Lanna's War

14

A man advanced on Lanna as she lay on the floor dazed.

"Put it down or I'll blow your fucking head off." To Lanna's surprise, it was the foul-mouthed voice of Jayne. Lanna refocused and, sure enough, Jayne stood armed with a handgun. Lanna touched her holster and felt that it was empty. Then, with some difficulty, she rose to her feet.

Her attacker was an older, overweight man with a gray beard. Lanna did not recognize him. He stood like a statue and said,

"You'd better be armed, little lady, or I'll beat you to death with this shotgun." Jayne calmly walked into the man's view, placed her hand under the shotgun while pointing Lanna's pistol at his face.

"Don't try anything funny, and take your finger off the trigger." Jayne pulled the shotgun away from the man. Lanna grabbed it from Jayne.

"What the hell is going on here? Lanna, is that you?" A woman said as she burst into the room. Lanna turned to look at who spoke and finally saw a familiar face. The lady was slender, had long, gray hair and a slightly wrinkled face.

"Aunt Merle. Thank God." Lanna said in relief. Jayne was puzzled as Lanna lay the shotgun and her own rifle on the floor. She embraced her aunt while Jayne lowered her pistol. She and the man shared a glance.

"I haven't seen you in ages! I was so worried!" The woman said as she embraced her tightly.

"I know, I'm so sorry! I've been off fighting with the Lunar Army." The woman held Lanna out to take a look at her.

"The Lunar Army?"

"That's right." Lanna removed her cloak revealing her gray uniform. Merle scanned her.

"What's this?" She asked, holding Lanna's left collar.

"My rank. Second-lieutenants get a silver star."

"Lieutenant. That sounds important."

"Sort of."

"The Lunar Pendant." Merle scanned Lanna's upper arm. "What's this?" Merle asked, holding out the patch on her upper-left arm.

"That's our militia insignia. It's a purple songbird taking flight on a grassy plain."

"Grasslands Militia. First Regiment. Second Battalion." Merle said, reading the patch. Then she looked at a separate patch beneath the insignia that contained the letters 'F', 'C' and 'N'.

"What is F.C.N.?" She asked.

"How do you not know what that is, Aunt Merle? It stands for 'Free Chariot Now'. That acronym unites the whole Lunar Army."

"The whole Lunar Army?"

"Yes. All of the militias and resistance cells planet wide." Merle nodded then looked at Lanna with concern. She said, none-the-less with a proud smile,

"Well, stay safe. And wear that cloak when you leave. Even Coulee Town can't avoid the war. The Atrayeans have executed townsfolk just for glancing at them the wrong way."

"They've killed people in the town?" Lanna asked in shock.

"Oh yes. Han Rockwood was shot a month ago just for refusing to subject his daughter to questioning."

"Han Rockwood? The guy who ran the sweets shop?" Lanna asked in shock. Merle nodded.

"Things have been quite different around here. We have all been enduring the schizophrenic whims of the Atrayeans since the war started. We never know who might show up or who is investigated next. And if they don't like you, they cut your fingers off, steal your property, hang you from a lamppost for all to see, shoot you, shoot your children, and there's no decency to any of it! No one ever asked these people to come here and govern us! I wish they'd go!" Merle said.