Rear Echelon

by Darryl S Ellrott

  Just when Travis thought he had things calmed down a bit, Otto Spielman came blundering out of the brush, spooking the girls again.

  “I thought I heard some shots. What’s going - ?” His face lit up in a leering grin as he caught sight of Travis’s companions. “All right, Buckley! Where’d you find these two?”

  “One was taking a shower, and the other was being chased by those two hostiles over there,” he pointed. “I killed ‘em.” He put a hand to Otto’s chest. “Easy man. We need to be friendly here.”

  Otto was still grinning. “I’ll be friendly, all right. We should have just enough time for a little friendliness, I think.” He grabbed the second girl by the upper arm and pulled her roughly away. She squawked in protest.

  Travis Buckley saw red. He’d stood helplessly by while his stepfather had brutalized his mother in just such a way. He’d be damned if he was going to stand by now. Otto was still focused on his prize, who cringed away from him. He didn’t see Travis’s boot as it shot between his legs and thwacked him solidly in the testicles. “Oooff!” he gasped, doubling over.

  “Hah! Cómo se siente, de cerdo?” spat the second girl. Both Otto’s hands went automatically to his injured manhood, so he couldn’t block the uppercut Travis delivered with his rifle butt. He sprawled on his back, nearly senseless. Travis jammed the M1B’s barrel under Otto’s chin.

  “You ain’t gettin’ any today, son,” he gritted. Unfortunately, he underestimated Otto’s training. The Alpha Elites were some of the toughest men in the Stellar Armada, and Spielman responded by slapping the barrel of the rifle away so hard it flew from Travis’s grasp. He rolled away quickly, circling up to his feet. In an instant, his knife was in his hand. “I’ll kill you, maggot!” he spat, red-faced and furious. Travis pulled out his machete. He had no illusions about taking Otto in a knife fight, but he’d not leave those big, dark eyes to Spielman’s tender mercies. “Did you bring a knife to a machete fight, Alpha Dog?” he mocked.

  “Stand fast, Spielman! You, too, Buckley!” Bainbridge’s command cut through the morning stillness like a blade. Both men locked up, their weapons vanishing. The captain strode between them, trailed by Guerrero. “You two having a problem?” he asked Travis.

  “Sir, negative, sir. Private Spielman was merely demonstrating some knife fighting techniques for my benefit, sir.”

  “That right, Otto?”

  “Affirmative, sir. We were – “

  “Stow it, private.” said Bainbridge. “I saw what happened. And heard. You were about to bust a one-twenty, weren’t you?”

  “Sir, I did not touch her, sir –“ Otto protested.

  Bainbridge cut him off. “You will shut your hole, and you will shut it now, or I will place you under arrest. You are relieved. You will report back to base camp and be subject to further discipline upon our return, do you understand?”

  “Sir, yes sir!”

  “Get out of my sight.”

  Otto took off into the brush.

  The captain looked to the frightened girls, who to their credit, had not bolted. “I’m sorry,” he said. “We mean you no harm.”

  “Inglis?” whispered the first girl to the second.

  “Es que lo que suena?” the second asked.

  “I think they’re human, sir,” said Travis. “I came upon them bathing. We were attacked by those two hostiles over there – “ he pointed to the dead reptiles bleeding into the sand. “Then Private Spielman arrived.”

  “I think I can help, sir,” Guererro spoke up. “With your permission?” Bainbridge nodded.

  “Estás bien? Cuáles son sus nombres?” he asked the girls.

  Both brows knitted with momentary confusion, then the first girl replied.

  “Estamos bien. Por favor, gracias a que el hombre por salvarnos de xuilen.”

  “Español?” asked Bainbridge.

  “For the most part. She’s using some words I don’t recognize. And her accent is weird. I don’t think they understand me completely, either. She asked us to thank Travis for saving them.”

  Travis’s face lit up. “Gracias!” he said. The first girl returned his smile.

  “You – welcome,” she replied haltingly. Bainbridge’s eyebrows went up.

  “Habla inglés?” Guererro asked.

  The girl held up her thumb and forefinger squeezed together. “No,” she admitted. Then she spoke directly to Guererro at length for a few moments with what sounded like longer questions. Guererro nodded, then translated for Bainbridge. “Her name is Ressa. Her friend is Juana. They say they need to get back home and let their families know about those ‘sons of the lizard’ getting behind the wall. Their village is nearby. Ressa says we need to come with them.”

  “Tell them thanks for the invitation.” said Bainbridge. He spoke into his communicator for a moment. “I’ve told Hardesty to recall the patrols, hunker down at base camp, and wait for me to call. And to look out for those lizard men. What do you say, Buckley?” he glanced at Travis. “I think the girl’s invited you home to meet her father.”

  Travis paled.

  Chapter 5

  “So,” said the old man, his eyes narrowing, “you are the one who came upon my daughter?” Travis Buckley gulped. “Yes, sir,”

  “And saved the lives of both girls from the lagarijos?”

  “Yes, sir,” He almost flinched, waiting for the explosion. Almost.

  “Then what can I do, but give you thanks?” The hard lines in the old man’s face smoothed out, and his lips curled into a smile. He tipped his head in the slightest of bows, and squeezed Travis’s hand in both of his. Travis relaxed for the first time.

  “I am Josso, Tiente Sacerdot of Asilyo. Welcome to my home.” His hair was silver, but the old man’s back was still straight and his bearing proud. He was also tall enough to look Captain Bainbridge in the eye, and that made him taller than most of the villagers Travis had seen so far.

  Asilyo sat on a broad plain between the jungle and the wall. While he had expected to see rude grass huts, he found a city made of stone. Its broad central avenues and adjoining side streets were filled with tree-lined plazas, vegetation, and lush green lawns. Clusters of simple houses with high grass roofs sat adjacent to colonnaded limestone structures with broad stone steps and porches. In the distance, Travis could see a stepped central pyramid that looked vaguely familiar. A long, columned structure that could only be a palace sat on his right, and to his left was a multi-story temple with a domed roof. Carefully tilled fields spread out to either side of the city, and beyond them, a titanic stone wall stretched to the horizon.

  The colors were the most astounding detail that caught his eye. Unlike most ruins Travis had seen in history books, the streets of Asilyo were awash in the natural hues of the forest. Ochre reds, rich yellows, and bright greens predominated, highlighted by colored stuccos and plasters, Bas relief sculptures and murals covered most every wall, and these were painted with the same color schemes in even greater detail. The people were even more comfortable. Asilyo’s inhabitants tended to favor the same bright colors in their dress. People lined the streets and avenues. Men were in loincloths and women in simple dresses, with jewelry and bright feathers decorating many heads and necks. Children were everywhere.

  Perhaps the most surprising thing of all was Josso’s greeting in English. When Travis, Bainbridge, and Guererro sat down at his table, the old man began.

  “There are still some noble families in Asilyo who teach their children ingli as well as espa, and ours is one of them. Ressa was raised beyond the Wall, among the Gendemon, so her education was somewhat neglected.”

  “I thought you said she was your daughter,” said Bainbridge.

  “So she is. She was the wife of my son, who is gone. We are all the same familia.”

  “Gendemon,” mused Guererro, “’people of the mountain?’”

  “Si,” said Josso, nodding, “and we are the Emparedar, people of the Wall. Perhaps you saw it on your way in?”
<
br />   “We did notice it,” said Bainbridge.

  “And you, young man,” continued Josso, looking to Guererro, “you speak espa as well as ingli? How is this, and how did you people come to Asilyo?”

  “Sí señor, yo hablo español,” began Guererro, “although English is my first language.”

  The captain broke in. “Thanks, Alonzo.” He looked back a Josso and chose his words carefully. “We’re soldiers, as you can see. Our ship was passing close by and we were marooned on the shore just beyond your city. We were looking for fresh water when Travis here stumbled across your daughter.”

  “Marooned you say,” the old man’s face turned harder. “And why, I wonder, would a ship full of soldiers be passing by our land?”

  “We’re a rescue party. We did not come to attack your city.”

  “Indeed. If you had come to attack us, you and I would not be talking, would we?”

  “No. I give you my word as an officer that I am telling the truth. We don’t mean Asilyo any harm. One of our countrymen is being held prisoner out there beyond the wall, and we had come to rescue him when our ship was destroyed.”

  “And this ship of yours is not a ship of wood, and it doesn’t travel on the seas, does it? You come to Askura from beyond the wall of night, don’t you?” His eyes were wide with wonder and awe.

  “Yes,” said the captain.

  Josso grew silent, but his eyes were very big. Bainbridge reached out suddenly and took the old man’s hand firmly in both of his.

  “We’re men. Just like you.” After a moment Josso let out a long, shuddering breath.

  “Our Codices speak of such things.” he said at last. “They tell the story of our ancestors, and how they lived in bondage. Of how Madrios, Our Mother, heard our ancestors’ prayers and sent a feathered serpent to deliver us from Mosclavo, the Devil. How the serpent carried our ancestors across the heavens to Askura. Now, all the human tribes on Askura are the Libera, the Free People.”

  “Begging the captain’s pardon, but you called yourself ‘tiente sacerdot?’” asked Guererro. “That translates roughly into ‘lieutenant priest?’”

  “Sí, joven,” said Josso, “I am the second highest ranking priest of Madrios in Asilyo.”

  “And who is the son of Madrios?” asked Guererro.

  “Why, the son of Madrios is Yesu. He guards the gates of the underworld and grants life after death. How did you know Madrios had a son?”

  “Do you get it, captain?” Guerrero became excited. “Madrios. Madre de Dios. Mother of God. These people are probably descended from slow boaters who left Earth at the end of the Famine Times.”

  “Slow boaters?’” asked Josso and Travis simultaneously.

  Guererro continued. “You know about the Dark Days, the bad times on old Earth after the nuclear war? There was a mini-dark age that lasted for almost a hundred years. When faster-than-light travel was in its infancy, the most desperate homesteaders – some of whom had been slaves during the Dark Days– were offered free passage on sub-light generational ships called slow boats. It must have taken these people close to a century just to get here.”

  “Now you have come to Askura, and it did not take you a hundred years to get here,” mused Josso. “And your ship is wrecked? And your countryman lies somewhere in the jungle? You will be here a long time, I think.”

  “Not hardly,” said Bainbridge. “Another ship will come soon, and we’ll have to finish the mission.”

  “This thing must be handled gently,” said Josso. “I need to ask a favor of you.”

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “I think it would be wise, capitán, if I were to return to your camp and see it for myself. We should go now, this very hour. Then I could speak to the King and reassure him that you are not the vanguard of a conquering army. He is an old man, but he has a good heart.” He glanced at Travis. “Your kindness to my daughter will mean something to him, mi hijo. It might just keep that hot-headed son of his from charging up the forest path after you and getting himself killed.”

  Bainbridge pondered the request. “I agree. Our camp isn’t far. We’re going to be here a while. We might as well do the right thing and keep the peace.”

  Chapter 6

  As the sun rose towards it midmorning apex, the heat and humidity combined to make it seem a hundred degrees on the broad lawn between the Wall and the forest. Ressa didn’t seem to feel it, but she took pity on her companion and led him to a shady spot just inside the tree line. Travis looked back to see his squad mates, who were not off-duty like him, keeping a lookout for lizard men outside the wall. Since their arrival three days earlier, there had been no further incursions, but nobody was taking any chances.

  Things had gone much better than expected, especially after the meeting with the old king, Tenoch. Originally Travis hadn’t been invited, but the king had asked to see the young warrior who had outfought of two lizard men and behaved so chivalrously towards the ladies. Travis just tried to look humble, which made a good first impression. He met the king’s heir, Nahuatl, who scowled and tried to intimidate everyone with his bulging muscles and jaguar skull helmet. News of their arrival had spread like wildfire, and worries of panic had been overblown. Now that the people could see their small numbers, the twenty survivors of the Halsey had become celebrities in Asilyo.

  Travis peered up at the giant Wall, grateful for the shade. After months in space, his fair skin was having a terrible time. “Did your people build it?” he asked Ressa.

  “Oh no,” she laughed. “The Wall was here before the Emparedar. We don’t know where it came from or who built it.” Ressa’s English was much better than she had let on.

  The Wall itself was an awesome sight. It rose almost sixty feet from its foundations. It was an average of fifteen feet wide at the top, and probably twenty five feet thick at its base. It was split by guard towers along its length, and its mortarless masonry was so well laid that it was impossible to get a finger hold between its blocks throughout the entire length. The jungle itself had been unable to weaken it, and its whiteness stretched to the horizon as far as the eye could see in either direction.

  “How far does it stretch?” Travis asked.

  “Not as far as it looks. Josso believes it to be the remnants of an even larger wall that enclosed an ancient city. He says the city fell into the sea long ago, and our Wall is all that’s left.” There was no gate in the Wall. Access to the jungle was through a tunnel underneath, which exited from a small stone arch set with iron gates. Walking through it had been like entering a baseball field from dugout steps. “There are several such tunnels throughout its length.” said Ressa.

  “Hey, isn’t that the king’s son with his buddies over there, watching us?” Indeed, the heir to Asilyo stood with several of his warriors closer to the tunnel entrance. This time he carried his bow and a six foot bronze-tipped spear along with his omnipresent jaguar helm. He did not look any happier as he scowled at Travis again.

  Ressa shaded her eyes. “Prince Nahuatl thinks he is protecting my virtue.” She moved a little closer to Travis and slid her arm within his. The prince’s scowl turned thunderous. “He thinks he can take anything he wants by force,” Ressa confided. “That’s why I married Joso’s son instead of him. He thought to gain an alliance with the Gendemon through me.”

  “How?” asked Travis.

  “My father is king of Copalta. I am his ninth child, and second youngest daughter. He has four living sons, so I was not in line for anything but a political marriage. I chose to marry for love.”

  “Where’s your husband now? I mean, I don’t mean to pry.”

  “Gone. He was visiting my people, who live to the east beyond the great river, when I met him. Joachim and I were married almost a year when he died of a fever. We had no children.” She cast her eyes down.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It is okay,” she replied, patting his hand. “I love my new father Josso. He and his family have been very
kind to me, but I miss the mountains. I did not grow up behind walls.” Ressa’s dark eyes looked deep into his, and again Travis felt short of breath. “Come on,” she said, taking his hand. “I don’t like him watching us.” Together they vanished down the forest path.

  They had no sooner entered the dimness of the forest canopy than Ressa stopped Travis short. Worry creased her brow. “Wait,” she said. “Something’s wrong.” The jungle, which was alive with the constant cries of birds, had fallen completely silent. Travis’s weapon was in his hands in an instant. “Let’s get back,” he snapped.

  A woman’s cries reached his ears. “Help! Help! Somebody help!” The sounds were coming closer. Then Travis saw something he didn’t expect. A red-headed woman in a tattered blouse and a ragged skirt came running at them. She was covered from head to foot in dirt and grime, and her eyes were wide in extreme terror. She ran right into Travis, bowling him over. “What the –“ he sputtered.

  “Don’t stop!” she screamed, leaping to her feet. Then they heard the crashing and rending sounds things being moved aside by something big. Travis was all but paralyzed by the most awful roar he had ever heard. Every short cropped hair on his head prickled erect.

  By the time the three of them burst through the trees onto the broad, grassy lawn, everyone could feel the ground shaking with the impact of the great beast’s tread. Shoving the girls towards the gated tunnel, Travis spun around to see what was chasing them. The beast looked down on them with a head that stood parallel to the top of the tree line, some thirty or more feet above. Seeing that tiny foes were between it and its prey, the thing stretched its fanged jaws and roared defiance again. The warriors of Asilyo stood speechless. “Dio de la Mont!” one of them breathed in terror.