Excerpts from the Okal Rel Universe...

copyright Lynda Williams

VRELLISH FLYING (From an exploratory draft scene in Avim's Oath)

"What is it?" Vras announced himself on Erien's radio without any preamble.

Accustomed to Nersallian Fleet protocol, Erien took a moment to respond. "Liege Vrel's ships," he said. "They have not joined us."

"They will!" Vras assured him. "Don't worry."

"I am not worried," Erien said. "I am confused."

The Vrellish highborn laughed and cut back into the medium, apparently having exceeded his tolerance for cruising in normal space under low accelerations. He moved off at 3 skim factors. Minutes later, he shot backwards to nudge DragonClaw with a stomach twisting wake bob which Erien was coming to recognize as Vrellish for "hey, I want to talk to you."

Teeth set, Erien dropped out of skim feeling bad tempered. "What!"

"That ship even flies Nersallian," Vras remarked with a discomfort that made Erien wonder in what context he had learned to recognize Nersallian fighter craft, "stay far back, or stay very close. Just in case any one's nerves are shot. We wouldn't want anything to happen to you, sort of by accident."

Erien was working up a restrained way of telling Vras Vrel there had been better opportunities to mention that, preliminary to asking some questions, when the Vrellish Highlord zipped off again with a noticeable backlash, accelerating from zero to 2 skim factors faster than anyone sane would without damn good cause.

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