Blade and Stone

"What happens when the all-cutting blade	
meets the uncuttable stone?"		
			- Confederate family riddle
Chapter 1

	Something clattered in an alleyway as two men stumbled out into the town square. Sam squinted upwards at the glass dome over their heads, looking out into space; he is still trying to get used to living inside an asteroid, having only been there a month. Tonight, he and a friend have taken to the pubs to try and cure their claustraphobia; both men are guards belonging to the Stone family, one of the most important trading houses in the Confederated States. They are armed; although actual projectile guns are illegal in the Asteroid Belt, few people walk through the back streets of Houston asteroid without protection. The weapon of choice, known as a tesla-staff, can literally give an attacker the shock of his life.

	"I'm tellin' ya Greg, if we see any of them Blade people, I'm gonna give 'em such a hiding!" slurred Sam, patting the staff hanging from his belt.
	"Aye, if you can sober up enough to get tha' thing out." replied Greg, equally drunk. "Hey looky here! I spy a pair of the dogs now!"
	Sam tries to focus on the two figures ahead. "Go on and stir 'em up a bit, then I'll run in an' sort 'em out!" he declared.
	"Run away's what you'll do!" snorted Greg, "Why don't you go?"
	"Alright then, let's have some!" bragged Sam, summoning up his alcohol-fuelled bravery.

	The pair march erratically in the general direction of the two Blade family retainers; as they approach, Sam makes a rude hand gesture. The two Blade men glance briefly at each other, not sure if they should react to these two drunks or just pass them by. One of them, Abe, speaks out.

	"Was that directed at us?" he asked in a carefully neutral tone.

	Some distant part of Sam's brain informed him that the two green-clad men are sober, and that he would almost certainly come off the worst in a fight. While he dithered, Greg responded for him.

	"My friend was jus' stretching himself. Have you got a problem with that?" he said aggresively.
	"Me? I think perhaps it is you who has the problem!" Abe reacted.
	Sam's hand found its way to his staff. "If you want a fight, we'll give ya one; our House is as good as yours!" he cried.
	Abe gave a little smile "Perhaps, but certainly not any better."
	Just then, Greg spotted a familiar figure approaching and laughed confidently. "For sure we're better! C'mon Sam, let's show 'em how to fight!"

	He launched into them so fast that they barely had time to draw their own staffs; Sam attacked also and electricity crackled in the air as the two Blade men blocked their blows. Seeing this, the distant figure picked up speed and ran toward the conflict, drawing an red-and-silver staff as he approached.

	"What are you fools doing?" shouted Ben Stone. "You're gonna get both our Houses in trouble!"

	He struck the two Stone family men with the tip of his staff, giving them a nasty shock that sobered them up quite effectively; seeing this new development, Abe and his companion lowered their own weapons. Just as Ben is about to speak, a man in a green cloak came running out of a nearby building where he had been watching the fight; Ben recognized him instantly as Ty Blade, and he automatically shifted into a defensive posture. Ty strutted into the square with his staff already drawn.

	"Fighting with our hired help, Ben? Perhaps you need a more worthy opponent!" he crowed, brandishing his tesla-staff.
	Ben tried to explain. "I'm only disciplining my own men, Ty. Let us pass, I have no quarrel with you tonight."
	"You needn't talk to me about peace while brandishing a weapon!", Ty shouted back. "I hate the word nearly as much as I hate you!"

	Ty brought his staff around in a sweeping gesture which Ben was only narrowly able to avoid. Guards and retainers from both Houses were out enjoying themselves in the town, and rushed over to assist their masters as the two men fought. The fight quickly grew into a full-scale battle taking up much of the central square. Sam and Greg joined in for all they were worth, while the two Blade family retainers wisely took themselves off; they had had enough fighting for one night. Suddenly the entire area was plunged into darkness as the police cut the streetlights in an attempt to quell the violence; police robots scuttled onto the scene, targeting staffs with their lasers; Greg swore and dropped his weapon as it glowed red-hot in his hand. A loud voice was heard over the din.

	"What is all this? Someone fetch me a staff, at once!" cried William Blade, the elderly head of his House.
	His wife grabbed his arm and tried to drag him away before he was injured. "The only thing you need a staff for is to lean on, you old fool!" she berated him.
	"I must defend my family's honour! Look, old Stone has come to mock me!" he said, pointing with his free arm.
	The head of House Stone shouted back at him from across the square. "I'll get you now, Blade - let go of me, woman!" he ordered his own wife.
	Elizabeth Stone shook her head firmly. "You aren't moving another inch." she stated, matter-of-factly.

	Intense police floodlights switched on, momentarily blinding everyone; into this short lull in the chaos, the Governor's voice came over a loudspeaker. Even the two House masters stopped arguing with their respective wives to listen.

	"Stop this nonsense at once!" shouted the Governor. "Anyone who does not want to spend the next week in the cells, drop your weapon NOW!"
	There was a loud clatter as everyone dropped their staves; they all knew that the Governor did not make idle threats.
	"That's better." said the Governor, more quietly. "Now listen carefullly; this is the third time Houses Blade and Stone have been caused a major public disturbance. The next person from either House found inciting violence will be exiled from this asteroid and from the entire Belt!"
	Next, the Governor addressed the two House leaders. "Blade, Stone; get over to Government House right now so I can have a few words. the rest of you; clear off!"

	As the people dispersed to their homes, William Blade spotted his nephew, and asked if he knew how the conflict had started. Ben looked sheepish, and told his uncle how he had split up a fight between some drunken guards, only to have Ty rush in. The lady of the House chose that moment to ask a more personal question.

	"Ben, have you seen Ronan today? For a moment I was afraid he was caught up in the fighting, but I don't see him anywhere." she queried; her son Ronan had been acting very oddly recently.
	"I saw him hanging around the Helox factory this morning, but he cleared off when I went towards him. I figured it was best to leave him alone." he told her, glad to get off the topic of the battle for now.
	His elderly uncle mused aloud "He's been moping around out there most mornings, then he comes home and locks himself in his room. Someone needs to give him a good talking to; heaven knows I can't get anything out of him."
	Just then, Ben spotted Ronan approaching them. "Here he comes now! He must have come to see what the noise was; go see the Governor, I'll try to sort him out." he said confidently.
	Ronan approached his cousin as the old couple departed up the main avenue. "Hey, Ben; was that my father I just saw? He was going pretty fast, especially for someone his age!" he asked, with deceptive cheeriness.
	Ben wasn't fooled. "Yes, it was him; but tell me, what had you so unhappy this morning?"

	Seeing the game was up, Ronan sat on a low wall and confessed his problem. He was in love with a girl; but she didn't share his feelings. While Ben tried to console him, Ronan noticed, as if for the first time, the state of the place where they were standing.

	"And look at this, another riot! Life just doesn't make any sense, does it? I could almost laugh." he said.
	Ben rather doubted this last comment, and said so. Ronan managed a weak smile, and stood up to go; Ben caught him by the arm, not wanting to leave the young man on his own.

	"Tell me, who is she? I hope she's worth all this pain you're putting yourself through." he asked.
	Ronan sighed before responding. "It doesn't matter anyway; it's not just me, she doesn't want anything to do with anyone. I can't believe someone so good-looking would waste her beauty that way."
	Ben had raised an eyebrow at this. "In that case, you should forget about her; there's not a lot you can do about it, is there? There must be other girls out there, even better suited for you."
	Ronan gave a snort of derision. "Yeah, right. I could never forget a face like hers; let's just go home, I'm getting tired."
	Ben watched his departing cousin. "We'll just see about that." he whispered to himself.