The following is an exerp from an on-going story I’ve been working on in my free time over the past year…. I don’t devote much time to it as it’s a hobby only, but I would eventually like to see it end. And if that’s to happen, I will need to give it much more attention as I’m only about 10% of the way to the first arc’s conclusion (as I see it in my head).
NOTE: may contain some mature language.
NOTE(2): I have no military experience, so my apologies to those with military background who read this – should this work find broader attention I will certainly work to align this with a deeper and truer military tone.
[…] Roughup suddenly coughed hard, cleared his throat, and looked around at the suddenly silent room. “Sorry,” he mumbled.
Tulip clapped her hands together, “Thanks as always for the candor, and I’m sure you are all aware of your superior’s stance regarding rumors,” there was a general murmur of disapproval and tepid acceptance, “I also wanted to say that I’m almost certain he will be staying with us – so please do your best to make him feel at home. Trouble, keep the teasing to a minimum,” Tulip’s tone changed almost imperceptibly but potently as she turned a fierce look to the disinterested man. “Mar, you too – you do let your elderly gentleman act get the better of you.” Mar feigned a look of hurt, but nodded all the same. “Vloma, Sims- I will be leaving him to your care. Now,” she changed her voice again – this time with more intensity so the whispers behind and in front of her suddenly ceased, “nothing has come down from the top, but I can say with certainty – Fox will be a critical asset. His designation and scope will be determined in the coming week, but he will be assigned to my outfit and it is of utmost importance that he be made to feel welcome, safe, and at home here. We don’t know much about his past, and he’s not one to volunteer his life’s story obviously – but we do know he has been traded as a commodity for over the past decade.”
One or two of the espers present hardened unwillingly in their stance and face from prior experience. Others presented some level of sympathy, a few others didn’t seem to care one way or the other. Trouble sneered, “Capt’n- we all have sob stories and nightmares from our missions in the fringe- what makes this toddler any different?”
“Put a lid on that private,” Tulip responded with a fierce look. In response Trouble stiffened back from instinct and his eyes shot forward. Tulip turned towards the door, remarking as she went, “Like I said – it’s not official. But I wanted you to be prepared for when it becomes official. He will be joining you tomorrow, after the morning assembly…”
This last statement drew some whispers from various parts of the room.
“Morning assembly is at 0600, after we will return to observation of this month’s Waking period. Good night.”
Tulip closed the door behind her – almost before the rubber seals had touched did the noise erupt, mostly about the break in ceremony with the Waking Period. She frowned and sighed to herself, moving slowly towards the captains’ quarters; that was sure to make more rumors.
Highlights and Grysl welcomed her when she entered. “I heard you briefing the troops,” Grysl laughed.
“Tulip has always been pre-emptive,” Bricks commented from his corner, without turning from the holo-display.
Higlights nodded. “How did they take it?”
Tulip finished removing her captain’s jacket and pressed the privacy screen button next to her bed – a random disconnected set and line of spikes clicked out of the ceiling above her bed and a fogged holographic screen enveloped her corner. Once satisfied, as she always allowed herself a second or two to verify the screen was up and not being hacked, she gripped and twisted the cuffs on her Elswyn uniform and the material suddenly slacked and split open from her neck to her hips, falling to the ground in a gentle tumble.
“There was general disapproval for our interrupting the Waking Period,” she said presently, filling a small bowl with water and dousing her face in it. “There are rumors going about, nothing unexpected.”
“I don’t like it,” Highlights growled, surprising Tulip as he was one of the more even-tempered people in the fort. “I still say he should be kept in isolation – an esper with that level of power should not be allowed to roam this compound.”
“Back in the cell?” Grysl said softly and with a mild humour of disapproval. “Given the boy’s history wouldn’t that make it worse?”
“I agree,” Tulip said – now in her evening clothes and she dropped the privacy screen. “Exacerbating the boy- Fox’s mental state by isolating him is not the best move. He needs to socialize – to break out of the cages he’s been used to and kept in all his mature life.” She sat on the trunk at the foot of the bed, facing the other two captains and calmly brushing her hair as they spoke. Highlights sniffed his nose in disagreement at the last comment and looked back at his periodical. Bricks closed the holo-display and turned to the others.
“One would expect that to cause more stress and harm – but I can see the reasoning behind it.”
Tulip nodded. “He is used to being prodded, isolated, caged – to open the cage is very stressful but I’ve already seen results.”
“Oh?”
“For one, he’s made eye contact with several of the team. My first encounter with him, he wouldn’t raise his head.”
Brick’s brow furrowed a bit. “That … seems oddly quick, don’t you think?”
“Do we even know what he is?” Highlights interrupted, his tone still very sour.
Tulip regarded him for a concerned moment, returning the brush to her nightstand and sitting at her console before responding. “The scanner was obviously broken before readings could be gotten. From what he told me himself, he at least has a secondary ability as a detector.”
“What’s his range?” came the gruff reply.
“What’s gotten up your a**?” Grysl suddenly exclaimed, startling both Highlights and Tulip. She stood suddenly, facing Highlights with purpose. “No, I really want to know – from the training yard, through dinner, and now – it’s bull crap. It’s throwing me off, this sudden hostility.” She crossed her arms and scowled. “So what’s the deal?”
Highlights tossed the periodical down on the bed – he was one of the few in the queendom that preferred to have a physical paper in his hands to the holographic displays – one of the few things that Tulip enjoyed about his personality, beside his otherwise very even temperament. She was also glad to Grysl, having Highlights obviously agitated was off-putting.
“As far as I’m concerned, the boy is a huge risk – an unknown esper, obviously slaved and traded for most of his life, with enough esper store to level this entire compound to the ground. No,” Highlights stood when he saw Grysl smirk at the last statement, “I am quite serious. My team finished their work with the techs a few hours ago and I’ve been going over the report since. I don’t know,” he turned to Tulip, his eyes startlingly fierce, “how you managed to get out of that room – or Dr Neecy for that matter – without any injury. My team found on the heliopad evidence that some circuits on our Goose and Sparrow fighters had been affected. Both inside, fully sheltered by the mountain and everything between it – and outside. Some esper-sensitive circuits were just – popped. They were minor, thankfully, but – ” and he gestured towards the ceiling at this pause, ” – the top of the heliopad! And how long were his powers active, just a few seconds?”
“You said it yourself,” Grysl said, staring down Highlights, “Tulip and the good doctor were not hurt.”
“This time.”
Tulip jumped up and got between them. “Stop, please – this is not what we need now.”
Highlights regarded Tulip’s calm look, and turned in a huff, pacing to the wall. Grysl stepped back a pace.
“I get you’re scared – really, you were not there when he unleashed it.” Tulip felt herself shaking just a bit as she spoke; the memory of the three times she was in that sea of esper energy was not something she planned to forget. “It’s unlike anything any of us have ever been through. Like … it’s like suddenly being in a hot lentil soup.” Grysl had to chuckle a bit. “But each time, and even now – Fox does not want to harm us. You didn’t witness his apologies either,” Tulip directed harshly to Highlights, who turned a bit. “And I like to think, someone with my own talent, can recognize a faker when I see one. He is genuine – all of him. Which is more than I can say for some of your troops – and mine,” she added the last part after a slight pause.
“I won’t be able to rest … until,” Highlights sighed, returning to his bed and picking up the paper. “Until it’s my a** on the line.”
Grysl allowed a small smile. “Don’t scare us like that again.”
Highlights grunted. Tulip sighed and returned to her desk, opening up the reports and forms waiting for her.
Chapter 8
Waking Period was a time in Alaswyn when all registered or observant communities took a day to re-set their clockwork to match the movement of the sun and moons. The practice was lost to the annals of history – the most scholarly experts in the palace were hard pressed to explain exactly where and why the practice came about, but everyone in the queendom did it. The unusual timing of the sun’s rise and fall resulted in a weekly deficit of about 3 hours, and so every two weeks a period was observed to bring the clocks back in line. It was rumored in the lands beyond the desert and in areas south of the chaos that was the southern region that they did not observe the Waking Period- instead their clockwork has timed exactly with the sun’s movements. Most members of the queenland did ask, at some point or several in their lives, why Alaswyn did not adopt the same practice. But as the majority enjoyed having a day specifically set aside for rest, regardless of where you were or what you did, not much progress was made to change things.
Tulip was up with the sun, hedging only a few hours of sleep before she went down and began her daily exercise routine. She had adopted it a while back, by at least a few months, during the planning phases of the Green Creek mission. She saw it (the planning and the exercise) as an opportunity at that time to take action, as she had been planning on doing something like this for almost a year now. Truth be told, she would have preferred to stay in bed – and the gentle snoring of Highlights did not help the matter. She almost felt it an affront to her effort, the calm expression of sleep, but she persevered and was down in the training grounds with the tips of the mountains around her and the fort burning white-gold in the sunlight. She had only just exited the ground door when she heard the sound of more than one person in the field, and was startled to see Fox up and sparing with the object of her disciplined efforts.
Roughup, in his usual shirtless sheen with the morning dew, was lumbering around the smaller and obviously quicker Fox – who was keeping just within reach of Roughup’s arms the whole time. At first Tulip made to shout and intervene when she saw Roughup make contact- but halted herself when Roughup rebounded with surprise. She moved in, trying to get a feel for what the two were doing – and to give herself a professional moment to inventory her disappointment. Fox had apparently spawned a double-handed shield and was using it to deflect the blows that Roughup was pushing down on him. Roughup, for his part, was not used to this method of combat, it being made obvious in his unusually awkward pivots and pauses between blows.
“You are starting to annoy,” he said suddenly, his fists and arms flexing.
“Oh. Uh…” Fox danced back a little bit further, “from here?”
Roughup appeared to try and think about it, shaking his head suddenly and pounding the ground. “No, get back in here.”
“I’m not…”
With a roar that sent shudders through Tulip’s stomach, Roughup charged Fox with a series of swings and ground hits that she recognized as his ‘heaven-shaker’ move. She had asked him to practice it with her on a few occasions, but in this context – she realized with an undeniable sinking feeling in her chest that he had been holding back. Even from her place a dozen yards away, the ground was shaking – causing her to stumble as she approached them, and the tower in the center to groan and creak. Fox found himself back in the area he had just escaped, deflected two blows, and suddenly found himself on the receiving end of a two-fisted over-head pound – the signature end of the move. Tulip had been unable to act, disappointment and surprise at the fury of the unleashed coordinated move halting her voice, and in a sort of paralyzed horror watched the hit play out- expecting to see the shield shatter and Fox crumple beneath the fists like paper. The hit caused a concussive thunderclap when flesh met the apparently metal shield, but instead of the expected shattering of parts – both tool and person – Tulip was astonished to see Fox buckle to his knees and accept the full brunt of the attack. He obviously was being driven into the ground a bit, particularly when Roughup brought a second blow down – this time with a little leap – but the shield, and Fox’s arms and shoulder, held. Roughup staggered back a pace or two, and slumped to his knees, breathing heavily. Tulip found her legs and sped over.
“… believe it. Don’t… ugh,” Roughup was saying to himself as Fox stood up.
“I … apologize,” Fox stammered, lowering the shield and turning a bit as Tulip approached. He offered a sloppy salute, copied from what he’d observed from others. “Captain.”
Tulip returned it, “Are you okay? I… I’ve never seen anyone…” she trailed off as Fox was nodding in response, but had turned to look again at Roughup. Tulip too regarded the large man, apparently in deep reflection, eyes closed and arms relaxed at his sides. “Roughup?”
His eyes opened and he stood with a grunt, saluting Tulip. “I did not see you approach Captain.”
“It’s… fine, are you okay?”
Roughup nodded. “Fox, you have my apologies. I did not hold back – by most accounts, you should be a shattered man now.” The soft brown eyes that Tulip had grown used to were perplexed, a new look that she was delighted to see. But pleasure mixed with sour professionalism as she realized suddenly that Roughup may have to be subjected to discipline. Sparing was fine – but never at full strength – and there were consequences for when such an act was observed and sufficient proof given. Her word would suffice – but she found herself struggling to muster the will to follow through. Roughup was still speaking as she tormented herself on this line of thought.
“How are you still standing, apparently healthy – and what is that shield made of?”
Fox raised the shield a bit, its dull green/brown hue dancing and teasing the eyes in the dawning light. “It… I made a composite. Um, a mix …” Fox paused to pick up a small rock near his feet and some dirt, having shifted the shield to his shoulder. Tulip caught sight of the straps inside the shield, apparently rigid, suddenly snaking out and refashioning themselves into a shoulder mount in a manner that was very disconcerting to her. Fox held out the rock and dirt. “Few parts stone, few parts earth. Oh, and I’m sorry too,” Fox bowed lightly, dropping the dirt and stone suddenly. “I… I don’t want to upset…”
“It is I who bare the blame,” Roughup interrupted with authority, halting up Fox’s statement. “Any other esper or man would be dying. You are alive.” His thick hand thumped the shield on Fox’s shoulder twice, causing Fox to dance sideways from the force. “You are a strength esper, like me.”
“Uh… kind, sort… um…” Fox stumbled over his words.
Tulip regarded him with heightened concern. In their talks, Fox had mentioned being able to bring forth the elements – water, fire, earth, and air – as well as others, depending on what was “expected.” Now he had demonstrated before her a dual-cast of esper power: fashioning a shield and using a strength esper power. It was the only logical explanation for why he was still alive – those last two blows had reverberated around the compound. Still, Fox’s physical appearance had not changed in the slightest. He still looked thin, gaunt, uncertain – fox-like, as per his name. While Roughup was a large man to begin with, when his esper was active his overall mass increased both visibly and tangibly. Although that did not explain why the shield had held. Espers who used hand-to-hand weapons often were able to fashion shields of some kind; even some energy weapons espers she knew of could fashion a hand-held energy shield while wielding their pistols. In both cases, analysis of the shielding showed – to her knowledge – standard composite material such as steel, wood, magnetically charged plasma, and the like. To her knowledge such material should buckle and break under a strength esper’s full on assault, particularly from a strength esper as talented as Roughup. And she had never heard of an esper making a shield out of earth and stone!
Roughup laughed deep and clapped Fox’s shoulders, gripping and raising him up off the ground. Tulip was surprised to see Fox didn’t fight or appear afraid – any more than usual at least. “You are a skilled survivor.” Suddenly Roughup embraced Fox in a heavy hug, releasing him presently and putting him back on the ground. Fox stumbled a little, but kept his footing. “You have earned my respect. Others mock and tease – I am not as fast as you or them. But I am not an idiot,” he crossed his large arms across his chest; Tulip could not help but feel her legs go a little weak at the sight. “You do not tease. You tried to teach.” His brow furrowed for a moment, then he smiled again. “We will do this again. Captain,” he turned, arms back at his side, looking past Tulip in the usual at-attention stance, “I submit myself for discipline. I lost control and almost injured a teammate.”
Tulip, her heart still beating hard in her chest, was at a loss at first on how to respond.
“W-wait!” Fox suddenly said, stepping forward a bit, “I egged… goaded him on, he should not be at fault. And… since we’re both… strength espers, it’s okay – right? For us to… go all in?”
Tulip regarded Fox for a moment. Her eyes pinched a little. “You’ve not been classified yet… I would need additional proof.”
Fox’s eyes darted around, then settled on something – he dashed a bit to the side, testing and suddenly flinging himself at a large boulder in the grounds that was a favored place for the troops to sit and rest on. Tulip heard him grunt with effort, only able to see a portion of his body on the side of the boulder- and with a few more concerted grunts of effort, she realized the boulder was actually trembling a bit. Suddenly it was off the ground – barely – but definitely being lifted, and with a gasp it thumped back down, hard. Fox, gasping for breath, came back around and leaned against it, obviously having expended a massive effort in trying to move it.
Tulip was not sure if what she had just seen was real. A small, lanky, spry, and generally nervous person like Fox – had just thrown himself at this massive boulder which even Roughup had trouble moving (a few seasons ago he had been bet on regarding its weight and his ability to move it). And Fox had moved it. She glanced to Roughup, who had obviously watched what had just happened – his eyes had bulged a bit with the same level of shock that Tulip was feeling – and he was still waiting for something from his commanding officer. She cleared her throat and put her satchel down on the grass to one side, thinking a little as she did.
“That … should be fairly definitive. I’ve heard it practiced in other compounds as well – strength espers being permitted to use full force for training purposes, as long as they are evenly matched.” She regarded the two men – laughing a little to herself internally at how ridiculous this was. “At ease private. You’re not at fault, Fox clearly knew what he was doing.”
Roughup seemed confused, but relaxed the tension in his shoulders.
Tulip smiled at the innocent confusion so easily read in the features and eyes of the large man. She placed a frown on her own face, “Although I must say – I am a little disappointed you’ve held back all this time.” She crossed her arms and gave him a faked scowl. “Were you not taking our training seriously?”
“No… no, capt’n. Uh,” it was Roughup’s turn to stumble over his words.
“Well,” Tulip said, loosing the scowl but keeping her hands on her hips and moving towards the man to poke at his taunt pectorals, “I expect you to show me your sincerity. Understood?” Her finger lingered on his chest for a moment- it felt like she was touching a charged transformer box in the reactor room. The shivers it sent through her body were palpable.
“Yes ma’am,” Roughup replied immediately.
Tulip smiled at him, a simple smile; and though Fox was at an oblique angle to Tulip and Roughup, and though he was relatively new to being socially involved like this, even he could see there was something more hidden behind it. When she turned to him, her expression was back to what he was used to seeing – calm, relaxed, and welcoming. “I’m surprised to see you up,” she said. “Wanted to get some morning exercise in?”
Fox had recovered his breath by this point, and he nodded.
“Alright! I’m sure we can mix in a third person, that okay Roughup?”
Roughup nodded, flexing his arms a bit with uncertainty and working out a kink in his back.
“Ok,” Tulip got into her stretch stance, “but we do have a core meeting today so it will have to be shorter than usual.”
[…]
This is the end of Chapter 7 and introductory parts of Chapter 8. I found it difficult to select a portion since I personally enjoy reading and re-reading it, even with the spelling errors and such. Is that pride…? Maybe… I also realize, by posting this to an open medium like the internet, that I will be drawing criticism – my most poignant worry at the moment (besides my blatant and woeful lack of military experience) is the portion where there is obvious flirting going on ‘within ranks’ and within the organization. Given the intense focus in the media of late on sexual harassment and the like, I am a little scared about posting this. But it’s a part of the story I’m writing, and I have an intended outcome for both of them, and I don’t want to censor it just yet.
In regards to the lack of military professionalism, I rationalize it to myself by thinking – these are not USA Military organizations, they are a jumbled together group of people working for a Queen – so who knows exactly how they do business or organize? But – as I stated above – if this gets closer to being an actual published work, I will definitely refine the military tone (or remove it altogether).
I hope you enjoyed it. I may post additional portions later… and if I ever get around to hosting my own website, I will make the full content available for purchase (why not – it’s my time and content, right?). Still much to be done, as usual!
MidoriMakigekawa 