The Dying Season
By: SilentJerry
Thread: Iron Writer
Posted: July 13, 2003
The following is my offering for the 2003 Summer Iron Writer Spectacular. Well. I added some of that because I am tired and have been writing for twelve hours straight. But whatever.
This post takes place in WR 36, during the Leviathan War. As much care as I bother with is taken to make it historically accurate, though there may be anachronisms I failed to weed out.
Also, as a warning, it contains swearing. So, like many of my posts, the fight scenes and other times when the characters` emotions are running high are not to be read in the presence of small children. I`ve tried to keep it to a minimum, but like myself, many of my characters enjoy cursing when they become angry, or emotional.
I think that`s it.
Enjoy!
This post takes place in WR 36, during the Leviathan War. As much care as I bother with is taken to make it historically accurate, though there may be anachronisms I failed to weed out.
Also, as a warning, it contains swearing. So, like many of my posts, the fight scenes and other times when the characters` emotions are running high are not to be read in the presence of small children. I`ve tried to keep it to a minimum, but like myself, many of my characters enjoy cursing when they become angry, or emotional.
I think that`s it.
Enjoy!
Part One: From the Depths
By: SilentJerry
Thread: Iron Writer
Posted: July 13, 2003
1st January, 36 WR
Today Sted, Bethamin and I skipped out on classes. Beth was afraid that her parents would find out, but Sted almost seemed to want his folks to know. Of course, Im a ward of the elders, and they dont seem to give a damn what I do. It was probably stupid of us, but we had fun. We headed south into the wilds and found a pretty churling pit to go swimming in.
Beth was pretty scared the whole time, but shes always scared of something. Anyway, nothing was going to happen to her with both Sted and me there. Im the stronger swimmer, but Steds pretty good too. And we got home without anyone finding out, so I guess it was a good day. Im pretty sure Beth fancies Sted these days, but I bet I can wear her down.
Oh! When we got back, we heard something pretty sweet. I guess the Prophetess ordered the Rising today. She hasnt been Prophetess more than a year, but I bet they have to listen to her anyway.
I cant imagine what living on the surface will be like.
10th March, 36 WR
Beth and Sted were both busy today. I think somethings going on, but Sted denies it.
I met up with Drederick, and we practiced sparring. He kicked my ass oldschool, so nothing new there. Hes pretty excited for the rising, but Im not sure. He seems to think that well need all this fighting stuff as soon as we get there. Maybe we will. The chronicles all say how violent they are on the surface. But, anyway, Dred always has had fighting on the brain.
Were scheduled tenth to surface. Not too bad, considering how unimportant we are. Beths sister is on the Prophetess own Zone Eater though, so shell be first. Can you imagine that? Were all incredibly jealous.
5th June, 36 WR
Today was the first time I ever saw the sun. We got word almost six months ago that the young Prophetess had ordered the Rising, but it seems like two lifetimes. Our Zone Eater was definitely not first in line, but we got a pretty good slot. I just feel sorry for those sorry bastards still riding the dirt.
I havent seen Sted or Beth since we stepped out of the Zone Eater. I guess were all going to be living in a place called Polaris now. It seems pretty nice, even if its not much to look at yet. Ceridwens Uncle has set up his Holding not too far from here, and hes the one who funded the construction of the town and also built a massive observatory on a hill not far from here.
I have a job lined up already working a farm for Ceridwens Uncles Holding, and were all thinking of renting a house together at the edge of town near the Western Wall.
The view from the cliffs is more than I can describe. More later.
1st July, 36 WR
I met Keaton Error today. Hes pretty soft-spoken, and I bet I could take him in a fight. Im not sure what the Prophetess sees in the guy. I guess hes an artist, but whats that worth? Hes just a Groundling like me, and a lot of people are saying that the Prophetess has already named him her Chosen. That means he could be Consort General one day!
Anyway, he came to Polaris with some guy named General Theodore Halberg. I guess the guy is a bigshot in the Esper Union, which is the other country on this world. Theres been a lot of talk about war ever since we got to the surface, and thats why they came here. I guess they want a hundred Trianglers to volunteer to form a Company in something called the Returners Expeditionary Force.
Desetter already signed up, and I heard some people say they heard Sted talking about it. If Sted joins, I bet Beth will too. I guess they take women. I dont want to fight, especially in someone elses war, but I dunno.
See, the thing is that if all my friends went off to war and something happened to them, I dont think Id be able to live with myself. Im going to go to the recruiting station tomorrow to see what its all about.
Aston Maric stood alone on the cliffs outside Polaris and watched the churning ocean far below the vast Western Wall. It was a dizzying several hundred feet to the crashing surf below, and the winds that climbed the wall were wild. The scent of brine soaked into his hair and clothes, and the breeze whipped his short vest violently against his chest. He watched the sun set beyond the boundless ocean and tried to believe that in the morning he would be chasing it.
It was difficult to believe, but it was fact. Triangle had only been on the surface for a very short time, and already it was sending its young men and women off to war. It hadnt been Astons first choice, but he had his reasons. And he would do his best regardless of his personal feelings about war.
As a Maric, Aston didnt have much. His parents had owned very little before they died, and all of that had gone to the elders who raised him to help offset the cost, as was tradition. But the one thing he did have was his word, and when hed walked into the recruiting tent and made his mark on the dotted line, that had been his promise.
He still had mixed feelings about shipping out. Something twisted deep in his gut while he watched the massive cliff-mounted davits lower tiny coracles down to the water far below. Each one was packed full of his peers, and as soon as they hit the choppy water they beat it for larger dromands bound for some place called Maranda.
It was hard to imagine that other lands lay beyond the deep blue horizon. This so-called city of Maranda was contained in those lands though, and soon enough it would be his home for a couple months at least.
Hed never thought himself short on imagination or belief, but the surface seemed to stretch his perception of the wide world every couple minutes. He wondered how much more he could take before it broke wide open. But, unsurprisingly, he couldnt answer that question. His imagination had failed him. Everything was new under the sun.
The dirt had taken some getting used to, but having it under his feet was almost second nature already. Sand still felt a little more natural than hard pack, but he was gradually getting used to not having the ground shift under his feet every few minutes. He had done some climbing with Drederick and Sted in the hills to the south of the city, and theyd all found themselves preternaturally good at it.
After a life within the living belly of the zone, every terrain feature hed seen on the surface so far seemed so simple. Inside the Zone Eaters, life was a constant battle. The great wurms were trained not to digest their charges, but there were more than enough dangers even without being swept away by a tidal wave of amino acids.
On the surface, everything was fixed. You could set a piton into solid rock without worrying whether it would get spit out once your weight was depending on it, and there was very little chance of your house exploded in a freak fit of indigestion.
The worst thing to get used to was the sky. He looked up at it for a moment and almost got lost in the infinite blueness of it. He had to screw his eyes shut as a feeling of spiraling helplessness fired in his gut. Not too long ago the sky had been a massive canvass of black velvet cast with a scattering of silvery pearls, but the rising sun had put a stop to that. He hadnt been aware that the sky was so versatile. It was maddening, and many Trianglers had proven so drastically agoraphobic that they couldnt even come outside.
He understood enough of physics to know that their fears of falling off the world were foolish, but he had enough of those fears in his own head to sympathize with them. It was one thing to read about gravity and quite another to stand in an open field, look up, and see nothing but a black abyss extending to infinite depths.
That the Esperians apparently had the ability to generate gravity fields and anti-gravity fields was no consolation at all. They called it gravitics, but he called it stupid. Nobody was exactly beating down the door to ask his opinion on the matter, but he really thought that people shouldnt be messing around with gravity in the first place.
Science wasnt exactly his thing. Both it and math gave him headaches, whenever he thought about them too much. But the fundamental forces were not province of men, as far as he was concerned. And as long as one of them was kind enough to keep him stuck to the surface of Esper and another was content to keep his atoms from flying apart, he saw absolutely no reason to jab a stick into them and make them dance.
He just hoped he wouldnt have to be near any gravitics as part of his service in the Returners Expeditionary Force.
The abrupt sound of shearing metal brought him back to reality, and he snapped his eyes back open to see one of the massive davits cocked at a severely skewed angle. The operator of the machine had tumbled out of the cab, and was caught by his left foot on a torn piece of the door.
Aston broke into a dead run towards the ruined crane before he fully realized what was happening. The loading station nearest the davit erupted in screams moments after he started to run, and he saw that the base of the massive machine had been torn up and had taken out half of the temporary building with it. From the screams, he thought that there must have been people waiting inside when it happened.
Then he looked up, and saw that the davit had been in the process of lifting a coracle when it had broken. The tiny boat now hung at a precarious angle from only one of the three fingers of the great crane, and the people inside were the absolute personification of terror. One of them was screaming at the rest to remain still, but all the others were trying to scramble out of the little boat and onto the crane arm, as if any safety lay there.
A heart-wrenching scream, and somebody fell.
Aston stopped in the long sunrise shadow of the davit and turned away. He wasnt sure what hed been planning to do in the first place, but he certainly didnt want to watch one of his countrymen fall to his or her grisly death on the rocky ground of the Western Wall.
Then, for a moment, all of the screaming stopped. He could hear the rooks scolding eachother from their nests below the crest of the cliffs, and the soft rustling of the ocean below. He turned back, expecting the worst, and saw Drederick Desetter poised below the dangling coracle.
The man was like a coal-black mountain, with biceps the side of tree trunks and the rest of him built to scale. A massive, pearly white smile nearly split his face in half, and he set down the young woman he had caught away from her untimely death. She crawled slowly away, seemingly unaware of exactly what had happened or where she was, and Drederick turned his massive head skywards. He seemed to be judging whether or not he could catch the entire coracle, should it fall next.
Aston blinked, and then cupped his hands to his mouth. Get out of there, Dred! Itll crush you!
Drederick turned the upper half of his body towards Aston, as his thick neck didnt exactly facilitate the easy turning of his head, and smiled. I didnt see you there, friend, he said. Did you want to help me catch this?
A short sprint brought Aston near enough to his friend, but just outside the zone he judged to be in danger of being hit by the coracle. He blinked rapidly and tried to think of some way to get Dred out of the way, but he drew a blank.
If that falls on you, youll be dead, he said.
Drederick shrugged, and one of the men who had been trying to scramble up onto the crane itself fell into his arms. He set the man down as if nothing had happened and scratched the back of his bald, shiny head. It doesnt look that heavy, he said. Maybe I should just climb up there and get it.
If you try to climb that thing its going to fall into the ocean, Aston said.
Oh yeah, Drederick said. He nodded as if deep in thought. Maybe you should climb it?
Aston took in a deep breath, opened his mouth, and was interrupted.
Ive got a better idea, said Sted Reynan, who had come up from behind Aston, along with Bethamin Madera. They were both out of breath, and had obviously run from somewhere. Maybe nobody should climb it. How about that?
Sounds good to me, Aston said. He was relieved that Sted had shown up in time to help him keep Dred from doing something stupid, but he was also annoyed that he had shown up with Beth. They spent entirely too much time alone. Do you have any ideas?
Ceri and some others are trying to get people out of the rubble of the loading station before the davit can tear all the way out, he said. He spoke quickly, but was obviously getting his breath back anyway. I grabbed a length of steel cable from the rubble, though. I think we can use it to lasso the davit and drag it back upright long enough to get the operator and the coracle down.
Thatll work, Aston said. Of course, only one of us is strong enough to anchor it without some kind of LCV. He looked at Dred who frowned when he saw he was being looked at.
What if the coracle falls while Im doing it? he asked.
What if it falls anyway? Sted asked. Astons right. This is the only way we have a chance of saving everyone, and youre the only one capable of pulling the davit upright without a truck. Come to think of it, you are a truck. So get your ass in gear, man.
Drederick opened his mouth, started to protest that he wasnt a truck, and the last cords on the crane arm snapped with a deafening twang.
The coracle fell, and Aston leapt at Sted and Beth to knock them clear. He got Sted with one arm and Beth with the other, and all three rolled across the hard, rocky ground and away from the falling boat.
After a moment he sat up, rubbed the grit from his eyes and spat out some dirt that had gotten in his mouth. Sted and Beth picked themselves up too, and he slowly turned around. Some ten feet distant, in the shadow of the davit, Drederick stood with the coracle held over his head with both hands. The force of it had driven him to one knee, and there was a vein pulsating on his forehead that made it look like he was about to have an aneurysm.
But with what looked like no more effort than a child putting away one of his toys, Dred set the coracle down. Then he took the steel cable from Steds hands, threw it around the davit, held one end in each hand and slowly bulldogged the massive crane back into a more or less upright position. The movement took the pressure off of the loading station, and people started crawling out of the rubble.
Aston shielded his eyes against the rising sun and saw that the operator was still hanging by his foot. He wasnt moving though, so either he had one hell of a strong constitution, or hed passed out from too much blood flowing to his head.
Its all done but one, Sted said.
Aston nodded. Looks like, he said.
Sted slapped Desetter on the back, and the massive man grunted. How long can you hold it? he asked.
Desetter barely let the strain show on his face. As long as I need to, he said.
Good man, good man, Sted said. Then he turned to Aston. Ready for a little climb? he asked.
Always, Aston answered. I just have one question.
Shoot.
Aston smirked as they started to climb the torn scaffolding towards the heavens, towards the depths of the deep blue sky and the injured operator. He knew how nervous Beth would be with Sted and him free climbing like this, but he also knew how safe they really were. It was a simple climb, even with the inverted parts, and Desetter would hold strong.
Do they really expect us to ride a coracle down the Western Wall after this? he asked. Personally, I think Im going to walk to Maranda.
Sted laughed.
Today Sted, Bethamin and I skipped out on classes. Beth was afraid that her parents would find out, but Sted almost seemed to want his folks to know. Of course, Im a ward of the elders, and they dont seem to give a damn what I do. It was probably stupid of us, but we had fun. We headed south into the wilds and found a pretty churling pit to go swimming in.
Beth was pretty scared the whole time, but shes always scared of something. Anyway, nothing was going to happen to her with both Sted and me there. Im the stronger swimmer, but Steds pretty good too. And we got home without anyone finding out, so I guess it was a good day. Im pretty sure Beth fancies Sted these days, but I bet I can wear her down.
Oh! When we got back, we heard something pretty sweet. I guess the Prophetess ordered the Rising today. She hasnt been Prophetess more than a year, but I bet they have to listen to her anyway.
I cant imagine what living on the surface will be like.
10th March, 36 WR
Beth and Sted were both busy today. I think somethings going on, but Sted denies it.
I met up with Drederick, and we practiced sparring. He kicked my ass oldschool, so nothing new there. Hes pretty excited for the rising, but Im not sure. He seems to think that well need all this fighting stuff as soon as we get there. Maybe we will. The chronicles all say how violent they are on the surface. But, anyway, Dred always has had fighting on the brain.
Were scheduled tenth to surface. Not too bad, considering how unimportant we are. Beths sister is on the Prophetess own Zone Eater though, so shell be first. Can you imagine that? Were all incredibly jealous.
5th June, 36 WR
Today was the first time I ever saw the sun. We got word almost six months ago that the young Prophetess had ordered the Rising, but it seems like two lifetimes. Our Zone Eater was definitely not first in line, but we got a pretty good slot. I just feel sorry for those sorry bastards still riding the dirt.
I havent seen Sted or Beth since we stepped out of the Zone Eater. I guess were all going to be living in a place called Polaris now. It seems pretty nice, even if its not much to look at yet. Ceridwens Uncle has set up his Holding not too far from here, and hes the one who funded the construction of the town and also built a massive observatory on a hill not far from here.
I have a job lined up already working a farm for Ceridwens Uncles Holding, and were all thinking of renting a house together at the edge of town near the Western Wall.
The view from the cliffs is more than I can describe. More later.
1st July, 36 WR
I met Keaton Error today. Hes pretty soft-spoken, and I bet I could take him in a fight. Im not sure what the Prophetess sees in the guy. I guess hes an artist, but whats that worth? Hes just a Groundling like me, and a lot of people are saying that the Prophetess has already named him her Chosen. That means he could be Consort General one day!
Anyway, he came to Polaris with some guy named General Theodore Halberg. I guess the guy is a bigshot in the Esper Union, which is the other country on this world. Theres been a lot of talk about war ever since we got to the surface, and thats why they came here. I guess they want a hundred Trianglers to volunteer to form a Company in something called the Returners Expeditionary Force.
Desetter already signed up, and I heard some people say they heard Sted talking about it. If Sted joins, I bet Beth will too. I guess they take women. I dont want to fight, especially in someone elses war, but I dunno.
See, the thing is that if all my friends went off to war and something happened to them, I dont think Id be able to live with myself. Im going to go to the recruiting station tomorrow to see what its all about.
Aston Maric stood alone on the cliffs outside Polaris and watched the churning ocean far below the vast Western Wall. It was a dizzying several hundred feet to the crashing surf below, and the winds that climbed the wall were wild. The scent of brine soaked into his hair and clothes, and the breeze whipped his short vest violently against his chest. He watched the sun set beyond the boundless ocean and tried to believe that in the morning he would be chasing it.
It was difficult to believe, but it was fact. Triangle had only been on the surface for a very short time, and already it was sending its young men and women off to war. It hadnt been Astons first choice, but he had his reasons. And he would do his best regardless of his personal feelings about war.
As a Maric, Aston didnt have much. His parents had owned very little before they died, and all of that had gone to the elders who raised him to help offset the cost, as was tradition. But the one thing he did have was his word, and when hed walked into the recruiting tent and made his mark on the dotted line, that had been his promise.
He still had mixed feelings about shipping out. Something twisted deep in his gut while he watched the massive cliff-mounted davits lower tiny coracles down to the water far below. Each one was packed full of his peers, and as soon as they hit the choppy water they beat it for larger dromands bound for some place called Maranda.
It was hard to imagine that other lands lay beyond the deep blue horizon. This so-called city of Maranda was contained in those lands though, and soon enough it would be his home for a couple months at least.
Hed never thought himself short on imagination or belief, but the surface seemed to stretch his perception of the wide world every couple minutes. He wondered how much more he could take before it broke wide open. But, unsurprisingly, he couldnt answer that question. His imagination had failed him. Everything was new under the sun.
The dirt had taken some getting used to, but having it under his feet was almost second nature already. Sand still felt a little more natural than hard pack, but he was gradually getting used to not having the ground shift under his feet every few minutes. He had done some climbing with Drederick and Sted in the hills to the south of the city, and theyd all found themselves preternaturally good at it.
After a life within the living belly of the zone, every terrain feature hed seen on the surface so far seemed so simple. Inside the Zone Eaters, life was a constant battle. The great wurms were trained not to digest their charges, but there were more than enough dangers even without being swept away by a tidal wave of amino acids.
On the surface, everything was fixed. You could set a piton into solid rock without worrying whether it would get spit out once your weight was depending on it, and there was very little chance of your house exploded in a freak fit of indigestion.
The worst thing to get used to was the sky. He looked up at it for a moment and almost got lost in the infinite blueness of it. He had to screw his eyes shut as a feeling of spiraling helplessness fired in his gut. Not too long ago the sky had been a massive canvass of black velvet cast with a scattering of silvery pearls, but the rising sun had put a stop to that. He hadnt been aware that the sky was so versatile. It was maddening, and many Trianglers had proven so drastically agoraphobic that they couldnt even come outside.
He understood enough of physics to know that their fears of falling off the world were foolish, but he had enough of those fears in his own head to sympathize with them. It was one thing to read about gravity and quite another to stand in an open field, look up, and see nothing but a black abyss extending to infinite depths.
That the Esperians apparently had the ability to generate gravity fields and anti-gravity fields was no consolation at all. They called it gravitics, but he called it stupid. Nobody was exactly beating down the door to ask his opinion on the matter, but he really thought that people shouldnt be messing around with gravity in the first place.
Science wasnt exactly his thing. Both it and math gave him headaches, whenever he thought about them too much. But the fundamental forces were not province of men, as far as he was concerned. And as long as one of them was kind enough to keep him stuck to the surface of Esper and another was content to keep his atoms from flying apart, he saw absolutely no reason to jab a stick into them and make them dance.
He just hoped he wouldnt have to be near any gravitics as part of his service in the Returners Expeditionary Force.
The abrupt sound of shearing metal brought him back to reality, and he snapped his eyes back open to see one of the massive davits cocked at a severely skewed angle. The operator of the machine had tumbled out of the cab, and was caught by his left foot on a torn piece of the door.
Aston broke into a dead run towards the ruined crane before he fully realized what was happening. The loading station nearest the davit erupted in screams moments after he started to run, and he saw that the base of the massive machine had been torn up and had taken out half of the temporary building with it. From the screams, he thought that there must have been people waiting inside when it happened.
Then he looked up, and saw that the davit had been in the process of lifting a coracle when it had broken. The tiny boat now hung at a precarious angle from only one of the three fingers of the great crane, and the people inside were the absolute personification of terror. One of them was screaming at the rest to remain still, but all the others were trying to scramble out of the little boat and onto the crane arm, as if any safety lay there.
A heart-wrenching scream, and somebody fell.
Aston stopped in the long sunrise shadow of the davit and turned away. He wasnt sure what hed been planning to do in the first place, but he certainly didnt want to watch one of his countrymen fall to his or her grisly death on the rocky ground of the Western Wall.
Then, for a moment, all of the screaming stopped. He could hear the rooks scolding eachother from their nests below the crest of the cliffs, and the soft rustling of the ocean below. He turned back, expecting the worst, and saw Drederick Desetter poised below the dangling coracle.
The man was like a coal-black mountain, with biceps the side of tree trunks and the rest of him built to scale. A massive, pearly white smile nearly split his face in half, and he set down the young woman he had caught away from her untimely death. She crawled slowly away, seemingly unaware of exactly what had happened or where she was, and Drederick turned his massive head skywards. He seemed to be judging whether or not he could catch the entire coracle, should it fall next.
Aston blinked, and then cupped his hands to his mouth. Get out of there, Dred! Itll crush you!
Drederick turned the upper half of his body towards Aston, as his thick neck didnt exactly facilitate the easy turning of his head, and smiled. I didnt see you there, friend, he said. Did you want to help me catch this?
A short sprint brought Aston near enough to his friend, but just outside the zone he judged to be in danger of being hit by the coracle. He blinked rapidly and tried to think of some way to get Dred out of the way, but he drew a blank.
If that falls on you, youll be dead, he said.
Drederick shrugged, and one of the men who had been trying to scramble up onto the crane itself fell into his arms. He set the man down as if nothing had happened and scratched the back of his bald, shiny head. It doesnt look that heavy, he said. Maybe I should just climb up there and get it.
If you try to climb that thing its going to fall into the ocean, Aston said.
Oh yeah, Drederick said. He nodded as if deep in thought. Maybe you should climb it?
Aston took in a deep breath, opened his mouth, and was interrupted.
Ive got a better idea, said Sted Reynan, who had come up from behind Aston, along with Bethamin Madera. They were both out of breath, and had obviously run from somewhere. Maybe nobody should climb it. How about that?
Sounds good to me, Aston said. He was relieved that Sted had shown up in time to help him keep Dred from doing something stupid, but he was also annoyed that he had shown up with Beth. They spent entirely too much time alone. Do you have any ideas?
Ceri and some others are trying to get people out of the rubble of the loading station before the davit can tear all the way out, he said. He spoke quickly, but was obviously getting his breath back anyway. I grabbed a length of steel cable from the rubble, though. I think we can use it to lasso the davit and drag it back upright long enough to get the operator and the coracle down.
Thatll work, Aston said. Of course, only one of us is strong enough to anchor it without some kind of LCV. He looked at Dred who frowned when he saw he was being looked at.
What if the coracle falls while Im doing it? he asked.
What if it falls anyway? Sted asked. Astons right. This is the only way we have a chance of saving everyone, and youre the only one capable of pulling the davit upright without a truck. Come to think of it, you are a truck. So get your ass in gear, man.
Drederick opened his mouth, started to protest that he wasnt a truck, and the last cords on the crane arm snapped with a deafening twang.
The coracle fell, and Aston leapt at Sted and Beth to knock them clear. He got Sted with one arm and Beth with the other, and all three rolled across the hard, rocky ground and away from the falling boat.
After a moment he sat up, rubbed the grit from his eyes and spat out some dirt that had gotten in his mouth. Sted and Beth picked themselves up too, and he slowly turned around. Some ten feet distant, in the shadow of the davit, Drederick stood with the coracle held over his head with both hands. The force of it had driven him to one knee, and there was a vein pulsating on his forehead that made it look like he was about to have an aneurysm.
But with what looked like no more effort than a child putting away one of his toys, Dred set the coracle down. Then he took the steel cable from Steds hands, threw it around the davit, held one end in each hand and slowly bulldogged the massive crane back into a more or less upright position. The movement took the pressure off of the loading station, and people started crawling out of the rubble.
Aston shielded his eyes against the rising sun and saw that the operator was still hanging by his foot. He wasnt moving though, so either he had one hell of a strong constitution, or hed passed out from too much blood flowing to his head.
Its all done but one, Sted said.
Aston nodded. Looks like, he said.
Sted slapped Desetter on the back, and the massive man grunted. How long can you hold it? he asked.
Desetter barely let the strain show on his face. As long as I need to, he said.
Good man, good man, Sted said. Then he turned to Aston. Ready for a little climb? he asked.
Always, Aston answered. I just have one question.
Shoot.
Aston smirked as they started to climb the torn scaffolding towards the heavens, towards the depths of the deep blue sky and the injured operator. He knew how nervous Beth would be with Sted and him free climbing like this, but he also knew how safe they really were. It was a simple climb, even with the inverted parts, and Desetter would hold strong.
Do they really expect us to ride a coracle down the Western Wall after this? he asked. Personally, I think Im going to walk to Maranda.
Sted laughed.
Part Two: Training Day
By: SilentJerry
Thread: Iron Writer
Posted: July 13, 2003
15th July 36 WR
Arrived at REF Boot Camp w/out incident. 1 week gone already. Have been v. tired, doing better than Aston. Beth/Ceri are doing well. Dred puts everyone to shame.
17th July 36 WR
Keaton Error is a homo. Ran twenty miles today in full kit. We are Bolt Company.
18th July 36 WR
Dred snores like a pile of septic aardvarks. Got assigned to squads, v. surprised got Beth, Aston, Ceri, Dred. No ranks yet, probably Aston will get Sergeant. Because Keaton Error is a homo.
20th July 36 WR
Eggs for breakfast. Get ranks today, then more training or go to OCS. Probably wont get OCS because Keaton Error is a homo.
21st July 36 WR
Special field training today soon, v. unimpressed so far. Will see how difficult field training is. Got sergeant, v. surprised. Must have been choice of Artic Kohl. He is Errors friend, but not a homo.
Sergeant Sted Reynan looked at the fake battlefield through the real field glasses, and he laughed. His short blond hair rustled in the cool wind that blew in from the not too distant ocean, and he smoothed it back with one hand. His cammos were drawn up tight to his neck, and he could barely feel the unseasonable cold.
The mission was idiotically simple, much like the other exercises theyd been through in boot camp and the subsequent training. It was a lot like the capture the flag games hed played with his friends as a child. They were doing the exercise with one other squad, which was protecting a valise that Steds squad was supposed to get. The premise was that the valise contained enemy target acquisition data that they needed to paint a target for an air strike.
This was idiotic, in Steds expert opinion. It was also incredibly bizarre, since every other squad was practicing as part of the company. They were mostly skirmishing as platoons, which was how they would be deployed in the upcoming fighting as far as Sted knew. However, platinum squad and Steds own ochre squad were apart from the main company and doing these idiotic games.
He sighed and noted a few more terrain features on the map he had drawn of the field. He had a pretty good idea of where the enemy base probably was, and hed come up with something of an idea about the way their forces were probably deployed. Artic had told him that sometimes instincts were a commanders best ally on the battlefield, and that made sense.
He picked up a scrambled two-way radio to call his advanced scouts back in, but Beths voice crackled out of the little speaker before he could key the transmitter. She sounded a little confused and somewhat worried.
Um, Sergeant. We saw Desetter down here a few minutes ago. Ceri and I thought you should know.
Sted frowned. Desetter was supposed to be watching their flank. Are you sure? he asked.
Fairly, Beth replied. Unless theres a bear dressed up in REF browns running around down here. She paused for a moment, and Sted could hear her and Ceri whispering since she forgot to let go of the key. There arent bears dressed up in REF browns running around down here, are there? she asked, more worry than confusion in her tone.
No, Sted said. No there arent.
Really? Thats too bad. I was hoping to see some.
Sted stiffened and slowly turned around. Desetter was standing behind him, his cammos rumpled and torn, and a big smile on his face. There was a cut running down the left side of his skull with blood dried and caked on, but it looked like it had probably come from a sticker bush or something. It didnt have the look of a blade about it.
You were supposed to be guarding our flank, Private.
Desetter shrugged. Were you looking for this? He held up a silver toned valise and smiled even wider.
Sted almost fell over. His eyes bugged halfway out of his head, and the breath caught in his throat. Dred.
Yessah?
Platinum squad has guns.
So?
Sted took a deep breath and put his hands on his head to keep himself from using them to punch Desetter. Mostly this was because he knew that punching the man would probably result in breaking both of his hands. This operation is being monitored by computer, he explained calmly. If one of us get shot, the computer records the injury.
So?
So, shot people die, Dred, he said. And dead people dont carry valises back to base camp!
Desetter shrugged again, and held out the valise. I do, he said. Im sure it might hurt if they put enough bullets in me, but I look at it like this: unless Im dead, Im going to do my mission. Thats why Im here. And have you seen how tiny their bullets are? He threw back his head and laughed. Like bitemes!
Sted thought about this for a moment, and then took the valise from Desetter. Hed seen the man do everything from tangle with a juvenile zone eater to catch a falling coracle in his bare hands and set it down unharmed. Maybe if he claimed to be able to take a back full of bullets and keep his ability to walk he wasnt exaggerating.
And at any rate, that was for the computers to decide.
Corporal Maric, Privates Madeira and Setane, he said into the radio that was still in his hand. We have the targeting data. Proceed to the rendezvous.
The radio buzzed with static for a minute, like there was a tiny bee stuck inside. Then Aston came back.
You want to move out on platinum? he asked.
No, I want you to assemble at the rendezvous, Sted said. Private Desetter already acquired the objective. Are you deaf?
Not deaf, Aston said. What, did Dred decide hes bulletproof too?
Something like that.
So, rendezvous?
Thats what Ive been saying. Be ready to paint the target. Well be there in five.
Sted clipped the radio back to his belt and nodded to Desetter. With the nonverbal cue, they moved out. The rendezvous wasnt too far away, since the field itself wasnt that incredibly large. The whole place they were allowed to go wasnt more than a few hectares, and was mostly empty plains, with a few lonely copses of trees. Several of those copses represented important enemy installations, and the data in the valise would tell him which ones.
To the north the field sloped upwards, and it had been on a little hill that Sted had chosen to recon the situation. Down that rise and up another one, among some large boulders, he found Aston wedged into a crack with a sniper rifle pressed against his shoulder and the sight humming with power. The rifle contained no ammo, but only an infrared targeting laser that would paint the targets contained in the valise.
Aston smiled when he saw them coming, and briefly put the target in the center of Steds forehead. Sted frowned and swatted at it, and he moved it away.
Are we ready to light this fucker up? the Corporal asked. His usually well-groomed reddish brown hair was in total disarray, and the yellow goggles he wore didnt hide the mischief in his eyes.
Sted nodded. All accounted for? he asked.
Present and accounted, Beth said. She and Ceri came up from behind the rocks, short and tall, pale and tanned. The two were best friends and exact opposites. Sted smiled when he saw her, and resisted the urge to put his arm around her shoulders. He was her commanding officer, and he had to act the part.
Paint when ready, Sted said.
Aston snapped a sloppy salute from his place wedged between the rocks, and he studied the data from the valise briefly. He nodded and trained the laser sight on a copse of Beachwood trees some five hundred meters distant. He pulled the transmit data trigger, and the trees exploded in a fiery conflagration.
Holy fuck, Sted said.
Live fire! Aston whooped. We have live fire!
No shit, we have live fire! Sted yelled. Why the fuck didnt anyone tell me this was a live fire exercise? He pulled out his radio and turned off the device that scrambled it so that only his squad could pick it up. Platinum squad! He yelled. Platinum squad report! Get the fuck out of the trees, if youre in them!
Fire in the hole! Aston yelled. He squeezed the trigger again, and another copse of trees vanished in a ball of fire and soot that quickly ascended into nothingness high above.
Stop firing until I figure out what the hell is going on, soldier! Sted ordered. Then he keyed the radio again. Somebody tell me what the hell is going on!
Keaton Errors slow, metered tone came out of the little box.
Get off this channel, Sergeant, he said. Maintain radio silence and finish out the exercise.
But!
I said maintain radio silence, Captain Error said, his words short and clipped, and then he clicked off.
You heard the man, Aston said. Bombs away!
The last target vanished in a rain of fire, and Aston stood up, dropped his sniper rifle, and stretched his arms out over his head. There were a few audible cracks, and he smiled.
I wouldnt mind doing that again, he said.
There wont be a next time unless you learn to listen to my orders, Sted said.
Aston shrugged. Its just training, he said. And I was just doing what the mission said.
Sted opened his mouth to start yelling, but an LCV interrupted him by speeding up the rise. It made a sharp, banking turn, and barely missed hitting the rocks. After it had come to a complete rest, the hatch opened and three men climbed out.
The first was a thin, pale man with an unruly mop of brown hair and morose blue eyes. He wasnt any taller than Aston, and was dwarfed by the tall red haired man who followed him. The third man, who exited the LCV after Captain Keaton Error and Lieutenant Artic Kohl, wasnt any taller than Keaton. He was stocky though, and had an honest, careworn face.
General, Sted said, snapping to attention. He gave a smart salute, and then turned to the first two. Captain, Lieutenant.
At ease, Sergeant, Captain Error said. Sted answered by placing his feet a little further apart, but he didnt relax his posture any. He clasped his hands behind his back and studied Error.
Youve all done damn bully well, General Halberg said. He smiled as he spoke, and came to stand alongside Captain Error and Lieutenant Kohl. But I suppose youre probably wondering why the General of the whole damn REF is bothering with a green squad, am I right?
The thought had crossed my mind, sir, Sted said.
I bet it has something to do with why were doing these weird solo squad training missions, Aston said. After somewhat too long of a pause, he thought to throw in a brief, sloppy salute. Sir.
Error nodded. Youve been training separate for a reason, he said. The same reason you ran this exercise with live ammo. Were sending you on a special mission.
Sted arched an eyebrow.
Rather, the General is sending you on a mission, Error amended. This is his brainchild. I only agreed that a squad from Bolt Company would be the best choice for it.
Sted nodded. And this mission is
The damn communists are too deep in our territory for my taste, Halberg said. They caught us by surprise at Hosluftgrad, and I intend to return the favor. You five will be inserted into Baron via a gate outside Narshe. From there you will move under the guise of traveling merchants from Triangle, through Damcyan and into Scande itself. Its about bully time we took this fight to their backyard.
I understand, sir, Sted said. But, sir, how much damage can a five man squad do? Well be cut off from all Fascist Pact support, sir.
General Halberg nodded. You will be the advance guard, Sergeant, he said. All we need is a mole to make a chink in their armor, and not only will we throw them off balance enough to retake Hosluftgrad, but well be able to pour enough forces down their throat to march on Spring.
That would be a sight to see, sir, Sted said. If I might ask, sir, when do we ship out?
Captain Error pulled out a manila envelope, which he handed to Sted. You sail for Narshe with the dawn, he said. All mission details are in that briefing. Sergeant, your training is officially over.
Sted snapped a salute and barked, Sir, yes, sir! It will be an honor to serve, for the glory of the pact, for the glory of the Triangle!
Aston poked him in the back and whispered, so that the three superior officers couldnt hope to hear. Laying it on a little thick? he asked. They arent filming a propaganda recruiting flick, yknow.
Arrived at REF Boot Camp w/out incident. 1 week gone already. Have been v. tired, doing better than Aston. Beth/Ceri are doing well. Dred puts everyone to shame.
17th July 36 WR
Keaton Error is a homo. Ran twenty miles today in full kit. We are Bolt Company.
18th July 36 WR
Dred snores like a pile of septic aardvarks. Got assigned to squads, v. surprised got Beth, Aston, Ceri, Dred. No ranks yet, probably Aston will get Sergeant. Because Keaton Error is a homo.
20th July 36 WR
Eggs for breakfast. Get ranks today, then more training or go to OCS. Probably wont get OCS because Keaton Error is a homo.
21st July 36 WR
Special field training today soon, v. unimpressed so far. Will see how difficult field training is. Got sergeant, v. surprised. Must have been choice of Artic Kohl. He is Errors friend, but not a homo.
Sergeant Sted Reynan looked at the fake battlefield through the real field glasses, and he laughed. His short blond hair rustled in the cool wind that blew in from the not too distant ocean, and he smoothed it back with one hand. His cammos were drawn up tight to his neck, and he could barely feel the unseasonable cold.
The mission was idiotically simple, much like the other exercises theyd been through in boot camp and the subsequent training. It was a lot like the capture the flag games hed played with his friends as a child. They were doing the exercise with one other squad, which was protecting a valise that Steds squad was supposed to get. The premise was that the valise contained enemy target acquisition data that they needed to paint a target for an air strike.
This was idiotic, in Steds expert opinion. It was also incredibly bizarre, since every other squad was practicing as part of the company. They were mostly skirmishing as platoons, which was how they would be deployed in the upcoming fighting as far as Sted knew. However, platinum squad and Steds own ochre squad were apart from the main company and doing these idiotic games.
He sighed and noted a few more terrain features on the map he had drawn of the field. He had a pretty good idea of where the enemy base probably was, and hed come up with something of an idea about the way their forces were probably deployed. Artic had told him that sometimes instincts were a commanders best ally on the battlefield, and that made sense.
He picked up a scrambled two-way radio to call his advanced scouts back in, but Beths voice crackled out of the little speaker before he could key the transmitter. She sounded a little confused and somewhat worried.
Um, Sergeant. We saw Desetter down here a few minutes ago. Ceri and I thought you should know.
Sted frowned. Desetter was supposed to be watching their flank. Are you sure? he asked.
Fairly, Beth replied. Unless theres a bear dressed up in REF browns running around down here. She paused for a moment, and Sted could hear her and Ceri whispering since she forgot to let go of the key. There arent bears dressed up in REF browns running around down here, are there? she asked, more worry than confusion in her tone.
No, Sted said. No there arent.
Really? Thats too bad. I was hoping to see some.
Sted stiffened and slowly turned around. Desetter was standing behind him, his cammos rumpled and torn, and a big smile on his face. There was a cut running down the left side of his skull with blood dried and caked on, but it looked like it had probably come from a sticker bush or something. It didnt have the look of a blade about it.
You were supposed to be guarding our flank, Private.
Desetter shrugged. Were you looking for this? He held up a silver toned valise and smiled even wider.
Sted almost fell over. His eyes bugged halfway out of his head, and the breath caught in his throat. Dred.
Yessah?
Platinum squad has guns.
So?
Sted took a deep breath and put his hands on his head to keep himself from using them to punch Desetter. Mostly this was because he knew that punching the man would probably result in breaking both of his hands. This operation is being monitored by computer, he explained calmly. If one of us get shot, the computer records the injury.
So?
So, shot people die, Dred, he said. And dead people dont carry valises back to base camp!
Desetter shrugged again, and held out the valise. I do, he said. Im sure it might hurt if they put enough bullets in me, but I look at it like this: unless Im dead, Im going to do my mission. Thats why Im here. And have you seen how tiny their bullets are? He threw back his head and laughed. Like bitemes!
Sted thought about this for a moment, and then took the valise from Desetter. Hed seen the man do everything from tangle with a juvenile zone eater to catch a falling coracle in his bare hands and set it down unharmed. Maybe if he claimed to be able to take a back full of bullets and keep his ability to walk he wasnt exaggerating.
And at any rate, that was for the computers to decide.
Corporal Maric, Privates Madeira and Setane, he said into the radio that was still in his hand. We have the targeting data. Proceed to the rendezvous.
The radio buzzed with static for a minute, like there was a tiny bee stuck inside. Then Aston came back.
You want to move out on platinum? he asked.
No, I want you to assemble at the rendezvous, Sted said. Private Desetter already acquired the objective. Are you deaf?
Not deaf, Aston said. What, did Dred decide hes bulletproof too?
Something like that.
So, rendezvous?
Thats what Ive been saying. Be ready to paint the target. Well be there in five.
Sted clipped the radio back to his belt and nodded to Desetter. With the nonverbal cue, they moved out. The rendezvous wasnt too far away, since the field itself wasnt that incredibly large. The whole place they were allowed to go wasnt more than a few hectares, and was mostly empty plains, with a few lonely copses of trees. Several of those copses represented important enemy installations, and the data in the valise would tell him which ones.
To the north the field sloped upwards, and it had been on a little hill that Sted had chosen to recon the situation. Down that rise and up another one, among some large boulders, he found Aston wedged into a crack with a sniper rifle pressed against his shoulder and the sight humming with power. The rifle contained no ammo, but only an infrared targeting laser that would paint the targets contained in the valise.
Aston smiled when he saw them coming, and briefly put the target in the center of Steds forehead. Sted frowned and swatted at it, and he moved it away.
Are we ready to light this fucker up? the Corporal asked. His usually well-groomed reddish brown hair was in total disarray, and the yellow goggles he wore didnt hide the mischief in his eyes.
Sted nodded. All accounted for? he asked.
Present and accounted, Beth said. She and Ceri came up from behind the rocks, short and tall, pale and tanned. The two were best friends and exact opposites. Sted smiled when he saw her, and resisted the urge to put his arm around her shoulders. He was her commanding officer, and he had to act the part.
Paint when ready, Sted said.
Aston snapped a sloppy salute from his place wedged between the rocks, and he studied the data from the valise briefly. He nodded and trained the laser sight on a copse of Beachwood trees some five hundred meters distant. He pulled the transmit data trigger, and the trees exploded in a fiery conflagration.
Holy fuck, Sted said.
Live fire! Aston whooped. We have live fire!
No shit, we have live fire! Sted yelled. Why the fuck didnt anyone tell me this was a live fire exercise? He pulled out his radio and turned off the device that scrambled it so that only his squad could pick it up. Platinum squad! He yelled. Platinum squad report! Get the fuck out of the trees, if youre in them!
Fire in the hole! Aston yelled. He squeezed the trigger again, and another copse of trees vanished in a ball of fire and soot that quickly ascended into nothingness high above.
Stop firing until I figure out what the hell is going on, soldier! Sted ordered. Then he keyed the radio again. Somebody tell me what the hell is going on!
Keaton Errors slow, metered tone came out of the little box.
Get off this channel, Sergeant, he said. Maintain radio silence and finish out the exercise.
But!
I said maintain radio silence, Captain Error said, his words short and clipped, and then he clicked off.
You heard the man, Aston said. Bombs away!
The last target vanished in a rain of fire, and Aston stood up, dropped his sniper rifle, and stretched his arms out over his head. There were a few audible cracks, and he smiled.
I wouldnt mind doing that again, he said.
There wont be a next time unless you learn to listen to my orders, Sted said.
Aston shrugged. Its just training, he said. And I was just doing what the mission said.
Sted opened his mouth to start yelling, but an LCV interrupted him by speeding up the rise. It made a sharp, banking turn, and barely missed hitting the rocks. After it had come to a complete rest, the hatch opened and three men climbed out.
The first was a thin, pale man with an unruly mop of brown hair and morose blue eyes. He wasnt any taller than Aston, and was dwarfed by the tall red haired man who followed him. The third man, who exited the LCV after Captain Keaton Error and Lieutenant Artic Kohl, wasnt any taller than Keaton. He was stocky though, and had an honest, careworn face.
General, Sted said, snapping to attention. He gave a smart salute, and then turned to the first two. Captain, Lieutenant.
At ease, Sergeant, Captain Error said. Sted answered by placing his feet a little further apart, but he didnt relax his posture any. He clasped his hands behind his back and studied Error.
Youve all done damn bully well, General Halberg said. He smiled as he spoke, and came to stand alongside Captain Error and Lieutenant Kohl. But I suppose youre probably wondering why the General of the whole damn REF is bothering with a green squad, am I right?
The thought had crossed my mind, sir, Sted said.
I bet it has something to do with why were doing these weird solo squad training missions, Aston said. After somewhat too long of a pause, he thought to throw in a brief, sloppy salute. Sir.
Error nodded. Youve been training separate for a reason, he said. The same reason you ran this exercise with live ammo. Were sending you on a special mission.
Sted arched an eyebrow.
Rather, the General is sending you on a mission, Error amended. This is his brainchild. I only agreed that a squad from Bolt Company would be the best choice for it.
Sted nodded. And this mission is
The damn communists are too deep in our territory for my taste, Halberg said. They caught us by surprise at Hosluftgrad, and I intend to return the favor. You five will be inserted into Baron via a gate outside Narshe. From there you will move under the guise of traveling merchants from Triangle, through Damcyan and into Scande itself. Its about bully time we took this fight to their backyard.
I understand, sir, Sted said. But, sir, how much damage can a five man squad do? Well be cut off from all Fascist Pact support, sir.
General Halberg nodded. You will be the advance guard, Sergeant, he said. All we need is a mole to make a chink in their armor, and not only will we throw them off balance enough to retake Hosluftgrad, but well be able to pour enough forces down their throat to march on Spring.
That would be a sight to see, sir, Sted said. If I might ask, sir, when do we ship out?
Captain Error pulled out a manila envelope, which he handed to Sted. You sail for Narshe with the dawn, he said. All mission details are in that briefing. Sergeant, your training is officially over.
Sted snapped a salute and barked, Sir, yes, sir! It will be an honor to serve, for the glory of the pact, for the glory of the Triangle!
Aston poked him in the back and whispered, so that the three superior officers couldnt hope to hear. Laying it on a little thick? he asked. They arent filming a propaganda recruiting flick, yknow.
Part Three: For the Glory of the Pact
By: SilentJerry
Thread: Iron Writer
Posted: July 13, 2003
4th August 36 WR
Narshe is not a very nice place. Some people seem to think its a different country from the rest of the Esper Union, but its pretty obviously not. All of the infrastructure is integrated with the other cities and towns around here, and theres basically no difference from it and the surrounding countryside. Its also very cold, and we didnt get sent with any cold weather gear. I guess we wont need any where were going, but I hate to think about what I could do for a nice fleece parka right now!
The trip here was horrible. We came all the way on one of those tiny, smelly coracles, because were supposed to be moving in secret now. We still have our weapons and gear, but if anyone asks were just traveling merchants from Triangle out to ply our wares in the wide web.
I think its a pretty stupid plan, but what do I know anyway?
6th August 36 WR
I wish we would just leave this place already. Sted is making a big show of selling stuff, though. Hes spent a lot of time trying to get some of the shops in town to take stuff in on consignment, and they all laugh at him. I swear, sometimes I think his head is stuffed full of wool instead of brains!
Unfortunately, nobody agrees with me. Since there is a war on and everything is pretty unsafe, nobodys going through gates alone. So I guess to keep up appearances we have to wait until there are a couple more people going to Crystal before we can leave. But that doesnt mean I have to like it.
My bed at the inn is incredibly uncomfortable, and I went around all day with this horrible itch until I figured that some straw from it had gotten stuck in my bra! I really hate it here.
7th August 36 WR
Ceridwen and I went up to the mountains today while the men were playing at being merchants. It was a good climb, and the view was awesome. Also, it was nice to get away from things for a little while. The only reason I joined this stupid army in the first place is because Sted joined, and sometimes I wish I had just stayed home.
I mean, I dont even like fascists! I think theyre mean. And Im supposed to go around saying stuff like for the glory of the pact? Forget that, my friend! As soon as this war is over, Im going back to Triangle and never leaving again. Maybe Sted will ask me to marry him, and we can build his Holding together.
Its kind of exciting that hes the head of his own clan, even if it is so small that nobody knows about it. I wonder what it will be like to be married to the head of a clan?
8th August 36 WR
Drederick got in a fight today. Hes such a sweetheart; I dont know what the other guy could have done to provoke him. I do know I feel sorry for the poor fool, though. And I feel a little sorry for Drederick, too, after Sted got done with him.
Im afraid if we dont get out of here pretty soon they might come and try to arrest Dred. And we obviously cant let that happen!
10th August 36 WR
Baron is a lot warmer than Narshe, and it feels a little weird to be this far from home. I mean, Narshe was far enough and technically were only a couple hours hard ride from there. But this is a different world. Last night I looked up at the stars, and it struck me that one of them was the sun Esper orbits.
It made me incredibly dizzy.
I was talking to Aston about this a while ago, and I think hes pretty much right. If you look at the sky too long, it really does feel like youre looking down into an endless pit. And to know that the world I spent my whole life inside is up there just makes it worse.
15th August 36 WR
Were in a little outpost village called Burning Green on the edge of the Damcyanese desert, and its too hot to be alive. I feel like I could melt into a puddle of goo any moment. They say we wont have to wait much longer for a caravan to Kaipo, since there are already enough merchants who want to make the trip. All we have to wait for is some caravan guards to get back.
I got a bad sunburn the other day when Sted and I went for a walk outside town, and this sand gets into everything. I swear, its worse than the hay.
Im starting to miss Narshe.
Bethamin Madeira sat alone at a table in the Desert Nomad with her best friend Ceridwen Setane. It was the only inn in the entire township of Burning Green, and Beth was beginning to think of the antitrust implications. She was pretty sure that with a little competition the place would be forced to have their beds be more comfortable than sleeping on, say, rocks. And the food was the worst shed tasted yet since leaving Triangle.
She nursed a mug of something that the Damcyanese called iced coffee, but she thought should have been called liquid horse shit with chunks instead. She hoped that the chunks were ice, but there really was no telling. And nobody else complained, so she sipped it quietly and tried to ignore the taste and not to screw up her face too much.
Several tables away, the men sat talking with someone who was either the biggest break theyd gotten since starting their clandestine little mission, or else the biggest threat to it. She wasnt entirely certain which, and that was what the men were trying to feel out.
She snuck a short glance at them over her hands as she brought her coffee up for another sip, and Ceri laughed.
What?
The other woman shrugged, and took a sip of her coffee. Could you be any more obvious? I mean, is it even possible? she asked. Be honest, now.
Obvious?
Yeah. Youve been basically staring at Sted all morning. What, are you afraid hes going to run off with Bristol and leave you holding the bag? I dont think you have anything to worry about, Beth. Youre much prettier. She snickered into the back of her hand.
Bitch, Beth said under her breath.
One of Ceris thin, red eyebrows arched, but she showed no other sign of hearing Beth.
It makes me nervous, she said. Meeting someone else from Triangle wasnt part of the plan. This could throw everything off. And I dont think I have to remind you that pretty soon were going to be pretty far behind enemy lines.
I wouldnt worry too much, Ceri said. Hes from Boggle, right? None of us have ever even been there.
Yeah, I guess.
Beth snuck another glance, and saw that the man from Boggle had gotten up. He bowed to Sted and Aston, and then took his leave. Aston leaned across the table, and the two men whispered something back and forth.
Bristol has ties with Darksmouth, though, Beth said. And so does Setane.
A lot of clans have ties with Darksmouth, Ceri replied shortly. Her breakfast arrived, and she started to tear into it. The servant girl returned moments later with Beths, but somehow her appetite just wasnt there. She stared at the stack of bacon and eggs, and it didnt do anything but turn her stomach. Most of them dont know eachother at all, except that they might have some distant relations. I think a second cousin of mine is married to a Darksmouth girl, and her Aunt married into Bristol. Its not exactly blood ties, Beth.
Sted put his hands on their table and leaned in close. Beth hadnt even noticed his approach, and she inclined her head slightly to look at him. In the bright morning desert sun, his strong jaw and prominent profile was lit by a halo of harsh light. His dirty blonde hair was a mess that he obviously hadnt even tried to untangle after a night of fitful sleep, and his usual smile was conspicuously gone from his face.
Were going for a walk, he said so that only Beth and Ceri would hear. Itd be a good idea if you joined us.
Without looking at them, the Sergeant drew himself up to his full height of over six feet and left the common room of the inn. Aston followed on his heels without a word to them, and Beth set her iced coffee down.
Well, Im full, she said, pushing away her untouched breakfast.
Its a wonder you can maintain your girlish figure, Ceri said. You know, with all the porking out.
Beth smiled blandly. I try, she said. Then she stood up, straightened her cream-colored blouse and khaki shorts and made for the open door. Ceri followed shortly, and then waited as Beth paused in the bright doorway to fix a thin brimmed hat on her head. She tucked her long, chestnut hair up underneath it and left the inn.
Neither Sted nor Aston was in view, but she had a pretty good idea of where they would go. On the edge of town they had found a place to sell their horses and store their wagon until the caravan was ready. It was private enough, and theyd had a few clandestine meetings there. So that was where Beth headed when she left the inn.
Ceri followed closely behind, and once they were out of the crowded central district and into an area where the sidewalks werent so narrow they walked side by side. Beth snuck a jealous glance at Ceris richly tanned skin, which the other girl naturally caught.
What?
Oh, I was just thinking how lucky you are, Beth said. It seems like you had a nice tan the moment we made the surface and saw the sun. I stayed pale as I ever was in the belly of the zone though, all through boot camp and everything. And then when we got to this goddess-forsaken place
Ceridwen laughed. Sted seems to like your paleness well enough, she said. What did I hear him comparing your skin to? The moonlight on a forest pool, or was it fresh cream?
Yeah, only now I look like someones idea of a bad practical joke, Beth complained. She held up her left arm, and winced as the full sunlight hit it. Im like a lobster. They fell into silence for a minute. Ceri?
Yeah?
Why did you join the REF? I mean, its probably obvious why I did. And I know why Sted did, and Im pretty sure I know why Dred is here. But why did you join?
Ceri shrugged. I come from a big family, and an even bigger extended family, she said. I guess its pretty easy to get lost in the shuffle, when youve got fifteen brothers and sisters, and cousins in the triple digits. I think I probably wanted to have something that was just mine, something that only I have done. Why?
Ive just been thinking a lot about it, Beth said. I mean, here we are on a totally different planet from our own, and were getting ready to fight someone elses enemy in somebody elses war. I dont even know if I want to be part of any fascist pact in the first place. What makes fascists any better than communists, anyway?
You got me, Ceri said. The EU is Triangles ally, though. And they were attacked. Id like to think that if Triangle was in trouble, the EU would send people like us to help. I dont think it matters whether the EU is fascist or communist, when it comes right down to it. What really matters is that theyre pledged to aid Triangle, and its our duty to come through and help them any way we can too.
Beth nodded. She wasnt sure if she really believed any of that, but she felt a little bit better about what they were doing than she had a few minutes ago. And anyway, politics didnt really interest her.
They found Sted and Aston crouched among their wagons with nobody else in the whole place. Desetter was nowhere to be seen either, and Sted and Aston were speaking in hushed tones.
All Im saying is its a good thing this Haddon Bristol guy is from Boggle, Aston said. Otherwise, he might have recognized us. Im still not entirely convinced that he hasnt.
Sted smiled and rolled his eyes. Recognized you? he asked. Oh, Im sorry. I think you must have yourself confused with someone who isnt a fucking nobody groundling. He started to laugh, probably a little too loudly, and clutched at his stomach. It looked like he was on the verge of tipping over, and he put a hand to the ground to steady himself. Wow, Ast. You sure know how to keep a guy entertained.
Aston narrowed his eyes, and his already agitated expression became darker. He ran a hand through his dark brownish red hair, and blinked. This isnt a joke, Sted, he said. Were going to be going into enemy territory with this guy, and I think we should know what his deal is before we do.
His deal is that hes a itinerant silk merchant, Sted said. Hes a fucking traveling salesman, Aston. What more do you want? His story checks out better than ours does, and hes not acting all suspicious about us. If you ask me, hes a pretty good guy.
He isnt leading a pivotal mission into communist territory, Aston said.
Sted smirked. Neither are you, he said. And yeah, that was kind of my point anyway. He isnt. Hes just a guy trying to make a fucking living and send some money back to his family in Boggle.
Beth cleared her throat, and Sted stood up.
Ladies, he said.
Hey, Aston said. Sleep good?
As good as can be expected, Beth said. I think its pretty obvious that they have a fairly liberal view of what constitutes a bed in Damcyan.
Well, enjoy it while you can, Sted said. Once were in caravan, well be sleeping rough.
And were not already? Beth asked.
Aston stood up and put his arms over his head in a stretch that resulted in several staccato cracking pops. This is kingfishers halcyon dawn compared to whats coming, he said. No joking.
Wheres Dred? Ceri asked. I havent seen him this morning.
Sted shook his head. Hes out in the desert, he said. He said something about prickly pears this morning. I think he likes to eat them spines and all, fresh off the cactus.
I think he likes to eat the cactus, Aston said. An excellent source of vitamins and water. If youre a fucking desert tortoise.
Whos a desert tortoise?
Aston stiffened, and Beth muffled a laugh with her hands. Desetter had come up between the wagons without anyone hearing, and he had an armful of bright red and yellow prickly pears. He took a bite out of one, and spit out some spines.
You, I think, Ceri said. Did you have a nice walk?
Drederick nodded, and held out a prickly pear to her. She started to shake her head, but then took it and eyed it askance, as if trying to figure out how to eat it without impaling her tongue.
I saw something out there, he said.
Oh? Sted said. What was that?
Caravan, Dred said, chewing his cacti fruit. And they got some camels, too.
Narshe is not a very nice place. Some people seem to think its a different country from the rest of the Esper Union, but its pretty obviously not. All of the infrastructure is integrated with the other cities and towns around here, and theres basically no difference from it and the surrounding countryside. Its also very cold, and we didnt get sent with any cold weather gear. I guess we wont need any where were going, but I hate to think about what I could do for a nice fleece parka right now!
The trip here was horrible. We came all the way on one of those tiny, smelly coracles, because were supposed to be moving in secret now. We still have our weapons and gear, but if anyone asks were just traveling merchants from Triangle out to ply our wares in the wide web.
I think its a pretty stupid plan, but what do I know anyway?
6th August 36 WR
I wish we would just leave this place already. Sted is making a big show of selling stuff, though. Hes spent a lot of time trying to get some of the shops in town to take stuff in on consignment, and they all laugh at him. I swear, sometimes I think his head is stuffed full of wool instead of brains!
Unfortunately, nobody agrees with me. Since there is a war on and everything is pretty unsafe, nobodys going through gates alone. So I guess to keep up appearances we have to wait until there are a couple more people going to Crystal before we can leave. But that doesnt mean I have to like it.
My bed at the inn is incredibly uncomfortable, and I went around all day with this horrible itch until I figured that some straw from it had gotten stuck in my bra! I really hate it here.
7th August 36 WR
Ceridwen and I went up to the mountains today while the men were playing at being merchants. It was a good climb, and the view was awesome. Also, it was nice to get away from things for a little while. The only reason I joined this stupid army in the first place is because Sted joined, and sometimes I wish I had just stayed home.
I mean, I dont even like fascists! I think theyre mean. And Im supposed to go around saying stuff like for the glory of the pact? Forget that, my friend! As soon as this war is over, Im going back to Triangle and never leaving again. Maybe Sted will ask me to marry him, and we can build his Holding together.
Its kind of exciting that hes the head of his own clan, even if it is so small that nobody knows about it. I wonder what it will be like to be married to the head of a clan?
8th August 36 WR
Drederick got in a fight today. Hes such a sweetheart; I dont know what the other guy could have done to provoke him. I do know I feel sorry for the poor fool, though. And I feel a little sorry for Drederick, too, after Sted got done with him.
Im afraid if we dont get out of here pretty soon they might come and try to arrest Dred. And we obviously cant let that happen!
10th August 36 WR
Baron is a lot warmer than Narshe, and it feels a little weird to be this far from home. I mean, Narshe was far enough and technically were only a couple hours hard ride from there. But this is a different world. Last night I looked up at the stars, and it struck me that one of them was the sun Esper orbits.
It made me incredibly dizzy.
I was talking to Aston about this a while ago, and I think hes pretty much right. If you look at the sky too long, it really does feel like youre looking down into an endless pit. And to know that the world I spent my whole life inside is up there just makes it worse.
15th August 36 WR
Were in a little outpost village called Burning Green on the edge of the Damcyanese desert, and its too hot to be alive. I feel like I could melt into a puddle of goo any moment. They say we wont have to wait much longer for a caravan to Kaipo, since there are already enough merchants who want to make the trip. All we have to wait for is some caravan guards to get back.
I got a bad sunburn the other day when Sted and I went for a walk outside town, and this sand gets into everything. I swear, its worse than the hay.
Im starting to miss Narshe.
Bethamin Madeira sat alone at a table in the Desert Nomad with her best friend Ceridwen Setane. It was the only inn in the entire township of Burning Green, and Beth was beginning to think of the antitrust implications. She was pretty sure that with a little competition the place would be forced to have their beds be more comfortable than sleeping on, say, rocks. And the food was the worst shed tasted yet since leaving Triangle.
She nursed a mug of something that the Damcyanese called iced coffee, but she thought should have been called liquid horse shit with chunks instead. She hoped that the chunks were ice, but there really was no telling. And nobody else complained, so she sipped it quietly and tried to ignore the taste and not to screw up her face too much.
Several tables away, the men sat talking with someone who was either the biggest break theyd gotten since starting their clandestine little mission, or else the biggest threat to it. She wasnt entirely certain which, and that was what the men were trying to feel out.
She snuck a short glance at them over her hands as she brought her coffee up for another sip, and Ceri laughed.
What?
The other woman shrugged, and took a sip of her coffee. Could you be any more obvious? I mean, is it even possible? she asked. Be honest, now.
Obvious?
Yeah. Youve been basically staring at Sted all morning. What, are you afraid hes going to run off with Bristol and leave you holding the bag? I dont think you have anything to worry about, Beth. Youre much prettier. She snickered into the back of her hand.
Bitch, Beth said under her breath.
One of Ceris thin, red eyebrows arched, but she showed no other sign of hearing Beth.
It makes me nervous, she said. Meeting someone else from Triangle wasnt part of the plan. This could throw everything off. And I dont think I have to remind you that pretty soon were going to be pretty far behind enemy lines.
I wouldnt worry too much, Ceri said. Hes from Boggle, right? None of us have ever even been there.
Yeah, I guess.
Beth snuck another glance, and saw that the man from Boggle had gotten up. He bowed to Sted and Aston, and then took his leave. Aston leaned across the table, and the two men whispered something back and forth.
Bristol has ties with Darksmouth, though, Beth said. And so does Setane.
A lot of clans have ties with Darksmouth, Ceri replied shortly. Her breakfast arrived, and she started to tear into it. The servant girl returned moments later with Beths, but somehow her appetite just wasnt there. She stared at the stack of bacon and eggs, and it didnt do anything but turn her stomach. Most of them dont know eachother at all, except that they might have some distant relations. I think a second cousin of mine is married to a Darksmouth girl, and her Aunt married into Bristol. Its not exactly blood ties, Beth.
Sted put his hands on their table and leaned in close. Beth hadnt even noticed his approach, and she inclined her head slightly to look at him. In the bright morning desert sun, his strong jaw and prominent profile was lit by a halo of harsh light. His dirty blonde hair was a mess that he obviously hadnt even tried to untangle after a night of fitful sleep, and his usual smile was conspicuously gone from his face.
Were going for a walk, he said so that only Beth and Ceri would hear. Itd be a good idea if you joined us.
Without looking at them, the Sergeant drew himself up to his full height of over six feet and left the common room of the inn. Aston followed on his heels without a word to them, and Beth set her iced coffee down.
Well, Im full, she said, pushing away her untouched breakfast.
Its a wonder you can maintain your girlish figure, Ceri said. You know, with all the porking out.
Beth smiled blandly. I try, she said. Then she stood up, straightened her cream-colored blouse and khaki shorts and made for the open door. Ceri followed shortly, and then waited as Beth paused in the bright doorway to fix a thin brimmed hat on her head. She tucked her long, chestnut hair up underneath it and left the inn.
Neither Sted nor Aston was in view, but she had a pretty good idea of where they would go. On the edge of town they had found a place to sell their horses and store their wagon until the caravan was ready. It was private enough, and theyd had a few clandestine meetings there. So that was where Beth headed when she left the inn.
Ceri followed closely behind, and once they were out of the crowded central district and into an area where the sidewalks werent so narrow they walked side by side. Beth snuck a jealous glance at Ceris richly tanned skin, which the other girl naturally caught.
What?
Oh, I was just thinking how lucky you are, Beth said. It seems like you had a nice tan the moment we made the surface and saw the sun. I stayed pale as I ever was in the belly of the zone though, all through boot camp and everything. And then when we got to this goddess-forsaken place
Ceridwen laughed. Sted seems to like your paleness well enough, she said. What did I hear him comparing your skin to? The moonlight on a forest pool, or was it fresh cream?
Yeah, only now I look like someones idea of a bad practical joke, Beth complained. She held up her left arm, and winced as the full sunlight hit it. Im like a lobster. They fell into silence for a minute. Ceri?
Yeah?
Why did you join the REF? I mean, its probably obvious why I did. And I know why Sted did, and Im pretty sure I know why Dred is here. But why did you join?
Ceri shrugged. I come from a big family, and an even bigger extended family, she said. I guess its pretty easy to get lost in the shuffle, when youve got fifteen brothers and sisters, and cousins in the triple digits. I think I probably wanted to have something that was just mine, something that only I have done. Why?
Ive just been thinking a lot about it, Beth said. I mean, here we are on a totally different planet from our own, and were getting ready to fight someone elses enemy in somebody elses war. I dont even know if I want to be part of any fascist pact in the first place. What makes fascists any better than communists, anyway?
You got me, Ceri said. The EU is Triangles ally, though. And they were attacked. Id like to think that if Triangle was in trouble, the EU would send people like us to help. I dont think it matters whether the EU is fascist or communist, when it comes right down to it. What really matters is that theyre pledged to aid Triangle, and its our duty to come through and help them any way we can too.
Beth nodded. She wasnt sure if she really believed any of that, but she felt a little bit better about what they were doing than she had a few minutes ago. And anyway, politics didnt really interest her.
They found Sted and Aston crouched among their wagons with nobody else in the whole place. Desetter was nowhere to be seen either, and Sted and Aston were speaking in hushed tones.
All Im saying is its a good thing this Haddon Bristol guy is from Boggle, Aston said. Otherwise, he might have recognized us. Im still not entirely convinced that he hasnt.
Sted smiled and rolled his eyes. Recognized you? he asked. Oh, Im sorry. I think you must have yourself confused with someone who isnt a fucking nobody groundling. He started to laugh, probably a little too loudly, and clutched at his stomach. It looked like he was on the verge of tipping over, and he put a hand to the ground to steady himself. Wow, Ast. You sure know how to keep a guy entertained.
Aston narrowed his eyes, and his already agitated expression became darker. He ran a hand through his dark brownish red hair, and blinked. This isnt a joke, Sted, he said. Were going to be going into enemy territory with this guy, and I think we should know what his deal is before we do.
His deal is that hes a itinerant silk merchant, Sted said. Hes a fucking traveling salesman, Aston. What more do you want? His story checks out better than ours does, and hes not acting all suspicious about us. If you ask me, hes a pretty good guy.
He isnt leading a pivotal mission into communist territory, Aston said.
Sted smirked. Neither are you, he said. And yeah, that was kind of my point anyway. He isnt. Hes just a guy trying to make a fucking living and send some money back to his family in Boggle.
Beth cleared her throat, and Sted stood up.
Ladies, he said.
Hey, Aston said. Sleep good?
As good as can be expected, Beth said. I think its pretty obvious that they have a fairly liberal view of what constitutes a bed in Damcyan.
Well, enjoy it while you can, Sted said. Once were in caravan, well be sleeping rough.
And were not already? Beth asked.
Aston stood up and put his arms over his head in a stretch that resulted in several staccato cracking pops. This is kingfishers halcyon dawn compared to whats coming, he said. No joking.
Wheres Dred? Ceri asked. I havent seen him this morning.
Sted shook his head. Hes out in the desert, he said. He said something about prickly pears this morning. I think he likes to eat them spines and all, fresh off the cactus.
I think he likes to eat the cactus, Aston said. An excellent source of vitamins and water. If youre a fucking desert tortoise.
Whos a desert tortoise?
Aston stiffened, and Beth muffled a laugh with her hands. Desetter had come up between the wagons without anyone hearing, and he had an armful of bright red and yellow prickly pears. He took a bite out of one, and spit out some spines.
You, I think, Ceri said. Did you have a nice walk?
Drederick nodded, and held out a prickly pear to her. She started to shake her head, but then took it and eyed it askance, as if trying to figure out how to eat it without impaling her tongue.
I saw something out there, he said.
Oh? Sted said. What was that?
Caravan, Dred said, chewing his cacti fruit. And they got some camels, too.
Part Four: Grit
By: SilentJerry
Thread: Iron Writer
Posted: July 13, 2003
Part Four: Grit
Aston spit out a mouthful of sand and wrapped his headscarf tightly over his nose and mouth. The only part of his face left visible was his eyes, and even that was a little much. The sand whipped up by the biting wind formed an opaque red wall that cut him off from the rest of the caravan and made breathing a little difficult.
Before the sandstorm had started, they had been within sight of Kaipo. Now the only thing he was in sight of was the sand that blotted out the sun and stung his eyes.
More from luck than any sort of skill, he blundered into Beth. Trying to communicate was useless, so he just took hold of her arm and started towards the last place hed seen Sted. He thought theyd come too far and stopped to reassess the situation, but he had totally lost any sense of direction. He didnt know which direction Kaipo was in, or which direction theyd come from.
Theyd been weeks in the desert coming from Burning Green, and while theyd seen their fair share of sandstorms, this was the worst yet. The only positive light he could cast on it was that with the sun blotted out it was becoming a little less stifling hot. And the nice breeze would have been almost pleasant if it didnt also carry several tons of reddish gold sand in it.
Something touched his shoulder and he turned around, but all he saw was a hand coming out of the wall of sand. It vanished into nothing less than a foot away from him, and then a head leaned in close, right up to his ear.
Sneaking off with my girlfriend? Sted asked.
Aston smiled. Not because this was the first time Sted had ever referred to Beth as his girl, but because it was so good to see one of his friends in this nightmare of flying sand. He didnt try to reply, but only shrugged.
Sted gestured with his head, and took hold of Beths arm. He then started to walk, and Aston followed him through the sand, led by their common grip on Beth. Then they came on a hastily thrown up tent, which they all three entered. A few errant blats of sand followed them in, but the air cleared when Aston shut the heavy canvass flap behind him.
Drederick and Ceridwen were already in the tent, and so was the silk merchant from Boggle, Haddon Bristol. They were crouched on the floor in the middle of the tent. And actually, the word that came to Astons mind was huddled. There was also a single caravan guard in one corner of the tent whose loose, tan colored clothing was so similar to the color of the tent, and who stood so still that Aston almost didnt see him at all. He watched the six Trianglers with dark, critical eyes and mild distaste.
I was beginning to think he wouldnt find you, Ceri said.
Beth unwound her headscarf and threw it to the floor, spitting out wads of sand as she did so. Its a nightmare out there, she said. How long can this last?
Usually they dont last longer than a few minutes, Sted replied. He also removed his headscarf and ran his hand through his dirty blonde hair to chase out some of the sand. Thats what Segundo tells me, at least. Of course, he also tells me that any storm that lasts this long could go on for who knows how long.
Aston smiled at the silent caravan guard who failed to smile back, so he went over and offered his hand. Aston Maric, he said. Pleasure to meet you.
The guard stared at his hand without moving, and Aston put it down. Segundo el Ranchero de la Hoya, he said, with the coldness that most of the caravan guards had. This was the first time Aston had ever had a conversation with any of them, such as it was. Usually they walked away from you if you tried to talk, which made Segundo almost downright chatty. The pleasure it all yours.
Segundo helped me set up the tent, and then found Dred and Seri, Sted said. Had stumbled in on his own, and when you and Beth didnt find us I decided Id better go out and find you. Segundo didnt want to go back out.
The caravan guard shrugged. That long in the sand and you were either dead or found cover already, he said.
Thanks, Aston said. Then to Sted, We cant wait here much longer. Remember, we have an appointment to sell our wares in Kaipo today. The fine craftwork of Triangle doesnt spoil, but business relations do.
Sted cleared his throat. Inez will wait, he said. Desert travel is an uncertain thing. We still have some room to breath.
You already have business contacts in Kaipo? Had asked. He stood up and stretched, though the sound of the howling sand outside seemed to still cow him a little, as his movements were a little more subdued than usual. The Prophetess countenance truly shines on you. Do you think you could share around some of your good fortune?
Sted put on his best false smile, which Aston thought would probably have fooled anyone but Beth or him. Inez only buys handicraft, he said. But when we meet her, I will ask if she knows of any silk buyers in the city.
That would be tremendous, Had said. With the war on and no trade coming in from Eblan or Fabul I believe silk will be very dear in Damcyan. But when countrymen meet abroad, it is good to help one another out. You let me know if there is anything I can do for you once we reach Damcyan.
Ill remember you said so, Sted said. He turned around and peeled back the canvass flap slightly, and when a torrent of sand failed to blast inside he threw it wide. The impossibly bright Cystalese sun shone in instead, and even though Aston could already feel the temperature starting to rise, he couldnt help but smile.
I will take down the tent, Segundo said. You rejoin the caravan. We are nearly to Kaipo, now.
Aston and his fellow soldiers gathered their things and went out into the sun. Had tagged along after them, and only broke away when they got to their wagons. His were on the other side of the caravan, and he said something about wanting to see whether anything had been damaged in the storm.
Ochre Squads own wagons were none the worse for wear. Sted and Aston set about hitching them back up to the camels, and then resumed their plodding course for Kaipo.
It was the largest city Aston had ever seen.
The sleepy little town of Narshe, carved into the foothills of the great northern mountains of Esper, was like a drop of water in the ocean compared to the sparkling desert grandeur of Kaipo. Maranda, though more modern, paled in comparison to the spiraling ziggurats and the domed towers. From the pictures hed seen of Old Nadir, it probably would have dwarfed Kaipo, and doubtless other cities in the web would as well. But Old Nadir was long gone, and it was at the gates of Kaipo that Aston found himself.
Where will we find Inez? he asked.
According to her last report, she is operating out of the Amon barrio, Sted said. They watched the caravan guards contact the keepers of the gate, and then entered the city as the gates swung wide. Sted paid off the guards, and then all of the merchants went their various ways. Shes Celpo though, on loan to the REF because of some favor owed to TO. So who knows how reliable our data is.
Well, either we find her or we dont, Ceridwen said. And if we dont, were just going to have to find the target ourselves.
Yeah, Beth said. She pulled her headscarf loose and shook the sand out of her long, chestnut hair. I was thinking, maybe we should go up to the mountains in the north ourselves and do our own recon. Id rather not rely entirely on what the Celpo tells us.
You want to go back out in the desert already? Aston asked, smiling. You really had me fooled, Beth. I thought you didnt like the desert.
Well, I dont. But I also like being alive, and not being blindsided by some big, shady, sketchy organization.
I have things to attend to here, Sted said. But you can go, and take Dred if you want.
What things do you have to attend, Stedman of Reynan?
Aston blinked and turned around. Standing behind them was a young woman hed never seen before. She wore the traditional long, flowing dress of the Damcyanese and had a headscarf wrapped tightly over her long, dark hair. She was very obviously not Damcyanese, though. She had big, brown eyes, skin pale as ashwood, and cherry red lips. She smiled at them, and Sted stepped forward.
Inez? he asked.
The small woman nodded, and then gestured over her shoulder.
Ive been expecting you, she said. Come on out of the sun. I have rooms spoken for at the inn over there.
Then she left, and they followed her before her small silhouette could vanish into the seething throng of Damcyanese. Aston wondered briefly how she had found them so easily, but the answer was probably pretty simple. She was Celpo.
They got their camels stabled at the inn and their wagons secured, and once their things were stored in the rooms that Inez had procured they retired to a private sitting room. The furniture was uniquely Damcyanese and obviously of the desert, where wood was scarce. It reminded Aston of some of the things from before they came to the surface, when all the furniture had been woven from the rough fibers of the abol plant.
It was comfortable though, and they all settled in around a cold hearth. Aston was very glad to be off his feet and with an empty evening ahead. Inez proved more sociable than he had expected, and that wasnt the end of it. Her cover in Kaipo was that she owned a small shop where she sold oddities and trinkets, and if Aston hadnt known she was Celpo he wouldnt have believed it. She told them her story so that there would be no inconsistencies between them, and it was that shed been married young to a Damcyanese merchant, who had died after taking her to Kaipo. With nothing else to her name, she had taken up her dead husbands trade.
It was a likely story, and she told it well. Like them, she didnt try to hide her ethnicity. She was from a place called Fenwyr on Carrion that Aston thought sounded like a very nice place, especially when contrasted with the Damcyanese desert.
Ive been monitoring Damcyanese troop movements under Desrodio, she said, sipping from a smoky iced tea. Hell be moving some Scandian tanks against both Fabul and Toroia very soon.
Then well have to act quickly, Sted said. Well be calling down an orbital strike on the columns of Scandian Platinum tanks when they move past Kaipo towards Toroia. Ill be sending Beth up Hobbes to get the lay of the land first, though.
Inez nodded slowly. I wouldnt trust me either, she said. Be quick about it, though. Doubtless the tanks will pass by here within the week.
Then Ill move quickly, Beth said. The less time I have to spend in the desert, the better.
Aston spit out a mouthful of sand and wrapped his headscarf tightly over his nose and mouth. The only part of his face left visible was his eyes, and even that was a little much. The sand whipped up by the biting wind formed an opaque red wall that cut him off from the rest of the caravan and made breathing a little difficult.
Before the sandstorm had started, they had been within sight of Kaipo. Now the only thing he was in sight of was the sand that blotted out the sun and stung his eyes.
More from luck than any sort of skill, he blundered into Beth. Trying to communicate was useless, so he just took hold of her arm and started towards the last place hed seen Sted. He thought theyd come too far and stopped to reassess the situation, but he had totally lost any sense of direction. He didnt know which direction Kaipo was in, or which direction theyd come from.
Theyd been weeks in the desert coming from Burning Green, and while theyd seen their fair share of sandstorms, this was the worst yet. The only positive light he could cast on it was that with the sun blotted out it was becoming a little less stifling hot. And the nice breeze would have been almost pleasant if it didnt also carry several tons of reddish gold sand in it.
Something touched his shoulder and he turned around, but all he saw was a hand coming out of the wall of sand. It vanished into nothing less than a foot away from him, and then a head leaned in close, right up to his ear.
Sneaking off with my girlfriend? Sted asked.
Aston smiled. Not because this was the first time Sted had ever referred to Beth as his girl, but because it was so good to see one of his friends in this nightmare of flying sand. He didnt try to reply, but only shrugged.
Sted gestured with his head, and took hold of Beths arm. He then started to walk, and Aston followed him through the sand, led by their common grip on Beth. Then they came on a hastily thrown up tent, which they all three entered. A few errant blats of sand followed them in, but the air cleared when Aston shut the heavy canvass flap behind him.
Drederick and Ceridwen were already in the tent, and so was the silk merchant from Boggle, Haddon Bristol. They were crouched on the floor in the middle of the tent. And actually, the word that came to Astons mind was huddled. There was also a single caravan guard in one corner of the tent whose loose, tan colored clothing was so similar to the color of the tent, and who stood so still that Aston almost didnt see him at all. He watched the six Trianglers with dark, critical eyes and mild distaste.
I was beginning to think he wouldnt find you, Ceri said.
Beth unwound her headscarf and threw it to the floor, spitting out wads of sand as she did so. Its a nightmare out there, she said. How long can this last?
Usually they dont last longer than a few minutes, Sted replied. He also removed his headscarf and ran his hand through his dirty blonde hair to chase out some of the sand. Thats what Segundo tells me, at least. Of course, he also tells me that any storm that lasts this long could go on for who knows how long.
Aston smiled at the silent caravan guard who failed to smile back, so he went over and offered his hand. Aston Maric, he said. Pleasure to meet you.
The guard stared at his hand without moving, and Aston put it down. Segundo el Ranchero de la Hoya, he said, with the coldness that most of the caravan guards had. This was the first time Aston had ever had a conversation with any of them, such as it was. Usually they walked away from you if you tried to talk, which made Segundo almost downright chatty. The pleasure it all yours.
Segundo helped me set up the tent, and then found Dred and Seri, Sted said. Had stumbled in on his own, and when you and Beth didnt find us I decided Id better go out and find you. Segundo didnt want to go back out.
The caravan guard shrugged. That long in the sand and you were either dead or found cover already, he said.
Thanks, Aston said. Then to Sted, We cant wait here much longer. Remember, we have an appointment to sell our wares in Kaipo today. The fine craftwork of Triangle doesnt spoil, but business relations do.
Sted cleared his throat. Inez will wait, he said. Desert travel is an uncertain thing. We still have some room to breath.
You already have business contacts in Kaipo? Had asked. He stood up and stretched, though the sound of the howling sand outside seemed to still cow him a little, as his movements were a little more subdued than usual. The Prophetess countenance truly shines on you. Do you think you could share around some of your good fortune?
Sted put on his best false smile, which Aston thought would probably have fooled anyone but Beth or him. Inez only buys handicraft, he said. But when we meet her, I will ask if she knows of any silk buyers in the city.
That would be tremendous, Had said. With the war on and no trade coming in from Eblan or Fabul I believe silk will be very dear in Damcyan. But when countrymen meet abroad, it is good to help one another out. You let me know if there is anything I can do for you once we reach Damcyan.
Ill remember you said so, Sted said. He turned around and peeled back the canvass flap slightly, and when a torrent of sand failed to blast inside he threw it wide. The impossibly bright Cystalese sun shone in instead, and even though Aston could already feel the temperature starting to rise, he couldnt help but smile.
I will take down the tent, Segundo said. You rejoin the caravan. We are nearly to Kaipo, now.
Aston and his fellow soldiers gathered their things and went out into the sun. Had tagged along after them, and only broke away when they got to their wagons. His were on the other side of the caravan, and he said something about wanting to see whether anything had been damaged in the storm.
Ochre Squads own wagons were none the worse for wear. Sted and Aston set about hitching them back up to the camels, and then resumed their plodding course for Kaipo.
It was the largest city Aston had ever seen.
The sleepy little town of Narshe, carved into the foothills of the great northern mountains of Esper, was like a drop of water in the ocean compared to the sparkling desert grandeur of Kaipo. Maranda, though more modern, paled in comparison to the spiraling ziggurats and the domed towers. From the pictures hed seen of Old Nadir, it probably would have dwarfed Kaipo, and doubtless other cities in the web would as well. But Old Nadir was long gone, and it was at the gates of Kaipo that Aston found himself.
Where will we find Inez? he asked.
According to her last report, she is operating out of the Amon barrio, Sted said. They watched the caravan guards contact the keepers of the gate, and then entered the city as the gates swung wide. Sted paid off the guards, and then all of the merchants went their various ways. Shes Celpo though, on loan to the REF because of some favor owed to TO. So who knows how reliable our data is.
Well, either we find her or we dont, Ceridwen said. And if we dont, were just going to have to find the target ourselves.
Yeah, Beth said. She pulled her headscarf loose and shook the sand out of her long, chestnut hair. I was thinking, maybe we should go up to the mountains in the north ourselves and do our own recon. Id rather not rely entirely on what the Celpo tells us.
You want to go back out in the desert already? Aston asked, smiling. You really had me fooled, Beth. I thought you didnt like the desert.
Well, I dont. But I also like being alive, and not being blindsided by some big, shady, sketchy organization.
I have things to attend to here, Sted said. But you can go, and take Dred if you want.
What things do you have to attend, Stedman of Reynan?
Aston blinked and turned around. Standing behind them was a young woman hed never seen before. She wore the traditional long, flowing dress of the Damcyanese and had a headscarf wrapped tightly over her long, dark hair. She was very obviously not Damcyanese, though. She had big, brown eyes, skin pale as ashwood, and cherry red lips. She smiled at them, and Sted stepped forward.
Inez? he asked.
The small woman nodded, and then gestured over her shoulder.
Ive been expecting you, she said. Come on out of the sun. I have rooms spoken for at the inn over there.
Then she left, and they followed her before her small silhouette could vanish into the seething throng of Damcyanese. Aston wondered briefly how she had found them so easily, but the answer was probably pretty simple. She was Celpo.
They got their camels stabled at the inn and their wagons secured, and once their things were stored in the rooms that Inez had procured they retired to a private sitting room. The furniture was uniquely Damcyanese and obviously of the desert, where wood was scarce. It reminded Aston of some of the things from before they came to the surface, when all the furniture had been woven from the rough fibers of the abol plant.
It was comfortable though, and they all settled in around a cold hearth. Aston was very glad to be off his feet and with an empty evening ahead. Inez proved more sociable than he had expected, and that wasnt the end of it. Her cover in Kaipo was that she owned a small shop where she sold oddities and trinkets, and if Aston hadnt known she was Celpo he wouldnt have believed it. She told them her story so that there would be no inconsistencies between them, and it was that shed been married young to a Damcyanese merchant, who had died after taking her to Kaipo. With nothing else to her name, she had taken up her dead husbands trade.
It was a likely story, and she told it well. Like them, she didnt try to hide her ethnicity. She was from a place called Fenwyr on Carrion that Aston thought sounded like a very nice place, especially when contrasted with the Damcyanese desert.
Ive been monitoring Damcyanese troop movements under Desrodio, she said, sipping from a smoky iced tea. Hell be moving some Scandian tanks against both Fabul and Toroia very soon.
Then well have to act quickly, Sted said. Well be calling down an orbital strike on the columns of Scandian Platinum tanks when they move past Kaipo towards Toroia. Ill be sending Beth up Hobbes to get the lay of the land first, though.
Inez nodded slowly. I wouldnt trust me either, she said. Be quick about it, though. Doubtless the tanks will pass by here within the week.
Then Ill move quickly, Beth said. The less time I have to spend in the desert, the better.
Part Five: Secrets of the Sun
By: SilentJerry
Thread: Iron Writer
Posted: July 13, 2003
Beth and the others made short work of the trip north from Kaipo to Hobbes. Aston had taken some of the money given them by the REF to buy three lithe, white dromedaries from a local breeder. He had assured them that the agile animals would keep up a pace of over six miles an hour for nearly a day without rest, and that was near enough to the truth. They traveled light, and crossed the northern desert like ghosts.
Desetter had stayed behind. Sted had no use for him, but it was plain that he would have crushed one of the small, white camels if it had even stood still long enough for him to mount in the first place.
Beth felt safe enough with Ceridwen and Aston, though. They had the modern weaponry of the REF in their saddlebags and enough food and water to last them both legs of the trips. And in no time at all, they were climbing to the summit of Hobbes.
As they neared the height of their climb, the sun topped the peaks to the east and Beth lifted her veil. Shed had enough of sunburns already, and wasnt about to get another one just as her first was beginning to heal.
We should have a view of Arderine Pass soon, Aston said. He reached into the messenger bag he wore slung low over his left shoulder and retrieved a set of electronically enhanced field glasses, which he used to survey the surrounding land. You can see Kaipo from here.
Really? Ceri asked. She made a grab for the field glasses, and Aston reluctantly let them go. Awesome, she said, breathlessly. The desert is so empty.
Almost empty, Aston said, and pointed. Beth couldnt see anything, so she assumed it was towards something he had spotted with the field glasses. All she saw was a trail of sand rising into the air. Howd we miss that? The Platinum tank column is halfway to Kaipo.
Beth shielded her eyes against the rising sun. The horizon to the south was a straight, yellow line, and all she could see was desert. To the east and west were mountains with desert beyond, and to the north only mountains. She started to walk again, and paused before she could break the line of the peak to any observers in the pass below.
Then wed better hurry up, she said. But while were here, we might as well do what we came to do. I can hear the tanks below. Sounds like were just in time.
Aston nodded. Time to see what were up against, then. Civilian Desrodio, what do you have in store for the great nation of Fabul?
He took the field glasses back from Ceri and flattened himself on the craggy rocks next to Beth before sliding up and settling into a low crack. He put the field glasses to his eyes, and then motioned for Beth to join him.
She sidled up alongside, and he handed her the field glasses. When she saw the Damcyanese forces moving through the steep pass, she blinked.
Is that what it looks like? she asked.
Aston nodded. Desrodios got the tank columns mixed with infantry, he said. Looks like about a platoon worth of infantry moving with each tank.
Thats not smart, Ceridwen observed.
No, Aston said. No, it isnt. And look over there. Looks like Fabul is coming for a visit. He indicated a much higher pass to the east, which Beth wouldnt have thought was a pass at all if it wasnt for the Esper-build Light Combat Vehicles moving slowly up it. They were still well out of sight of the slow-moving mixed tank and infantry units, and were still out of sight when they started hurling missiles and lobbing explosive shells into the narrow Arderine.
Goddess Ceridwen said. With the noise she had stood up and broken the horizon, and stood there gap-jawed. Theyre being torn apart. Who is this joker?
Citizen Antonio el Camino Desrodio, Aston said. The Desert Ass.
Fitting, Beth said. She forced herself to tear her eyes away from the massacre and hand the field glasses back to Aston. It had not been a pretty scene, and the carnage of it weighed heavily on her conscience. It was her allies doing that, dishing out that pain and death. Was this the reality of war?
We should get back to Kaipo, she said. If we dont hurry, we wont beat the Damcyanese there.
Oh, we will, Aston said. If Desrodio is protecting the left flank of tanks the same as the advance force he tried to send into Fabul, theyll only be moving as fast as infantry can walk. Ceridwen? Go down at get the camels ready. I want to see how this ends, so I can report it to General Halberg.
Ceridwen nodded and ran back down the steep mountain path.
Are you sure you need to see it to know what happens? Beth asked.
Aston nodded and took the field glasses from her. War is full of surprises, Bethamin. What if theres a brilliant commander of the field for Damcyan down there, and he manages to convince the others to throw out Desrodios tactics? Its unlikely, but they could still turn the tide. Those Platinum tanks are tough sons of bitches, and fast too.
More than unlikely, Beth muttered. Aston didnt seem to hear her though, as he continued his silent vigil. He split his attention between the nearly ruined Damcyanese force and the still hidden Fabulian LCVs with his brow knit and jaw set. It seemed like he was committing every detail of what he saw to memory, though from his somewhat troubled expression she guessed he didnt like the carnage anymore than she did.
Why did you join the REF? she asked, the same question shed posed to Ceridwen in Burning Green.
Aston didnt put down the field glasses or make any other sign that hed heard her. Then he sighed, a deep, hollow, rattling sound. You four, he said. I decided that if you all went off to fight, and something happened to you, Id blame myself for it for the rest of my life. So I signed up.
The answer took her off guard. Shed expected something about his long-standing camaraderie and rivalry with Sted, or a desire to win enough status for himself that an established Holding might adopt him into the fold. She hadnt had any idea that his loyalty to his friends ran that deep, but the conviction in his low tone made her believe him.
Whyd you join? he asked.
Her eyes snapped wide. If she hadnt expected his answer, she had expected the ricocheted question even less. She hesitated long enough for him to bark out a short laugh.
I know you came because of Sted, he said. Its funny, you know. I never really thought about you any more than any of my other friends, until it became clear that pretty soon it would be you and Sted, and no room for anyone else.
She blinked. What are you saying? she asked.
He shrugged. Sometimes its hard to see something for what it is, when youre too close to it, he said, and put down the field glasses. He looked at her, and his steel-gray eyes were like the sky past the Western Wall immediately before a good rain. They were flecked with hints of green, and unblinking. Its done, he said, and walked away in the direction Ceridwen had gone.
Anyway, thats not the only reason, she said, chasing after him. He hadnt answered her question, and that infuriated her. What did he mean? He had no right to say things like that and then go off without an explanation. I came to make a name for myself.
Aston didnt stop walking, and when she caught up with him she had to lengthen her stride just to keep up.
My family are groundlings, she said. And my sister, Rehn, serves the Prophetess. Ive always been the joke of the family, the one without any ambition to be anything more than a worthless groundling. So I came to the REF to make my own honor for the Madeira clan.
And?
And because Sted joined up, she said hotly. Whats your damage, Maric?
No damage, he said. I just cant help but wonder what Sted has that I dont.
How about hes not a passive-aggressive asshole? Beth snapped.
Aston stopped in his tracks, and Beth had to backpedal not to run into him. He wasnt much taller than her, and lean instead of muscled like Sted, but the way he moved scared her. He was the fastest of any of them, and had proven several times he could beat Sted hands down in a fair fight.
He didnt turn around, but stood still and seethed.
Too far, Private Madeira, he said. I might be a passive-aggressive asshole, but Im also your commanding officer. And if you open your mouth again before we get back to Kaipo, Goddess help me, Ill leave you out here for the carrion crows.
He walked off, and she blinked.
What had just happened?
Desetter had stayed behind. Sted had no use for him, but it was plain that he would have crushed one of the small, white camels if it had even stood still long enough for him to mount in the first place.
Beth felt safe enough with Ceridwen and Aston, though. They had the modern weaponry of the REF in their saddlebags and enough food and water to last them both legs of the trips. And in no time at all, they were climbing to the summit of Hobbes.
As they neared the height of their climb, the sun topped the peaks to the east and Beth lifted her veil. Shed had enough of sunburns already, and wasnt about to get another one just as her first was beginning to heal.
We should have a view of Arderine Pass soon, Aston said. He reached into the messenger bag he wore slung low over his left shoulder and retrieved a set of electronically enhanced field glasses, which he used to survey the surrounding land. You can see Kaipo from here.
Really? Ceri asked. She made a grab for the field glasses, and Aston reluctantly let them go. Awesome, she said, breathlessly. The desert is so empty.
Almost empty, Aston said, and pointed. Beth couldnt see anything, so she assumed it was towards something he had spotted with the field glasses. All she saw was a trail of sand rising into the air. Howd we miss that? The Platinum tank column is halfway to Kaipo.
Beth shielded her eyes against the rising sun. The horizon to the south was a straight, yellow line, and all she could see was desert. To the east and west were mountains with desert beyond, and to the north only mountains. She started to walk again, and paused before she could break the line of the peak to any observers in the pass below.
Then wed better hurry up, she said. But while were here, we might as well do what we came to do. I can hear the tanks below. Sounds like were just in time.
Aston nodded. Time to see what were up against, then. Civilian Desrodio, what do you have in store for the great nation of Fabul?
He took the field glasses back from Ceri and flattened himself on the craggy rocks next to Beth before sliding up and settling into a low crack. He put the field glasses to his eyes, and then motioned for Beth to join him.
She sidled up alongside, and he handed her the field glasses. When she saw the Damcyanese forces moving through the steep pass, she blinked.
Is that what it looks like? she asked.
Aston nodded. Desrodios got the tank columns mixed with infantry, he said. Looks like about a platoon worth of infantry moving with each tank.
Thats not smart, Ceridwen observed.
No, Aston said. No, it isnt. And look over there. Looks like Fabul is coming for a visit. He indicated a much higher pass to the east, which Beth wouldnt have thought was a pass at all if it wasnt for the Esper-build Light Combat Vehicles moving slowly up it. They were still well out of sight of the slow-moving mixed tank and infantry units, and were still out of sight when they started hurling missiles and lobbing explosive shells into the narrow Arderine.
Goddess Ceridwen said. With the noise she had stood up and broken the horizon, and stood there gap-jawed. Theyre being torn apart. Who is this joker?
Citizen Antonio el Camino Desrodio, Aston said. The Desert Ass.
Fitting, Beth said. She forced herself to tear her eyes away from the massacre and hand the field glasses back to Aston. It had not been a pretty scene, and the carnage of it weighed heavily on her conscience. It was her allies doing that, dishing out that pain and death. Was this the reality of war?
We should get back to Kaipo, she said. If we dont hurry, we wont beat the Damcyanese there.
Oh, we will, Aston said. If Desrodio is protecting the left flank of tanks the same as the advance force he tried to send into Fabul, theyll only be moving as fast as infantry can walk. Ceridwen? Go down at get the camels ready. I want to see how this ends, so I can report it to General Halberg.
Ceridwen nodded and ran back down the steep mountain path.
Are you sure you need to see it to know what happens? Beth asked.
Aston nodded and took the field glasses from her. War is full of surprises, Bethamin. What if theres a brilliant commander of the field for Damcyan down there, and he manages to convince the others to throw out Desrodios tactics? Its unlikely, but they could still turn the tide. Those Platinum tanks are tough sons of bitches, and fast too.
More than unlikely, Beth muttered. Aston didnt seem to hear her though, as he continued his silent vigil. He split his attention between the nearly ruined Damcyanese force and the still hidden Fabulian LCVs with his brow knit and jaw set. It seemed like he was committing every detail of what he saw to memory, though from his somewhat troubled expression she guessed he didnt like the carnage anymore than she did.
Why did you join the REF? she asked, the same question shed posed to Ceridwen in Burning Green.
Aston didnt put down the field glasses or make any other sign that hed heard her. Then he sighed, a deep, hollow, rattling sound. You four, he said. I decided that if you all went off to fight, and something happened to you, Id blame myself for it for the rest of my life. So I signed up.
The answer took her off guard. Shed expected something about his long-standing camaraderie and rivalry with Sted, or a desire to win enough status for himself that an established Holding might adopt him into the fold. She hadnt had any idea that his loyalty to his friends ran that deep, but the conviction in his low tone made her believe him.
Whyd you join? he asked.
Her eyes snapped wide. If she hadnt expected his answer, she had expected the ricocheted question even less. She hesitated long enough for him to bark out a short laugh.
I know you came because of Sted, he said. Its funny, you know. I never really thought about you any more than any of my other friends, until it became clear that pretty soon it would be you and Sted, and no room for anyone else.
She blinked. What are you saying? she asked.
He shrugged. Sometimes its hard to see something for what it is, when youre too close to it, he said, and put down the field glasses. He looked at her, and his steel-gray eyes were like the sky past the Western Wall immediately before a good rain. They were flecked with hints of green, and unblinking. Its done, he said, and walked away in the direction Ceridwen had gone.
Anyway, thats not the only reason, she said, chasing after him. He hadnt answered her question, and that infuriated her. What did he mean? He had no right to say things like that and then go off without an explanation. I came to make a name for myself.
Aston didnt stop walking, and when she caught up with him she had to lengthen her stride just to keep up.
My family are groundlings, she said. And my sister, Rehn, serves the Prophetess. Ive always been the joke of the family, the one without any ambition to be anything more than a worthless groundling. So I came to the REF to make my own honor for the Madeira clan.
And?
And because Sted joined up, she said hotly. Whats your damage, Maric?
No damage, he said. I just cant help but wonder what Sted has that I dont.
How about hes not a passive-aggressive asshole? Beth snapped.
Aston stopped in his tracks, and Beth had to backpedal not to run into him. He wasnt much taller than her, and lean instead of muscled like Sted, but the way he moved scared her. He was the fastest of any of them, and had proven several times he could beat Sted hands down in a fair fight.
He didnt turn around, but stood still and seethed.
Too far, Private Madeira, he said. I might be a passive-aggressive asshole, but Im also your commanding officer. And if you open your mouth again before we get back to Kaipo, Goddess help me, Ill leave you out here for the carrion crows.
He walked off, and she blinked.
What had just happened?
Part Six: When the Darkness Comes to Sleep
By: SilentJerry
Thread: Iron Writer
Posted: July 13, 2003
It was the night after Aston had returned from the north with news of the coming tank columns, and Sergeant Stedman Reynan walked the darkened streets of Kaipo alone. He had snuck out of the inn unseen by his friends, and moved through the empty streets like the shadow of a man rather than the man himself.
That Fabul had torn Desrodio to pieces in the north was of no consequence, nor was the fact that Toroia would soon do the same to the west. They were small enough victories for the Fascist Pact in a small theater in a very, very large war. He could still see which way the wind blew, even if Aston and the others couldnt. It was obvious who would carry the day, in the end.
One only had to look to the occupied territories west of Hosluftgrad in Esper to see which way this war would end. What territory in Scandes home of Dragon had the Fascists taken and held? None was the simple answer to that. And Theodore Halbergs plan to turn the tide would be too little too late.
Beth had once told him that she didnt see any practical difference between Fascists and Communists, as far as Triangle was concerned. He agreed with her. And after Triangles ally lost this way, an ally made at the behest of Maerius Chikara, there would be a new Prophetess.
And he knew exactly how to put himself in the good graces of this nebulous future Prophetess, especially if she came from the machinations of Heradin Darksmouth.
He paused in the shadows, afraid to go into the light.
What color is the night? he whispered into the void.
Red, came the scratch reply, and then a familiar burly figure stepped briefly into the harsh sodium vapor light of the streetlamp before vanishing again, this time towards Sted. He could hear the mans breath, but couldnt see him.
You came, Segundo el Ranchero de la Hoya said gruffly. I believed you would not.
You believed wrong, Sted said. He glanced over his shoulder when he thought he heard someone coming down the street, but there was nothing there. Are you sure you can do what you promised you can?
As his eyes began to adjust to the dim light, he saw the dim outline of Segundo nod his head. My cousin is Citizen of the Armed Forces of Damcyan. If the data you provide is correct, then it will go as you wish. He paused for a moment, drawing rasping breath. May I ask you a question?
Sted shrugged. Doesnt mean Ill answer it.
Why? the caravan guard asked. Why would you betray your country to the Communist Protectorate?
Sted smiled, though he knew well enough that Segundo would miss the subtle expression. Triangle is not of the Fascist Pact, and I am of Triangle, he said. And when the darkness comes to sleep, it will not find me ready and willing to go.
Whoever gave you your rank was an idiot, Segundo said. Your loyalties are like the shifting sands of the great desert. If you turned on me like a snake twisting underfoot, you would find my belt knife slipped between your ribs.
One of the two moons came out from behind the clouds and bathed the street in a dim blue glow. When Segundo saw the feral look on Steds face, he backed up in a jerky two-step. He regained his composure quickly, but Sted had seen the fear in his eyes.
My venom is deadlier than that, he said, and handed over the papers hed brought with him. And my only loyalties are to Holding Reynan. Just do what youve sworn to, or its my belt knife youll find in your gut.
Segundo nodded and backed off into the darkness. When the moon passed back behind the clouds, the morose caravan guard was gone like hed never been there at all, and Sted was left alone.
He took a circuitous route back to the inn, and slipped back in without a sound. From the even meter of their breathing, he could tell that his friends were still fast asleep, as well they should be. It would be a difficult day, come morning.
He only hoped they would all live through to see the morning after.
That Fabul had torn Desrodio to pieces in the north was of no consequence, nor was the fact that Toroia would soon do the same to the west. They were small enough victories for the Fascist Pact in a small theater in a very, very large war. He could still see which way the wind blew, even if Aston and the others couldnt. It was obvious who would carry the day, in the end.
One only had to look to the occupied territories west of Hosluftgrad in Esper to see which way this war would end. What territory in Scandes home of Dragon had the Fascists taken and held? None was the simple answer to that. And Theodore Halbergs plan to turn the tide would be too little too late.
Beth had once told him that she didnt see any practical difference between Fascists and Communists, as far as Triangle was concerned. He agreed with her. And after Triangles ally lost this way, an ally made at the behest of Maerius Chikara, there would be a new Prophetess.
And he knew exactly how to put himself in the good graces of this nebulous future Prophetess, especially if she came from the machinations of Heradin Darksmouth.
He paused in the shadows, afraid to go into the light.
What color is the night? he whispered into the void.
Red, came the scratch reply, and then a familiar burly figure stepped briefly into the harsh sodium vapor light of the streetlamp before vanishing again, this time towards Sted. He could hear the mans breath, but couldnt see him.
You came, Segundo el Ranchero de la Hoya said gruffly. I believed you would not.
You believed wrong, Sted said. He glanced over his shoulder when he thought he heard someone coming down the street, but there was nothing there. Are you sure you can do what you promised you can?
As his eyes began to adjust to the dim light, he saw the dim outline of Segundo nod his head. My cousin is Citizen of the Armed Forces of Damcyan. If the data you provide is correct, then it will go as you wish. He paused for a moment, drawing rasping breath. May I ask you a question?
Sted shrugged. Doesnt mean Ill answer it.
Why? the caravan guard asked. Why would you betray your country to the Communist Protectorate?
Sted smiled, though he knew well enough that Segundo would miss the subtle expression. Triangle is not of the Fascist Pact, and I am of Triangle, he said. And when the darkness comes to sleep, it will not find me ready and willing to go.
Whoever gave you your rank was an idiot, Segundo said. Your loyalties are like the shifting sands of the great desert. If you turned on me like a snake twisting underfoot, you would find my belt knife slipped between your ribs.
One of the two moons came out from behind the clouds and bathed the street in a dim blue glow. When Segundo saw the feral look on Steds face, he backed up in a jerky two-step. He regained his composure quickly, but Sted had seen the fear in his eyes.
My venom is deadlier than that, he said, and handed over the papers hed brought with him. And my only loyalties are to Holding Reynan. Just do what youve sworn to, or its my belt knife youll find in your gut.
Segundo nodded and backed off into the darkness. When the moon passed back behind the clouds, the morose caravan guard was gone like hed never been there at all, and Sted was left alone.
He took a circuitous route back to the inn, and slipped back in without a sound. From the even meter of their breathing, he could tell that his friends were still fast asleep, as well they should be. It would be a difficult day, come morning.
He only hoped they would all live through to see the morning after.
Part Seven: A Murder of One
By: SilentJerry
Thread: Iron Writer
Posted: July 13, 2003
Aston walked silently through the already bustling streets of Kaipo. He had Desetter to his right, and they were on their way to the predetermined site from which he would paint the targets. Inez had set down the best possible locations for he and Beth to lie in wait for the coming tanks, and neither he nor Sted had disagreed with the intelligence she had gathered. While he waited, Desetter would guard him. While Beth waited, Ceridwen and Sted would guard her.
Inez would also observe the events, from her shop. But it wasnt the Celpo agent that held his thoughts.
He hadnt said two words to the other sniper since their confrontation on Mount Hobbes. He had no idea what had happened there. Shed started saying things, then hed started saying things, and all of a sudden it was like shed slapped him across the face with her words.
His cheek still stung from the blow, and from what hed said in response.
The only thing for it now was to ignore it and do his job the best he could. Hed lost Beth to Sted because he was an idiot who didnt know how to hold his tongue. But hed never even had her in the first place, so what of it?
A low growl started to grow deep in his throat before he realized it. He quashed it as soon as he consciously knew he was doing it, and schooled his expression back to pleasant passivity. He was a merchant from an exotic country out on his business early in the morning, not some lumbering idiot with a score to settle.
Except that he wasnt the first one. He was only pretending at it. And he was the second one, and it was eating him up inside.
Whats wrong? Desetter asked.
Nothing, Aston said. Are you ready to hold the door for me, if the Damcyanese figure out whats going on?
Desetter smiled. I hope they do, he said. Ive been very bored this whole trip. There hasnt been anyone to beat up, or anyone to save. See, Ive got these two fists. And they like to be used. And also, its too hot.
Yeah, it is.
Do you think the war will be over soon?
Aston shrugged. I doubt it. They say itll be over real quick if the Grand Army gets its shit together. But that wont happen unless Celiose Cole gets back from Aryth, which nobody thinks is going to happen anytime soon. Without that, the Fascists and Communists will probably just beat the shit out of eachother until theres no more shit to beat.
Thats stupid, Desetter said. If you cant win, you shouldnt fight.
Easy for you to say. When you can win any fight, it makes the choice pretty easy, doesnt it? But not everyone has it that easy, Dred. Take, say, Sted and me. If something came between us that was worth fighting for, and he had it at the time instead of me, Id still have to fight for it even though it wouldnt be obvious who would win that fight. Weve fought in the past, just not for real. And hes won almost as many as me.
But does that mean I shouldnt fight, if he has something I think should be mine?
Desetter frowned and scratched his big, bald head. You shouldnt fight with Sted, he said. Youre friends.
Thats not the point, Aston said. If he was my brother, it wouldnt make any difference. You know that Id die to protect any one of you, but that doesnt have anything to do with it.
They walked in silence for a few minutes, and Desetter shifted the large bundle he carried on his back. Youre confusing, he said.
Yeah, Aston agreed. Sometimes life is like that.
I hope you never think I have something you should have, Desetter said.
Aston nodded. Me too.
Because Id tear your arms off.
I know.
And punch you in the eye with them.
Aston rolled his eyes. I know that, Dred.
Youre very small.
Look, do you have to talk about this? Aston asked. I know that you could feed me my own arms and theres nothing I could do about it. But you know what? If you had Beth instead of Sted, Id fight you anyway. And if the Grand Army wanted to destroy Triangle, Id fight them too. It doesnt matter how big your enemy is or how small you are. If its worth fighting for, then you fight.
You like Beth? Desetter asked, his huge mouth gap-jawed.
I need to learn to keep my damn mouth shut, Aston muttered. He stopped in front of a clock tower with a massive stucco faade. Were here.
Ill think about what you said while I wait, Desetter said.
Drederick unwrapped the bundle hed carried on his back, handed Aston his sniper rifle and concealed a pistol and a blade on his person. Aston opened the door, looked around to make sure nobody had seen, and slipped inside. You do that, he said, and then let the door shut.
A spiraling staircase went up the middle of the tower, and Aston climbed it with the sniper rifle slung over his back. Hed lost his head with two of his friends now. What would he do next?
He set up his firing position among the massive turning gears of the clock and slid open a slit in the face of the clock. He was high enough up the it was highly unlikely that anyone would see the small bore of the sniper rifle through the small slit.
With the high-powered sight, he looked across the street to the library where Beth would be firing. She was already there, and it looked a lot like she was using her sight to look at him.
He jerked the sight away, his pulse racing. He concentrated on the slow ticking of the massive clock, and it gradually slowed to a normal pace. The street was busy, but he knew that would be over soon enough. Shortly the street would be cleared, and the tank columns would roll slowly through with their infantry support platoons.
He looked off into the distant north, and he saw the plume of sand that marked the incoming column. This would be it, then. After this, theyd be able to return to Esper and Triangle. He wondered if that would be the end of his stint as a soldier, or if theyd be stuck back into Bolt Company and sent off to fight actual battles instead of the shadow boxing theyd done so far.
The two-way radio that was clipped to his belt belched a row of static.
Father Time, Sted said. Are you in position?
Affirmative, Aston replied. He held the rifle in one hand and the radio in the other. He was ready for the action, and he wasnt willing to give up that readiness. Is the Librarian ready to go?
Librarian is in position, Sted said. Aston?
Astons heart skipped a beat. Sted wasnt supposed to use his right name.
What?
Beth told me what happened at Arderine.
Oh.
We have something we need to discuss, when this is over.
Yeah, Aston said. I guess we do. But right now, we have a row of ducks waddling in who need to be painted.
You know when, Sted said, and then clicked off.
This thing just kept getting better and better. It was a lesson to be learned, though. If hed schooled his thoughts a little more rigorously he never would have had the blow out with Beth, he never would have snapped at Desetter, and he wouldnt be facing a showdown with his best friend.
Of course, the situation wouldnt have been any better anyway. If hed never said anything Sted still would have had Beth, and he still would have been sore about it.
It was time to put that down, though.
The readings superimposed over his view through the sniper sight fed him triangulation data from Beths rifle, which told him that she was ready to go. Moments later the first tank in the armored column drove by, with the proud, goose-stepping infantrymen marching along beside it. Another followed, and then another after that, and Aston grimaced.
There were far more civilians in the street than he had imagined. Instead of clearing the whole area, the police had just cordoned off the street. It was like some kind of big, bastardized parade, with guns. The people were cheering and waving to the armored column, and Aston wondered how many would be caught in the conflagration following the orbital bombardment.
Briefly he wished that the Grand Army wasnt sitting this one out. Orbital bombardment was against the common will of the Charter Alliance when it came to cities, and there was no way the REF would have attempted anything like this under the long shadow of Celiose Cole. He doubted they would have anyway, if theyd been in his shoes.
He would have to watch these men, women and children die with his own eyes. And he would have to live knowing it was because of him.
He lined up the shot, closed his eyes, and pulled the trigger. He remembered the explosions during training, how the trees and the dirt had been thrown into the air in massive fireballs after hed painted them. He didnt have any desire to see that happen to flesh and blood human beings.
But nothing happened.
He pulled the trigger again, but only silence returned. The green beam shot from the sniper rifle and hit a Platinum tank straight on, but nothing happened. It wasnt the kind of laser that kills and destroys; it was the kind of laser that paints a objective for remote target acquisition.
He pulled the radio off his belt, keyed it, and squeezed the trigger again. This time, the beam struck a soldier in the eye. He fell over and started screaming about being blind.
Beth, he said. Are you firing at the coordinates?
I am, she growled. I am!
Then were fucked, he said, slamming the little window shut. Were totally fucked.
He threw the rifle aside and ran down the spiraling staircase. When he got to the ground floor, Desetter was already inside with an incredibly worried look on his massive features.
What happened? he asked.
I dont know! Aston shouted. Maybe the fleet got caught on their way here. Maybe theyre jamming the transmission frequency of the target data. I dont any fucking clue, and it doesnt matter anyway. If we dont get out of here now, were dead.
He kicked the door open, ran out into the street, and slammed headlong into Had Bristol. The silk merchant fell over backwards, and Aston blinked.
Aston! Had said, excitedly. Im sorry, I should have been looking where I was going!
Aston reached down to help the merchant to his feet.
You have to run, he said.
What? Had asked. Have you seen the tank columns? I heard they were moving through here, and I wanted to see. I had hoped to get a picture or two to bring back to my son.
Yeah, Ive seen them, Aston said hurriedly. But trust me, you dont want to be a foreigner here in the near future. You have to run.
Had frowned. Is something wrong?
Yeah, somethings wrong. There are soldiers coming, and theyre going to start killing people. Look, we lied to you, okay? Were not really merchants. Were from Triangle, but were in Keaton Errors Bolt Company in the REF. He sent us here on a special ops mission, and the shit is about to hit the fan. Now run!
Uh, Aston? Dred said. I think theyre coming. I hear gunfire.
Keaton Error? Had said. You dont say. Is he here? Can I meet him? Wow, if I could get a picture of that, itd make my sons year. Wow!
Aston shook his head. Dred he said. I want you to take Ser Bristol and
He broke off as Inez ran across the busy street and almost got struck by a small, puttering, Scandian built car. Aston didnt think it would have damaged her much if it had hit, but it was a near miss anyway. The driver swerved, and the grill fell off. After that, the radiator fell out of where the grill had been, and hot coolant spilled out all over the road.
Private Maric, she said, breathless. What happened? What went wrong?
I dont know, Aston said. But theyre coming for us. Look, can you get Had to safety? Hes just an innocent bystander, and Im afraid somethings going to happen to him. He wont leave.
Inez nodded. Aston could you do something for me?
Make it quick, Aston said.
Okay. Inez took in a deep breath, and then spoke very quickly. Im from Fenwyr, you know that much already. My family is still there, my mother, father and my little sister. Look, if I dont make it back from this I want you to find them and tell them what happened. They dont even know Im Celpo. Well, Isobel does. But please. Tell them I love them. Tell Isobel I dont want her to share my fate. Will you do it?
You have my word, Aston nodded.
Thank you, Inez said. She stood up on her toes, kissed Aston on the cheek, then grabbed Hads hand and started to run back across the street.
Wait! Aston yelled. Whats your name? Your real name.
Inez looked over her shoulder. Isodore dFenwyr, she shouted.
Then she slipped in the polymer infused coolant and fell over. Aston went to run out and help her up, but the soldiers poured through the confusion of the thronging crowd and he stopped like a deer in headlights.
You there! one of the soldiers yelled. He was pointing to Isodore and Had. You arent Damcyanese. Halt!
Isodore tried to get up, but she slipped again. Hads eyes flew open wide at the sight of all the guns trained on him, and he chose that moment to flee.
Several hundred needlerounds found his back, and the silk merchant from Triangle fell to the slick ground in a slurry of red and white. What landed next to Isodore was hardly recognizable as human, and then the mobbing crowd closed in and he could see no more.
Holy Goddess he muttered. Desetter
I know, Desetter said. Run.
Inez would also observe the events, from her shop. But it wasnt the Celpo agent that held his thoughts.
He hadnt said two words to the other sniper since their confrontation on Mount Hobbes. He had no idea what had happened there. Shed started saying things, then hed started saying things, and all of a sudden it was like shed slapped him across the face with her words.
His cheek still stung from the blow, and from what hed said in response.
The only thing for it now was to ignore it and do his job the best he could. Hed lost Beth to Sted because he was an idiot who didnt know how to hold his tongue. But hed never even had her in the first place, so what of it?
A low growl started to grow deep in his throat before he realized it. He quashed it as soon as he consciously knew he was doing it, and schooled his expression back to pleasant passivity. He was a merchant from an exotic country out on his business early in the morning, not some lumbering idiot with a score to settle.
Except that he wasnt the first one. He was only pretending at it. And he was the second one, and it was eating him up inside.
Whats wrong? Desetter asked.
Nothing, Aston said. Are you ready to hold the door for me, if the Damcyanese figure out whats going on?
Desetter smiled. I hope they do, he said. Ive been very bored this whole trip. There hasnt been anyone to beat up, or anyone to save. See, Ive got these two fists. And they like to be used. And also, its too hot.
Yeah, it is.
Do you think the war will be over soon?
Aston shrugged. I doubt it. They say itll be over real quick if the Grand Army gets its shit together. But that wont happen unless Celiose Cole gets back from Aryth, which nobody thinks is going to happen anytime soon. Without that, the Fascists and Communists will probably just beat the shit out of eachother until theres no more shit to beat.
Thats stupid, Desetter said. If you cant win, you shouldnt fight.
Easy for you to say. When you can win any fight, it makes the choice pretty easy, doesnt it? But not everyone has it that easy, Dred. Take, say, Sted and me. If something came between us that was worth fighting for, and he had it at the time instead of me, Id still have to fight for it even though it wouldnt be obvious who would win that fight. Weve fought in the past, just not for real. And hes won almost as many as me.
But does that mean I shouldnt fight, if he has something I think should be mine?
Desetter frowned and scratched his big, bald head. You shouldnt fight with Sted, he said. Youre friends.
Thats not the point, Aston said. If he was my brother, it wouldnt make any difference. You know that Id die to protect any one of you, but that doesnt have anything to do with it.
They walked in silence for a few minutes, and Desetter shifted the large bundle he carried on his back. Youre confusing, he said.
Yeah, Aston agreed. Sometimes life is like that.
I hope you never think I have something you should have, Desetter said.
Aston nodded. Me too.
Because Id tear your arms off.
I know.
And punch you in the eye with them.
Aston rolled his eyes. I know that, Dred.
Youre very small.
Look, do you have to talk about this? Aston asked. I know that you could feed me my own arms and theres nothing I could do about it. But you know what? If you had Beth instead of Sted, Id fight you anyway. And if the Grand Army wanted to destroy Triangle, Id fight them too. It doesnt matter how big your enemy is or how small you are. If its worth fighting for, then you fight.
You like Beth? Desetter asked, his huge mouth gap-jawed.
I need to learn to keep my damn mouth shut, Aston muttered. He stopped in front of a clock tower with a massive stucco faade. Were here.
Ill think about what you said while I wait, Desetter said.
Drederick unwrapped the bundle hed carried on his back, handed Aston his sniper rifle and concealed a pistol and a blade on his person. Aston opened the door, looked around to make sure nobody had seen, and slipped inside. You do that, he said, and then let the door shut.
A spiraling staircase went up the middle of the tower, and Aston climbed it with the sniper rifle slung over his back. Hed lost his head with two of his friends now. What would he do next?
He set up his firing position among the massive turning gears of the clock and slid open a slit in the face of the clock. He was high enough up the it was highly unlikely that anyone would see the small bore of the sniper rifle through the small slit.
With the high-powered sight, he looked across the street to the library where Beth would be firing. She was already there, and it looked a lot like she was using her sight to look at him.
He jerked the sight away, his pulse racing. He concentrated on the slow ticking of the massive clock, and it gradually slowed to a normal pace. The street was busy, but he knew that would be over soon enough. Shortly the street would be cleared, and the tank columns would roll slowly through with their infantry support platoons.
He looked off into the distant north, and he saw the plume of sand that marked the incoming column. This would be it, then. After this, theyd be able to return to Esper and Triangle. He wondered if that would be the end of his stint as a soldier, or if theyd be stuck back into Bolt Company and sent off to fight actual battles instead of the shadow boxing theyd done so far.
The two-way radio that was clipped to his belt belched a row of static.
Father Time, Sted said. Are you in position?
Affirmative, Aston replied. He held the rifle in one hand and the radio in the other. He was ready for the action, and he wasnt willing to give up that readiness. Is the Librarian ready to go?
Librarian is in position, Sted said. Aston?
Astons heart skipped a beat. Sted wasnt supposed to use his right name.
What?
Beth told me what happened at Arderine.
Oh.
We have something we need to discuss, when this is over.
Yeah, Aston said. I guess we do. But right now, we have a row of ducks waddling in who need to be painted.
You know when, Sted said, and then clicked off.
This thing just kept getting better and better. It was a lesson to be learned, though. If hed schooled his thoughts a little more rigorously he never would have had the blow out with Beth, he never would have snapped at Desetter, and he wouldnt be facing a showdown with his best friend.
Of course, the situation wouldnt have been any better anyway. If hed never said anything Sted still would have had Beth, and he still would have been sore about it.
It was time to put that down, though.
The readings superimposed over his view through the sniper sight fed him triangulation data from Beths rifle, which told him that she was ready to go. Moments later the first tank in the armored column drove by, with the proud, goose-stepping infantrymen marching along beside it. Another followed, and then another after that, and Aston grimaced.
There were far more civilians in the street than he had imagined. Instead of clearing the whole area, the police had just cordoned off the street. It was like some kind of big, bastardized parade, with guns. The people were cheering and waving to the armored column, and Aston wondered how many would be caught in the conflagration following the orbital bombardment.
Briefly he wished that the Grand Army wasnt sitting this one out. Orbital bombardment was against the common will of the Charter Alliance when it came to cities, and there was no way the REF would have attempted anything like this under the long shadow of Celiose Cole. He doubted they would have anyway, if theyd been in his shoes.
He would have to watch these men, women and children die with his own eyes. And he would have to live knowing it was because of him.
He lined up the shot, closed his eyes, and pulled the trigger. He remembered the explosions during training, how the trees and the dirt had been thrown into the air in massive fireballs after hed painted them. He didnt have any desire to see that happen to flesh and blood human beings.
But nothing happened.
He pulled the trigger again, but only silence returned. The green beam shot from the sniper rifle and hit a Platinum tank straight on, but nothing happened. It wasnt the kind of laser that kills and destroys; it was the kind of laser that paints a objective for remote target acquisition.
He pulled the radio off his belt, keyed it, and squeezed the trigger again. This time, the beam struck a soldier in the eye. He fell over and started screaming about being blind.
Beth, he said. Are you firing at the coordinates?
I am, she growled. I am!
Then were fucked, he said, slamming the little window shut. Were totally fucked.
He threw the rifle aside and ran down the spiraling staircase. When he got to the ground floor, Desetter was already inside with an incredibly worried look on his massive features.
What happened? he asked.
I dont know! Aston shouted. Maybe the fleet got caught on their way here. Maybe theyre jamming the transmission frequency of the target data. I dont any fucking clue, and it doesnt matter anyway. If we dont get out of here now, were dead.
He kicked the door open, ran out into the street, and slammed headlong into Had Bristol. The silk merchant fell over backwards, and Aston blinked.
Aston! Had said, excitedly. Im sorry, I should have been looking where I was going!
Aston reached down to help the merchant to his feet.
You have to run, he said.
What? Had asked. Have you seen the tank columns? I heard they were moving through here, and I wanted to see. I had hoped to get a picture or two to bring back to my son.
Yeah, Ive seen them, Aston said hurriedly. But trust me, you dont want to be a foreigner here in the near future. You have to run.
Had frowned. Is something wrong?
Yeah, somethings wrong. There are soldiers coming, and theyre going to start killing people. Look, we lied to you, okay? Were not really merchants. Were from Triangle, but were in Keaton Errors Bolt Company in the REF. He sent us here on a special ops mission, and the shit is about to hit the fan. Now run!
Uh, Aston? Dred said. I think theyre coming. I hear gunfire.
Keaton Error? Had said. You dont say. Is he here? Can I meet him? Wow, if I could get a picture of that, itd make my sons year. Wow!
Aston shook his head. Dred he said. I want you to take Ser Bristol and
He broke off as Inez ran across the busy street and almost got struck by a small, puttering, Scandian built car. Aston didnt think it would have damaged her much if it had hit, but it was a near miss anyway. The driver swerved, and the grill fell off. After that, the radiator fell out of where the grill had been, and hot coolant spilled out all over the road.
Private Maric, she said, breathless. What happened? What went wrong?
I dont know, Aston said. But theyre coming for us. Look, can you get Had to safety? Hes just an innocent bystander, and Im afraid somethings going to happen to him. He wont leave.
Inez nodded. Aston could you do something for me?
Make it quick, Aston said.
Okay. Inez took in a deep breath, and then spoke very quickly. Im from Fenwyr, you know that much already. My family is still there, my mother, father and my little sister. Look, if I dont make it back from this I want you to find them and tell them what happened. They dont even know Im Celpo. Well, Isobel does. But please. Tell them I love them. Tell Isobel I dont want her to share my fate. Will you do it?
You have my word, Aston nodded.
Thank you, Inez said. She stood up on her toes, kissed Aston on the cheek, then grabbed Hads hand and started to run back across the street.
Wait! Aston yelled. Whats your name? Your real name.
Inez looked over her shoulder. Isodore dFenwyr, she shouted.
Then she slipped in the polymer infused coolant and fell over. Aston went to run out and help her up, but the soldiers poured through the confusion of the thronging crowd and he stopped like a deer in headlights.
You there! one of the soldiers yelled. He was pointing to Isodore and Had. You arent Damcyanese. Halt!
Isodore tried to get up, but she slipped again. Hads eyes flew open wide at the sight of all the guns trained on him, and he chose that moment to flee.
Several hundred needlerounds found his back, and the silk merchant from Triangle fell to the slick ground in a slurry of red and white. What landed next to Isodore was hardly recognizable as human, and then the mobbing crowd closed in and he could see no more.
Holy Goddess he muttered. Desetter
I know, Desetter said. Run.
Part Eight: Haunted Heart
By: SilentJerry
Thread: Iron Writer
Posted: July 13, 2003
The slow boat to Eblan rocked back and forth in a very nauseating motion. If anything it was worse than the tiny coracle theyd taken from Maranda to Narshe, which was stupid. The ferry that ran from Baron to Eblan was massive, and traveled rough waters. It should have had more stabilization ability than it did. But it didnt, and that was just one more thing for Bethamin to add to the plate of her dogs dinner.
The motion of the boat wasnt even the worst of it. The worst of it was her current companion, and the only other person in the tiny compartment.
Aston Maric sat on the bench opposite her, and they stared at each other in silence. It had been several hours since theyd boarded the boat without a single word. They hadnt actually spoken since Baron, when he had told her that it was useless to wait for the others when they hadnt made any kind of a contingency plan of where to meet if things went wrong.
She hated to admit it, but he was right.
She also hated to admit that the cock up in Kaipo probably hadnt been his fault, because it probably hadnt been. But she blamed him anyway. Shed done her job right, and he was the only other sniper. So even though the triangulation data streamed to her rifle from his had looked right, he must have done something wrong.
And even if he hadnt, that didnt change the fact that poor Ser Bristol was dead, and the other three missing, not to mention Inez.
Are we just going to sit here and stare at each other until we get to Eblan? he asked.
She rolled her eyes. Youre welcome to throw yourself into the sea any time you want, she said.
Look, Sted probably got out fine, he said after a few more minutes. If we got out, then they probably did too. What have we got that they dont?
Beth glared at him coldly. He really, truly didnt get it.
She didnt want to respond to him. She didnt want to talk to him, look at him or even acknowledge his existence. But she already had.
You know what the stupid part is? she asked.
What?
Do you know what the really, brilliantly, absurdly cocked up part is?
What is it?
I did like you, she said, her gaze still icy. Until you turned into a jealous, raving lunatic, I did. If youd asked me out before Sted, it would have been you. Hell, if youd asked me after Sted did it probably still would have been you. Youve always been so sweet, so kind, and loyal. And you never had anything to prove. Or at least, thats what I thought.
Oh.
Is that all you have to say? Beth demanded. You realize that if Stedman Reynan died in Kaipo, Ill never be able to forget him, dont you?
Aston swallowed. Of course. You loved him.
Beth shrugged. He loved me, she said. And hell always be in my heart. A ghost in my heart.
Hes not dead, Aston said. Look, weve been friends our entire life. I know him as well as I know myself. He didnt die in there, Beth. I promise you, hell be okay.
I hope youre right, she said.
He offered the small, kindling of a smile. I know I am.
After Eblan, then what? she asked, after a moment.
The boat pitched and she fell forward, but Aston caught her before she could fall on the floor. Then he helped her back onto her bench; a perfect gentleman. It infuriated her.
Im not sure, he said. There was never a plan for this. All Im going by are some maps of the web I studied at boot camp, and inter-dimensional geography is confusing as all hell. I think theres a gate in Eblan that will lead to Guardia. And if I remember right, theres a gate not far from that which leads to Pandora. Theres a gate there that leads to Thamasa.
Thats a long trip, Beth said. Her heart sunk. Even if Sted was alive, shed have no way of knowing for a very long time. And until then, shed have the company of Aston Maric, the perfect gentleman.
We could have taken the gate from Baron to Narshe, he said, shrugging. But its not a chance I wanted to take. Barons sitting out the war, but that doesnt mean the Communists dont have their spies there. Ill take the long, safe road over the short, dangerous one.
Aston?
What?
Beth looked at her feet. I didnt tell Sted what happened at Mount Hobbes. I just wanted you to know that. He guessed it. Like you said, you two have known each other a long time. He must have known there was a reason youd want to go with Ceri and me on a stupid, pointless mission like that.
And I just confirmed it for him.
Beth nodded.
There goes plausible deniability, he muttered, but he smiled. Look, Beth, even if you had told him I wouldnt have held it against you. I was an ass. I shouldnt have even said anything. I know that. If you and Sted were a couple, it wasnt any of my business.
Wasnt?
Aston blinked. Isnt, he said. Im sorry, Beth. Shit, you know I meant isnt.
Beth laughed. This is going to be a longer trip than I thought, she said.
He sighed when she laughed, and had the look of a man who had dodged a bullet that nicked his ear in the process. We can be friends, though, he said. Right? Theres no reason we cant be friends until we get home, until Sted and I have words.
Beth got up from her seat on the bench and embraced Aston tightly.
We can be, she said, sat down and put her head in the crook of his neck to cry tears of confusion more than anything else. We can be whatever you want.
The motion of the boat wasnt even the worst of it. The worst of it was her current companion, and the only other person in the tiny compartment.
Aston Maric sat on the bench opposite her, and they stared at each other in silence. It had been several hours since theyd boarded the boat without a single word. They hadnt actually spoken since Baron, when he had told her that it was useless to wait for the others when they hadnt made any kind of a contingency plan of where to meet if things went wrong.
She hated to admit it, but he was right.
She also hated to admit that the cock up in Kaipo probably hadnt been his fault, because it probably hadnt been. But she blamed him anyway. Shed done her job right, and he was the only other sniper. So even though the triangulation data streamed to her rifle from his had looked right, he must have done something wrong.
And even if he hadnt, that didnt change the fact that poor Ser Bristol was dead, and the other three missing, not to mention Inez.
Are we just going to sit here and stare at each other until we get to Eblan? he asked.
She rolled her eyes. Youre welcome to throw yourself into the sea any time you want, she said.
Look, Sted probably got out fine, he said after a few more minutes. If we got out, then they probably did too. What have we got that they dont?
Beth glared at him coldly. He really, truly didnt get it.
She didnt want to respond to him. She didnt want to talk to him, look at him or even acknowledge his existence. But she already had.
You know what the stupid part is? she asked.
What?
Do you know what the really, brilliantly, absurdly cocked up part is?
What is it?
I did like you, she said, her gaze still icy. Until you turned into a jealous, raving lunatic, I did. If youd asked me out before Sted, it would have been you. Hell, if youd asked me after Sted did it probably still would have been you. Youve always been so sweet, so kind, and loyal. And you never had anything to prove. Or at least, thats what I thought.
Oh.
Is that all you have to say? Beth demanded. You realize that if Stedman Reynan died in Kaipo, Ill never be able to forget him, dont you?
Aston swallowed. Of course. You loved him.
Beth shrugged. He loved me, she said. And hell always be in my heart. A ghost in my heart.
Hes not dead, Aston said. Look, weve been friends our entire life. I know him as well as I know myself. He didnt die in there, Beth. I promise you, hell be okay.
I hope youre right, she said.
He offered the small, kindling of a smile. I know I am.
After Eblan, then what? she asked, after a moment.
The boat pitched and she fell forward, but Aston caught her before she could fall on the floor. Then he helped her back onto her bench; a perfect gentleman. It infuriated her.
Im not sure, he said. There was never a plan for this. All Im going by are some maps of the web I studied at boot camp, and inter-dimensional geography is confusing as all hell. I think theres a gate in Eblan that will lead to Guardia. And if I remember right, theres a gate not far from that which leads to Pandora. Theres a gate there that leads to Thamasa.
Thats a long trip, Beth said. Her heart sunk. Even if Sted was alive, shed have no way of knowing for a very long time. And until then, shed have the company of Aston Maric, the perfect gentleman.
We could have taken the gate from Baron to Narshe, he said, shrugging. But its not a chance I wanted to take. Barons sitting out the war, but that doesnt mean the Communists dont have their spies there. Ill take the long, safe road over the short, dangerous one.
Aston?
What?
Beth looked at her feet. I didnt tell Sted what happened at Mount Hobbes. I just wanted you to know that. He guessed it. Like you said, you two have known each other a long time. He must have known there was a reason youd want to go with Ceri and me on a stupid, pointless mission like that.
And I just confirmed it for him.
Beth nodded.
There goes plausible deniability, he muttered, but he smiled. Look, Beth, even if you had told him I wouldnt have held it against you. I was an ass. I shouldnt have even said anything. I know that. If you and Sted were a couple, it wasnt any of my business.
Wasnt?
Aston blinked. Isnt, he said. Im sorry, Beth. Shit, you know I meant isnt.
Beth laughed. This is going to be a longer trip than I thought, she said.
He sighed when she laughed, and had the look of a man who had dodged a bullet that nicked his ear in the process. We can be friends, though, he said. Right? Theres no reason we cant be friends until we get home, until Sted and I have words.
Beth got up from her seat on the bench and embraced Aston tightly.
We can be, she said, sat down and put her head in the crook of his neck to cry tears of confusion more than anything else. We can be whatever you want.
Part Nine: Ashes of Doubt
By: SilentJerry
Thread: Iron Writer
Posted: July 13, 2003
Stedman Reynan sat in the darkness of the Damcyanese holding cell. It was cold, damp, moldy, and smelled as rank as anything hed ever smelled in his life. He shared it with two human beings and a bunch of old bones and ashes.
The living souls who shared his incarceration were Ceridwen Fait and Isodore dFenwyr, who he had called Inez up until a few weeks past. Of his girlfriend, his best friend, and one of the only other people in all the worlds he counted as friend, he knew nothing. And, after a fashion, it was entirely his fault.
He felt no guilt, though. This had never been his intention, and after his tinkering with the mission parameters, which was to say totally ignoring them, he felt as if everything had been a success. There was only the batter of being trapped in a dank jail somewhere under Damcyan City, and the part of Beth still being missing, but all of that was remedied easily enough.
We have to get out of here, Ceri said, rocking slowly back and forth. After weeks out of the sun and with little to no nourishment, she was beginning to look like a pale, skeletal shadow of her former self. We cant stay here.
Well, were here for the moment, Isodore said. Theres no changing that. Unless either one of you can walk through walls? No? Then I guess were stuck here anyway.
Very funny, Sted said.
Isodore shrugged. Keep it light or go insane.
They teach you that at Celpo school?
No, Isodore said. My dad taught me that. He was in the Great War.
Whats he like? Ceri asked.
Strict. He didnt want me to join the Celpo, but I did anyway. See, he knew Praxer during the Great War, so he has some pretty strong feelings about it. He pretty much forbade me, so you know I just went ahead and did it. My work is important, and I feel like Im really helping the web.
Sted clapped, four slow staccato claps. How admirable, he said.
Ass, Ceri muttered.
Anyway, my sister wants to follow me into it too, Isodore said, glaring at Sted. I think if she did my dad would probably have a heart attack. So I worked my way up the ranks until I could get a personal appointment with Praxer, and I politely requested that the Celpo refuse any request by my sister to join up.
And he listened?
Isodore laughed. Hardly. Theyre chomping at the bit so hard now I think they might go and recruit her straight out of highschool. Her senior year just started, so I doubt theyd actually do it. But I wouldnt put it past them if they did. I just dont understand why she wants this life. Shed have the hand of a prince in marriage if shed just quit being selfish for one minute.
Prince? Ceri seemed enthralled. Sted was somewhat less than interested, but there was nothing else in the cell to keep his attention. The light that came in from the high window wasnt direct. It was reflected through so many dirty mirrors that by the time it got to the cell it was dim and a dingy yellow. It made his two companions look dead, and he imagined them that way.
Prince Carlos Bichass of Anise, Isodore said. My father was one of the Kings retainers when we were young, and the Prince and my sister were friends as small children. Princelings are usually starved to playmates when they dont have cousins around, and King Tasset was an only child.
She could be a queen, but would rather be Celpo?
Isodore shrugged. Isobel is a strange girl.
Yes, this is all fascinating, Sted said. But we have to escape.
And how to you suggest we do that? Isodore asked.
Sted frowned. He hadnt wanted to do this, but the weeks of confinement had taught him he would have no other choice. He had to escape, and wait outside for the Communists to win, and then return to Beth and his newly-great Holding.
He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a small pistol, which he had been able to conceal from the guards when they were brought down and locked up. He pointed it at Ceri, who jumped to her feet and screamed.
First Ill shoot Ceridwen, and then when the guards come Ill shoot them, he told Isodore. Ceridwen fell to her knees and started pleading desperately for her life, but he closed his eyes and shot her in the head. It was the quickest way, really.
Im sorry, Ceri. When I get home, Ill tell your family that you died with honor. Then he concealed the gun up his sleeve and turned to the bars. Guards! Guards! Ceridwen Setane committed suicide! Come quickly!
He saw out of the corner of his eye that Isodore was struck dumb by what had happened, but he would worry about that later. She was a witness to his crime, and the only witness, but he also might need her to escape.
Two Damcyanese came running up the long, empty corridor and paused at the bars. What happened? one of them demanded.
She shot herself! Sted shouted. Help her!
With what gun? the guard asked.
Sted sighed. With this one, he said, and shot both the guards.
The two men crumpled to the ground, and he reached through the bars to grab the keys off one of their belts. It was easy enough to reach around and unlock the bars then, and slide them open. He stepped through, and aimed his gun at Isodore.
Are you coming? he asked.
You shot your friend.
Yes, I know, Sted said impatiently. Are you coming?
Will you shoot me?
Dont be stupid, Sted snapped. Youre Celpo. Do you think Id dare shoot a Celpo? Now lets get out of here before they find the bodies. He gestured, and after a moment Isodore ran out of the cell and down the long, dark corridor. He followed closely behind her with the pistol out and ready to shoot again if need be.
He could almost taste his freedom, and his long sought power after that.
He shot three more guards on the way to the surface, and stole the headscarf off the last one before walking out into the crowded streets of Damcyan City. Isodore followed him into the bright sunlight, and she had the look of a cat whose tail had just been stepped on.
Well? he said. Run.
She took off down the crowded street, and he followed after her. It was none too soon, either, as a flood of guards poured out of the prison and after them. He had hoped that wouldnt happen, but it looked like his escape had tripped a few more red flags than he would have liked.
Isodore seemed to know the streets of the city fairly well, which was good. All Sted knew was that the city was north of Kaipo and west of Fabul. He was completely ignorant about the layout of the city itself, and would have gotten completely turned around without Isodore to lead him. He probably would have ran right into the arms of the pursuing guards, who they saw in the periphery several times as they ran.
The police had been brought into the chase too, and Sted became to grow nervous.
How long can we evade them like this? he asked, as they hid behind a large dumpster.
As long as we need to, Isodore said. If we can keep away from them until dark, I have a contact I can get us to. He can get us out of the dimension safely.
Who said I want to leave the dimension? Sted asked.
Isodore frowned.
Lets get some iced tea, he suggested.
Maybe you forgot, the Celpo agent said. Were being chased by people who will kill us if they catch us.
No, I remember, Sted said. Do you remember my gun? I still have it.
He bared his teeth in a smile, and she seemed to get the general idea of what he was driving at. She stood and walked slowly across the street to a caf, where he ordered them two iced teas. The smoky drinks arrived, and he took a long draught before he stood up and moved behind her.
What are you doing? she asked.
Going to ground, he said. Until like the phoenix, I rise from the ashes.
Youre fucking insane, she whispered.
And youre fucking dead, he snapped.
Isodore blinked. Nice try. But you already said you wouldnt kill me.
Sted smiled and drew the veil tightly around his face, and placed the pistol in Isodores small hand. She struggled against him, but he had one hand on her shoulder to keep her in her seat, and she was unable to keep him from closing her slender fingers around the gun and forcing it into the soft flesh under her chin.
I wont kill you, he said. Youll do it yourself. Goodnight, Isodore.
They pulled the trigger, and he vanished into the shadows.
The living souls who shared his incarceration were Ceridwen Fait and Isodore dFenwyr, who he had called Inez up until a few weeks past. Of his girlfriend, his best friend, and one of the only other people in all the worlds he counted as friend, he knew nothing. And, after a fashion, it was entirely his fault.
He felt no guilt, though. This had never been his intention, and after his tinkering with the mission parameters, which was to say totally ignoring them, he felt as if everything had been a success. There was only the batter of being trapped in a dank jail somewhere under Damcyan City, and the part of Beth still being missing, but all of that was remedied easily enough.
We have to get out of here, Ceri said, rocking slowly back and forth. After weeks out of the sun and with little to no nourishment, she was beginning to look like a pale, skeletal shadow of her former self. We cant stay here.
Well, were here for the moment, Isodore said. Theres no changing that. Unless either one of you can walk through walls? No? Then I guess were stuck here anyway.
Very funny, Sted said.
Isodore shrugged. Keep it light or go insane.
They teach you that at Celpo school?
No, Isodore said. My dad taught me that. He was in the Great War.
Whats he like? Ceri asked.
Strict. He didnt want me to join the Celpo, but I did anyway. See, he knew Praxer during the Great War, so he has some pretty strong feelings about it. He pretty much forbade me, so you know I just went ahead and did it. My work is important, and I feel like Im really helping the web.
Sted clapped, four slow staccato claps. How admirable, he said.
Ass, Ceri muttered.
Anyway, my sister wants to follow me into it too, Isodore said, glaring at Sted. I think if she did my dad would probably have a heart attack. So I worked my way up the ranks until I could get a personal appointment with Praxer, and I politely requested that the Celpo refuse any request by my sister to join up.
And he listened?
Isodore laughed. Hardly. Theyre chomping at the bit so hard now I think they might go and recruit her straight out of highschool. Her senior year just started, so I doubt theyd actually do it. But I wouldnt put it past them if they did. I just dont understand why she wants this life. Shed have the hand of a prince in marriage if shed just quit being selfish for one minute.
Prince? Ceri seemed enthralled. Sted was somewhat less than interested, but there was nothing else in the cell to keep his attention. The light that came in from the high window wasnt direct. It was reflected through so many dirty mirrors that by the time it got to the cell it was dim and a dingy yellow. It made his two companions look dead, and he imagined them that way.
Prince Carlos Bichass of Anise, Isodore said. My father was one of the Kings retainers when we were young, and the Prince and my sister were friends as small children. Princelings are usually starved to playmates when they dont have cousins around, and King Tasset was an only child.
She could be a queen, but would rather be Celpo?
Isodore shrugged. Isobel is a strange girl.
Yes, this is all fascinating, Sted said. But we have to escape.
And how to you suggest we do that? Isodore asked.
Sted frowned. He hadnt wanted to do this, but the weeks of confinement had taught him he would have no other choice. He had to escape, and wait outside for the Communists to win, and then return to Beth and his newly-great Holding.
He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a small pistol, which he had been able to conceal from the guards when they were brought down and locked up. He pointed it at Ceri, who jumped to her feet and screamed.
First Ill shoot Ceridwen, and then when the guards come Ill shoot them, he told Isodore. Ceridwen fell to her knees and started pleading desperately for her life, but he closed his eyes and shot her in the head. It was the quickest way, really.
Im sorry, Ceri. When I get home, Ill tell your family that you died with honor. Then he concealed the gun up his sleeve and turned to the bars. Guards! Guards! Ceridwen Setane committed suicide! Come quickly!
He saw out of the corner of his eye that Isodore was struck dumb by what had happened, but he would worry about that later. She was a witness to his crime, and the only witness, but he also might need her to escape.
Two Damcyanese came running up the long, empty corridor and paused at the bars. What happened? one of them demanded.
She shot herself! Sted shouted. Help her!
With what gun? the guard asked.
Sted sighed. With this one, he said, and shot both the guards.
The two men crumpled to the ground, and he reached through the bars to grab the keys off one of their belts. It was easy enough to reach around and unlock the bars then, and slide them open. He stepped through, and aimed his gun at Isodore.
Are you coming? he asked.
You shot your friend.
Yes, I know, Sted said impatiently. Are you coming?
Will you shoot me?
Dont be stupid, Sted snapped. Youre Celpo. Do you think Id dare shoot a Celpo? Now lets get out of here before they find the bodies. He gestured, and after a moment Isodore ran out of the cell and down the long, dark corridor. He followed closely behind her with the pistol out and ready to shoot again if need be.
He could almost taste his freedom, and his long sought power after that.
He shot three more guards on the way to the surface, and stole the headscarf off the last one before walking out into the crowded streets of Damcyan City. Isodore followed him into the bright sunlight, and she had the look of a cat whose tail had just been stepped on.
Well? he said. Run.
She took off down the crowded street, and he followed after her. It was none too soon, either, as a flood of guards poured out of the prison and after them. He had hoped that wouldnt happen, but it looked like his escape had tripped a few more red flags than he would have liked.
Isodore seemed to know the streets of the city fairly well, which was good. All Sted knew was that the city was north of Kaipo and west of Fabul. He was completely ignorant about the layout of the city itself, and would have gotten completely turned around without Isodore to lead him. He probably would have ran right into the arms of the pursuing guards, who they saw in the periphery several times as they ran.
The police had been brought into the chase too, and Sted became to grow nervous.
How long can we evade them like this? he asked, as they hid behind a large dumpster.
As long as we need to, Isodore said. If we can keep away from them until dark, I have a contact I can get us to. He can get us out of the dimension safely.
Who said I want to leave the dimension? Sted asked.
Isodore frowned.
Lets get some iced tea, he suggested.
Maybe you forgot, the Celpo agent said. Were being chased by people who will kill us if they catch us.
No, I remember, Sted said. Do you remember my gun? I still have it.
He bared his teeth in a smile, and she seemed to get the general idea of what he was driving at. She stood and walked slowly across the street to a caf, where he ordered them two iced teas. The smoky drinks arrived, and he took a long draught before he stood up and moved behind her.
What are you doing? she asked.
Going to ground, he said. Until like the phoenix, I rise from the ashes.
Youre fucking insane, she whispered.
And youre fucking dead, he snapped.
Isodore blinked. Nice try. But you already said you wouldnt kill me.
Sted smiled and drew the veil tightly around his face, and placed the pistol in Isodores small hand. She struggled against him, but he had one hand on her shoulder to keep her in her seat, and she was unable to keep him from closing her slender fingers around the gun and forcing it into the soft flesh under her chin.
I wont kill you, he said. Youll do it yourself. Goodnight, Isodore.
They pulled the trigger, and he vanished into the shadows.
Part Ten: Sweet as Salt
By: SilentJerry
Thread: Iron Writer
Posted: July 13, 2003
A cold wind blew in over the Western Wall, and Bethamin Madeira shivered. She stood facing the boundless ocean with her back to Aston Maric, and he drew his arms more tightly around her. They were waiting on an old friend, and a desperate hope for some news.
It was deep into the fall, and the REF didnt yet know she and Aston had returned to Triangle. All five members of Ochre Squad were listed as Missing in Action, and two of them still were. She and Aston had, against all odds, made it through all of the strangeness of the web together and home safely. And now they had word from Drederick Desetter, who was on his way home. His ship was due in any moment.
One of the massive davits lifted a ship up the cliff and set it down on a brace, but when it was emptied they were still alone on the edge of the Western Wall. Aston squeezed her, and she put her hands up to grasp onto his arms.
If hes okay, they probably are too, right? she asked.
She craned her neck around to look at him, and he nodded. By the grace of the Prophetess, I hope they are, he said. Drederick will have news.
If he doesnt
If he doesnt, then Ill go to the REF and ask them to mount a rescue mission, Aston said. Itll mean serving out the rest of my jag, but Ill do it anyway. If Sted and Ceri are still out there hurt or something, Ill do whatever it takes to bring them home.
And if you do
I know the consequences, and I can live with them, Aston said.
I love you, Beth whispered.
I know, Aston said. I always knew.
Dont you?
Dont I what?
Love
Another ship came over the cliffs, and Beth broke off to concentrate all of her will on it. She knew that Aston loved her with all of his heart. Anything less wouldnt be in character for him. But with Sted still missing, it was even more difficult for him than it was for her. She had loved him before all of this happened, even if he constantly infuriated her. But she was still the girlfriend of his best friend, and his best friend was still missing.
I think this is the one, she said.
She blinked, and Aston started laughing. Someone had debarked from the ship who was startlingly large, and dark as the night sky. There could only be one man of that description, and Beth broke free from Aston to run to him. Aston ran behind her, and when they reached him Dred caught them both up in a massive bear hug like they were nothing more than rag dolls.
Dred! Beth shouted through the tears. Oh, Dred, its so good to see you.
Im glad to be home! the man shouted, and then set them both down carefully. He had a new scar running down the side of his bald head, and his eyes were bloodshot, but other than that he wasnt much the worse for wear. His smile was broad and his eyes wide.
Where are Ceri and Sted? he asked.
Beth blinked. For a moment she couldnt hear anything but the rush of air past her ears as she fell to her knees. Aston was there in a moment to help her to her feet, and support her.
We thought they might be with you, he said. We hoped they would be with you.
The smile fell off of Dreds face, and he slowly adopted the look of a big, hurt puppy. Ceri
We got out together, Aston said. Beths world was spinning, and she would have been on the ground again if not for Aston holding her up. Sted and Ceridwen were still gone. They hadnt gotten out. But we couldnt find you or the others, so we came home alone.
Dred sounded like he was on the verge of crying. His eyes were wide as saucers and watery. I got out alone, he said. And I couldnt find anyone, so I came home. I sent a message to your parents, Beth, as soon as I could.
They got it, Beth whispered. Thats why we were waiting.
Im sorry, Dred said. The way his features fluttered through emotions, it looked like had just realized something. I didnt mention that I wasnt with the others because I thought they were with you.
Its okay, Aston said. Were just glad you got back safely.
Dred nodded, then he seemed to take notice of something else. Aston? Are you two
Its complicated, Aston said. Beth? Do you want to sit?
No, Beth said. Ill be fine.
Okay, he said. Well, theres only one thing for it then.
What? Desetter asked.
Aston gave a sad grin. Its all done but one.
Beth squeaked quietly. Youre not
I some friends to rescue, he said. Then he reached into his back pocket and pulled out the bronze colored headscarf hed brought back from Damcyan. She knew that hed carried it with him everywhere since leaving that desert country. And now she supposed she knew why. On some level, Aston must have always known this day would come.
Ill go with, Desetter said.
No, Aston insisted. Youll stay here with Beth until I get back with Sted and Ceri. Dred? Promise me.
Dred nodded, and Aston smiled a bittersweet smile.
He leaned in close and kissed her on the forehead. Then he gently kissed the tears away from each of her eyes in turn, and straightened up. He veiled himself without saying anything, and her heart began to quicken.
What is it? she asked.
Your tears, he answered. Sweet as salt.
It was deep into the fall, and the REF didnt yet know she and Aston had returned to Triangle. All five members of Ochre Squad were listed as Missing in Action, and two of them still were. She and Aston had, against all odds, made it through all of the strangeness of the web together and home safely. And now they had word from Drederick Desetter, who was on his way home. His ship was due in any moment.
One of the massive davits lifted a ship up the cliff and set it down on a brace, but when it was emptied they were still alone on the edge of the Western Wall. Aston squeezed her, and she put her hands up to grasp onto his arms.
If hes okay, they probably are too, right? she asked.
She craned her neck around to look at him, and he nodded. By the grace of the Prophetess, I hope they are, he said. Drederick will have news.
If he doesnt
If he doesnt, then Ill go to the REF and ask them to mount a rescue mission, Aston said. Itll mean serving out the rest of my jag, but Ill do it anyway. If Sted and Ceri are still out there hurt or something, Ill do whatever it takes to bring them home.
And if you do
I know the consequences, and I can live with them, Aston said.
I love you, Beth whispered.
I know, Aston said. I always knew.
Dont you?
Dont I what?
Love
Another ship came over the cliffs, and Beth broke off to concentrate all of her will on it. She knew that Aston loved her with all of his heart. Anything less wouldnt be in character for him. But with Sted still missing, it was even more difficult for him than it was for her. She had loved him before all of this happened, even if he constantly infuriated her. But she was still the girlfriend of his best friend, and his best friend was still missing.
I think this is the one, she said.
She blinked, and Aston started laughing. Someone had debarked from the ship who was startlingly large, and dark as the night sky. There could only be one man of that description, and Beth broke free from Aston to run to him. Aston ran behind her, and when they reached him Dred caught them both up in a massive bear hug like they were nothing more than rag dolls.
Dred! Beth shouted through the tears. Oh, Dred, its so good to see you.
Im glad to be home! the man shouted, and then set them both down carefully. He had a new scar running down the side of his bald head, and his eyes were bloodshot, but other than that he wasnt much the worse for wear. His smile was broad and his eyes wide.
Where are Ceri and Sted? he asked.
Beth blinked. For a moment she couldnt hear anything but the rush of air past her ears as she fell to her knees. Aston was there in a moment to help her to her feet, and support her.
We thought they might be with you, he said. We hoped they would be with you.
The smile fell off of Dreds face, and he slowly adopted the look of a big, hurt puppy. Ceri
We got out together, Aston said. Beths world was spinning, and she would have been on the ground again if not for Aston holding her up. Sted and Ceridwen were still gone. They hadnt gotten out. But we couldnt find you or the others, so we came home alone.
Dred sounded like he was on the verge of crying. His eyes were wide as saucers and watery. I got out alone, he said. And I couldnt find anyone, so I came home. I sent a message to your parents, Beth, as soon as I could.
They got it, Beth whispered. Thats why we were waiting.
Im sorry, Dred said. The way his features fluttered through emotions, it looked like had just realized something. I didnt mention that I wasnt with the others because I thought they were with you.
Its okay, Aston said. Were just glad you got back safely.
Dred nodded, then he seemed to take notice of something else. Aston? Are you two
Its complicated, Aston said. Beth? Do you want to sit?
No, Beth said. Ill be fine.
Okay, he said. Well, theres only one thing for it then.
What? Desetter asked.
Aston gave a sad grin. Its all done but one.
Beth squeaked quietly. Youre not
I some friends to rescue, he said. Then he reached into his back pocket and pulled out the bronze colored headscarf hed brought back from Damcyan. She knew that hed carried it with him everywhere since leaving that desert country. And now she supposed she knew why. On some level, Aston must have always known this day would come.
Ill go with, Desetter said.
No, Aston insisted. Youll stay here with Beth until I get back with Sted and Ceri. Dred? Promise me.
Dred nodded, and Aston smiled a bittersweet smile.
He leaned in close and kissed her on the forehead. Then he gently kissed the tears away from each of her eyes in turn, and straightened up. He veiled himself without saying anything, and her heart began to quicken.
What is it? she asked.
Your tears, he answered. Sweet as salt.
Part Eleven: Funeral Song
By: SilentJerry
Thread: Iron Writer
Posted: July 13, 2003
Aston Maric walked into Damcyan City with his face veiled and a GR-13 Gravitic Assault Rifle held in his left hand like a pistol. He also had an Officers saber on his belt, even though he wasnt an Officer. He wasnt anything right now except a man with two friends stuck behind enemy lines. He had raided a supply depot at the Polaris garrison with the help of Desetter, and he had enough hardware for a small militia strapped to his body.
Hed garnered strange looks in Kaipo, but he didnt care. He was a man with a mission, and that mission was to return Sted and Ceri to safety. The Fascists and Communists could go fuck each other, and anyone who looked at him funny was going to get a face full of lead from a Desert Wyvern .50 Magnum that was almost as heavy as the rifle.
It was amazing how many people answered your questions very quickly, when you had a sniper rifle rested on the bridge of their nose. And with the chaos that Damcyan had fallen on with the coming of the fall, there were precious few men of the law to tell him his business.
He had a lead, and though it was pale he was determined to follow it to the end.
Nobody had heard or seen anything of two people matching Sted and Ceris descriptions together, but there were rumors of a man much like Sted, only with a rich tan and a thick beard. This man spoke fluent Damcyanese and nothing else, but it was all Aston had.
The sun was on its way down when he got to the city, and by the time hed reached the barrio spoken of in the rumors it was near on to full dark. He kicked open the door in question though, and walked into the dilapidated warehouse like he owned the place.
It was dark inside, but he could smell burning oil and saw the soft orange glow of a lamp coming from under a door at the far end of a hallway. He started towards it, and his boots echoed off the bare metal ground and the high, bare walls.
Halfway down the hallway a shadowy shape jumped out at him with a weapon ready, but he shot its kneecaps out from under it. The man fell to the ground writhing in pain, and Aston stepped over him.
You should have killed me, the man whispered.
Aston shrugged. Im coming back this way, he said.
If there were more guards, they had fled after Astons deliberate example of what he was capable of. When he got to the door, he rapped sharply on it three times with the butt of his assault rifle. Then he slid the bolt back and slipped a shell into the chamber.
Hello? he called. Is the lady of the house at home? Fuller Brush Man calling. Oh, Im sorry, that was last month. Today Im here to kill you, if you have my friends in there. Dont worry; if you dont open the door, I have a key. It is my foot, because Ill kick it in.
The door slid open, and the soft orange light momentarily blinded Aston. He blinked, and his eyes slowly acclimated. Standing there in front of him, like a tall, blonde ghost was Sted. Only he wasnt blonde anymore. His hair was dyed white, and his beard was white peppered with black.
Holy Goddess, its you, Aston said. Sted, I didnt think wed ever see you again.
Sted smiled. You found my little operation, he said.
Whatve you been up to?
Oh, a little of this, a little of that. Mostly weapons sales. And you? I mean, aside from fucking my girlfriend.
Aston blinked and backed away sharply. The words had bitten him like a snake, and he nearly dropped his rifle. Sted, he said. Its not like that. You know I wouldnt.
Sted shook his head, and reached behind the doorway. He drew out a straight shot rocket launcher, which he cradled like a baby. I can smell her on you, he snapped. Dont lie, Aston. You never could lie to me. He shook his head, and Aston saw that his eyes were wild. You werent supposed to come back here. You werent supposed to find out.
Find out what?
Now everyone will know! I was supposed to stay here until the war was over, and then Id have come back, and now everyone will know what I did.
Sted, Aston said. What did you do?
Only what I had to, Sted said. He leveled the rocket launcher at Astons head. The same thing Ill do to you, now that I have to. Beth must never know what I had to do to get away, to make sure Id be safe to return to her. It would crush her.
Aston blinked. Who did you kill?
Sted fired the rocket launcher, and it was all Aston could do to leap out of the way. He hit a wall hard, and the jarring force knocked the rifle out of his hand. He sat up dizzy and fumbled at his belt for the Desert Wyvern, but Sted kicked it out of his hand.
The rocket had blown a hole in the side of the building and set it on fire too, so Aston leapt through the gaping maw and into the open air outside. Sted followed him with the Desert Wyvern well in hand.
I wish Id had this when I killed Ceri and Isodore, he said, transfixed by the powder gold finish. I bet it makes an enormous exit wound. Should we find out?
Aston stumbled backwards as if hed been dealt a physical blow. He almost had be
Hed garnered strange looks in Kaipo, but he didnt care. He was a man with a mission, and that mission was to return Sted and Ceri to safety. The Fascists and Communists could go fuck each other, and anyone who looked at him funny was going to get a face full of lead from a Desert Wyvern .50 Magnum that was almost as heavy as the rifle.
It was amazing how many people answered your questions very quickly, when you had a sniper rifle rested on the bridge of their nose. And with the chaos that Damcyan had fallen on with the coming of the fall, there were precious few men of the law to tell him his business.
He had a lead, and though it was pale he was determined to follow it to the end.
Nobody had heard or seen anything of two people matching Sted and Ceris descriptions together, but there were rumors of a man much like Sted, only with a rich tan and a thick beard. This man spoke fluent Damcyanese and nothing else, but it was all Aston had.
The sun was on its way down when he got to the city, and by the time hed reached the barrio spoken of in the rumors it was near on to full dark. He kicked open the door in question though, and walked into the dilapidated warehouse like he owned the place.
It was dark inside, but he could smell burning oil and saw the soft orange glow of a lamp coming from under a door at the far end of a hallway. He started towards it, and his boots echoed off the bare metal ground and the high, bare walls.
Halfway down the hallway a shadowy shape jumped out at him with a weapon ready, but he shot its kneecaps out from under it. The man fell to the ground writhing in pain, and Aston stepped over him.
You should have killed me, the man whispered.
Aston shrugged. Im coming back this way, he said.
If there were more guards, they had fled after Astons deliberate example of what he was capable of. When he got to the door, he rapped sharply on it three times with the butt of his assault rifle. Then he slid the bolt back and slipped a shell into the chamber.
Hello? he called. Is the lady of the house at home? Fuller Brush Man calling. Oh, Im sorry, that was last month. Today Im here to kill you, if you have my friends in there. Dont worry; if you dont open the door, I have a key. It is my foot, because Ill kick it in.
The door slid open, and the soft orange light momentarily blinded Aston. He blinked, and his eyes slowly acclimated. Standing there in front of him, like a tall, blonde ghost was Sted. Only he wasnt blonde anymore. His hair was dyed white, and his beard was white peppered with black.
Holy Goddess, its you, Aston said. Sted, I didnt think wed ever see you again.
Sted smiled. You found my little operation, he said.
Whatve you been up to?
Oh, a little of this, a little of that. Mostly weapons sales. And you? I mean, aside from fucking my girlfriend.
Aston blinked and backed away sharply. The words had bitten him like a snake, and he nearly dropped his rifle. Sted, he said. Its not like that. You know I wouldnt.
Sted shook his head, and reached behind the doorway. He drew out a straight shot rocket launcher, which he cradled like a baby. I can smell her on you, he snapped. Dont lie, Aston. You never could lie to me. He shook his head, and Aston saw that his eyes were wild. You werent supposed to come back here. You werent supposed to find out.
Find out what?
Now everyone will know! I was supposed to stay here until the war was over, and then Id have come back, and now everyone will know what I did.
Sted, Aston said. What did you do?
Only what I had to, Sted said. He leveled the rocket launcher at Astons head. The same thing Ill do to you, now that I have to. Beth must never know what I had to do to get away, to make sure Id be safe to return to her. It would crush her.
Aston blinked. Who did you kill?
Sted fired the rocket launcher, and it was all Aston could do to leap out of the way. He hit a wall hard, and the jarring force knocked the rifle out of his hand. He sat up dizzy and fumbled at his belt for the Desert Wyvern, but Sted kicked it out of his hand.
The rocket had blown a hole in the side of the building and set it on fire too, so Aston leapt through the gaping maw and into the open air outside. Sted followed him with the Desert Wyvern well in hand.
I wish Id had this when I killed Ceri and Isodore, he said, transfixed by the powder gold finish. I bet it makes an enormous exit wound. Should we find out?
Aston stumbled backwards as if hed been dealt a physical blow. He almost had be