Page 21 of Game on Askole

“No! Not at all,” I said soothingly, keeping an eye on the Genghis Khan clones who kept saying, “Waewae tama-nur-ra. Waewae tama-nur-ra. Waewae tama-nur-ra.”

My aunt shouted, “Shut the fuck up. You’re giving me a headache.”

The clones rhythmically pounded their feet against the floor. “Waewae tama-nur-ra. Waewae tama-nur-ra. Waewae tama-nur-ra.”

She gave them the one finger salute. “Buzz off.”

“Waewae tama-nur-ra,” the Genghis Khan copycats shouted and broke into an acrobatic dance with their swords.

For a moment, I watched in openmouthed surprise. “You think the stasis chamber affected our psychics abilities? Maybe Detja sent them to entertain us.”

“Not a chance. It kinda reminds me of one of those Maori tribal war dances.”

“Ka nate whakatu. Tutu ngarahu. Waewae,” the warriors shouted, stomping their feet to some silent beat. They stopped abruptly and pointed their swords at us.

I clapped loudly and hooted. “Great dance.”

“I can do better.” Aunt Tess borrowed the Maori’s fierce tongue thrusts and added a touch of hip-hop.Smack. Clap. Stomp. Stomp. Clap.She spun, did a couple of roundhouse kicks, and broke into an Irish jig. “Die, fuckers.”

I think the warriors were a bit startled. I know I was. “What was that?”

“My version of a war dance,” Aunt Tess responded.

The warriors pounded the floor with their feet again. “Ka nate whakatu tutu ngarahu. Waewae.”

Aunt Tess stomped her boots, went through a series of karate kicks and punches, and finished with an energetic cowboy polka.

Oh my God, this was turning into a dance-off. “Gotta say, you’ve got some good moves, Aunt Tess,” I remarked and turned to the warriors. “You boys could take lessons from her.”

Three pairs of amber eyes glared at us, and they held out their left hands.

“Do those jerks expect us to pay them?”

I shrugged. “Who knows? Do you have any money?”

“I do.”

“Give it to them.”

Aunt Tess reluctantly pulled a twenty from her pocket and held it out. “Here ya go, assholes.”

The closest warrior turned the bill into confetti with his sword.

I muttered, “Did we just insult them, because they seem to be getting a bit angry?”

“Ya think?”

The Genghis Khan clones repeated their dance and bellowed, “Ka nate whakatu. Tutu ngarahu. Ka nate whakatu. Tutu ngarahu. Waewae tama-nur-ra.”

Aunt Tess broke into a boogie. “I’m a Marine. We improvise, adapt, and overcome. Oorah!”

“Waewae tama-nur-ra.”

“Oorah!”

“Waewae tama-nur-ra.”

“Oorah!”

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