Analog Science Fiction and Fact
Page 21
most detestable task of his day: getting
Jerry scratched his chin. “Yuh think it was a
dressed. His “batman” insisted, with a kind of
set-up?”
insistent servility, on dressing him while Sam-
“No. Sammi smell rat. When this place last
mi stood by and tried not too hard not to grin.
cleaned?”
“Not even trying to hide,” he said of the
Jerry, who had not yet decided how he felt
man when he had brought him to regimental
about working with a hillman, scowled.
headquarters. “Out f ly-f ishing on Lazy River.
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Teo, why someone fish for flies? Much easier
Teo and Sammi exchanged glances. “So
catch flies not bathing. Like Jerry.”
how’d that work out for yuh?”
“I’ll talk to Jerry. What did Buliq have to say
Buliq’s grimace told Teo all he needed to
when yuh tracked him down?”
know. “And one of the targets,” he whined,
“He say trout were biting, but you not care
“had a bum leg and shoulda been easy pick-
about that. Hey, you know river first explored
ings. But his woman beat my guy up!”
by man named Chang Lao-tze not long after
“His woman?” said Teo. “Sounds like she
Fall from Heaven? Called Lazy River in his hon-
was a plainsman, too.”
or. Buliq say he was contacted anonymously
“That must have messed up your ROI,” Sam-
by an ‘agent’ of a ‘principal.’”
mi told the contractor. When the greenie gave
“Sounds complicated.” Teo turned to the
him a puzzled look, Sammi explained. “Is
man lying hog-tied on the floor of his quarters,
what we say in the hills. You find three plains-
earning a tsk from his batman. “So who was
men, so must hire three teams, but you can’t
this principal?”
contact agent to contact principal to ask for
The man found it hard to shrug with his
more money. So that leave less profit for you.
hands tied to his ankles behind his back. “Sure
Hey, Teddy. Jerry right. This guy cut corners,
and I don’t know, sinna.”
hire junior varsity.”
“Sor,” the batman corrected him. “Roy’s offi-
“Look, I don’t want the roy’s people mad at
cer.” He managed not to express any doubts
me,” Buliq protested.
on that score. Roy Cuffland kept many exotic
“That’s nothing,” Teo assured him, “next to
creatures on the palace grounds. This colonel
having the son of Nagarajan mad at you. How
might be only another.
do we find this third man? The one travelling
“I don’t even know who the agent was,”
heavy.” To Buliq’s frown, he added, “With his
Buliq contributed helpfully. But his manner
wife.”
suggested that he was not impressed with a
“Not his wife, just a woman. Um, his name
royal officer, perhaps not even with a roy. He
is some heathen gabble. Sereenas or some-
spoke xhavla with a slight nasal twang.
thing.”
When Teo raised an eyebrow, Buliq added,
“Srinivas?”
“He wore a mask.”
“Yeah, you know him.”
“That a common thing hereabouts?” Among
Sammi swatted him aside the head. “Sure,
the ironmen on the western continent, nobles
every plainsman know every other plains-
sometimes wore masks when they entered
man,” he instructed him.
tourneys with ordinary knights so their oppo-
“What else?” Teo prompted him. “His fa-
nents would not pull their strokes. He won-
ther’s name, his sobriquet, his clan?” But those
dered if a similar motive was at play here.
drew blanks from the greenie. “Where’d yuh
“Is what hillmen call ‘left holding bag,’”
find him?”
Sammi said. “Anyone object to beatdown on
“He hires out as muscle in Phairgruzh
Teo, buck stops with you.”
Town.”
“It’s just business,” Buliq admitted. “He
“The seaport?”
called himself ‘Master Green,’ and said his
“Why, is there another Phairgruzh? Can you
principal wanted a beating on—uh, these are
untie me now? I’ve told you everything I
his words—‘the big bronze savage from the
know and I have some other contracts that I
West.’”
need to execute.”
Sammi bent over and grinned in the man’s
“Not on plainsmen, I hope.”
face. “You think plainsman ‘savage’? You nev-
“No. Just regular labor disputes and political
er meet hillman.”
rallies.”
Buliq shivered. “What he didn’t tell me, be-
“Sammi, you got eyes on this putz?”
cause maybe he didn’t know, was that there
“Sure. Yank his leash whenever. Execute
were three or four ‘big bronze savages’ in
our own contract,” he added in an ominous
Cuffland. Because of the cutout, I couldn’t ask
tone.
him which one he had in mind. So I took a fly-
“Doke, cut’m loose then.”
er and hired subcontractors to get each, uh,
When Buliq was standing once more and
‘plainsman’ I could locate. That was three.”
rubbing circulation back into his hands and
74
MICHAEL F. FLYNN
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018
feet, he ventured to ask, “I don’t suppose you
Major-ji One said, “Begging the colonel’s
can lend me carriage fare back to Cuff Town?
pardon, but the men’s archery isn’t really up
Your man picked me up on the river, and I
to your standards.” He looked to Jerry the Im-
didn’t have my purse with me.”
placable for confirmation, and the plainsman
Sammi started to say tough noogies, but
nodded.
Teo flipped the contractor a golden roy. Buliq
“Tried the broad side of a barn,” he said
looked it over, bit it, then gave Teo a nod. “If I
wagging his hand ulta-pulta. “Sometimes they
hear from him again . . .” Then he left.
hit it.”
The batman asked, “Was that wise, sor?” He
“Won’t be much call for it in mountainous
tried to place the riding cap on Teo’s head,
country,” Teo judged. “This’ll be an exercise
but Teo snatched it from him and settled it
in signals, coordination, and communication
himself.
between separated columns. We’ll go packing
“I judge him a man who meets his contracts,
because we ain’t stupid, but . . .”
or tries. I paid him; now he’ll let me know
“Packing?” said the horse-major.
about any further contacts. Sammi? Send some-
“Under arms,” explained the
lieutenant-
one to f ind this Srinivas and invite him up
colonel. “Colorful plains idiom, gentlemen. We
here. Don’t go yourself in case he got weenie
must all learn it. Part of our regimental per-
against hillmen. I want to break him in gentle.”
sona.”
“Bad leg,” Sammi reminded him.
“I expect the mountains will be rocky, but . . .”
“Yah, but how bad? Beside, us plainsmen
“Begging the colonel’s pardon,” Number
got to stick together.”
One said again. “But Stoney Mountain is a low,
“And he has woman.”
wooded ridge. Steep in places, but with two
“And he has woman.”
wide gaps. Number Three knows the country.
He was born and raised there.”
A gap in a ridge
In Arandtsland, Teo remembered. The last
Teo turned the planning for the maneuvers
of the kingdoms to be incorporated into
over to Gunning Karl, who was Major-ji Three.
Greater Cuff land. That probably meant that
“I want the regiment to sweep the passages up
his great-grandfather had fought in the Arandt
from Yavalprawns through the Stoney Moun-
army. Long enough for grudges to cool, per-
tain country,” he told his staff, “and cut for sign
haps not for nostalgia to die. “So why’s it
that the Imperials have been scouting there.”
called ‘stoney’?”
“There’s been no activity in that sector for
“John Stone was one of the f irst settlers
years,” Gunning said.
north of the bracelet ridges after the collapse of
“Yah. That means it’s about ripe. I don’t ex-
Old Iabran. He built a horse ranch right about
pect we’ll run into any Yavalprawnsi patrols,
there.” Gunning’s finger came down on a spot
but the ’Prawns might not care what I expect.
on the map labeled Stoney’s Town. “That was
So lay plans assuming they’re there in recon-
a couple thousand sun-circuits ago, of course,
naissance strength.” He turned to Sammi. “Ma-
but in the legends he’s called ‘Stoney.’”
jor-ji Two, split your scouts among however
“People have funny names back then,” Sam-
many columns Gunning forms up, but keep a
mi o’ th’ Hawks suggested.
reserve for regiment. They’re to ride ahead of
the troopers and give them a heads-up of any
The regiment rode out on a bright morning
surprises, human or geographical. We want to
in Little Spring, leaving A troop behind to staff
verify that these here maps are up to date while
the cantonment and run a message relay to the
we’re at it. Lar Rigo. Contact the brigadier of
column. Morning frost still glazed the ground,
the border regiments and clue him in on our
but the days were growing warmer, and it sub-
exercise and contact the Royal Cartographers
limed into fog with the sunlight. The Red Sun
and order up a squad. What is it, Rigo?”
was rising early, adding a ruddy, dim half-light
“The Cartographers are not in the chain of
to presage true dawn. A squad of Royal Cartog-
command. You can’t order them.”
raphers accompanied the column to verify the
“Yeah? Then invite them extra special nice.
maps of the region. They wore uniforms of
Kiss them on the lips if you have to. But make
khaki hoodies, and their rank insignia were
sure they can all ride. Yah, Don Pfuil?”
light blue. Reff Wang, their chief, filled Teo’s
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75
ANALOG
ears with all he ever wanted to know about ge-
up for Big Summer. I told him we were on a
ology, mapmaking, and calendars. This he ac-
training exercise, but we wanted to scout the
complished on the f irst day’s riding but con-
ground to verify our maps. After all, it’s the
tinued afterward to “stuff the duck.”
most direct route into the Imperial Republic.”
“Back on the Great Grass,” Teo ventured,
“I suppose that’s why it’s called ‘Lucky,’”
“we knew when the seasons changed by
Teo said.
watching for the Red Dawn. We didn’t try to
Lar Rigo, Keckenhem, and the other scouts
guess beforehand when that would be.” He
laughed. “But that also makes it the most di-
did not tell them that the plainsmen had called
rect route for ’Prawns to invade Cuffland. For-
the Red Sun “the Sperm” because it seemed to
tunate Gap, east of here, opens onto Cuff ter-
enter and impregnate Sun so that Sun would
ritory south of Stoney Mountain. Our roy’s
rebirth it a few moon-laps later. That tale
father, the gods bless him, conquered it twen-
seemed to Teo hopelessly naïve now that he
ty-four sun-laps ago to give us a buffer
knew the stars were carried in orbs of “dark
province.”
matter” that turned around World.
Teo made a mental note that the population
“It’s not a matter of guessing, Kemal
on the far side of Fortunate Gap was likely to
Teodorq,” said Wang, puff ing away on some
be disaffected and the passage there might be
rank weed that he burned in a pipe, “but of
less fortunate than the Cuffs thought. People
painstaking calculations.” Teo feared he
did not often enjoy living in a buffer zone. “So
would begin to explain those calculations. He
why’s it called Lucky Gap, then?”
wished he could order the fellow to the rear
“I keep forgetting you don’t know our lore,”
of the column, or at least to shut up.
the lieutenant colonel said. “The gap was
“The Red Sun is actually a Wanderer just
named after Lukiraam Piryasankar, who led
like the planets; only it moves so slowly that it
one of the three columns that fled north after
required many generations for our calendar-
the fall of Old Iabran.” He shook his head sad-
makers to realize it. That’s why the seasons
ly. “They still had some Commonwealth hiteq
have been creeping up the calendar. You see,
back then, but the barbarians took them
summer and winter depend on whether
down anyway. They had settled too many of
World is tilted toward Sun. But Red Sun modi-
the wild tribes in the southeast vales; and then
fies this by adding extra light and heat during
made the mistake of treating them badly. It
certain times of the year. For example, in Big
started the Dark Age in Old Iabran, the Sack
Summer, at least one sun is in the daytime sky
did, and the refugees could not bring enough
for three-quarters of the day, and double-night
tech with them to keep things up on the
is only a small fraction of the day. So . . .”
penin
sula here.”
“Excuse me, chief,” Teo said, not without
They had kept up rather more than the folk
some relief, “but the scouts are coming back
on the western continent had, Teo thought.
in, and I gotta take their report.” He didn’t, re-
But it didn’t sound like Iabran would be send-
ally. That was why he had a lieutenant. But he
ing much help out to Jamly-ghost at her lonely
spurred his horse and cantered to the head of
sentinel on the shortgrass prairie. “And Fortu-
the column as if f leeing a victorious enemy.
nate Gap . . . ?” he suggested.
He knew a vague dissatisfaction at this, as if he
“Mberto Fortunado led the second column.
had surrendered in battle.
In fact, he discovered the gap that bears his
name.”
Rigo had spread a map across a field table,
Teo nodded in bemused comprehension,
and Sammi and his people were pointing to
and everyone bent over the map table once
this or that feature when Teo cantered up.
more while Rigo pointed out his suggestions
When Teo dismounted, he heard Winislo
for the maneuvers over the next several days.
Keckenhem reporting on the situation at
Sammi spoke up. “Found third gap,” he
Lucky Gap.
said. “Not on maps.”
“. . . but the commandant at Ft. Piryasankar
They fell silent and looked up from the map
told us there had been no ’Prawns probing the
table, one by one.
Gap for the past season. It’s impassible now
“Where?” asked Lar Rigo in a careful voice.
because of the melting snows, but should dry
“Past Fortunate Gap. Entrance screened by
76
MICHAEL F. FLYNN
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2018
old forest, but Sammi notice odd shadows.” He
“Your average conscript gutter-scraping,”
pointed to the map with his dagger. “Just here.”
Reff Wang confided with a puff of his stinking
One of the other scouts hesitated, then
pipe, “is a superstitious lout. Especially if he
asked, “Did you enter the gap?”
comes from Arandt-land.” He glanced about
The hillman snorted. “Had machete, not
quickly lest he had offended either local louts
company of combat engineers. All overgrown
or royals. “They have too many gods.”
with tangle trees and prickly bushes. Could see
Teo, who had numbered four gods back
nothing farther up the gap but sand dunes.”
home on the Grass, wondered how many
Teo’s staff exhaled. “Sand dunes,” said Lar