Alternate EB Intro - Part 1

The following was an alternate version of the opening for my book Emperor's Blood, which was created because at one point, I was iffy about the beginning which is still in use today. This alternate version was scrapped because though I liked the new characters of Dr. Winsor and his wife, I did not like how Ki was being characterized though I did like his rare attention for details. I also liked Hunter's quick introduction to Rimer as a different place from Earth, but this is better explored in the current version of EB. Some aspects of this piece survive in the current version of the opening and please keep in mind that this is not the prologue, but just the first chapter. This was written at least a year ago and at this point, is unedited. Part 2 to follow.

“Hunter Chard, following the previous question - in what year did our species arrive on Rimer?”

Looking up from his own notes from where he sat at the back of the room, seventeen year old Ki Chard watched his brother’s face, wondering if Hunter would know the answer to such a potentially difficult question. Realizing that his staring might be distracting, Ki let his attention drift throughout the airy wood panelled examination room. Along one wall of the third story room windows had been opened to let the rich summer wind drift in, sweeping in the myriad scents of the city and its daylight. The exam room itself was arrayed so that the students sat in stone bleachers, looking down upon their teacher, who usually stood where Hunter did now, in front of the chalk scuffed black slateboard beside the wide wooden teacher’s desk.

Directly above the slateboard and Hunter’s head was an woodblock print of a snarling female falcolf. While the main high school in Seamist was popular, it wasn’t important or rich enough for a full painting in every classroom, so prints had been bought instead. The prints supposedly represented the goddess Kayli Calmspring of learning, her expression to warn idle students from slacking off in their studies, but Ki had seen better renditions of the god in his time and knew that the prints looked nothing like her. For one thing, her facial stripes were completely wrong. Though Ki was not the sort of person to mention it, he remembered details well, facts sticking in his head rather like nut butter. Sometimes it was even hard to stop thinking about such things and at the moment, as the prints had for perhaps the entirety of his high school education, Ki was irked by the lack of accuracy in them.

Unfortunately, he also wasn’t one to volunteer a solution. That was Hunter’s job. Where Hunter was charismatic and outgoing, Ki was reclusive and meek. Nobody could ever tell what had gone wrong with Ki and since he had been raised the same as his foster brother, all anyone could do was blame Ki’s anti social tendencies on the fact that he was an orphan. Unfortunately, in Ki’s opinion this view did not hold much in the way of merit either, because the simple truth was that unlike most orphans, Ki did not actually particularly care that he had never met his parents. Bluntly put, it was Ki’s belief that if he never met his parents or discovered what had happened to him, the lack of truth would not bother him in the slightest.

“Um. I believe this is a trick question.” said Hunter momentarily. Ki looked keenly at him, intrigued by his proclamation.

“Oh? Is it?” asked the teacher in charge of the oral exam. He was rather tall and balding, a friendly enough individual, but not one Ki had ever really liked. His name was Donald Richardson.

“Well yes sir. You haven’t stated what calendar you want the answer in, or if you’re talking about humans in general, or just the exploratory team of the U.N.E. Griffin. Also, if we’re talking humans in general, then you have to take into account that humans arrived in three groups, several years apart, counting the exploratory team.” said Hunter, sweat beading on his face as he stood in his too-warm school uniform, rather than the simple sarong he would of usually of worn on a summer day. Ki wasn’t sure what the difference was between winter and summer, other than appearance, but from a young age he had ascertained that whatever the difference was, it had a big effect on the people around him, while none whatsoever on him. Hunter called it ‘temperature’ but Ki had never had the faintest idea what temperature was, only that sometimes it made Hunter shiver and others it made him stink to high heaven.

Like now.

Ki glanced at Richardson irritably, wanting the man to hurry up so he and Hunter could leave.

“Ah, canny are you?” said the teacher, pleased. “Well, answer all the questions within the question then Mr. Chard.”

“Er, yes.” gulped Hunter. He had been hoping to dodge out as much as possible. Ki snorted.

“Well sir.” said Hunter, clearing his throat and pulling his scratchy collar further away from his neck. The combination of the yellow wool sweater and Hunter’s salty sweat was horrendous. Ki coughed and for a second Hunter’s eyes alighted on him worriedly. Scowling, Ki looked determinedly out the window, down the city-covered hill to the deep blue of the sea…

“For the Rimarian calendar, the human occupation of Rimer begins between the years 1 B.H. - ‘Before Humans’ - and 11 A.G. - ‘After Gaia.’ ‘Gaia’ is the name used for the original home world of our race, which our ancestors called ‘Earth,’ like dirt. Also, this question can not be answered with the Gaian calendar, because it officially fell into disuse by order of the United Nations of Earth - the U.N.E. - before our ancestors had even arrived and as such there is no record available from which to reference a year date.” said Hunter confidently, another droplet of sweat dribbling down his nose from his greasy hairline.

“Hmm.” said Richardson, smiling a little as he wrote something down. Hunter fidgeted with his shirt some more, looking almost more uncomfortable than a horse in labour. The teacher straightened from his careful notes, dipping his quill in the provided cup of water and dabbed it dry on a rag before speaking. “Moving on; why did our ancestors abandon their modern technology for the wheel and horse? Why can’t we live as well as they once did?”

“Because our ancestor’s way of living was deemed ‘wasteful’ and ‘unhealthy’ by the first explorers Zachary Fletch and Sarah Chartier, who later became revered leaders of our kind. They said that the way our ancestors lived was very dangerous, because in ancient Gaia it had harmed the planet and thus its people, which was why our species had to come here. By living with the land, instead of against it, we can preserve the land for future generations of humans and for all species on this world.” said Hunter. Ki was impressed. He would of never of thrown in that last sentence; lucky for him he wasn’t bound for anything academic.

“Hmm. Now I believe you wrote a detailed essay on this exact topic Mr. Chard?” asked Richardson. He checked his notes. “You called it ‘The Effects of Global Warming on H. sapiens.’ Impressive knowledge of latin for somebody who used to forget all the names in biology.”

“Yes sir, thank you sir, biology doesn’t much interest me sir.”

“Then I’ll ask you a new question, unrelated; in what year according to the Gaian calendar did the famous ‘World War I’ begin, what instigated it and what countries took part?” asked the teacher. Ki could not believe it; the man was deliberately trying to throw Hunter off! He glared at the man angrily. If he didn’t pass Hunter, then Ki would see the teachers underpants up the school flagpole faster than he could blink. Fuming, he looked at Hunter and was surprised to see that Hunter was calm.

“Very well sir; World War I began on June 28th 1914 with the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria. It was instigated partially by Archduke Ferdinand’s murder, as well as by foreign Imperialistic policy. There were two different factions during the war, the Triple Entente and Triple Alliance. The Triple Entente was comprised primarily of the United Kingdom, France and the Russian Empire, with other nations such as New Zealand, Newfoundland, Australia, Canada, Serbia, Belgium, India and Romania drawn in through politics, the United States of America joining towards the very end. The Triple Alliance comprised of Germany, Italy and Austria-Hungary.” said Hunter, rushing a little. Gulping like a fish again, he looked inquiringly at the teacher.

“You even remembered that Newfoundland was yet to become a province of Canada at that point in ancient human history.” commented Richardson without looking up.

“You said it was best to remember as much as possible sir. Newfoundland and Canada as well as the other countries may not be important to our culture, but it’s where my ancestors came from, so I took a personal interest in it.” said Hunter, giving Ki a rather guilty glance.

Ki rolled his eyes in response; he didn’t care about lineage.

“For interest then Mr. Chard, what nations contributed to the numbers of the first colonists?”

“The United States of America, Canada, Russia, Japan, Iceland, New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, various nations of Europe such as Germany, China and India.” said Hunter.

“And the original human name for Rimer?” asked Richardson, as smug as a cat after a successful hunt.

“P346576. The name ‘Rim-err’ is native fallan.” said Hunter.

“Very good.” said Richardson. “Now, what’s your reason for wanting to become a Fallan Anthropologist?”

“Sir, we so much about our species’ history, but nearly nothing about the order Falla. If I can bring some of their history to scientific light, then I will of helped in our pursuit of knowledge. There are over thirty known species of sentient falla - think of all the history there is to each species sir!” said Hunter passionately, his voice no longer hesitant. “Not just human kind would find this interesting, but the falla themselves too!”

“Falla are a lot more dangerous to study than humans Mr. Chard.” Richardson pointed out.

“I’m not scared if I can meet with them on equal terms.”

“And if you can’t?” asked Richardson.

“Then I’ll die happily in the pursuit of greater knowledge.” proclaimed Hunter nobly. Ki tried not to groan at his brother’s lack of self preservation instinct.

“Very well.” sighed Richardson, obviously finding Hunter just as ridiculous as Ki did. “I’ll strongly recommend you to S.I.R.U… but Ki?”

Ki started at the mention of his name and looked up warily, disregarding the on-the-spot jig of glee Hunter was currently performing. Whenever Richardson called Ki out it was usually not a good thing…

“He’s already been excepted into their equestrian program.” said Hunter, assuming his accustomed self-proclaimed duty of speaking on Ki’s behalf. “He was too sick to ride in their skills test, but based on the superior skills Coach Moro says he has they’re letting him in anyway. Coach Moro is a good judge they said.”

“Ah, well then no worries about your lacking academic standing Ki.” sighed Richardson with relief. Like the two brothers, he was used to Ki’s quiet manner and to Hunter being his smaller brother’s voice. For years Richardson had attempted to get Ki into public speaking but time after time Ki had failed to perform. Eventually, he had resorted to always partnering the brothers together, so when it came to presentation time Ki would not have to speak. Yet this special treatment was not really because of Ki’s profound antisocialism, but because beyond that, Ki was ill and had been since he was very small.

Richardson paused for a moment, regarding Ki.

“Ki, are you well enough to attend S.I.R.U? I’ve heard their course is quite demanding.” said Richardson.

Ki looked hopefully at Hunter, but his brother shook his head stubbornly. He was making Ki speak this time. As usual, when Ki opened his mouth his voice just seemed weak, like he could think clearer than he could speak.

“Um. I believe so sir.” said Ki, voice hardly a whisper.

“They might not think much of you Ki.” cautioned Richardson. “You’re not very big. Generally horse people are bigger.”

Irritated, Ki glared at him. “Not jockeys. It doesn’t matter what size a person is, it’s whether a horse will listen or not. Horses listen to me.”

“It’s true sir. He was riding solo a year before I was brave enough.” said Hunter. “He could trick ride when he was ten.”

Richardson shook his head incredulously, checking his windup pocket watch. “Well, I have more hopefuls to test, so you two had best get on your way. Good luck at S.I.R.U. you two. I’m expecting great things - of both of you.”

“I’ll take good care of Ki.” promised Hunter, walking up the steps to Ki’s seat and helping him up. Ki grumbled rather furiously at needing help just to stand, recalling how content he had been just sitting. Today was not one of his better days and swallowing his pride, he grasped Hunter’s high shoulder, irritated that his companion was so tall. At only five foot four, Ki was more than a little short for a guy. Hunter on the other hand, was almost six feet tall and approaching the status of skyscraper. (Skyscrapers were legendary buildings that had existed on Gaia, so tall that their roofs were in the clouds. Ki had only ever seen a few prints of them and from what he saw, they had indeed been very large.)

“You always do.” said Richardson blandly as they left the room. “It’s too bad Ki can’t take care of Hunter.”

The door closed before Ki could retort and he glared at it like it had personally offended him, which it probably had at some point, according to his memory. Hunter ruffled Ki’s short, bristly hair and as several girls walked by in the long hallway, Ki could of sworn his brother struck a pose. Ki groaned; didn’t his brother ever stop thinking about the opposite sex?

“Heehee they think I’m considerate.” smirked Hunter, pleased with himself. Ki rolled his eyes and started walking away from Hunter as fast as he could manage, so Hunter had to dash to catch up.

“Either that or they think you’re gay.” Ki commented, grinning when he saw Hunter scowl.

“No way! Everyone knows we’re brothers.” said Hunter incredulously.

“Not by blood.” Ki wickedly pointed out. Reaching the stairwell, he had to pause to catch his breath. Since he was used to being weak and in truth did not even really know what it felt like to be normal, Ki actually found it rather annoying to have people doting on him. Hunter was the only exception to this, because from the beginning, Hunter had been Ki’s protector.

In truth, Hunter’s attitude towards Ki had really started the day they had both entered public education. Hunter had been excitedly looking forwards to the day for months, planning what he would wear and dreaming of what his teacher would be like. Equally, Ki had been planning for the day too - planning to escape it. Unable to see the point in education since all he wanted to do was ride horses which did not really require much intelligence, Ki had protested the order which had come to their door. All kids had to go it said, but Ki had not wanted to and from that day until the first day of class, as well as for years after, he had dreaded school.

Six year old Ki had done everything possible to avoid it. He had hidden his new school clothes on the roof of their house where nobody but him was brave enough to go and had hidden himself in the stable, which in afterthought he would realize was a very stupid place to hide considering that he usually hid there. Almost like clockwork Eva had shown up, shaking her head as she regarded his poor attempt at hiding himself with the straw of Snip’s stall, the gelding standing protectively over him. Seeing her, Ki had tried to get onto Snip to ride away, but had not been tall enough to reach the horse’s withers, much less his mane. Cursing his short legs, Ki had glumly followed Eva to the house, where she had forced him into retrieving his clothes and donning them.

A few minutes later, a very grumpy six year old and his disgustingly cheerful brother had set off on the two kilometre walk to Seamist. So it was that Ki was forced to attend the institution which he had dreaded, not because he was worried at having his weakness exposed, but because from as far back as he could remember - which was a lot further back than Hunter - Ki had thought that there might be something odd about himself. So, that inevitable, embarrassing morning Ki would remember forever the stark detail of learning how right he had been all along. Too right in fact. The moment Ki had entered his first classroom he had realized instantly, along with the twenty children already loitering around inside the room, that he was not just odd, but very, very different. The definition of weird.

When Ki was little, he used to hope that he would meet somebody who looked like him, in the hopes of discovering that at least he wasn’t the only one in the world. But that day in the classroom he had learned the difference, because out of all the children, not a single one had eyes like his, or even hair. They were a typical lot; blonde haired ones with blue eyes, brown haired ones, even a dark one or two. Ki saw brown, black, hazel, green and grey eyes. But he did not see amber. He did not see anyone of pale complexion with bristly dark hair, the tips of each strand ticked with white, like a tabby cat’s fur. As the kids stared back at him, meeting his golden hued irises, everyone in the room had understood immediately.

Ki was not the same as them.

It does not matter how well you are brought up or taught; children (and adults) are automatically prejudice against that which they do not understand. Ki had grown up apart from the city for the most part and beforehand had always attributed the lack of people like them to the notion that perhaps they were rare. But even the teacher stared at Ki that day and as Hunter entered the room behind him, Hunter understood it too.

“You’re weird.” a girl had boldly called out.

Ki had wanted to sink into the floor like spilled water, but at that exact instance, six year old Hunter comprehended that nobody else was going to defend his brother. Stepping out in front of Ki, he had glared at all the other occupants of the room, including the teacher.

“So are you! Say that again and I’ll break your nose.”

To this day, Ki still could not really understand how Hunter’s brain worked, nor how such a comparatively stupid six year old had managed to understand that without him, Ki probably would have been labelled a social outcast. Of course, Ki had eventually become one anyway, particularly since on almost the same day he decided he disliked other people, but all the same, Hunter had made his life easier.

“Hey-hey Ki, slow down you idiot! You don’t want to look out of breath for Doctor Winsor!”

Ki paused on his way to the doors which would grant him freedom into the city and looked around at Hunter, panting like a hound behind him.

“This is why Eva told us to leave the horses?” growled Ki angrily. He did not like visiting the doctor whatsoever. All he ever heard from such visits was new and increasingly boring information about how mysteriously ill he was. All doctor visits really did for Ki was remind him of how much of a freak he was. Gold eyes were not a normal shade for a person. “’Let them rest’ she said.”

“Well… you know.” said Hunter apologetically, leaning on the wall to catch his breath. “Mattie and Eva both told me to make sure you went, or they won’t let you go to S.I.R.U. with me. Really Ki, it’s just a check up.”

“I don’t want a check up.” snapped Ki, shoving open the front doors and gliding as quickly as possible down the main driveway to the street, ignoring the sports team who shouted something about horses as he left.

“You have no choice! Doctor Winsor even promised to have us arrested if you didn’t come on your own! Come on Ki, don’t be a pest about it! It’s for your own good!” cried Hunter, catching up again finally. He grabbed Ki’s thin wrist, giving Ki a pained look. “Please urra?”

‘Urra’ was fallan for ‘dear friend.’ Ki sighed.

“Fine. But please remember that when Eva and Mattie feed me salad ‘for my own good’ I always feel worse afterwards.” gritted Ki, yanking free his wrist. “Don’t touch me.”

“Ki, we’re brothers.” said Hunter, aggravated. “You don’t complain when Eva hugs you!”

“That’s ‘cus she can make my life hell if I protest. You can’t.” said Ki pleasantly.

“Sure I can… ah hell. There’s no arguing with you.” said Hunter, shaking his head. “See if I don’t tackle you the second Doc says you’re well.”

“I’m not a piece of ceramic.” grumbled Ki as they turned onto the busy thoroughfare, breathing in the humid summer air. Distantly he could smell something baking and in the market, far distant and combined with the odours of the nearby sea he could smell fish. The very thought of fish made his stomach twinge hungrily. What he wouldn’t do for some right now. Fish was his favourite food and it did not even matter what kind it was, because Ki loved them all.

They continued down into the city, passing travellers and locals going about the everyday business of life. Kids played on the steps of their houses while their parents worked; horses pulling carts and carrying riders clipped by, filling the city with their smell. A shepherd tried to convince his erstwhile flock to keep moving, while a complaining smith looked on from his shop. Finally after wading through a veritable sea of sheep, in which Hunter fit in perfectly scent-wise, they reached the general store, on top of which was the office of Doctor Winsor. Climbing the stairs at the side of the whitewashed clay brick building, Hunter knocked on the door before letting them in.

The waiting area was very small, the walls painted with fading whitewash dyed yellow with chamomile and decorated with dried herbs. Whicker chairs with patchwork quilted cushions were arranged about the room and a six pane window was open to show a view of the sea. Doctor Winsor’s wife sat in attendance at the secretary’s desk, a mountain of files taking up the extensive wall shelf behind her. She was a fairly old woman, wrinkle skinned and grey haired, wearing a dress of pink linen embroidered with white flowers by her own hand. A rare quill fashioned from a falcolf feather was held ready in her hand as she looked kindly up at them.

“Oh, it’s Ki and Hunter! Nice to see you again!” said Mrs. Winsor, smiling genuinely.

This was how you could tell you visited the doctor too often - when they knew you on sight by your first name.

“Hey Mrs. Winsor! I love your dress, is it new…?” Hunter immediately went to greet her, Ki instantly making a beeline for the chair farthest from her desk.

“Not at all, but thank you for noticing!” said Mrs. Winsor, not fooled at all by Ki’s performance. “Ki, jaded as always?”

“Yes.” said Ki, unabashed.

“Ki has issues.” said Hunter cheerfully. “He’s confused by his identity.”

“Orphans usually are.” said Doctor Winsor, entering from his office. He was a short man, in his sixties with a bit of a paunch accentuated rather badly by his waistcoat. His brown hair and beard were peppered with silver, but all the grey did was make him look more noble. The doctor smiled at Ki. “So, the authorities weren’t needed after all. I could of done it you know. My brother’s a cop.”

“I didn’t realize the police made house calls for wayward patients avoiding medical treatment.” said Ki wryly and the doctor laughed.

“Not usually, but my brother said he’d make an exception for you, since he has a personal interest in you. I told you once that he was the desk clerk on duty when you were brought in as a baby…?” said Doctor Winsor.

“My past comes back to haunt me.” said Ki, shaking his head and laughing a little as he carefully stood back up. “I remember you telling me that sir.”

“Good. Now, shall we get on with the exam?” said Doctor Winsor, taking hold of Ki’s shoulder. Hunter nodded encouragement to Ki and continued chatting with the doctor’s friendly wife. The doctor guided Ki into his office, closing the door behind him and letting Ki sit on the examination table.

“I’m feeling better.” said Ki brightly.

“Liar.” said Doctor Winsor, pulling a stethoscope from his drawer. “You’re the same as always.”

“Then why the check up if you know nothing has changed?”

“Because I want you to get better, that’s why, but as always I’m baffled as to why you’re sick. I’ve monitored your diet, excersize, sleep before, but all that should be fine, yet still something about you is off. I can’t place it. Your body looks out of proportion somehow, which makes me think you should be taller. But you’re not. You’re shorter than you should be from what I can tell from my past examinations. Growing up your growth rate was very slow and still is.” said Doctor Winsor, instructing Ki to take off his shirt and placing the stethoscope against Ki’s thin chest. “Heart rate is fine. As always you’re damn pale, no matter how much time you spend outside careening about on that horse of yours and being useless.”

Doctor Winsor paused and felt Ki’s forehead, his hand rough against Ki’s skin, making Ki flinch. “As always, you’re running that god damn fever. I have no idea how you do it Ki; with a temperature this high you should be dead.”

“I feel fine.”

“Hmph! ‘Fine’ for you and ‘fine’ for normal people are two different things.” said Doctor Winsor, scribbling down a note in Ki’s immense folder. Ki could swear that that same folder never left this room. He didn’t think he had ever seen Mrs. Winsor take it out of filing. Her husband spent too much time puzzling over it to ever put it away.

“You’re unchanged.” grumbled Doctor Winsor, obviously having hoped for a variation. “Eyes open while I look - normal. Tongue - normal. Reflexes -”

Doctor Winsor tossed an egg suddenly at Ki and without even barely seeing it Ki caught it in a flash, not even breaking it as his fingers closed around it.

“- above average. If you weren’t so sick I’d recommend you for the army. You’d probably do well.” said Doctor Winsor.

“I hate killing chickens sir, do you really think I could kill another human?” asked Ki sourly.

“Probably not, but you could always pretend to be a poor archer.” shrugged Doctor Winsor, now throwing a measuring tape about Ki’s waist. “Scrawny. They wouldn’t want you in the line up anyway; you’d disrupt the uniform look of the ranks.”

“How kind of you.” grated Ki.

“Not at all. You’re too damn short. If you loosed an arrow it would only hit the bo in front of you.”

“Why must you insult me?” growled Ki.

“I don’t know. I figure at this point insults are the way to go; kindness never made you grow any faster.” said Doctor Winsor, winking at him. “This works out anyway. We’re both jaded, so we can be grumpy together.”

“I’m not grumpy.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry.” said Doctor Winsor, his face turning sad. “You know, you’re the only person I’ve never even been able to diagnose. Hurts my pride, but I’m sending a copy of your records to a young colleague of mine in Serenity. His name is Recon Sivol. He works at the hospital there - he might be able to help you. He’s pretty brilliant.”

“I hate examinations.” stated Ki.

“I know I can’t make you go.” sighed Doctor Winsor, shaking his head. “But Ki, what if this disease - or whatever it is - kills you?”

“I really don’t think I need to worry about it sir.” said Ki, pulling his shirt back on. The doctor looked like he wanted to protest, but Ki stopped him with a jerk of his head. “It hasn’t killed me yet. It won’t kill me now.”

“I hope you’re right.” sighed Doctor Winsor. “I really hope so.”

“I am.” said Ki, trying to sound confident as he went to the door. “Thanks for trying to help me sir.”

“You’re welcome… good luck.” said the doctor and as Ki left the room, he realized that the doctor had not really mentioned S.I.R.U. or Ki’s future at all. In fact, the doctor’s well wishes had been quite ambiguous.

“Come on Hunter - let’s go home.”