A New Beginning

by Alexander W Meurant

  After a few moments he gathered his courage and spoke.

  "So, uh, Sergeant, I don’t suppose you could give me any pointers or advice?" he asked rather stiffly.

  Luto chuckled and turned slightly to face Sain, and with a slight grin he lightly punched the youth’s shoulder.

  "Why so uptight boy, we are all brothers here, just call me Luto" the man said as he looked over at Travos and nodded at him.

  "You know, every time we get a new member of the unit, be them scrub or veteran, the major puts them all through the same regime to test them. First the crushing handshake and then the morning jog" Luto chuckled and spoke slowly and clearly so Sain could understand him.

  "You see Yerrick over there, the one with the permanent bed hair. He was a guerilla fighter for nine years before he joined up with us, and when the major tested him, he cried. He actually cried. Now, the man is as tough as nails but he thought the major hated him or something. And he was one of the ones who stayed. In the last two years we have had fourteen new members of which only five remain. The others, well they couldn’t take it" Luto stated and smiled wryly.

  After a few moments of silence Luto reached into a pocket and produced a packet of cigarettes and flipping it open, offered the packet to Sain. When Sain waved them away Luto just shrugged. He placed a cigarette between his lips and with a small mumble and a click of his fingers he produced a small flame above a finger and he lit up. Sain surmised the man must have a multitude of energy crystals hidden in amongst his many pockets.

  Exhaling a plume of smoke through his nostrils, Luto continued.

  "Now, I know you have only been here for a day, but you don’t look any worse for wear and we know you were run pretty ragged this morning, not to mention the handshake last night. A lot of bets had been exchanged before you arrived, and afterwards, well the major was quite a bit richer. He was the only one who said you wouldn’t break" Luto stated, a weak smile tugging at his lips.

  Sain made a noise of disgust and Luto chuckled.

  "Don’t worry about it lad, you proved us wrong, and as the major said, you have potential. That’s what matters. Eventually the rest of the lads will warm up to you." Luto said rather softly as he puffed out a plume of smoke and tilted his head back, resting it against the wall behind him.

  After a few moments the Luto stood up and stretched his back out and grunted, before he looked down at Sain and spoke again.

  "Well, you wanted advice, not meaningless chatter, so, my advice is this. Magical battles have the same principles as a fist fight, economy of movement, complete control of one's techniques and of course experience. And in my experience, I learnt many years ago that you carry as many energy crystals as humanly possible and of every type. You never know when you may need them. You wouldn’t want to run out of energy at a crucial time, would you?" the man asked of Sain, an eyebrow raised in query as he tucked his thumbs into his belt and nodded at Sain who took on a thoughtful expression as he mulled over Luto's words.

  "Well lad, you take care and try not to burn out. Make it past the first week and you are as good as in and the others will accept you just like that" Luto added, speaking around the cigarette jammed into the corner of his mouth.

  He chuckled again and turned, thumbs still in his belt as he casually walked away aiming to exit the warehouse, the look on Sain’s face the only answer he needed.

  Chapter 7

  * * *

  As his breath misted in front of him Victor peeked through the bushes and down onto the road. He could hear the rumble of trucks further in the distance and knew the convoy was approaching. From the intel he had received from a local villager a few days ago, he knew it was a small convoy that was taking a shipment of food and clothing to a nearby outpost. And the convoy was apparently lightly guarded. He clenched his teeth as he saw the first truck come around the corner and looked it over.

  It was a simple thing. A military vehicle with a canvas roof and the Imperial insignia painted on the side of the vehicle's doors. The wings of an eagle flanking a five-pointed star. Imperials lived and died for that emblem.

  As the truck came into range, two more trucks appeared behind it, followed by a single jeep bringing up the rear with four armed soldiers in it. Victor gulped and let out a loud whistle. His marines pulled hard on a rope that attached to the top of a tree across the road and a loud crack sounded. Victor saw two supporting ropes swing free as they were cut on the other side and the tree fell loose, falling and crashing into the road and sending branches and leaves cascading. The lead truck screeched as the driver put on the brakes and it came to a shuddering halt, slamming into the trunk of the tree. The other trucks swerved around the lead truck and managed to come to a halt even as the jeep to the rear came to a stop.

  The four guards didn't stand a chance as Anne erupted from the bushes and a blast of magic sent the jeep rolling onto its side, the guards shouting incoherently as other marines appeared from the undergrowth of the forest on the other side of the road and came barreling down the hill, more than a few firing their weapons into the jeep. A few screams sounded as the marines reached the Imperials and pulled two of the Imperials from the overturned vehicle and pinned them to the ground, guns pointed at the backs of their heads.

  Victor emerged from the bushes himself, his right hand wrapped around a blaster pistol. He flexed his fingers and watched as his marines mobbed the three trucks and pulled the driver and passenger from each of the vehicles. The Imperials were shouting with their hands held in the air. They were surrendering. That was smart considering there were fifty blood thirsty Federation marines pointing a myriad of fire arms and sharpened sticks at them. Victor didn't exactly have that many weapons for his people. Looking around at the faces of his marines, Victor could see glee in their eyes and could practically sense the blood lust in his subordinates. Jumping down onto the road he slid his blaster into its holster on his right hip even as he spoke out, his voice loud and clear.

  "Alright, that’s enough. They surrendered. Take their weapons and tie them up" he ordered and watched as the marines did just that. Before long he had eight Imperials kneeling before him, their hands tied behind their backs. Each one had a marine behind them with a hand in their hair as their heads were held up. Victor just stared at them, their eyes wide with fear. Victor frowned, pitying them somewhat. He looked over at the over turned jeep and noted that two corpses had been dragged from it and left lying in the road. The unlucky Imperials killed in the initial ambush. These men had definitely not been prepared for an attack like this.

  "Sir. We killing them?" a question was asked and Victor turned his head to look at the marine that had asked the question. One of the men behind an Imperial.

  "No. We will let them go. They surrendered. First raid the trucks. Take only what you can carry" Victor stated and then frowned as he noticed many of his marines scowl.

  "Sir. They wouldn't let us go. They proved that at Pagua. Slaughtered anyone who surrendered" one woman piped up. Victor grit his teeth as he saw many of them nod their heads. There was still a lot of hate and anger aimed at the Imperials. He gulped. This was the first real attack they had made since they fled Pagua, and these men and women looked like they needed to vent. To gain vengeance for their lost family members and friends. And they looked like they would revolt if he said no. Victor would be the shortest-lived rebel leader in history. He gulped and then nodded, his expression no doubt displaying his reluctance in the matter.

  "Alright. But make it look like they resisted. And do it near the jeep" he stated and watched as one of the Imperials eyes widened. A young man who clearly understood the language Victor was speaking. The main language of the Federation called Daelic, named after the largest nation of Dael.

  "No please, we won't tell anyone" the young man exclaimed as he was hauled up. Victor just looked at him sadly. He would tell. The young mans' superiors would make sure of that. Victor just shook his head. He didn't want to see this. He turned away, a bad tast
e in his mouth as he watched as the marines opened up the trucks and went through them, whoops of glee sounding at the stuff they found.

  Feeling a tug on his elbow Victor looked to his left and saw Anne, a sad smile on her face.

  "The men are right. The Imperials kill many prisoners. Depends on their whims. Don't feel bad about it" she stated, that smile of hers looking all the sadder. Victor let out a sigh and then flinched as he heard the zap of energy pistols following by sudden and short-lived screams.

  "I know. Doesn't make it easier knowing I ordered these ones to die" he stated and then sighed, a look of anger briefly crossing his features. He stayed silent a little while, composing himself. He seemed to deflate a little, his shoulders sagging as he spoke once more.

  "Can you take inventory of the weapons we have seized. I am guessing there were what, seven rifles and ten blasters if all the Imperials were carrying. Distribute them among the better shooters" Victor stated and watched as Anne nodded. She then turned away to follow those orders. Victor clenched his jaw and started towards the closet truck, intent on looking inside. Seeing Imperial uniforms as well as winter jackets and a large number of wool blankets he smiled, feeling a jolt of elation. These would be used well now that winter was fast approaching and snow was common in the northern part of Seirei where the group had their hideout.

  He reached in and took one of the jackets and tugged it on over his own threadbare Federation uniform. He began pulling out more jackets and passing them to marines nearby, each putting them on as well. Two marines jumped up into the truck and started to throw the blankets out onto the road and even more marines picked them up, a few wrapping them around their shoulders. Victor grabbed one and made his way to the next truck. It had been emptied already and its contents stacked on the road. There were sacks of flour, tins of food and rolls of hard bread. There looked to be a large amount of vacuum sealed and dehydrated food as well.

  Putting his blanket down on the ground he started piling food into it until he judged it was enough. Then he bundled it up into a makeshift sack and slung it over his shoulder. He watched as other soldiers did the same and soon nearly all his people had a makeshift sack slung over their shoulder. Those that didn't had picked up the sacks of flour and bags of bread. Doing a quick look over he noticed that they hadn't gotten everything. There was a lot of stuff here. He bit his lip and thought. They could leave it there in the road, but it was a waste. They could even maybe hide it nearby but animals would most likely get to it before they returned.

  After a moment of thought Victor just shrugged and leant down quickly and grabbed what looked like a block of cheese and then straightened up. He bit into the plastic and ripped a hole in it, spitting the torn plastic to the side. He held it up and grinned at the faces around him.

  "Snack for the road" he stated and a few of the marines laughed. They too looked into the pile of left overs and picked up something they could walk with and eat at the same time. Looking at them, Victor repositioned the makeshift sack on his shoulder and huffed.

  "Alright. We have everything we can carry. Back to base. Hopefully we won't have any Imperials on our tails for a few days" he stated and started walking. His people fell into line behind him in silence and Victor swore he could almost feel the jubilation and near glee amongst them, even catching a few words from whispered conversations. Lately, in the last few weeks there had been barely any decent food to go around. The group had not been able to scrounge much from the small villages nearby so a few of them seemed to be excited about a decent feed tonight. But that wouldn't happen until after a full inventory was taken of what they had.

  Biting into the slab of cheese he caught the tangy flavor and felt it rush through his mouth as he chewed. Damn these Imperials ate better than Federation soldiers.

  Climbing the hill off to the left side of the road Victor was soon huffing and puffing at the climb. Looking around, he found the dirt path the troop had followed to get to this road. He looked down at the messy ground and the amount of foot prints all over it. The group of marines would be easily trackable until they reached the rocky banks of the river and followed it into the mountains. Their trail would go cold there unless the Imperials brought high quality dogs. And even then, the coming snows would likely obliterate any tracks left behind. Looking up he saw the mountain peaks through the foliage of the tree's and he sighed. It was a long trek back to those peaks. A day on foot at least. Readjusting his makeshift sack once more Victor steeled himself for the long walk ahead.

  * * *

  Swinging her head scarf up over her shoulder, Mehrasa looked around the village as she stepped out of her small house, her eyes squinted due to the glare of the sun. Hearing a burst of laughter, she stepped back under the eaves of her house as a group of children rushed past, a leather ball being thrown between them. She smiled and watched them go before stepping back out into the dirt road that snaked its way between the dwellings of the village, and eventually met with the main road that led out of the settlement.

  Mehrasa began to walk down the gentle slope towards the sea, her eyes flitting over the short mud brick houses that lined either side of the road. Where ever she went, she saw smiling faces, and heard people calling out to her in greeting. She smiled back and raised a hand in reply, stopping to speak with only a handful of the village elders, all their brown faces covered in a mass of wrinkles, all the women wearing similar headscarves like her, just in a variety of brilliant colors.

  Eventually Mehrasa reached the bottom of the hill and stepped onto the main road, a mule and cart trundling past, the beast braying as it strained under a heavy load of barrels full of fish, it's owner walking beside it with a thick stick of cane. Mehrasa waited for it to go past before crossing the street, coming to a halt at a beach. She looked out over the white sand, devoid of any people and smiled. It was a beautiful sight. Beyond the beach she could see the open ocean, a number of small islands dotting the horizon. That was the Sirius straight. A straight dotted with various sized islands, and small villages that provided bases for fishermen to operate from.

  "Mehrasa! There you are! I have been looking all over for you!" came a shout from her right and Mehrasa turned, seeing her twin brother Mehrbad running up the road towards her. He reached the cart and suddenly seemed to realize he was not going to fit past it on the road. So, he stepped sideways towards the beach and Mehrasa just grimaced as she watched the loose ground give way under her brother’s weight. Hearing a yelp as her brother fell and rolled down the hill, Mehrasa leant forward a bit so she could see over the lip of the roadway and onto the beach.

  "Well, while you were looking for me, you should have spent more effort on looking where you were going" she called out and heard the mule owner laugh as he lumbered down the road. Mehrasa watched her brother get up off the beach and brush himself down before climbing back up to the road. Before long Mehrbad was standing before her, a look of excitement on his face. He reached out suddenly and grabbed Mehrasa by the shoulders.

  "He said yes sis! Old man Shah accepted my proposal to marry Abiha! We will be wed!" Mehrbad practically yelled in excitement, his eyes near glowing as he started to shake Mehrasa a little. She just stared at her brother, a surprised look on her face. Then a shiver ran down her spine. Mehrbad had not told her he had sought the hand of a woman. Let alone Abiha, the village potter's youngest daughter.

  "Oh. Well, I am happy for you brother" Mehrasa stated awkwardly and lifted her hands up to grip his wrists and gently pulled her brothers arms away from her. There was no resistance in them and Mehrasa just kept looking into her brothers' eyes. They may have been twins, but she felt like he was years behind her in maturity. And to think he was supposed to be the head of the household. Letting go of his hands, Mehrasa just watched as Mehrbad seemed to think on something.

  "Thank you sister, but now as I am due to be wed, I must try and bring in more money, so that I can pay for a grand ceremony" Mehrdad stated and lifted a hand to scratch at his chin an
d the thin beard he wore. Mehrasa just felt her heart drop and she sighed as she recognized that look.

  "Brother, please no. We are trying to get out of that business" Mehrasa stated, hoping her twin wasn't thinking about doing what she thought he would. Sure enough, he was.

  "Sister, let’s ask the crew. Many merchant vessels are packing these days. They are easy targets. One last job for lots of cash" Mehrbad declared and turned on his heel before walking briskly down the road, his gaze set on the village docks and the half dozen small boats moored there. Mehrasa grit her teeth and followed after her brother. She often had to deal with the fallout of his decisions and this time probably would be no different.

  As she caught up to her brother, they turned onto a wharf and made their way down to the end where a small fishing boat was moored. It was their boat, the inheritance left behind by their late father. Sadly, Mehrbad didn't want to follow in their father’s footsteps and instead chased after a far more dangerous life on the sea. Stopping at the gangway of the boat Mehrbad waved to the crew onboard. A half dozen people, four young men and two grizzled old seamen. As greetings were offered in return, Mehrbad walked along the gangway and stepped down into the boat, the sailors quickly gathering around him. Mehrasa just stayed standing on the wharf, her red headscarf stirring in the light sea breeze.