The Butterfly Assassin

[mugendo]

The butterfly settled delicately on the vine, its colourful wings mimicked in the mask of the zorai silently watching.
Nearby, the machinery of the Karavan could be heard. Defying the natural laws of Atys as it floated on air above the trees.
The static discharges surged through the air to announce it’s presence to all who were attuned to the delicate balance of this forest.
The butterfly had been drawn here to find a mate and perpetuate its existence. He vibrated his wings rapidly discharging pheromones.
The colourful display attracted the attention of a traveller who paused to watch from the safety of the forest path.
The butterfly began his ritual dance as the zorai warrior drew his knife and blended into the foliage. Silently he stalked the lone figure, careful not to alert the Mektoub packer beside him. . The butterfly continued his dance along the length of the vine as the blade flashed in the sunlight, a brief struggle of extreme violence ended with the lifeless body of the traveller falling to the ground, still grasping the reigns of the shocked Mektoub as it attempted to pull away.
The butterfly completed its dance and flew away as the zorai warrior disappeared into the forest.

.................It is not unusual to see a Karavan soldier travel in the forest lands of the zorai, they know they face a defeated and demoralised people….The day had been long for this particular soldier, as he took a moment to rest his attention was drawn to a Butterfly……..

[komissar]

Noone really knows what hides behind the golden mirror-smooth visage of a karavan trooper. And what kind of mimic shows on his real face… But a few minutes passed and he still stood there, studying the intricate design of a zorai butterfly and perhaps even admiring it’s beauty. Only the distorted sounds of breathing clearly audible through the respiratory adaptation system betrayed the life in this black latex-clad figure.
Silently a blue skinned form appeared just a few paces behind. With a soft hissing sound a wide zorai dagger left the scabbard. The mask betrayed no emotion, copying the same butterfly wing pattern that had kept the karavan soldier entranced for so long.
It is true that the karavan don’t have a sharp eye-sight. They rely more on the built-in devices and the complex programming of their headgear. It may sound as a weakness but at least there is no need to turn your head when the 360 degree heat scanner shows any living entity approaching within a distance of 50 meters. The computer gives dimensions and identifies this entity while the “smell” sensors give a very close approximation of adrenaline in it’s blood thus determining the hostility level. “hostile target within attack range” flashed the screen, and without even turning to face the enemy the karavaneer made two shots. The particle beam attached to the glove of a caravan adaptive suit although small is truly a formidable weapon. The auto-targeting system, which aims at the vital organs found by the heat scanner leaves no chance of error.
Only the reflexes of a natural born zorai warrior and some pure luck saved the butterfly-masked zorai… He silently disappeared in the foliage, cradling the left arm almost severed at shoulder and the lush greenery of a zorai forest floor suddenly turned red…