by Mark Wandrey
"That is most tragic," Ezra said and shook his head.
"I agree. As to how we stop it, I can't say for sure. The Chosen council is going to spend a lot of time trying to answer that very question. We could deactivate the portals and hide here on Bellatrix, but our economy now depends on off world resources. Without them I dare say we would be in real trouble. Also our debt to the Tog must be paid. Without that payment, we have no claim to Bellatrix, we'd lose our leasehold. And without that..."
"We would be squatters," Ezra finished for him. "I understand."
"Ultimately there is no way to avoid conflict. Our century under the Tog has been a peaceful time because we kept to ourselves and under their wing. That time is coming to an end. The Chosen are working on ways to make us safer, and Chosen Alma's new weapons have gone a long way to making that possible. Will this happen again? Maybe. Possibly. Will we be better prepared next time. Absolutely."
The meeting broke up with a few speeches by well-placed council members. All of them were unhappy at the end of the world’s more than one hundred years of peace, and also grateful that the Chosen managed to fend off the attackers. Special mention was made to the valor of the Plateau Militia led by Colonel Hastings. As they left Minu turned to Dram with a question. "Why did you want me here? I never said a word."
"Propriety demanded your presence." She looked confused and he put a ham sized hand on her shoulder. "Minu, you're destined for great things. I've never had a doubt about that since I saw you the first day of your Trials. You are almost the youngest Chosen to ever rise to four stars, you are the youngest woman, and look what you've already accomplished? If you are not known and seen by the civilians, we cannot do with you what we plan to do."
"And what is that?"
"You'll see," he said with a lopsided grin that gave her no comfort at all.
Chapter 10
Julast 18th, 518 AE
Portal Temple, Tranquility, Plateau Tribe
Minu didn't like the armor, not one bit. First of all it was purely for show, and second of all she was about to walk boldly into the kloth nest. The vendetta ended without any further incidents. All portals were ordered to stand down lest some innocents be shot to pieces by war weary Chosen. Now that the vendetta time limit was expired, the humans needed to boldly declare their victory.
Minu clunked toward what was left of the portal building in Tranquility. The armor was copied from the Rasa design which declared the vendetta. Just as the Rasa soldier’s armor announced the attack, her armor proclaimed their victory. An honor guard of Chosen flanked her path as she marched, a naked Rasa walked before her, the envoy which first announced the beginning of hostilities. As protocol dictated, Minu's armor was forged from his and he returned with nothing, symbolic of humanities total victory.
She looked at the ravaged portal structure. It’s once sleek roofs sagged from fire damage and water dripped from sodden walls. It was two thirds destroyed by the first hours of fighting. A fire had burned a good percentage of the remains. Only carefully placed dualloy and ceramic concrete braces kept it from crumbling on the portal. It would have to be completely rebuilt. Jovich's body was found just outside the main entrance along with a dozen dead Rasa. He'd accounted for himself like a Chosen, regardless of his age.
As she walked up ash covered marble stairs leading to the portal, Dram and Jacob were the last two Chosen waiting there for her. Jacob had graduated from a wheelchair to crutches while Drams arm was still in a sling. The bones in his upper arm were shattered and would take weeks to heal. Regardless of their condition, they came to attention as she approached leading her charge.
"You do us proud," Dram said in his deep voice.
"Tell them exactly who kicked their collective asses," Jacob said with a small smile.
"I'll let them know the cost of the butcher’s bill," she said. Behind her lined up four abreast on the east avenue were rank upon rank of Rasa soldiers who'd been spending the days camped in Founders Park. There wore only their thin uniforms, similar to human sleeveless underwear. They were lucky it was summer or the cold blooded beings would have been in a bad way. Jacob and Dram both nodded and she prodded the Rasa forward with her rifle. The Chosen council agreed she would wield a beamcaster. It was both a subtle statement since the beamcasters were what facilitated their mutual hostilities, and a measure of safety in not taking a shockrifle. Those new weapons needed to be kept a secret for as long as possible.
The Rasa wasn't completely naked, he did hold his portal control rod. Without it he couldn't have gotten home. He held out the rod and the portal came to life. Minu could see the other side immediately, a wide tall chamber with heavily armed Rasa soldiers and weapons pointed at her. The envoy stepped through with no further hesitation. Minu slid the helmet on her head and followed quickly lest they try something cute like deactivating the portal before she could go through.
The atmosphere was several degrees warmer and considerably more humid than Bellatrix. Windows lined the long vaulted room as far as she could see, they cast a bitter dark red light through the room. The soldiers tracked her carefully with their weapons. Minu stepped to the edge of their portal and stopped. As she'd read in the Concordia protocol files, Minu gave the Rasa soldier who'd preceded her a none-to-gentle push as he reached the steps of the dais. He'd been expecting it and rolled as he fell off to land on his feet.
"I am Minu Alma, Chosen, representing Humanity, in service to the Tog." She bowed, not as low as she would to a Tog, effecting the barest of nods to an equal. "You are defeated, your vendetta is turned back." One of the Rasa came through the line of soldiers. He wore advanced combat armor gilded with precious metal and gems. "You are honor bound to abandon your hostilities," Minu told the newcomer.
"We do not intend to abandon our claim of vengeance," the Rasa who came forward spoke, his hisses and pops translated by Minu's translator.
"Then you force us to go to the Concordia War Council to demand reciprocity."
The Rasa leader stared at her for almost a full minute. His troops watched her. They could clearly see their disarmed troops arrayed on the other side of the portal, and the devastation of the vicinity. Dram and Jacob were turned to watch what was taking place. They couldn't hear through the portal, but they watched intently. This was a critical moment. Minu's challenge was mostly bluff. Chosen techs ran the fabricator and turned out seventy more computers for the new shockrifles, still less than one hundred total weapons. They lacked any substantial bots for an assault force, and a third of the combat trained Chosen were dead or injured. But the Rasa leaders didn't know any of that. He only saw his defeated army and a human wearing the armor of victory. Minu smiled because she knew he must be going insane with anger and confusion.
"You do not have to take that step," he said finally, "we acknowledge your victory." And with that he dropped to the ceramic concrete floor in the posture of respect. This time the bow Minu gave was that she would offer an equal.
"We accept your acknowledgment and will not pursue reciprocity. Your surviving soldiers await parole to return to your world."
"They may begin-" He never finished the sentence. Quick as a flash another Rasa in equally intricate armor jumped forward and clawed at the first leaders neck. Minu almost screamed in shock, it took every ounce of will she had not to raise the beamcaster.
In an instant the two Rasa were doing everything they could to kill each other, with teeth and claws they ripped and tore at any exposed flesh they could get at. At one point they rolled part way up the dais and almost to Minu's feet. There was nothing in Concordia protocol that she'd read which applied to this sort of situation, so she just stood there staring straight ahead and pretending not to notice. The rest of the arrayed soldiers did exactly the same, nothing. In less than a minute it was over. The challenger stood up, cut and bleeding from a dozen wounds, and his jaws dripping with most of the previous leaders neck tissue.
"There is nothing more for you here, human," he hissed and
spat the pieces of his predecessor on the floor like a mouthful of snot.
"This changes nothing," Minu said with as much conviction as she could manage. "An accord was reached with him."
"It should die with him."
"That is not The Law." The Rasa looked from Minu to the corpse, obviously uncertain. "Had you acted before our agreement, things could have been different."
"Perhaps you are right, human. I delayed my action too long." Minu breathed again. "We will honor the agreement this dead piece of meat made with you."
"Very good, I shall send through your soldiers." Minu turned to leave.
"No," the leader snapped. "We have no interest in defeated carrion."
"But they are your people, your soldiers. They fought valiantly and were defeated honorably."
"If they fought valiantly as you imply, we would not be having this conversation. You would have been naked on the floor, and this idiot would still lead us. They are dead to us. Have they any true honor they will kill themselves and you can use their meat to feed your children."
Minu gave a little cough as the bile rose in the back of her throat. "T-then that is your decision?"
"It is what I said. Leave our world."
On the other side of the portal Minu gave a startled Jacob and Dram a detailed report on the events she'd witnessed. As she was speaking Var'at came up from behind, unnoticed by the three humans, and listened. The portal was now deactivated and he'd never been told to march through.
"The new leader is Ko'kra," he said, the three Chosen turning to regard him, "he is of a faction in the leadership that favors warfare. Tak'la, the slain leader, only pursued vendetta because of the insisting by Ko'kra. I am sorry to place the burden of our disposal in your hands."
"Disposal?" Minu asked as she removed the stifling helmet and tossed it aside.
"He means execution," Dram said. Jacob nodded and Var'at did as well.
"He thinks we're going to kill over two thousand unarmed soldiers who surrendered to us."
"It is your right," Var'at said as if he were saying Minu just won a prize at a fair.
"We refuse that right," Minu said and was immediately backed up by Jacob.
"She speaks the truth. You surrendered, and to humans that is worth something. You are without a world now, where can you go?"
"There is nowhere," Var'at admitted, "we cannot go to any legal Rasa world, and if we set out to the frontier we are squatters, and that is not what we want to do. We try to be an honorable people. The squatters you killed were another idea of Ko’kra’s."
"I have an idea," Minu said. She leaned in close to the two Chosen leaders and explained her idea. When she was done they were both scratching their heads in amazement.
"That might be…" Dram said, scratching the stubble on his chin.
"Is it legal?" Jacob asked as well.
"I haven't seen anything against it in the law."
"Well," Jacob said and shrugged. He turned toward the expectant Rasa. For a being who was waiting to see if he was going to live or die he was amazingly calm. "Var'at, you are the leader of these troops, correct?"
"We have no home, but I do lead, yes."
"Then as the leader of the Chosen, I would like to ask you to stay here, with us."
Var'at's jaw dropped and his eyes shot back and forth between the three humans. "You speak the truth?"
"Chosen always speak the truth!" Minu insisted. Dram gave a little shrug by she didn’t notice.
"The civilian leaders would never agree," Jacob cautioned, "but we have control of large areas of land and could settle you on it. "
Var'at closed his mouth with a snap. He turned and looked at his soldiers arrayed down the avenue. Thousands of humans lined the streets, many watching the defeated aliens with angry expressions. Quite a few of his soldiers were wounded, all were hanging their heads in defeat. What would this mean to them? "We will only be your charges. Do you mean to make us slaves? It is your right, of course."
"Absolutely not!" Jacob said emphatically, making a chopping motion with his hand. "That is abhorrent to humans."
"We cannot simply live here with no purpose."
"I'm sure something could be arranged so you are not just guests."
"I can think of something," he hissed.
"Please go ahead."
"We will serve you now, in what we know, soldiers." It was the three humans turn to have their jaws drop. "I must consult my troops, some may not wish to do this. Will they be free to leave?"
"Absolutely," Jacob said, "but it isn't necessary that you be soldiers for us."
"I understand that, yet this is all we know. We start to train as soldiers even before the fluid from our eggs have dried. It is our lives, all we are and all we will become. You humans are much more complicated than we believed. You are held with scorn by the higher order Concordia species, and still you defeated us with ease and utilizing weapons never before seen. Serving you as soldiers is not only a way to continue doing the only thing we know how to do, it is an honor. We will teach you Concordian way of war."
"And I'll teach you how we fight the human way," Minu said.
"Then it is done," Var'at said and bowed.
"No," Jacob said and Minu tensed. Was this where it all falls apart? "The first lesson in living among humans is that we are all equal." He held out his hand. Var'at rose back to his feet and stared at the hand. Minu mimed reaching for Jacob's hand and he understood. The human and the Rasa clasped hand to claw.
Chapter 11
Julast 19th, 518 AE
Chosen Headquarters, Steven’s Pass
The devil was in the details. Knowing the world council would not be happy offering to make the Rasa at home, especially after they spent several days trying to destroy one of the oldest cities on the planet, subterfuge was called for. With the public watching and screaming obscenities, the two thousand plus Rasa were marched through the Tranquility Portal, and out the Steven’s Pass Portal. The training grounds there were used to house Chosen straight from their Trials. It was ideal for the aliens needs, if a bit crowded. Var'at was so please to have a place to go, Minu didn't think he'd care if they were forced to live in a swamp.
She finished the last of the arrangements in a transport on the way back to Steven’s Pass, the crew compartment packed with mostly higher ranking Chosen. Aaron and Gregg sat in the row behind her, not talking, only sitting and waiting. As she was finishing the last message concerning some details for the Rasa, Dram came down the aisle in the center of the transport. He had to almost bend double to be able to walk inside the craft. "Mind if I sit?"
"Sure," she said and picked up an extra tablet she'd put on the seat and he wedged himself into the chair. "What do you need?"
"We lost a lot of Chosen in the fighting," he said.
"I know, and we aren't due for the next trial for almost two years."
"The Chosen Council is considering changing that, in more ways than one." He had her full attention, then suddenly went another way. "I understand you lost Terry and Alijah from your team."
"They died in the fighting," she said, not really wanting to deal with those emotions just yet. "They might have been science branch, but they fought like scouts."
"They did you proud."
"They did us all proud."
He nodded, took a deep breath and started to say something, then let it out in a long sigh. "You need to tell her," Aaron growled, his voice surprisingly full of emotion. She turned to look at him, Gregg was sitting next to him with, of all things, tears on his cheeks. Aaron looked on the verge of crying himself.
"Is it Christian?"
"No," Dram said right away. "No word from him and his team. We can hope they're staying low to keep safe."
"So tell me what's happened."
"Oh God damn it," Gregg moaned.
"I'll tell her," Aaron said.
"Tell me what already?"
Aaron leaned forward, Minu couldn't remember seeing him look
more crestfallen. "No one wanted to tell you until after the vendetta was over."
"It's been over for more than a day. What happened?"
"Then we couldn't decide who should tell you," Gregg said.
"If someone doesn't tell me what happened..."
"Pip was critically injured," Aaron blurted.
"What? He was right behind us when we stormed back to the facility." She thought frantically, trying to remember when she'd last seen him. They'd kept her so busy she hadn't had time to even think about him, and he'd been injured in the fighting too.
"I know," Aaron said, "he was so wasted on buzz that when I looked back I thought he'd fallen asleep on the ground. Turns out it was a lot worse."
Minu didn't want to hear any more for the rest of the flight. She just told them she wanted to see Pip right away. The flight was the same flight as the one she'd rode to relieve the forces in Tranquility during the vendetta, only this time it felt like an eternity. The ground rolled by below at three hundred kilometers per hour like a slow motion movie. She watched the hills and farms as she fought back tears. Pip would make four dead under her command. Add Alexis Krum to the list of dead at her hand, even though she knew he'd got what was coming to him, and that made five. How could she go on? Little Pip who she'd come so close to making her first lover. Her closest friend who she'd spent innumerable hours just talking and drinking mead. Little Pip who had a semi-secret lover in Chelan. They'd left him out there, alone on the grass and helpless against the surviving Rasa. They'd been too eager for more alien blood to check on him. Tears finally rolled down her cheeks and there was nothing she could do to stop them. Big hot tears that dripped from her quivering chin to splatter on the legs of her neatly pressed black jumpsuit.