Scavenger Alliance

by Janet Edwards

  I shook my head.

  “Maybe he’ll be lucky and nothing will happen,” said Phoenix.

  “It’s better if he does get attacked,” I said. “His sentence isn’t for a length of time but for three falling stars.”

  Phoenix’s face twisted as if she was going to be sick. “You mean they’ll keep tying him to that post until he’s been attacked three times?”

  “Yes,” I said. “Rogue’s trial was held the day before yesterday, but this is his first evening at the punishment post. There was no point in putting him out there when the temperature was below freezing, because the falling stars wouldn’t attack.”

  “What did he do to deserve so inhuman a punishment?” asked Phoenix.

  “He stole food,” I said. “Rogue was one of the first to get the winter fever, so among the first to recover as well. He was out hunting and …”

  My words were drowned out by cheers. The top half of Rogue’s body was now covered by a massive, grey falling star. I started counting seconds.

  “Why isn’t anyone helping him?” Phoenix’s voice was breaking down into sobs.

  As she asked the question, the group of men finally moved in, and their knives swiftly dispatched the falling star. The men dragged it off Rogue, and I saw his head go back as he frantically gasped for air, then forward again as he was violently sick. His hair was drenched with the digestive juices of the falling star, and he looked as much a beaten wreck as the cat Tad and I had saved earlier.

  “He still has to go through that two more times?” Phoenix bit her lip. “That’s barbaric.”

  “On Adonis, you use the civilized method of punishing crimes by locking the culprit up in prison.” Donnell’s voice came from behind her. “There’s no point in debating whether that’s better or worse, because it’s not an option for us. We can’t lock people up in prison when we need everyone working to help us survive.”

  We’d been so busy watching events outside, that none of us had noticed Donnell arrive. Now we all turned to face him.

  “The other divisions like using this for general justice punishments,” he added, “since it has the benefit of getting us extra food. They often use it as a punishment for their internal problems too. If I managed to stop it, they’d only replace it with something worse.”

  “What could possibly be worse than what’s going on out there?” Phoenix pointed at the glass wall.

  “Phoenix, your name tells me you were born on Adonis,” said Donnell. “Do you know what happened in Earth’s cities after the barricades started going up?”

  “I’ve heard the stories about the fighting on the barricades, and what happened to citizens who were captured. You mean some of the people here were at the barricades doing those terrible things?”

  Donnell nodded. “And some of the citizens happily telling those stories on Adonis did equally terrible things. Once there was open fighting on the barricades, the violence started spiralling out of control on both sides. My point is that this punishment is brutal, but at least it doesn’t do any lasting physical damage. It also has the huge advantage that it has to be done outside in public, rather than in some private division area. That means I can have one of my officers keeping an eye on things.”

  Phoenix frowned as if she was considering Donnell’s words. I saw Major had moved to stand by the glass wall now, and was looking out at Rogue with a gloating smile on his florid face that reminded me of Cage. I automatically turned to look at the Manhattan division area, and was shocked to see Cage standing there with his eyes fixed on Major.

  I remembered the conversation I’d overheard between the two of them that morning. I hadn’t understood what it was about then, but it seemed blindingly obvious now.

  Phoenix was still talking to Donnell. “Even if you don’t have other options, wouldn’t one falling star be enough of a punishment?”

  Donnell shrugged. “At the trial, the Manhattan alliance representatives called for a harsh punishment of three falling stars because of their feud with Queens Island. According to the alliance rules, Rogue’s division leader had the chance to speak in his defence and argue for a lower penalty, but he just accepted it.”

  “Major didn’t defend Rogue because he was angry with him and wanted him to suffer,” I said.

  “I know,” said Donnell. “Natsumi warned me that there’d been some sort of leadership challenge in Queens Island. The division members are keeping the details secret as usual, but it looks like Rogue made a bid for the leadership and failed. That’s probably a good thing. Major has a lot of flaws as a division leader, but at least he’s never stolen food.”

  “Don’t you think it was an interesting coincidence that Rogue was accused of stealing food so soon after annoying Major?” I asked, in a meaningful voice.

  Donnell beckoned me to move aside with him. He glanced back at the off-worlders before speaking in a low voice.

  “What are you suggesting? It wasn’t one of the Queens Island members who accused Rogue of stealing food, but Shark of Manhattan division.”

  “And everyone knows that Shark is Cage’s most loyal and obedient servant.”

  “You think Cage is involved in this?” asked Donnell sharply.

  “This morning, I was in one of the Sanctuary storerooms when Cage arrived. I hid to avoid him, and I overheard a secret meeting between Cage and Major. Cage said that he’d done what Major wanted, and in exchange there’d be a time when he’d expect Major to use his division leader vote as he wished.”

  I paused. “I think Cage and Major set up Rogue for this punishment. Only a few people were well enough to go hunting or fishing before the last blizzard. All the men, including Major and Rogue, were in one hunting group. It would have been easy for Major to take something from Rogue’s bag and put the duck in its place. When the hunting group got back, Rogue didn’t hand the duck in because he didn’t know it was there. Then Cage got his friend, Shark, to accuse Rogue of stealing food, and demand that his bag was searched.”

  “Chaos,” muttered Donnell. “Major has won a double victory here. Destroying Rogue’s character and chances of taking Queens Island’s leadership, and having the pleasure of watching him suffer at the punishment post as well.”

  “Cage wins too. I didn’t understand how he expected to get two division leaders to support him becoming an officer. Now it’s clear that he plans to talk Wall into giving him the first vote, and blackmail Major into giving him the second.”

  Donnell groaned. “We don’t have enough evidence to stop Rogue’s punishment or throw accusations at Major and Cage. If you publicly repeat what you heard, it would put you in danger and achieve nothing. They’d claim you misunderstood something perfectly innocent.”

  “They never actually mentioned Rogue’s name,” I admitted, “but I’m sure that’s what they were talking about. I think at least one of the Queens Island members has worked out what really happened too. Did you notice the way Raeni called out to Rogue when he was dragged through Reception?”

  “Raeni is Rogue’s girlfriend. She’d take his side even if she thought he was guilty.”

  I shook my head. “No, she wouldn’t. After I broke my arm in the summer, I spent two months helping with the crèche and the school. Raeni was helping there too, because she’d injured her ankle, and we ended up getting quite friendly. Raeni’s a hardworking girl, with a sort of steely integrity to her. I don’t believe she’d stay loyal to a man who stole food when children were going hungry.”

  “Let’s hope Raeni can convince some of the other Queens Island members that Rogue is innocent.” Donnell turned to frown at the scene outside. “I hate watching a man being punished for a crime he didn’t commit.”

  Donnell had listened to me about Rogue, so I felt this was a good time to talk to him about Hannah’s troubles too. “I need to talk to you about something else. My going fishing with Tad is making things very difficult for Hannah.”

  “Hannah survived two months of going fishing with other peop
le when you broke your arm,” said Donnell. “I don’t see why it’s a problem now.”

  “People have this silly idea you sent me fishing with Tad to stop me being friends with Hannah. Can you please show everyone that isn’t true? Perhaps by making Hannah a full member of the Resistance at last?”

  Donnell hesitated before answering. “I didn’t send you fishing with Tad to get you away from Hannah, but it’s true that I don’t think she’s a good friend for you.”

  I’d dismissed Hannah’s fear that Donnell disliked her as ridiculous, but she’d been right after all. “Yes, she is! Hannah’s the best of friends to me.”

  “Blaze, you’ve been blindly loyal to Hannah for years now. You see her as a devoted friend, but there’s a point where devoted friendship crosses the line into unhealthy possessiveness. Hannah keeps chasing away any Resistance member who tries to make friends with you.”

  I was shocked. No, I wasn’t shocked, but angry. I fought to keep the bitterness out of my voice. “When did any Resistance member ever try to make friends with me? Since my brother left, they’ve barely been willing to talk to me.”

  Donnell flushed. “I’m afraid the older Resistance members can be unreasonably partisan. When the cities were abandoned, I sent most of my people to join the citizens’ settlements. Those who stayed were the most deeply committed to our cause, and to me as a person. They were bound to react badly to Seamus’s actions, and Hannah’s stealing didn’t help the situation.”

  “Hannah never stole anything. She made a simple mistake.”

  “It wasn’t a mistake,” said Donnell.

  “Yes, it was,” I said hotly. “When we arrived in New York, Hannah had to have stitches in a gashed arm and was given medicine for pain. A couple of months later, she fell and hurt her wrist. She was in her room on the sixth floor when the accident happened, only two corridors away from the medicine supply room. She was in a lot of pain, and she knew what tablet to take, so rather than go all the way downstairs to the hospital area she went to get a tablet herself. I know she should have asked permission from an officer or a nurse, but …”

  Donnell shook his head. “If Hannah had only taken one tablet, I’d have let her off with a quiet warning, but she was caught with two boxes of them. I couldn’t possibly overlook that. The other divisions trust the Resistance to store all the most rare and vital supplies, and make sure they’re rationed out to everyone in the alliance with total fairness. We have to honour that trust.”

  Two boxes? All my passionate certainty in Hannah’s cause changed to doubt. Hannah had always told me she’d only taken one tablet.

  “Hannah had just had her twelfth birthday and started doing adult work,” said Donnell. “I should have treated her as an adult, and handed her over to stand trial and be punished under the general justice rules. Instead, I chose to treat her offence as if she was still a child, and did nothing more than take away her sixth floor access and give her rooms on the lowest floor of the Resistance wing.”

  He paused. “In retrospect, it would have been kinder to let Hannah stand trial back then. The alliance representatives from the other divisions would have called for a harsh punishment for stealing something as valuable as medicine, but I could have used Hannah’s age to bargain them down to something more reasonable. Treating her so leniently just made everyone determined to make her suffer for it in other ways. That’s why Marsha painted the thief’s hand on Hannah’s knife belt.”

  I barely heard his words. My head was still focused on the huge difference between two boxes and one tablet. Hannah found it hard to cope with pain or illness, so I’d understood her rushing to take a painkiller if her wrist was hurting her, but why would she want two boxes?

  Medicine stocks had already been running low back then. Had Hannah planned to hide away those two boxes of painkillers? Had her idea been that whoever was left in pain in future, it wouldn’t be her?

  Donnell seemed to be studying my face closely as he spoke again. “Six months after that, Natsumi and Machico’s two daughters tried to make friends with you. Hannah made it clear they weren’t welcome, and then there was an argument where you took Hannah’s side.”

  I dimly remembered that argument. “Hannah told me they’d called her a thief and a liar.”

  “I suppose it’s possible they did call her some names. All I know for sure is that a lot of people were upset by what happened, especially Natsumi. She’s protective of her daughters.”

  Donnell shrugged. “As for making Hannah a full member of the Resistance … On the rare occasions we take someone new into the Resistance, my policy is that they remain a trial member until the rest of my people fully accept them. After over six years, they still haven’t accepted Hannah.”

  When my brother and I came to New York, we’d joined the Resistance as full members from the start. I wondered if I dared to ask Donnell about that. If I did, what would he say? That there were different rules for the children of Resistance members? That there were different rules for his children?

  I wanted to hear Donnell say that, but I daren’t risk asking him the question in case he said something else instead, and then it was too late to ask anything because he abruptly walked off.

  I turned to see where Donnell had gone, and saw he was standing by the glass front wall of Reception, gazing out at where another falling star had attacked Rogue. I hastily turned my back on what was happening outside, and called to the off-worlders.

  “I’ll take you upstairs until dinner.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Four days later, Tad and I were fishing on the pier. I went into the building to fetch some extra fishing lines. When I came out of the door again, something leathery engulfed my head and most of my body.

  Falling star! I took a deep breath, threw myself to the ground, and rolled sideways trying to dislodge the thing. If a falling star hadn’t managed a clean attack, you could sometimes shake it free in the first few seconds, but this one had a good hold on me so I failed to achieve anything but hurting my left arm. I was already totally blind, and now the falling star tightened its grip, clamping over my mouth to suffocate me.

  I’d been attacked by falling stars enough times in the past to know there was no chance of freeing myself now. I was totally dependent on my fishing partner to save me. I forced myself to lie still, cursing the fact my current fishing partner wasn’t Hannah but an inexperienced off-worlder.

  The downside of lying still was that once its prey stopped fighting back, a falling star began the eating phase. I felt its stinging digestive juices flood over me. I had to keep my eyes and mouth tight shut, and not breathe through my nose, or the stench and taste of the filthy stuff would have me retching and choking on my own vomit.

  Why wasn’t Tad doing anything? Didn’t he realize that I was running out of air? Was the off-worlder standing frozen in shock, gaping at what was happening rather than …

  I felt the body of the falling star convulse round me, once, twice, three times. That meant Tad was stabbing it. A moment later, the leathery grip on me loosened. One frantic effort and I was free, rolling clear with my eyes still tightly closed. Don’t breathe, don’t breathe, don’t breathe. I repeated the words in my head over and over again, as I snatched at the fastenings of my coat, ripping it and my wet hat off, and then discarded my gloves as well.

  I couldn’t hold my breath long enough to clean my face. I had to take a gulp of air to fill my greedy lungs, and was nearly sick from the smell of it. I fought off the nausea, and found some dry coat lining to scrub the remaining falling star saliva from my face. Something touched me on the shoulder, and I flinched away in panic, but then I heard Tad’s voice.

  “Are you all right, Blaze?”

  I opened my eyes and looked up at his anxious face. “Is it dead?”

  “Not yet,” he said. “I was worried you …”

  A falling star tentacle lashed into my side like a whip, and another swept Tad’s legs from under him so he fell on top of me. />
  “Chaos weeping!” I struggled out from under Tad, and snatched the knife from my belt. I had to dodge more flailing tentacles to reach the main body of the falling star, kneel down, and start stabbing it. A couple of seconds later, Tad was kneeling at my side, frantically stabbing too.

  “You have to keep fighting it!” I screamed at him. “You don’t stop in the middle and go wandering off to have a conversation.”

  “Sorry,” he shouted back.

  A few more stabs and the falling star was dead. I stayed kneeling there for a moment to get my breath back and calm down.

  Tad got to his feet. “Sorry,” he repeated. “I was worried about you.”

  I felt guilty now. “I shouldn’t have yelled at you. You did well for a novice. Thank you for saving me.”

  I moved to stand up, and Tad casually reached down a hand to help me. He was standing by my left side, so it was my left arm that he caught and pulled upwards. I felt a sharp pain, and gave a yelp of alarm.

  Tad instantly let go of me, his face appalled. “What’s wrong? Did I stab you earlier by mistake?”

  “No. I broke my left arm last August, and it’s still complaining a little.” The pain was easing now. I tried making some cautious movements with my left arm, and relaxed. “It’s fine.”

  “You should have warned me you had an injured arm. You’ve been doing far too much work.”

  “The break itself doesn’t seem to be a problem now,” I said, “but I had a muscle injury that’s slower to heal.”

  “You should ask a doctor to …” Tad broke off his sentence and buried his head in his hands. “No, you can’t ask a doctor for help, because there isn’t one here. Back on Adonis, you’d have been treated with regrowth fluid, and your broken arm would have healed perfectly within a couple of days, but you can’t even take a tablet to ease your pain. Chaos take this primitive place!”

  “There’s nothing to worry about,” I said. “My arm just aches a little sometimes. I think having it immobilized in plaster for weeks made the muscle injury worse, but I’ve nearly got the full range of movement back now. Only the odd thing, like reaching up high above my head, is uncomfortable.”