“I thought I would feel some sense of guilt or remorse,” Hatare said.
I looked over and found her staring down at one of the dead soldiers. She simply stood there, looked into his eyes, and let a cruel smile flicker upon her lips.
“I don't though,” she said. “I actually feel – good. Righteous. Like we did something profoundly good today.”
I nodded. “I know what you mean. I was surprised that I felt so justified and righteous about taking lives.”
“I don't feel a shred of remorse over what we did,” she said softly. “What does that say about me?”
I stepped closer to her and took her by the hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “What it says is that you're a revolutionary. That you're willing to fight – and die – to make this world a better place for everybody. And that's not a bad thing.”
She looked up at me, a broad smile touching her lips. “It's not a bad thing at all.”
Manyr stepped over to us and put a hand on each of our shoulders. “Fantastic job, the both of you.”
It wasn't that we really did all that much. After all, what we did consisted of sneaking up behind a group of guys and gunning them down. But it did do one important thing for us – it gave us our first taste of combat. And we'd passed our first test – the ability to not freeze under pressure. I thought we'd passed it with flying colors, in fact.
“Come, let's go see our prize,” Manyr said.
We walked around to the rear of one of the transports and Manyr punched a button on the outside to lower the rear hatch. A moment later, the ramp touched down in the dirt with a thud, and we all stood there, a look of dumbfounded shock on all of our faces.
“What is this?” Hatare finally asked, breaking the silence.
Crates lined the middle of the transport – no doubt, filled with weapons – but it was what was lined up against the walls that had caught our attention. Or rather, whom. People lined the walls of the transport. In fact, it was all women. Young women – and all of them I noticed, were scraps. They'd been chained to the wall of the transport and looked at us with wide, scared eyes. I felt a dark and abiding rage begin to bubble up within me as I looked at the girls – girls who'd been torn from their families and who were no doubt, going to be sold into one form of bondage or another.
Hatare rushed up the ramp and tried to comfort some of the women who were sobbing. “Can we get a key or something to start letting these girls loose? We need to get them out of here. Now.”
A couple of the fighters who'd joined us at the foot of the ramp, sprinted into the compartment of the transport to help Hatare free the girls. All the while, Manyr stood there looking at them with an expression of concern upon her face. It obviously bothered her that these women were chained up and were being hauled somewhere like livestock. I could see that as plain as day.
But one thing I noticed missing was an expression of surprise. She knew exactly what we were going to find when we opened up the back of those transports. And she knew exactly how deeply it was going to bother both Hatare and I.
It seemed that her recruitment efforts never, ever stopped.
Chapter Ten
Hatare
The next few weeks were a blur of activity. Yurat had us going on an increasing number of raids – raids that seemed to get more difficult with each passing day. With each successful raid, the Ministry responded by increasing the number of soldiers and weapons arrayed against us. We lost a lot of fighters, but we were gaining much in terms of weapons and supplies. Not to mention the fact that we'd most definitely gotten under the skin of the Ministry and were now being seen as a legitimate threat – one they could not afford to take seriously.
Yurat wanted a war and it appeared that he was getting his wish.
The other thing that was happening was that as our success grew, so too did the numbers of fighters joining our ranks. Yurat attributed it to our presence, but the reality was that with each successful operation, the legitimacy of the rebellion grew. People began to see – many for the first time – that a new world where equality and freedom of choice were absolutely possible. And given the number of people flocking to the rebellion, a new world was exactly what the people wanted.
No doubt the Ministry was paying attention to that. And no doubt, they were terrified of it. The Ministry had always used fear and oppression to rule the people. To keep them compliant and subservient. And the Ministry relied on the “customs” and “traditions” of Unduth to perpetuate the system of inequality that hurt so many.
And now, with momentum on our side, Yurat felt that it was finally time to take the fight to the Ministry itself.
We rode in the back of the transport and my stomach was in knots. I was always nervous before a raid, but this was different. This time, we were staging an assault on the building that housed the Ministry itself. And I knew, probably better than anybody going into battle just how difficult that was going to be. The Ministry – the seat of power in Kinray and all of Unduth – was an armed fortress.
Byr must have sensed my unease because he took my hand and gave it a squeeze and leaned down to plant a soft kiss on my cheek.
“You okay?” he asked.
I shrugged and gave him a small smile. “About as good as I can be,” I said. “I just have a bad feeling about this.”
He nodded. “Yeah, I'm not convinced it's the smartest move either.”
I looked over at Yurat who was huddled near the front of the transport with Manyr and a few of his top lieutenants. The conversation they were having was animated and there seemed to be some disagreement between them. And when Manyr looked over at me, I could see that she wasn't sold on the idea that attacking the Ministry the wisest course of action either.
But Yurat was feeling optimistic after our string of successes. Our swelling ranks bolstered that confidence – recklessly, in my opinion.
“We're ready for this,” Yurat said, the irritation in his voice plain. “Now is the perfect time to attack. They will never see it coming.”
Yurat's lieutenants looked down, none of them willing to say a word. He was older than all of them, had more experience fighting this war, and they apparently didn't think it was their place to contradict him.
Yurat moved to the middle of the transport and looked at all of us riding with him. “I know you're scared,” he said. “I know you think I've lost my mind. But believe me, we are ready. We've never been more ready. This is our chance. Our moment. If we can seize control of the Ministry, put them all in chains and parade them out for the world to see, the back of this government will be broken. We will have won. And when we do that, we can go about the business of building the world we've talked about for so long now.
We have the men, we have the firepower – we just need to find the will. So, dig deep everybody. No, this won't be an easy fight. I expect it to be bloody and brutal. I expect heavy casualties. But dig deep within yourselves because I also expect victory. We can win. We will win.”
His rousing speech was motivational – even I felt some stirrings of optimism within me. And I could see it reflected on the faces of the soldiers around us. Yurat was a leader. He was able to inspire people to do things they wouldn't normally do. Things that maybe they thought they couldn't do.
I was just hoping he wasn't leading us all to our doom.
The transport slowed and settled down to the ground with a solid thud. The rear ramp lowered, letting in a cool breeze and the dying light of the afternoon. The transports – seven in all – had all settled down in a clearing in the middle of Kinray called the Park of Reflection. All around us were long pools of water that were normally so still, they could be used as mirrors. But with the amount of activity generated by the transports, ripples and small waves marred the surface of the pool, sending water splashing over the sides. Statues of great Unduthian “patriots” were scattered throughout the park, their faces always grim, seemingly cast in a perpetual disapproving frown.
I recall having s
pent time there with my family – quite a lot, actually. Not because we were having a fun, relaxing family outing, but because it was required by my father. He'd wanted us to learn and immerse ourselves in the history of our culture. He'd wanted us to learn about what it took to be a great and valuable member of Unduthian society.
And if we won the day and I had any say in the matter, this park was going to be absolutely obliterated. I would set fire to it myself. Happily.
“Okay, listen up,” Yurat called into his hand held loudspeaker. “No doubt, the Ministry knows we're coming now and are probably scurrying to rally their troops. It's going to take a little time for them to assemble, which gives us our window of opportunity. We strike hard, we strike fast, and we strike now.
This is our moment, people. This is what we've been fighting for. We will win this day and look back upon it as the day we broke the back of an oppressive regime and gave Unduth back to the people – where it so rightly belongs. I believe in you all. Fight hard and we will carry this day.
Battalion commanders, you know your assignments. Take your troops and head out. Move quickly. Be ready to strike on my command.”
All around me, was a flurry of activity as the fighters assigned to each battalion commander scrambled to fall into a formation and took off at a trot. As I watched them go, I couldn't help but feel a dark sense of foreboding. I didn't know how many of those eager, optimistic faces I was going to see again.
The knot in my stomach tightened painfully and I could see the same tension in Byr's face when he looked down at me. Neither of us knew how this was going to go, but neither of us were feeling particularly good about it.
As had become something of a tradition in our battalion, the fighters filed past us as they formed up, tapping both Byr and me on the helmet. According to Manyr, they thought it – and us being with them – brought them good luck.
But touching our helmets wasn't going to stop a laser from ripping them open. I played my part though and smiled, tapping each one of them on their shoulder plates as they filed past. The last thing I was going to do was kill morale. If they believed it, then who was I to take that away from them?
“Okay, let's move out,” Yurat called.
Our battalion began the march toward the Ministry – and as had been ordered by Yurat, Byr and I were forced to bring up the rear. Up ahead, I could see the spires of the Ministry building shooting skyward, the dark stone casting an ominous presence against the dusky sky. We were close and drawing ever closer.
Byr grabbed my hand and squeezed it. When I looked up at him, I saw an urgency and intensity in his face I hadn't seen before.
“Whatever happens,” he said, “however this all plays out, just know that I love you. That you are the best and most important thing to ever happen to me.”
I squeezed his hand in return. “Stop talking like this is going to be it,” I said. “Don't even think it. I love you, Byr. And we will get a chance to build our lives together. In a better world.”
I said it as earnestly as I could, but deep down I had my doubts that we were going to come out of this mess alive and intact. I only saw this battle ending two ways – either the back of the Ministry would be broken, or the back of the rebellion would be. This fight felt like it was for everything. And though our fighters were passionate, I didn't know that they were ready enough to actually defeat the Ministry's trained, professional soldiers. Maybe in a year or two, with intensive training – but that was time we didn't have. The fight was on now.
The sound of explosions tore through the air and were powerful enough that they shook the ground we were marching on. I looked over at Byr who looked back at me, the same questions going through my head reflected upon his face.
“Yurat apparently had advance measures in place,” Manyr said almost angrily, as she fell into step beside us. “Measures he didn't even tell me about.”
Another series of explosions shook the world around us, filling the air with the smoke. Up ahead, I saw people on the streets, normal Unduthian citizens, running for their lives, the sound of their shrieks and cries saturating the air. I looked up and saw columns of smoke rising in front of the dark spires, obscuring my view of them.
Another series of explosions went off, more powerful than the first.
“It's smart,” Byr said. “Soften up the defenses in advance of the ground troops.”
Manyr nodded grudgingly. It was clear she didn't like being kept out of the loop. She looked at us again and gave us a grim smile.
“It's been my honor to serve with the both of you,” she said. “Good luck and I will see you once this is over.”
She ran off before either of us could respond because the battle was on. Byr and I stopped for a moment to stare open-mouthed at the scene before us. The bombs had torn gaping holes into the Ministry building and fire could be seen through them. Debris littered the ground – as did bodies. So many bodies. Some of them were soldiers, some were people who'd been unlucky enough to be within the blast radius when the bombs went off.
I gritted my teeth, not happy with the loss of civilian life – but knowing that in a war, it was inescapable.
Yurat was urging his troops forward. Red lasers lanced out as the Ministry's soldiers, clad in the traditional white and red armor took up a defensive position, trying to hold off Yurat's advancing fighters. His troops were acquitting themselves well. They found what cover they could and returned fire, felling a good number of soldiers along the way.
The sound of rifle fire and explosions filled the air and I wondered how the battalions tasked with assaulting the rear of the building were doing. The plan was to breach both the front and the back and pin the Ministers inside, where we would be able to put them in custody – or kill them outright, I assumed.
There was so much smoke and laser fire, so many people running around, that it was dizzying. I had a hard time keeping track of anybody. I searched the battlefield for Manyr, but couldn't see her. I watched as half a dozen fighters were torn to pieces by fire from the soldiers rifles, their bodies falling limply to the ground.
“Come on, Hatare,” Byr said. “I'm not waiting back here where it's safe.”
I nodded. It was against Yurat's orders, but I was with Byr – I wasn't going to let other people die for me. If I wanted to be a part of this new world, I needed to earn my place. We sprinted toward a stone barricade that stood near the fence of the Ministry's courtyard. Crouching down, I stared into the lifeless eyes of one of our men. I touched his forehead gently and said a few quiet words.
Trying to keep beneath the barricade as much as possible, I got to my knees and started squeezing off shots. Byr's face was determined as he took aim and fired at the soldiers. I watched as most of his shots went high or wide. With a small grin on my face, I fired two shots and watched two soldiers fall.
I gave him a wink. “Looks like somebody needs to spend more time on the range.”
He gave me a lopsided smirk. “When did you get to be so funny?”
Byr pushed me down below the barricade a moment before it was hit by return fire. The sound it made as the lasers bounce off the stone was a high pitched whine that I found eerie. It sounded like a spirit – perhaps the spirit that came to claim your soul when you died.
Getting back up to my knees, I peered over the barricade and watched the government soldiers fall one by one under the withering fire of our fighters. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The tide of the battle was definitely in our favor and for the first time, I actually believed we were going to win the day.
Yurat waved his arms, encouraging his fighters forward. Beneath a blistering barrage of cover fire, Yurat and his men flooded into the courtyard. Though some of his men fell, they took more of the soldiers out than they lost. Byr and I stood up and joined the flood of fighters heading toward the Ministry's doors. The courtyard was soon overrun by Yurat's troops and victory appeared to be imminent.
Which was, of course, where everything unraveled.
The giant twin steel doors of the Ministry – built to be imposing and to convey power – creaked open. The shadowy interior of the massive main corridor was obscured, but it was what came pouring out of that open doorway that nearly stilled my heart.
The black and red armored soldiers of General Gravus – the most deadly fighters on Unduth.
“Oh no,” Byr whispered.
Gravus' men fell into a formation – one line kneeling, one line standing behind them – and laid down a withering burst of gunfire. I watched as Yurat's fighters seemed to fall by the score. The reputation of Gravus and his mercenaries was widely known on Unduth and inspired no small amount of fear and intimidation. It made Yurat's men hesitate – and that in turn, led to their deaths.
Gravus' men advanced on Yurat's fighters, cutting down more and more of them. The rebels, knowing the tide of battle had turned against them, began to flee. Many ran past Byr and me, abject terror on their faces.
I watched Yurat wave his arms, trying to implore his fighters to remain. He brought his weapon to bear and started firing at Gravus' men. He dropped two of them before half a dozen lasers pierced his body.
He fell to the ground – dead. And in that moment, I knew that was the fate of the rebellion.
“We have to go,” Byr said as he grabbed my hand and started to drag me backward. “We need to get out of here.”
I started to turn with him to join the retreating army when out of the smoke that filled the air above us, something emerged that made me stop. I looked up and watched as a small ship hovered over the courtyard. It sat motionless for a moment, just hanging above the fight – and then it laid down a massive burst of fire.
I watched, shocked and speechless, as Gravus' men fell beneath the fire from the ship. And then it moved back up into the thick clouds of smoke and was gone. Like it had never been there to begin with. Byr looked at me, his eyes wide.
“I have no idea,” I said.
I watched his eyes grow even wider as something behind me caught his attention. I spun, bringing my weapon to bear, but he put his hand on my shoulder, making me stop.
Rocor (Dragons of Kratak Book 5) Page 73