THE TWELVE -- Chapter 6 - A Second Attempt

Djaisiuk was awakened the second day when the light in his small bedchamber was lit.  He blinked once or twice, then glanced around the room.  There was no one else in the tiny room, so he had to assume that the light came on of its own accord to signal that it was time to rise.  This he did.  He was well rested, despite having passed the night in a strange room on a strange planet as a prisoner of an enemy race.  The room in which he had slept was either completely soundproof, or it was a sufficient distance from any activity to render it equally silent.  Both the sleeping room and the working room were kept at a constant, comfortable temperature, and yet the air was so well cleaned and circulated that it seemed nearly as fresh as outdoors on Komislava.
 

Exiting the sleeping room and entering the workroom, Djaisiuk first noticed a small parchment, lying on the crescent table next to the right-most computer.  Looking at it, he saw that several codes were typed across its face with a note under them that said, “Here is your first trust; show that you deserve it.”
 

There was no visible reaction with Djaisiuk, but indeed there almost never was.  He sat silently at the computers, entered the codes provided, and returned to work on the project to which he had been assigned.
 

About ten minutes passed, and the young Vukasovian from the previous day reentered the room and sat again at the left-most computer.  He said nothing, and Djaisiuk said nothing to him.  Another fifteen minutes passed, and the door opened again to admit an orderly with two meal trays.  The trays were set on the circular table, on the side nearest the two boys, and the orderly subsequently left the room.  Djaisiuk entered a few more commands, then, still without a word, turned, stood, and moved to the round table.
 

The young Vukasovian remained at his own computer until Djaisiuk had finished eating one of the two breakfasts provided and had returned to work.  He then went himself to the round table and ate the other meal.  When he returned, he again sat silently for a time, watching Djaisiuk.  Djaisiuk continued to work without ever looking up at him.  Finally, the boy spoke.
 

“My name is Kiacyl, in case you don’t remember,” he said.  “I've never been told your name.  What you would like me to call you?”
 

Djaisiuk did not look at him or reply.  Kiacyl waited for a moment, and then tried again.
 

“Why will you not speak to me?” he asked.
 

There was no response.
 

“Are you a mute?” asked Kiacyl, beginning to sound annoyed now.  “Surely you can speak?”
 

No reply.
 

“Can you hear?”
 

Still no reply.
 

Kiacyl looked quite upset by this time, but he made no further attempts at conversation.  For some time they sat thus, Djaisiuk refusing to so much as acknowledge Kiacyl’s presence.  After a time however, Djaisiuk turned to Kiacyl’s computer, brought up a screen of code on it, and said simply, “Fix this.”  He did not look at Kiacyl, but simply turned back to his own work without another word.
 

Kiacyl was startled, to say the least, but quickly turned to his computer, pleased to at last have some work to do.  He immediately found that the task to which he had just been assigned was far too advanced for him to accomplish.  He struggled with the project for a little time, then turned again to Djaisiuk.
 

“I’m sorry,” he began, “but I can’t do this.  I– I can’t even read it.  I don’t know what you want me to do here.”
 

Djaisiuk did not respond.  He continued what he was doing.  Kiacyl sat quietly for a bit, then turned back to the screen and continued his futile attempts to understand the assignment.
 

Lunch was the same as breakfast had been, a silent affair with Kiacyl again waiting until Djaisiuk had eaten before partaking of his own meal.  After lunch, Djaisiuk again gave Kiacyl a task to work, one much simpler this time, with even less speech than he had offered in the morning.  Kiacyl found himself at least able to work on this one, although he wasn’t at all sure of whether he was doing it correctly.
 

As evening drew on, an orderly entered again, this time bearing only one meal tray.  Kiacyl seemed to take this as a signal of sorts and left the room.  Djaisiuk ate his meal, and then returned to his work.

It was not long after the evening meal had been cleared away by the usual orderly that Kandryl again entered Djaisiuk’s workroom.  He waited for a moment just inside the door before Djaisiuk finally looked up from his work.  Kandryl looked at him closely but said nothing.  If Djaisiuk was simply being impudent, then Kandryl liked his attitude, but still not knowing exactly why Djaisiuk was behaving in this way, Kandryl was not going to show any sort of approval yet.  Instead he simply motioned Djaisiuk to come to the circular table and then seated himself in the same place as the night previous.
 

“You have had a full day to settle yourself,” said Kandryl, once Djaisiuk was seated silently at the table.  “Are you now prepared to speak when ordered to do so?”
 

Djaisiuk did not answer and continued to stare vaguely past Kandryl, his eyes half-closed and his face perfectly expressionless.
 

“I warned you last night that I would not be so lenient tonight,” continued Kandryl.  “You may choose to obey or not as you will, but understand that disobedience will bring consequences.  Now, will you speak?”
 

Djaisiuk did not move or blink.  One might almost have thought him asleep, had not his eyes been open.
 

Kandryl leaned forward a little and spoke in a slightly firmer voice.  “My patience, although considerable, is not limitless.  I ask you for the last time, will you cooperate?”
 

Djaisiuk swallowed once, then said firmly, “No.”
 

Djaisiuk’s eyes still did not move and his face still displayed no emotion.  Indeed no part of him moved except for his mouth and throat, but his voice was firm, albeit very hoarse.
 

Kandryl’s eyebrows rose.  He was impressed.  He liked this boy’s self-possession and daring.  Kandryl would never have expected this kind of behavior from a Komislavian.  He had to remind himself that he was not going to allow this rebellion to continue.  Djaisiuk may be as stubborn and rebellious as he liked, but only after he had reached the point that Kandryl trusted him fully.  And right now, Kandryl certainly did not trust him.
 

“You will be allowed no sleep tonight until you agree to answer a few questions,” said Kandryl firmly.  “Your stubbornness will only cause you more discomfort in the end than would your speech.  It would be simplest to comply with my requests, and I will not keep you long.”
 

There was no reaction.
 

Kandryl continued thus for a few minutes, but Djaisiuk would say nothing.  Finally Kandryl ceased his questions and rose from the table.
 

“I am going to leave you now,” he said.  “The guard will stay here with you.  If you decide that you are ready to speak, you may send for me.  If not, I will return tomorrow morning.”
 

Kandryl rose and summoned the guard, instructing him to remain in the room and to see to it that Djaisiuk did not leave the room or go to his sleeping quarters.  With that, Kandryl left.
 

No sooner had Kandryl left the room, however, then Djaisiuk turned to face the table, folded his arms on it, and laid his head down on his arms.  The guard had been instructed to see to it that Djaisiuk did not leave the room.  Kandryl, being almost completely consumed with his own thoughts, had neglected to tell the guard that Djaisiuk was not permitted to sleep.  Therefore the guard merely stood and did nothing as Djaisiuk almost immediately fell asleep there at the table.

* * * * * * *

After leaving Djaisiuk, Kandryl returned to his own quarters.  Kandryl’s quarters were very large, having rooms for many purposes.  This was not only where Kandryl himself ate and slept, but also where he and many others worked.  This was the central unit of the facility; the “central nervous system” of the operation, so to speak.  From the observation room, one could see what was happening anywhere in the facility.  All orders originated here, and all work eventually flowed through here.  Anyone might be summoned here at any time for any reason.  And anyone who wished to see Kandryl could come here at almost any time.
 

Kandryl went now to a side office of sorts where he was accustomed to working when he had much to think about.  He had not been there long before Drayl entered looking very pleased with himself.  Kandryl acknowledged him, and Drayl presented Kandryl with several large diagrams.
 

“These are much simpler and gentler than the machines which I am accustomed to designing,” said Drayl, “but I think that any one of them would prove effective.”
 

Kandryl silently paged through the large sheets, looking carefully at each one.  Finally, he chose one, leaned back, and examined it closely.
 

“Ah, yes,” said Drayl.  “The benefit of that one is that it cannot, in any way, damage his ability to work.  It would not be suitable for many of the others, if you decided to use it on them, but on this one, it would be effective without being wasteful.”
 

Kandryl continued to consider the diagram silently for a moment more, then lent forward again and laid the paper flat on the desk.
 

“This is still too excessive,” he said.  “Eliminate the left leg and remove this section.  Keep just this part.”
 

Drayl frowned darkly.  “If I may speak freely,” he began, “that part alone would be no more than a child’s toy.  It will accomplish nothing.”
 

"It will suffice for what I want," replied Kandryl.  "I do not want him maimed."
 

"You are too used to Londarians," snorted Drayl.  "This boy is Komislavian; he would laugh at something so small and trifling as that."
 

Kandryl looked up at him.  “I say that it will be sufficient,” he said sternly.
 

Drayl crossed his arms.  “I would not be willing even to admit to having designed it,” he said.  “It would be an embarrassment to my reputation.”
 

“Your reputation will not suffer, and you need not claim credit for it,” said Kandryl.  “Say that I designed it if you like; I don’t care.  But what you have here is too much.  This part alone will be sufficient.  How soon can it be ready?”
 

“Tomorrow,” said Drayl scornfully.  “That part alone would not take a day to create.”
 

“And will it be safe?” asked Kandryl, looking at him keenly.  “In a single day, can you both create it and assure that it will cause no permanent damage?”
 

“I don’t believe that that would be capable of causing permanent damage, but I will make sure of it.  The Komislavian doctor will help with that.  Also, we can test it beforehand, if you like.”
 

Kandryl nodded.  “Take an extra day if you must, but make it safe.  Once it is ready, we’ll test it on one of the three unwilling Komislavians.  But I want you to be certain that it won’t cause permanent damage before it is tested.  Even these test subjects are valuable.”

Drayl still looked disgusted, but he voiced no more of his disapproval.  He merely accepted the diagrams again and left to begin work.