“How do you expect to get Skyhaven’s help?” asked Caythis.
“Skyhaven does not recognize Rigil’s illegal government and so it will not negotiate with Citadel. Technically they are at war and have been since Antares’ rebellion, but there is no fighting. Rigil doesn’t have the forces to spare to attack Skyhaven, and Skyhaven—on its own—could never breach Citadel’s walls and capture the mighty city.”
“They don’t need to capture the whole city,” said Caythis. “Most of the people, no doubt, are suffering under Rigil’s heavy hand. All Skyhaven would need to do is help sponsor a coup, or else perform an assassination.”
“Easier said than done, but I digress,” said Dr. Erikson. “Skyhaven has no incentive to launch such an attack. The feeling there is that Rigil’s hold over the city is increasingly brittle, and he will be overthrown. They are merely waiting for it to happen.”
“Is that your feeling as well?”
“No. I foresee many decades of oppression in Citadel, while the rightful prince and princess grow up in exile, always in danger, having no real freedom. Knowing nothing but fear. We have to act. We promised to.”
“And you believe that if we have assistance from Silverwind, that would be enough to persuade Skyhaven to support our cause. That we could create a force that would what? Invade Citadel directly?”
“Yes. Set the people free. Challenge Rigil’s frail government—and, believe me, it is frail. But not frail enough to collapse on its own. We could be the unstoppable force that turns the city right-side up.”
Caythis nodded. It would mean something personal to him. Even though he remembered it very little, Citadel was the city he’d been charged to protect. The city of his failure. If he could restore order there, free the people… he needed to at least try.
“This is not a new idea,” said Caythis. “It’s been a few years, why haven’t you tried yet?”
“Silverwind is in a state of chaos, I’m sure you know that religiously-fed revolution is spreading. Terrorist attacks happen weekly. And the enforcers, rather than helping us stem the tide of uprising, hide in their complex. Planning something. Waiting for the ideal moment to seize control of the city. They are as dangerous to our cause as the Rigilians.”
“More so,” said Caythis. “I think I understand. We must bring order to the city to get the support we need from the king. Then we use his support as leverage to convince Skyhaven to join our cause. Then, united, the last free cities make a push to liberate Citadel. After that we either succeed or die.”
“Yes. That is our aim.”
Caythis nodded. “The Rigilian movement isn’t just about religion, I think. From what I’ve seen, there is terrible disparity here and a great deal more poverty than there needs to be. Yet the political elite live in veritable palaces. I believe that for the king to gain control of his city, to stabilize it, he’ll have to help his people eat. Even if it means ripping bread from the gold-plated thumbs of the super wealthy. Without some way for people to find work, or food for that matter, you get a lot of irritable, desperate people with a lot of idle time. It’s a recipe for disaster.”
“I don’t want to comment on the political situation,” said Dr. Erikson. “But remember this, we are here at the pleasure of the king. Talonis could throw us to the dogs if he wanted to, and we’d have no place to go. I don’t think it’s wise to criticize him.”
“So where does that leave us then? The Rigilians are just the result of bad economic conditions. If not them it would be someone else, some other desperate, grassroots movement. Something to challenge the system that is clearly broken. How can you expect to fight that?”
“I can’t,” said Dr. Erikson. “The Silverwind military is strong enough to keep the Rigilians at bay and still have reserve forces. But it has to keep those reserves near so long as there is a chance Lucida might attack the capitol and seize the city for herself.”
“So we take her down. Then the king feels safer, doesn’t need as many soldiers around, and owes us a favor. We collect by having him help us take Citadel.”
“But how do we deal with Lucida? You know the power of her enforcers. You know what she’s capable of. We’re not many in number. Just a few survivors from Citadel, plus some minor assistance from Silverwind’s government—including Jaden. What chance would we have?”
“Silverwind’s government should assist in any military strike against the Enforcer Combine. Together we can wipe it out in one night.”
“It’s not that simple. There are conflicting interests.”
“I don’t see the problem.”
Dr. Erikson shrugged. “It’s complicated. Look… let’s forget about it for now and welcome you home properly. Behind that privacy wall there is a shower and a change of clothes.”
“And my armor?”
“Your armor is elsewhere but it will be returned to you soon.”
“I want to know where it is.”
“Go get cleaned up. We’ll be waiting.” Dr. Erikson left before giving Caythis a chance to object.
His mind was tired from the long conversation, all the new details and memories coming back to him, it was a lot to process. Yet, despite his mental fatigue, he felt a great deal of satisfaction. Not peace, not yet. But satisfaction anyway. He now believed that, in time, he could remember it all. In the end, what he wanted most, sincerely and truly, was to know everything. Remember every tiny step on the strange ladder of fate that had landed him here. In this strange underground hideout.
He followed Dr. Erikson’s advice and found a toilet, shower, and freshly folded change of clothes. It would be nice to be free of the sticky, odorous undersuit. He washed his face and rinsed out his mouth. Cupping his hands and drinking a lot of water as he did. He stared at himself in the reflection of the metal spigot, a bit distorted, and very unclean. Through the distorted image he recognized his features, but the eyes of the reflection didn't seem to recognize him. They were lost still.
The shower was colder than an arctic storm, but it felt good to be clean, at least cleaner. And the white shirt and jeans fit comfortably and felt great compared to the constricting frame of the enforcer armor. After tightening the second shoe he noticed something. It was like a tiny crack in the near wall.
He walked up to it, almost wondering if his mind were playing tricks on him. He traced it with his finger, a hairline crack in the shape of a door. A secret entrance to something? There was no clear way to open it, and no indication as to where it would go or what it might be hiding. In fact, from almost any position in the room, it was totally invisible. He made a mental note to investigate this later and left the room.
***
Caythis arrived in some kind of main room. It was octagonal with four opposing doors and one other. There were a few desks, a table, and three people monitoring a few computer terminals. They didn’t acknowledge him. No one seemed to be waiting for him. He considered exploring but decided to take a seat on the lonely couch. Wait to see how things played out.
He stayed in the main room for some time, feeling stupid as he watched people move about, coming and going through the various doors. Most of the passersby were soldiers in full uniforms. Either the men-at-arms of Silverwind or else the soldiers of the District, in full Citadel fatigues.
Most people ignored him, or else shot him a curious glance but nothing more. He fidgeted, eventually snatching up a newspaper from the small table nearby.
“TERRORISTS KILL PREFECT,” said the bold headline. Caythis’ heart sank a little. Despite all of his efforts, he’d only saved the young prefect.
A buzzing of angry voices floated in from the main hallway, growing louder as it neared.
“You’re not seeing the whole picture,” an older voice said.
“My father is dead!” a young man said, throwing a door open and stepping into the room. It was Jaden, though not in a red radiation suit. He wore a blue uniform and a polished handgun gleamed from his shoulder-holster. He seemed not to notice C
aythis, too engrossed in his current argument.
“No one regrets that tragedy more than I," the old man said. He looked to be in his high sixties, sported men-at-arms attire, and flashed the brass insignia of colonel. Elegant cords streamed through his uniform’s epaulets and several silver circlets surrounded his deep-blue sleeves.
"And yet you stand here, doing nothing,” Jaden said, his arms had become animated and his face an unflattering red. “Terrorists are running free in our city, raping and murdering. Starting fires. The enforcers refuse to take five steps outside of their complex to put down the chaos. And you won't authorize our soldiers to put a stop to it? You're not really a servant of the people, are you?”
“The situation is a great deal more complicated than you realize,” the colonel said. The two of them had stopped walking and stood facing each other in a corner of the main room. The old colonel’s eyes were heavy and his face creased and wrinkled.
“Complicated? I may be young but I’m not stupid. The Rigilian threat is stronger every day and the enforcers, given enough time, will let the city crumble into ashes. It’s like what happened to Andar, except in slow motion.”
“Son, I understand your frustration and I respect it. You see a problem and you want to do something, but maybe you should pause and think what effect it would have. What if you knew that, by taking such a course, it would lead to a horrible coup that completely displaces the entire government?”
Caythis tried to look inconspicuous, but was far too interested to keep from eavesdropping. He turned over the page and chuckled naturally as he feigned reading it, only to realize he'd turned to the obituaries.
“When I put this on for the first time,” Jaden said pointing to his insignia, “I swore to give everything, including my life, to protect the people of this city, and that is what I mean to do. The longer we wait, the worse it gets, and the less we can do. The more people are terrorized and murdered, and for what? Because we’re afraid to even try?”
“If we move against the Rigilians we violate the sovereignty of the enforcer territory, and that allows them to move against us, against the king. It also happens to leave the king undefended.”
“Then we should arrest Lucida. She already killed my father! His blood cries for justice. This is high treason. Face it for what it is, the enforcers are broken. And they need to be dealt with.”
“You’ve only traded one problem for another. If you move against the enforcers, then the Rigilians have the advantage, they are free to spread while the arms of the law in our city destroy each other. They could swallow the whole city in an uprising, like Skyhaven all over again, except worse. But if you move on the Rigilians instead of the enforcers, then the enforcers get the advantage. The golden opportunity to strike the king. And if we tried to strike against both, we'd be overwhelmed. We don’t have enough forces. In a game like this it is best to not make the first move. Either choice makes one threat stronger, and our strength protects the balance. We are the last line keeping this city from ripping itself apart.”
“So our only option is to do nothing?” Jaden looked horrified. “I cannot accept that. What chance does Silverwind have if we do nothing? Everything only gets worse, not better. And if we won't help, who will?”
“You’re a young idealist,” the colonel was very calm. “Just like your father, I miss the old bastard, I really do. And I respect you, new Prefect,” he paused, “because you represent the kind of person we need in these Four Cities. Integrity and an unyielding sense of justice. But you just don’t realize how rare you are. People don’t think like you do, they see opportunities, they take advantage of others. They don’t care about justice, they care about benefit—theirs. If we treat this like it’s a black and white world, we only help humanity do what it proved a hundred-years ago it was capable of, destroying itself.”
“The End of the World has nothing to do with this.”
“It has everything to do with this. Why are we here now? Why were the Codes written by the Founders? Because people act in predictable ways, and history repeats itself. And when there is another apocalypse, or when another Antares appears, don’t be so confident that humanity will find another way to survive. Remember, this planet used to be covered in people, billions of them. We're less than one percent of what we once were.”
Jaden looked defiant, but at a loss for words.
“There is only so much a person can do. The rest we have to leave up to providence, or nature, or God, or whatever you happen to believe. But if you try to put the whole world on your back, you’ll break. Yes, some people will die. Yes, some criminals will go unchecked and unpunished, but there is so much more at stake. Know your limits. Do what you can, but you have to let the rest go. Don't lose sleep over what you can do nothing about. Enjoy life whenever you can, that’s what it’s there for. Those little moments.”
“I don’t accept that rationalization. I can’t just let it go. It’s not a choice, it’s a fact. And I can’t simply ignore everything, not when I see it every day. I can't sleep at night, I can't look myself straight in the mirror. So much suffering. Look, if you’re right, and we are destined to fail no matter what we do, then I’d rather fail knowing I tried something, and gave up everything, instead of wishing I had.”
“A noble sentiment. But you're thinking with your heart instead of your head. Right now the enforcers keep the Rigilians at bay by just existing, because the Rigilians fear them religiously. If they were gone, the Rigilians would come out of the woodwork in numbers you can scarcely imagine. Do you want to be the one who enables that?”
“I don’t want my father’s death to be meaningless,” Jaden was downcast. “His death begs for justice, and if justice can’t be served then you’re right, we truly have no hope.”
“Our men collected Rigilians on the scene. The Silverwind government may decide to blame the attack on them.”
“Unacceptable! There were enforcers there. I fought them. Caythis and I fought them together. Their remains were found in the rubble.”
“But they have a scapegoat. An easy way out, a way that avoids challenging Lucida directly.”
“As long as I control our forces, I promise you, I will not let that stand. I will take the battle to Lucida now that I am the Prefect.”
“You have a lot to learn about politics. You won’t be able to act without the king’s permission. Good luck getting it.”
“It sounds like a good plan to me,” said Caythis, he dropped the newspaper and stood up.
“Captain Ceteris,” the old colonel saluted.
“I wondered when you’d get up, Caythis,” Jaden smiled. “Sorry about yesterday, with the drugged food and all. But, you know, bygones and water under the bridge and all that. Now that you’re here, what’s important is that we can crack some heads together and finally make a positive difference in Silverwind.”
The colonel respectfully excused himself and left, shooting one final salute at Caythis.
“You have something of a fan club,” said Jaden. “Killing Antares has that effect on people.”
“Even here? Antares never attacked Silverwind, or sowed rebellion here.”
“Even here. The whole world, all four cities, feared Antares. Why should the soldiers who would have had to fight him not be grateful to you for doing it for them? You know better than anyone what he was capable of, what kind of destruction he would have caused here.”
“Indeed,” said Caythis. “Do you think I could use that influence, their respect for me, to persuade them into attacking the enforcers?”
Jaden shrugged. “You heard the man, I’m a novice at politics. But I mean to go to war with Lucida, and I’ll take any help I can get.”
“The District will help,” said Caythis. “And so will I.”
“Good to know. Unfortunately I don’t have time to keep chatting, I agreed to take a shift as sentry. If I make my men do it, I have to do it too.”
“Sentry?”
“Yeah. The loo
kout. Alert the base in case an enemy is approaching. There are two ways in, from the surface and from underground. I’ll let you guess which one needs guarding.”
“Fair enough, you can go,” said Caythis. “Only tell me one thing first.”
“What?” Jaden said, somewhat defensively.
“Where can I find something to eat? Something that isn’t drugged this time.”
Jaden cracked a smile. “There’s a small cafeteria through that hall, to the right, and to the right again. You can’t miss it.”
8
The supposed small cafeteria was more like a large closet with a single metal table and a small cart of food, all lit by a single light bulb. The room was empty except for one person, he couldn’t see her very well because she was silhouetted by the only light source.
He grabbed a plate but didn’t bother with a tray, and loaded it up with the only food left. Rice and beans. Cheap and uninteresting but technically sufficient.
“They say it’s a complete protein, whatever the hell that means,” he said.
The stranger didn’t reply.
He reached for some pepper hotsauce to make his plain meal a bit more interesting but found only an empty bottle. “Hey buddy, thanks for saving me a lot of hotsauce.”
“I didn’t have any.”
The voice was familiar. He took a seat at the table and felt a jolt of electricity zap through him. The stranger was Kira, the woman he’d seen the moment he’d awoken. She wore blue and white, and ate her food gracefully. Her posture was nearly perfect, her hair loose—it hung with a simple elegance, and, as she glanced up, her deep eyes were both pleasant and piercing. Caythis looked away. He could stare down ten enforcers bent on killing him but somehow this woman had made him look away.
He wanted to say something, but didn’t want to say anything stupid, so he kept quiet and ate.
Secrets of Silverwind Page 8