by Danny Loomis
“How about Vipers?” Ian asked. “I heard several coming and going as we came in from the north side.”
“A shit-pot load of ’em,” Blade said. “They got thirty or more parked on th’ tarmac. Didn’t get close enough for a good count.”
“Hm. That’s bad. What about troops?”
“We think there’s at least a division of troops. We spotted their headquarters at the terminal.”
“Any idea which unit?” Ian asked.
“Yup. Wolfshead Divison.”
Ian shuddered. They’d already run into units of this particular division in the past. With unpleasant results. “That means they’ve got their goon squads out in force. This division’s always been their meanest.”
“Where’re the people?” Two Eagles asked. “The place is deserted, except for the two you guys saw.”
“That’s high on our list of questions to get answered,” Ian said. “There should be thousands around. Kind of spooky.”
“Another thing that’s spooky is the style of fightin’ we saw those two Edoans use,” Pointy said, dumping dried noodles into a pot of boiling water. “It was kinda like what you do, Two Eagles. I thought you said your style wasn’t used anymore.”
“It’s not. Only a few of us on Dakota learned it. The style dates back to pre-industrial Earth. A place called Japan had holy men teaching it, from about the sixteenth century on.”
“Why holy men?” Ian asked.
“I dunno, maybe the people in power thought it was beneath their dignity to use anything else.”
“Just another mystery,” Ian said, shrugging it off. “I’d better give home base a call to let them know what’s happened.”
He switched over to the Pulse Link Communications net (PLC) installed in his helmet for the purpose of sending in deep recon reports, and spent five minutes recording what had occurred. The signal had been compressed into two seconds when he sent it.
Ten minutes passed before he received a reply. Once he decompressed the message and listened to it, he turned to the others.
“Captain Stanton and Brita are on their way. They’re taking a shuttle close as they dare and walk in from there. Blade, you and J.C. go out to the first crossroads north of town and wait for them there. We’ll stick around here until you get back.”
“What if the Edoans get back before us?” Blade asked.
“They’ll just have to wait. The Captain wanted to be with us when we went visiting.”
“Okay, we’re gone,” Blade said. He and J.C. donned their gear.
The next four hours were nervous ones. Several times shuttles passed close overhead, going to and from the burnt-out guard post. Four patrols entered their detection net, the last one just two streets away. Suddenly a black-clad form appeared inside the back door of their hideout. “It is time.”
Ian recognized the voice of Lissa, the female member of their little adventure from last night. “We’ve got two of our people out guiding in our leaders,” he said.
“I know,” Lissa said. “They have been met, and are waiting for you. There was too much risk of discovery. The patrols are very heavy outside. Don’t think they like what we did at their guard post last night.”
“Apparently,” Ian said, donning his gear. “In that case, lead on.”
Surprisingly Lissa moved into a back bedroom, where the floor at the foot of the bed opened up. “Lookit that,” Pointy said. “I wondered how she got in here without me seein’ her.”
Once they entered the tunnel entrance and began to descend a ladder, the opening automatically sealed itself. Ian turned his light amplification on. “Look, Pointy. More of that algae.” Small glowing patches stretched downward, helping mark the tunnel’s diameter which wasn’t more than a meter. Ian judged they were ten meters underground when the vertical tunnel intersected a larger, horizontal one. Being the first to enter behind Lissa, he was able to check both directions of the tunnel while waiting for Pointy to descend.
“This way,” Lissa said and led off at a jog. Since the tunnel was slightly lower than their heads, especially with their helmets on, it made for an awkward shuffle-trot. Ten minutes later Ian was beginning to feel the strain when they slowed and turned left.
“Watch your step, there’s a lip around the entrance,” Lissa murmured, and disappeared through an oblong door at the end of the short side tunnel. Airlock, thought Ian, stepping through. Inside the room, light was normal. The rest of his fire team stood beside a large table, along with Brita and Captain Stanton.
“Look who the cat dragged in,” Brita said with a smile.
Before Ian could answer, four black-clad forms entered from the far side. The largest took a seat at the head of the table, two to his left and one to the right. A feeling of power and age emanated from them.
“Please be seated. I am Elder Enforcer Yoshida, the leader of what you would call the planetary police force. I am joined by Elder Enforcers Nim, Yamashita, and Hideyoshi.” From his left to his right, heads nodded as he named them. “We understand your task force was ambushed as it entered our system, by the Alliance forces who recently invaded our planet.”
“That’s true, Sir,” Captain Stanton said. “We were able to land some of our people well to the north of your city. Unfortunately, we’re unable to be of much assistance. All we can do at present is remain in hiding.”
“Please excuse me, Captain,” Elder Enforcer Hideyoshi said, “but we had not asked for your assistance. Why did your forces enter our system at all? You weren’t invited.”
“We apologize for that. I was not aware the Confederation had been banned from your star system. I’m sure if your feelings had been made known to my superiors we would not have come.”
“We would like to believe that,” Elder Enforcer Yoshida said. “However, the motives shown by both the alliance and Confederation have seemed to be more self-serving than one of service.”
Stanton began looking uncomfortable. “I’m not a diplomat, Sir. I realize there’s a larger picture of which I have not been made party to. All I can do is tell you that thousands of Confederation lives were lost in an effort to stop the Alliance from invading you. That I do know to be truth.”
Elder Enforcer Yoshida nodded gravely. “That is why we agreed to see you. We all offer our deepest thanks for that effort, and our condolences over your losses. Even though the original intent of the Confederation mission is suspect in our minds, we agree your task force commander was noble in his suicidal attempt to help us. For that reason we would like to aid you.”
Ian felt the hair stand on his neck, a strange tickling sensation growing inside his head. The eldest enforcer present, Nim he thought his name was, had stared at him since he’d entered the room. Having someone always wear a mask and hood was nerve wracking enough. Combine it with the deep, almost black piercing eyes that reminded him of an eagle’s stare made it unbearable. Finally he faced the old man and stared back. Major mistake. He fell into those bottomless eyes, become lost…
“He is the One,” said a quiet but sharp voice. With a start Ian came back to himself. Almost fifteen minutes had passed! Nim was standing. “This is the one foretold. We must meet in full council on this matter.”
The other Enforcers stood. “Please forgive our small deceit,” Elder Enforcer Yoshida said. “This meeting was more than what you were told it was. We shall indeed help you in any way we can. At the moment, we must leave. There are caves near your main forces that will be sufficient to offer additional protection to all your people and equipment. Enforcer Lissa will provide the necessary information and additional assistance from our people. We shall meet back here tomorrow morning to further discuss this. In the meantime, we must go.” Without further word the four Elders filed out of the room, with a distinctly uneasy Ian now stared at by Brita and Stanton.
“What the hell was that about?” Brita asked, and looked away from Ian long enough to glare at Lissa.
“I–I do not know. I’ve never seen them act thi
s way before,” Lissa stuttered. With a visible effort she gathered herself. “You must be hungry and tired. Let me show you to a place you can rest and refresh yourselves.”
“I could do with a little refreshment,” Pointy muttered. “Hey, Irish, since you’re such hot shit all of a sudden, you think you could swing us a bath?”
“If you wish a bath, it shall be provided,” Lissa said, her voice almost a whisper. “I must caution all of you, while in these tunnels sound can be transmitted over long distances. All that is needed is a whisper to be heard by all. This way.” She walked towards another room. This time it was a much more comfortable one, a large dining table in the middle of it with several passageways that led from the room proper.
“The left two corridors lead to baths and showers. To your right are bedrooms. You have but to ask and whatever you wish will be provided,” Lissa said.
Stanton gave the room a quick once-over before turning to her. “Thank you, Enforcer Lissa. But now I would like to see to getting aid to my other soldiers.”
“I shall have a team of Enforcers prepared and ready to go after lunch tomorrow. Will that suffice?”
“It will. How much room is in these caves you spoke of? We have several shuttles and fighters that must be hidden, as well as munitions.”
“More than enough room. We shall ensure our team has enough equipment to help move it all. Please excuse me while I deal with it. Just ring the bell on the table and someone will provide you with assistance.” She glided soundlessly away.
Captain Stanton turned to Brita. “Staff Sergeant, see to the comfort of your troops. We’ll be on stand-down until tomorrow afternoon. As for me, I’m going to take them up on that offer of a bath.” Giving the room one more look, he moved to the furthest door on the left.
Brita began unbuckling her web belt. “J.C., check those rooms out on the right. Half in the right room, the rest in the one next to it. Stack your gear and check your weapons. Once you’re situated, it’s shower time.” Her nose wrinkled. “And it’s about time, too. You’re all smelling like a pair of dirty socks.”
* * *
At 0530 the next morning a quiet chime roused them all. “Up and at ’em, troops. Chow in half-an-hour,” Brita said, walking through their sleep area. “We’ll have a briefing by one of the Enforcers afterwards. Now move it!”
Breakfast was a hurried affair, most of them eager to find out what was going to happen next. As they finished the last of their coffee—real coffee, not the gunge the military served—Lissa entered with another dark-clad figure by her side.
“Please remain seated. Enforcer Iyesu will give you a brief history of our planet, and answer any questions you may have.” Iyesu was short and built like a barrel, but moved so gracefully his bulk had to be solid muscle. The room darkened, and a holographic projection appeared over their table of a blue-green planet, one moon circling it. “Long before Humankind entered space the seeds of our culture were sowed, in a country known as Japan.” The holo panned down to a grouping of islands in the western Pacific.
“During this island’s struggles to become unified there was an important period of time, from 1603 A.D. to approximately 1867 A.D., old Earth calendar. A powerful war chieftain called a Shogun took over absolute power of the islands. He and his successors enforced peace for over 250 years. During this time of peace our religious order was born. Small at first, it concentrated on purity of the soul among other things. Later, as conditions worsened under the Tokugawa government, our order was forced underground.”
The scene changed, showing two men performing what looked like a ritual dance. “Since we were not allowed to carry weapons, we concentrated on various forms of unarmed self-defense.” The two figures came together, with stylized blows and kicks being exchanged.
“For another hundred and fifty years our Order was hounded by the various established governments that ruled Japan. We almost became extinct. Then we made the decision to spread our faith, and moved to the United States of America.” Again the picture changed, this time to the west coast of the North American continent.
“Here we prospered, bringing together members of all races to practice our faith. Although wealthy, our order never grew much past ten thousand in membership. We did well financially, however, and were able to purchase outright one of the five Generation Ships that was preparing for colonization of the stars.” The holo showed an elongated asteroid.
“Once finished, we were able to fit 2500 of our most faithful on board, along with enough frozen ova and sperm to ensure we would have diversity in our genes for a successful colonization.” The ship turned, and slowly disappeared into the blackness of space.
“It was several centuries before your ancestors left earth and caught up with us. By that time we had turned our world into a true home,” Iyesu said.
“Was there a particular name of your religion?” Two Eagles asked.
“The nearest you could come to it would be ‘Enlightened Buddhism’. That of course doesn’t explain all of it. True Buddhists are pacifists, and would not harm another living creature. We, on the other hand, never completely felt that pacific.”
“What about the A.I.? What happened to it?” Captain Stanton asked.
Enforcer Iyesu looked down, seeming to gather his thoughts. Ian felt a prickling unease, wishing he could see the face beneath the mask. “Once we had become established as a viable colony, the artificial intelligence felt its usefulness was at an end. It directed the ship to pass close to the sun, then come back into orbit around our moon. When the ship returned, the A.I. had been destroyed by the sun’s radiation.”
“What about your present style of government?” Ian asked. “It seems to be kind of, well, secretive.”
Enforcer Iyesu chuckled. “And well it might. We’ve never discussed it with any outsiders before. But to answer your question: You might call it ‘Democratic Anarchism’ for a better term.”
“This is fascinating,” Captain Stanton said. “Would you be able to give us more detail?”
“Of course. It’s not really secret, we just don’t talk to outsiders about anything beyond our trading issues.” He punched some keys on the top of the table. “I’m making copies of data cubes on the subject. As a summary, let me tell you the following. Everyone has a say in how the government is run, and they can live any way they please as long as they take responsibility for themselves and their actions. This is made workable by instant communications with everyone world-wide. We have miniaturized our communications abilities to the point everyone can carry a communications unit either in an ear piece or jewelry.
“Children are brought together for schooling according to their abilities and interests, and adults live in communities the same way. As you can see we have very few cities. Most of us live in villages with only a few dozen or a couple hundred inhabitants.”
“This is mind-bogglin’,” Pointy said. “My father works in government, and the little I learned from him points to what you’re talkin’ about bein’ impossible.”
“Nevertheless, it is how we have governed ourselves for the past several hundred years. It has not only proven stable, it is one of the few styles of government that remains viable as our society changes.”
Pointy shrugged and rubbed his nose. “I can’t see it workin’ on any densely populated planet.”
“You may be right. We have remained small in population, never more than two hundred thousand worldwide. That allows us to not only talk over important things, but to make quick decisions. In fact we had a vote last night concerning accepting your assistance.”
“Great,” Captain Stanton said. “But with our limited numbers, I think you’d be more of a help to us than we could ever be to you.”
“You’d be surprised,” Lissa said, standing as Enforcer Iyesu sat down. “The weapons and aircraft can be very useful. If we get samples of them to our research facilities and factories, we’ll turn out enough weapons to protect ourselves. At least until your Con
federation returns to hopefully aid us.”
“Whatever you need we will of course make available,” Captain Stanton said. “We would appreciate more detail on how we can help you, both tactically and strategically.”
“That is being discussed by my elders,” Lissa said. “Perhaps after your forces have joined up with you again we could do so. In that way we could include all of your leaders and sub-leaders in the briefing.”
“When can we expect that to happen?”
“This afternoon we will leave. Between now and then we wish to ensure all of your helmets have been given the most up-to-date underground maps. It may surprise you how extensive our cave system is.”
“One question,” Ian said. “Where are all your people? The city seemed to be deserted.”
“Almost right,” Lissa said. “We moved as many as we could out of the city into the countryside, or caverns nearby. Except for the ones held captive by the Alliance. They are in the southeast part of the city in two large warehouses. We haven’t been able to get close to them. Too closely guarded.”
“How many?”
“Two thousand at last count. They are using them as hostages,” Lissa said.
“Hostages for what?” Captain Stanton asked.
“Every time we kill one of them, ten of our people die. Every day that goes by without our surrendering, an additional five die. We expect that number to increase as our activities increase.”
Ian felt frustrated anger begin to build in his gut. “How about a rescue mission? I’d be glad to volunteer…”
“The last attempt we made ended up with four of our Enforcers dead and two hundred of our people slaughtered. We haven’t tried since,” Lissa said.
“There must be something we can do,” Ian muttered, clenching his hands.
Lissa cocked her head. “You take this rather personally. These aren’t even your people.”
Before he could answer, Brita stood up. “We all feel anger when innocents are treated in such an inhuman manner. If you’ll allow us, we’d like to study your maps, both above and below ground, of the area where your people are held. If we come up with an acceptable plan, will you allow us to make an attempt? With the Captain’s permission, of course,” she said, turning to Stanton.