Lanna's War

66

Narcene stepped outside the Leroy dome house with a pistol in her hand. She walked into the humid, earthy air just as dawn broke, and stopped at the barn door. She opened it to the sight of Bryce slumped on the ground. He sat against the same poll Lanna was tied to over a week ago. A Lang soldier sat in a chair at the carpenter's table. He grabbed his pistol from the tabletop and stood up.

    "Miss Lang." The man said to Narcene. Narcene stopped to look at Bryce. Bryce was bloodied, battered, defeated, and barely conscious. 

    "Untie him. Now." Narcene ordered.

    "Yes, ma'am." 

    The loyalist untied Bryce and pulled him to his feet. Bryce was sore all over and struggled to move from his position. Narcene could see the agony in his face, but did not care. Bryce looked at her.

    "Nancy, you're here. Finally. Can you get me out of here? Please. Explain to your father that I'm not a traitor." Bryce said in a whisper. His throat was bone dry. Narcene looked at him loathingly. Then said,

    "Bring him outside." The loyalist helped him walk toward the barn door.

    "Hurry up!" Narcene snapped. 

    Narcene walked out into the muddy field in front of the farmhouse. The Lang soldier followed, keeping Bryce upright. 

    "Where are we going?" Bryce whispered.

    They walked to a gentile slope where Bryce could see one of his father's excavators. The ground in front was heavily disturbed and a pile of fresh mud was placed to the side. Bryce could see Lance standing near the machine, holding a staff with the Atrayean flag fluttering. Next to him was a man he didn't recognize at first. He squinted and, to his shock, realized it was Tegan.

    Bryce was exhausted and still in pain, which made it difficult for him to think properly. Then he realized he was being led to the hole in the ground. He panicked, letting his breathing quicken and knees become weak.

    "No!" He shouted.

    Lanna woke suddenly, covered in sweat. She opened her eyes but could barely see. The camp was pitch black and under strict noise and light discipline. Chariot Major was hidden behind cloud and offered no light, either.

She sat up, feeling something slide off her. She realized it was her tunic, which Tanis placed on top of her. 

    "I know where he is." She said to herself.

     She frantically felt around for her pack, but was interrupted by the click of a red light. She froze. The light was close to the ground, suggesting whoever held it was seated. 

    "Lanna, it's me."

    "Martin." She breathed. 

    "I know what you're up to." He said as he placed his light on the ground, illuminating his face. "As soon as my meeting ended I looked for you. I couldn't find you anywhere, but I found Tanis. She eventually explained where you were and what you were up to." Lanna felt a cold silence grip her throat, but found the strength to ask,

    "Why were you looking for me?"

    "Because I wanted to tell you I believe you. You are one of the most competent officers I've ever met, and you're never wrong when you're this sure of something. That stealth ship is somewhere out there, probably spying on us right now." Lanna swallowed and felt a sense of relief. "It won't be easy convincing Haste of it, and I fear that it may be too late by the time he comes around, but at least you know I have faith in you." Lanna felt her eyes mist. But then she remembered Martin mentioned Tanis.

    "And what did Tanis say when she told you what I was up to?"

    "She said you're sneaking out to find your brother." Lanna's eyes widened. She felt goose bumps ripple through her arms.

    "Grab your sack and follow me." He said. Lanna felt her palms sweat and her breathing become laboured, but she rose to her feet nonetheless. "Grab your pack." He repeated. She followed him through camp. The light of his red lamp was the only thing visible. The only soul they saw was a private urinating by a tent. Lanna had assumed she was being lead to the stockade, but soon realized they were walking in the wrong direction. They reached an enclosure containing a dozen trucks and land cruisers. Martin stopped at a small off-road truck. He opened the driver's door and said,

    "Give me your sack." Lanna was confused but gave it to him. He placed it on the passenger's seat. "You have enough rations in the back for about a week and there's a few rounds of ammunition too. Oh, and you should take this. You left it on the ground." It was her tunic. He placed it on the seat in the back. "It might come in handy. You never know." Then he pressed a button. The dashboard illuminated. The headlights switched on, but were also dim and aimed directly at the ground. 

    "What the fuck are you doing?"

    "In the morning the supply officer will notice a vehicle is missing, but it won't show up on his inventory anymore. Hopefully determining what happened to one vehicle will be the least of his concerns."

    "Martin, what the fuck are you doing?"

    "Go get your brother." He said.

Lanna couldn't believe what she was hearing.

    "Why are you doing this?" She asked with a lump in her throat. 

    "I said I would do whatever I could to help you find your family. Apparently this is the only thing I can do."

    "What if they find out you've helped me?"

    "I'm not worried about that. But if you want to help me avoid any trouble then get out of here now, and don't turn back."

A tear rolled down her cheek. She wrapped her arms around his neck and sunk into him. He hesitated but embraced her too.

    "Lanna, you have to leave now."

"I know." She sobbed. "Don't get yourself killed, okay."

Martin let the air out of his lungs.

"Lanna, just in case something happens to one of us I just want you to know-" He said as he held her. Lanna's heart beat faster.

"What?"

"I can never keep you off my mind. This entire war I've fought it but constantly fail. I'm in love with you."

Lanna felt her face flush. She couldn't believe what he said. She cared for him deeply, but to protect herself and him, she buried her feelings deep down. She didn't know what to do, or say. She decided to be honest.

    "Martin, I-"

"It's okay. You don't have to say anything. I just had to let you know. I don't want to die with regret."

"I love you, too."

She couldn't believe what she heard herself say. The words came out so naturally. It scared her to death. Nonetheless, she reached down and grabbed his warm hand.

Suddenly, a bright flash erupted in the sky. Lanna recognized it immediately. Then, more bursts of light erupted over camp.

    "Oh my God." Lanna gasped. She could see soldiers poking their heads through their tents. Then an orb formed and broke open, spreading its shell into a pair of wings. 

    "That's the ship!" Lanna shouted. Martin stared at it in shock. It fired on the camp with blue energy pulses. What happened next surprised Lanna even more.

Three additional anomalies appeared. 

    "Lanna! Get out of here!" Martin shouted.

    "I can't leave now!" She shouted back.

    "Haste has his proof! Go! Just go! Before it's too late!"

    Lanna hopped in the vehicle. She slammed her foot on the accelerator and sped into the rutted road at the centre of the enclosure. She exited camp and sped past the siege line into the dark landscape. She glanced at the rearview mirror and saw the camp as it was being torn to pieces. She took a deep breath and promised herself not to look back.