Phasma by Delilah S. Dawson

Author:Delilah S. Dawson [Dawson, Delilah S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Worlds
Published: 2017-09-02T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

—

The next day, Vrod appeared in bright-blue robes, his long beard braided and dyed purple. When they’d met him yesterday, he’d appeared to be just another prisoner, but it must’ve been some peculiar game or ploy to test them. Now he seemed like a caricature of a person, with colorful paint around his eyes and stitching on his sleeve that emphasized his white hand. A whisper of worry went up around the room. He looked at his prisoners with a satisfied, anticipatory smile and clapped his hands.

“Yesterday’s bounty, come along. It’s time to meet the Arratu and see what you can do.”

Brendol stepped forward. “All of us? One of my people is still injured.”

Vrod shrugged. “That’s not my problem. You only get one chance to meet the Arratu, so you’d best leave her behind.”

They’d removed Elli’s helmet sometime in the night, and when Siv jumped down she saw that the woman’s color wasn’t good. She was pale, with purple circles around her eyes and matching blue lips.

Phasma leaned in and confirmed what Siv suspected. “Her neck is broken. Even if she wakes, she won’t be able to move her legs, maybe even her arms. Brendol thinks she might pull through, but in his world, one grows accustomed to medical miracles.”

“One more reason to get back to his ship,” Siv noted.

Phasma nodded. “But we won’t get there if we have to drag deadweight.”

Standing, Phasma called out to Vrod, “Will you allow us to keep our clothing?”

Vrod chuckled. “If your appearance amuses the Arratu, yes.”

Brendol and Phasma traded a glance. Whatever passed between them ended with Brendol inclining his head in a nod.

Without another word, Phasma began stripping Elli’s body of the white armor.

Although Phasma was never clumsy, it was an awkward job. The other two troopers didn’t know whether to help or repel her until Brendol sighed. “Fine. Help her.”

“And now you have until I’m bored,” Vrod said, turning his attention to a mess under a ragged blanket in the corner. “Who drew the short straw last night? Ah. He wasn’t very interesting. No great loss. You’d all best hope the new blood is amusing, or you’ll be licking bones for dinner.”

Every eye settled on Siv and her group, and she felt as if she were being picked apart by knives. These people were beyond loyalty and kindness, reduced to only hunger and desperation. Perhaps Brendol’s First Order was the answer he claimed for such folk, if they could take a city this wretched and overcrowded and bring peace.

With the stormtroopers’ help, Phasma soon had the white armor attached over her regular clothes. The fit was inelegant, as Elli was a head shorter than Phasma and a bit stockier, but the end result was that their greatest warrior had the best armor ever seen in the Scyre. When Phasma put on the helmet, she gasped briefly.

“You get used to it,” Brendol said as Phasma’s helmet turned this way and that.

“What do you see?” Siv asked.

Phasma laughed, a rare thing.

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