“Please, let me in!”
Thitavee-En bashed on the tattered, wooden door. He considered tearing it off its hinges and forcing his way in, but as he was about to do so, the door swing upon. Standing in the doorway was Veyar, looking rather bemused.
“What.”
“Please, I need somewhere safe to go! My master threatened to kill me! I… I need help!”
Veyar grunted, turned around and walked into the building. He didn’t close the door though and Thitavee took this as a cue to follow him.
Inside the building, various R-Class Ksa were busy watching screens, all of which were filled with trackers. The R-Class were the least liked Ksa around, and that was always because they policed the other Ksa, working in the shadows and doing pretty much what they wanted. But whenever a Ksa was in trouble, the R-Class would be there to help them.
At least, that was what they used to do.
Veyar led Thitavee-En down a cold, stony staircase, towards the holding cells. Panic flickered briefly in Thitavee’s eyes, but Veyar remained as cold as the walls around him.
“Stay here in this cell.”
Another voice popped up. Thitavee hadn’t noticed the Rethan in the corner. “You didn’t tell me you were bringing someone down…”
“This is a rush job, Deyar. You should be thankful you are working,” Veyar tutted. “Keep an eye on him. I will return in a moment.”
Veyar quickly left the room. Deyar sighed, then led Thitavee into one of the cells and closed the door behind him.
“Apologies. Standard procedure, you have to be held here.”
Thitavee nodded. The R-Class were known for their strictness and this time was no different. He watched as Deyar wrote things down, occasionally glancing at Thitavee and scribbling out his observations. Thitavee wanted to ask questions, particularly questions about his safety, but for now, he remained silent.
After an unknown amount of time, Veyar returned, with paperwork in his hands.
“Deyar, please leave. Thitavee-En Photeianon, I would like to speak to you and get a timeline of events.”
Deyar did as he was told. Veyar pulled up a chair and opened up the cell door, sitting in the doorway so Thitavee couldn’t make a run for it.
“So, you claim that your master threatened you?”
Thitavee began to shake. There was a lot of fear in the back of his mind.
“Yes.”
“What did he say?”
“He called me into his office. No one else was there, it was the end of my shift. He told me to run, or he’d kill me where I stood.”
“Is this to do with your incident with the High General last October?”
“I… don’t know?”
“Could you reiterate what happened?”
Again, Thitavee shook. Not just fear, but nervousness. He took a deep breath to calm himself then began to speak.
“You mean… when he attacked me… and I woke up in his private quarters… without my armour?”
“Yes.”
“I…” Thitavee thought he was over all of that. His master had been incredibly nice to him, up until all the announcements, other generals refusing to run alongside him, and the reappearance of General Elkay. “I… well, it wasn’t good. I don’t know what happened. He said he was hungry. He asked me… I woke up… I was… Do I really have to talk about all of this? I explained it all to you already…”
Veyar sighed loudly. “You are correct. I wish to know if your master’s attack on your person has anything to do with his threats today. You mentioned in your initial report that you heard someone bargaining for your life, but you weren’t conscious and didn’t know who it was.”
“I don’t know.”
The R-Class Ksa reached down and pulled something out of a pouch. It was some sort of device. He pushed a button on it, which caused it to play a short sound clip. It was a voice, someone speaking. After a moment, Thitavee recognised the voice. It was General Elkay announcing his candidacy for High General.
Suddenly, something clicked in the back of Thitavee’s mind. That voice sounded like…
“Does that voice remind you of anything?” Veeyar asked.
“Yes. That sounds… exactly like… Are you suggesting that General Elkay saved my life?”
Veyar nodded.
“And the High General might want me dead because of General Elkay’s reappearance?”
Veyar continued to nod. Thitavee leaned against the cell walls, feeling disorientated. He couldn’t believe it.
“You… never closed my case, did you?”
“The leader of the N-Class Ksa suddenly being demoted and disappearing for several days, before being found in his home, unconscious and drugged, with their armour missing, how could we close such a case without coming to a conclusion?”
“But…”
“You have an almost flawless record in your years as a Ksa. Apart from this incident, which we do not believe was your fault. With the reappearance of General Elkay and his… dangerous accusations… We will make sure you are protected.”
Veyar stood up and offered a hand to Thitavee.
“For now, we will keep you here with us. Once we have determined the threat levels, you will be re-assigned to another Class. At the moment, the Ξ-Class Ksa have an opening, but if you feel beholden to General Elkay, the K-Class will be reinstated tomorrow and you can join them.”
Thitavee felt confused. He took Veyar’s hand and stood up straight. The shock of it all had left him feeling not at all right.
“I didn’t know you had… this sort of power.”
“The R-Class may police the Ksa, but you all often forget that the duty of policing involves both upholding the law and protecting others. Plus, we currently look rather bad after last year’s… fiascos. We have been trying to make amends.” Veyar let go of Thitavee’s hand, leaving behind a small device with several buttons on it. “I must close the door now, get all this properly organized. The square button turns on the televisual screen, the triangular buttons change the channels. We will check on you every half an hour and someone will be down to bring you food. If you need help, press the round button, we will come to your aid immediately. Understood?”
Thitavee nodded. Veyar smiled slightly, then closed the door, before heading back upstairs.
“Thank you…” Thitavee whispered under his breath. “And I thought the R-Class only worked for themselves…”