“It’s a suicide mission,” he stated at last, “but not a punishment. Anything that gets me away from here is a reward.”
Colombo, Grik Ceylon
“Your scheme seems to have been successful, General Halik,” “General” Orochi Niwa said, entering the gloomy chamber through an ivy-lined entrance. The chamber was the throne room of the Imperial Regent Consort of Ceylon and all India, but with Tsalka away at court, Viceroy N’galsh had grudgingly turned it over to the “visiting generals” to plan the defense and hopefully, salvation of his lands. Normally, sunlight flooded the chamber and reflected down upon the throne at its center, but the sky was overcast and lamps were needed to view the maps on the table that had been brought into the room. Halik and N’galsh looked up from the maps as the Japanese officer joined them, awaiting the rest of his report. “The ship sent to observe has returned, and though it never drew close enough to sight the enemy, its Hij captain saw a massive explosion at sea. According to your plan, those newly elevated aboard the ‘bait’ ships were not to destroy themselves unless they were confident of destroying at least one enemy ship. If we act quickly, the cargo vessels stuck here might escape at last.”
“I will see to it,” N’galsh said, tinkling a small chime. An official entered the chamber. “Send word for the vessels in the harbor to make sail at once. At least one enemy is almost certainly destroyed, perhaps more. Others may be damaged, or occupied with salvage and rescue.” He snorted irony at that. “Most should make it past them.”
“Of course, Vice Regent, it shall be done,” the official replied.
General Halik observed the exchange with pleasure. He was glad Niwa had finally established dominance over N’galsh. Not only had he grown to… enjoy Niwa’s company, but if anything happened to Halik, Niwa must be obeyed. N’galsh had been reluctant to take direction from either of them at first, even Halik, since as a former Uul “entertainment warrior,” he’d been “elevated” from the ranks and not the nest. Hatched a mere warrior, he ultimately gained notice in the staged combats the Giver of Life so enjoyed by continuing to prevail despite his advanced years. He’d been twenty seasons old; ancient for an Uul, when he was “chosen.” Even before that, he’d begun to notice things, to “think,” and in this war, the Celestial Mother had determined they needed more like him. So here he was on Ceylon, sent to “defend” it as best he could with the assistance of the former Special Naval Landing Force officer, Orochi Niwa. He was also to observe and recruit as many “like himself” as he could find before the place was likely lost. Evidently, he’d lost a double handful of those recruits that day, but the result should be worth the cost. He summoned the official back before he could depart.
“I want watchers to observe the beaches here,” he said, drawing a claw along the southwest coast of the island. “Have First of Ten Hundreds Agrawer choose them with care. They must not attack if they sight any enemies, but bring the news back here.” He looked at Niwa. “With the weather growing foul, a damaged enemy vessel may wash ashore. If so, and if any survive, we may learn their intentions-if local Uul do not savage them.” Halik hissed a sigh. “They will not have learned, nor would they appreciate this concept of ‘taking prisoners’ you’ve mentioned. They will just kill them and eat them. It strikes me that this might be an excellent opportunity to attempt the procedure.”
“Very good,” Niwa said. “Perhaps I should go myself? If you’re right, someone should be near with a grasp of the priorities.”
Halik shook his head. “I am likely wrong and need you here to discuss the potential of these new ‘recruits.’ But I learned long amer Specio never ignore a potential advantage offered by an opponent: a weak sword arm, a tendency to lower his shield on the attack. These things can be exploited later, but only if you notice them. A few ‘prisoners’ might help with that. They can always be eaten later.”
Niwa said nothing, but Halik caught the… different… expression. He gurgled understanding. “I know it is not your way to feed on the bodies of your enemies. To you they are not ‘prey’ in the manner they are to us. You fight them, subjugate them, but do not eat them. To me, that is as incomprehensible as what we do is to you. I foresee no meeting of minds on this issue. Even were I inclined to bow to your sensibilities regarding those we defeat, particularly those of your species, I could not.”
Niwa seemed to shrug it off. “It’s not the way of my people to surrender in the first place. If any of the enemy do, I wouldn’t see them eaten, but they deserve no respect.”
Halik looked at him a long moment. “Even so, my friend, if the time comes, I might save some few as ‘pets’ or ‘advisors,’ but that is the most I could do. In that event, choose carefully.”
“My choice was made by General of the Sea Hisashi Kurokawa,” Niwa said simply. “On this world, he stands in my emperor’s stead and I obey his orders. It is fortunate for me that those orders paired me with you.” He glanced at N’galsh. “Even with our perfect understanding, I feel compelled to go. I’d hate to learn survivors were slain by… overeager Hij on the scene.”
“That will not happen,” Halik warned the official. “See to it.”
“I shall.”
“Excellent. You are dismissed.” The official bowed and backed from the chamber. Halik again looked at Niwa. “You seem to have settled in well,” he ventured.
“Well enough,” Niwa confirmed. “Under the circumstances. My orders are rarely questioned anymore.”
“They should not be questioned at all! You bear a commission from the First General himself.”
“There have apparently been few generals other than Grik for quite some time,” Niwa observed dryly. “Perhaps they must grow… accustomed.”
Halik nodded thoughtfully. He’d learned that, through the ages, “other hunters” were sometimes considered worthy enough to join the “Great Hunt” as partners to the Grik. To these, “the Offer” was made, just as it had been to Kurokawa-after conquest of his people and their mighty ship proved too costly. He sometimes wondered what had become of those earlier, “other hunters.”
“Indeed,” he said, looking at N’galsh, who’d remained uncharacteristically silent. “Excuse me, General Niwa. You have questions, Vice Regent?”
“I do.” N’galsh took a breath. “My lords, you have now visited all the island. You have not seen India proper, but I have to ask: what now are your views? Can this land be saved?”
“That depends on a great many things,” Halik replied. “That ‘view’ hasn’t changed in the least.” He dipped his head in a Grik shrug. “There are more, older Uul here, ready for the ‘change’ than I expected to find. Perhaps that is the way of things on the frontier. Nearer the Sacred Lands, the choosers would have taken most for the cook pots by now, or younger warriors would have slain and eaten them as they weakened… as I did. That guiding principle has now changed, of course, as have many others, and we have gathered in as many as we could. But the effort to identify the ‘special ones’ must not cease.”
“No, Lord General. But beyond that, what are your thoughts?”
Ha lik looked at Niwa, and the Japanese officer began to answer for him.
“As General Halik said, it depends. Yes, we’ve seen the land, and some parts are defensible-with warriors trained in defense. Most Grik can’t even comprehend the concept, and we’re not authorized to waste many we find that can. We’ll use some, but as we’ve discussed, most must be saved for ‘proper’ elevation, to become generals, officers, or under officers themselves. The bulk of our defensive strategy must rely on spoiling attacks, things the warriors here understand. We’ll bleed the enemy as much as possible, but they’ll expect it. That’s the only way ‘we’ve’ ever fought. We might surprise them from time to time. In fact we’ve seen some good places to do that if they land where we think they will, and if they advance as we hope. Remember, we likely know less about them than they know about us, and they may have new technological miracles to throw against us.”