Warden: A Novel (21 page)

Vane spoke up. “But if he’s out in the wasteland, Sergeant. How can we reach him?”

“I have an idea about that as well, but first we’ll need to borrow something from the Collective.”

Dura saw a few smiles blossom in the crowd and knew he’d have no trouble finding volunteers. But he wanted a piece of this operation for himself.

“What’s the mission, Sergeant?” Vane asked.

“We’re going to steal one of those floating propaganda billboards Minister Golen loves so much. More specifically, one of the ones he sent to the Outland offering a reward for the location of the traitorous Wardens.”

More than a few of them laughed.

“What then, Sergeant?” another Warden called out.

“I’m keeping that part under wraps for now. Just in case any of us get captured. Vane, you’re the most familiar with the Outland slums so you and Kina will be coming with me.”

Corporal Vane stepped up to the front of the group and stood at Dura’s side, and then a smallish woman started making her way from the very back of the factory to join them. Her movements were smooth and precise as she strode through the crowd—more like water flowing down a gentle stream, than the uneven stop-and-go cadence of the average person. And not for the first time, Sergeant Dura found himself admiring the woman’s almost inhuman gracefulness.

“If you’re bringing Kina along you must be expecting things to get pretty hairy,” Vane said.

“Let’s just say that her unique skills should come in handy on this operation,” Dura replied. Then he turned to address the others. “Set up what protections you can around the perimeter of the factory, and at every entrance as well. No matter how careful we’ve been, we still need to prepare for visitors…just in case. If all goes according to plan, we’ll be back in a few hours. Dismissed.”

Dura pulled one of the Wardens aside as the others set off to follow his orders. “A moment, Jant.”

“Yes, Sergeant?”

“If we aren’t back in three hours this is your show. I’m counting on you, and Sergeant Barent is counting on all of us.”

“Yes, sir. I won’t let you down…either of you.”

“I know you won’t,” Dura replied. “That’s why I chose you.” Then he spun around and headed off toward the nearest exit, motioning for Kina and Vane to join him.

“Let’s go,” Dura ordered impatiently. “The Collective have what we need. And I’m sure they’ll let us have it if we ask nicely enough.”

The hard glint in his eyes confirmed that Dura knew otherwise; there
would
be violence.

But his smirk suggested he was perfectly fine with that.

“What is your proposal?” Lusani asked, her eyebrows rose slightly in anticipation of the answer.

“The people of Le’sant have retained all of their technological skills,” Barent stated. “And from what I’ve seen, they’ve even made some advancements since my time.”

“Yes,” Lusani said. “Draly explained to me your rather unique personal situation, Sergeant. Please, continue.”

“I’m certain they can restore a fair portion of the
Olin
’s systems without much difficulty, and provide you with the portable generators needed to run them until a more permanent energy solution can be devised. They could also train your people how to use and maintain the machines, making your lives in the ship much easier.”

“Take a look around, Sergeant Barent. I think we’ve managed to do just fine without them.”

“You have,” he acknowledged. “But the ship’s medical equipment alone could have a profound impact on the lives of the Olin; to say nothing of the fabrication possibilities, or the benefits of mechanized transportation. You’ve no doubt seen my snowcraft by now. I’d be happy to demonstrate its speed and efficacy compared to that of a horse.”

“Yes, well it all just sounds a little too good to be true,” Lusani said. “What’s the catch?”

“No catch,” Barent replied. “But there is something of a…complication. Le’sant is currently in the grip of a corrupt and oppressive government, Lusani. And I’d like the Olin to help me overthrow it. We can replace those despots with new leaders—ones who will enact the will of the people and see to their needs. And once that’s been accomplished, I promise that you’ll have all the power and technical expertise you could ever need.”

Lusani smiled and leaned back in her chair, placing both hands on her thighs. The Olin leader wore a bemused expression on her face, but there was a great deal of disappointment there as well.

“Ah, I see,” she said. “So you don’t wield any
real
power, then. Tell me, Sergeant Barent, why wouldn’t I just take your vehicle and go forge an alliance with the current government instead? Work out something with them directly for the generators and training? That approach makes a great deal more sense to me, and would spare the lives of my people in an unnecessary and uncertain conflict.”

Barent returned Lusani’s smile with one of his own, but the tone in his voice was unmistakably serious. “Because the Collective would surely see the Olin as a threat to Le’sant—and to their absolute control over the city. Your arrival would upset a balance they’ve ruthlessly maintained for the last five hundred years. They won’t bargain with you, Lusani. The Collective will use their larger army and advanced weaponry to eradicate your forces, and then simply take whatever they want from the
Olin
. And even
if
some of your people survived the initial onslaught—and somehow managed to organize a resistance—they’d never be able to stop the Collective from seizing complete control of the ship. Your home, and your people, would be gone.”

“I think you underestimate my fighters,” Lusani said.

“Not at all. In fact, I was quite impressed with the ones I saw training outside. But I also saw the bodies being taken inside the ship, Lusani. No matter how good you are, people always die.”

She hopped up from the chair and began pacing around the tent. Lusani’s hands were clasped tightly behind her back, and her face had a pink tinge to it—a visible symptom of the rage she was feeling inside.

“The blasted Exiles!” she snapped. “They ambushed us during the hunt again. We wiped out their raiding party, but on the way back to the
Olin
we were forced to skirt around a much larger gathering of them—not all that far from our security perimeter. They seem to growing bolder by the month now.”

“Who are they?” Tana asked.

“The books say they were prisoners sent to work for the colonists.”

Barent was starting to feel a little restless as well, so he abandoned his chair to stand with Lusani. “There were five hundred prisoners on the
Olin
,” he said. “And a thousand colonists and guards.”

“Yes,” Lusani agreed. “And when they all woke up the ship was wrecked, and the
Le’sant
thought lost. With everything in shambles, the prisoners wanted to go out on their own. And the colonists agreed to it, thinking it would be better…
safer
, to be rid of them. They let the prisoners take some of the seedlings, livestock, and a few portable shelters they found with them—along with the soil treatments they’d need, of course. But no one really expected them to survive. Not out on the plains.”

“But they did,” Barent said.

“Yes,” Lusani replied. “Some of them actually
lived
. And the ones who made it were tough, Sergeant. The storms that go tearing across the surface of this planet during certain times of the year are ferocious. I’m talking about gale-force winds that can strip the flesh off your bones if you aren’t properly sheltered.”

“I’m aware of them,” Barent replied. “It was another reason the crater floor was chosen as the location for the city.”

“I wish the
Olin
could have make it that far, Sergeant Barent. I truly do.”

Lusani’s eyes went vacant for the briefest of moments—as if she were somewhere else, considering a future that might have been—and then she continued on with her story.

“Anyway,” she said. “For the first thirty years or so, no one saw the Exiles, and they were all presumed dead. But then they began attacking our hunting parties, and stealing horses and equipment. That quickly escalated to kidnapping Olin women—to serve as playthings and breeding stock. And when our ancestors went out onto the plains to get them back, they found out just how tough this planet had made the Exiles.”

Lusani shook her head. “They are savages, Sergeant Barent. And they fight like they’ve been possessed by demons. The Exiles kill completely without compunction; life is meaningless to them. And not just Olin lives; they render their own dead into fertilizer for use on their meager crops. Can you believe that?”

“How many are out there?” Tana asked.

“No one really knows. The Exiles probably have no idea themselves. They’ve always lived in scattered tribes, run by individual chieftains. But lately, we’ve been hearing rumors about a large number of them rallying together under one man. If so, it’s a troubling development, because the fractured nature of their society has always kept the Exiles from posing a major threat to us. But we have noted much larger gatherings of them over the last few months, so there may be some truth to those rumors. It’s why we have to travel in such large groups now.”

“But surely you have them outnumbered,” Barent said. “Even if the Exiles are consolidating their populations. How many Olin are there?”

“Oh, thirty-thousand or so. It’s been some time since we’ve had an accurate count. There are homesteads all throughout the ship, and many people live in the spires as well—just coming down long enough to gather food off the common lands, or participate in the hunt. Some Olin have even built shelters out on the surface, complete with greenhouses. But they still remain well within our security perimeter.”

“And how many fighters do you have?”

“We are
all
fighters, Sergeant Barent. Trained since birth. I don’t know how things are in Le’sant, but it’s a dangerous world out here.”

“The city has its own dangers, Lusani. But in Le’sant, they’re more likely to be hidden behind deceptive smiles—all while the dagger snakes its way around to your back.”

Lusani leaned back against the table again and crossed her arms. “Draly and Calif told me about Le’sant’s population, Barent. How can you possibly expect us to fight against a city with more than a million people? It’s impossible. And even
if
I agreed, we’d have to leave a strong presence behind just to protect the
Olin
from the Exiles. The most I could possibly spare would be ten thousand fighters. What good would that do against an army the size of Le’sant’s?”

“Ten thousand Olin would be a damn good start,” Barent replied. “I also have many supporters in the city, and I intend to build alliances that will bolster those numbers even further. I promise you, Lusani, we can put together a force capable of overthrowing the Collective.”

Barent looked over at Tana for confirmation, knowing that he had nothing more than her assertions to base that promise on.

“The citizens of Le’sant are genuinely unhappy,” Tana said. “And they revere Sergeant Barent. The people
will
rally around him, seizing the opportunity for change. And they’ll be grateful to anyone who helps him in the struggle.”

“Yes, yes, yes, it all
sounds
good,” Lusani said. “But I still need some time to think about all this.”

“How about a show of good faith in the meantime?” Barent said.

“Such as?”

“Our possessions.”

“Take them,” Lusani said, gesturing at the table behind her. Then she held up a single finger. “But not the plasma rifle. I want to hold onto that for myself.”

“Agreed,” Barent replied.

“Then you may gather up your things and go.”

Lusani picked up the plasma rifle again, gazing at it wistfully as Barent and Tana approached the table. “You know, my father searched for the
Olin’s
armory for years, trying to locate the ship’s weapons cache. He wanted to use those guns to fight the Exiles—to finally get an upper hand. But despite all of his efforts, he never found it.”

Lusani sighed. “Even if the energy stored in the plasma rifles had long since dissipated, the conventional weapons would have given us victory ages ago.”

“Well that explains why you’re using bows and blades,” Barent said, reaching for his weapons. “The colonial guards were equipped with sidearms to maintain order during the initial city deployment, but the majority of the weapons were stowed away in the armory. Frankly speaking, Lusani, I’m surprised you’re not tempted to keep
our
guns—for safety’s sake, if nothing else.”

Lusani smirked. “There are thousands of us, Sergeant Barent. If you become a problem, I think we’ll manage just fine.”

“I don’t doubt it.”

“I’ll assign quarters and have someone escort you there. We’re going to be out here for a few more days yet, as we still have to clean off all the tents and equipment thoroughly before it can be packed up and taken inside the ship. There are animals left to slaughter and divvy up as well; it’s the same after every hunt. I’ll send for you later, after I’ve spoken with my advisors.”

“Very well,” Barent said, strapping on his pistols. “Just remember, Lusani: you can go it alone and hope the Collective treats you fairly, putting the fate of the entire Olin people in their hands. Or you can go with me to Le’sant in force, and enter the city secretly to confirm everything I’ve told you is true…
before
committing yourself.”

“There is no need to convince me further, Sergeant Barent. I would very much like to visit that city I saw in my youth.”

“Then do it, Lusani, but under my terms. Or I assure you, the Olin will suffer from their encounter with the Collective.”

“You’ve made your point, Barent. But I still need to deliberate with the others. I’m a leader, not a dictator. Now go, while I call in my advisors.”

Barent nodded and followed Tana out.

A guard waiting outside saw them exit and ducked back into the tent. A moment later, he came back out again to address the pair.

“I am to provide you with quarters,” he stated.