by Auryn Hadley
"How do we get them?"
"Seems like we're born with it. The grauori are at least. Most of us figured it out the hard way."
"So I just have one, or do I pick?"
Sal chuckled. "No, we all just have one. The grauori have helped some of us find them. They've been doing it long enough to know how. I just wish your Iliran was better. That's all they speak in Viraenova."
Reko shrugged. "I've been learning. Probably be a lot easier to get it from using it instead of reading it, too. Hey, Sal?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks. I mean it. You could have left me to rot with the rest of them. I know something is up, and I know you won't tell me yet, and there's no way I'm going to ask, but thanks."
Sal patted his shoulder. "You're iliri. I couldn't just leave you to that crap. You're welcome, Rek. I'm sorry it took so long, but you're welcome."
Chapter 19
Sal knocked politely at the General's door. Voices muttered inside, and she listened to footsteps cross the room before it opened smoothly. A young, dark-skinned girl looked down at Sal, then glanced at Reko behind her.
"Can I help you, sirs?" she asked.
"I need to see the General. It's important," Sal said.
"Let her in, Marnia," Sturmgren's voice called from another room.
Marnia gestured for the iliri to enter the suite and led them across the reception area to the office door. She held out her hand, indicating that Sal and Reko were welcome to enter, then closed the door softly behind them. Reko fell to a proper parade rest. Sal just smiled at the man behind the heavy wood desk.
"What are you doing today, Lieutenant?" Ran asked her.
"Sir, two things. First, Viraenova's coming. Jase saw them out on the horizon in the west. Large group, it sounds like. I'm guessing they'll be here before lunch. Second, Drago Trax is unfit."
Ran sighed. "At ease you two, and sit down." Sal pulled out a chair and sank into it easily, Reko following her example. "You get a new one, Sal?" Ran asked, looking at the pale man.
She lifted a shoulder and let it drop. "He's Azure. I caused a bit of a stir this morning, and they would’ve taken it out on him for his skin."
"Ah, damn it. What did you do?"
Tucking her feet under her in the chair, she easily met the old man's eyes. "Dropped Drago." Sal held up her hand before the General could reprimand her. "He split my lip," she said, gesturing to her wound, "for the two of us performing his so called drills perfectly. I got a bit upset. I didn't kill him, Ran."
He nodded. "Least there's that. Ok, what do I need to know?"
Reko looked back and forth between them, his face stoic, but Sal could feel his awe at being in the presence of the General.
She ignored it, getting right down to facts. "I've had multiple reports of Azure Silence's failings recently. Story going around is that they're falling apart, and Trax is useless. Half of their forces are lost in each battle. Trax stays behind lines and tries to call orders to them. Sir, there's no way they can hear that over combat. He doesn't assign a unit head, he just leaves them to flail until they die, and calls it special operations."
Ran looked at Reko. "Is this true?"
"Yes, sir. Raj has been known to pull us together, but he gets chewed for overstepping his place each time. Those of us still alive? We've learned to duck pretty well."
Ran nodded, but Sal kept going. "Raj is the most senior member. He's only been in three years, Ran. Three years! Their idea of drills is stances and formations, repeatedly. I've seen no tactics, we haven't done anything mounted, and word is they haven't in months."
The General sighed. "What's your name, soldier?" he asked Reko.
"Specialist Reko Wyra, sir."
Ran nodded. "Relax, Reko. This is my job and your responsibility. I'll make sure there are no repercussions on you for this. Sal, your little show the other day got me some leverage, too. Berrik's in a pretty tight spot after the scene Anglia put on."
Sal grinned. "Strange how that worked out."
"You teach that boy politics or something? He's as smooth as Blaec Doll."
"No," Sal shook her head. "He came that way. He's a bastard's son, and that puts some pressure on a man up there. He learned to have a pretty sharp tongue and when to use it."
"Ah, that makes sense," Ran said. "Well, with Berrik licking her wounds, I can at least reassign you two. I can't give you a new unit, but..." he paused thinking.
"Viraenova's coming," Sal reminded him. "You need some ambassadors who can speak with them unless you want to count on Anglia to translate for you."
Ran laughed. "Reko, you speak Iliran, boy?"
"A bit sir."
"But he won't need to," Sal assured him. "Look. I can speak Iliran, Reko can translate."
The General rubbed his head, staring at the desk. "Explain that to me again. What's the difference?"
"Iliran is spoken. You've heard it used, and it's almost the same as Grauoran. That is nothing different than what you think. Translating? That's what the Vargwar does for the Orassae."
"How does he do that anyway?" Ran asked.
Sal tapped her head. "Iliri secret." Then she looked at Reko. Tell the General we appreciate the silver ink. It's made the point we wanted to.
"We appreciate the silver ink, sir. It made the point we wanted to," Reko said, shrugging his shoulders at Sal.
Ran leaned back in his chair and chuckled. "Ok, that makes more sense. You think you can polish him up in a few hours, kid?" He gestured to Reko. "He's a bit rough around the edges and as timid as a Guttertown hound."
"Yeah." She assured him. "Give a man a little dignity and it goes a long way. I was worse before Blaec got his hands on me."
"Horse manure." He tilted his head, daring her to deny it. "And rumors are still flying about that."
Sal shrugged, proving she didn't care. "I had a very public relationship with my partner, whose rank was perfectly appropriate."
"Iliri," Ran grumbled under his breath, making Reko growl softly. Ran laughed, waving the man down. "You're right, Sal. There's some spunk in him. I have no problem with the iliri, boy. I don't always understand you, and your," he flipped his hand, "families, or whatever you call it, confuse the hell out of me. No way I can keep up with it. I've been going to Blaec for a few years as my Iliran advisor, even before he made his ancestry public. Take my human sense of humor the way it's intended."
Reko glanced down, "Sorry, sir. It's hard to control."
"That's fine, Corporal. Just watch the snarling. Most humans overlook the growling. Hard for our ears to catch it. Usually, we just feel the rumbling in our bones."
"It's Specialist, sir."
Sal grinned, and Ran shook his head. "Nah. Not anymore. I need a Corporal for this. You report to Sal." He turned and called out, "Marnia?"
The girl cracked the door open and looked in. "Yes, sir?"
"Get me the forms for a promotion. Reko Wyra, Specialist to Corporal. Be quick about it. I need to send them out."
"Yes, sir. Five minutes, sir."
"I'll need a set of chevron's for him, too. We have any of those lying around?"
"No, sir, but I'm sure General Hardris next door does."
"Thank you, Marnia." Ran jerked his thumb to the outer wall. "And keep your eyes on the window. Viraenova's coming. You'll want to see that."
She grinned and nodded before she ducked back out of the room.
"Good kid," Sal said. Ran just laughed.
"She's two years older than you, Sal. You're still just a pup yourself, even if you've been through hell and back." Then Ran leaned forward, propping his elbows on the desk. "Now what do you suggest I do with Trax?"
"Remove him, sir. He's not fit for duty, and I can't tell you why."
"It's like he's lost the taste for it, sir," Reko said. "I'm not sure if that's an iliri thing, but he's terrified. Even the hint of sending us into combat makes him reek of it."
Ran pressed his head into his hands. "He's taken a few bad route
s in his time, but I can't just remove him because a Lieutenant recommends it - no matter how good your credentials are, Sal. I'll need to poke around on this a while. I also can't transfer you. I can assign you to a special mission - as ambassadors - but you'll still report to him." Ran groaned. "You're still bunking with them, too. He finds out you did this, and it's going to get really ugly."
Sal reached over, pressing her fingers to his arm. "I'm good, sir."
General Sturmgren looked at her. "You weren't the other night."
"I was in enemy territory, alone, the other night. I'm not anymore. Devil Dogs are a floor above us."
"Good." The old man closed his eyes and nodded to himself. "Tell Pig I approve. Now, what do we do with Viraenova? This outpost is Conglomerate territory, so it's up to us to assign them quarters."
"How'd it get to be Conglomerate, anyway? We're in the middle of Myrosica?" Sal asked.
"Treaties about a century ago. They have one down near the ocean. We used to have them in Unav and Escea too, but Terric ran us out. All I have left are the upper floors of the barracks." Reko groaned, and Sal sighed. "What?" he asked the iliri.
"Smells like humans in there, sir," Reko admitted.
"And that's a bad thing?"
Sal giggled. "Clean it up, and no. It'd be like sleeping next to the kitchens when they're baking bread. Now? It smells like rotting meat."
After a light tap, the door opened. "Sir? I have the chevrons and the papers. I just need your signature, and yours too, Corporal," Marnia said.
Ran waved her in, gesturing for the insignia to be handed to Reko and taking the papers for himself. He glanced over them quickly then scrawled his name across the bottom of each page before pushing it toward Reko. "Here, here, and here," he said, pointing.
Reko signed, and the General offered his hand across the desk. "No hard feelings if you don't take it, soldier, but congratulations. Looks like you're overdue for this promotion."
Reko smiled and clasped the General's hand. "Thank you, sir." He cocked his head slightly. "And I have no problem touching you, sir." He looked confused.
Sal told him, "It's the animosity. Ran doesn't have it, so he doesn't make your skin crawl."
Ran handed the papers back to Marnia, and the girl left quietly. When the door closed behind her, he turned back to the new Corporal. "I learned real fast not to touch the iliri without asking. Have to say, Sal. I never saw it coming, either."
"You hit him?" Reko asked.
Sal had never gotten the chance to explain. "You can say that. We'd just come back from a skirmish. He wanted to congratulate me on the promotion to Lieutenant and discuss my orders. I was out of uniform, just in the tank since it was the middle of summer, you know? He touched my arm." She shrugged.
Sturmgren leaned back in his chair and chuckled. "I patted her arm and found myself on my ass with something sharp on my neck, a knife against my ribs, another in my groin, and nothing but white in my face. First time I'd heard an iliri growl too. Glad Blaec was there, that's all I'm saying. It does make the point, kid."
"You startled me, sir," Sal said.
"No shit. But that's when I knew you'd be fine in Anglia. Thought Blaec was a fool to send a novice elite up into something like that. Ok, you two go get the barracks aired out. Sal, if you can get me a head's up before they're here, that would be great. Oh. And Marnia should have orders for you to give to Trax. Watch your backs, iliri."
Sal and Reko stood in unison and saluted the General. "Yes, sir."
"Dismissed. Make a show of it, Kaisae."
She nodded at him and left the room, Reko following in her wake.
Marnia saw them and held up a finger. "One moment, sirs. Let me seal these for you." She tucked papers in a pair of blue envelopes and stamped them closed, pasting a gold seal across the opening of each. "Luxx," she said holding out one, "Wyra," she said with the other. "Please give those to your commanding officer. Your own orders are listed as given verbally from General Sturmgren."
"Thank you, sir," Sal said, and Marnia blushed slightly.
"It's ma'am actually, sirs. I'm not enlisted."
Sal paused, looking her over. "Shame. You'd be an asset. I'll send a mutt when Viraenova gets closer."
Smiling with unveiled pride, the girl ducked her head. "I like them, too. Have you seen the pups they have?"
"Yeah, those are my girls. Watch the one with the tipped ear, though. If she tries to bite, let me know?"
"Oh, I'd never touch them, sir. I know that's offensive. It's the first thing we learned in my Iliran Customs course at the University. I just like to watch them play." She gestured to the window behind her.
Sal made a note of that. This girl sounded like she was involved with the same professors who were translating her species' history. "Well, we're trying to teach them to play well with humans, so don't be afraid to ask if you can meet them. Their dam's pretty proud of them."
Marnia grinned. "Thank you. I will!"
Sal led Reko from the officer's hall, aiming for the barracks. He held himself a little higher and kept looking at the chevrons on his shoulder. The grin on his face showed his sharp teeth. When they were finally away from the mass of human ears, he shifted closer but never turned to look at her.
"He called you Kaisae?"
"Yeah." She thought about leaving it at that, but Reko deserved to know. "He challenged me and won, but gave my rank back before I left his office. He understands, Rek. He's on our side."
"How do you do it?" he asked. "They love you or they hate you. Me? They just hate my pale skin."
"Kaisae thing, I’m told. Now, I'm only going to give you one pointer," Sal said. "Act like you're in charge and people tend to believe it. If you fail, then fail as big as you can. They'll forgive you for anything you do with gusto, and it won't ever matter if they like you."
"Who will?"
"Anyone. Well, it amuses the grauori, but both humans and iliri tend to forgive a mistake, but they dislike a lack of decision. Everyone loves it when someone else makes the decisions."
Reko chuckled. "So act like a Kaisae. Got it."
Chapter 20
The two of them entered the barracks side by side. Soldiers milled about the room, most of them in the standard army blue. Reko glanced at her but didn't wait for permission before he stepped forward. "We need to get this place cleaned up. You, open the windows," he said pointing at a soldier. "You, you, and you, start sweeping. You, air out the top floors, and you, get the rest of the off-duty men to pass the word to anyone bunked in here. This place needs to be spotless in two hours. Move!"
"Yes, sir!" the soldiers called back, scrambling.
Reko looked at Sal and grinned. "Yeah. I see what you mean. You sure it's not the promotion?"
Sal shrugged. "It's both. They'll always check your rank, but they'll believe your attitude. Let's make sure Trax knows we're not his anymore."
She lead Reko through the back of the barracks. The open windows on the first floor were already improving the smell of the place. Together, they slipped out, making their way across the large yard on the far side of the CFC base. A group of mounted soldiers in grey worked between them and the training arena, taking turns pushing their horses at each other. A few called out greetings to Sal. She couldn't miss when the dark mare turned her way.
"What's up, demon?" Zep asked moving Cessa to her side. The charcoal colored uniform made his skin look even darker.
"Special assignment, ambassadors to Viraenova." She cocked her head to the sparring arena Azure used for training. "Need to hand the orders to Trax."
He nodded and looked at Reko. A second later, a smile took over his face. "Hey, you got him promoted! Grats, Corporal."
"Thank you, sir," Reko said, dropping his eyes.
"Hey, Zep?" Sal interrupted. "Is Pig around? And does he have a better name than that?"
The big guy laughed. "No, actually. Feofilakt Pigaris. He really does prefer Pig. He's on the far side. Why?"
"L
et me hand these to Trax, then I'd like a word with him if you can swing it."
"Can do." Zep looked at her for a moment, then glanced at Reko. "Yeah, I'll make sure he knows." He spun Cessa, cantering toward the leader of the Devil Dogs.
Reko leaned closer to Sal. "I'm out of line, so don't ground me, but there's something there, isn't there?"
"I'll know later. He's deciding."
Reko nodded. "I wouldn't have though a human, though."
Ducking her head to the ground, she tried to hide her smile. This was getting to be repetitive. "He's not human anymore. Not where it counts."
Reko choked back a laugh. "Yeah, that doesn't sound quite like you want it to. Pretty sure we're all built about the same." When Sal groaned and dropped her head to her hand, he chuckled. "I know what you mean, Sal. I'll keep my nose out of it."
"Thanks. I don't really need any more roadblocks on that one. He's thrown up enough already. Now come on."
Sal and Reko marched proudly up to Drago Trax and held out their orders. The Captain called his men to ease but glared at the iliri.
"I'm filing a complaint against both of you, you know that, right? Get your asses in formation."
"No, sir. We have orders," Sal said, flipping the end of her envelope. "Read it."
Trax grumbled, snatching the orders from each of them while glaring at Reko. "And I did not approve that promotion, so you need to get those chevrons off your shoulders, boy."
"The promotion is approved, sir," Reko informed him blandly.
"Bullshit. Only one who can promote you without my recommendation is - "
"General Sturmgren," Sal said. "We just spoke with him. Those are his orders." She pointed to the envelopes again.
Trax grumbled as he opened the first, his eyes widening. He wrenched open the second, then crumpled them in his hands. "You don't just go over my head, Luxx. You get that?"
"No, sir. I told you Viraenova was coming. I gave you the chance to react to it. You chose to start a petty brawl with me, so I decided to report it to your commander." Sal flicked her ears forward and smiled cruelly at him. "I'm still within protocol. Oh, and it's also still legal for me to protect myself. I do apologize that my reflexes are so well tuned. Now, I need to speak to the Devil Dogs, sir."
