A Warrior's Sacrifice

by Ross Winkler

  They spoke to each other through the bars with hand signals and in Quisling pidgin. Waves of nostalgia hit Corwin, taking away his breath.

  "Wud de du wud um?" asked one of the older girls. What will they do with us?

  "Ceel um in totaal." Kill us all.

  "Wud de baytotaal um a ceel um in totaalnach? Bay. Deeetum um volfin." Why would they keep us alive just to kill us later? No. They'll feed us to the wolves.

  Corwin wanted to round the corner, to speak a language that he'd almost forgotten. They wouldn't trust him, though; they'd lock him out of their small community like he'd been locked out of the Republic's.

  "Gark. En baard komm." Quiet. A guard approaches.

  Corwin dyzued it too. He heard nothing yet detected the presence of another Human nearby, the familiar yet unwanted Sahktriya of a fellow Maharatha creeping up from behind. The Quisling children scurried into the recesses of their cells. Corwin wished he had one to hide in as well.

  "No need to be quiet now, they know you're here."

  Phae stood up, relaxed. "What are you doing?" she asked.

  "I couldn't sleep."

  "And the run and firing range weren't enough to calm you down? You had to come here?"

  "Were you following me?" Corwin asked.

  "Yes."

  "Why?"

  "You told us to stay together. I'm following orders." Phae leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. She wore the red-trimmed black Maharatha cargos and t-shirt, her rifle slung over her shoulder and pistol attached to her hip.

  Corwin turned away. "I'm fine by myself. You can go back to bed."

  "Corwin, sir, what are you doing here?" Phae was closer now, her hand resting on the middle of Corwin's back, the light touch of fingertips seemed to pulse with electricity.

  "I came to check up on them. They — I know what it's like, that first day locked in a cage, wondering how death would come. It was terrifying."

  "They would kill you if they had the chance. You are their enemy now," Phae said.

  "Would you blame them?" An infant began crying. Corwin looked around the corner and watched as the older brother took up a bottle supplied by the Republic troops. The boy grimaced, hesitated, then offered it to his sibling. His mouth twisted in anger at himself and hatred at the Republic, as the younger sucked and slurped.

  "I wouldn't," Corwin whispered. "I wouldn't blame them for killing me. I brought them here and sentenced them to a fate worse than death." He ran his hands over his face.

  Phae pulled at Corwin's shoulders. He let her lead him out of sight. She turned him so his back was to the wall and her powerful hands pressed his body tight. She leaned in and kissed him, hard — the way a lover does when she sees a pain that needs healing and has no words.

  This time Corwin kissed back.

  The physicality of the kiss and the twining tongues and the groping, greedy hands gave him something concrete to latch on to instead of what was, what could have been, and the happenings of two traumatized brothers. Again Corwin allowed Phae to lead him back through the city, the two Maharatha stopping now and then to kiss in darkened doorways.

  Chahal and Kai came alert as the door to their bunk slid open and Phae pulled Corwin into their room. Without bothering to look, Phae snapped her fingers and pointed to the door.

  They gathered their belongings and exited the room.

  Chahal and Kai unrolled their blankets on the floor of the storage room. Once again Kai turned the lights down low before sliding into his makeshift bed. As he drifted off to sleep, a slender hand crossed the thin gap between their blankets and slipped into his.

  A sharp knock awoke Auta from sleep. Groggy, he groped for the pistol he kept at his bedside table. The knock sounded again, angrier somehow. Through the darkness of his small, one-room home, he felt his way forward. Years of experience on the frontier had taught him never to turn on the lights at night.

  Through the peephole Auta saw a tall, muscular man with a trimmed mustache — his contact with the Ashi-Kage. Auta sighed and threw back the bolt on his door. He thought he was done with these people.

  The man pushed his way in before Auta could protest. "Shut the door," he said.

  Auta complied. "What are you doing here, Haith? I did what you wanted. I delivered the orb."

  Haith punched Auta in the stomach. It happened so fast that Auta didn't even have time to double over from the first hit before the second landed. Haith stripped Auta's gun away, grabbed his hair with his other hand, and pulled his face upward. "Look at you. Got some balls now you think you escaped. Think you a Big Man. Think you escaped the Maharatha. Now you think you done with us?"

  Auta gasped for breath. "But I delivered what you asked—"

  Haith jerked Auta's hair to shut him up. "You gave the orb to them Maharatha," Haith growled through bared teeth. "We only get what we want for delivery of goods. That orb need to get to the right people."

  "What do you want me to do?" Auta held the last word like a pleading child. "The Maharatha have it!"

  "Then you get it from them Maharatha," Haith said.

  "I can't! It's impossible!"

  "You get it or you die, and we kill you slow and painful." Haith let Auta go and stood up, straightening his clothes. "Stay near them. We make a commotion to distract them, you grab it and bring it to the drop point. Understand?"

  "Y-yes," Auta said, slumping back against the wall. "B-but when I do this I'm finished with you, right?"

  Haith paused halfway through the door. "We never done with you. Ever. The only way you out is when you die."

  Corwin sprinkled sliced strawberries into his wheat porridge. Eggs, bacon, and sausage steamed in a wooden bowl nearby. They were back at the bar where they'd eaten the night before but were instead intent on breakfast, Phae had even surrendered her protein cubes for a pile of eggs — with a healthy pinch of salt on top.

  The Void dynamics had changed. Kai's shoulders were relaxed, and he moved more fluidly; Chahal glanced at Kai whenever she could, and Kai oriented towards the much smaller Exilist like a bear tends her cub.

  Despite himself, Corwin was glad of the change between himself and Phae. The calmness of mind that came from sexual release was new and refreshing, and the anger and hate that had dwelled within him for so long had retreated. It was still present but now less potent.

  As for what Phae felt, well, Corwin couldn't say. The sting of her words from outside the medical room was still too fresh for him to forget or forgive her entirely. He knew all this, yet the novelty and thrill of the relationship overcame his caution, especially when she leaned over between bites of food and nibbled on his ear.

  "We have a tail," Phae whispered.

  "I saw," Corwin said.

  "He's been there since we left our bunks," Chahal said as she scraped her bowl clean of porridge.

  "What do we do about it?" Kai asked with an upraised eyebrow.

  "We keep tabs on him, but wait. I have a feeling that he's after … what he lost. I'm inclined to give it to him."

  Kai frowned. "You know what the Oniban said about that."

  "Yes, I know. I have an idea."

  Auta stared over the edge of his porridge bowl and watched the four Maharatha chatting with one another. He rubbed at weary eyes. After pacing a few hours, he'd realized that he would need to be in place in order to take advantage of whatever diversion Haith provided and left right then for the city. The Ashi-Kage contact hadn't specified when they would create a diversion, and until then, he'd just have to wait.

  His crops would go untended while was gone, and weeds would take the opportunity to flourish. It might affect his yield and his ability to meet his tithe, but the penalty and the short fall towards jendr would be better than torture until death. He'd seen the bodies slain by the Ashi-Kage and didn't want to follow them.

  He'd been in place as the sun came up, stamping his feet against the chill dawn air that had settled on the area. Noting his discomfort, an older woman with sun-bleached
hair had approached him, pushing a cart that smelled of warm pastry and fruit. He'd dismissed her, but she had pushed a warm tart into his hands as she waved goodbye and trundled down to the edge of the street.

  The Maharatha had appeared around midmorning, dressed in their fearsome suits of armor, and he'd tailed them to the bar for breakfast. They all had pouches and packs, and he had no idea who carried the orb.

  Again, luck was with him. He watched as the Commander took the black orb from a pouch at his belt. He passed it around the circle of soldiers, and when it came back into his possession, he and the others stood. The Commander slipped the orb back into its hiding place as they made their way towards the door and the street beyond.

  Oh, how Auta could have danced! With a few final slurps he finished his porridge and followed after the four Maharatha.

  From the bar, the four Maharatha turned towards their bunks. Phae was about to suggest that they hurry along when she and the other Maharatha dyzued a change in the Sahktriya on the street. In seconds it changed from a steady flow, like a river, to something jagged, gathering like the coming of a storm.

  The Maharatha stopped, hands finding plasteel pistol grips. There were more than the usual amount of Wei soldiers present at the moment, clumps of them standing near doorways or alley mouths. There were several dozen Civil Police as well, though they seemed less out of place than the others.

  A cart, pulled by a pair of draft horses, lost a wheel and dropped down to the plasteel roadway with a report that frightened the horses. They reared, braying so loud that they drowned out the shouts of the driver, then bolted. The driver cursed as the frightened horses swerved into the oncoming Civil Police, who in turn had to dive out of the way. A few of the less careful fell in amongst the higher-ranked Wei soldiers. The Wei began pushing and cursing at the Police, who were too flustered to apologize or acknowledge their mistake.

  No one knew who threw the first punches, but within seconds a brawl filled the street.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Auta saw the fight as it unfolded and was surprised almost to inaction. Fights like this never happened; it was far too jendr for all parties involved. A sharp jab in the back got him moving again, and he rushed forward to intercept the Maharatha before they joined the fray.

  Auta pushed into the crowd that had formed around the battling subcastes, angling himself into the Maharathas' path. The Maharatha split, and Auta saw his opening. He feigned a stumble and fell into the armored body of the Maharatha Commander. It felt like he'd rammed a tree. With a tug and a hasty apology, Auta tore the pack free and fled back into the crowd of bystanders, elated that he'd done it again.

  Corwin felt Auta snatch the bag from his side, felt the clasp snap. He let the man go; there was no need to follow.

  The crowd shifted, and the brawl encompassed Corwin. A punch, swung wild and wide, arced around at his face. Corwin retreated and pulled his head out of the way, striking the oncoming forearm with his armored own, using the momentum to carry his hand into the face of his attacker. Corwin had dialed his suit down so as not to kill, but his counter was well placed, and his attacker crumpled into a heap.

  A kick toppled a half dozen struggling men and women. Elbows and arms twisted, heads bounced off plasteel. None of them stood up again.

  Chahal bent over the bloody body of the cart driver who had been beset first by the Civil Police, then again by the Wei. Kai stood over her, lashing out with a stiff arm or sharp kick to anyone who came too close.

  Phae was in the midst of the brawl, hands and both feet leaving a trail of battered yet unbroken bodies in her wake.

  The momentum went out of the fight as the brawlers faced the Republic's best. Each subcastes' officers leapt into the lull and pulled their respective soldiers away from the other's. The Wei Major who'd arrived with a full Section of fifty soldiers put the offending Wei brawlers onto their knees and handcuffed them.

  The Wei Major ran over to where Corwin now stood with his Void. The man saluted. "My apologies for my soldiers, sir! They have fallen to jendr and dragged me down with them." He wouldn't meet Corwin's eyes.

  Corwin shrugged. "What is your name?"

  "Wei Major Haith, sir!"

  "You're in charge of the entire Wei Platoon stationed here?"

  "Yes, sir! All 250 Wei."

  "Is this a common occurrence?" Corwin didn't care whether this was a one-time thing or a weekly event. He was looking for … he didn't know what — something that explained the lack of discipline or why these soldiers were here when they were.

  "No, sir! They get rowdy from time to time, but nothing like this. They stressed about the Choxen patrols. It won't happen again."

  "See that it doesn't, and that all of those involved have a notation placed on their record."

  "Sir!" Wei Major Haith saluted again and ran off to oversee the loading of the captives into the waiting vehicles.

  A woman in the white-and-blue uniform of the Civil Police stepped forward and bowed. Her insignia marked her as a Company Master. While she was two full ranks above Haith, she was one full subcaste below him and had to wait her turn to explain.

  "Sir!" the woman said, saluting. "Company Master Prensky. I apologize for my soldiers' part in all of this." The Civil Police, it seemed, had taken the brunt of the hits; most weren't standing, and they all bled.

  "Does this happen often?" Corwin asked again.

  "Not since I've been here, sir,"

  "How long has that been?"

  "Just short of two months, sir. I was transferred in after the last Company Master's uh, accident."

  "Oh?" Corwin raised an eyebrow. "And what happened then?"

  "Field training, sir. A round backfired and blew the side of his face off." She said it as a matter of fact, but there was more in her voice.

  "You don't think it was an accident?"

  She lowered her voice and leaned in a little closer. "Negative, sir. The only people present were the old Company Master, Wei Sergeant Haith, and two of Haith's men."

  Corwin swung his eyes from hers and looked first at the Civil Police, then at the Wei. "Are either of those two Wei soldiers here now?"

  "Yes, sir," Prensky said without looking over her shoulder. "The first and the second in the line of handcuffed soldiers."

  "Hmmmmm," Kai rumbled from behind. "We have a coincidence."

  "There are no coincidences," Corwin said. He looked down at Prensky. "Forward me the investigation report and all the follow-up you've done. I'll forward it along through secure channels."

  Relief swept her face. "Thank you, sir."

  "Get your people patched up and keep any sort of notation from their files. They didn't start this."

  "Yes, sir. Thank you again, sir." Prensky bowed and sped off to get her people loaded and delivered to the Medics.

  Corwin turned back to his Void and opened his com, flipped a few screens until he had the one he wanted, then closed it again. The city's Medics had arrived by then and were busy loading the driver onto a hover liter. They were joined by several members of the Support Caste, who loaded the wagon's contents into their truck and refastened the wheel; another of their caste tended the horses.

  Now that the action was over and done, the crowd dispersed.

  "Let's head back," Corwin said. He turned and started walking. The others fell in about him.

  "What do you make of that?" Phae asked.

  "They were making a statement — the Ashi-Kage, I mean. They were showing the Company Master what they could do, and that they weren't afraid to do it."

  "Do you think they have pressure on her to work with them?" Phae asked, sliding in close to Corwin.

  "No doubt," Chahal said. "That's how they work. They get a hold of the people in one's command and work their way up to the top. Those CPs back there," she hooked her thumb over her shoulder, "were likely holdouts or those who represented the holdouts."

  Corwin's com chimed. He opened it and saw the waiting message with attached inve
stigation folder from Prensky. With a few swipes of his fingers he sent these data away to the Oniwabanshu and then closed it again. The com vibrated before it had reached his pocket. As he flipped it open, a grim smile spread across his lips.

  Phae's eyebrows bunched. "Smiling doesn't suit you."

  "It isn't a joyful smile."

  "I know," Phae said. "That's why it scares me."

  The drop point was a fake garbage chute three quarters of the way down a dead-end alley. Auta nodded at the lone Wei soldier who sat at an outside table on the opposite side of the street, sipping at a beer. The soldier did not nod back.

  Auta waited at the alley's entrance, thumbing through his com as if he had something important to attend to. When he was sure that no one was watching, he slipped into the alley and deposited his stolen goods in the bin.

  With his task done, a monumental weight lifted from his shoulders. Auta slumped back against the wall, breathing a sigh of relief. He'd decided to leave the city, to go to one of the other settlements and start over again. This time he would keep his head down and stay away from the wickting Ashi-Kage!

  He stood up and straightened his worn clothes, then strolled from the alleyway like he had all the reason in the world to be there. He froze. The Wei that had sat in guard across the street wasn't there any longer. His beer mug lay sideways on the tabletop. Beer dripped off the edge into a dirty pool on the ground.

  "Would you like a pastry?" asked an old woman with sun-bleached hair and leathery skin.

  "I, what? No." Auta shook his head. "None for me, thank you." He turned to walk past her only to find a stun gun shoved into his stomach.

  Auta shied away from the gun, but the woman kept it pressed against him until he bumped into the edge of her cart. "W-what is this?" he asked.

  She didn't say anything, just smiled and pulled the trigger.

  Fifty thousand volts convulsed Auta's body seconds before a hypodermic punched through his clothes and skin, depositing a tranquilizer. The woman's gnarled hands guided Auta's slumping body into the open hatch of the cart. The lid slid closed and locked. Auta didn't know — and wouldn't know for several more hours — that he wasn't alone in the dark enclosure; the Wei was there as well, just as incapacitated as he.