Chapter 16 - Neela
I’ve finally finished my rounds. My patients are all lying down now, completely wiped out after emptying their guts. The muscle-relaxing plant will help them sleep it off peacefully.
I did feel a tiny pang of guilt when I saw just how well those herbs worked.
I reassured them that the effects were intense but temporary—probably something poorly digested.
That is, until one of them whispered, almost too softly to hear, that he’d never eat meat again.
So Kiran was right—Palace residents do eat animal flesh regularly.
But now that my official duties are behind me, it’s time for the unofficial ones.
Besides my medical satchel, I always carry my little camera.
I discover the bones of small animals beside the incinerators.
I take pictures, my heart sinking for these creatures who died for nothing, and then I head off in search of weapons. I need to check Vassili’s office.
I’ve been there before, like most of us. He likes to receive colonists in that spacious room, where a projection of old Earth plays on the back wall.
I find it again and slip inside without issue. The hallways are deserted. It’s obvious now—all the residents have violated the Pact. Even if they didn’t kill anything themselves, the fact they’re all sick proves they’ve been eating those forbidden meals.
A large desk dominates the Regent’s office.
I run my hands across its surface carefully until I find the trigger.
A drawer opens silently, revealing a strange weapon.
It doesn’t look like anything I’ve seen in Earth movies—or anything like Prax’s two weapons, either.
It must come from somewhere else. Bully, maybe?
I snap a quick photo and close the drawer before continuing my search.
I’m inspecting a locked composite block when the sharp voice of the Regent’s advisor cuts through the silence behind me.
“What are you doing here, you nosy little rat?”
Oops. Caught red-handed. My heart hammers in my chest as I scramble for an explanation.
“Oh, Marjorie! I was told someone in this section wasn’t feeling well. I was just checking on my last patient before heading back to my quarters. I’m so glad to see you’re doing okay!”
“You think I’m an idiot?” she snaps. “You know damn well the residents’ rooms are on the other side. Tell me, what are you really doing in a restricted zone?”
“I swear I got lost! You know, us mountain folks only have tiny two-room units. This Palace is huge...”
I turn on the innocent charm and speak in my most soothing voice, but the cruel smile on her face tells me she’s not buying any of it.
“You know what? I don’t even care anymore!
You’ve been on my nerves for way too long, with your judgmental little glares every time we cross paths.
The others are out for the day—they probably ate something rotten.
But me? I was busy… with other things. So it’s just you and me now.
And I’m finally gonna do something I’ve wanted to do for a long time: kill you. ”
A chill rushes down my spine. Her eyes say she’s dead serious—this isn’t just posturing. I try another tactic.
“Oh, Marjorie, you’re too much!” I say with a laugh. “You’re so convincing, it’s scary! I’m so glad you didn’t eat the same spoiled food as the others. Gorka was espe—”
“Shut up!” she barks.
She’s cornered me at the back of the room, far from the exit, and now she opens the drawer where I found the weapon earlier.
“Maybe you hadn’t seen anything before, but you sure have now,” she says, aiming the object at me with a vicious grin.
“What is that thing?” I ask, feigning ignorance.
“Oh, come on. Even a mountain yokel like you knows what it is. You know what? Every Palace resident has one. And we know how to use them. Handy for hunting dinner… or making nosy pests disappear.”
I stare at her, stunned. Did she just admit to murder? That can’t be real. Someone would’ve known… right?
“Ha! I can see your little brain chugging along, wondering if I’m telling the truth.
Well, guess what? It’s very convenient that the incinerators are here at the Palace.
Remember Akiro and his partner Jonathan?
That little snoop found some marmot corpses in the kitchens.
Makes a delicious stew. Those two never made it to Arabia Terra.
Just a one-way ticket to the furnace—just like you! ”
Ares help us! Marjorie is a full-on psychopath. She’s bragging about killing Akiro and Jonathan—two sweet guys who never hurt anyone.
“I don’t understand. Why?” I whisper. “Does the Regent know?”
“Vassili? He’s our role model. He’s gonna bring Human greatness back to the center of this community.
We’re done blindly following some alien utopian ideals.
What right do they have to lecture us? They dropped us off here and never checked back in.
And they forced us back into the Stone Age.
We humans are the only species smart enough to dominate all the others!
We conquered Earth—made Nature our servant.
You’ve seen how fast our ancestors advanced.
And the Polarians dumped us here, stripped us of everything, and gave us these outdated rules? They can shove their laws!”
She’s fired up, preaching about the glory of old humanity, her eyes shining, forgetting completely that without the Polarians, we’d all be dead on a dying Earth.
“But what did Akiro and Jonathan have to do with any of that?” I ask softly.
“Because you softies—'na?ves', as we call you—actually like that stupid Pact. You—yeah, you—always shoot me dirty looks when I clear out the market shelves. But if I want to eat every damn kiwi in two days, who’s gonna stop me? If I feel like shooting a rabbit just for fun—or for that delicious power of life and death—it’s not you that’s gonna stand in my way! ”
“Doesn’t it bother you at all, acting selfishly, ignoring the consequences?”
“Oh Neela, sweet naive Neela… You just don’t get it.
It’s the law of nature. The strong dominate the weak.
They don’t help them. It’s every man for himself!
That’s how it was on Earth, always. And soon, it’ll be the same on Mars.
Vassili’s got a plan, and soon you’ll all be under his thumb. Well, you won’t—lucky you.”
“You talk about domination. I believe in balance. Every species has value. Humanity is just one thread in the web. When our ancestors forgot that, they slowly killed the Earth.”
“See? That’s what I’m talking about. You’re so stuck in your precious Pact, you can’t see straight. You know what? Let’s go. I’m taking you to the incinerator now—it’ll save me the trouble of dragging your corpse later.”
She’s dead set on this—I can see it in her smug expression. Now that she’s spilled everything, she’s not going to just let me walk away. Gods, why couldn’t she have eaten the stew like the others?
Resigned, I head toward the door, her bitter presence close behind. How much hate does someone need to do something like this?
As I step across the threshold of the Regent’s office, I spot Prax, pressed against the wall.
Relief crashes over me so fast I almost leap into his arms—but there’s no time.
He grabs my wrist, yanks me behind him, and tosses me into Esteban’s waiting arms. Marjorie bursts out, shocked by my sudden disappearance.
Her wide eyes meet my Sadjim’s… and she doesn’t even flinch when he raises his arm.
“Well, you know what?” he grins. “You’re gonna take a big ol’ nap!” And just like that, he clocks her hard on the temple, flashing me a mischievous look.
She drops instantly, unconscious, the weapon slipping from her hand.
My first instinct is to help her, but Prax blocks me.
“Don’t go near that lunatic! What do we do with her?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean it’s clear. What do we do with her? She confessed. She was about to kill you. We can’t let her walk away.”
“I agree,” Esteban chimes in.
“You can’t be serious! We’re not like them. We don’t kill. And in case you forgot, I’m a doctor. I save lives—I don’t take them!”
“Then we leave. Right now. Grab what you need, and we get out of Cydonia. Because trust me, after this, they’re coming for you,” Prax says, final and cold.
A wave of panic hits me. Leave my home? But where would we go? And how would we survive in the Martian wilds?
“I don’t mean to rush you,” Esteban cuts in, “but maybe finish this convo outside the Palace?”
He leads us to the kitchens. A hidden exit. Thank the stars.
Outside, Prax falls into step beside me. I slow down and glance at him.
“What?” he says. “My presence here won’t stay secret for long. I’m not leaving your side until we’re safe.”
We reach my snowbike. He hops on first, then gestures for me to hold on. I don’t even get to ask if he knows how to drive the thing—he’s already gunned it and taken off toward my place, moving much faster than I’m used to, but smooth and confident.
The wind rushes past as my thoughts spiral. Could I have stopped Marjorie? Should I have let them do it? No. But what other choice did we have?
When we finally arrive and dock the snowbike, Kiran rushes out of the house.
“Are you okay? What happened? Did you find anything?”
“Chill, Human. Give us a second,” Prax mutters.
“Sorry, Kitty, for worrying about my twelve-year-old sister going on a spy mission with an alien cat as backup!”
“First of all, I’m a Sadjim, not a damned cat. And your sister isn’t twelve—she’s twenty-five in Polarian years. And if you didn’t want her in danger, you shouldn’t have sent her. I could’ve done this solo. We wouldn’t be on the run right now.”
Kiran blanches and locks eyes with me, hoping I’ll say he’s wrong. I don’t.
We go inside. Prax lays it all out. It’s clear—we have to leave. Soon.
“When will they be back on their feet?” Kiran asks.
“They won’t show tonight. But tomorrow morning, they’ll be good as new,” I say. “Can’t we stay the night and leave at sunrise?”