The Mercenary (The War Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  “You need a medic” the Star Captain said to Zoran.

  “First, I need someone to get these shackles off me” Zoran said easily. “Then your medic can attend to me while I help your warriors get ready to slip through the border security net. We’ll be there soon enough.”

  The Star Captain spoke a few words into the communicator strapped to his right bicep and Saakshi finally shook off her stupor to approach them.

  “No harm done” Zoran reassured her gently, taking note of the expression on her face. “The Ketaari simply didn’t appreciate my stubborn refusal to respond in Ketar.”

  “Zoran” she whispered.

  “I’m fine, tseriya” he reiterated. “Mission accomplished. We’re all going to make it out of here in one piece.”

  At his words, the Star Captain turned his attention to his Hadari’Kor counterpart.

  “You’ve played your part successfully, Zoran of Hadari’Kor. Now let me play mine” he said firmly.

  Zoran glanced into those alien eyes with their vertical slits that stared back at him.

  “Yes, let’s get the Penjem hell out of here.”

  Twelve

  Four Months Later

  Saakshi stared into the darkness, her eyes drawn to the spectacular view proffered by the tall windows that faced the docking ports. In her opinion, this was the best view on TF124. Well, at least, from the public areas. Most of the time, the view on offer was the vast blackness of space. But, every now and then, her patience was rewarded by the glimpse of a starship gliding in to dock. She loved watching the slow meticulous dance between the efficient and deliberate movements of docking clamps and the minutely delicate maneuvers of the incoming ship until both were aligned just right. Only then, as she knew, would the docking seal be lowered for the final connection between starship and dock port.

  Saakshi had to remind herself sometimes that they were not on a real space station. For it was easy to forget that they resided on a giant starship. Their temporary home was a large cargo ship from a bygone era that had been decommissioned when it was no longer sail-worthy on the longer cargo routes. Hastily dusted off, it had been rapidly restructured to function as a temporary Alliance facility until a proper station could either be reconfigured from existing facilities or a new one built to suit their purpose. She had been deep in Empire territory on the Ur’quay ship when their temporary training facility had been dragged through space by four large starships to be placed at this location. It now lay within an asteroid belt, in the shadow of a large asteroid whose gravitational pull provided both security from the careening smaller pieces within the belt, and camouflage to hide the ship. Like everyone else on the facility, Saakshi was aware that they were stationed within the confines of the Alliance security net without straying too far from the route used to transport Budheya rebels to the station. Training Facility TF124 consisted of four decks with individual chambers and dormitories on the top two decks, and vast rooms used for training, administration and recreation on the bottom decks.

  Saakshi had been met on arrival by the Station Commander, a middle-aged Minduran male. She was to serve as Budheya Personnel Coordinator on TF124, he had explained to her. Gobsmacked by the unexpected responsibility, a stupefied Saakshi had stuttered some words of gratitude before being escorted to the new digs assigned to her. Only later, had she fully comprehended the perks that came with her new job. Her own chamber, free run of TF124’s various amenities, including meals from the Sustenance Pavilions, and three sets of pristine Alliance TF administrative uniforms. The room assigned to her was small but amply furnished for her needs. The size of the chamber did not faze Saakshi. To a girl who had never had a room to herself, it was an unaccustomed luxury. Despite the perks, for Saakshi, the most significant bit was the opportunity to involve herself in a small way with the Budheya resistance. All in all, Saakshi had been very excited by her unexpected good fortune – it had even helped a tad to keep her grief and sorrow about Zoran at bay.

  For the first eighteen days, she’d barely had time to miss him before the first group of Budheya had been brought on board TF124. There had been so much to do and Saakshi had been in the thick of it. Chambers to assign and get ready for the rebels, training rooms to configure, Food Synthesizers to program with Budheya dishes, vaccinations to arrange for the rebels and medicine packages prepared to be sent back with the rebels for the people of Budheyasta. The only Budheya in the larger Alliance diaspora, Saakshi had been indispensable for her knowledge. The first Budheya group had been resistance leaders from various regional factions. They had spent ten days on TF124, closeted with representatives of the Alliance Commander and a few Hadari’Kor leaders to hash out the details of a new arrangement. Zoran’s brother had represented the Hadari’Kor, while Tilabok had been part of the Budheya contingent. Saakshi had even managed to spend a little time with Tilabok before he’d been transported back to Budheyasta. Saying goodbye to Tilabok had been bittersweet for Saakshi – akin to a final adieu to her old life and the start of a new chapter. While the Budheya had certainly been taken aback by the presence of Alliance representatives and the Alliance’s role in the new pact, Saakshi had been pleased to learn that overall the rebels were very satisfied with the deal they had negotiated.

  Twenty days after the departure of the resistance leaders, a hundred rebels had come aboard TF124. And the serious job of training them to be effective guerilla fighters had finally commenced. The Hadari’Kor in charge of the training had devised a series of tests that each rebel was put through to gauge his skill at hand-to-hand combat and with weapons. This allowed the instructors to tailor the training classes to meet each rebel’s individual needs. In addition to these, classes on effective guerilla tactics, war strategy and sundry other topics on mounting a successful resistance against a better-armed occupying force were offered to all the rebels. After the tests, each rebel was given a customized schedule of classes and dispatched to meet Saakshi. It was her job to manage and coordinate a rebel’s entire stay at TF124. Everything, except for the actual training, fell under Saakshi’s purview. Though she could call upon members of the Station Commander’s staff to assist her, she was the one ultimately responsible for the Budheya.

  That had been a little over two standard months ago. At first, assuming responsibility for hundreds of Budheya stepping foot on foreign soil for the first time had been challenging as well as nerve-wracking. Saakshi’s lack of experience with similar work had also been a bit of a hindrance. Over time, she learnt to coordinate with the medical team on vaccinations, the TF personnel for the allocation of chambers and dormitories as accommodation, and the Hadari’Kor instructors for the training schedules. Saakshi’s most challenging task had been to devise recreational activities for the rebels. Many of the younger Budheya suffered from homesickness and bouts of anxiety in the unfamiliar surroundings, compounded by their refusal to acknowledge such emotions.

  The first group was a sprinkling of rebels from the larger resistance cells. Thus, most rebels had no prior acquaintance with the other Budheya in their training group. This had led to a lot of lonely people for Saakshi to deal with. She steered some of them to the Counselors who could help the Budheya navigate their time on board the station a little better. Many rebels suffered from a life constantly on the run and had a hard time adjusting to the unfamiliar and protected environment of a station run by an alien race. Some Budheya succeeded in forging friendships with the huge support staff on TF124, but many kept to themselves, unable to open up to strangers easily. It was Saakshi’s job to keep an eye on every rebel and ensure that each individual had access to the help he needed. The work had been hugely rewarding as well as a learning experience for her. She had made mistakes and learnt from them, while the rebels, over time, had become better at anticipating and asking for her assistance when they needed it. Saakshi hoped that with each group of Budheya, her job would become a little easier. For now, things were finally starting to settle into a rhythm and Saakshi found herself
with more free time on her hands.

  As she stared into inky nothingness hoping for a ship to glide in from the dark, Saakshi ruminated on the memo that had crossed her desk last evening. The Station Commander had persuaded a Rynian trader to open a recreational outlet on TF124. Provided with retail space at a deep discount, the trader had agreed to start an alehouse and gaming club on the station. This was the Station Commander’s attempt to make TF124 more like a regular Alliance station, for the Budheya rebels, the many Hadari’Kor instructors, as well as the eighty-odd administrative personnel responsible for maintenance and operation of the facility. Saakshi, who now had her evenings free, couldn’t help wondering if the new alehouse would need the services of a server. It was a job she had plenty of experience with and something to keep her busy during the long, lonely evenings. Her job provided Saakshi with room and board but did not include a stipend. She would love to have a little pin money to spend in the future – perhaps on one of the beautiful little sculptures her friend Sila created so lovingly.

  Sila’s agricultural world, Terra Agri 5, had recently joined the Alliance. With the official title of Terran Ambassador to the Alliance, Sila’s duties included coordinating the periodic supply of a rock-like resource plentiful on her home world and much in demand in the Alliance. Post processing, this resource produced a kind of byproduct called emtek that Sila carved to make beautiful little sculptures and jewelry. Sila had been the first person on this station that Saakshi had gravitated to. Drawn to each other as the two newest additions to the Alliance personnel on this station, they were also the only people from their respective worlds on TF124. The other administrative personnel came from five Alliance worlds and had worked as a team before. The personnel on the station had been helpful to Saakshi, but somewhat aloof, and the lonely grief-stricken girl had found herself gravitating towards the only other lost soul on the station. It had been Saakshi’s suggestion that her friend run bi-weekly classes to instruct the fine art of emtek sculpture. Many rebels with difficulties on the station had been steered to the class by Saakshi, who had rightly guessed that it would provide the Budheya a creative outlet to offset their otherwise rigorous training schedule. Gradually, many from the TF personnel and even a few Hadari’Kor warriors had evinced interest in Sila’s classes. Now, her class was one of the more popular recreation activities on TF124.

  Unlike her friend, Saakshi possessed no such skills or talents and was having a harder time finding projects to occupy her increasingly lonely evenings. She had come to the gradual realization that she needed to busy herself during the long evenings to keep the memories of a happier and more hopeful time at bay. Saakshi, whose entire skill set could be summed up as fighting against the Ketaari as a rebel and being a server girl at a Keeyori alehouse, found herself taking the memo as a sign from the Pura. Perhaps, it was time to stop dwelling on what could have been and instead focus on what is, she told herself firmly. Without Zoran, she might never be whole again. But Saakshi was stoic enough to know that she had to try and go on with life, despite the holes in her soul. She turned reluctantly away from her view of the empty docks, to head determinedly to the other end of the station where the new alehouse had been allocated retail space.

  “I have a job at the new alehouse” Saakshi announced calmly to her dinner companion that evening.

  Sila glanced up from contemplating the interesting contents on her plate to study her friend in some surprise. They had fallen into the habit of sharing their evening meal a few times a week at the main Sustenance Pavilion on the station, to try as many different cuisines as they could. It had started as a way for both friends to broaden their horizons after having spent their lives exclusively on their home worlds. The various civilizations and worlds that comprised the Alliance found themselves in the unique position of having to navigate the politics and cultures of many different races with wildly divergent belief systems and traditions, simply due to their mutual alliance against the greedy expansionist ambitions of the Ketaari Empire. To most in this new alliance of necessity, this was merely a side-effect of their membership in the Alliance - something to be managed to keep their people from being enslaved by the Ketaari. Their goal was simple. Individually, each world had its strengths and weaknesses, but together they were strong enough to repel the Ketaari. From what the two girls had observed, some members of the Alliance embraced this diversity with enthusiasm, but a majority tended to keep to themselves, except when absolutely necessary. Saakshi and Sila had first been drawn to each other by the very fact that they were the sole representatives of their people on this facility. From these first few meetings had grown a deep friendship between two very similar people but with very different life experiences. Early on, they had discovered a burning desire to experience the other cultures and races in the Alliance. This station was a temporary base operated with minimal staff. So, they had chosen to broaden their horizons by experiencing the cuisines available from the Food Synthesizers that were standard issue for all Alliance stations. Every member world in the Alliance helped program their cuisine into the standard-issue Food Synthesizers used on Alliance stations. It was replicated food, which they knew from personal experience usually differed in taste from the real stuff, but it was a start.

  “I didn’t realize you were looking for another job” Sila remarked to her friend, a query in her beautiful eyes.

  Saakshi had noted with amusement how the males on the station followed her friend with their eyes. Sila was tall with a slim but curvaceous figure. She had sparkling green eyes set in a remarkably attractive face sprinkled with freckles. Her best feature was a mane of beautiful and abundant reddish hair that fell over her shoulders in a glossy and curly mane.

  “I wasn’t” Saakshi shook her head. “It was a spur of the moment thing.”

  She dared a glance at the serene face of her friend, engaged in gingerly tasting little bits of morsels from her plate, Sila’s expression indicating supreme indifference to anything but the food on her plate. Saakshi sighed in silent despair.

  How do I express the utter restlessness of the soul that pervades me? How do I tell her that even an orphan with no family has never experienced loneliness like this before!

  “My evenings are free now” she said softly. “I lack useful skills but I know how to serve in an alehouse. It is one of the few things I do have experience with.”

  Sila’s eyes softened immediately, her tender heart wrung by her friend’s words.

  “You must miss home, Saakshi” her eyes were soft with compassion.

  Saakshi chewed slowly, pondering her friend’s words. It was not home that she missed. She’d spent many a sleepless night pondering the puzzle of what she felt the absence of so keenly. She had known Zoran for a very short time – how could he have changed things so irrevocably for her?

  “This is the most comfortable life I’ve ever experienced, Sila. A warm bed at night, enough food to fill my belly whenever I want and in no danger of being hauled in by a Ketaari patrol that feels like making an example of a Budheya peasant on any given day. Most of all, I feel hope for my people after a very long time, and am glad of the opportunity to contribute in some small way in this effort. For the first time in my life, I’m not worried about my immediate present, nor am I worried about the future of my people. I’ve seen up close what the Alliance and Hadari’Kor have on offer for the Budheya, and I have every confidence that I will live to see a free Budheyasta in my lifetime. Something I had thought unfeasible just a few months earlier. I’m not just trying to survive every day anymore, and can actually begin to dream of a real future.”

  “And yet …” her friend encouraged.

  “And yet, I’m restless. Despite all the time in the world and more opportunities to expand myself than I ever dreamed possible. I envy the rebels being trained. They’ll go back with a real purpose and a chance of making their new skills count. While I …” she stopped.

  “While you hunt for a new purpose in life” her friend
finished quietly, in complete understanding.

  “You’re not alone, Saakshi. I too am searching for a purpose in life. My life before I came here was not as harsh as yours but it was an unfulfilling one. Everyone around me was content while I was not. Fate conspired to make me leave my world and join actively in the Alliance effort. Yet, now that I’m free from the expectations of my people, I do not know what my new place in the world is.”

  She held out a hand to her friend in a sudden gesture of affection and Saakshi responded by clasping the hand held out to her.

  “We’re both in search of our new place in the world. Do not despair, my friend, for something tells me that we will both find it. In the meanwhile, go be a server in an alehouse if it aids you in your search … hmm?”

  Saakshi smiled gratefully and a tad ruefully at her friend.

  “You are wiser than me, Sila.”

  “No” Sila replied with a laugh. “Just older.”

  Ten days later, Saakshi worked frenetically at TF124’s new alehouse BelDaap, which she had been informed was named after a city in its owner’s home world. This was her third evening at the bar and it was packed to the brim. The owner had promptly promoted Saakshi to supervisor at the end of her first evening, having gauged how efficiently and quickly she kept track of orders, supplies and other sundry details of the business. He’d offered her more currency than the usual server wages if she would handle the alehouse three nights a week with the help of two servers she supervised. The servers assigned to her were two brawny males who she’d discovered were distant relatives of the owner’s extended family. They were hard workers, willing to learn, and ensured no customers became too rowdy in the alehouse by dint of their brawny presence. Saakshi had smiled wryly to herself at the realization of their responsibilities. Pik’s could have used someone like this on the lawless Keeyor 9 Trade Sphere, where you had to fight to keep every scrap you owned. Here, on a civilized Alliance station populated by Alliance professionals, disciplined Hadari’Kor mercenaries and a few smattering of rebels, the brawn on display was redundant.