Chapter 1: A Trip to Town

September 18, 1986

Amandi, Mandy, and Ekkakaur stood beside the eight passenger van parked along the curb in front of the dorms. The three cadets were members of the first class and had only recently entered their tenth year of training. As ordered, the three cadets were nervously waiting for Teacher Singh to arrive. He wasn’t late, they were early.

Today was an important day for all three of them. It was a recognized fact that having the students cloistered inside the compound wasn’t providing them with the necessary skills to interact with outsiders. The students had no way of judging their abilities against others. It had been decided that students were, on rotations, to go into one of the local towns for an afternoon of observing people going about their daily business.

Although it shouldn’t have, the whole idea of leaving the compound frightened the cadets. Their memories of life before entering the Academy were not pleasant. They remembered being abused by people older than themselves, they remembered hunger, and they remembered being alone.

There was a slight feeling of inferiority that pervaded the cadet’s remembrances of how they measured up to everyone else. The staff feared that those feelings of inferiority would hold back development of the cadets becoming warriors. They didn’t want to produce a bunch of mice, they wanted ‘lions and tigers and bears!’

The cadets looked intimidating, since they were wearing the newest armor designed by Teacher Min-jun. It gave each of them the appearance of an ancient Kor warlord, but with the armor in a light tan color rather than the stark black bordered with bright red that had been common among the Kor. The light tan color, like the fur of a cougar, blended in with almost all terrains including urban terrain. It also reflected the light without standing out like a beacon.

More importantly from the perspective of the cadets, it was fully functional armor made from Kevlar and would stop a bullet. It didn’t prevent getting hit by a bullet from hurting, as all three knew from practical experience. That had been a pretty agonizing and painful lesson, but one that ended up giving them greater confidence towards facing a future in armed combat.

The armor covered the entire body, providing protection for the chest, hips, arms, and legs. Each one was tailored individually for the person who wore it. It hung on the body snugly, yet allowed full freedom of motion. It did have a tendency to creak until it was broken in, though. The weight wasn’t bad, since the load was distributed across the whole body, and Kevlar was much lighter than any metal.

There was a helmet that covered the top, back, and sides of the head. It did not have the fanciful styling of the old Kor helmets which often incorporated horns, antlers, wings, or arches. Nor did it have a face protector which could interfere with the wearer’s vision. Instead, they were plain looking built for the express function of protecting the head.

They were each fully armed. A sword, more of a machete than a sword, hung from the left hip encased in a tan sheath. A pistol in a holster was placed on the right leg in the position used by quick draw gunfighters of old. Each cadet carried a knife, with a wicked ten inch blade, sheathed near the small of their back. A rifle hung off a shoulder on a basic rifle carrying sling.

The fact that they were armed had nothing to do with the reason they were standing beside the van waiting for Teacher Singh. All cadets after their sixth year went fully armed at all times. They were warriors and were expected to be armed like warriors.

It might seem crazy to entrust an eleven year old with a pistol and a rifle. However, for the first two years, the weapons were loaded with blanks. Accidental discharges were punished by having the person or persons involved ‘run the gauntlet.’ By the end of the first year, there were no accidental discharges.

The ‘gauntlet’ had the cadets form two lines spaced six feet apart. Each cadet was given a thin flexible cane. The perpetrator of a crime walked between the lines of cadets getting whipped by each cadet. It was a harsh and brutal punishment. However, it was reserved only for crimes that affected everyone, so it was fitting that everyone was involved in the punishment.

Mandy, a young blue eyed blond haired woman, said, “I don’t like this. Why do we have to go into town? I remember what it was like, before...”

Amandi, a young black skinned male of average height, replied, “Don’t worry about that, Mandy. I’ve been outside. The people aren’t like you remember.”

He was working towards a master rating in flying, and was currently in the helicopter flight school. He had already received a pilot’s license, with ratings in several kinds of airplanes. When he wasn’t in the air, he was learning aircraft maintenance.

One consequence of his specialization, was that he had frequently traveled out of the compound, and had dealt with the locals. He’d purchased fuel for his plane, filed flight plans, and had actually eaten at an airport restaurant. He wasn’t so much nervous, as irritated. This was going to keep him from getting in a little more time in the helicopter.

Ekkakaur, a short young woman with dark skin and piercing black pupils, said, “Maybe they’re not like the people from where you come from, but...”

“I’m telling you. You don’t have to worry.”

She replied, “I was supposed to be practicing demolition, today.”

Ekkakaur was working towards a master rating in perimeter defense. She already had the requisite expert qualifications in combat engineering, but was working on getting qualified in demolition. She wanted to become a Shield so badly, that it was almost frightening. Her ratings were off the charts in all of the key areas, particularly in martial arts. They were actually good enough to qualify as Sword, but she just wasn’t interested.

Mandy said, “The building will still be there tomorrow. It isn’t going to fall down over night.”

She was working towards a master rating as a base engineer. This was a program designed around setting up a fixed base or forward operating base function. It was a particularly difficult area, dealing with setting up fixed and temporary structures to provide support for the members of the Jade Force in a secure environment. It required expert qualifications in combat engineering, structural engineering, base operations, and maintenance. She was striving to become Hearth, the cadre associated with base operations.

“You built it?”

“Yes, I did.”

“I was looking it over yesterday. It’s not going to be easy to bring it down.”

Mandy said, “I built it that way.”

They all straightened up at exactly the same moment. The front door of one of the dorms had just started to open.

Needlessly, Amandi said, “Teacher Singh is coming.”

The three cadets retained the total awareness of their surroundings that had been instilled as orphans living on the street. The slightest movement would attract their instantaneous attention. That made the camouflage training classes very interesting since even an odd coloration in an area would draw their gaze.

Although he was one of the oldest people in the compound, Teacher Singh taught the equestrian arts. He had been trained in the old cavalry manner, having learned to ride and charge with saber drawn. The cadets really enjoyed his classes. In particular, they enjoyed charging upon the melons stuck on pikes at full speed on horseback. There was just something fun about lopping off the top half of a melon. Some things, like learning how to pack a horse or a mule, weren’t so much fun.

“Hello, Teacher Singh,” the three cadets said together.

“Hello,” Teacher Singh said. He paused to look at them and then said, “We have a problem.”

“What?”

“You can’t take your pistols or rifles with you into town.”

“What?” Mandy screamed.

“No way!” shouted Ekkakaur.

Looking at Amandi, Teacher Singh asked, “Didn’t you warn them about that?”

“About what?”

“The fact that you can’t take your pistols or rifles into town.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“You don’t take your pistol or rifle when you fly off base.”

Amandi said, “I know. Teacher Yeagers said that there is a security regulation at airports, banning weapons. He even makes me leave my sword and knife behind when I have to get out of the airplane.”

“Well, you can’t take weapons into town.”

Ekkakaur said, “Standard procedure is to take our weapons, ammunition, armor, water, food, radios, and med kit whenever we leave the security of a fortified position.”

“That’s in a war zone,” Teacher Singh said.

“The point being?”

Teacher Singh said, “We aren’t in a war zone. You are going into town.”

“Are they Jade?”

“No.”

“Then...”

“Then nothing. You aren’t allowed to take a pistol or a rifle into town.”

“If I can’t take my weapons, I don’t want to go,” Ekkakaur said flatly.

Teacher Singh said, “It’s not your choice. You have to go.”

Ekkakaur was not happy. Mandy was just as unhappy. Amandi wasn’t all that thrilled either.

“What about our swords and knives?” Amandi asked.

“You can take those,” Teacher Singh said.

“Thank the war gods for that,” Ekkakaur said.

“Get to your dorm and store your pistol and rifle in your locker. I expect you all back here in five minutes.”

The three cadets took off at a trot to the dorm building. They were all back in less than three minutes to find Teacher Singh standing beside an open door gesturing to the row of seats. The three climbed into the van.

Teacher Singh got into the driver’s seat and started the van. Driving at fifteen miles per hour, he maneuvered the van down the street towards the gate. There was no posted speed limit, but that was only because anyone behind the wheel of a vehicle there knew better than to drive in a manner that put anyone at risk.

Upon reaching the gate, they had to wait while the draw bridge style door was lowered. The inner doors were already open. The sound of the heavy chain rattling was loud enough to be heard inside the van. The three cadets watched the view of the outside world slowly reveal itself, as the door finally reached the ground.

Teacher Singh drove through the gate. After the van had passed through the gate, the three cadets turned around in their seats to watch the door being raised.

“I’m going to drop you off in the town square. There’s a tree with a bench under it. You should sit down there and just watch what is going on around you. If there are any problems, let Amandi do the talking.”

Mandy asked, “Why him?”

“Do you know Inran?”

“Well, no.”

“How about you, Ekkakaur?”

“No.”

“I’d say that since Amandi is the only one who speaks Inran, that he should do all of the talking,” Teacher Singh said.

“They don’t speak Elfin?”

“No. You aren’t to speak Elfin in town unless no one can overhear you. Do you understand that?”

“Why?” Mandy asked.

“That’s a private language. It is for us to know, no one else.”

Ekkakaur added, “It’s a security measure. If no one knows our language, then they can’t know what we’re planning even if they hear us.”

“Okay.”

There was a moment of silence now that all of the essentials had been discussed.

“Why are we doing this?” Ekkakaur asked.

Teacher Singh didn’t answer her question directly, but said, “Amandi, you’ve had dealings with Inrans at the airport. What is your general impression of them?”

“I think they are kind of stupid. They don’t seem very alert to what is happening around them. They’re easily distracted from what they’re doing. It seems to me that they’re pretty clumsy or awkward. You don’t see them moving very gracefully.”

“Ekkakaur, what do you expect to see?”

“I don’t know. I guess I expect to see people like us,” she answered.

“Amandi, do you think they are like us?”

“Not really,” he answered.

“Why?”

“It’s hard to put into words. I guess the best way I can say it, is that they seem weaker than us.”

Teacher Singh said, “Ekkakaur, you are going into town for one reason and that is so that you’ll understand what Amandi is trying to say.”

The van entered the outskirts of the town. It wasn’t a big town compared to others in Inra, but it was much larger in terms of population than their compound. People were everywhere. The streets were packed with cars, bicycles, motorcycles, and small motorized carts. The traffic was pure chaos. The streets were without lanes, and no rules were apparent. Singh maneuvered the van through the traffic without much difficulty.

Amandi watched him drive, taking note of how he dealt with the ever changing flow of traffic. The large vehicle was clearly outmatched by the smaller more maneuverable vehicles which cut in front of it without warning. He couldn’t help but wonder how they would react to a deuce and a half. Would they be so willing to cut in front of it when it could just drive right over them? He didn’t think so.

Inra was a caste society. It was easy to see the differences among castes. The lowest caste people were thin and gangly, with gaunt angular faces. There was a kind of deadness in their expressions. Sure there were smiles and frowns, but they never reached the eyes. The higher castes were better dressed, and had livelier expressions.

Ekkakaur and Mandy were staring out the windows at the people. The sidewalks were full of people walking and standing around. The lower caste people brushed up against each other almost without notice of the collisions. For the higher caste people, it seemed as if there was a slight buffer around them, that prevented others from touching them.

In a surprisingly short time, the van reached the town center. Singh pulled the van to the side of the street and parked it. He turned in his seat to face the three cadets.

Pointing to a tree with a bench beneath it, he said, “You will stay over there until I come to pick you up. Is that understood?”

“Where will you be?” Mandy asked apprehensively.

“I’ll be in a shop near here having a cup of tea. They make it there like it is made in my country,” Singh answered.

Worried, Ekkakaur asked, “What if we get into trouble?”

“I expect you to take care of it. No one should bother you, but there are a few street gangs that are in this area. They might object to your presence and try to get money from you, or force you to leave.”

“What should we do if that happens?” Ekkakaur asked.

“You are to stay at the tree until I come to pick you up. If you are attacked, then you may defend yourself. There is only one thing to remember. Don’t kill anyone, unless your life is undeniably at risk. If you do, then you’ll hang.”

“Hang?” all three asked at once.

“Yes. You are not under contract, so you do not have authorization to engage them with deadly force. Do you understand?”

The code under which they operated distinguished between contractual battle and an assault. In a contractual battle, deadly force was automatically allowed anywhere within the war zone. An assault was always initiated by another and deadly force, was not allowed except when their lives were in obvious danger. Under no circumstances were they ever authorized to initiate an assault, outside of a contract.

“I think so,” Amandi answered.

“No,” Mandy answered.

“What don’t you understand?”

“I thought we were allowed to kill in responding to an assault, if our lives were in danger.”

Teacher Singh smiled and answered, “That’s true. Your lives won’t be in danger if you are attacked by these street toughs, though. They aren’t skilled enough to present a real threat even if they outnumber you.”

“I don’t accept that,” Mandy said. “I remember how it was from before.”

“Your memories are those of a five year old child, who had no training in the martial arts. You were easy pickings for anyone a little bigger. Now, you are older, and you are highly trained. The street toughs do not stand a chance against you.”

“I don’t like this,” Ekkakaur said.

“It doesn’t matter if you like it or not, you must do it. Stay under the tree until I come to pick you up. If assaulted, then you may defend yourselves. But, do not kill.”

“Yes, Teacher Singh.”

The three cadets left the safety of the van, and went over to the bench where they were to wait for Teacher Singh. They moved slowly, observing everyone around them. They noticed that people gave them a wide berth, but didn’t understand why it was that people avoided coming anywhere near them. It was more than just the fact that their attire made them oddities. Mandy’s and Ekkakaur’s obvious displeasure was expressed by the frowns on their faces. Those frowns and their basic appearance made them appear exceptionally threatening from the perspective of the locals.

The three cadets reached the bench. Amandi sat in the middle of the bench facing away from the tree. Mandy and Ekkakaur sat at the ends of the bench with their backs to Amandi. This gave the trio the ability to observe their surroundings in every direction.

They sat on the bench without talking for more than two hours, alertly watching their surroundings. There were a lot of people engaged in all different kinds of activities. There were people hurriedly going from one place to another. There were store owners trying to sell their merchandise, while trying to protect it from anyone who might steal it. There were shoppers moving slowly from store to store checking the merchandise, and occasionally stopping to exchange words with the store owners. There were people in little clusters talking about matters great and small. The noise and chaotic movement of traffic in the streets was nonstop.