Chapter 55
8-21 Aut'gin

1

"I'm bored," Darius declared. "Soooooo bored. We've been on this bloody ship for three and a half days, already. I thought those wind generators what's-her-name provided were supposed to make all our ships faster."

"They are, Darius," said Emma, who was sitting on the deck of the Woodsorrow with Darius and the Vole. The three of them had been spending a lot of time together, since leaving Shanty. "But you've known since the start of the trip that it was going to take at least nine days to reach Shipsister."

"I know, but it seems like they could do that even without magic."

"Maybe, if the God-given winds were in their favor 24/7, which pretty much never happens. Magic does potentially increase max speed a bit, but mostly what it means to say the generators make ships faster is that they can travel at top speed in whatever direction they choose, non-stop, regardless of what the natural wind is doing, or even if there's no wind at all. You know, when I first left Woodstockade, the trip could have taken about fourteen or fifteen days, if the ship I was on had had magic wind generators, but it actually took a bit over a month."

Darius sighed. "Okay, fine."

"So, Darius, is this your first time sailing?" asked the Vole. "I would have thought an adventurer like you would have some experience with that."

"Oh, I do. Just not a lot. Most of the time I've spent at sea has been short trips to and from some of the islands right around First Land. The one time I really spent much time at sea was when I sailed from Near Port to Port, which took, I think, about six and a half days. And while we didn't have a wind generator, the natural wind was with us pretty much the whole time. And back then, I wished the trip would have been faster. Which is weird, because it took a lot less time than it had taken to get to Near Port by land. I guess I just expected my first real sea voyage to be more exciting than land travel, but the novelty wore off after the first day or two. That's usually the way things work, with me: I just can't maintain much enthusiasm for very long. I get bored way too easily."

"Well," said Emma, "if you're really so bored, maybe you could do like Tom, and offer the crew a hand. Seems like there must be plenty of work to go around."

"Tom has experience sailing. He told us three days ago about that being one of the trades he learned years ago. If I tried to help, I'd just get in the way."

"A likely story. Sounds to me like you're just trying to avoid hard work."

"Hey, I'm going to be working hard soon enough, risking my life for a noble cause. I think it's fair to conserve my energy for that. Besides, sailing's in your blood, and I don't see you volunteering to help with that."

"I'm, uh, conserving my energy." Emma grinned, just for a moment. Then she sighed and said, "Actually, I'd rather be training. I know how to handle a sword, but it's not like I have much experience in battle. And any battles I have been in were surely nothing like war. Maybe I should have gone with Ginger and the others to Plist. Maybe we all should have."

"Hey, I for one didn't have that option," said the Vole. "I've got work to do before we get to First Village. I'm sure integrating hundreds of 'rats I've never met from villages I've never been to isn't going to be easy. You guys have it easy, so maybe you should quit complaining."

"Is that an order, sergeant?" Darius asked with a grin.

"I can make it one, if you like."

"Better not," said Emma. "I don't think that's an order I'm capable of following right now, and I'd hate to be charged with insubordination." She was sitting with her knees up, on which rested her hands. She looked down at them, and began slowly twiddling her thumbs, with a melancholy air. After a few moments, she said, "I've been thinking lately... I'm really the only one who hasn't brought anything special to the table. Darius, you're the one who got this whole thing started, and you've gotten your clan and all of your father's allies involved, as well as convincing Captain- I mean, Admiral- Teach to raise a navy. Ginger's organized so many Protestants. Cameron's going to be bringing the ex-Sorreters. Star turned out to be a former soldier, who's now become a general, and if not for his friendship with Stavros, we might not have the Kimrin regiment on our side. Hell, we'd probably still be in Woodman's dungeon. Even Tiejo recruited a ton of 'rats to our cause, including the Vole, here. Not to mention Vallus. I just feel completely useless!"

"That's not true," said Darius. "I never could have come this far without your encouragement, helping me through my depression and all. And don't forget, our job is far from over. There's plenty of time for you to do many great things. Besides... um... Tom hasn't done that much, either. And Tino's really done nothing. You don't think less of either of them, do you?"

She looked up at Darius and tried to smile, but he could tell her heart wasn't quite in it. "Thanks, Dare. You're right, I don't think less of them. Though I do think Tom's done more than I have. Anyway, my point is... lending moral support isn't enough. I know there's stuff I can do, when the battle actually starts. I may not be a soldier, but at least I can fight. It's just, I want to contribute more. You've all given yourselves to the cause, but you've also brought others to it, and all I've brought is myself. It's not nothing, but... it feels insufficient, inadequate. I guess it's kind of petty of me to feel that way. Just because I'm part of the Chaos doesn't mean I should automatically be any more important than any one of the individuals who've been brought to the cause, but I can't help wishing I could do some bringing, too."

Just then, Perryh walked over and said, "Hiya, gang. How's things? Nice weather we're having, isn't it? Perfect day for a picnic. Have you had lunch yet? I haven't."

"Would you like us to join you, then?" asked the Vole. "And where's Talon? I don't think I've ever seen the two of you apart."

"Oh, he's probably getting ready for battle. Speaking of which, I'm afraid I'll have to decline your gracious invitation to dine with you, though I appreciate the thought. Actually, Tom sent me to find you guys and let you know a small fleet has been spotted heading our way fast. From the west. Or was it the east? Anyway, it seems they mean to attack us, and he thought you should know about it."

Darius sprang to his feet. "Why didn't you lead with that?"

"My mother always told me it was rude to get straight to business. You should always start a conversation with a bit of friendly chitchat, that's what she always said."

"You know," said Emma, "if we all survive, I should introduce you to my friend Tino. I think you and he would get along famously."

"Hmmm, I don't know if I want any of my friendships to have fans. Seems an odd thing to be famous for."

"Never mind," said the Vole. "Let's just get going."

They all followed Perryh to the area where Tom and Talon were organizing the 'rats and Protestants and preparing them for battle, in case the ship was boarded, while taking care to stay out of the way of the crew, who were preparing to do all they could to make sure the ship wasn't boarded. And, more importantly, wasn't sunk. Seeing that the two of them had things well in hand, the Vole took out a t-mail bubble and made a conference call to his representatives on the other ships in the fleet, to make sure they were also prepared.

Darius and Emma moved to the rail, to look for the enemy fleet. Darius took out a telescope, which he'd bought shortly before leaving Shanty. "Looks like three capital ships and four smaller ones. It really is a bit disappointing, what passes for a 'fleet' on this planet, after some of the stories I've read. Still, it slightly outmatches what we've got here. I suddenly wish Teach hadn't sent part of his fleet ahead to Tanq."

"Can I borrow that?" Emma asked.

He handed her the telescope, which was becoming less necessary by the second. It wouldn't be long before the enemy was in firing range. After half a centhour, Emma exclaimed, "I know that ship! That's the Roderick's Revenge! My father's ship!" She quickly handed the telescope back to Darius, then fished in her pocket for a t-mail bubble. After withdrawing it, she realized it was a bittrickle bubble, and wouldn't be able to call anyone who wasn't on the same network. She swore under her breath, and ran down to the cargo deck, where makeshift quarters had been arranged for the passengers, to find a regular bubble. She returned to see a barrage of cannonballs swiftly arcing through the air toward the Woodsorrow and the few other ships in its fleet.

"Dammit!" she exclaimed, and activated the bubble. "Emma Pseud for Zarrin Des'Lossin! Emergency!" Silently she prayed, Please have a bubble on you, Dad.

She stood transfixed, watching the cannonballs get closer and closer. Most of them missed their marks, falling harmlessly into the ocean. A few struck the rebel ships, doing minimal damage. One cannonball fell three feet to Emma's right, smashing through the deck and sending fragmented boards flying. As one jagged chunk of wood sailed past Emma's eyes, she heard a voice calling her name, though she didn't register that she heard it.

A moment later, she heard it again. "Emma! Is that you? Where are you? What's the emergency?"

"Daddy? I... a frigate. I'm standing on a frigate. You just... fired on it."

"What?!" Emma was in shock, and couldn't think of anything else to say. After a moment, her father composed his own thoughts. "We knew... at least a couple members of the Chaos were on that ship, but I had no idea... Dammit, I should have thought... Emma, what the hell ever made you get mixed up with those people in the first place?"

"I... it wasn't... me. It was us. The whole band decided to join Darius and Tom and Tiejo. But Dad, we never thought... we weren't expecting a war. Not so soon. And then we decided we didn't want a war, ever. And then we were arrested. And then... things... just happened. The Cabal, they did such horrible things, and tried to do even more. They had to be stopped! Oh, Daddy, you're on the wrong side of this. I know I said that years ago, but I was a kid then, whether I had my license or not. I didn't know what the hell I was talking about, and it's pure crazy chance that I turned out to be right. But I am right. I wish you could see that, but even if you can't, I'm begging you to stop your attack!"

"Of course I don't want to attack if you're on board that ship, but I have my orders. And I can't believe your people would just agree not to fire on us. I'm afraid I don't know what to do."

Suddenly someone spoke from behind Emma. She jumped at the sound of his voice, not having heard anyone approach. She turned and saw Admiral Teach. Darius was standing beside him. It was only then that Emma realized Darius had been gone when she'd gotten back from her room, and only then that she noticed the frantic activity of people all around her. She barely heard the admiral introduce himself to the unseen man on the other end of the t-mail call. She looked at Darius and realized he must have gone to fetch Teach as soon as she'd run off, knowing his participation in this call would be necessary. It hadn't even occurred to Emma that the fleet she was with would be firing on her father's fleet.

"Am I addressing the commander of the Naval fleet that is attacking us?" Teach was saying.

"This is Captain Zarrin Des'Lossin of the Roderick's Revenge," said the voice from the bubble. "The fleet is commanded by Rear Admiral Garrett Bridgebuilder."

"Perhaps, then, it would be best if you handed the bubble to him. But I can assure you, if you cease fire, we won't open fire on you."

"I can hear you," said a new voice. "I've heard the entire conversation. This is Admiral Bridgebuilder. And while I sympathize with Captain Des'Lossin's predicament, I'm afraid he was correct a moment ago when he said we have our orders. In order to relieve him of the terrible burden of conducting an attack that could very well result in the death of his own daughter, I shall take direct command of this vessel, myself. Captain, I suggest you retire to your quarters."

The elven captain stood where he was, unable to move, barely able to think. After a few moments, the human rear admiral turned to him and said, "Zarrin, did you hear me?" Another few moments passed, and Bridgebuilder turned to a nearby elven sailor and said, "Lieutenant, escort Captain Des'Lossin to his quarters."

The lieutenant stammered, "I, uh... yes, sir." He took a tentative step toward his captain, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Captain, I'm sorry, but-"

"Belay that, lieutenant," said Des'Lossin, with a sudden and unexpected firmness in his voice. "Escort Admiral Bridgebuilder to his quarters."

The lieutenant took a step backward, glancing nervously from one man to the other, unsure whose order to follow.

Bridgebuilder looked at the captain and asked, "What are you doing, Zarrin?"

"I'm sorry, Gareth." He shook his head. "My daughter may be right about the Cabal, or she may be wrong. Either way, I can't let you fire on her ship."

"If you refuse to follow not just my orders, but those of Admiral Portman, you will be guilty of treason."

"I understand. But my duty to family supersedes my duty to country. At least if there's any question of whether my country is right or wrong. If I could only be certain we were on the right side of this war, I would... be grateful that you relieved me of my duty. However much it hurt, I would put my country first, and let you do your job. But..." he trailed off, and hung his head. Then he looked up again, at the lieutenant, and beyond him to the rest of the deck crew. "Of course, it's not really up to me."

Bridgebuilder turned to face the crew, himself. Raising his voice, he said, "I will repeat for the benefit of each and every one of you: We will continue the attack on the enemy fleet. Anyone who disagrees will be relieved of duty, pending court martial for treason. Considering the circumstances, I will overlook the captain's lapse in judgment, and not report his present action to Admiral Portman. But those circumstances do not apply to any of you. Am I clear?"

No one spoke. Finally, Captain Des'Lossin cleared his throat and said, "Just in case any of you missed the crux of the current situation, perhaps being too far away to hear the t-mail conversation we're having with the enemy fleet, it turns out my daughter, Emma, is on one of those ships. Some of you who've been with the crew more than a few years have actually met her. And I've heard enough scuttlebutt to know that those of you who haven't met her have at least heard of her, ever since Colonel Woodman arrested her and her friends several months ago on charges of plotting rebellion. You know that the group called the Chaos have played a large part in the events leading up to the conflict in which we now find ourselves. I trust that if any of you had serious doubts about which side is right, you wouldn't be here. I assume you believe, therefore, that she is on the wrong side, and having made that choice for herself, deserves no mercy. But you also know me. You know I am loyal to the Second Order. I will completely understand if any of you takes Gareth's side in this matter, and will bear you no ill will. But I'm asking you to take my side, and stand down from this battle. I cannot offer you any good reason to do so. In fact, the rear admiral is correct: if you take my side, you will be guilty of treason. I beg your forgiveness for asking this of you." He paused before saying, "So... show of hands. Who's with me?"

A centhour later, Des'Lossin again addressed the t-mail bubble he'd been holding all this time. "Admiral Teach, I can't speak for the other ships in my fleet, but the Roderick's Revenge will let you continue on your way. Good luck to you. And Emma... take care. I love you." Before either of them could respond, he terminated the connection. His ship began to turn about, but the other six ships continued advancing on the rebel fleet.

Admiral Teach stood watching the enemy fleet. "Two galleons and four corvettes, against our two frigates and two corvettes. I can't say I love those odds, but it's far from hopeless. Experienced pirates who face battle with some frequency, versus sailors who probably haven't seen real combat for years, if ever. Could be worse."

Alec had come to stand to Teach's left, where Darius had been until a few moments ago. Flynn Sharpblunt stood to the admiral's right. Alec said, "If we get out of this, you may rest assured it will get worse, when you go up against one or more of the Order's real fleets."

Teach was about to reply, but his thoughts were interrupted by the sudden sound of cannon fire. Everyone quickly scanned the line of advancing ships to see where the shots had come from, but there was no sign of cannonballs anywhere in the ever-narrowing space between the two fleets. Sharpblunt raised a telescope to get a better look, but before he could see anything, a shout came down from the crow's nest.

"Captain! It's the enemy fleet! They're being fired on from behind! One galleon and four frigates, closing fast!"

Teach looked through his own telescope, but the new ships were still obscured by the enemy, from his position on the deck. Returning the instrument to a coat pocket, he said, "Well, if they're on our side, I'd say 'love' would be an apt word for the recalculated odds. But who in the hell could they be?"

Sharpblunt said, "I don't know, sir, but should we stop running and help them out?"

"Aye, make it so."

The first mate immediately went to work issuing orders to the crew to come about and open fire.It wasn't long before the enemy stopped its own attack, and turned to flee from the battle. Darius asked Teach if they should pursue, but Alec said it was more important to get back to their mission of transporting the recruits to Shipsister, and the admiral concurred.

"Still," said Teach, "I think we should hold our position long enough for our new allies to join us and introduce themselves."

Less than half an hour later, the two small fleets were sailing as one. A representative of the mysterious fleet had come aboard the Woodsorrow, and now addressed Teach and the others. "Greetings. My name is Yoshi Des'Yoshi, captain of the 73 Skidoo. I suppose you're wondering why we're here."

"The question had crossed my mind," said Teach.

"Well, where to begin?" the elven captain began. "Up until about seven years ago, I was a rancher. But then I decided, some would say quite out of the blue, to give up that life. I took a trip to Ristar, where I commissioned a ship to be built, and became its captain. Since then, I've been a trader, and I've had both great fun and great financial success, traveling between Woodstockade and various human villages. However, earlier this year, I started thinking it seems a bit unfair that there should be so many human villages, and only one elven village. So, I began talking about the matter with various friends and business associates, and we all decided to make plans to found a new village, ourselves. Before we'd gotten very far along with those plans, we, along with the rest of the world, heard about that colonel who'd arrested a group of rebels-"

"Alleged rebels," said Darius.

"Right, alleged. Sorry. Anyway, we all found it quite interesting that there was an elf among them. It was then that we started thinking, vaguely, that if and when we did found our new village, perhaps it could be independent of the Second Order. Not that we had any interest in rebelling, ourselves, but... why should it just automatically be assumed that any new village that gets founded on the Land, whether human or elven, would necessarily be a part of the same country? And one of the things we'd always wondered about, before then, was whether we'd really be able to convince enough of our fellow Stockadians to join us in the venture we were planning. But because of Ms. Pseud's involvement in the Chaos, it suddenly occurred to us that this new village might be not just for elves in general, but for elves who specifically thought our people had been on the wrong side, during the Coming. Surely such people wouldn't be averse to the idea of starting an independent village. So our plans started taking a new direction.

"Well, a few months later, when you all announced, well, a number of things, but most notably the idea of a referendum to secede from the Second Order, we found it incredible to think that we might not be alone. We might ally our planned village with any existing villages that decided to secede, maybe even form an entirely new country, together. Later still, when the world learned of the existence of the Cabal, and it subsequently became apparent that there was going to be a war, we decided that we owed it to our potential allies to, you know, help ensure that secession would even be possible, for any of us. So, we put plans for the new village on hold, organized our merchant vessels into a makeshift military fleet, and... here we are." Looking at Emma, he added, "I must say, Ms. Pseud, it's an honor to meet you."

"Uh... the honor is mine. Believe me."

Darius turned to her with a grin and said, "Wow, Em. You wanted to do some bringing. So, like, way to bring it."

Emma found herself grinning so wide she almost feared her face would split in two. Amid tears of joy, she began laughing. Then she threw her arms around the elven captain and exclaimed, "Thank you, Mr. Des'Yoshi! You have no idea what this means to me!"

"Oh, I say, well... you're quite welcome, my dear." He seemed embarrassed, and quickly extricated himself from Emma's hug. "Yes, um... um, yes. So I think, after the war, you should come visit my family for a bit. I'd love to introduce you to my daughters, they're just about your age. Actually, you might say they've become fans of yours, they'd be delighted to meet you."

"I have fans? Wow. I mean, the Band, sure. The Chaos, yeah. But me personally? That's just... wow."

"Couldn't happen to a nicer girl," said Darius.

She turned to him and said, "You know, I almost never hear that expression in a non-ironic context."

"Really? Huh. I forgot it could be ironic. Maybe that's something you should talk to Giac Thesaurus about."

"Ooh, totally!" To Des'Yoshi, she said, "Well, very glad to meet you, Captain."

"Yes, well, I should be getting back to my ship. Don't want to take up any more of your time, any of you."

"Of course," said Teach. "We'll be in touch."

As Des'Yoshi turned to leave, Darius asked Admiral Teach, "So, should we help the crew with repairs?"

"I thought Tom had made it clear that you'd just be in the way if you tried to help. You should conserve your energy for land battles... not to mention the long march from Shipsister to First Village."

"But, Colonel Supprus said we wouldn't literally be marching, so-"

The admiral sighed. "Yes, whatever. I don't really care. Just stay out of my crew's way." With that, he and Sharpblunt went to oversee the repairs. Darius, Emma, and Alec went off in search of the Vole and Perryh, to discuss the afternoon's events and see about finally getting some lunch.

As they walked, Cara passed by, carrying some boards. Darius said, "Hey, wanna join us for-"

"Kinda busy, Dare."

"Okay, then, maybe some other time. Have fun, coz." Continuing on with his friends, he said, "Shame how little we've seen of her, on this trip."

Emma said, "Yeah, it's almost as if this was her work place, instead of a pleasure cruise."

"I know, right?"

Alec just sighed and ignored them....

2

When Colonel Grandview and her regiment had left Woodstockade, she had expected to reach Shanty on 9 Aug'tin. However, while still four days from their destination, spies had reported the departure of a rebel fleet, to General Middlebury and Admiral Portman. Grandview found it remarkable that they had any spies still working for them, as it was her understanding that Macen Illustri's spies were no longer on the best of terms with the military. Still, she supposed those rumors could have been exaggerated, or else the humans could have other spies in their direct employ, who had never reported to Illustri at all. Either way, it didn't take long after the report for the admiral to decide it would be best for the Stockadian fleet to change course to intercept the rebel fleet, and eliminate a sizable portion of the enemy's land and sea forces with one stroke. Grandview didn't like this plan, but the general had agreed to the plan, so she accepted the order. Not that she could have done much about it, anyway; while at sea, Rear Admiral Bridgebuilder was in charge, and she was merely a passenger. That is, until they actually caught up with the enemy a few days later, and Captain Des'Lossin mutinied against Bridgebuilder. When the Roderick's Revenge deserted the fleet, She supposed it had been wise of Bridgebuilder to have suggested at the start of the voyage that she travel on a different ship, so as not to have too many command officers on the same vessel. Of course, the reason this turned out to be beneficial was surely not the reason he had anticipated. In any event, Grandview now assumed command of what was left of the fleet. She would liked to have ordered them to immediately abandon the battle and resume the previous mission to Shanty, but she had her orders, and so she would carry them out. Until the second surprise of the day, when another fleet seemingly came out of nowhere to attack her fleet from behind. She supposed they must have been following Bridgebuilder's fleet all the way from Woodstockade, but she wondered how they'd avoided detection all this time. A cloaking spell, perhaps? That seemed unlikely, but... Well, she supposed it didn't matter. They were here now, and she didn't expect her fleet could survive a battle against two enemies, much less win it. Her ship's captain concurred, and so they turned back toward Shanty, after all. She was glad the enemy chose not to pursue, and a bit later, after a t-mail call to General Middlebury, she was glad he supported her decision.

Grandview's fleet reached Shanty on the morning of 12 Aut'gin. Her regiment- minus the hundred or so who were aboard the Roderick's Revenge- disembarked, and by that afternoon had hired transporters to fly them to Triscot. The regiment began their flight the next morning, while fleet remained behind to guard the port.

As they approached Triscot around noon on the 13th, the pilot of the lead wagon announced, "Colonel, there seems to be a small army waiting for us on the ground. I'll remind you that when I took this job, you promised me there wouldn't be any danger of conflict, because the village wouldn't have any troops."

Grandview climbed into the cockpit to have a look for herself. "No doubt the local police. They shouldn't give us too much trouble. Nor do we need to give them any. Land a respectful distance from them, far enough to show we're not threatening them, but close enough to show we can."

"As you wish."

When the wagons were all on the ground and their force fields lowered, Grandview jumped down from the cockpit, intending to walk alone to greet the leader of the enemy company. She immediately rejudged the distance, and called up to the pilot to get her a flying carpet. A couple of centhours later, she was hovering in front of the assembled Triscans. She dismounted the carpet and said, "Salutations. I am Colonel Cynthia Grandview of Woodstockade. May I ask whom I have the honor of addressing?"

Three men stepped forward. She judged one of them to be in his late thirties, one in his late forties, and one in his early seventies. The eldest said, "I am Chief Councillor Arthur Noblesse-Oblige. I welcome you and your companions to our village, General." He paused a moment, smiled, and added, "If I may say, you seem rather young, to hold so high a rank."

"Yes, well... how I came to be chosen to replace the former colonel of our regiment is a long story, which I must confess I don't entirely understand, myself. Nor is it a particularly interesting story. It's just... one of those things, you know?"

"Indeed. In my life I've experienced many things I couldn't quite put into words. I assume at least your superiors thought you worthy of the position, though."

"Yes, I suppose, though- well, never mind." She'd been about to say that a small part of the long story involved her being seen as better at peace than at war, but that would have required her to explain that she was quite capable of commanding in wartime, if necessary, even if it wasn't her forte. She didn't, after all, want to appear weak to her enemies, regardless of how civil she hoped the impending occupation of Triscot to be. Her strength could be readily enough proven, but if she didn't give them reason to erroneously doubt it, the unpleasant task of proving it might be avoided. "In any event, we should get to the matter at hand. First, perhaps the gentlemen to your left and right might introduce themselves? Since they stand beside you, I take it it would be worth my while to know their names."

The man to the chief councillor's left, the one Grandview had guessed to be in his late thirties, said, "Keith Arresting, Chief of Police. It's a pleasure, Colonel."

Grandview nodded. "Nice to meet you, Chief."

The third man said, "Adam Lonewander. I-"

"Oh!" exclaimed Grandview in obvious surprise. "I'm sorry I didn't recognize you. But I wouldn't have expected you to be here. I had assumed you'd be with the rebel forces who are making their way to the capital."

"I had expected to go with them, myself. But a couple of days before they left, I was contacted by Poss Primus, who asked me to remain in Triscot. He said our village would surely become a target of the Second Order, and our citizens would need a symbolic leader to look to, in such times. Of course, Arthur is beloved by the people, but he... well, he's not a military man. And we don't really have soldiers, but rather police, who are well-led by Chief Arresting. As I said, I'm merely a symbol, not even important enough to call a figurehead."

"I'm sure you underestimate your own value, Mr. Lonewander. Still, I'm surprised Marshal- I mean, ex-Marshal Primus would ask this of you, considering you were enemies, in the last war. I wasn't even recruited until shortly after the war ended, but I've heard stories... There are those who say he and some of his top people, who took part in the Battle of Triscot, were, shall we say... not fond of you."

"Yes, it was an awkward conversation, thanks for bringing that up."

"I do apologize. On a more pleasant note, um... congratulations on being alive!"

Adam grinned. "Thanks. I've been getting that a lot, lately, as you can imagine."

"Including from me," said the chief councillor. "I'm afraid my old friend and I weren't on the best of terms, at the time of his supposed death. While I still don't support his stance in that war, I've always regretted that. So it's been nice to renew our friendship."

"And your stance in this war, Councillor?"

He hesitated before responding. "Well, Colonel, I... I must say it's all rather complicated. Of course I consider myself a loyal citizen of the Second Order, as does Poss Primus, as do any number of the people who will soon be fighting against other people, who consider themselves loyal citizens of the same country. If Adam's son and his friends had gone through with their original plan of rebellion, I would have been wholeheartedly opposed to their actions. But- well, you yourself said 'rebel forces' just now, and with that I must take issue. Those forces are not rebels, at least not precisely. I may yet oppose some things they hope to do after the war, if they win it, but as for the war itself... well, I do hope they win it. What comes later is later, but what's now is now. And now, a very dangerous man sits on the throne, that's what I believe. And it's your job to keep him there."

"Indeed, Councillor. I'm not altogether certain how I feel about King Demos, or about all this 'cabal' business. I have faith that the right side will prevail, whichever side that may be. But you're right, I am on the side that supports Demos. At least, General Middlebury supports Demos, and I follow the orders given me by the general."

Adam asked, "Doesn't it bother you, being expected to simply follow orders and not think about whether they're right or wrong?"

"With all respect, Mr. Lonewander, we were given an opportunity to think about our orders, and to choose sides. You may find it hard to believe we'd choose the side of Demos and the Cabal, and you are right to feel that way. Because most of us didn't choose them. Most of us simply have no idea what to think about the Cabal, for, after listening to arguments for and against, both sides seem to make valid points. The one thing those of us who choose to follow orders know is that we respect and trust the general and Admiral Portman. And, Councillor Noblesse-Oblige, I apologize if you take issue with this, but they believe that the rebels- for want of a better word- after having supposedly abandoned their plans of rebellion, later decided to take advantage of the confusion and paranoia created by the revelation of the Cabal's existence, to renew their plans. The army and navy of Protestants, 'rats, and pirates they've assembled couldn't possibly defeat the entire army and navy of the Second Order, but if they manage to defeat those loyal to Middlebury and Portman, they could then turn on their temporary allies, those loyal to Primus, and stand a far greater chance of actually winning their rebellion. Of course, the general and admiral could be mistaken, about the intentions of Mr. Lonewander's son and his allies, or about Demos and the Cabal, or both. Maybe if the rebels win the war, they'll simply stop fighting and leave the reins of power in the hands of the World Council. Or, if we win the war, maybe Demos and the Cabal will prove their detractors right. But in spite of all this talk of 'king for life,' Demos will only remain in power as long as the people want him there. As far as most of us in the military are concerned, regardless of the outcome of the war, king-elect Darkstrider will be inaugurated next year. If the Cabal tries to use us to prevent that, I think they will be surprised to discover they have far less sway than they thought they had. So, no, we haven't chosen the Cabal, or Demos, or even to blindly follow orders. We have simply chosen to defend our country... just in case we're right to call the rebels 'rebels.' But ultimately, what we want is what the rebels claim to want. And I promise you, our eyes and ears and minds will remain open, just in case the rebels turn out to be right."

"Well," said Noblesse-Oblige with a warm smile, "I for one am overjoyed to hear it! What do you say to that, Adam?"

"I say that I'm glad there are reasonable men and women in the military. I may have already made up my mind about Demos and the Cabal, but I think I'll have to remember to be more open-minded about those who choose to support them."

"Meanwhile," said Arresting, "I have to ask what you're planning to do with that squadron of yours."

"We actually call it an escadrille, Chief. And-"

"Ah!" exclaimed Noblesse-Oblige. "I've read that word in my studies of Earth history. I like it."

"Thank you, Councillor. I'm not sure who chose the term, probably Poss Primus, sometime after the first war. I don't believe much flying went on, back then."

"I wonder," said Adam, "did you have all those wagons on your ships? I find it hard to believe there'd be room for them as well as your regiment, plus the regular crews and supplies."

"No, we hired transporters, when we got to Shanty."

"Strange, I thought Shanty was on our side."

"I think you'll find, Mr. Lonewander, that transporters are generally on the side that's paying them."

Adam nodded. "True enough."

"And I repeat," said Arresting, "what are you planning to do with your escadrille?"

"My regiment will be setting up camp, outside of town. After that, our contract with the transporters expires, and they may do as they wish with their wagons. But I suppose you meant, what am I planning to do with my soldiers? Well, that all depends on what you plan to do with your police. We are here to ensure the village remains loyal to the legitimate government of the Land. If you give us no indication that you intend otherwise, then you may view us as nothing more than, shall we say, well-armed sight-seers."

The police chief sighed. "This is getting to be a habit." He turned to the chief councillor and asked, "Well, what do you want us to do, sir? It's your town."

"Like the lady said, we're still a part of the Second Order. She and her people have every right to be here. That said, they are of course subject to the same laws as everyone else. So, your job remains what it has always been: make sure no one disturbs the peace or breaks any laws." To Grandview he said, "Colonel, I trust your people will respect the civil liberties of my citizens?"

"Naturally, Councillor."

"Then we shouldn't have any problems."

"Of course," said Adam, "one of my responsibilities as... a symbol... will be to keep an eye on you, and see to it you don't make trouble."

"Splendid! I expect that means we'll be spending a great deal of time together." She remounted her carpet and said, "I must get back to my troops, now, but I look forward to meeting your family and congratulating all of them on being alive, as well...."

3

The Ristarian fleet arrived at Ship early on 8 Aut'gin, several hours before the Stockadian fleet engaged the enemy in West Ocean. Colonel Hickorysmoke's regiment immediately began marching to First Village, where they arrived on the 15th. That same day, Alec's regiment set out from Shipsister; they numbered seventeen hundred, consisting of mostly untrained civilians and 'rats. As such, they were of little concern to the Second Order's Army; the well-trained and well-armed soldiers commanded by Colonels Hickorysmoke and Muttonchop numbered forty-two hundred. They were more concerned about Colonel Orthodox's known eighteen hundred soldiers, plus the yet-unknown number of civilian and 'rat recruits that would be supplementing the Plist regiment. They also considered it likely that Alec's regiment would increase its numbers in Tonad, en route to First Village. To ensure that didn't happen, General Middlebury ordered Hickorysmoke to lead his troops to Tonad, along with one thousand of Muttonchop's soldiers. They should reach Tonad about a day sooner than Alec, and block their advance. Meanwhile, Muttonchop remained in First Village with twenty-two hundred soldiers, which they expected should be sufficient to defend the village, when Orthodox's regiment arrived. However, two days later, when Hickorysmoke's troops were still a day from Tonad, the Army's spies reported a regiment numbering thirty-four hundred marching from Plist, far more than Middlebury had counted on. So, he ordered his troops to turn back to First Village. They arrived just as Alec's regiment reached Tonad, on the 18th. Not long after that, the Army's spies reported another thousand 'rats joining the regiment when it continued its march toward the capital. The combined numbers of the two rebel regiments, along with wild speculation about how many allies they might have waiting for them in First Village itself, led to a general sense of panic among many in the village, including quite a few members of the World Council. Several politicians decided to flee to other villages, before any fighting could break out. Congressman Phineas Daily was made of sterner stuff than that, but he had clandestine business to attend to elsewhere, and was perfectly happy to use the fears of his fellow officials as a plausible explanation for his own departure.

Settling into a comfortable chair in the private study of Marlowe Gateman, Phineas began to explain how convenient he found all this, but was quickly cut off by his host.

"Bah! I'm sick of hearing about numbers! I have accountants to concern themselves with such things, but at least when you're talking about money, numbers are more interesting than people. Especially the dregs who make up a large part of the numbers the Army is so worried about. If any one soldier isn't as good as ten street rats, you're paying them too much, anyway."

"I understand how you feel, but it's never wise to underestimate anyone, even street rats. Just look at what happened to Macen Illustri. And don't forget, the new recruits aren't all 'rats. More importantly, it's not always sheer numbers that guarantee victory, but the quality of the leaders giving the orders. While I believe our forces generally have superior leadership, the rebels have a few good leaders, as well. However, the point I was originally going to make is that I'm glad we're going to lose First Village. You know perfectly well that my plan depends on it. I should think you'd be more eager than anyone to finally be rid of Demos, so that we can move on to the next phase."

"True. It's just a bitter pill, relying on such a low class to unwittingly fulfill our plans. But I do look forward to the aftermath. My only real regret is that I'll never have an heir to the throne, as you originally promised me."

"Oh, didn't you know? Beverly is with child."

"What?!"

"It's not public knowledge, but Demos himself told me." Actually, it had been someone quite different who had told him, but Phin didn't want Marlowe to know that. He mused for a moment that there was probably not a single friend or ally of his who knew every facet of his plan, a fact which he enjoyed immensely. He momentarily considered whether to mention that Beverly would bear twins. There was no reason to hide that fact from Marlowe, but then again, there was no reason to divulge it, either.

Phin's thoughts were disrupted by Marlowe saying, "Not that it does us much good, now that my daughter's gone into hiding. I don't suppose you know where she is, do you?"

"Not at present, but I can assure you, she will be found. The queen's whereabouts won't matter for the immediate future, but we'll have found her long before her child comes of age, if not before the child is born. One day, your grandchild will assume the throne."

"Welcome news, indeed. Shame, though, that it couldn't be the throne of the whole world. It galls me to think Demos will be the only one to ever hold that honor."

"Once again, I understand how you feel. And once again, I must remind you of the plan."

"I know, I know. Phase one: use the new world order created by the Coming to assemble a cabal comprised largely of people who believe its true purpose is to safeguard the Second Order by any means necessary. Phase two: manipulate events in such a way that war against the Cabal becomes inevitable. Phase three: wait for new countries to be established, then reorganize the Cabal so that its power rests in the hands that truly deserve it, rather than the fools and idealists we needed to use in phase one. I admit, being part of an organization that secretly wields power in every country is no different in theory from one that secretly wields power in a single, global nation. Either way, we rule the world. Still, there's something to be said for the prestige of having people know you rule the world."

"There's also something to be said for being one of the few people in the world who are in on a really juicy secret," Phin replied with a wry grin.

Marlowe smiled at that, himself. "I'll grant you that, old friend."

"And anyway, the Cabal's job will be so much easier, once there are other countries, not to mention once we can include only members who share our worldview. I can't even tell you what a challenge it's been, secretly manipulating people who were supposed to think they're in on all the secrets. I had to simultaneously make them believe in our purported cause, and make them fear the organization to which they themselves belong. There's nothing quite like fear to ensure loyalty, but it's ever so much simpler to make people paranoid about outsiders than about their own allies. And the existence of other countries- potential enemies- will mean an end to the idea put forth by people like Jared Localpride, about eliminating the military."

"I hate to say it, but one wonders if it wouldn't have been easier to simply allow the referendum the Chaos proposed. We might have gotten what we wanted without the need for a war."

"Perhaps, but it would have been more difficult to get rid of Demos, in that case. Besides which, I don't believe he ever would have agreed to such a thing, because he's unwilling to rule only part of the world. He's an all-or-nothing kind of guy, and if we didn't go along with that, he like as not would have turned against us, before we were ready to turn against him. In fact, it's preferable that we don't turn against him. We'll just let him lose the war, and let our common enemies relieve us of our unwanted puppet. But more importantly, the war and its immediate aftermath will allow people to believe the Cabal has been disbanded, and that even if its remnants tried to reorganize, we couldn't possibly have the kind of power we once did." Phineas grinned again. "Not with one or two other countries around to keep the Second Order in check. I think the public can be counted on to assume the Cabal is specific to this country, considering the whole point of its existence was to maintain world unification under the Second Order's banner. They'll believe that if we're still around, our goal must be to regain control of the world. Why on the Land would they think otherwise, after all the trouble we'd gone to, both by preventing the referendum and actually going to war?"

Marlowe nodded. "Good points. Although...I understand that you intend to manipulate the different countries into fearing and distrusting each other, but suppose people find out the Cabal still exists, after all these changes have come to pass. Mightn't our troops be just as likely to turn against us then as so many of them have done now?"

"Well, there's always a danger of that, however carefully we may try to prevent it. Which is why it would be wise for a secret organization to maintain a secret army, loyal only to it, rather than to any specific government."

"Yes, but do you really think you can find enough people who support our ideas to build an entire army?"

"Oh, Marlowe, come now. I know you've studied secret histories. Xerxes made some foolish mistakes, which is hardly surprising, considering he was mad. But at least his underlying idea was sound: the best armies aren't necessarily made up of people. And I've already taken steps toward the creation of an army that will be both more powerful and easier to control than any human army...."

4

As planned, the regiments led by Alec and Colonel Orthodox both arrived outside First Village on 21 Aut'gin. By then, the regiment led by Poss Primus was entering its fifth day of battle, in Near Port. Unlike Colonel Woodman, who'd eagerly engaged Primus's troops the moment they arrived at his village, Colonels Siobhan Muttonchop and Beauregard Hickorysmoke were content to wait for the rebels to make the first move. And before making a move, Ginger was eager to reconnect with her friends, whom she hadn't seen in almost three weeks. Partly this was to coordinate strategy, but partly it was to catch up. Tiejo was with her when she found them, but he stayed barely long enough to say 'hi-bye,' before pulling the Vole aside to walk and talk strategy, themselves. Tom watched them go, and commented that he'd never seen Tiejo so serious. He was impressed.

"Yes, he's been incredible," said Ginger. "Just invaluable helping me integrate his 'rats and my Protestants with the colonel's soldiers. I could totally see why Vallus chose him as an apprentice, though now he seems like he could be a master, himself. Even Colonel Orthodox said so."

"Speaking of Vallus," said Darius, "where is he?"

"Oh, he's with Orthodox. I don't think the colonel would have let me break away for this little visit, unless at least one of us stayed behind to, you know, do military stuff. Follow protocols, keep up appearances, and all that."

"I should probably be meeting with the colonel, myself," said Alec.

"Yes, of course. I'll take you to him in a few centhours, I promise. But let's just forget for a little while that in less than an hour, there'll be killing and dying going on, can we?"

"Well... okay. Just for a little while."

Turning back to Darius, Ginger said, "Oh, by the way, happy birthday!"

"Thanks. Speaking of dying, I can't help wondering if this would be a particularly good or particularly bad day for me to do that."

"I said we were going to forget about that! No talk of dying, just happy thoughts. And speaking of birthdays, we actually had a little party for Vallus, the other week."

"Huh. I didn't even know it was coming up. But you know, there are a lot of birthdays this month, in my clan. And next month. I have no idea what they've been doing about that since we left, but if I know them, they'll probably save up all the birthdays til after the war and have one big joint party. I do hope the war doesn't take too long."

"Well, I have a spirit friend who once said the only war we ever had on the Land was considerably shorter than wars normally are on any other planet. And I have a feeling this one will be even shorter than the last one. Still, even one day of war is too long, to my way of thinking."

Just then, Cameron suddenly appeared. "Happy birthday!" he said to Darius. And to Emma, "And you, make sure you're around so I can say the same to you, tomorrow."

"I'll do my best," Emma replied with a grin. "Nice to see you."

"You too, kid. Anyway..." He turned to Alec and saluted. "Lt. Piper reporting for duty, General. What are your orders?"

"I'll be meeting with Colonel Orthodox, presently. You should join me. But first, is there any news from Lt. deCamp?"

"His task force should reach Ship tomorrow. And I've gotten word from Jack Dockrat that his 'rats are ready to do their part."

"Glad to hear it. Now, if Lt. Protestant is ready, perhaps she can take us to her leader."

Ginger sighed. "I suppose it's time." Turning to Darius, she said, "I'm sorry we can't offer you any cake and ice cream, but even so..." She grinned, "Even so, if Tino was here, I'm sure he'd say something like 'Let's get this party started!'"

Darius grinned, too. "Actually, I might be the only person on the Land who would find war, as a metaphorical party, preferable to an actual party."

"Damn," said Tom, "I knew you didn't like parties, but I didn't think you disliked them that much."

"Ah well, I'd make an exception, for the present company." His grin faded as he added, "If I had the option."

With that, they began following Ginger in silence. Though a few centhours later, Emma said, "I'm surprised none of Orthodox's soldiers are wearing uniforms."

"Oh, yeah, that," said Ginger. "That was Vallus's idea. He said it would be pretty hard to know who to fight, if both sides were wearing the same clothes. Believe you me, the colonel wasn't happy about that, but he had to admit it made sense. Not that it stopped him from frequently grumbling about his people 'looking like a bunch of bloody Protestants, no offense.' And I always do my best not to take offense, but it hasn't been easy, let me tell you."

"Well, I for one was worried about that," said Darius. "It's nice to know I won't have to worry about killing the wrong people." He paused, then asked, "But wait, what about civilians? I mean, noncombatants? We're all dressed the same as them, right?"

Alec said, "Most of the fighting should happen outside the village. I expect civilians to avoid the battlefield. Once we move into the village, unless anyone tries to kill you... don't kill them."

"Ah, good plan. I guess that's why you're the general."

"Yeah, that's the reason."

"Did I detect sarcasm? Why, Alecstar, I don't think I've ever liked you as much as I do at this moment."

"Tell me again how you feel about me, at the end of the day...."


chapter 56

back to main index

All contents of this site © David A. Ward