There were fourteen more toasts after that first one, over the span of a month and a half. We attacked several more supply posts, stealing everything we could fit in Susan. We gathered the weapons onto a truly impressive arsenal. Several thousand guns, rockets, and pallets of explosives, enough to arm thousands of fighters. The rockets and explosives were put to good use against Swrun military installments, training camps and troop garrisons. As it turns out, Vyena is an expert with explosives, knowing exactly where to place them and when to detonate them to maximum effectiveness.
With her help, we brought down the Tower, the largest Swrun garrison in seven systems. That really pissed the Swrun off. We had to make a quick get away after that, but we managed thanks to Susan’s speed. We also attacked slave farms and we freed over three thousand slaves. They all went to Aldemere to join the Rebellion.
Over the course of that month and a half, I saw a side of Clint Stone I had ever only seen glimpses of. I had thought he possessed leadership before, but this was entirely different. He just had an air about him that made you want to follow him. He quickly gained the respect of the rest of the Bandits, showing them that he deserved to lead, not that he was just in charge by chance.
He also gave some responsibilities to me. We were attacking a fortified complex with two objectives. One was to kill the Swrun general inside and the other was to plant charges under the base to detonate when we were clear. I led Vyena, Juiwa, and Kor’keq down into the tunnels beneath the base and somehow managed to get them out whole. Clint said I performed well, according to Vyena, contrary to what I thought.
I led another assault the next time, leading them into a supply post a hundred miles away from where Clint was leading an assault on the slave yard. Both were a success and I felt a little more comfortable in command, even if it was just a few fighters who could have functioned fine on their own. But the missions were not the only thing to happen in those six weeks.
Our main mission was a success. We had successfully distracted the Swrun enough that they moved their focus away from Aldemere and they focused their attention in the sector the Bandits were operating out of. Not that that stopped us in the slightest. Susan could outrun any of their ships and they could not find a single trace of us. Except for the large craters where their infrastructure used to be.
Over that month and a half, the seven of us got to know each other pretty well. Louth was an ex-mercenary who joined the Rebellion after he witnessed the death of a slave at the hands of her cruel master. Kor’keq was a Kantim who was the son of one of the soldiers of the Kantim Army before the Swrun defeated them. He joined because it was the family business at this point. Heras joined up when a girl he was in love with ran off with a Swrun officer. His was the least tragic reason to join the Rebellion, but he made it seem as if it was the gravest insult in the world.
Vyena joined because her brother had been mistaken for a dangerous fugitive and the Swrun had gunned him down without even making sure he was the right species. Juiwa, well, Juiwa didn’t speak much, but I got the impression he had been a slave, judging by the shackle scars on his wrists and how he rubbed them whenever the Swrun were brought up. Clint told them of the destruction of Earth, but only after a great deal of prodding and questions from Vyena and Heras.
We became friends during those six weeks of fighting the Swrun and living in a cave. We became brothers at arms and we would have died for each other without hesitation. We trained together, fought together, laughed together. Ours was that special bond forged in combat and fire. It was us seven against the Empire and we felt like we were winning.
But things were about to change. Upon our return from our sixteenth successful mission, where I lead the charge into a heavily fortified Swrun outpost, distracting them from Clint and Louth sneaking up from behind. I strode down Susan’s ramp, discussing the finer points of the attack with Heras.
“When you popped up, I swear he about shit his pants. ‘Oh god, there’s another one! What do I do, what do I do?’” I said in my best impression of a Swrun accent. It came out in a series of squeaks and squeals that sounded nothing like a Swrun but got my point across. I waved my arms around, holding an imaginary gun. Heras nearly fell off the ramp he was laughing so hard.
Ker’keq jutted in. “But when Tedix here unloaded on that patrol, that was a thing of beauty. I’ve never seen so many drop so fast.”
“You weren’t on Byrea. That was the biggest bloodbath I’ve ever seen,” I said. “Juiwa was there, he can tell you.”
Juiwa was walking behind us as we carried our gear into the armory and he grunted in agreement. From him, that was almost a speech. I didn’t know why he didn’t speak, but I didn’t press him. Everyone has their reasons for the things they do, even if they don’t share them. In the whole time we had been here, the most I had heard out of his mouth at one time was an apology to Vyena for bumping into her. He never apologized to the rest of us, though.
Clint walked in the door and dropped his gun and hat in his designated space. “Captain,” Louth said, nodding his head.
“Louth,” came the reply. “You all did well today. Maybe this time we made the news.”
It was a running joke in the team that our exploits would never make the Swrun news, their censorship was too strong. Our goal was to create enough commotion and damage to get noticed. Seeing as how the Swrun had managed to hide the existence of the entire Rebellion, it was highly unlikely, but it never hurt to try.
“Nah, that time in Guehsads was bigger and it wasn’t reported then,” said Heras. “We’ll just have to do something bigger next time. What about using that CGS-43? That’ll give ‘em something to think about.”
Our gaze turned as one to the large pallet of explosives in the corner. It had a buffer space of several feet all around it, to avoid any accidental contact. CGS-43 was the single most devastating non-nuclear explosive in the galaxy. A handful of the stuff could level a city block. This much could level the city. Clint said he was saving it for a special occasion.
Vyena appeared in the doorway. “Captain! There is a ship approaching!”
“What?!” said Clint. This place was supposed to be hidden from the Swrun and we should be safe here. But it seems they had found us. Clint hurriedly pulled his suit back up as he was only halfway through taking it off. The rest of us quickly did the same and grabbed our weapons.
We assembled in the hangar, the only place a ship could enter the cave and we took up positions around the entrance to the rest of the cave, our weapons trained on the doors of the ship that had just landed next to Susan. We had practiced this, even if we had never expected to use it. Juiwa and I took up positions outside of the tunnel, hidden behind boxes placed for specifically that purpose.
Clint joined me. “That doesn’t look like an Empire ship,” he said. I looked closely at it. There were no identifying markers anywhere on the ship. It could have been anyone.
“Do you think they got lost and landed here by mistake?” I asked doubtfully. Clint looked at me. “What do you think?”
“I think there is no way they landed here by accident.”
Clint nodded, his eyes focused on the ship doors. I did the same, watching for even the slightest movement. With a mechanical hiss, the doors opened and a single being walked out. He wasn’t Swrun, that was for sure. It was difficult to tell at the distance, but he looked like a very large Uiane, his single red eye visible even from here. He was also unarmed.
He stood in the center of the hangar and swept his arms to the side. “Is this the welcoming an officer of the Rebellion gets? Where is everyone?”
Clint looked over at me and I looked over at him. He shrugged and stood. “You did not hail us. We assumed you were hostiles and prepared accordingly.”
Vyena moved out from cover and Clint looked back at her. She slowly stepped back behind cover. “Unfortunately, we have no way of knowing if you are who you say you are. Do you have proof?” Clint said, looking at the Uiane.
“I am Lieutenant Meran Koruk of the Rebellion against the Swrun Empire, headquartered on the planet of Aldemere in the city of New Cathun City. Good enough for you?”
Clint nodded. “I guess so. What brings you to our humble abode, Lieutenant Koruk?”
“Orders, sir. I have brought fifty soldiers to join your force.”
“You can just call me Captain. New fighters? What am I supposed to do with them?” Clint said. By this time, the rest of the Bandits had emerged from their positions and grouped behind Clint. I stood at his right shoulder. I got a good look at this Koruk character. He was tall, almost my height, and he looked fit. He had the posture of a trained military man and he had a hard glint to his eye. This man had killed before and had no qualms about it.
“Train them, sir. Command is impressed with your unit and they wish to have a larger number of soldiers like the Bandits. They’ll come in handy when we start the war.” Koruk motioned with his hand and a large column of troopers marched out of the transport. They filed into a straight line, two deep, behind Koruk, standing at attention.
Clint glanced at them. “At ease,” he said. They relaxed. “Might I speak with you for a moment?” he said, looking at Koruk.
“Certainly,” the Uiane replied. They wandered over to the side of the hangar where they spoke in tones too low for me to hear properly. Since I could not hear what they were discussing, I devoted my time to something else. I glanced over the new soldiers, judging their apparent traits. Several seemed like they could be a useful addition to the Bandits, but most did not look like they could fight their way out of a bar.
I guess that was why they were here. I saw the rest of the Bandits studying them as well. To their credit, the newcomers looked back without hesitation. Clint and Koruk finished their discussion and they returned to the center of the hangar.
“I am told you have fighting experience,” said Clint. “Training with Kra-ort and in real combat. You must think you are pretty tough to join the Illorian Bandits. Let me tell you, you have seen nothing like what we do. Training with Kra-ort will feel like a nice play fight with your siblings and live combat will be like playing chess compared to what you will face with us.”
I saw several of the soldiers shifting in their place. The Lieutenant fixed them with his blazing eye and they ceased. They seemed frightened, as frightened as trained soldiers get, anyway. Koruk was the kind of officer who led by threats and punishment, then. I had thought he was the type. Clint continued.
“But that does not matter. We will train you to fight like the best. But in order to do that, you will need real combat experience. I am to give it to you. Tomorrow, we will assault a Swrun slave farm. If you survive, you will join the Bandits. But under my command, there are three rules you will follow. One: you do not hurt the innocent. Two: we do whatever it takes to obtain victory over the Swrun. Three: you obey my every order.
“Breaking the last two is forgivable, if the situation is adequate. But the first one is law. If you break that one, if you intentionally harm any being not trying to kill you or others, I will be your judge, jury, and executioner. I will smash your skull in with my fist.” When he said that, his face was dark and grim, darker than the night and harsher than the vacuum of deep space. I saw the soldiers’ eyes widen at that and I saw Koruk’s eye narrow. I did not like the look he gave Clint.
“Am I understood?”
“Yes, sir,” the soldiers chorused. Koruk stepped forward. “Who is an innocent in this war, sir? Do even the Swrun civilians count? By your definition, they are as-”
“Yes,” Clint said. His voice was clipped and hard. “Even the Swrun innocents. Law One applies to all of them.”
Koruk nodded his head. “Very well. Do you have room for us to place our equipment and supplies?”
“Plenty,” I said. “Vyena can show you where the spare rooms are.”
I stood by Clint as the column of soldiers marched out of sight down the tunnel. Koruk fell into formation behind them, sparing one last glance behind him at Clint. “I do not like him,” I said.
“I don’t either. Tomorrow, I’m placing him under your command. Watch him.”
“I will.”
“Forward!” shouted Koruk, ordering his squad forward. They ran toward the closest building, charging into heavy fire. Koruk followed from behind them. I ground my teeth in frustration. He had blatantly disregarded my order to stay put and supply cover fire while I led my squad around the side. I would see that he was made accountable for his disobedience, but first I had to make sure we survived this battle.
Koruk was not making it easy. It was a good thing that each of his soldiers was wearing an IPDM suit, or they would have been incinerated in seconds. As it was, several still fell with smoke rising from their skulls, victims to the deadly aim of the Swrun sharpshooters. Juiwa crept up next to me and dropped one of the sharpshooters. He tumbled off the roof and landed hard on the ground. He didn’t move.
I turned to Juiwa. “You stay here with those two and cover us,” I ordered, pointing to a pair of new soldiers. Juiwa was the only one of the original seven I had in my group, the rest either with Clint or in a group under the command of Heras. “The rest of you, follow me!”
I leapt over the low rise we had been using as cover and raced to the building opposite the one Koruk had taken. I lead from the front, unlike Koruk. It was the cowardly commander, the one who had to threaten his troops, who led from the back of a charge, I thought. The true commander led from the front. If you were not willing to take the same risks as your men, what were you doing pretending to lead them?
Juiwa and his two fighters silenced a few Swrun before they could kill any of us and we made it to the building without a scratch. I smashed in the door and went in, gun held at the ready. I did not fire, as the building, really just a single room full of beds, was full of slaves, not Swrun. The rest of my men filed in after me. I slammed the door shut as a bolt sailed towards us. It struck the door with little effect.
“Out the back,” I said. “We’ll surprise them.”
I wrenched open the door and dove out, rolling as I landed on the ground. I popped up, gun blazing. I dropped two Swrun before they even knew what hit them. When the rest of them turned to shoot back, the rest of my squad finished them off. I peered around the corner and saw that the back was clear. I waved to Juiwa. He waved back and leapt over the rise, coming to join us.
As soon as he was within a dozen feet, I set off down the street that marked the center of the slave farm. I could see no Swrun, but I kept my gun at the ready and my head on a swivel. The rest of my squad did as well. I heard plasma fire and shouting coming from the building where Koruk’s squad had entered and I waved my hand, indicating that was our destination.
The sounds of plasma grew louder the closer I got and when I pulled the door open I found myself looking at the backs of a dozen Swrun. Wordlessly, I pulled the trigger and filled their backs with plasma. They turned in surprise at being fired on from behind and they were cut down by the remainder of Koruk’s squad. Out of the ten that had followed him, only six remained. He would have to answer for that. If he had obeyed my orders, they would still be alive.
As it was, I had to join Clint’s group as soon as possible in the center of the farm. That was where the groups were to converge after clearing their sector. No thanks to Koruk, our sector was clear. “Stay together,” I ordered. “Watch everything.”
We marched down the street, eyes peeled for hostiles. I saw only one, but not before Juiwa and another fighter had. The Swrun fell quickly. The sounds of plasma fire were absent from the rest of the farm. That meant that either all the Swrun were dead or all of the Rebels were. As I could see Clint Stone walking toward me, his metal hand glinting in the light, I knew it was the former.
“Any trouble?” Clint asked.
“Yes, as a matter of fact,” I said. “Four men dead because of Koruk’s inability to follow orders. When I see him, I’m going to-”
“Where is he?” Clint asked. “I told you to watch him.”
“It’s not my fault,” I exclaimed, “he split off from the rest of the group! I had to finish the objective first.”
“Fine, just find him. there’s no telling what-”
A piercing scream resounded out over the farm and was silenced. Clint took off sprinting and I followed, the only one fast enough to keep up.
Polaya lay curled in a ball under her bed, hiding from the soldiers. Her shackles clicked and she froze, not wanting them to hear her. She felt tears drip down her face. She was so scared. Yesterday, she had been playing with her friends in the meadow and then a ship had come down from the sky and soldiers had jumped out and put her and her friends in it. They had been mean, yelling and shouting. They put the heavy metal chains on her arms and legs, making her a slave.
They had thrown her in here without any food and left her here. Then this morning, shouting and an explosion had woken her up, knocking her out of bed. When the soldiers had burst through the door and started firing through the windows, she crawled under the bed and hid from the loud noises and scary guns.
Now, the noise was gone and the soldier was dead, lying on the floor. He had keys on his belt, Polaya could see them. She cautiously moved her head, looking to see if anyone else was there. Seeing that the coast was clear, she slid out from under the bed and, swallowing, she reached out and grabbed the keys, trying not to touch the body.
She succeeded and she pushed key after key into the lock, looking for the one that fit. She found it and she pulled off the heavy locks. She stood and smoothed out her dress. Momma always said it was good to look your best. Now she had to get out of here and back home. She reached from the door handle but it swung open before she could touch it.
“Well, well. What have we here?” said a tall blue being. He was much taller than Polaya, and he only had one red eye. He looked scary. She backed up. “Now, where are you going? I’m not going to hurt you.”
The blue being smiled when he said that, a mean smile. He walked in the door and shut it behind him. It made a loud click. “You certainly look pretty,” said the red-eyed being. She backed up more, until she hit the bed and lost her balance. She fell against the bed, bouncing when she hit.
“Perfect,” said the mean being. “You stay right there.”
The being fumbled with his belt. She realized with horror what he meant to do. She had seen one of the soldiers do it to one of her friends on the ship. Her friend had cried the whole time. Polaya jumped up and leapt for the window. She wasn’t going to let that happen to her. She felt a hand close on the back of her dress and she fell, crashing down onto the bed.
She felt her dress tear and she was lying naked on the bed. The being smiled. Polaya opened her mouth and screamed as loud as she could. Maybe somebody, anybody, would help her. The being smacked her and she felt her jaw rattle. “Do that again, bitch, and I will break your arm.”
She whimpered as the being climbed on the bed. She could see his blue member hang between his legs, straight and pointed. He pushed her legs apart and she snapped them back together. He smacked her again. “I will break your arm,” he threatened again.
He forced her legs apart again and he pushed between them. She felt his hardness push against her thigh and she closed her eyes, tears leaking out from under her eyelids. SMASH Polaya opened her eyes. The door flew into the room and crashed against the opposite wall with a bang, torn straight off its hinges.
The being pulled himself off of her and looked over his shoulder. There in the doorway stood a tall pink being, taller than the blue one. Polaya looked at him and saw fire in his eyes. With a single stride, the being crossed the room and grabbed the blue one by his shoulders and threw him against the wall. And through the wall. The pink one had thrown the other with such force, he smashed right through the wall, splintering the wood and the plaster, leaving a huge hole.
“Are you alright?” asked the pink stranger. The look in his eyes was very different than the look in the blue one’s eye. Polaya knew she could trust this one, he would keep her safe. She nodded. He smiled. “I’ll be back. Don’t watch this,” he said and he handed her a blanket. She covered herself with it and watched as the pink being jumped out the hole after the one he had thrown.
I raced after Clint but he was faster than I was and I soon fell behind. I saw him leap up the steps leading to a slave house and I saw him smash in the door with his foot. A few seconds later, Koruk came flying out of the wall, landing in a pile, surrounded by wood splinters and plaster. Clint followed not too long after. I reached Koruk at the same time Clint landed on the ground next to him.
I looked at Clint and I saw a cold fury in his eyes, that terrible anger he gets when innocents are in danger. But this was even more terrible, so much colder that I thought Koruk would die just by being on the same planet as Clint. I wondered what Koruk had done. I looked into the hole and I saw a young Bonasi girl looking out from on the bed, a blanket wrapped around her body. She couldn’t have been more than ten years old. I noticed a torn dress on the floor and I realized what Koruk had done. I knew he deserved whatever Clint did to him.
Koruk rolled, groaning in the pile of wood and plaster. His pants were down around his ankles. Clint grabbed him by the collar and hauled him up with one hand. Koruk’s head rolled and Clint smacked him across the face. “What the fuck were you doing! What was my one law?” Clint roared, veins bulging on his neck and forehead. I had never seen him this angry. I had seen him deep in his hollow state and that was a deadly calm that was terrifying. This blazing fury was equally terrifying.
Clint smacked Koruk again. “ANSWER ME!”
Koruk jerked and looked up at Clint. His eye widened further than I thought possible and the look of terror on his face was beautiful to behold. I heard a splashing sound and I realized Koruk had pissed himself. By this time, most of the Rebels had arrived and they were standing in a semi-circle ten feet wide around Clint and I.
“You are going to die,” said Clint, his face still bright red and full of that terrible anger. Koruk whimpered and shook his head.
“I shouldn’t kill you? WHY NOT?” roared Clint. Koruk opened his mouth and gasped like a fish for several seconds. Clint shook him with enough force to rattle his teeth together. “It, it, it was just a slave girl. The Swrun did worse. Why can’t-”
Clint threw him to the ground. “Wrong answer,” he said with a hushed breath. Koruk knelt in the dirt, his face looking up at Clint. “You can’t do this,” Koruk cried. “I’m a member of the Rebellion! Your comrade!”
Clint leaned close. “You lost that right the second the thought of raping that girl crossed your mind.” Clint drew back his fist and sent it thundering down into Koruk’s skull. Because it was his flesh and blood fist, it did not punch straight through, but rather bounced off with a meaty thwap. Koruk fell over, a visible dent in his skull.
He was still breathing, though, and in considerable pain, if the tears streaming from his eye was any indication. Clint reached down and lifted Koruk again. Thwap Thwap Thwap Crunch Koruk jerked, his body spasming. Blood and gray liquid leaked out of his shattered skull. Clint let the body fall. He shook his hand, flicking the blood and brains off of it.
“Gather up the freed slaves and the bodies of our fallen brethren and put them on the ships. He stays here,” Clint said, pointing at the ruined body of Koruk. “He was a traitor and does not deserve to be remembered.”
He reached into the slave house and pulled out the Bonasi girl. She wrapped her arms around his neck and Clint Stone walked off down the street. The rest of the Rebels stared after him with a mixture of horror and respect on their faces. Not me. I followed him.