The Rise
Page 5
The soldier carrying a bag of cement who had the misfortune to walk at the wrong place at the wrong time had no chance to see it coming and died on the spot.
Those accidents are rare, but not unheard of, and it shouldn’t have been signified directly to me. The men knew it, and looked for Lieutenant Sebastian and Lieutenant Monroe to inform them. Being unable to locate them for more than an hour, Sergeant James came to me.
The news of the tragedy was already a bad omen, but I was more worried by the absence of Lieutenant Sebastian. Lieutenant Monroe had been increasingly moody for months, and his disappearance was not such a surprise. He would be found hidden in some deep corners of the old fort, studying some plans with Sergeant Sushi.
Lieutenant Sebastian, however, had always been available and easy to locate. We knocked at his private quarters with Sergeant James, obtaining no more response than the soldiers had. As Commander, I gave the order to open the door of an officer of Worldsend Garrison, and our fears were confirmed.
Lieutenant Sebastian was in his bed, seemingly sleeping. None of us was fooled, though.
I checked his file. Lieutenant Sebastian was aged seventy-eight, according to the birth date written in his enrollment paper, signed when he was eighteen. Back then, he had decided to join the army to escape marrying the daughter of a rich farmer he had the bad idea to grace with a child. Five years later, his passion led him into a very similar situation.
But this time the lady in question was promised to a high-ranking officer, and he couldn’t run away from his sentence. In a way, he managed, avoiding the gallows and being sent to Worldsend Garrison, where he served the Empire for fifty-five years.
He was liked and highly respected among the troops, and his passing away totally eclipsed the accident and unfortunate death of a simple private. A minute of silence was held in their honor, all men standing within the fort in their memory, but there is little doubt that the ceremony was mainly in reverence to Lieutenant Sebastian only.
Not everybody attended the homage, though. Neither Lieutenant Monroe nor Sergeant Sushi were seen, and this caused a lot of outrage among the soldiers. Their relation was no secret, and was accepted, but the rumor they had chosen to get intimate instead of showing their respect to Lieutenant Sebastian started to spread.
Eager to solve this misunderstanding and extinguish any potential trouble, I ordered the fort to be thoroughly searched, and for them to be brought immediately to me. It took five hours to find them, and they never made it to my office.
***
I will never know what pushed them to do so. They didn’t give any explanation, didn’t say anything about their decision.
Their bodies were found in the room where the fungus used in the preparation of the Elixir is grown. This is a place where nobody goes apart from them, and I believe it had become a kind of sanctuary for their love.
They were dressed as civilians, wearing what I assume was their work uniform when they were still Doctor Monroe and Sushi Kangxi. They were both resting on the floor, in a pool of blood, holding hands. Their wrists had been slashed; the scalpel used to do it was lying close to them.
Before your legitimate wrath for not being able to preserve their life falls on me, I need to confess another irregularity committed by the present Commander of Worldsend Garrison.
***
Your Majesty is aware of the profound contempt I feel regarding the habit to leave our fallen comrades disappear on the beach. I never accepted the lack of respect in this gesture, though I perfectly understand its reasons.
I strongly believe in the right every man has to be remembered. Even more so when he gives his life to protect millions of persons with no idea of the dangers looming at their border nor of the sacrifices made to allow them to live normally their existence. The ignorance of the citizens of the Empire is a blessing, and their peace of mind should not be disrupted.
However, Worldsend Garrison should be able to honor those fallen in the line of duty, and new soldiers should be aware of those who lost their life on this beach.
As such, I took advantage of the ongoing works in the fort to start building a cemetery and a memorial. Both will be at the entrance facing the road to Karabia, so that those coming will be reminded of the heroes who died defending Worldsend Garrison.
The memorial has already been erected, a slab of rock 12 cubits high and 50 cubits wide, on which the names of all the soldiers fallen in the line of duty have been engraved. I took time to go thoroughly through the archive, making sure none of our brother-in-arms was forgotten.
We hadn’t suffered any loss since the finalization of the cemetery. The first four graves bear the names of Private Chapeline, Sergeant Sushi, Lieutenant Monroe and Lieutenant Sebastian.
I couldn’t stand the idea of leaving their body on the beach, for the abominations to come and bring them into their world.
I am aware that I failed you, and will accept any punishment you deem fitting to my behavior. Should you decide to dismiss me from the commandment of Worldsend Garrison, be sure that I will fully cooperate with my successor, giving him all the information needed and allowing him to take the position in the best possible circumstances.
Respectfully and dutifully yours,
Colonel Montoya
Letter 13
Theodora,
In this letter to you, allow me to forget the mighty Empress and remember the sweet blonde girl who was invariably close to me when I was trying to heal her daddy from the disease in his blood.
You became a beautiful woman, and a fair and respected leader. The Empire couldn’t have dreamed of a better Empress, and our regretted Niklas the Sixth is certainly proud of his daughter, wherever he is now.
I spent enough time by your side after his death to understand that you are dedicated to your people, never backing from a hard decision, never lowering your head under threat, and always thinking of the Empire rather than yourself. Once again, our citizens can consider themselves lucky to have such a magnificent ruler.
They do not know of your most remarkable achievement, though. I do. Now.
More than any of our agitated borders, Worldsend Garrison is the place keeping the peace within the Empire. This is, after the Imperial Palace, the most important building of our vast territories, but it is also a secret not to be revealed.
I learned during my years here that this name is a subject of wild rumors and gossips within the army, but I spent enough time in the Imperial Palace to safely affirm that our aristocracy is absolutely unaware of its existence. If they knew how lucky they are, not to have the slightest idea of this danger…
Sushi and I are among the minority not presenting any ability. We can’t see them, we do not have visions, and I am delighted it is like this. I heard the screams of the soldiers having nightmares, I noticed the look of those discovering for the first time the atrocities attacking us, I listened to the tales…
I am glad I never had to face them.
***
I know that you are the one who told the guard about Sushi and me. I’ve been angry with you; I will not deny it. After so many years living happily, without disturbing anybody, why would you choose to destroy us? What had I done to wrong you?
Then, I understood.
Nobody wants to be posted here, and you don’t send a man to Worldsend Garrison without a valid reason. It has to be done. This is one of the many hard decisions you have to make on a daily basis. They are not pleasurable, but not taking them would be worse.
We would all wish for things to be different, but they are the way they are, and our only option is to accept them. I needed some time to do so, far more than Sushi, who’s always been more clear-headed than me. In the end, I managed.
Before I forget, I would like to stress out that, since the day of my arrival, Colonel Montoya has been showing an abiding concern for my—and Sushi’s—, safety. Sometimes to the point of exasperation, as in all those years I have never been able to leave the fort with
Sushi without a minimum of two bodyguards.
Even if he cares deeply for the men in Worldsend Garrison, I realize that his zeal was due to your intervention in making sure I was safe and sound. I’d like to think you underestimated me, but I also know my limits. Would I have been on this beach unescorted once; I would most likely never have come back. I must thank you and Colonel Montoya, for protecting my life in this tough environment.
When you’ll receive this letter, both Sushi and I will be dead by our own hands. This might seem illogical that I express gratitude for saving my life, when I decided to take it on my own.
Let me explain.
Once I understood what was happening here, and the real nature of my task, I felt thrilled and honored by the opportunity given to me to help the Empire. Sushi and I dedicated our souls to the research regarding the Polobrag and the Fetexus Denutium. When we managed to isolate the components, when we brewed the first elixirs, when we saw its use, when Colonel Montoya told us about the victorious battles… We were elated.
And I made a mistake.
I started to dream of a triumphal comeback to the Imperial Palace, where we would be honored, even admired, for successfully carrying out such an important mission. I had forgotten the nature of Worldsend Garrison. Absorbed in my work, I had allowed myself to dismiss from my mind that there was no return possible.
Your reminder came as a hammer blow, and the acceptance of my fate has been hard for me. Actually, I never managed.
I thank you for the trust accorded in making me responsible for the extension of the garrison. It has successfully brought me out of my torpor and given me a reason to keep on doing my duty to the Empire. We know that I was not really required. Many others could have done the same, and most likely better than me, but you chose me.
We managed to do an excellent work, and the fort can now house up to five thousand soldiers. Its external ramparts—twenty cubits high and five cubits thick—could withstand the assaults of heavy artillery if need arose. I doubt it will ever.
The various reinforced shelter on the beach, equipped with two chain guns each and capable to sustain eight men for a week, can easily destroy the biggest part of the invading army before they even reach shore. The survivors, if able to make it through the fire of those machine guns, will then be targeted by the cannons standing on the outer fortification.
If, by the will of some unforgiving daemon, some assailants would manage to come close to the fort, they would be picked up by the soldiers shooting safely from the six guard towers on the Southwestern wall.
There is indubitably still some work to be done to consider the new garrison as finished, but those are trifle that can be handled without me. I lost my motivation.
I am proud of what we achieved here. I feel that I’ve been an important part of something that might be remembered later on. My name will not appear in History books, but they will tell how, during the time of Empress Theodora, Worldsend Garrison managed to rise and annihilate the biggest threat the Empire ever had to face in its long history.
We are the one who did it.
For a small boy raised by his grandmother in the tiny city of Havroque, I can proudly state that I accomplished quite a lot in my life. After being for many years the private doctor of our celebrated Emperor Niklas the Sixth—and, dare I say, one of his closest friends—, I’ve been able to help his daughter in her mission to preserve the future of the Empire by giving a definitive advantage to the men of Worldsend Garrison.
What more could I ask for? Love?
As you know, I have it. For more than twenty years, I shared my existence with Sushi, and I’ve been lucky enough to enjoy it with the tacit benediction of the Emperor, the Empress, and the Commander of Worldsend Garrison.
I’ve lived a life that’s full and meaningful. Sure, I’ve had some regrets, but too few to mention.
Spending five, ten or twenty more years in the desolate landscapes of the Karabia Peninsula couldn’t bring me more satisfaction, even if those years are shared with Sushi. Keeping on being a burden for Colonel Montoya while I am not doing anything valuable to the fort would only make me feel useless.
I do not want this, and thus I decided to leave Worldsend Garrison the only possible way.
Happily,
Doctor Monroe
PS: Sooner or later, you will learn about the memorial and cemetery built at the main entrance, and I have no doubt that our dear Commander will take the blame for it. In his foolishness, he might even give you his resignation. This wouldn’t surprise me. He’s a man of honor.
It is true that without him, nothing would be there. He’s the one who taught me the importance of eulogizing our comrades and remembering their sacrifice. But I am a grown-up, even if I might act childish sometimes. I form my mind alone, and I take decisions on my own. I concur when he says that it is our duty not to forget our past.
Maybe he will pretend that he’s answerable, but I was the one in charge of the construction, he was only responsible for the defensive lines. I am the one who resolved to build both the cemetery and the memorial. He didn’t force me, didn’t even ask me to do it. He would never have dared to defy your orders. I am the one who did so. However, I did with respect for our Empress, and love towards the small blonde girl staying by my side when I was doing my best to heal her daddy.
Letter 14
To Colonel Montoya, Commander of Worldsend Garrison.
You are hereby tasked to implement the Imperial Decree sent in an attached missive, effective immediately.
***
Reading your accounts of more frequent and aggressive assaults by our enemy is highly troublesome. I do not believe in coincidences when it comes to the safety of our Empire, and the fact that this increase takes place when we are strengthening Worldsend Garrison cannot, and will not, be overlooked.
As you rightly pointed out, some years ago, those attacks would have wiped our forces out, and the way to the city of Karabia would have been cleared for their invasion. We all know that once they seize Karabia, they can spread everywhere in the Empire and the consequences would be disastrous. In the eventuality of Worldsend Garrison falling, there would be no possibility for the Imperial Army to protect all territories within our borders. They would have to regroup in the Central Region, defending Otezalp and the Imperial palace, abandoning millions of our people to their fate.
This is a scenario that I must take into consideration, but can’t accept as probable.
Worldsend Garrison must stand.
I urge you to finish the construction of the new fort, and order you to double our defensive line on the beach. We will send you state-of-the-art weapons, developed by our best engineers: machine gun firing at a higher speed, and cannons shooting explosive shells.
We must not lose the advantage so hardly gained through the sacrifice of valuable men.
***
Be informed that our War Minister is convinced that those frequent attacks are to be taken as a sign of imminent victory. He believes the enemy is aware that we are now becoming too strong. According to him, their master is throwing its last forces in the battle in a desperate effort to overwhelm our defenses. His mind is that they would not sacrifice thousands of their underlings if they had an alternative.
I personally do not share his optimism and refrain you from doing so.
All evidence suggests that this enemy is not only unknown and powerful, but also cunning. The mystery around the death of Zoly and the recruits he was bringing to the fort remains unsolved. And those powerful attacks, especially now that we are getting stronger, are a clear warning that the invader is capable of planning and adapt to our strategy.
But there is something else, Colonel Montoya.
An aspect that only you and I can fully apprehend.
We both had the opportunity to spend time with Colonel Sigalvo. Despite all the conclusions made by Lieutenant Monroe stating that no one can have the capacities to Know and to Feel, we both realize it isn�
�t true. Giorgio Knew, and he Felt them.
Colonel Balakov had discovered this, and died soon after, in unclear circumstances.
Once Colonel Sigalvo took control of Worldsend Garrison, the enemy didn’t let him any time. Less than a month after becoming Commander of Worldsend Garrison, he was murdered.
As you said it yourself, they came for him. This is something that had never happened before, none of our officers had been directly targeted in such a way.
I have no doubt the dark atrocity was afraid of Colonel Sigalvo, and decided to remove the threat.
Do not be foolish enough to commit the mistake of underestimating the invader, Colonel Montoya. A politician like our War Minister can afford such thoughts, but not the Commander of Worldsend Garrison. They have the capacity to plan, elaborate strategies, and are incredibly dangerous even without the use of any technology.
And, what disturbs me the most, they seem to know far more about us than we do about them.
I can’t stress enough the importance of your mission. Worldsend Garrison must stand, and you will be given any resources you need to do so.
This is my will,
Empress Theodora
Letter 15
IMPERIAL DECREE
I, Emperess Theodora, Ruler of the Empire by the will of the Gods and through the inheritance left by my Father, the late Emperor Nikolas the Sixth, have decided the following:
Soldiers and Officers of Worldsend Garrison who shall die while fulfilling their duty towards the Empire will be honored and thanked for their loyalty.
Those whose bodies have been recovered must be buried in a cemetery located along the road to Karabia, with their names and the mention, “Fallen in the service of the Empire.” No distinction will be made according between privates and officers.
A memorial will be raised at the northeastern entrance of the new stronghold, with the names of all those who lost their life defending Worldsend Garrison since its creation.