by Michael Ryan
The group sat and looked at me.
I cleared my throat. “I regret that this has come to bloodshed, but that wasn’t my choice. Having said that, I’m assuming command of this community by virtue of my rank and the authority granted to me by Lieutenant Noleerz. As of midnight, I’ll consider any attempts to leave our camp to be mutiny – an act that threatens the survival of all of us and, as such, one that will be dealt with harshly. If you choose to stay beyond tonight, you’ll have accepted my position as the sole and final authority into the foreseeable future.”
I continued speaking until I’d exhausted my thoughts and then opened the floor for questions.
The most pressing inquiry the men had was a desire to know what our future held. We all knew the question was impossible for anyone to answer, but I told them what our next project would entail. “Building a more defendable encampment is going to be our primary mission.”
Little did I know that less than a week later, we’d be attacked.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
A Specialized Drop Infantry soldier must at all times display respect for his leadership and his country.
~ Guritain SDI Training Manual
The battle began during a moose hunt.
We’d invented many uses for the animals: skullcaps could be fashioned into bowls, their antlers made good weapons, furs became blankets, dried intestines became bowstrings, and teeth made reasonable chess pieces. Using salt from the marsh, we’d managed to preserve meat. We experimented with various processes of curing the hides and had managed to create a serviceable moccasin, held fast with paracord from our backup chutes.
On the day the Tsalagian tribe showed up, ten of us had formed a hunting party and were waiting silently in a blind. We’d made two new longbows, and we were anxious to see whether they were effective. Our supply of arrows was limited, so we’d armed the two best bowmen with the weapons, and the rest of us were standing overwatch with firebombs in case a catrilla showed up.
The moose were plentiful, but guarding its hunting territory was part of the alpha predator’s survival strategy. We’d had healthy debates about whether we should attempt to kill the beast, but I deemed it too risky to do more than defend ourselves. If someone could kill it during an attack, super, but to hunt the creature would likely condemn several of us to death for no good reason.
The catrilla, an intelligent strategist, must have realized we’d learned from our deadly encounters. We never left the compound without firebombs and long pikes. The hunter gave us a wide berth, but continued to stalk our provisioning sorties. I used a low whistle to get Corporal Hentiser’s attention when I spotted a flash of the predator’s colors through the trees. I’m not sure if my bird imitation fooled the catrilla, but I didn’t want to spook any approaching moose.
I gave Hentiser a hand signal to indicate where the beast was headed, which he acknowledged, and then he prepared to ignite his firebomb. I turned my attention back to the two bowmen and saw them nock their arrows and draw. Then a moose appeared and abruptly galloped out of effective range.
A flock of birds scattered.
Someone screamed.
The rest of the herd bolted.
Two spears flew through the air. The deadly weapons struck the bowmen, and they released their arrows into the sky as they fell. Another soldier screamed. A firebomb flashed in the distance, but I couldn’t see to what effect. Two of my men ran past me, yelling.
“Retreat, Avery!”
“Henti’s dead! Run!”
“It’s an ambush!”
When I fought in TCI-Armor, I had the luxury of detection systems and warnings. Without any tech, I had to rely on primitive methods for survival. I saw the flash of a spear and managed to duck in time, narrowly avoiding being impaled. I leapt to my feet and ran, too. There’s nothing cowardly about a retreat; it’s the intelligent thing to do when circumstances warrant it. As we bolted away from the trail, I counted the men around me: four of us had survived the sprint from the woods.
We entered the open ground outside our compound at a full run.
“Attack!” we shouted.
The guard in the crow’s nest heard us and beat two pieces of TCI-Armor together. Our former shielding had been reduced to prosaic uses, but in this case it saved our lives. Camp protocol dictated that the gate remain shut, so we were relieved when fast-acting men opened it in time to let us inside before our pursuers reached the range of their spears.
“What the hell?” Veenz blurted.
“We’re under attack!” I shouted. “Everyone to their stations!”
Callie ran to me. “What happened?”
“A tribe showed up during our hunt.”
“Incoming!” the man in the crow’s nest yelled. “Take cover!”
I grabbed Callie and threw her to the ground at the base of the perimeter wall. A shower of arrows dropped into the camp. Several screams followed. “Take cover!” I shouted. Another rain of arrows peppered the ground around us.
Noleerz rushed to our side after the volley.
“We lost six men out there,” I reported. “They ambushed us as we were about to take down a moose.”
“Hell,” he said. “And you lost our bows?”
“Those were the first men they targeted.”
“Good strategy.”
“Okay, so they’re smart. They have superior numbers and superior firepower,” I said. “Do we try to parlay?”
“How? We don’t speak any of this planet’s languages, Avery,” Noleerz said. “We’re fucked.”
Abrel and Mallsin waited for the next shower of arrows to end, and then joined us.
“This doesn’t look good, Avery,” Abrel said.
“I can see that.”
“Did we lose the new bows?” Abrel asked.
“Yes,” Noleerz and I said in unison.
The guard in the crow’s nest called to us. “They’ve pulled back into the woods. I counted twenty with bows and at least another ten with spears.”
“Roger,” I shouted.
We’d cleared enough foliage to ensure that nothing could approach us unseen, but we’d lost our only effective defensive weapons in the ambush. I made a mental note that if we survived this attack, we’d need to do things differently than we had up to now. None of us had believed we’d see other people again unless they were modern soldiers. Since we’d never be able to defend ourselves against Gauss guns no matter what we did, building defenses had taken second place to obtaining survival necessities like meat and fur.
“We’re outnumbered and have limited supplies,” Noleerz said. “Doctrine dictates that we offer terms of surrender, which assumes that we can determine that they aren’t fighting under no-quarters. Or that we can even communicate with them. I’d say our only hope is to kill some of them to prove we aren’t going to roll over and die.”
“I have to agree, Avery,” Abrel said. “If we try to negotiate from a position of weakness, we’re going to end up dead or taken as slaves.”
“What’s the chance of a counterattack?” Veenz asked. “If we surprise them, it might give us an upper hand in whatever future negotiations happen.”
“I think our defensive strategy of clearing everything around the camp works in reverse in that case,” Mallsin said. “We can’t leave without being seen. We’d be cut down before we made it twenty meters.”
“Concur,” I said. “If we leave the compound, we’re dead. I’ve seen their archery and spear skills up close. They’re expert marksmen.”
“Then we have to find a way to surrender,” Callie said. “There’s nothing else that isn’t suicidal.”
“That could be suicidal,” Noleerz pointed out.
“Then what have we lost?” Callie stood up and stretched her legs. “I’m not in favor of surrendering unless it’s strategic. We can surrender and then plan a revolt later, assuming they let us live. I’m not so fond of dying here for the sake of pride.”
“Veenz? Your thoughts?” I asked.<
br />
“We feign weakness and draw them in. Kill a few and reevaluate. If we don’t draw blood as Noleerz suggests, we’re never going to convince them to parlay.”
“Okay, that’s settled,” I said.
“Incoming!” shouted the guard from the far crow’s nest. “They’re ranging on us!”
“Take cover!” Mallsin shouted.
We dove behind a pile of firewood as arrows arced over the far wall. The natives had circled our encampment so they could fire on us from the opposite direction. If they hadn’t been forced to expose themselves to do so, we might have all been hit.
“Incoming!” the guard shouted again.
Another flurry of arrows pounded the dirt inside the walls. Our spotter called to us. “They’ve gone back into the trees. Be prepared for the next volley to come from any direction.”
“We’re pinned down with nowhere to go. If they’re patient, we’ll run out of water in two days.”
“I don’t think they’ll be that patient,” Pow said.
“What the fuck?” I said in shock.
Veenz moved like a striking snake. He grabbed Pow and held an antler dagger to his throat. “Move and I’ll kill you.”
“Calm, Lieutenant,” I said. “Let him speak.”
“I’m your only hope,” Pow said.
“You speak Common English?” Abrel said. “This whole time?”
“It was for my safety I didn’t reveal it,” he said. “Consider the fact you’re all alive as proof of my intentions. I could have killed you in your sleep. I could have poisoned you. I could have–”
“Enough,” I said. “Drop the weapon, Veenz. We have no choice but to trust him. In any case, I suspect his fate is tied to ours, at least for now.”
Veenz did as I ordered.
Pow bowed his head to me. “You are correct, Avery. My life depends on yours, your lives on mine. You and your tribe will die if I don’t survive. I speak the common language tribes such as the Tsalagian use. I can negotiate on your behalf. It’s your only hope.”
“Why didn’t you tell us to prepare for this?” Abrel demanded.
“I had no idea the Tsalagians were this far south. They are primitive and don’t even use paradeez.”
“What’s a paradeez?” I asked.
“A beast of burden that can be ridden upon.”
“Like a horse.”
“I don’t know this creature,” Pow said. “What’s important is that the Tsalagians are territorial. Not…what’s the English word for…they don’t move around a lot like some tribes do.”
“Nomadic,” Callie said.
“Yes, they are not nomadic. They move great distances, but then they claim lands and settle them. They are capable of great violence, but they aren’t bloodthirsty savages, either. We can negotiate, but like the lieutenants have realized, only from a position of strength. I suspect you’ll have to kill a few of them before they are willing to talk.”
“Incoming!” both guards shouted. They pointed to our right; the tribe had moved another ninety degrees. We took cover and waited as three additional volleys of arrows landed inside the compound.
“How many arrows do you think they brought?” I asked Pow.
“They’re accomplished craftsmen,” he answered. “But I’m sure there’s a limit. And then they’ll rush the wall if we haven’t issued a borroka.”
“And that is?”
“A challenge to fight warrior-warrior to settle who wins.”
“Of course,” I said. “I should have known.”
“This is not common on Earth-Purvas?”
“No. And Earth and Purvas are separate planets,” I said.
“Not to us.”
“We should offer this borroka thing,” Veenz said with conviction. “It’s our only hope. If we sit here doing nothing, we’ll end up dead.”
“I agree, Avery,” Noleerz said.
“Pow,” I said, “how do we make this happen?”
“The custom is straightforward. You’ve got to send all the women out of the camp, naked and bound. They become…the word escapes me…they become like a…”
“Ransom?”
“Surety?”
“What is surety?” Pow asked.
“An assurance that we won’t betray our agreement,” I said. “I get it. We send out the women as proof we aren’t trying to do anything sneaky.”
“Exactly,” he agreed. “They will hold the women until we settle whether or not they are going to let us live. That will be decided by a fight, man-on-man, one contest at a time. If we kill one of them, then they’ll allow us to surrender.”
“And if not?”
“We’ll all be dead,” Pow said. “I thought I made that obvious. We fight until either we’re all gone or one of them is killed in a fight by one of ours.”
“I love foreign customs,” Mallsin said sarcastically.
“At least you’ll live in either case,” Pow said. “If your man lives, he’ll get you back. If he dies, whoever kills him will claim you.”
“Like I said,” Mallsin repeated, “I love foreign customs, especially Stone Age ones.”
“Pow, if we’re allowed to surrender, what does that entail? I’m not so sure I want to agree to an arrangement where my options are death or slavery.”
“If you are allowed to surrender…you’ll be allowed to remain in your partnerships and become part of the tribe after a season. You won’t be a slave, assuming you live among them according to their customs.”
“Why is winning a single fight so…um…iffy?” Callie asked.
“The Tsalagians are one of the planet’s fiercest fighters. Both the Meckos and the Rhans have tried to recruit them. Even the Tedesconians made efforts to bribe them, which is part of the reason I know their language. I’m not entirely fluent, but my skills will get us by. Many of the Tsala speak a little Mecko.”
“All we have to do is pick our top fighter and hope for the best?” Abrel asked.
“Oh, no. There is no picking. All battles are arranged randomly,” Pow said.
“Shit.” I looked around at our half-naked warriors. We weren’t in terrible shape, but our training was with Gauss guns, missiles, and grenades. Any hand-to-hand battles were done inside power-enhanced armor. Fighting well-trained warriors with their preferred weapons was likely to be a slaughter.
“Weapons?” I asked.
“This is also left up to the gods,” Pow said. “They will roll a die each night, so weapon selection is randomized.”
“Each night?”
“Yes,” he said. “The battles are fought one per day, before sunset. Afterwards they celebrate. If the loser had a mate, the winner couples with her to celebrate his victory.”
“I like this less and less,” I said.
“We have no choice, Avery,” Noleerz said. “If we refuse, everyone dies.”
“You want us to do what?” Mallory Veenturrin, one of the female corporals, asked.
“I know it’s degrading,” Mallsin answered. “But the alternative’s death.”
“We could fight,” she argued.
“We’re in a compound surrounded by enemies who have superior numbers and weapons.”
“We could attack them,” she said unconvincingly.
“With what?” her partner asked. He put his arm around her and said, “I love you, but this is the only chance we have.”
“If you die, I’ll be raped,” she said.
“If I die, you’ll be married to a warrior. It’s better than death.”
“You’re not the one being raped.”
“If you don’t want to surrender after I’m dead, then fight,” he said. “You’ll be dead either way.”
Her eyes welled with tears. “I hate this.”
“I don’t like it either, but we have a chance this way. We only have to win once and we’ll be allowed to stay together.”
“Avery,” Mallory said, “do you believe this?”
“I believe Pow is telling us the
truth. I know if we attempt a straight-up fight…we might as well just slit our jugulars and die painlessly. I’d rather have a chance at living.” I put my arm around Callie. “I love my wife and I want to be with her. I think this is our best shot.”
“You’re going along with this, Callie?” Mallory asked.
“Yes,” she said. “I see no other option.”
“Okay,” the corporal said. She placed her hands behind her back and allowed her partner to tie her wrists with paracord.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
Mallory had tears running down her cheeks, but she didn’t speak again. The rest of the women, who’d already resigned themselves to becoming hostages, were lined up, ready to leave the compound.
Pow stripped off his ratty clothes and put his arms behind his back. “You have to bind me as well.”
“Will they release you?” I asked.
“No,” he said. “Unless one of you is victorious. Until then I’m a hostage to ensure good faith. They’ll send someone to you once they’ve secured us out of sight. Don’t mistreat their ambassador. If you do, they’ll kill me, and after raping the women, they’ll kill them, too.”
“Christ,” one of the space marine corporals said. He spat in the dirt. “They’re savages.”
“They’d probably say the same about you, Corporal,” I said. “Calm down. We’re on their planet, in their territory. Their rules will be followed whether we like it or not.”
“Yes, sir,” he said. “I’m just saying–”
“Hold your anger for the fight you might find yourself in,” I said. “Okay, open the gate. Let’s get this party started.”
Pow nodded his head to me and led the women out of the compound.
I watched Callie leave, and wondered if I’d ever see her again.
The first fight was scheduled for two evenings later.
Pow was allowed to be untied to interpret by a special ruling of their leader.
“What happens if you try to escape?” I asked him quietly.
