CHAPTER 16
GRIEVANCES
The next day, Nox awoke with a sore head as the buzzer went off. 6:00 am, work as usual. He unfolded his metal legs from within the locker, and got into them. Once again, he felt the sting of cold metal on his tail and back. Then his situation dawned on him.
The drunken nightmare of the night before had been real. His friend had lied to him for an unknown reason, and Dran was dead. He couldn’t believe the old fella was really gone. No more half-deaf one way conversations with him. Nox’s old war hero who had shown him the ropes during the ‘D&M’ war was gone.
Eventually, Nox made his way to the café for breakfast, and sat at a table, eating, whilst watching the M.O.M. news.
“Research is being put into new types of slig,” The TV reporter slig droned, “One will be able to fly, using a propeller or flapping device, and another will be given steroids to increase muscle growth, ultimately called, the Big Bro slig. Prices are sketchy, but Vykkers Labs are…” It went on, but Nox wasn’t listening. That’s when Stollin and Wrask walked through the door of the café.
“How are yeh?” Nox asked them both.
He received two nods. They got their food and sat with him.
“You heard this?” Stollin started, pointing at the television in the top corner of the room. “Flying sligs my arse! The day sligs fly is the day I die…hey, that rhymed!”
“You ‘aint heard the best of it,” Wrask joined, “They’re talkin’ about Big Bro sligs or summat, apparently they’ll be three times our size, and built o’ nothin’ more than muscle and bone! Vykkers, huh…lunatics, the lot of ‘em.”
Wrask and Stollin looked at Nox, bemused by the look of sorrow on his face.
“What’s up, Nox?” Wrask asked.
“I just cant believe the old slig’s gone.” Nox replied, looking down at the table.
“Well, at least he don’t need to worry about work no more. Try an’ think of the good side.” Stollin said, genuinely concerned by Nox’s obsessive behaviour.
“Yeah,” Nox said. “I spose your right.”
The day went on, and the days began to merge together like one, long, drunken period. Nox adjusting himself to the work of a Slig Barracks soldier once more; assigned to different posts every week and guarding various area’s. He visited the child often, every night before the pub, in fact. He was still unsure on how to get the kid out into the wilderness with other mudokons.
The daily grind was back, and with a vengeance. Nox was beginning to lose strength of mind, every night getting slaughtered, but always visiting the mudokon child before hand; once in the mornings, and once at night, sneaking food in for the kid. Then, one particular night, in ‘The Rotten Barrel’ pub, Nox met a slig lieutenant.
Nox was drinking yet another pint of beer at the bar with Wrask (Stollin was on night shift), when he heard a slig shout his name. He turned to se a slig with three stripes tattooed onto his arm and wearing an officers cap, looking at him, soon leaning on the bar next to him, his glass in hand.
“I hear yeh just got back from prison.” He said, avoiding Nox’s penalizing gaze.
“Yeah, a couple o’ weeks ago. What’s it to you?” Nox replied rather aggressively.
“Easy, easy! Look, I just thought you’d like a bit of good fortune. I heard a friend of yours died recently as well…Dran, wasn’t it?”
At the mention of Dran’s name, nox grabbed the lieutenant and pushed him against the bar, face close to his own.
Kick his head in son!!
“I said, what the fuck is it to you?!” Nox growled, slightly intoxicated and not caring for his actions.
The pub fell silent. The bartender mudokon thought better of it and walked over to them from behind the bar.
“Now now, lads. Lets keep it sociable shall we.” He said nervously, attempting to get between them, to no avail.
Silence hung in the pub, many sligs watching Nox’s every move.
HA HA HA!! That’s it my son!
Nox looked around, and slowly released his grip of the lieutenant. The pub chatter was back as quickly as it had gone.
“Look mate –”
“I’m not your mate.” Nox snapped back.
“Look, I just came to say that I could get you a militaristic promotion, but if you’d rather stand here drinkin’ –”
“Ok!” Nox butted in. “Tell me about it.” He said, staring into his half filled pint glass.
“Well,” The slig lieutenant said, suddenly more interested and leaning in towards Nox. “Seeing as you were in the whole of the ‘D&M’ war…that’s right, ‘aint it?”
“Yup.” Was his humble reply.
“Well,” The lieutenant stammered, struggling to gain ground. “If you started an appeal for your own case, seeing as you’ve received no promotion as of yet…is that right?”
“Yup.”
The lieutenant cleared his throat.
“Erm, well…err, oh yeah, you can appeal for your own case of having received no promotion as of yet since your input during the ‘D&M’ war, and they’ll give ya’ at least sergeant just to shut you up!”
Nox looked at the lieutenant, his face seemed genuine. Something Nox wished he saw more of.
“Why would they do that?” He asked wearily, as he began to stare into his pint glass again.
“It’s paperwork, you see! They’ll do anything to avoid all the paperwork! Seeing as there’s only three slig captains in the whole of Slig Barracks, and there the ones that have to do it for the glukons, they try their best to avoid it. And believe me, there’s a lot less paperwork in giving someone a promotion than denying it! You wont lose!”
Nox continued to stare into his glass, taking all the information in that he had just been given.
The lieutenant looked uneasy for a second.
“Well?”
“Why are you tellin’ me this?” Nox asked, possibly not able to convince himself that someone was actually trying to do him a good deed for once.
“Because, sligs stick together.” He replied earnestly.
Nox was reminded of prison life, and how sligs formed their own gangs against the mudokon ‘scum’. He shook his head in sorrow for his friends still stuck in that dreadful place.
“What? Don’t ya’ believe me?” The lieutenant asked, slightly confused.
“Right, that’s enough!” Wrask stepped in. “Clear off you! We were fine drinkin’ here ‘till you arrived!”
“No.” Nox intervened. “He’s right. Tell me,” He said, turning to face the lieutenant. “What are the details?”
The slig lieutenant proceeded to tell Nox everything in his knowledge to help him cut corners and receive a promotion.
“They’ll make you a sergeant at least!” He said afterwards.
Nox still had his half filled glass of beer to be drunk, that was now warm. But more pressing matters were at hand.
“Wouldn’t you wanna’ do it as well?” The lieutenant asked Wrask.
“No…no way. Too much hassle.” He replied bluntly as he took another swig of his drink.
“What will it give me, anyway?” Nox questioned.
“Well, it’ll give yeh more free time, and smaller working hours.”
Lage!
Nox remembered the kid, and how he’d be able to get it into the wild with some natives if he had more spare time. He immediately set himself for this task.
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thought i'd post another chapter for those who want to read it over the weekend.
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