Pegasus in Chains (RF VI), Chapter 13
Spoiler Alert: This is a new entry into the Reckless Faith series. The prologue may be found here: https://devonai.wordpress.com/2021/10/26/reckless-faith-vi-prologue/
Though the Church of the Zafaran wasn’t Saffron Canyon City’s largest cathedral, it made up for its average size with several large, opulent stained-glass windows, consisting mostly of yellow and orange hues. Before the energy shield was placed over the city, the afternoon sun would create a dazzlingly bright golden glow in the nave, a phenomenon that had easily attracted tourists and worshippers alike. Nowadays, the afternoons offered little more than a dull greenish light, to no-one’s detriment. Tourists didn’t come any more, and the Originalists no longer held services there. Thanks to Praxis, however, it was still a holy place. It was the home of Shining Beacon.
Praxis wasn’t expecting too many parishioners that morning, as his most reliable followers were his own soldiers, all of whom were busy with his missions. He had prepared a simple sermon, as he usually did, and as the bells in the church tower began to signal the top of the hour, a small trickle of people began to wander in. Most of them were regulars, though he did notice a few new faces. That meant he had to modify his message to be extra welcoming, an easy task since his wasn’t a doom-and-gloom type of religion.
He had just stepped up to the pulpit and tested the microphone when Rikky entered from the rectory. He made an apology to the audience and stepped aside.
“Bad news, sir,” the younger man said.
“Go ahead.”
“When we returned to the center, the remaining vehicles were gone. In their place, we found this.”
Rikky held up two sticks about the length of his arm, tied into the shape of an X with red cord.
“Shit,” muttered Praxis. “What are Matron’s idiots doing outside of the city? And I thought you said some of our people were killed by plasma fire.”
“For sure, they were.”
“It’s not good for anybody if IP has gotten their hands on better weapons. It seems they’re preparing to re-exert their claim over the center, and possibly capture more territory in the city as well. Obviously, we can’t allow that to happen.”
“Forgive me for asking, sir, but how are the church’s coffers looking these days?”
“If you’re suggesting that we hire more troops, we can afford a few. It won’t help much if they start making coordinated raids to the south.”
“You’ve met with Matron in the past, right? Maybe you can talk to her.”
“If they’ve decided to turn hostile, then it would be a suicide mission. I’ll have to think on that a bit, Rikky.”
“There is one other thing, sir. Our guards at the bazaar have reported that a group of nine people arrived earlier today, and many of them had plasma rifles slung over their shoulders. They went into the Winged Horse, at which point they lost track of them. Perhaps that might explain where IP got their weapons.”
“Arms dealers don’t typically carry the weapons they want to sell in plain sight, especially in a place like this. Still, it bears investigating. Have our guys had a chance to have lunch yet?”
“No.”
“Then find a couple of volunteers who want to eat at the Winged Horse, and while they’re there, see what they can find out about our new visitors.”
“Sounds like a plan. Are you going to go ahead with your sermon?”
“Yes, I don’t think I’m needed elsewhere right now. You’re dismissed.”
Rikky exited the same way he had arrived, and Praxis returned to the podium. He muddled through his sermon, extolling the virtues of the Kira’To, their oneness with the universe, and the peace and tranquility that communing with them could provide to even the most wretched person. He didn’t believe a word of it. When he was done, a young woman who lived in the rectory passed around a collection plate. He didn’t expect to earn much that day; donations from parishioners were not Shining Path’s primary source of income.
After that, he made small talk with a few people, then excused himself to go find some food. He grabbed his gas mask and gun belt from behind the pulpit and strapped them to his body. It was only a few blocks to the east to get back to the hotel, he had plenty of food in his suite, and he wasn’t in the mood to go somewhere public, even though there were many decent choices in the south of the city. He only stopped briefly to don his gas mask before crossing a bridge over the river, and again to remove it on the opposite side. He could not help but glance over at the cluster of skyscrapers at the city’s center, and his mind dwelled again on the possibility of having a meeting with Matron.
He arrived at the hotel, passing through its formerly beautiful gardens, and gratefully descended to the security of his suite. There wasn’t anyone there, which was fine with him. He went into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and cooled his shins as he considered what to make for himself. Nothing looked good. The mere thought of dealing with the Illuminated Path disgusted him.
__________
The streets beyond the ramshackle roadblock were much the same as before it, and Cane was already sick of being there. Their mission had taken a dark turn, and while he was no stranger to dwelling in the shadows in pursuit of what he wanted, these shadows were deeper and far more ominous. He felt a whole lot better about his own safety after Marcon had conceded to let them put their suits back on; the model he was wearing offered excellent protection from conventional firearms, and he no longer had to worry about radiation. He could only hope that would be the worst they were facing.
Before continuing toward the Z’Sorth shop’s alleged location, they had investigated the bodies of the creeps that had ambushed them. They wore yellow armbands, and bore the same body piercings, mutilations, and radiation burns as the group that had attacked them back at the research center. Whoever these Illuminated Path people were, they clearly held some territory in the city. Yet, as they continued north, they spotted a few more travelers on the road. Cane had to guess that they had some sort of arrangement with the locals for safe passage, or more likely, his team had appeared to be riper for the picking.
Fortune turned back in their favor as they rounded a corner and found the Z’Sorth shop. It was nestled in a row of commercial buildings, each two stories tall, and of a similar utilitarian design of steel, aluminum, and concrete. Curiously, the place they wanted appeared to be the only occupied structure they’d encountered in over a mile. It bore an old, faded sign in an unknown language, but met the description they’d been given. Marcon had the team assume a defensive posture.
“Captain Kitsune,” he began. “Who do you want to go inside?”
“Adeler and Venator,” she replied. “If you’re up for it, Eva.”
Eva nodded. “I’m queasy from all these drugs, but I think I can handle it.”
“Radiation levels here are safe,” said Jim. “You can take off your helmets if you’d like to adopt a friendlier appearance.”
Cane and Eva did so, then passed their rifles off to Talyn and Alsade. They entered the store, and were immediately hit with the overwhelming odor of fecal matter. Eva clearly balked at this.
“You okay?” asked Cane.
“I’m glad I had a small lunch,” she said.
“This is normal for Z’Sorth. Fertilizer is one of their specialties.”
“Fertilizer for what? This city is a wasteland.”
The entryway into the store was immediately bordered by a large collection of clutter, obscuring any chance for them to gauge the size of the room. Only a small counter lay clear of any obstruction. The pile of things seemed to be completely random, and included electronics, appliances, and children’s toys. Soon, a Z’Sorth appeared from around a corner. It was wearing an apron, and nothing else.
“Buying or selling?” it asked, slurring the words.
“Buying,” said Cane. “Element 93.”
The lizard spat an opaque lump of phlegm onto the floor. “Not in stock. Illuminated Path buys from us.”
“Where do you get it from?” All he got in response was a blank stare, so he tried again. “Why is the Illuminated Path buying it?”
“I don’t care.”
“Fair enough. Do you think they’ll sell us some?”
“Ask them,” it replied, pointing to the north.
“How much have they bought from you, overall?”
“Why would I tell you that?”
Cane looked at Eva. She removed a single ingot of gold from her load-bearing rig, and placed it on the counter. The Z’Sorth didn’t budge. She added a second, then a third, before it spoke again.
“So?”
“Thirty-five pentrodo,” came the reply.
Eva looked at her PDA. “That’s about seventy kilograms.”
“That’s enough for both us and the Eagle,” said Cane.
“True.” Eva took out the rest of her gold and displayed it in her palm. “Are you sure you don’t have at least half a pentrodo back there that you’d be willing to part with?”
Again, the Z’Sorth was inscrutable. “No.”
“Would you be willing to open up a line of communication with us and the Illuminated Path?” asked Cane.
It made a sound like a pneumatic tire that had just been punctured, which they could only interpret as a laugh. “Make babies with your rectums.”
“I think it just told us to fuck ourselves.”
“Yeah, I got that,” said Eva. “Can you at least tell us where to find them?”
Again, it simply pointed to the north.
“Come on, we’re wasting our time in here.”
The pair went outside, secured their helmets, and told the others what they had learned. Marcon turned to Cane and Talyn.
“Are you sure nobody at the bar said anything about the Illuminated Path?”
Talyn looked at Cane, then said, “Quite sure. They only mentioned Shining Beacon.”
“The man who was still alive after the ambush at the center said they were also followers of the Kira’To. So it seems we have two groups here who make that claim.”
“He did say ‘true’ followers,” said Helvetios. “It seems that status is disputed.”
Marcon grumbled. “Perhaps we should be asking Shining Beacon for help.”
“The way I see it, we don’t have too many options here,” began Vecky. “If we continue north on our own, these people are probably going to shoot first and ask questions later. We’d have to capture one of them alive and uninjured and try to convince them that we’re here to trade. We can try to make contact with Shining Beacon, but they may also see us as a threat, refuse to help, or force us to leave the city. There has to be somebody other than this one shop of Z’Sorth that trades with the Illuminated Path, I don’t think they can survive out here on robberies alone. They probably have to purchase provisions.”
Eva said, “There’s also the question of what they’re doing with all that neptunium. If we can find someone who trades with them, they might be able to tell us if they’d be willing to sell some to us.”
“There is another option you haven’t mentioned,” said Alsade. “Go in hard and kill everyone, and take what we want.”
“The crew of the Reckless Faith don’t believe that the ends justify the means.”
“Captain Kitsune?”
“I agree with Adeler,” she replied. “I’d rather leave here empty-handed then declare war on the Illuminated Path.”
“And yet, you’re willing to declare war on the Rakhar occupying the Eniph system.”
“They brought the war to Eniph, not the other way around. We also haven’t exhausted options for a peaceful resolution there, or at least we hadn’t at the time we left.”
“Getting the Faith back into action may be critical toward our success either way.”
“I know that! But I’m in charge here and I’m telling you weren’t not going to attack these people. End of discussion. We will return to the bazaar, grease some palms, and see if anybody is trading with them.”
“We also don’t have a proper threat assessment,” said Marcon. “We could be outnumbered ten to one. I appreciate your enthusiasm, lieutenant, but Kitsune is right. Hopefully we can also find a halfway-decent medical facility. If there’s nothing else, we should move out.”
The team arranged themselves for travel, and headed south. Their return trip to the bazaar was uneventful, but took longer than the trip north due to Eva’s injury. They stopped before the streets got too crowded, about two blocks from the bazaar, to take off their suits and return to their casual clothing. Eva, unfortunately, had no replacement for her pants, so she was stuck with one pant leg and no way to hide the dermaplasts.
“All this changing of clothes had been kind of embarrassing for me,” Vecky said softly to Eva.
“There’s no modesty in this line of work,” said Cane, both surprising Vecky and causing her to blush.
“Seeing the way you and Talyn carry on, I should have known.”
Talyn said, “Nah, he’s just a nosy jerk with no shame.”
Though the bazaar wasn’t as busy as earlier that day, there was still plenty of activity, and Cane noticed there were more food carts than before. At Marcon’s suggestion, they began to walk around the periphery of the area in a counter-clockwise direction, at first away from the Winged Horse. They’d have to do almost a full circle to get back to the bar, which was the point. They had barely explored the area that morning.
It was only a few minutes later that they found a medical clinic, situated in a former single-family home. Alsade peered through the front windows, then went inside for a minute before coming back out.
“It seems sanitary enough,” she said. “You’ll have to leave your rifles with us if you choose to get treated here, though.”
Helvetios said, “Captain Kitsune, Mister Venator, Mister Talyn, you might as well get a second opinion on your injuries. Miss Adeler, I’m satisfied that your leg was sufficiently sterilized when I applied the dermaplasts. You shouldn’t need any follow-up treatment, but keep in mind that only a qualified surgeon should remove them before the gel is completely absorbed. So unless they happen to have one in there…”
“I trust your judgment,” said Eva. “I’ve used dermaplasts before, I think I’ll be okay. I could use some high-quality painkillers once we’re out of danger, though.”
“Couldn’t we all? Don’t worry, the infirmary on the Rastaban is well-stocked, we’ll set you up.”
“As is the one on the Fox,” added Vecky.
“Alsade, Adeler, I suggest you stay here,” said Marcon. “The rest of us will start prodding for information about the Illuminated Path. If we can’t make contact with each other, meet at the Winged Horse in one hour. The alternative rally point will be the southern entrance to the bazaar.”
“Sounds good, see you soon.”
They passed off their rifles to the others, and a reunited Alpha team entered the clinic. As Alsade had indicated, it was bright and clean in the lobby. Eva spoke with the nurse behind the counter and worked out a payment. Fortunately, she only had to fork over one gold ingot for all of them. The nurse quickly triaged everyone, and asked Cane to come in first. A Primarian doctor smoking a cigarette met him in the exam room and removed the old bandage. The wound had stopped bleeding. He grabbed a bottle of rubbing alcohol.
“This may cause some discomfort,” he said, thoroughly soaking a large ball of cotton.
“You think?”
Cane sucked air through his teeth as the doctor sterilized his calf. He then used several dry cotton balls to dab away the alcohol.
“Trouble is never hard to find in this city. I take it you found out the hard way.”
“We wandered into the territory of the Illuminated Path.”
“That’ll do it. Do you want a dermaplast or a conventional dressing?”
Cane looked at the half-assed job the man had done disinfecting his leg. “Conventional.”
“Yeah, that’s probably all you need. Just change this out every few hours. Nurse Sigonilo will sell you a few more up front.”
“We have plenty of regular bandages, thanks. So what’s the deal with the Illuminated Path, anyway? Are they just thieves or what?”
He began to apply the bandage. “You should have found that out before you left Shining Beacon’s territory.”
“We knew they were followers of the Kira’To. They aren’t known to be overtly hostile in most of their variations.”
“All it takes is a charismatic leader to steer them in the wrong direction. Look at Jinro Praxis.”
“Sorry, who?”
“Leader of Shining Beacon. He teaches peace and love and all that other crap. Personally I don’t think the Kira’To even care, so who’s to say which group is right?”
“Probably neither. How does IP sustain itself? They can’t possibly get enough food and water for their people without help.”
Sparks fell from the end of his cigarette, almost landing on Cane. “If you could answer that question, you could sell the info to Shining Beacon for a tidy profit. Too many shepherds, and the wolf will have its fill.”
“What? Never mind. Is there anybody you know around here that might be foolish enough to do business with IP?”
He finished securing the bandage, and gave Cane a hard look. “That was the type of question a Regulator might ask. No, valued client, I don’t know. You’re good here, avoid strenuous exercise for the next couple of weeks.”
“Thanks, doc.”
Cane went back into the lobby. The nurse ushered Vecky into the exam room. Cane winked at her as she passed him.
“Better?” asked Talyn.
“Yes. I was able to glean a little bit of information from the doctor, including the name of the leader of Shining Beacon. As far as the Illuminated Path, that info may be harder to come by.”
“It couldn’t be that easy, My Old.”
“I wasn’t expecting it to be. Let’s hope Bravo team has better luck.”
