Sulla Is Inevitable - Chapter 1

 Sulla Is Inevitable

By David Billiot

Copyright 2026: All rights reserved

Chapter 1: Noble Hands

In the village of Noble Hands a young man was working to help load the wheat from the harvest onto the cart.  His name was Walter and he was over the age of 20. He had moved from the town of Sovereign's Rest a few miles away to work the fields.  He’d been in Noble Hands since spring and had really come to like it. The village had at most 200 people.  He liked the quiet. He liked the more traditional wooden homes.  He liked how he could get away from books and do something with his hands. His parents had always pushed him to progress in his education but Walter yearned to do something instead of just read about it. 

On this day Walter was distracted. The farmer’s daughter was a woman named Pearl and Walter kept finding himself looking her way. He didn’t know why. Was it the blue ribbon in her hair? It must be new. Was it her smile? She smiled a lot. Walter wondered if the smile was for him or for everyone.  He really didn’t know what it was but when she looked his way he would freeze and just be ready to … well, he wasn’t sure about what came after that. All he could mentally make out in his mind was that she was important to him. Maybe she was the most important person in the whole world. 

Pearl was doing some other work at the house. Walter wasn’t sure what. He sure would like to go find out. He sure would like to know what she was doing. 

“Watch what you’re doing.” the old elf cart driver said. Rory had been driving this route for many years and prided himself on always being on time. 

Walter had gotten one of the bundles of wheat caught on a nail that wasn’t hammered down all the way. He struggled for a bit to get it loose and then got it loaded. 

“It’s alright, Rory.” the farmer said as he came with the next bundle. “Don’t be hard on the boy.”

“If he tears the band you’ll have to bail it again.”

“It’s not like you’ve never made that mistake.”

“That don’t mean it’s not stupid.” Rory shot back as the tips of his long ears twisted to display displeasure. 

Walter didn’t like being on the receiving end of a reprimand so he hunkered down and got the work done. The cart was fully loaded and ready to go the three day journey to the granary. The cart driver got the animals pulling and then headed off.

The farmer went by Elmer to his friends but young Walter probably didn’t know what the farmer’s actual name was. Walter just called him sir. However, from the looks of things Elmer was going to have to resign himself to becoming much more friendly with Walter. All his daughter talked about these days was Walter this and Walter that. When was Walter going to do such and such. She was of that age and life moved on.  

“Walter, I guess we’re going to need to talk.” the farmer said. 

“Sorry, sir. I guess I just had a lot on my mind.”

“I suppose I know what this is about. But instead of me just wondering, why don’t you say it so we’re both on the same page.”

“Well, I don’t presume to have any right to say nothing.”

“It’s alright. Go ahead.”

“Well, I live alone. My house is some quiet. Did you ever live alone?”

“I did when I was your age.”

“What was it like starting a family?”

The farmer smiled a fatherly smile as warm as the sun finally coming out of the clouds on a chilly day. “Starting a family was one of the best things I ever did. Brought me more happiness than I ever could have dreamed.”

“I see.”

“Come on. Spit it out. I know you’ve got more on your mind.”

“Well, with your permission, would it be ok if I asked Pearl to … I don’t know, maybe go into town together and see one of them shows with the actors on a stage.”

“Who’s going to pay for it?”

“I got some money saved up. It would be my treat.”

“Ah, I remember a time when I took her to a show. She really loved it. Got all into the story. Good memory. So I suppose if you asked her she just might say yes.”

“So, can I ask her?”

“I’m not stopping you. But you need to know something about women. They’re different from us. You can’t talk to them the way you talk to other men. Joking and pushing and foul language won’t go over well. If you and Pearl go somewhere you have to be on your best behavior. Got it?”

“I got it.”

“She’s probably working on a quilt. Go talk to her. Go on, now.”

Walter nearly jumped from the spot he was in. He dashed but did take a moment to look behind himself at the farmer and wave. Then he ran around the farmhouse to the back path that led to the orchard. 

The first thing that Walter saw was Pearl working with her materials. She was so pretty.  Walter dared to hope she felt about him the way he was starting to feel about her. She looked up from her work towards him and her eyes lit up. She smiled. 

“Hi, Walter.”

The second thing Walter saw was a large black spaceship approaching fast from over the horizon. Walter had never seen that design before.  Before he could wonder what it was doing there one of the weapons of the ship blasted Pearl. Where there had been a person peacefully working there was suddenly an explosion of pink mist with bone fragments flying through the air. 

“No!” Walter yelled.  

The ship targeted the house and blasted it.  The strikes set the remaining structure on fire after burning a nearly perfect two meter wide hole into the back half. 

The last thing Walter ever saw in his life was the weapon systems of the spaceship aiming at him. 

… 

The defense drones had not seen the ship come out of FTL.  But once the foreign object had started firing the defenses quickly launched and were in pursuit. The drone ships harpooned the invader and then pulled it down to a crash landing. Hk Rtype Marines rushed out of the drones with rifles at the ready. The metal robots cut through the hull instead of trying to use any of the normal entrances. 

Inside the attacking ship the defenders found RT-003, CT-0A9, and a human. The human was indignant and barked orders at the defenders.  

“What is the meaning of this. You could have killed me. I want the name of your owner.”

Constable Bob’s ocular sensors looked over the human and then his processing core came to the conclusion that the human was not armed. Bob grabbed the human’s wrist and applied pressure. 

“Daniel, take those other two into custody. Question them whether there are any others on board.” Bob ordered. “Steve, search the ship.”

“Unhand me. What do you think you are doing?” Devin was yelling. 

Bob ignored the human’s voice as he forced it down to its knees and restrained its limbs behind its back. Bob sent word by radio to the administrator AI. The administrator AI informed the elders of the incident.

… 

“Please no. Please no. Please no.” Devin pleaded. 

“Cut its head off.” a Ctype man shouted. 

“Filthy human.” a Ctype woman said. 

Devin was bound by his hands and his ankles. He was on his knees and forced by restraints to have his head bowed. 

“We will wait for the elders to decide.” the metallic humanoid robot Rtype named Bob said with his ever calm tone of voice even in this crisis. 

“How did it even find us?” an old man said. 

“Calm down, everyone.”

Another Rtype with a sword came to help control the crowd. 

“Kill it. You have to kill it. It could be infected with something.”

“If one has come then it means others will follow. We must flee.”

“I didn’t know. I’m sorry. Please.” Devin whimpered. 

The elders were walking quickly surrounded by HK Rtype guards with rifles. The robes of the elders flowed with the air. The crowd parted and then the elders came face to face with the human. 

“Are we sure it is a human.” the youngest of the elders asked. 

“The DNA confirms it.”

“What is it even doing here?”

“Please. I’ll go. I’m sorry.” Devin tried to say. 

“Silence the thing.”

One of the men took off his leather belt and forced it into Devin’s mouth. Once it was in the man tightened it around Devin’s head. 

“We all know the law. Let it not be said that we are as cruel as them. What has this human done?”

A farmer came forward.  “He came from the sky and fired on the village. There is the smoke in the horizon. Thirty were dead before … before …”  The farmer became too emotional to continue.  

“Confirm it.” a woman shouted. 

“Confirm it.” many others repeated. 

“Names. Give us the names of the ones so murdered.” the leader of the elders demanded. 

“Corin is one.” 

“Megbeth is one.” 

More names were called out including Walter, Pearl, and the other members of Pearl’s family. A scribe began to write to make a record of the crimes. 

“Enough.”

“We must flee. We all know the truth. It is never just one human. Where one, more will come. We must flee.”

“First justice.” a woman shouted. “It killed my husband.”

The chief elder threw up his hands. “Quiet all. I agree as do we all. First is justice. Human, you are condemned.”

Devin tried to speak but he could not. 

“We condemn you not for being a human. We condemn you for the act of murder you have committed. You have come to our home and so you are judged by our laws. No human law rules over us. Take it to the capital. The full council must see this before we cut its head off.”

The command was given and the two Rtypes with swords dragged Devin away. The crowd followed as well as some of the elders. However, the chief elder did not follow. He stayed behind and looked sorrowful. 

“What is wrong, brother?” another elder asked him.

“This is a dark day indeed. The humans have found us.”

“We must run or we must fight.”

“That is a false choice. If we fight here they will destroy all we have worked for. First we must run and then we can fight.”

“I do not understand, brother.”

“The humans come and then we run. They find us again and then we run. If we fight, they destroy our homes. They destroy our families. They destroy everything we built. If we are to fight, I don’t want the fighting anywhere near us.”

“If we go to them they will slaughter us. They are too many. The only choice is to flee. We must resettle on another planet.”

“The galaxy will run out of places we can hide. We must keep the humans away from us. We must keep them busy.”

“But how?”

“How indeed.”

… 

The grand council was called to the capital. Devin spent the night in a jail cell and in the morning he was brought to the place of execution. The full membership of the council was in attendance. There was a great crowd of people jeering at the human.  

Devin was shaking and sweating.  He was more scared than he’d ever been in his entire life. He was chained to the block and a big man came to stand next to him with an ax. 

“Human, you are accused of murder and the facts show the accusation true. You are condemned to die. Now, release his gag. Let the dying man have his last words.”

Devin’s mouth was freed and he looked around at everyone there.  

“Please. I didn’t mean it. I didn’t know. I swear.”

“What is it that you didn’t know?”

“I’m just a prospector. I was just looking. I thought you were squatters.”

“You murder squatters?”

“No. I didn’t know you were real people. I thought you were Ctypes. I swear. I didn’t know.”

The chief elder turned to look at the crowd. “We all heard it. From its own mouth we all heard it.”

“Please. I swear. I didn’t know. I’m sorry. Really. I’m sorry.”

The elder turned back to Devin. “You’re sorry for what? You killed our people because you thought they were Ctypes. But you’re not wrong. We are Ctypes.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Enough. Constable, carry out this human’s sentence.”