From her seat on the edge of Mauve territory, Sami watched as a solitary black cloud rose from the center of Bonde Wakulima. She grabbed at her pistol, wanting to charge across no-man's-land and help with whatever had gone wrong, but she couldn't blow her cover. She couldn't even allow the Mauves to know that she still cared about the town. She was helpless.
Crusty nudged Sami. "Wedges, do you know anything about this?"
Sami hardened her voice. "No. I told you, they didn't tell me anything about what their plans were. I think they knew they couldn't trust me."
"Interesting. Your town's up to something, no doubt. That wasn't us."
"It's not my town anymore, but I lived there for nineteen years, and I guarantee they didn't set off that blast on purpose. They must have been bombed by someone else. We need to find out who."
Crusty's footsteps faded behind Sami. "Funny that you mention that," she mumbled.
For a few more minutes, Sami watched the smoke disappear into the dark sky. When there was nothing more to see, she turned and trudged back to her tent. As Sami entered, Say-it-Again sat up and opened her mouth, a question visible on her tongue, then stopped herself.
Sami let her be. Sitting down on her new cot, she sat by her basket of junk and watched Eight-legs mill around in its box.
"Where is Wedges?" said a deep, powerful woman's voice.
Say-it-Again gasped.
Sami looked up. A tall, severe-looking woman stood in the doorway, clad in full plate and mesh armor. Her hair hung down to her knees in a pink curtain that twitched in the breeze, and a half-dozen tattered red ribbons coiled around her armored limbs. A necklace of simple wooden beads held tight around her neck, and a three-foot-long curved monstrosity of a sword was strapped over her chest. With a closer look at her face, Sami guessed that this woman was at least fifty years old, which made her ancient compared to the other Mauves.
Sami stood up. "Ma'am?" she began, as a precaution. "It's me. I'm Wedges. Um... who are you?"
The woman took a moment to size up Sami, then opened her mouth and rumbled, "I am Mauve."
Whoah.
"You are from that town, Bonde Wakulima," said Mauve. "And you volunteered to scout for the answer to the explosion we all saw."
"Yeah, I guess I did," said Sami, although she did not remember it.
"I have an idea of where that bomb came from. Sixty hours ago, an aircraft parachuted some unknown cargo into the jungle to the north. You will investigate it. You will go with my lieutenant, Spoons."
Spoons. In Mauve's voice, even 'Spoons' sounded intimidating.
"Obey Spoons," Mauve continued. "Pay attention. If there is a fight, be brave and stand with your sisters. If you come back successful..." she turned to leave, her hair-cape swinging behind her. "...I'll have a reward for you."
Frozen, Sami watched as Mauve strutted out of sight, moving with the slowness of a woman who knew the world would wait for her.
A moment later, Crusty peeked into the room, eyes wide. "Wedges? I hope you know who that was."
"Yeah. She told me. How often does Mauve see recruits in person?"
"Only when something serious is coming." Crusty focused a stony glare at Sami. "Be at your best. And you, too, Say-it-Again. Stay sharp."
