Chapter 11

Peter glared at Ven as they walked back to the main entrance, but he controlled his emotions and remained silent until their car had driven a few hundred meters from the Palace.

“Have you lost your mind? Why would you ask for something like that?” shouted Peter suddenly causing the driver to get shocked and the car swerving slightly.

“You were given rewards!” shouted Lawrence as he excitedly turned around in his seat to face the two.

“Yeah, His Majesty let us choose whatever we wanted as a reward for our services to Nagiri,” explained Peter as he continued to glare at a silent Ven. “Guess what this hotshot asked for.”

“Being young again?” said Lawrence.

“Sorry, I forgot to mention that was one of the things we couldn’t ask for. That or bringing harm to someone, everything else was on the table,” said Peter.

“Anything you could want,” pondered Lawrence. “If it was for me, I would ask for enough money to live the rest of my days in comfort.”

“Which is what any sane person would ask for. By the way, it’s what I asked for as my reward. But this hotshot over here, he couldn’t be like the rest of us. He went and asked to be added to The Honor Guard!” shouted Peter.

“WHAT!” exclaimed both the driver and Lawrence.

“You see, I am not the only one who thinks you’re out of your mind,” said Peter as he gestured towards the front seats.

“That’s brilliant! Why didn’t I think of that! Money is great but it might get boring after a while, but to be constantly next to His Highness and his most trusted knights! To have your name added to the annals of history! The honor and glory would be something my descendants would talk about for hundreds of years!” shouted Lawrence.

“It might work for someone like you, but I think you’re forgetting our friend here is giftless,” said Peter.

“So, what if he is giftless?” asked the driver, this caught everyone off guard as he had not spoken to them before this.

“Yeah, so what if he is giftless?” added Lawrence following suit.

“It’s not normal. The Honor Guard have always been individuals with outstanding gifts, there has never been a giftless amongst their ranks!” said Peter with a raised voice, he was getting irritated about having to state something so obvious.

“Yeah, but the requirement to be a member of the Honor Guard has never been to be someone with an outstanding gift. The only requirement is that the King chooses who gets to be in The Honor Guard,” said the driver.

“He has a point there,” said Lawrence as he scratched his chin. “But it’s also true His Majesty has only chosen people with outstanding gifts so far to be part of his Honor Guard. So, if you look at it that way, it’s not a requirement but rather an unwritten rule.”

“An unwritten rule our hotshot broke,” added Peter.

“If it’s merely an unwritten rule or tradition which has been broken, what’s the problem?” asked the driver.

“Think a little bit about it, how would you feel if an upstart got the promotion you had been working towards for years?” asked Peter as he waited for everyone to come to the conclusion, he had reached a while back.

“Are you saying he’s already made a bunch of enemies by taking a position they were vying for?” asked Lawrence with raised eyebrows.

“That is exactly what I am saying. Look, no one would have cared or complained if he were someone who clearly deserved to be a part of The Honor Guard. Imagine you’re a highly decorated UTF Officer, probably shortlisted to be one of the few that have the chance to be on The Honor Guard in the future. Now, suddenly you get the news about a giftless being added to The Honor Guard. Can you imagine the feelings of frustration and anger when a giftless is chosen over you? How much it would hurt your pride?” said Peter as he sat back and waited for the others to think over what he had just said.

“When you put it like that, it does sound really bad,” said Lawrence.

“But why does it matter, he won’t be working with those people. He will be working with The Honor Guard,” interjected the driver.

“I feel like it’s taking a longer time to get back to my apartment than it did to get to the palace,” said Ven.

“Are you not worried at all?” asked an irritated Peter.

“I’ve been accepted, so I am going to try it. If I can’t cope, I can always resign and say I was in over my head,” said Ven with a tone of finality in his voice.

“We will be pulling into your neighborhood soon,” said the driver.

“Could I get a photo with you? I doubt I’ll ever get to meet anyone else so famous again in my life,” said Lawrence with a sheepish smile.

In the end, even Peter and the driver ended up taking a photo with Ven. Although the path ahead of Ven was a difficult one, a fact they unanimously agreed upon, they couldn’t help but be a little hopeful that he would be successful in his venture as a Knight. Before leaving, Lawrence had forced Ven to exchange phone numbers with him, stating if Ven ever needed any kind of help he shouldn’t hesitate to give a call.

Back inside his apartment, he was finally alone and the weight of everything that had happened today finally started sinking it. He was going to be a Knight! He also started thinking about this class divide which had been mentioned by both Samundar and Ravendra. Suspiciously though it had been something no one had mentioned to him while he was on the rebel base.

“If they omitted this out, what else have they been hiding from me,” wondered Ven as he absent-mindedly started scratching the scar on his forehead.

He needed a way to get more information on the rebels, but the question was how? Maybe the UTF had information he could use to his benefit; it would be hard for him to access it without Vikram. Vikram had saved his life; he still didn’t think an Assistant was of any use in a direct confrontation, but if he wanted to get information, Vikram was the person for the job. Deciding what to do, he picked up his phone.

“Hi, you said I should call you if I needed any help. Well guess what, I need your help,” said Ven.

“Um... yeah, I didn’t expect you would ask so soon though,” said Lawrence.

“It’s ok if you don’t want to…,” said Ven as he left the sentence hanging.

“No no, I didn’t say that, what can I help you with?” asked Lawrence earnestly.

“It’s been a while since I have been discharged from the hospital now, while they returned most my belongings to me, one thing was missing. Who has my AI Assistant?” asked Ven.

“From what I heard, the techboys that work in the UTF were interested in the illegal AI on your assistant. So, I am guessing they still have it,” said Lawrence.

“Any idea about who I can contact about getting it back?” asked Ven.

“Sorry I can’t help you there. But if you want, I can ask my supervisor, maybe he knows something,” said Lawrence.

“That would be great, I’ll appreciate any help you can provide,” said Ven.

“Ok then, I’ll call you back if I learn anything,” said Lawrence as he hung up.

This was bad, thought Ven as he put his phone on the table, if the UTF was studying his AI wouldn’t they figure out that he had ties with the Rebels? The fact he hadn’t been arrested suggested they hadn’t found out yet, but wasn’t it just a matter of time? He had to try and get his hands back on his Assistant before his cover was blown!

He jumped in surprise as the phone rang, perhaps Lawrence had already made a breakthrough. But upon checking the screen of his phone he was a little disappointed to see it said unknown dialer.

“Hello?” said Ven.

“Hello, am I speaking to Inspector Ven?” asked a feminine voice.

“Yes, this is Inspector Ven, who am I speaking to?” asked Ven.

“My name is Anjali; I am calling on behalf of the UTF. We have received instructions that you are to be transferred from Law Enforcement into the UTF, is that correct?” asked Anjali.

“Yes, that is correct,” said Ven.

“A UTF car will be picking you up at sharp ten in the morning tomorrow, please make sure to have your belongings ready,” said Anjali.

“Ok, everything I own is in a bag, so that shouldn’t be a problem. Where am I being shifted to?” asked Ven.

“That information hasn’t been made available to me at this time, but that’s standard procedure, nothing to worry about,” said Anjali. “If you have no further inquiries, I bid you welcome to the UTF and a pleasant journey tomorrow.”

Sorry for the delay again! Been working night shifts for past 5 days so I didnt have time to properly proof read and post this chapter up.

But its finally up and I hope you like it!

Anderoth