by PJ Strebor
Olivia Marshal waited at the bottom of the steps leading from the quadrangle, her head held high in the tradition of an upper class Athenian. Her expression betrayed by the slight drooping of her shoulders. As they approached, she stepped in front of them. Placing her right hand over her heart, she bowed slightly from the waist in the traditional Athenian greeting. The quadrangle had never seen such a display and all sound and movement faded away.
Nathan returned the gesture and that must have really smarted with his ribs in their condition. Moe didn't know he could do that.
"I beseech you Burgess Telford, a word with you if I might," she said and then as an afterthought noticed Moe. "And you too, of course, Burgess Okuma." Moe resisted the urge to attempt the bow and held back the laugh that threatened to have Nathan at her throat.
His focus remained locked onto Olivia with an intensity that Moe had never seen from him with any other girl. She supposed that Olivia may be a snotty nosed, upper-class Republican cow, but with those wide, light brown eyes set into a fine-boned alabaster face, some people might consider her attractive. On the other hand, her pompous Athenian accent made Moe's skin crawl. Nathan didn't seem to notice.
"Earlier today," she began, brushing a mass of fine chestnut hair from her face, "when you approached me, it is possible that I may have misinterpreted your intentions." Her eyes dropped for just an instant then returned to Nathan. "I abhor poor manners and if I have judged you harshly, and displayed such bad manners, I wish to offer my sincerest apologies."
A comfortable smile settled onto Nathan's face as their eyes locked onto one another. Although both of them were included in her apology, Moe suspected that she no longer existed within the same universe as these two. She cleared her throat breaking the spell. Nathan blinked awkwardly before returning to the world of the living.
"I bet that must have taken a lot for you say."
Olivia shrugged.
"Apology accepted."
"That goes for me too," Moe added, rolling her eyes skyward.
"Thank you, Burgess Okuma," Olivia said, sparing her the briefest moment of eye contact.
"Olivia," Moe said. "You're in the colonies now so you might as well get used to how things are from the start. Isn't that right Nathan. Nathan?"
"Ah, yes," he said. "Moe has a point. Unless you're planning on leaving sometime today?"
"No, I am stuck on this…world, until graduation."
"How tragic for you," Moe said, maintaining a straight face.
He shot Moe a quick nasty look that Olivia missed.
"I guess you’ll just have to make the best of things, " Nathan suggested.
"Yes, I expect you are correct," she said. They continued to stare at one another silently until she finally groped for something to say. "Burgess Tel…" he held up a single finger. "Nathan, may I ask what happened to you?" she asked running her eyes over his damaged body.
"Hunting accident."
She nodded without speaking, so Moe took the opportunity.
"Yes, Nathan is one of the best hunters in the province." She kept her voice light although the guilt still stung her. If she hadn't broken cover too soon and spooked the buck, Nathan would not have been caught out of position. "Until that big buck got the better of him."
"Buck?"
"It's sort of a deer," Nathan said.
"A deer?" For the first time that day, she smiled without reserve. Naturally, her teeth were two perfect, straight white rows. "A deer did all that to you?" She held a hand to her mouth to contain a soundless giggle.
Nathan shrugged his good shoulder.
"The mighty hunter was bushwhacked by a three hundred kilogram stag," Moe said. "He was quite frisky, even for this time of the year."
She granted Moe the privilege of looking at her while she spoke but then turned a questioning eye on Nathan.
"Mating season." Moe had never seen such a lewd expression on her friend's face.
Olivia blushed, coyly. "Oh, I see."
The area around them had thinned out since their arrival, with students going about their after-school activities. However, a lone figure, who had been lurking at the periphery of their conversation, stepped forward.
"Burgess Marshall." The voice held a ridiculously deep note coming from a sixteen-year-old. Olivia started, then struggled to suppress a shudder as she recognized the owner of the voice.
"Burgess Sizemore," Jonathan said in introduction. He attempted to emulate the bow that Nathan had made look so easy but couldn't quite pull it off.
From the look on her face, Olivia recognized him as the one who had enticed her to sit on his knee during class. A blind man could tell that he should really have left it at that. As with many overly large young men, he considered that his physicality would be the salient factor in any attempted courtship. Considering his lack of success with the local girls, he should have given up by now, but stubbornly continued to believe himself to be in the same league with Nathan.
More in an attempt to court favor with Olivia than any other reason, he acknowledged her companions. "Okmunga, Tenfold," he said shortly.
"Sizeless," Moe replied.
Jonathan took note of Nathan's physical condition and that bolstered his confidence. "Burgess Marshall," he said, using the formal title only used in the Republic, "I was wondering if you would care to join me for refreshments at the campus coffee house. As my guest of course."
"That is very kind of you Burg…" Nathan cleared his throat. "Thank you, Jonathan, but I have another engagement." Her Athenian upbringing and regard for good manners would not allow her to tell him the truth. Her polite white lie came into conflict with the unofficial Athenian mandate of never telling a lie. Truth after all, had set Athens free and elevated her above the rest of humanity. That conflict caused her to be a terrible liar and Jonathan immediately saw through her sham.
A great sulking scowl covered his face. "So, you Athenians too good to sit down with us colonials aye?" he growled.
Nathan appeared beside her. He had removed his arm from the sling and it hung at his side. A typically gutsy move from Nathan. There was no way he could use the damaged arm no matter how much he might want to. Of course, Jonathan did not know that.
"She's having coffee with us, Jonathan." Although he made his tone conversational, the sparkling blue flecks in his eyes transmitted a different meaning. The two of them had history. After a few seconds Jonathan reconsidered his position. His large shoulders drooped as if supporting a weighty load.
"My apologies Burgess Marshall," he mumbled.
"Your apology is accepted Jonathan," she said. "And please, call me Olivia." She looked back at Nathan. "I believe that you were going to show me around?"
Nathan grinned. "Yes indeed, Olivia," he said, then remembered his best friend. "Ready to go, Moe?"
"I've got things to do." From experience Moe knew when she became a fifth wheel. "I'll catch up with you later." She received no argument from either of them as they walked off together.
Jonathan scowled after them. "What's he got that I haven't," he moaned.
"Her." It was a thoroughly ancient line, but Moe suspected that it held more than a grain of truth. She considered it odd that such a realization would make her feel so sad.
CHAPTER 14
Time: 22nd December, 315 (ASC).
Position: Penkovsky homestead. Mullally province. Planet Kastoria.
Nathan gazed through the window to where the sun spilled down the valley. The undulating spirals of coffee trees came to life as the light glanced off the early morning dew clinging to the leaves.
He could scarcely believe how much he had changed the last three years. Over that time, slowly, with times of painful lessons learned he had come out of his shell. He could never forget the past but he could concentrate more of his attention on the future. Then there was Livy. I never sought her out, I tried to dismiss her as I’d dismissed so many others, but despite my best e
fforts she won my heart. Thank goodness.
A thought popped into his head unbidden. It surprised him but also brought a smile to his face. “I’m happy,” he whispered to the waiting valley.
He hung his weapons webbing across his shoulder and reached for his bow.
“The mighty hunter of the Kastorian rain forest.” Livy returned from the bathroom and ran her eyes across his taut body. “I suppose I could do worse.” She rested her hands on his chest and kissed him deeply.
Nathan's head swam, as it always did when she was close. “You take my breath away,” he whispered into her ear.
Livy rested her head on his shoulder. “When do you think you'll be back?”
He stroked her thick chestnut hair. “Why darlin', you used another contraction. We'll have you sounding like a colonial in no time.”
She beat playfully on his chest and giggled. “When?”
“Hard to say. If we get lucky we might be back by lunch, but I wouldn't make plans.”
“Already have. Bernie, Lucy and I are going into town after lunch. There are a few things we have to pick up for the celebration.”
“Ah yes, the New Horizons night.” Nathan lowered his voice and quoted, “With graduation behind us the hopeful future beckons.”
“I hope it's half as good as last year's.”
“Hmm.” And the future with my lovely Livy beckons.
The whine of an approaching air-car broke Nathan from his thoughts.
“Moe’s here,” Livy said.
“Yep. We better get to the breakfast table before she eats everything.”
Hand in hand they wandered into the dining room.
“Mornin’ you two,” Caleb said. Nathan could never understand how Caleb could be so chipper at this time of the morning. My father was right. The Penkovskys are such good people. The thought of his lost family caused a heaviness to rest on his heart so he brushed the memory aside. Again.
“Good morning, Caleb,” Livy said.
Nathan pulled out the heavy wooden chair for Livy.
“I hope you two slept well,” Bernie said.
“Fine.” Livy blushed slightly.
Nathan took the chair beside Livy and noticed his kid sister trying to hide a smile.
“Mornin’ Lucy,” Nathan said.
Fourteen years old and fully aware, Lucy’s room was next door to Nathan’s.
Lucy giggled.
“What’s so funny little sister?” Nathan asked.
“Nothing,” she said, her eyes remaining on her plate.
Lewis could not leave well enough alone. “The walls aren’t all that thick, you know.”
“But you are … Lewy,” Nathan teased.
“How many times do I have to tell you? My name is Lewis, not Lew, not –”
“Mornin’ all,” Moe said. She dropped into the seat beside Nathan. “So Bernie, what treats do you have for breakfast today?”
“Nothing special Moe, just pancakes.”
“Not just pancakes, but Bernie’s best on Kastoria pancakes. I’d walk the twenty clicks from my home for your pancakes.”
Moe glanced past Nathan to Livy. “So, did you two wake the rooster again this morning?”
Livy’s ears burned bright pink as polite laughter filled the room.
“Behave yourself, Moe,” Nathan warned playfully. He squeezed Livy’s hand and winked. Moe's tomboy attitude won't last long at the academy.
The breakfast continued in the same easy vein until the time came for them to leave. They walked onto the verandah and while Nathan and Livy lingered Moe continued onto the gate. He did not want to leave her, not even for a few hours.
Nathan knew Livy loved him and that she knew he loved her, even if he could never say those exact words. In his rattled mind everyone he loved died. Within the crazy notion dwelt a fear with a history he dared not ignore. I loved my family but in the end my love did not spare them from their ghastly deaths.
“I've got to go,” Nathan said.
Livy hugged him and stared into his eyes. “I love you.”
“Right back at you.” He gently stroked her hair before forcing himself to leave her.
Nathan fell into step beside Moe and together they passed through the broad front gate.
CHAPTER 15
Time: 22nd December, 315 (ASC).
Position: Mullally province. Planet Kastoria.
Moe’s gaze locked onto Nathan, awaiting his next signal. He stood motionless in the middle of the deathly-quiet clearing fifty meters upwind of her position. She smiled, recalling the first time she set eyes on that skinny, reticent boy. Since arriving in the province three years ago, he had filled out very nicely indeed. A rigorous physical regime guaranteed not a gram of fat touched his muscular frame. From firsthand experience she knew how fast and dangerous he could be. Yet today he had been distracted. Probably daydreaming about Livy.
Throughout the morning they had tracked the rogue boar from the high equatorial escarpment to this glen, a few kilometers from the Penkovsky homestead.
Moe brushed a trickle of sweat from her upper lip.
Nathan’s relaxed pose had remained unchanged for the last ten minutes. His attention focused on a thicket of tall reeds about a hundred meters in front of him. Moe detected nothing but if he suspected the boar lurked within the silent thicket she would bet her life on it. Within the province’s hunting fraternity his freakish hunting instincts had gained him respect beyond his years.
Using hand signals Nathan directed her to the best firing position with a clear shot at the creature's forequarter when it broke from cover. Being upwind also positioned her in the safest spot. Noiselessly, he moved twenty meters to her right. Moe nocked an arrow and waited. No hunter would be stupid enough to wander into a dense thicket in pursuit of a wild boar. Certainly not Nathan. Years ago when she asked him why he preferred a bow instead of a modern pulsar hunting rifle, his answer never varied: "When one shot determines your fate, you pay attention."
Still no movement, no sound. Nathan remained stock still, his bow hand casually by his side. His body angled toward a spot in the tall reeds. His head slowly rotated until their eyes met. A wry smile creased the left side of his mouth making Moe tense. He winked. Oh shit. Nathan deliberately stepped onto a large, dry twig. The crack of wood shattered the silence like a thunderclap. Moe's heart missed a beat when a deep roar rumbled across the clearing. A great swathe of reeds parted frantically. Nathan’s bow hand remained down.
Seconds later the boar erupted from the undergrowth. Seven hundred kilos of insane aggression stormed toward Nathan. Its half-meter long tusks could disembowel a four-tonne plains buffalo with a single swipe. Moe drew a deep breath, raised her bow, led the target and fired. The shaft flew directly for its heart. An instant before contact the charging beast rocked to its left. The arrow buried itself in the hard bone and gristle of its right shoulder. She blinked in disbelief when the boar continued its headlong charge.
Nathan’s bow hand did not move. The charging mass of death closed to fifty meters. This was not the first time Nathan waited until the last possible moment to shoot. Foolhardy in the extreme; infuriatingly gutsy, but idiotic.
"Shoot, you stupid bastard." Her words rasped between clenched teeth. "Shoot!"
The beast closed to ten meters. With measured poise Nathan crouched slightly, drew back the sixty-kilo bowstring and fired. The shaft scythed through the beast's chest and sliced into its heart. The boar’s tremendous momentum drove it on until, with a final tortured grunt, it staggered and collapsed to the ground. The enormous body kicked up a cloud of fine brown dust, temporarily obscuring Nathan from view.
Moe heard him sneezing as she broke into a sprint. With her blood boiling she rushed to the felled boar. As the dust cleared Nathan sneezed again as she rounded on him.
"What is it with you?" she shouted. "Do you have some kind of death wish?"
He rested on one knee and paid homage t
o the kill, placing his hand respectfully on the boar's immense head. His eyes tracked to her, his head at a curious angle. "If you never challenge yourself, Moe, you never grow." His expression remained serious for a few moments before a wry smile cut the left side of his face.
Relieved Nathan was unharmed, her scowl melted away. Moe shook her head.
"You know Nate, if you try this sort of shit at Mount Kratos, they'll kick you out."
"Why Moe," his voice feigned surprise, "I thought you knew that controlled aggression is the most desired quality in Monitor Corps captains."
She snorted. "I don't know how to break this to you, but you're not a captain."
"Yet."
Moe rolled her eyes in resignation. Their acceptance into the academy had been confirmed. Once there, four years of backbreaking work stood between them and their dreams of graduating as junior officers.
"Just don't forget your friends when you make admiral."
The odd angle of his head returned, this time accompanied by a wrinkled brow. "Who are you again?"
Moe lunged forward, knocking him off his haunches. They hit the ground with a vigorous thump. Her mother's fiery temperament surfaced as she beat playfully on his solid chest. "Who's your best friend? Who's your very best friend?”
"You are, Moe Okuma," he laughed between gasps. "You are my very best friend."
"And don't you forget it." She stared into his beautiful grey eyes. So close and yet so far.
"I will never forget. Now, would my very best friend please remove her knee from my balls?"
“Oh, sorry about that.” Subduing a smirk she struggled to her feet and offered her hand, hauling him to his feet.
"Thanks, very best friend." With exaggerated care he massaged his groin. “You know Mary Ann, you need to watch where you put your knee.”
“Hey, I’ve warned you before about using that girlie name.” Moe's resolutely threatening tone was softened by her smile.
