Measures

The Road to Mt. Dakun, Rebellion-Held Aviye

Amri

Overnighting with the men of the 38th turned out to be more problematic than Amri anticipated.

The card game continued, with each side deflecting questions as best they could. Amri got the hang of it quickly, and soon started winning consistently enough to put Captain Khoe off his game.

Nothing about the game was rigged, but the more she played the more she realized the odds should have been roughly fifty-fifty, but she made it more like seventy five-twenty five in the Nightraven's favor.

After the tenth round, they called off the game, Captain Khoe getting away with only three more questions to the squad's eleven. Sergeant Lorn started playing dirty and asking the Captain questions about his personal life, which meant that when it ended, Khoe looked the most relieved of anyone since it stopped his squad from snickering behind his back.

As fun as that was to see, the problems only started from there.

Several men of the 38th visited after the game. Some were kind, but others very quickly revealed their desires for time alone with the women of the squad. It came to a head when one soldier, obviously intoxicated, placed a hand on Qal, only for that hand to be twisted and the man brought low as she kicked his leg out while pulling his arm into her.

"Don't touch me," Qal growled, "Unless you want to go home in a lunchbox instead of a coffin." Amri found the response reasonable given the man's intoxication, though pulling out a grenade to threaten him was a bit much.

"Qal, put the grenade away," Lorn said.

Eventually, the situation calmed, and it was decided that each squad would stick to their own side, though there was conversation and trading across the "line" of supplies between them as each squad resumed filling out their ammo and ration needs.

The next situation was less pleasant.

Amri watched as Captain Khoe talked to his Lieutenant and NCOs. The former seemed indifferent to what the Captain was saying, but the NCOs took it into their heads with an understanding that reeked of mischief to Amri's sense. Their whispers amongst the 38th's men eventually resulted in one of the NCOs approaching Sergeant Lein.

"Hey there, Sergeant," the man said, introducing himself. "I'm Sergeant Han. I had some questions about your, ah, squad." The man asking sported a thin face and an eight-o'clock shadow.

Ezyr looked up from picking rocks from his boot with a knife. "I'm Ezyr Lein. What's your question, Sergeant?"

Sergeant Han traded his greasy smile for a look of fake concern. "Some of the boys were curious... is it true that the 13th, the, ah Nightravens, is it true that some of the girls are boys and the boys are girls?"

Ezyr paused for just a moment, prying at a particularly large rock. Amongst the Nightravens, the mood quickly soured and grew silent. Ezyr rolled his tongue in his cheek, looking at his fellow sergeant. "I assure you, all the women are women and all the men are men. Regardless of what parts they have," he said.

"Come on, everyone's curious," he gestured back at the nearby soldiers. "Your face is pretty smooth. You can tell me if there's nothing down there." Behind him, several soldiers started chuckling.

"Ezyr..." Sergeant Ruu said with a note of concern in her voice.

Ezyr held up a hand for Ruu to pause. "It's alright." He said to her before turning back to the sergeant standing above him. "I've heard that question asked more times than I can count. Tell me, Sergeant Han, is everyone in your team a man?"

"Oh course they are." He said.

"What makes them men? Am I not a man? My hair is short."

"I don't have to say anything about that. Just look. It's obvious."

"Is it?" Ezyr rolled his tongue in his cheek, looking across the cave. "I still don't see your evidence."

"Are you asking me to have them drop their trousers?" Sergeant Han joked.

"No. Not at all, Sergeant. I merely wonder if you are insisting that what's in one's pants makes a man. After all, I think of myself as a man. I am acknowledged as a man by the people around me... and by the Sunrise Sword. I'm sensing your education must be lacking, if you forgot that fact."

Han bristled, stepping forward, across the line as he leaned in. "Policy doesn't mean shit. I bet you still hit like a girl-"

Ezyr shot out his fist, taking Han in the chest with a perfect strike at a distance of mere inches. The Sergeant fell back into a pile of his fellow soldiers, gasping and unable to speak as he tried to regain his breath.

Captain Khoe shot up immediately. "What is the meaning of this?"

Lorn stood, walking up to the line of separation between the two camps and looking down at Sergeant Han's boot prints. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Captain."

"You know exactly what I mean, acting Captain." He pointed. "Your man attacked mine unprovoked. I could have him court-martialed for this."

"Come now, Captain, I think everyone here saw Sergeant Han approach Sergeant Lein with a challenge. You can't say that Sergeant Lein violated the rules we set since he is still on our side, and I can see Sergeant Han's boot prints as clearly as you can. Besides, several of your own are intoxicated in uniform.

Not to mention, your men have assaulted my people twice now. Once physically and once verbally. Do you really want to play the tune that your people haven't violated our good grace as fellow Revolutionaries? I'm sure the Code of Revolutionary Justice is quite clear that consequences go up the chain as well as down... or has General Jiang not seen fit to provide the 38th with the necessary education?"

Captain Khoe grew flustered. "This is not over. Once your real commander arrives..."

"I'm sure she'll support me, Captain. Now please cooperate with our previous agreement and get your man out of my sight."

Khoe gestured and several privates picked up Sergeant Han, dragging him as far from the Nightravens as possible while staying in the cave.

Lorn looked over to Ezyr. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, ma'am. Felt good. Like stomping on a worm."

"Hmph. That was a good shot." K'le punched him on the arm.

After that incident, a tense silence descended on the camp. Sergeant Lorn allowed the Nightravens to sleep in two shifts once she realized that the 38th would leave them alone for a while.

Amri awoke from her own sleep halfway through the second shift. She drank some water and stood up, feeling the cool breeze that flowed in from the crack they'd passed to get here. She was about to set the canteen down when she felt a tug on her tunic. Looking down, she saw Maya holding the hand of a smaller boy.

"We need to go potty..." the girl said. The boy was bouncing up and down.

"Alright... let me get someone..."

From behind her, Amri heard a man clear his throat. "I can escort you. Sh'zi, right?" Captain Khoe asked.

"Y-yes, Captain. If it's alright with you I'd like to wake up Lorn for this though. We wouldn't want to be a bother." Amri looked around, the only Nightravens awake were Sergeant Lein and Privates Kellem, Sif, and Anfus. They stood up.

"One of us can take them, it's not a problem."

"Please, I insist. I'm more than capable, and I'd hate to pull rank." Captain Khoe said.

Sergeant Lein's mind felt caught, and Amri looked at him with eyes that tried to reassure him while flicking over to Sergeant Lorn. "Alright, Captain," he finally relented.

"Good," he lightly clapped his hands together once before waving for them to proceed out and falling in behind Amri.

Together they walked the children past the guards and to the nearest edge of the forest down the hill before turning their backs as the children started their business. The early morning sky was lightening, a dark purple promising blue.

"I was a villager once," Captain Khoe said unsolicited. "I must say I prefer the city."

Amri glanced at him for a moment. "I can see the appeal, for you." His mind felt jagged, like puzzle pieces turning, trying to align... questing for understanding.

"Have you ever been to the city, Sh'zi? People there are strangely rude... but somehow more honest. Like they don't have the time or patience to lie. Not like the countryside... where the lies are rich and deep and people would die for them."

"I... I have been. A long time ago."

"Oh, which city?"

"Esketor..."

"Ah, Esketor. Lovely city. The desert and the forest meeting at the river, figuratively of course... You know, I lived there for a time. Would love to get back someday. Why were you there, if I may ask?"

Amri swallowed. Despite the cool air, she could feel sweat beading beneath her tunic. "College... I tried it for a bit... Didn't suit me..."

"Oh, that is a shame. You seem like a smart woman. You should go back, since you're a civilian. Maybe one day you could be a Professor... even... a Doctor..."

Amri looked at him, expecting some sort of threat, but he was still standing there, his hands behind his back and a smile on his face as he looked uphill towards the mountain. "Where are you going with this, Captain Khoe?"

"Hm? Oh, nowhere. Just some talk to pass the time." He turned his head. "I think they're done." He gave a small smile, "I am sorry but I am not good with children. I hope you aren't offended if I let you take care of them?"

"Not at all," Amri said, affecting a weak smile.

His mouth widened into a grin and he turned, stepping up the hill.

Amri turned to help Maya and the boy, providing some napkins from her pocket before picking the boy up and walking up the hill.

She didn't like the last feeling she'd felt from Khoe... the feeling that he finally understood her.