“I am sorry to bother you, Sir,” the boy said, “but this is very important.”
Chief Onn was tempted for a minute to just brush the boy aside, but he was Chief and that carried responsibility with it. So he really had no choice.
“Come along with me, boy, and tell me about it while we walk. You are the Ethan boy, aren’t,” the Chief asked?
“Yes Sir, I am,” Ethan said.
“Well, tell me what the problem is.”
“You know about all those people that started a village of their own?”
“Unfortunately I do. What about them?”
“They are holding captive the two daughters of Captain Santos of the OSI.”
“WHAT! How in hell did that happen and when?”
The Chief stopped walking at this point, looking incredulously at Ethan.
“They had come to the village here looking for a friend of theirs and George, sort of led them to where the villagers grabbed the girls. I don’t think George was happy about that.”
“How long have they had the girls prisoner, do you know?”
“Well, they had them for a day but then they escaped. They were caught again the next day, and that was two days ago, I think.”
The Chief started walking towards his village now, faster than before.
“Has there been any inquiries from their mother or anyone else in the City?”
“Oh, you didn’t know. Rumor is that Captain Santos was killed in her patrol aircraft when a bomb went off. Or at least that is what people are saying. I wouldn’t know if anyone else has tried to reach you.”
“All right. Thanks for the information. I see I have some catching up to do.” The Chief had reached the village and hurried to his house and office, not that it was much of an office. He would talk to his assistant if he could be found, and then to his wife M’able, who probably knew more than his assistant.
*****
“Tamara and Kristina huddled together in their hut, not for warm so much as companionship. When they had brought the girls back to the village this time, rather that searching them, one of the women made them undress completely, giving them each a small blanket to cover up with. Although both girls protested, their clothes were taken away after they had been searching. Tamara believed that this was a ploy to make sure they didn’t try to escape again. There was no way they could get through the jungle wearing only a small thin blanket. They were not really cold except a little at night; after all this was a jungle, but the bathrooms were in separate buildings scattered through-out the village and they had to walk almost a hundred feet every time they needed to use the toilet.
They always walked to the toilets together for protection, and in fact the few young men about never approached them but just gave cat-calls and whistled when the girls walked by. It was the kids, young boys six or seven years of age that would throw small sticks, stones and dirt clods at them until an adult broke it up, usually with a switch and a lot of tears. But they always came back. Once a boy came up behind Kristina and managed to pull her blanket almost completely off. Several of the young men saw Kristina nearly naked and started towards her, but the man in a silver mask came up and the you men quickly found work to do elsewhere in the village. After that an old man stayed outside their hut during the day and always walked with them to the toilets and back.
Tamara and Kristina discussed this and wondered if Silver Mask was responsible for their chaperone, but couldn’t ever decide. They went back to considering tearing their blankets into pieces to make loin clothes and halter tops, but they were afraid that if they did that and got caught again, next time their captors would probably not even allow them a blanket to cover up
*****
Before Chief Onn was brought into the conference room, Liam instructed Lt. Baker to ask all the questions of the Chief unless Liam decided otherwise. The Chief looked tired and frazzled. A tall man of late middle age, he had a commanding presents about him that made it easy to see him as a Chief of a tribe of probably fairly independent individuals. The tribes were formed early in the settlement of the planet, consisting of individuals who did not like much or any government although they did like most modern conveniences.
“I am afraid I have some bad news, gentlemen, and perhaps you have some for me,” Chief Onn said after he had been escorted to the conference table and everyone had sat down.
“Can you tell me if it true that Captain Santos was killed in an explosion, as is rumored?”
Lt. Baker caught Liam’s slight shake of the head.
“Why do you ask that Chief Onn,” Lt. Baker asked?
“Because a rebellious group of tribesmen have captured and are holding her two daughters prisoner.”
Liam started to speak out but then thought better to just keep letting Lt. Baker do the questioning.
“I think you had better start telling this from the beginning Chief. Those girls are thought well of by the whole department and if anything at all happens to them there will be serious repercussions.”
Chief Onn sighed deeply. “I should have done something about this much sooner. Many years ago Captain Santos, who was just a young aide attached to a mission that had come to our village, became involved with my nephew by the name of Weldon. Weldon was a very young medicine man and he was seriously disliked by the older medicine men. Soon after the mission left our village Weldon was in the jungle gathering herbs when a number of men jumped him, beating him badly and finally running a spear through him.
Weldon did not die, I found out years later but rather was nursed back to health by his sister. Stemming from that incident both of them carried a hatred towards my villagers and particularly the medicine men. They, along with a few other independent minded men and women, mostly quite young, started another village some ten kilometers away from my village. Ever since then they have tried anything they could to harass or make my villagers look bad. Mostly just making token raids on caravans, never really hurting anyone much, but that would be blamed on us. They sometimes beat anyone caught alone near their village. I felt a certain compassion for Weldon and Vera so didn’t do anything to stop them. But this is too much. They have no reason to be holding Captain Santo’s children prisoner in their village.”
“It sounds like you aren’t aware of recent happenings,” Lt. Baker said. “That or you are lying to us.”
“I certainly am NOT lying to you,” the Chief retorted angrily. “True, I have been away from the village for the last couple of weeks inspecting our river trade route, but I think I would have been notified if anything serious has occurred.
“perhaps you have a breakdown in communications, accidental or otherwise. It would not take very many moles to cut your line of communication.”
“Moles? What are moles,” the Chief asked,
“Tribesmen that are in your village but really work for someone else, In this case your rebel group.”
“Maybe. I have really turned a blind eye towards the group’s activities,” the Chief admitted. “I feel sorry for my niece and even more towards my nephew. But wait, you indicated some kind of trouble with them. What kind?”
“For starts, a caravan has been totally wiped out: men woman and older children died and the wagons burnt,” Lt. Baker said.
Chief Onn just shook his head, not some much in disbelief as resignation at what horror he had abetted through inaction.
“What can I do to help,” he asked with a deep sigh?
This time Lt. Baker definitely looked to Liam for an answer.
“I suggest that you go back to your village and ensure that all of your own people stay in or close to your village,” Liam said, “we will take care of any action towards your rebels that is necessary.”
“And you are who…” the Chief asked?
“I am sorry, let me introduce Federal Agent Liam Smithe, Chief Onn. He is on-planet to help us solve the current crises.”
“A Federal Agent? Here? I don’t believe it. Why would a Federal Agent
get involved in a few attacks on caravans? It doesn’t make sense!”
Liam rose and walked around the conference table to show Chief Onn his identification. The Chief looked at it carefully and then stood, extending his hand to Liam.
“I am sorry Agent Smithe for what I said. You obviously have a good reason for being here and I will assist you any way I and my people can.”
“Thank you, Chief Onn, I appreciate your offer of assistance but other than giving us any details about this rebel group, it would be best if you kept your villagers in your village so we don’t confuse you with the rebels.”
“What about the river trade. Over a third of our villagers are tied into working that trade route. We can’t just stop that without causing problems all over.”
Liam thought about that for a minute. “Yes, you will have to keep the river route open. That means when this is all over each of your villagers, those on the trade route included, will be interviewed by Judicial Investigators to insure everyone in this rebel group can be identified.” Liam had been worried how he was going to identify everyone that knew the effects of the LL plant. This way he had a believable excuse. “What I don’t want is for you or some of your villagers to attempt to rescue the Santos girls. I doubt that they are in any danger but rather they are being held as hostages or trading power if their plans don’t work out. If you attempt to rescue them, they could be injured or killed. So don’t do it!”
After assurances from Chief Onn to his instructions, Liam left the lieutenants to finish questioning the Chief while he left to pick up Amanda from the hospital. He was late already and knew she was fuming.
*****
Meanwhile, Ethan was pacing around the village, knowing he should do something about the girls, but what? He had already told the Chief and was told to stay in the village until he got back to talk again with Ethan. That did nothing to satisfy Ethan so he paced, and paced, and paced. It was when he was near the communal kitchen and wondering if it was too late to grab some lunch, when George appeared and motioned him to the edge of the jungle.
“What do you want,” Ethan asked in a surely voice?
“I didn’t mean what happened. I thought the girls could easily escape. I know they had stunners: saw them one time.”
“Well they didn’t escape and we will be blamed if they are hurt,” Ethan responded.
“They did escape, just like I thought, but then they got caught again. We need to help them Ethan,”
“Sure! How are we going to do that? And why do you care; you arranged for them to get caught in the first place. How much did they pay you?”
“They didn’t pay me. Not in money anyway. I had no choice but it doesn’t matter now. We have to get those girls out, Ethan, we just have to.”
“Okay…how?”
“They know me in their village,” George said almost in a whisper, “and they won’t be bothered to see you since you were with me when we led the girls to the village.”
“What’s this WE business, I didn’t lead the girls anywhere. You did.”
“All right, I led them, but the point is you were along and they saw you. We just walk into the village and I ask if they need a runner. I have done that for them before. Most likely they won’t need me but I will say that I will hang around, just in case, as I usually do. We spot the hut the girls are being held in and figure which toilet facility they are likely to use. We stay where we can see it and when the girls come, you stop them.”
“Why me,” asked Ethan?
“Well… they may not trust me, at least at first.”
“And exactly why they trust you now,” Ethan asked sardonically?”
“Cause I am helping them escape, that’s why.”
“We are going to need stunners if we are to get away with this, and I don’t have any.”
“I don’t have any either,” replied George, “so we will have to steal some.”
“Are you crazy? We will get in so much trouble if we try and steal someone’s hand stunner.”
“What is more important, Ethan, risking getting caught stealing stunners or rescuing the girls? And we will need to steal more than one anyway,”
Ethan didn’t know what to say. He had always been honest and trustworthy. Stealing anything seemed so wrong. Yet rescuing the girls… Ethan had a strong teen-age crush on them already, and to appearing as a heroic savior overrode his other feelings.”
“Okay, I’m in. Let’s go steal some stunners. Where?”
“I was hoping you would know, Ethan. Plus, it is broad daylight. Shouldn’t we wait till evening?”
Ethan was a little surprised at George’s sudden cooling of the whole idea. It was almost as if George wanted to do the right thing, but when it came to action, George was getting cold feet. And it was his idea from the start.
“Actually, I do have an idea, and we do need to do it in the daytime. No one notices you around during the days but they catch you out at night you better have a good reason.”
“Okay, okay, where do we get them?”
“In the Chief’s house.”
“What, you are crazy Ethan! Steal from the Chief. We will be caught for sure.”
“The Chief is in Atlanta City and his wife is attending some kind of trade fair or flea market, something like that. I know because they tried to rope me in on it. She will be tied up all day and I know the Chief never locks his house. Any stunners will be locked up, that’s for sure, but we should be able to break then free.”
George was astounded by the sudden enthusiasm of Ethan. He thought he would really have to twist his arm to get Ethan to help. Now that Ethan is helping, George is beginning to wonder what he is getting himself in for.
Both boys walk as casually as possible, or what they thought was a casual walk, through the village to Chief Moran Onn’s house. It was uncertain when the Chief would get back. The Chief’s house was not the biggest house in the village nor the fanciest, but it was well built and looked beautiful. The two boys walked up the steps and right into the public reception area without any of the other villagers they passed saying a thing to the boys but a friendly greeting. Once inside the boys quickly opened the door into the private section of the house. They had absolutely no idea where any stunners were stored. They simply picked one room after another and quickly checked for and secured drawers, cupboards or closets, and then moving on to the next room.
It was in the third room they checked, a room that apparently was used for the storage of a variety of indoor and outdoor items completely unsorted in any way. It was Ethan who found a locked cabinet in one corner of the room. There was just a standard lock on the door that failed when George used a short pry bar on it. Inside there were dozens of stunners all racked carefully. Apparently this was an armory for the villagers who did not own a personal stunner in the case of an emergency. Several of the stunners had OSI or City Militia stamped upon them.
“WOW! Look at this,” George said. You could outfit an army here.”
“Not quite an army but certainly a village,” Ethan replied. “Here is the unit where you can sign in or sign out weapons. I think we should sign out for what we take.”
“No way. Why let them know who to chase?
“Cause if we succeed it will be all legal, more or less,” Ethan said, think of the use of the pry bar to break the lock. “We can turn them back in and explain the broken lock as a sign of emergency.”
“And if we don’t succeed? Then what?”
“Then we will either be dead or on the run and it won’t really matter.”
George didn’t really agree, but make no objections when Ethan signed out four stunners in his and George’s name. They took four OSI stunners in the knowledge that they were more powerful than standard civilian stunners, although Ethan had a pause, wondering how the Chief had gotten his hands on them.
They slipped quietly out of the house and back towards the barracks they had been staying in. George collected several travel containers of water
he had stashed and the two boys were off on their romantic rescue.
*****
Amanda was not exactly fuming when Liam got to her room at the hospital, but she had obviously been pacing the floor. She stopped her pacing and gave him a big smile when Liam finally appear when she really felt like throwing something at him. Liam was taken aback by her smile and didn’t go into a long-wind excuse for his lateness, but rather just walked up to Amanda with a smile on his own.
“Sorry I’m late. Are you ready to go?”
“More than ready let’s blow this joint.”
It wasn’t until they were seated in Liam’s rented aircar that Amanda questioned Liam.
“Any late-breaking news at headquarters, Liam.” Amanda asked?
“Well, Chief Onn is at headquarters right now being interviewed about this new rebel tribe that is probably responsible for the caravan attacks,” replied Liam.
“You are kidding. A new rebel tribe? How come we hadn’t heard about it sooner from the Chief?”
“Apparently the rebels were started by a nephew and niece of the Chief and he always felt sorry for them. So he just ignored their actions, believing there were only a dozen or two that had gone off on their own.”
“The Chief’s niece and nephew? What did they do that the Chief felt sorry for them,” Amanda asked?
“It seems that the Chief’s nephew was a Medicine Man that the other Medicine Men disliked due to the nephew’s young age. The nephew was attacked, or maybe ambushed would be a better word, in the jungle far from the cities. They tortured him and finally drove a spear threw his body and left him for dead.”
“How terrible. But he survived, didn’t he?”
“The niece found him and nursed him back to health but as a result both the nephew and the niece hated the medicine men for what they did to him, and hate the Chief for not stopping the attack in the first place.”
Edge World Page 28