Knight

by Ella Young

  Taz was awake when Liari returned that night. Awake and very, very cold.

  “Taz, I’m sorry.” Liari tried to say, but the equina brushed past her like she wasn’t even there.

  Liari deserved that, she supposed. Under normal circumstances forcefully drugging your friends was grounds for abolishing friendship. But they were all the other had, so Taz would just have to get over it eventually. Liari hoped xe would, at least.

  “They were Remnant,” she said aloud. “You were wrong.” Still Taz didn’t respond. Xe sat on xer side of the apartment, fiddling with the radio relay from before. Liari went to sit beside xer on the floor.

  “You have to forgive me sometime.” Presumptuous? Yes. But it was the truth. They were all each other had.

  Nothing.

  Liari looked down at her hands. “I’m going with them. Two days, that’s when we leave.”

  Taz’s long ear twitched but otherwise xe remained emotionless. Xe was pulling forcefully at wires jutting from the radio relay with a pair of pliers, and Liari could only assume it was in response to her statement.

  “I told them I had to talk to someone first. I was hoping you’d come with me.”

  That got to xer. Taz dropped the relay and turned to look at Liari, face blank.

  “And why in the worlds would I do that?” xer tone was harsh. Liari sighed.

  “You said you’d protect me. You can’t do that if we’re on separate planets.”

  Taz picked the relay back up. “It doesn’t seem like you want my protection.”

  “I had to know if they were Remnant.”

  “And maybe that’s exactly what I was trying to protect you from!” the equina snarled. Xer paw flexed angrily against the relay. “If they weren’t Remnant, it would be a trap. And if they were…I knew I couldn’t stop you from leaving.”

  Liari sighed.

  “It’s not your fight,” Taz continued, almost pleading.

  “You’re right. It’s my war. And I’m joining up, with or without you.”

  Taz closed xer eyes, looking pained.

  “Just come with me tomorrow night. Meet Weinan, then tell me I can’t go.”

  “Will you listen?”

  Liari smirked. “Probably not, but I’ll seriously think about it.”

  Taz exhaled through xer nose. A long pause stretched between them. Liari held her breath, willing Taz to agree. Taz seemed to be weighing xer options. And eventually, xe made a decision.

  “If that’s all I’m going to get, then fine. But I don’t like it.”

  -~-~-~-

  Liari almost couldn’t believe Taz was going with her the next night. Xe carried a portable immune lamp around xer neck. It was nowhere near as effective as the flood lamps, but it had to be better than nothing. They picked their way carefully through the Lampless district, walking mostly in silence. Liari got the distinct impression that Taz still hadn’t forgiven her for drugging xer. That was fine. Xe was coming along, and that was all that mattered.

  They made it to Hebman L-11 much earlier than the night before, and at first Liari was worried Yara and Weinan wouldn’t be there. She needn’t have. When she pushed open the rusty door there the two were, waiting beneath the immune lamps. Taz was immediately on the alert, long ears flattening to xer neck.

  "A levian?" xe said, a bit too loudly. This annoyed Liari.

  "Not every levian is a Hegemonist," she reasoned. Still, Taz approached with caution.

  "This is who you had to talk to?" Weinan asked as they approached, pushing away from where she leaned against the table. She offered her hand, palm upward, in a typical equina greeting. Taz purposefully sat on the ground, wrapping xer tail about xer paws, and ignored the hand. Weinan got the message.

  "This is Taz," Liari introduced her companion. Taz sniffed and said nothing.

  Weinan pulled her hand back. "Right. Will xe be joining us as well?"

  "I'm here for Liari, not your cause," Taz said, tone hostile.

  "Of course. I'm sure you only have her best interests at heart."

  "And you only care about your war," Taz bit back.

  Yara looked skyward. People like Taz, Liari remembered, irritated her.

  "It's not just our war," Weinan said. "Lhiyrra will only tighten his grip on the Cradle. This affects you as well."

  "One avian isn't enough to fix all that."

  "One avian was enough to start it."

  Taz's face closed off even more. Xe turned to Liari. "You're just cannon fodder to them. Do you really want to fight?"

  "I'd rather die fighting than live without ever having tried." Let me do something to help, whatever that may be, she silently pleaded with Taz.

  The equina hung xer head, jaw working. "If I agree to this—and I haven't yet—where would we be stationed?"

  We. Liari held her breath. For the first time, she allowed herself to hope that her friend would come along.

  Weinan exchanged looks with Yara. "That all depends on what you have to offer—"

  "I'm Luminant," Liari blurted out, calling the mist into her hands. It swirled into a ball, casting a blue hue on the four beings gathered beneath the lamps. She'd all but promised to stay out of combat, and this was just the way to do that—making herself indispensable.

  For the first time Yara looked impressed. She leaned forward, eyes wide. The levian reached out a hand for the swirling blue mist before thinking better of the action and withdrawing. A Luminant was such a rare sight, Liari couldn’t blame her for her reaction. Under Lhiyrra, Luminants were all but extinct. Weinan’s expression was unreadable.

  "Liari would most likely be trained as a medic. We could really use a Luminant in our ranks. And I’m sure we could find a role for you near her," Yara said. Taz glanced from the two women to xer friend.

  “Can I speak with you for a moment?” Taz finally asked, turning to Liari. “Alone?”

  Liari nodded and the two stepped aside, out of earshot of Yara and Weinan.

  “There’s no way this ends well,” Taz said. “The Remnant is already struggling. What if they fold and you go down with them?”

  “At least I went down fighting. You can’t keep me here, Taz.”

  Taz closed xer eyes. “Your mother put me in charge—”

  “My mother is dead,” Liari said bluntly. “I’m joining up Taz, whether you come with me or not.”

  A pause stretched between them, in which Taz rocked back on xer hind legs, chewing xer lip. If xe wanted to live up to what Knight’s late mother had put xer up to, xe really had no choice. Finally, Taz relented. “Okay. I’m coming along.”

  -~-~-~-

  The next day they prepared to leave. Liari wandered through the flat, hands brushing along the wall. Most of their possessions they’d discarded. Liari had kept her lab notebook, but otherwise her beakers and chemicals and everything that had made her lab “hers” were gone, discarded through proper channels (it just didn’t seem right to leave their landlord with a massive toxic mess to clean up). Likewise, Taz’s side of the apartment was barren, xer assortment of electronic components sitting in a dumpster three levels below them. They could take very little with them. Where they were going, they didn’t need much.

  Liari carried only her black duffel, stuffed with clothes, her lab notebook, Knight’s mantle, and a few of Taz’s favorite tools. Taz carried nothing at all.

  “Ready?” xe asked. Liari took a deep breath. They’d lived in this city for upwards of four years. It was almost sad to say goodbye. Almost.

  “Let’s go,” she said, and, without another backward glance, they left.

  The walk to the airfields was much longer than the walk to the Industrial district. The runways were located on the southern plateau of Roirse, far away from the Royal House. They were practically not in Roirse at all. It was a grueling trek from the lower levels up to the highest districts. The sun was high in the sky by the time they arrived at the airfields.

  Their shuttle was a private charter. Naturally, there were
no commercial space flights from Hegemonist worlds to Remnant facilities. Bay AB-87 was where Yara had instructed them to congregate. Taz and Liari found their way there easily.

  A number of people were gathered near the shuttle, at least fifteen. Some were equina, some were avian. Liari saw no humans or levian. But still, it was more than the duo had anticipated. Yara had made it sound like no one at all was showing up.

  “I thought you said no one was signing up anymore,” Liari asked Weinan when she found her. The older woman sighed.

  “We used to have ten times this, so many that we had to ship them out on separate days to avoid suspicion.” Weinan looked wistful, lost in the memory. “Now we’re just happy to have a few dozen come with us.”

  “Us? You’re coming too?” Liari was surprised. “Don’t you have a job here?”

  “I joined the police force to find new blood and I wasn’t having much success. I’m more useful back on base,” Weinan explained. “Yara can stay behind and continue her work here.” She turned to Liari. “We’re glad to have you, Liari.”

  For one moment, Liari hesitated at the threshold of the shuttle. It hit her then just what she was walking into, what she might see. That she might not come back. She glanced down at Taz, who met her gaze. Was this really what she wanted?

  Yes, Knight whispered to her. This is a cause worth dying for. Once again, Knight proved to be stronger. Wiser. Tougher. Liari, on the other hand, feared far too much. Made mistakes. It was Liari who returned to the crime scene and it was Knight who had fled it. The emerald-scaled avian hiked her bag higher up on her shoulder and stepped inside the transport. She left in Roirse her her old life, and her old name. Liari was dead to her now.

  “Please,” she said. “Call me Knight.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  The Remnant base was not what either Knight nor Taz expected. The rebel faction was so cloaked in secrecy that no one knew just how big they were, or where their base was, or how strong their forces remained. They held their own against the Hegemony for the most part, but stories from the war front were filtered through so much Hegemonist propaganda it was impossible to tell fact from fiction. To tell the truth, neither of them had expected much. The Hegemony’s takeover had been too swift, too well-supported, to leave much room for any rebellion to pose a significant threat. At most they expected a few ships, some scrappy fighters barely holding on. What greeted them on the Remnant base was much different.

  Levala, a resource world on the outer reaches of the Cradle, was one of only a few planets with a major Remnant presence (one of the others being Caesyn). It had been the first world the rebel fighters had managed to secure in this seven year war, and was where they had decided to secretly set up their base of operations. Surrounding the forest world was an entire fleet of operational battleships, with nearly half a dozen more in various stages of construction and repair. The actual planetside base was much larger than Knight had anticipated. It was comprised of a bunch of hulking permacrete buildings, set deep into one of Levala's mountain ranges and camouflaged by the thick towering trees. Large swaths of forest had been cleared to make room for airfields and training grounds. Transports and one-man fighters flitted through the air and between the base and the warships, running drills. Emblazoned on their hulls was the familiar bipyramid that represented the Cradle. Despite herself, Knight’s heart soared when she saw it.

  The first thing Lhiyrra had done when taking over was to remove all signs of the old order. He stripped down logos, repainted ships, replaced flags and banners with his own likeness. He wanted to drill into the masses that he was the Heir. The Cradle rightfully belonged to him. To avoid dissent within his own ranks he designated the bipyramid sacred, a symbol of the Divari and nothing more. It became forbidden to use the symbol anywhere but in expressly religious matters. Even though Knight no longer believed in what the symbol represented, to see the symbol once more being used to rally the faithful sparked something in her.

  “Welcome home,” Weinan said, turning in her seat to watch Knight, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

  The transport settled down in the southern hemisphere of the planet, beneath a thick blanket of broad-leafed trees. Knight couldn’t help but stare through the window beside her. It had been years since she’d set foot on a forest world. Living on Valiant, a desert planet, she’d forgotten just how green some planets could be. Trees towered as tall as the high rises of Roirse, completely blocking out the light from Levala's twin suns. As such, immune lamps had been installed throughout the forest, bathing the land in eternal light.

  The door to the cabin hissed open and the passengers all stood from their seats. They shuffled, single file, out into the fresh forest air. Knight and Taz brought up the rear.

  "It's breathtaking, isn't it?" Knight said. Taz nodded in agreement.

  Weinan tapped Knight’s shoulder after they deplaned. Knight and Taz turned to her as one.

  "I've already alerted the medical bay that you’re arriving. You'll come with me." Weinan motioned to the other new recruits, gathering before a heavyset equina. "Taz, you'll follow them to talk to our recruitment officer. Xe'll be the one to assign you to your station."

  Taz looked to Knight, unsure. Knight appreciated her friend for all of this, knowing just how hard it must be for xer to let go of the only job xe was ever given.

  "I'll be fine," she assured Taz. The equina grunted.

  "You better be," xe said. And with that xe was gone, following the group of recruits to the waiting officer.

  "This way," Weinan said, putting a hand on Knight's shoulder and gently guiding her deeper into the base.

  The base continued to amaze the deeper they went. They entered through a large hangar bay filled with grounded starcraft. Mechanics scuttled about on the ground, always in a hurry. From the hangar they entered a long corridor, with other halls jutting off in all different directions. Within the base proper were soldiers in green and tan uniforms, walking with a purpose from here to there. They passed offices, conference rooms, private quarters. Knight caught snippets of conversation as they hurried past Remnant personnel.

  “—Hlean’s front,” one was saying. “They’ve pulled back; the admiral is on high alert.”

  “The Hegemony is definitely planning something…” the other man’s voice trailed off as they traveled out of earshot.

  "What's that about the front?" Knight asked. Weinan looked back at the soldiers walking away.

  "The most recent development. The Hegemony withdrew. Turned tail and fled."

  "Why would they do that? The news back on Valiant said the Hegemony was winning."

  Weinan's face tightened. "They were. Admiral Ferrao can't figure it out."

  And there was that name again: Admiral Ferrao.

  "Should I know this admiral?" Knight asked.

  "You will," Weinan assured Knight. "He founded the Remnant. He refused to recognize Lhiyrra as the new Heir. Nearly half of the fleet defected with him. Lhiyrra'll never say anything, but the break hurt the young Hegemony. We almost overthrew Lhiyrra within the first tendays of his rule; it was sheer luck his fractured fleet managed to gain the upper hand."

  Despite the suspicious circumstances surrounding the front, Knight was bolstered by the news of the Remnant's apparent victory on Hlean. Truthfully, she'd believed it was only a matter of time before the Remnant crumbled. But, despite the lack of recruits and the aging technology, they were pushing forward.

  Knight and Weinan traveled through the base until they reached a large door, double the width of a normal doorway. It slid open for them soundlessly and admitted them into a sterile white room that could only be the base’s resident temple. The classic Divarian runes adorned the walls, spelling out ancient prayers. A small sign by the door directed potential worshippers to the signumaria, just a quick jaunt down the hallway to the temple’s heart. The room they were in was really quite small, with a mid-sized intake desk along the far wall and a number of chairs arranged along
the room's walls. Corridors branched off deeper into the temple to patient rooms and operating suites.

  "Captain," an avian priest with copper scales said as they entered, snapping to attention from behind the intake desk. Weinan waved him off.

  "At ease, Ulahim," she said. "I've brought you someone."

  The one called Ulahim looked to Knight. “You must be the Luminant,” he said. “Good. We could use another of your kind.”

  Knight's mind went back to the talk of the front at the mention of her necessity, and she wondered if that's where they would send her. With the Hegemony gone, the Remnant would now be focusing on subduing the local Hegemonist sympathizers. Hlean was clearly where healers were needed most.

  "I'll leave you to it. I'm needed elsewhere," Weinan said, and excused herself.

  Ulahim turned to Knight. “So, you are Knight. Of Valiant?”

  Weinan must have told him about her. “Yes.”

  Ulahim gave her a strange look. It was almost…pitying. It passed quickly, but Knight didn’t like what she’d seen. “Captain Faulr speaks very highly of you. This way,” he said, and ushered her deeper into the temple. The facility was deceptively spacious, arranged in a ring around the signumaria with multiple wards that housed individual ailments. Knight lingered as they passed a metal door with thick glass windows. The immune lamps inside this room were brighter than they were outside the ward. It was filled with beds, all of them empty.