill of carnage for one cycle. He followed Onicex into the lacuna. They traveled down, passing several regioners, who were still in the process of sealing off every mooring. If there were still vakatas in the directorate, Viyondr’s regioners would find them.
They eventually came upon the thirty-first mooring when Onicex stopped and turned to face him. His expression was even more solemn than moments before.
“Before we continue—”
“Step aside Onicex.”
“Yes, honch.”
He stepped aside as Viyondr resumed walking to the mooring. He turned to the lacuna below and stood immobile. Two of his regioners were lifeless. Their faces were distorted and a plash of their fluid flowed from their bodies down the lacuna-steps to the next mooring. He lowered himself as something had captured his gaze. His departed regioners were each wearing golden fetters on their wrists. The fetters were also plashed with their fluid from their swollen hands.
What manner of sortilege is this?
He moved closer to get a better look. He reached out to touch one of the fetters. Before he could do so, he was yanked backwards by Onicex. Viyondr was astonished. Onicex had clearly overstepped his boundaries as his subordinate.
“Forgiveness, honch, but you mustn’t touch those fetters. They’re still active. We’re not certain what they’re made of, but we are certain that is what ended their existence.”
Viyondr respired. The vakatas exposed their culture’s unpreparedness to outside aggression. This was the most vulnerable Fonantis had been since he had taken the mantle of honch. He was determined not to have the dissolution of the abatement be under his direction.
“Where are Saffore and Prukosa?”
“I believe they are on their way to the entry point.”
“Fine. Finish sealing off the directorate, then move on to the rest of Fonantis. We cannot afford knowledge of what the vakata’s have done this cycle to reach Motiecura, Paprijia or Rookanga.”
“Paprijia?”
“You were given a duty, Onicex.”
“Of course. Right away.”
Onicex began traveling down the lacuna to the next mooring. Viyondr respired once more. He turned back to his fallen regioners, his eyes still focused on those fetters. He would make a note not to dispose of the bodies until they were able to figure out how to remove them, so they could be researched.
<>
“Quite the calamity, wouldn’t you say?”
Saffore turned to Prukosa as they stood just beyond the disaster area. The unknown vakatas had liberated one of their own and left a trail of destruction in their departure. Many regioners were sprawled across the surface with visible lesions from the earlier combat with the vakatas. She gestured for Prukosa to trail her as she surveyed the totality of the damage. There would be no doubt that Viyondr would need a full download from them once they returned to the directorate.
She had previously directed Assael and the nearest un-encumbered regioners to check on any Fonantian non-combatants that may have also been impaired as well. Anyone else was now mandated to return to their domiciles until further notice.
The vakatas were much more methodical than either Saffore or Viyondr could have expected. If Prukosa had been better at probing the one they had confined for useful information, it was possible this aggression could have been prevented or avoided altogether. Her inefficiency revealed their hapless unpreparedness.
She recognized remnants of the triple-barreled artillery defense armament under her soleplates. Those armaments were Fonantis’ primary protection against surface-based attacks and now one of them had been rendered useless. The other two other entry points would more than likely require reinforcements.
“Should we pursue them?” Prukosa asked as she turned to her.
“Neither one of us has any standing to make that critical of a decision. Right now, we need to seal the convexity here, before Iscoa returns for another cycle. If we don’t, Fonantis could be at risk.”
“Of course.”
Prukosa stepped away to further probe the situation with the regioners at the entry point. Saffore respired. Viyondr may have previously been unwilling to seek counsel from the finest echelons of Fonantis, but after the incidents of this cycle, there would be no way for him to avoid it. Too much innocent Fonantian blood had been spilled.
We must take action.