by Natalie Grey
It wasn’t long before a thought came back from a young Ubuara she knew named Oemuga. She recognized his thoughts because they always made her want to sneeze, like fresh-cracked spicy herbs. I have a hopper. I will take it and go. I will make sure he finds out.
Be safe, Aebura told him anxiously. Please, be safe.
What is it worth to be safe, he asked her, if part of us dies? We have to try to save them all.
16
Following Leiguba’s instructions, Gar had snuck out the back of the second jail hut and secreted himself under the general store. With the ground sloping so sharply, most buildings had stilts on one side so that the floors could be level—or at least close to level—and there was plenty of space for most types of aliens.
Also spiders. And rodents.
When he saw those, Gar seriously considered going back to the jail cell. He hated any type of insect. He always had. Someone had brought spiders to Luvendi aboard a ship, and they’d spread through the towers with unnatural speed, skittering up walls and…
Still, he knew he was never going to get an opportunity like this again. He meditated briefly and curled his long form into the shadows.
He had to wait until dark to sneak off toward the mines. While the guards sometimes had trouble telling the faces of the workers apart, Gar had one of the most recognizable faces in the town. He couldn’t even disguise himself as another Luvendi—he and Lan were the only two here.
The sun was already sinking, but it was a very long couple of hours before a Nekubi slithered under the floorboards with him.
Gar recognized him and sighed internally—Chogaru, a notorious troublemaker. Gar might be sorry for some of the things he’d done under Lan’s orders, but after spending months cleaning up Chogaru’s messes and trying to diffuse the situation every time he started a riot, Gar didn’t like the Nekubi very much.
Of course this was who Leiguba had sent to him. Chogaru was one of the leaders of the discontented workers. If Gar wanted to get out of this mess he was going to have to work with them, Chogaru included.
He didn’t have to be happy about it, though.
“Chogaru.” He inclined his head.
“Save it. Leiguba is a fool.” Chogaru spat on the ground near Gar’s feet. “I came here to tell you the deal’s off. There’s no way I’d trust you with a scrap of information about the rebellion.”
“So why are you here, then?” Gar gave him a contemptuous look. “Breaking secrecy and all that.”
Chogaru snorted. “It’s not exactly a secret that I’m involved. You know about me. You apparently know about Leiguba, too. But those are the only two names you’ll get. I’m not going to let you stab us in the back. As far as I’m concerned you can rot under here, or you can go back to your jail cell and take whatever punishment Lan gives you.”
Panic rose in Gar’s throat. His hearts were beating out of sync, a jarring sensation that made him dizzy.
“No. I can’t go back. I don’t want to die.”
“I really don’t care.” Chogaru crossed his arms. His thick body was still, his eyes locked on Gar’s.
“I will help you! I can’t let Lan kill me for—”
“I’m guessing this is going to be a pretty long monologue in which you try to convince me that you’re somehow different from him, but I’m not going to listen. You’ve been carrying out his orders for years. Whatever differences you have now, they aren’t important to the rest of us. Powerful people are always having fights—and people like us get crushed between them. You want to help? Go back to your cell and let Lan execute you without getting anyone else involved.”
“I can’t go back!”
“Of course you can. You’re just a coward.”
“Fine, I’m a coward.” Gar spat the words. “I don’t want to die. You know what I told Leiguba when he came to rescue me? I told him not to trust me. Ask him, if you don’t believe me. I told him honestly. I only sided with that human because I was afraid he’d kill me. Turns out that only bought me a few days.”
“Another lie,” Chogaru growled angrily. “The human isn’t going to help us. He doesn’t care.”
Gar began to laugh. He couldn’t help himself, though he knew he had to get himself under control before any of the guards heard him.
“That’s where you’re wrong,” he told the Nekubi when he stopped laughing. Chogaru was still there, which was odd, but that realization was quickly gone as Gar thought about Barnabas. “He actually cares when people do unjust things. He does care.”
“No one cares,” Chogaru declared. “Not in the end. It’s all pretty words, but when you look at their actions, people only save their own skins. They forget all about anyone else who’s being hurt.”
“Not this human,” Gar argued. “I don’t care what you say. Call it just pretty speeches, but he’s going to free this place.”
“You have evidence of that?”
“He asked me for security details: the walls, the guards, all of that sort of stuff. He sent me looking for how Lan is going to get off-planet when he finally leaves. Do you even know what Lan did?”
Chogaru stilled. “No.”
“The mines were all shut down.” Gar leaned forward and spoke softly and venomously. “I found out about it when I was in Tethra last time. The company was bought out. They released all our contracts immediately and told the overseers the mines were supposed to close. All of them did it...except Lan’s. That’s why we’ve had all the new orders. He doesn’t answer to the company anymore.”
Chogaru looked furious for a moment, then a change came over him. He looked grim—and determined.
“I see,” he replied softly. “Very interesting.”
Gar waited with his arms crossed over his chest. When the Nekubi said nothing Gar added persuasively, “I have already worked against Lan. He had me thrown in jail because I told him I wanted a bigger share of the profits—”
“Oh, and you really didn’t?” Chogaru asked acidly.
Gar lifted a shoulder. In a strange way, he liked Chogaru. Other revolutionaries were so earnest. It was hard to connect with them. They were like Leiguba, full of bleeding-heart sentiment; too quick to trust, too ready to stake everything on plans that had a big chance of hurting them in the end.
Chogaru was different. He had already told Gar he was only fighting for his own skin, and that he didn’t trust anyone else to care. That sort of pragmatism appealed to Gar. He could understand it.
“I’ve always been ambitious,” Gar told him honestly. “And now my ambition is to live. If that means helping the rebellion, I have no problem doing so.” He did not add, And if it means helping Lan I’ll do that, too.
Chogaru considered his words.
“I told Leiguba that he should move tonight,” Gar said. “The human is gone and I don’t know when he’s coming back, but when Lan gets paranoid he wants to kill everyone. I’ve only barely managed to keep him from doing so before, and I’m not with him now. I’ve told Leiguba everything I know, and he’ll be starting the plan an hour after nightfall. You don’t have to involve me any further if you don’t want to, but just remember that I helped you.”
“I will,” Chogaru said. “But I’ll also remember everything else you’ve done. I haven’t decided yet what I want to do about it.”
He slithered out without another word, leaving Gar still huddled under the floor. It had grown darker while they talked; nightfall was no more than a few minutes away.
Leiguba would be putting the plan into action soon if he were wise.
Once out in the open air, Chogaru came to a decision. Lan had never been more vulnerable, and Chogaru had never been more useful. Unlike Gar, he wasn’t going to be so stupid as to demand a higher payment up front. No, he’d learn Lan’s operation, skim what he could from the profits, and take over at an advantageous moment.
He slithered along in the shadow of one of the walls until he came to a lone guard.
“I need to speak to Lan. There’s
a rebellion brewing, and he should know about it.”
“You want to speak to Lan.” The guard shook his massive head at him. “I know who you are. I’m not stupid.”
“I’m his informant…did you know that?” Chogaru smiled coldly at the look of surprise on the guard’s face. “Don’t take my word for it, though. Tell him I’m requesting to speak with him and see what he says.”
He waited while the guard radioed the hut, then held out his hands for cuffs to complete the little show they put on for the other workers.
Soon he wouldn’t have to do this anymore.
In the hut, Lan looked at him coldly. “I assume this is important.”
“Gar has escaped and there’s a rebellion set to start tonight,” Chogaru said without preamble. Every once in a while it was good to shock people—and he was pleased to see Lan go still.
But the Luvendi wasn’t scared, not entirely. Instead, Lan smiled.
“How long do we have?”
“An hour maybe, but probably less.”
“Hmm.” Lan typed out a brief message on a communications tablet. “Well, then, thank you for the warning. It will be taken care of.”
“By crushing it once it starts?” Chogaru asked shrewdly.
“I don’t have to explain my plans to you.”
“You don’t, but you also don’t understand the mood of the camp.” Chogaru waved off the guards—awkwardly, given the cuffs—and glided closer to Lan. “Trust me, it would be far better to drag them out of their beds and make an example of them than it will be to kill them once they start rioting.”
“Why?”
“Because right now other people know about the rebellion, even if they’re not involved. If you demonstrate that you have sources, they’ll think twice about getting involved. If you wait until the riots start, on the other hand, there will be innocent bodies in the street. Some of those will be your guards’. Then you might have people joining the rebellion who wouldn’t have before. Don’t let them martyr themselves in a blaze of glory. Show them you know and see everything.”
Lan sat back and considered this. His brows were raised contemplatively.
“Interesting.”
Chogaru waited.
“Who broke Gar out of prison, by the way?” Lan asked.
There were many ways to answer this. Which would reap the most benefit?
For months, Chogaru had given vague answers. It was time to prove his worth by being specific. “I checked. It was one of the Ubuara—Leiguba. A long-time member of the rebellion, but one who has always advocated caution until now.”
“Leiguba.” Lan marked something down and nodded to the two guards. “When we begin, tell the guards to search for him in particular.” He looked at Chogaru. “What other names do you have for me?”
Not a leader who could be appeased with just a taste, then. Chogaru didn’t hesitate, however. He had to show which side he was on. He named every one of the rebellious workers he could think of, pausing to give identifying characteristics and details about what support they gave.
He was not surprised when Lan ordered, “You will accompany my soldiers tonight and point out members of the rebellion to them.”
Chogaru knew Lan hoped he would die in the crossfire. Perhaps he would even give secret orders to that effect. As far as he was concerned, Chogaru had served his purpose.
The Nekubi was not offended. He knew this was nothing more than Lan trying to make the smartest moves.
He didn’t intend to die, either. He would be watching his back tonight. He would perform well enough to become Lan’s second-in-command, and when the time was right he would take over. It would not be today. He did not think the guards would accept so quick a shift. But if there was time; if they saw him in Gar’s place…
No one cared who was overseer here. They simply hated whoever had the job.
In fact, Chogaru would cut the guards in on it when he decided to make his move so he could stave off their hatred for a little while. He would let them know what Lan had done and raise their wages, and tell them to keep the information from the workers.
Guilt and greed would do the rest.
He had to be careful not to smile. He nodded to Lan to show he understood his orders. “I know where each of them sleeps. I will be able to assist. You should consider sending guards to the mine entrance and to ring the walls. It is probable that people will try to run and hide.”
He was careful not to give orders—not yet. Lan had to see the value of his suggestions first, and become accustomed to taking them. Chogaru made a mental note to have guards around as often as possible when he did this. Then, when he took over, the whispers would say, “He was always the one making the decisions anyway.”
Appearances were important.
“Take him to the first jail hut,” Lan instructed. “There will be a call for me from the gates very soon. Patch me through immediately and wait for my signal. I’ll tell you when to begin and who to arrest.”
When they were gone, Lan went to one of his hidden cabinets and withdrew a bottle of uzi, a Luvendi liqueur that even most Luvendi did not like. It was native to his tower in particular and it tasted of salt and the sea, having both a harsh burn on the tongue and a flavor as deep as the black water outside the lowest levels. He drank it when he was homesick.
Why he was homesick now he could not have said. But he sipped the drink slowly as he watched the clock above the door, and when the buzzer rang to indicate an incoming call he drained the glass and stood.
It was time. When he thought about what was going to happen, he felt a flutter of excitement. They had been wondering for months what he could really do to them if they rebelled. He knew they had.
Tonight he would answer the question.
17
In the cave above the camp, Barnabas slid a light vambrace onto his forearm and flexed his hand as it settled into place. He could have armor that suited any aesthetic, so Barnabas chose to have armor that reminded him of his faith.
When he had mentioned this, others had asked him if he intended to have religious symbols on it and suggested a silver or gold finish.
Barnabas had only smiled.
His armor was an unadorned brown, already beginning to look battered around the edges. For all the world it looked like plain leather armor, though of course it would protect him against far more. The alloys and plastics they used allowed for any part of his armor to dissipate kinetic energy with remarkable ease. A bullet at close range might alter his path, but it would not punch a hole in him. It wouldn’t even bruise very much.
Although pain really was an excellent teacher, Barnabas preferred to confine those lessons to the sparring mats.
Gauntlets slid on after the vambraces, then cuisses and greaves, followed by incredibly light pauldrons. Barnabas had been informed that armor components had new names now, but he had not taken the time to learn them.
Armor still had a ritualistic significance to him. Preparing for battle was a contemplative time. He went over his reasons and examined his methods. He was ready to kill without hesitation and he knew plans could change in an instant, but he liked to assure himself that his plan that would lead to the least bloodshed.
The workers are all inside the huts, Shinigami reported. We’re coming up on a shift change, but the soldiers you heard about are almost at the gates. If you want to strike before they get there—
I don’t. I want to strike right when they get through the gates.
Oh?
I want to send a message to the mercenaries of this planet as well. Protection and defense of the helpless are worthy goals, but when the mercenaries help enforce slavery, Bethany Anne will hold them responsible. Being mercenaries does not absolve them of their moral responsibilities.
You know what this would be a great time for, don’t you? Missile strikes.
Actually, you have a point.
So, can I?
Maybe. Which do you think would be more impressive—a
missile strike, or a whole company of soldiers cut down by one person?
Dammit. I wanted to use the missiles.
I appreciate your honesty, and I feel confident that it’s going to happen at some point. Be patient.
Shinigami grumbled but comforted herself by hacking the security camera feeds. Barnabas had a point. Lots of people had missiles. Not many people could tear people limb from limb.
And hell if she was going to miss watching that.
Leiguba had acted as normally as he could in the hours before bed. He’d made the commotion to distract the guards at the jail hut, but he’d been able to get away before they caught him.
Normally he wouldn’t have chanced that, because the Brakalons generally couldn’t tell the different Ubuara apart so they would report the incident to Lan without giving any names. Lan would then order all of the Ubuara punished the next day.
But if this worked, by tomorrow Lan wouldn’t have the chance to hurt them anymore. His tail twitched contentedly.
The members of the rebellion were careful not to look at one another as they went into the huts to sleep. The guards must sense nothing amiss. Anyway, all of them knew the plan. They did not need secret signals or nods.
Leiguba lay in the dark and tried to pretend he was asleep while he counted every second until they started. The Ubuara would undertake the first part of the plan, scaling the walls and racing to the overseer’s hut to take Lan captive.
Hopefully the guards would stand down when they did that, but if not the rest of the plan would be put in motion.
Leiguba stared out the window at the stars; only a few minutes now. He’d planned his route in his head, as had the rest of the Ubuara. They would each go different ways so that if one of them was caught the others could just keep going.
He flexed his hands, then clenched them. He must go as fast as he could. He—
