Duty

by P. S. Power

  “What the bloody hell!” The woman who was shouting at him was vaguely familiar, though now she sounded rather drunk, compared to earlier. A thing that Albert was able to identify almost instantly, given his line of work. He was around hundreds of drunk people three or four days per week and had been for years. He knew what to look for. His own nearly constant foray into that state actually helped him less with that skill than his job at the club. He could tell when he was smashed though, with a high percentage of accuracy, thanks to his long time experience in that state.

  Currently he was actually coming down from the accella, which left him feeling heavy, even as his heart pounded from the shock of nearly crushing a human being by sitting on them. In this case it was his new friend. The one who didn’t want to be stuck with the ugly man, again. Erie’s pal. Doretta was the only name he had for her. That wouldn’t be what she was actually called, he was willing to bet. No one would name their little girl that, since it was a widely used slur in Noram. Even men could be called that, if they were rude to people who were interested in them romantically.

  Technically this woman wasn’t guilty of that with him, since he couldn’t care any less about her if he tried. They’d met once and she’d started to run her mouth about him almost instantly, without Albert doing so much as saying more than hello. They hadn’t even exchanged names.

  He spoke then, trying to be polite, since it was his wrong doing in the moment that had woken the woman. Unless she’d broken in to sleep there, which wasn’t likely. Any normal person could see that as being Jeff’s fault. He was probably there, in his own room, with her nicer friend. Doing fun things that this woman hadn’t wanted to join in on.

  “Oh, you scared me! Sorry there, not trying to crush you.” At least he’d only sat on her feet. Not her face.

  There was a growl, the eyes being closed still, in pain. From the bright light, instead of his heavy and crushing mass having harmed her. She probably weighed in at about the same that Al did, after all. Possibly more, given how thin he was.

  “Why?” She sobbed a bit, then let it turn into a laugh. It was almost friendly, compared to her earlier behavior. “I know, this is your way of saying you want to get me into bed, isn’t it? It was dark and you couldn’t find my hair to pull, so you went with your clever blinding plan.” It was kind of clear she didn't know who was there. At least she didn’t sound derisive about her teasing.

  Her words were slurred enough that she might just be friendly, due to that factor alone. Not everyone turned into a lovely person when drunk. Most didn’t, really. They were more likely to speak their minds and approach others, but when they did it was often kind of negative. Not everyone did that though. Albert was like that. Friendlier when he had a bit of booze in him. It could be that this woman was as well.

  So, he smiled, even if she wasn’t going to be able to see him.

  “For once, no. Nothing that adventurous at all. The lights were off and I just got back in for the day, so was going to sit for a few moments. It’s bedtime for me. No offense, of course. I simply wasn’t making a move, not knowing anyone was here.” He was still being a bit rude, since her saying what she had could be taken as an advance on her part. It was, of course, just her way of making certain she wasn’t being rude if he had been making advances toward her, in her sleep.

  Which would be illegal, there in Second City. This woman was from Noram, however and probably of noble blood. That meant her rules would be different than the ones that Al was used to. He didn't care to know what those all were, at the moment. Growing up in the Capital there had let him know that a lot of people, the ones in the ruling class, weren’t exactly well balanced that way.

  The woman smiled a bit, eyes still tightly closed. Her voice soft, since she was clearly tired.

  “Turn the lights off then? I’ll be up in… Morning.” She rolled over, going back to sleep almost instantly. At least she started to snore, which she hadn’t been before. That could have been fake, of course. If so, it was a lot of work, just to impress him with her desire to be left alone.

  Albert did that, moving into his own room, which was both empty and had been left undisturbed in his absence. It normally would have been, of course. Suddenly, that day, there had been strange people there in his home, however. Mean ones. At least one mean one. The others had, more or less, been fine, he had to admit. Even Doretta there might have simply been having a bad day. That kind of thing could happen, after all. Especially if you liked to drink and hadn’t gotten to, yet.

  Taking time to brush his teeth, and change into night clothes, Albert slept for about five and a half hours. He was primed for more, but it wasn’t going to be allowed, it was clear. At least if the yelling from the other room was going to be any indication of how his day was going to be going.

  Forcing his eyes open, Albert stumbled to his feet, then across the room, to where he had a chest floating in the corner. It was all black, but a new thing that he’d gotten, simply to hold the magics and drugs that were making up his personal kit, in case of emergency. It also had other things in it now, like an extra toothbrush, some soap and a hairbrush. It wasn’t everything he’d need if called on, but the very fact that four or five people had left him with things that indicated they thought he should be ready at all times had inspired him.

  It was also where he’d put the remaining accella. He had a few hundred tablets of the drug left, so didn’t feel too bad about taking one of them. Really, he needed to get with Jeff on the topic and make up a larger collection of medicines that might be helpful in various situations. Things to promote health and all that. Sure, he had a healing amulet with him. That didn't cover every situation that could come up. For instance, while it fixed most damage, the things didn’t fight pain at all. As he’d learned, there might be reasons that a person wasn’t going to be able to simply heal, from time to time, where having a good dose of drugs might work.

  Packing the thing back up, the amulet hanging on the front of the magic that hovered in the air, about three feet above the ground, Al sighed and moved to the front room. Feeling a bit muzzy still. There he found a slightly different scene than he’d expected. For some reason he’d figured that one of the women had taken after Jeff over something. Probably him wanting to have sex with both of them at once, or just possibly the other one.

  Normally that wouldn’t be a problem, but it could come up, in theory.

  Instead, when he moved into the other room, his eyes still barely open, he was treated to seeing the smaller of the two women, Erie, standing near the center of the room, screaming into the palm of her right hand. The other, meaner seeming woman, was standing not too far away, with her arms crossed under her breasts, nodding in support of her buddy. She was in a flowing foam green gown, the moving pictures from the day before still turned off. They had been a few hours before, as well.

  The smaller lady was dressed in light tan colors, in a soft seeming fabric. The clothing itself was plain though. Almost the same thing that Albert normally had on. His brown outfit. At the moment he was in a soft blue thing that was made to seem like silk, since it was comfortable for sleeping. Without turning the clothing off, he focused, his eyes closed, and made the outfit turn into his standard wear. It was the easiest thing for the amulet to do, even if he could have probably gone for something more interesting. There was just no reason for him to bother with that kind of thing. Not in the moment.

  “I’m busy! I was promised two weeks holiday, and it’s only been a few days. I can’t believe that… Oohh!” She tabbed off then, and even if she’d been nicer before, threw the handheld away from her in anger. Then she looked at the other woman there, her voice nearly a growl. “Can you believe that bitch? It isn’t my job, taking things around for her. If she wants an errand girl, she should hire one!”

  Doretta the bench sleeping woman uncrossed her arms and looked over at Albert, her face going hard.

  “Sorry there. For the yelling. Erie is just being picked on bec
ause she’s too nice. Again. There’s a fire off in County Thomson on Earth and High Servant Martha thinks that we should be responsible for taking them things to help fight it.” She seemed aggrieved by that idea. As if it were an insult, instead of just someone asking for a favor.

  Still feeling asleep, things finally clicked in his head.

  “Wait… you’re both High Servants?”

  Instead of answering, the angry one, who was recovering her handheld from across the room, nodded. Emphatically enough to broadcast her negative feelings at a distance.

  “Yes. It’s supposed to be a ceremonial position though. You know, we go, a few times a year, to some city or town that has a problem and pass out food and water. Fires are dangerous. Plus, people keep going missing at these emergencies. I mean, not the High Servants, but men and women. Girls, especially. I happen to be one of those, so don’t want to risk it.” She said the words as if it were all simply true.

  The information about people going missing was new to Albert. Then, he wasn’t well versed in such things. Of more importance to him was that there was a fire large enough for a High Servant to be called in. To help back people up who were actually fighting the blaze.

  “Um… Thomson… That’s in the north west, isn’t it? Where all the logging goes on? A fire there could be really bad. Shouldn’t we help?”

  The words got two disgruntled looks and an actual snort from the meaner of the two women.

  “We don’t fight fires. Sending us to something like that is… Asking for trouble. We can go in and pass out some food later, after things are handled better. Our job isn’t about going into danger. We’re High Servants, not knights.”

  The words confused Albert for a few moments. It wasn’t so much that the woman sounded cowardly. He was no tough man himself, so understood the desire not to be in direct risk as much as anyone. It wasn’t about that. It was that the women there clearly thought that being a High Servant was a very different thing than anyone else he’d talked to had ever mentioned. Including their Commander.

  In the moment, he needed more information, he decided, so pulled his own handheld, then stared at it for a full minute, before working up the courage to call on the most obvious person he could think of. The one man in all the world who would know exactly what was going on.

  Count Thomson. A person that he’d never even heard of half a minute before, in any direct fashion. Which was probably fair, since the other way around had to be true at the same time. His finger shook as he tapped the name of the fellow on the device. The blue letters seeming ringed in small sparkles, as the blood rushed to his face and head.

  Still, he stood there, tense but not truly shaking yet, as the women looked at him, moving to talk to one another, instead of paying attention to whatever he had going on.

  The man that came into view had blond hair, and both black soot and a blistered burn on the side of his face. He coughed a bit, the background thick with smoke.

  Albert nodded, getting the idea. The whole thing was many times worse than it had sounded. Worse than Ross, by far.

  “Hello? This is Thomson.” There was another cough, suddenly. The man sounded both polite and stressed at the same time, somehow.

  Albert didn’t bother with niceties.

  “What do you need? I can get some fire fighting magics, from Afrak. Food, housing… We can put out a call for people to come fight fires. From the Moon, and possibly Mars. Do you have a transport hut there?”

  The man looked at him funny for a moment, then blew out a huge breath.

  “All of that would be most welcome, sir. We don’t have a hut set up here. There should be a fast craft coming from my home in Thomsonville, in about two hours, if anything like that could be arranged. We’re already losing people to this. Nearly a hundred, so far. Anything would help.”

  Two hours sounded like it might be too long of a time to wait, to be honest.

  “We’re coming directly.” He tapped off, reworking the device for the next name, which had Comp’s lovely face coming up instantly.

  Albert didn’t let her speak, even if that was rude of him.

  “A vast fire in County Thomson in Noram. We need volunteers to fight it, from anywhere, if people can get there. I’ll set up a transport pod there. People with shields, only. We’ll need… Thousands or more. The High Servants will provide food. How I’m supposed to… I need a Jump Ship. Um…” He stopped for a moment, then shrugged. “Tell whichever captain that’s in the port here and able to move right now to stand by, please? This is important, or I wouldn’t ask.”

  Comp looked serious then.

  “That will all be done. I contact you for more information if it comes up?”

  “Yes. Thanks, Comp. You’re a great person.”

  Albert tapped the device again, then looked at the High Servants, the bad ones, in the room with him.

  “The holiday is over. Get into uniform now, we’re going to Earth in a few minutes.”

  He focused, then found Farlo’s information, in his recent contact list still. She was in bed, in the dark, when she answered.

  “This better be an emergency, or I’m so going to call you names.” She didn’t even have an image on the screen, it was so dark in the room she was in.

  Albert nodded though.

  “Sounds fair. We need all the fire fighting gear you have, over in County Thomson, Noram. I’ll have a transport hut set up on the battle line there in… I don’t know. Um, Thomson Fire One. As soon as you see it, come through.” He half expected the tall woman, a true noble, to scream at him for ordering her to do things like that. It was the correct thing for her to do, most likely.

  Instead she made light appear, wincing as she did it.

  “I’ll be ready. Ross out.”

  Instead of running to the port from there, gasping for breath, Albert headed to the gold and white private booth across the room, then doubled back to his room, at a scurry. He had a chest full of magic, after all. Not taking it with him would be foolish.

  When he came back out, both of the woman that had been there were gone. From the fact that the front door clicked as he entered the space, he had to figure it was them fleeing from their duty, rather than them having used the transport pod there to get directly to work.

  It felt like he was moving through molasses, as he struggled to force the chest into the fancy booth with him. The thing was moving normally, it was just hard to get it past the doors. He had to physically pull and push it several times to make that happen.

  Then he shifted with a few taps, to one of the red huts at the Second City port. It was busy, thanks to the time of day. At least a hundred people were walking or sitting there, waiting for their own trips to various locations. Places that weren’t on the transport system, in the main.

  For a moment, he just stood, not knowing what to do at all. He needed a ship, in order to get to the fire line, without waiting for hours, so he could set up people coming in fast enough to help. How that was supposed to happen, he didn’t know. Instead of calling on Comp again, not knowing if she’d managed to get anyone interested in helping him in his project at all, he took a deep breath.

  Then shouted, in a shaky voice.

  “Emergency! I need a jump ship to County Thomson, now! Who has a free ship? Emergency!” He felt foolish, carrying on about things like he was doing. Most of the people there just turned to look at him, as if he were being annoying, rather than seeming ready to help out in any meaningful way.

  Right until a tall man, one wearing a nice green suit, ran out of a hallway. One of the long red ones that led to where individual ships were docked.

  “Here! Transport to Thomson!” Two huge hands were held up, going slightly over ten feet into the air. The man was at least eight feet tall, and otherwise seemed unremarkable. At least as far as Albert could see, while running directly at him, his black case of tricks following him doggedly.

  The other man didn't introduce himself or anything, simply turning and
running down the hallway at a speed that was easily three or four times the best Albert was going to be able to manage. It didn't even occur to him to use the low-flying portion of his shield to move faster until he and his case were both through the red tunnel, into the bright, and decently large, ship.

  As soon as the wall closed, the big man yelled.

  “Go!” That was addressed to a smaller fellow, who had tan skin and a mustache. The pilot it seemed, given he worked the control. They moved out under complete control. You had to at the docks, since it was both the rule and doing otherwise could lead to crashing and destruction. People had died that way, even while everyone had shields on.

  The ships were just that powerful, when they moved.

  Breathing hard, the large man bowed, almost instantly.

  “Gerent Lairdgren. Captain.”

  Al bowed, going low. After all, he was the one that was begging a ride, so it made sense to be extra polite.

  “Albert Benoist. Call me Albert. Or Al, since we’re clearly friends, you bothering to help me out like this. Comp managed to get in touch with you?” That made sense, but he didn't know if there had been enough time, really, or what had been said by the girl.

  “She did. In fact, she sent out a general order, commandeering any ship that was capable of making the trip. Even with that, we were the first to respond, so get the honor. The rest are loading up with volunteers? That’s the plan, right now, anyway. We should be on the ground in… Call it fifteen minutes?”

  That was probably the fastest anyone could manage the trip, so he swallowed and nodded.

  “Thanks. Thank you all, for your help in this. We have magical support coming from Afrak. Their Ancient is bringing that directly. I… Should get with Sam Builder. He might have something or a better plan. I’ve only met him once. That should count as a reason to wake him up in the early morning, right?”

  Instead of acting like him saying that was funny, the nobleman in front of him, towering as that sort was wont to do, smiled and nodded.