An
Unexpected Encounter
The sights and sounds of combat remained chaotic and
piercing though the day waned. Day
eight of the Battle of Cepheus saw the fighting shift to the furrowed slopes of
Mount Perseus where both sides found better cover than in the plain that
bordered Alpha Mine. Ikoma’s
ground forces had routed the enemy from the facilities and was attempting to
drive the invading army south into open territory where it would likely be more
vulnerable. The sides were well
matched, and breaks in the fighting came only at night.
Acrid smoke drifted across the battle lines under ashen-gray skies as armored
tanks and other vehicles discharged their weapons or were themselves blown to
pieces. Armed with grenades and
rocket launchers, troops made various forays into each other’s ranks.
Casualties were rampant, and base med-techs followed the soldiers as
closely as they dared to retrieve injured comrades.
Kodai Miyuki had been assigned triage that day.
She wove among the wounded on an air scooter and marked their uniforms
with a fluorescent slash: Red for critical, yellow for serious. Occasionally she would meet soldiers limping or stumbling
back to base. The dead would have
no mark. The closer she came to the
battle proper, the more often she found herself pelted by stray shrapnel or
tossed to the ground by the force of an explosion.
Miyuki had been on duty for several hours now; her white uniform (with
the tell-tale red cross upon her breast)—from the long-waisted shirt to the
leggings—was scuffed and dirty. She
was notorious for opting for short-sleeves despite a chilly climate.
Miyuki had made a few passes over the main battle area and was now searching the
edge of the forest that lined the foothills.
She encountered a soldier passed out among the tall grass.
Checking his pulse she found he was alive but further examination
revealed some internal injuries. Miyuki
slashed his collar and radioed in his location to the nearest med-tech. She did a preliminary patching up and sat cross-legged on the
ground beside him.
Miyuki reached for her canteen. “How about some water, Yamamoto?” she asked, addressing
him by the name on his tag. “Don’t
mind if I do,” she answered, and took a swig.
She rested for a moment, letting her eyes rove across the battlefield
that stretched out left and south of her. Miyuki
had never expected to see so much military action this early in her career.
Earth hadn’t been at war for over twenty-five years.
There were skirmishes now and again, but mainly with pirates or renegade
colonies. The nations of Earth had
built themselves into a very powerful galactic presence that was very much a
response to invasions of the past. Other
races usually came to offer alliances or trade, not to fight.
This new threat was a mystery. Observing
the conflict before her Miyuki wondered if it bore any relation to the battles
that were fought when her parents were young.
Then she blinked, for she saw a flash in the sky not very far away.
The flash morphed into a black speck and it was coming closer.
An air attack? she
wondered. She reached for her radio
but paused because the craft was suddenly closer and veering in towards her
direction. Guessing it was too late
to run (and anyway she had a comrade to protect) she hunkered down in the grass
and watched expectantly.
It was about the size of a fighter jet. A
torrent of black smoke poured from its nose and obscured its body as it shot
toward the ground. The wings tipped
precariously. Miyuki could feel the
heat wash over her as it clipped the treetops and passed slightly northeast of
her position. Throwing up her arms
to block the windfall of burning twigs and leaves, Miyuki used her body to
shield Yamamoto as best she could.
A moment later she heard the loud splintering of trunks and branches on the
other side of the hill. The ground
shuddered briefly. Miyuki looked
around, thinking nearby forces must have witnessed the incoming ship, but she
was further away from the main fighting than she initially thought.
There was no one near her. Wound
up with concern for the fallen pilot, she grabbed her med kit and rushed into
the cover of the forest. She
followed the trail of smoking bramble and damaged trees.
Miyuki’s path led her up a steep slope. The
air grew quiet under the wooded eaves and any sounds of battle that reached her
ears were very faint. Miyuki felt
hot. She had run nearly half a mile when she reached the crest.
A wide ravine opened up before her that was populated with copious
vegetation and sturdy trunks of pine and oak.
At once Miyuki realized her mistake.
An enemy fighter was lodged at the far end.
Miyuki ducked behind a tree. Praying she hadn’t been spotted she assessed the situation
from her vantage point. A deep
stream passed straight through the hillsides.
It formed a shallow pool before winding its way south again.
The ship lay at an angle to the ground only yards from the water.
Fire belched smoke out of various crevices and Miyuki could hear the
creaks and groans of metal as the ship settled.
Suddenly part of it moved. The
cockpit hatch tipped up and over and a figure started to emerge.
He caught himself on the edge and gingerly edged himself out sideways.
Miyuki watched as he dropped to the ground and collapsed.
Unable to resist her nurse’s calling any further, she stumbled down the
slope and dashed toward the jet. Enemy
or no, someone was hurt and she was the only one in a position to help.
I can dress his wounds and be gone before he knows it, she
thought.
The smoke hung in the air. It made
her cough and lent an eerie atmosphere to the ravine.
She reached the pilot shortly and hooked her arms under his shoulders.
Pulling with all her strength (he was a of medium build but nearly a
third taller than she) Miyuki dragged him away from the jet.
It was slow going because of fallen branches that blocked her feet and
made her trip. The air was heavy
with the smell of jet fuel and she had to stop briefly once to catch her breath.
Panting heavily she deposited the pilot in a recessed part of the hill near the
stream. She cleared the surrounding
ground free of bracken and popped open her med kit.
She knelt by his shoulder and pressed her hand under his neck to check
for spinal injury. Feeling none she
removed his helmet. She gently
turned his face to her and brushed back his silvery blonde hair.
Miyuki had never seen a man more beautiful. He was young; not more than twenty-five or so, and his skin
had the gray-blue complexion of his people.
His features were very fine, as if he were of some noble or royal
lineage. The rivulets of blood
seeping from a gash on his forehead did little to mar his handsomeness.
Miyuki checked his pulse and reached back to her med kit for some supplies.
When she turned around the muzzle of a laser gun met the tender skin of
her neck. The enemy pilot was
propped up on one arm while the other lodged the gun against her further when
she tried to pull back. His teeth
were clenched and his eyes bore down on her fiercely.
Miyuki swallowed nervously but amid private self-admonishments of stupid!
stupid! stupid! she was determined to remain calm.
Staring back at the pilot she could see beads of sweat mingling with
blood as he tried to remain upright despite his injuries. His
breathing was somewhat labored.
Miyuki was holding a package of bandages in one hand and using careful motions
brought them into his view. “You’re badly injured,” she said. Her voice sounded scratchy to her. The gun barrel dug painfully into her. “I’m a nurse; I can help you!”
The pilot’s gaze darted quickly to the bandages.
He made a movement as of straightening his aim.
Then his expression shifted, and his features softened.
He let his elbow drop and held Miyuki’s gaze for a brief moment more. Abruptly his eyes closed and he collapsed back onto the
ground. Miyuki quickly disarmed him
and clutched at her throat. There
would probably be a bruise but she knew she’d be fine. She had been terrified, and the tears that welled up were a
testament to that. Being a
consummate soldier, however, even at twenty-one, she wiped away her tears and
resumed tending to the pilot’s injuries.
Miyuki was deep into the situation now and anxiety soon overtook the fear.
She was aware that she had been gone for quite some time and it was more
than likely that radar had picked up the jet.
She worked quickly to clean and dress his wounds not only because of the
alarming blood loss but because anyone could appear there at any moment.
She injected him full of antibiotics and an amount of coagulant to slow
the blood from seeping through the gashes on his forehead and side.
Lastly, she administered a sedative to keep him sleeping and still.
Miyuki packed up her kit and glanced nervously around.
The woods had quieted and much of the smoke had cleared.
Miyuki gave silent thanks that the jet had not exploded.
At this point she had already decided that no one would know of her
encounter, least of all her parents, if she could help it.
Miyuki allowed herself one last gaze at the unconscious pilot.
“I’ll come back if I can, my handsome adversary,” she whispered.
She was strangely excited despite the apprehension of being caught.
Miyuki traipsed back up the hill.
Emerging from the woods on the other side she noticed that
Yamamoto’s body was gone. Jumping
on her scooter she headed back to the battle area. She found that Earth troops had secured it.
Easing up on the power she slowed and came to a stop.
She looked around to get her bearings.
Miyuki started as a hand gripped her arm.
“Hey!” a voice said. “Where
have you been?”
Miyuki relaxed when she saw the voice belonged to her brother.
“Mamoru! I was waiting by
one of the wounded. Over…there,”
she said, and gestured vaguely toward the foothills.
She pulled up the collar of her uniform.
Mamoru’s grip on her lessened and he guided her toward a nearby armored truck.
“Well we’re pulling back for now.
Get in! We’re returning to
base.”
Miyuki followed him and scrambled in with the last of the troops.
The truck rumbled to life as the gears shifted and it lumbered forward.
A caravan of vehicles sped toward the base as the sun’s rays burst
through gaps in the clouds. Moments
later it swiftly set and left the battlefield in a darkening gloom.
Nearly two days passed before Miyuki found both opportunity
and courage to risk a visit to the injured pilot. She convinced herself she ought to ensure the man hadn’t
taken it upon himself to come prowling around the base.
Just one more check wouldn’t hurt.
Grimly she supposed he was probably dead by now anyway.
Nevertheless she took with her a fully stocked med kit and procured some
non-perishable, nutrient packed food from the commissary.
Miyuki’s heart was pounding wildly as she made her way out of the base early
in the morning. Night had yet to
make its passage and a thick fog had sunk nearly to the ground.
She could not see far in front of her and worried about bumping into any
guards. However, she found that the
fog also precluded her being discovered crossing the security perimeter.
She retrieved her air scooter from its hiding place. The fog started to lift and night passed into gray early
morning. Miyuki sped off toward the
ravine.
This time she arrived armed, and approached the hillcrest with much greater
caution. Peering down the slope she
could barely make out that the pilot was lying where she had left him.
Breathing a sigh of relief she left her scooter nearby and walked slowly
down toward the prone figure. She
set down the supplies and steeled herself as she took his wrist in her hand to
check his pulse.
"You’re still alive,” she murmured.
A groan issued through his lips in response.
Miyuki set to work quickly. She
gathered water from the stream and dropped a purifying tablet into it.
The bandages were soaked and crusty with blood but they seemed to have
absorbed most of it. Miyuki pulled
him out of his shirt. It took her
several trips to the stream to gather enough water to cleanse his head and
torso. One of his cuts required
stitches. She rubbed a salve over
his wounds before dressing them again.
When she was done she reached out her right hand and pressed the back of her
fingers against his cheek. His skin
felt cool and a full day’s growth of beard was on his face.
She found herself making a note to bring a razor the next time.
Next time?! Miyuki
shook her head and stood up. There
shouldn’t have been a first time, she told herself.
But the deed was done and she felt a certain obligation to see it
through. She could hardly be
faulted for just wanting to help. She
checked her watch. Several hours
remained before she had to report for duty.
Miyuki didn’t like the looks of his dirty and blood stained uniform so she
ambled over to the jet to see if she could find a jacket or extra clothing.
She climbed into the cockpit and began to open up any compartment whose
flap would yield to her. Her
efforts were rewarded with a standard issue thermal blanket.
Miyuki stood up gingerly and jumped to the ground.
She returned to where the pilot lay. The
hairs on the back of her neck stood on end when she saw that his position had
changed. She slowed her pace as she approached him.
He was lying more than sitting against the hillside but his eyes were
open. Miyuki’s laser gun was in
his left hand. He lifted the butt end toward her.
“You really should be more careful in a situation like this,” he said
sternly. When he saw that she
didn’t move he tossed the gun on the ground as far away as his strength would
allow. His tone grew kind as he
continued. “And who is it that I
have to thank for my valiant rescue and skilled medical assistance?”
Miyuki faltered. She hadn’t
expected any courtesy. She knelt on
the ground and laid the blanket across him.
She kept her eyes lowered, for the sight of his gray eyes made her stomach
jump. “Miyuki,” she whispered
shyly. She felt somewhat
embarrassed at having neglectfully left her gun within his grasp.
“Miyuki,” the pilot repeated. “I’m glad of our acquaintance, Nurse Miyuki.”
He cleared his throat with some effort.
“Might you have any water I could drink?”
Miyuki looked at him then and concern rippled across her face as she saw his
pained expression. “Of course!
Yes of course! Right
here,” she said and opened her canteen. Holding
it to his lips she helped him drink. “Easy,
“ she commanded, as the liquid made him cough and splutter.
The pilot drank a good deal of the contents.
Miyuki sat back down beside him. “And
who is it that I have to thank for drinking nearly all of my water?” she
asked.
Startled, he looked at her in surprise. “I’m
sorry…” he began and then stopped when he saw the mirth building in
Miyuki’s expression. “Ah,” he said, and offered her a contemplative smile.
“Your humor becomes you! My
name is Alois.” He took another sip of water and set the canteen down.
“So, Miyuki, where are you going to take me?”
Miyuki looked at him questioningly. “Take
you?”
Alois raised an eyebrow. “Yes,
take me.” He raised an arm and
gestured toward the ravine. “Unless
this is standard Earth procedure for prisoners of war.”
Miyuki avoided his gaze. “Well,
um, I didn’t…um, plan on taking you to the base.”
She cleared her throat. “You
see, when your ship crashed I thought it was one of ours.
So I rushed over here to provide assistance.”
Miyuki blushed and raised a hand to her cheek.
“It’s too late now. If
they find out I helped you, I’d be in a super amount of trouble.
They’d probably ship me back.”
Alois stared at her a while before speaking.
“I should feel terribly guilty if you’re punished on my account,”
he finally said. “I’ll tell you
what: If my radio still works
I’ll call for transport away from here. Your superiors won’t find out I was here from me.”
He looked across at the jet and was thoughtful for a moment.
“If the transmitter is damaged I’ll need time to repair it.
Are we agreed, Miyuki?”
She didn’t think to ask why enemy forces would risk such a rescue for one
pilot. Miyuki looked visibly
relieved and nodded her head. “But
you’ll need time to recover. I
brought…” she fished through her bag ”…some food and more medicine to
ease the pain. I’ll bring more
when I can, which may not be soon so you’ll have to conserve.”
Her voice trailed off when she saw Alois’ eyes had closed.
“Poor thing,” she murmured. “Far
from home and only silly Miyuki to keep you company.”
Miyuki had to be leaving anyway. She tucked the blanket around him and packed up her gear.
The scooter bore her through the woods and she headed back to base.
Miyuki had already planned a return route by way of the mine processing
buildings. She stored the scooter and headed toward the commissary for
breakfast where she tossed back a couple cups of coffee and a steamed bun.
People greeted her as usual and seemed none the wiser for what she had
done. Humming to herself she went
to sickbay to begin her day.
The invasion dragged on mercilessly.
Fighting spread to other mines and areas of rich natural resources.
It was determined the enemy had warp technology as a few of its cargo
filled transports disappeared before reaching the upper atmosphere.
The battleship Ptomkin IV joined the fray and launched its newly
trained fighter squadrons against the enemy’s.
Kodai Mamoru’s D Brigade (affectionately referred to as “the
Cubs”) was winning renown for its successful defense techniques and strategic
raids into enemy camps. However,
Cepheus Colony continued to be stripped of its valuables and pressure was on the
troops to shut the enemy down as quickly as possible.
It was now five days since Miyuki’s initial encounter.
She had requested and been granted permanent triage duty, which made it
easier to slip away unnoticed when it was clear the fighting had lessened for
the day. Her superior just thought
she wanted the combat experience. At
the tail end of what had been an unusually light engagement with enemy troops
she carefully wove her scooter away from the battle proper and out of sight of
commanding officers. The weight of
two med-kits was cumbersome but necessary if she were to deliver sufficient food
and medical supplies to Alois. She
had also stashed some hygienic products. Perhaps
because of who she was no one seemed to act concerned, and no one questioned
her. Then finally she was far
enough away, and headed to the ravine.
Miyuki felt
much more calm when she reached the cover of the forest.
This time she let the scooter take her up and over the hill before
dismounting. Alois was nowhere to be seen.
Miyuki searched the area briefly before sitting down on a rock by the
stream to wait. The med kit with
food and other supplies lay beside her.
The sun was beginning its descent and the light in the ravine grew dusky.
Miyuki was fretting that she would have to leave soon when she heard the
sound of a twig snap behind her. She
jumped up and nearly collided with Alois. He
reached out a hand to steady her but winced, being mindful of the stitches still
in his side. Miyuki looked him over
briefly before speaking.
“I need to change the bandages, but I brought you food so you should probably
eat first.”
Miyuki opened the kit and handed him what provisions she
had been able to snare without raising suspicion.
Alois sat down immediately and began to eat with gusto.
Miyuki refilled the canteen she had left with him and inserted a
purifying tablet into it. Silently she handed him the canteen and waited for him to
finish. Rarely did his eyes leave
her face.
Alois wiped his mouth after gulping more water.
“Thank you,” he said. “I
suppose I should have made you taste some of this first, but if you had any
plans for me they would have already happened.”
Miyuki looked crestfallen and he hastily amended his statement.
“I trust you, I do! You’re
very sincere. And your actions
speak volumes.” He offered her a
wry smile. “I hope I’ve earned
your trust as well?”
Miyuki chuckled. “If I didn’t
trust you I believe you’d be dead by now.”
“True, true,” Alois murmured. “How is the battle going?
For the most part it’s very quiet around here but I can see a good
amount of smoke in the distance. I
was out trying to get a look when you came.”
Miyuki shrugged her shoulders. “About even I think. Your
comrades are making off with a fair amount of resources but we’re not making
it exactly easy. I’m just a
combat nurse, anyway. I’m not
privy to much of the intelligence. Here,
if you’re done eating let me change those bandages.”
Miyuki helped him take off his uniform shirt.
It looked somewhat cleaner; Alois must have soaked it in the stream.
The wounds appeared to be healing and were free from infection. Miyuki cautioned him to refrain from moving unnecessarily as
the stitches would need to remain in a few days longer.
“Now let me examine your head.”
Alois leaned back against a tree. Kneeling beside him Miyuki carefully removed the binding.
“Looks okay,” she said softly. “I
just need to salve it and a smaller bandage should do this time.”
Alois could feel Miyuki’s warm breath on his face and he was keenly aware of
the softness of her breast as she leaned into him, although she seemed
oblivious, focused as she was on her task.
“Okay, all done,” she said after a few minutes.
“What?” she asked, for Alois was staring at her.
“Nothing,” he answered, and touched a finger gingerly to his forehead.
“Feels a lot better, thanks. Shouldn’t
you be heading back?”
Miyuki looked over her shoulder at the hill.
“In a moment, I guess.” She
turned back and motioned with her head at the jet.
“Does the radio still work?”
“Hmm, the radio.” Alois looked
serious. “Well, at least it
isn’t smashed beyond repair but it will need a significant amount of work.
I can rig it to code an SOS to my location but that’ll be it.
To be honest I haven’t had a lot of strength since the crash.
I’ve been sleeping mostly, and the repair is going to require a lot of
movement, what with tearing out parts and all that.”
He paused. “Although the
food is making quite a difference; I feel much stronger now.”
He reached out and touched the back of Miyuki’s hand with his
fingertips. “I’m really
grateful for all of your help. I
can’t imagine why we’re attacking Earth colonies if people like you live
there.”
“Where are you from?” Miyuki asked.
Alois looked to the side. His tone
was apologetic. “Well, surely you
realize I can’t share specifics, but…do you mean my people? Or me?”
“You,” Miyuki prompted.
“Oh, um, I’ve been in space for many years now.
I spent my childhood on many different planets (my father is in the
military) but I don’t come from ‘a’ world.
My people’s home planet, on the other hand, goes back to antiquity.
We originate from Ilydria, a galaxy cluster some, I would say,
four-hundred to five-hundred million light years from the Milky Way.”
Miyuki gasped. “Then you must be
very old!” She stopped, shook her
head and giggled. “I mean your
race must be very old.”
Alois smiled. “Yes, I suppose.”
“You know, you’ve responded very well to the medication I’ve given you.
Genetically speaking we must be very similar.”
Miyuki looked at him shyly. “Well,
we sort of knew that anyway, from autopsies we did on bodies we captured.”
“You think we did not?” Alois’
gaze was penetrating.
Miyuki gave a nervous laugh. “Of course you did.”
Silence passed between them for a time.
“But why…”Miyuki said, and paused.
“Why what?”
“What do you want? Why are you
invading the colonies?”
Alois sighed. “That’s a very
good question.”
Miyuki looked at him expectantly.
“It’s a good question for another time.
Miyuki, you should be heading back before you’re missed.”
“Oh!” Miyuki exclaimed and leapt up.
Night was creeping forth and it was becoming dark.
She hurried about to gather her things.
Speaking to Alois from her scooter she said in a rush, “ I don’t know
when I can come back so be careful about the food.
Good luck with the radio, and remember not to move too much!”
Her voice trailed back to him and grew faint as the scooter lifted and
bore her away.
Miyuki found it difficult to sleep that night.
She constantly worried about Alois being discovered and the anxiety
flavored her dreams. At the same time the excitement of seeing him created a
restless sort of energy. There were
so many questions she had. Where
would he go when he left? What did
he know about the enemy’s objective? While
lying awake her mind also drifted to other thoughts, like what it would be like
to kiss him.
Miyuki was conscious even as the alarm clock sounded.
Grumbling to herself she bathed, dressed, and went to the commissary.
It was unusually full this morning.
She had a satchel with her and stacked her tray high.
As she was looking for a place to sit her attention wandered to the
noisiest table. There she could see
her brother among some of his crew and made her way over. Mamoru saw her coming and motioned for the men across from
him to make room on the bench. Miyuki
set her tray down.
“Hey Miyuki!” shouted Osamu from the corner.
“Let’s get married today!”
Miyuki put her hand against her chest in acknowledgement of the proposal.
With all the sincerity she could muster she said, “That’s very sweet!
But I can’t today. I have
to wash my hair.”
The men around them chortled and slapped at the table in delight.
Miyuki blew Osamu a playful kiss and sat down.
While they ate she asked Mamoru all kinds of questions about the raids,
listening for any news about a crashed enemy pilot.
If Mamoru knew of anything he would have shared it, but he didn’t, and
Miyuki breathed a quiet sigh of relief. The
more questions she asked, the more the soldiers thought she was impressed with
their feats. The storytelling
became tinged with bravado and wasn’t without a few exaggerations.
Mamoru was rolling his eyes at one point but his sister maintained a rapt
interest. She genuinely enjoyed
hanging out with her brother and the other combat soldiers and they knew that.
By extension she was a kid sister to all of them.
The morning meal came to an end. The table emptied. Mamoru
leaned against the wall and folded his arms.
He studied Miyuki intently. He
had been watching her surreptitiously insert food into her satchel throughout
the meal. “I’ll be along in a
minute,” he said to his second, who was lingering around waiting.
Mamoru caught his sister’s eye. “What’s with the extra food?” he asked.
Miyuki looked at him in surprise; she thought she had been careful.
“It’s for later. I get
hungrier these days. Must be this
military way of life.”
“You look really tired,” Mamoru said.
Miyuki’s hands went instinctively to her face.
“I do?”
Her brother nodded. “Yeah,
your eyes are looking kind of baggy. I’m sure that taking care of all those injured troops must
be tough. Don’t overdo it.
Mom said it could get overwhelming if you don’t pace yourself.”
Miyuki nodded. “Well,
I had really good training. The
simulated battles had it pretty close.”
“You can take up to twelve hours of leave a month, you
know,” Mamoru reminded her. “I
know the this isn’t exactly the beach but there’s a spot or two where you
can go to clear your head.”
“Speak for yourself, big brother,” Miyuki said.
“If Mom knew how many times we’ve been out in the field already
we’d be looking at some reassignments!”
Mamoru laughed. “Yeah,
no kidding! We’d be a couple of
pencil pushers!” He stood up to
leave and Miyuki did the same. “Take
it easy, kid. See you on the
circuit!”
With a wave he was off to join his brigade.
Kid! Miyuki thought,
feeling mild indignation. He’s only three years older!
She went to report for duty.
Miyuki had to be very, very cautious about her trips away
from base. While on duty she worked
extra hard to triage the wounded in record time. She won praise for her efforts but also an occasional warning
about her tardy returns. Alois had
now been stranded for eleven days. Miyuki
made another early morning visit.
When she arrived she found Alois sitting by the nose of the
jet. He was surrounded by radio
components and damaged parts. He
looked visibly relieved when Miyuki came into view.
Despite the chill in the air he was perspiring.
Miyuki placed the bulging satchel beside him.
“This should be enough food for a week.
Here, let me take a look at you.”
Alois put down the part he was working on.
He removed his shirt with some difficulty.
“I don’t suppose you have any more of that…aspirin with you?” he
asked.
Miyuki nodded and pulled a packet from her kit.
“Is there a lot of pain still?”
“Comes and goes,” he said and put out his hand to
accept the pills.
Miyuki sighed after examining his wounds.
“You don’t seem to be healing as fast as you could be.
I’m sure this first class hospital accommodation has something to do
with it.”
Alois laughed and then stopped. “Ow,” he said. “I
keep thinking each visit will be your last so I haven’t been eating as much as
I should. It’d be a terrible
shame if I died from starvation after all of your efforts.”
Miyuki looked at him and smiled briefly before continuing
with the bandages. “Lack of
nutrition is probably a factor too,” she said.
“But I brought a lot more food, and short of being ordered away from
Cepheus I’ll keep returning until you’ve healed properly at least.”
“Why would you do that?
You don’t owe me anything.”
Miyuki paused; her movements slowed as she pondered his
question. “It’s just the right
thing to do, I guess.”
“Altruistic to the core, eh Miyuki?” he said chidingly.
“No, it’s all right,” he said at the hurt expression on her face.
“I believe you, but I also believe there’s another reason.
When you’re ready, you’ll tell me.”
If you get the chance, he thought. “Oh by the way…” Alois looked around him and picked up
a bit of spiraled wire. It was
charred on one end. “Can you
bring me back something that looks like this?
Any metal will do as long as it’s sturdy.”
Miyuki took it and turned it over in her hand.
“I can try. I’ll have to
find a way around the supply officer. They’re
very careful about what parts they give out.
I can’t promise anything.”
“I’m not asking you to.
Just…if you can.”
“Okay.”
Miyuki encouraged him to eat while she went to refill the
canteen. Despite the rustic setting
Alois’ condition was improving so far as she could tell.
He was cleaner shaven and much less pale.
She had so many burning questions but was hesitant to waste time
conversing with him when the priority was for him to escape.
Miyuki decided she would try once more to find out what his army
intended. She cleared some space on the grass and sat beside his
outstretched legs.
“Alois,” she began.
“What’s the big picture here? What
is your army trying to accomplish? Obviously
all you want from Cepheus is resources. But
what’s next?”
Alois chewed thoughtfully, and nodded his head as she
spoke. He lowered the biscuit he
was eating. “To be completely
frank with you Miyuki, I honestly don’t know.”
Miyuki’s eyes narrowed.
Alois raised his hand.
“First, remember who you’re talking to.
I’m just a fighter pilot.” He
glanced over at his jet. “And not
a very good one at that. I’m sure
our emperor has great plans for our people.
The military as a whole is not informed of the final purpose.
Each arm is given specific assignments, such as the raid here on Cepheus,
but how it all fits together is a mystery to us foot soldiers.”
Alois tapped the side of his face. “It’s
all in the emperor’s head.” He
finished the biscuit.
Miyuki looked confused.
“That—that doesn’t sound right,” she said.
Alois shrugged. “Of
course it doesn’t. But that’s
all I know. What I can say for
certain, however, is that we far outnumber your Earth forces. We far, far outnumber you.
But that’s not to say that our full might is easily assembled.”
He placed a hand on Miyuki’s shoulder.
“I know you’re worried about Earth.
You probably have family there. But
I can’t say for sure if or when we’ll attack.
Even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you.”
When his hand left her shoulder Miyuki came out of her
swoon. “But if you did tell me,
and I reported the information, my commanding officer would wonder where I got
it. So your secrets are safe with
me.”
Alois stared at her in consternation.
“That could be considered treason, Miyuki!”
“I know. I’m
not worried about being disciplined, really.
It’s just that my parents are…I guess you could say…very important
people. Very well known.
This would not go over well. I
would be such an embarrassment. They
wouldn’t understand why I helped you—oh bother I’m not even sure
why I helped you! Maybe there is no reason!
Look, you’re a very nice person, and maybe under different
circumstances we’d be allies, or friends, or whatever!
But I couldn’t have known that about you when you crashed.”
Alois chuckled. “You
knew I was a lousy fighter pilot!”
Despite her anxiety Miyuki laughed.
“I thought nothing of the sort!”
They laughed together for a moment.
Miyuki calmed herself and folded her hands tightly.
She bowed her head. “I’m
scared, Alois. This is a highly,
highly unusual situation. It goes
against all of my military training. I
went against my military training. The
problem is, I would like to get to know you, and everything is conspiring
against that. But I knew what I was
getting into. I come from a
military family too. I know war is
about conquering, about winning, about death.
It’s not about making friends. I’m
supposed to automatically hate you—
“Not necessarily,” he interjected.
“Well, you know what I mean. We’ve been turned against each other before we even met.”
Miyuki looked at him; she was tearful.
“Then there’s the matter of…well, you’re different.”
Alois regarded her quizzically. “How so?”
“You didn’t kill me that first day.”
“Miyuki, you were going to help me.
Simple survival strategy!”
She shook her head. “Then
why didn’t you kill me, or threaten me, or leave this place, when it was clear
you had recovered enough? You’re
not acting like a soldier acts.”
Alois did not respond.
Long moments passed while they looked at each other.
Miyuki was the first to avert her gaze.
She sniffed, and wiped at her eyes.
“I have to go. I’ll try to find that part for you.” She stood up to leave.
Alois grabbed her hand.
“Miyuki!” he said.
She paused and looked down at him.
Alois continued, “A
good soldier knows also when not to fight.”
She didn’t know what more to say, so she just turned and
left.
Miyuki went to great pains, and turned in a lot of favors,
to get Alois his part. She also
decided to use her leave in order to spend more time with him.
A week later she emerged over the crest of the hill.
Miyuki had carefully planned her absence so she could stay nearly five or
so hours this time. Alois’ face
brightened when he saw her and he thanked her cordially for the fresh supply of
food. She found Alois’s health to
be much improved. She asked him how
the repair was going and handed him not only the part he had asked about but
also several other radio components she thought might be helpful. Several times Alois found himself staring at her in
amazement.
Miyuki offered to assist with the repair but her role
really came down to just handing him a device or two.
The day was a bit warmer than usual and a smattering of sunlight broke
through into the ravine. While
Alois worked on the repair they talked, exchanging stories about their
childhoods and the places they had visited.
Miyuki found out Alois was twenty-six.
His mother and two older brothers were dead. Casualties of war, he
explained. He preferred not to
discuss his father, and told her so. Miyuki
did not press him. Instead she
chatted gaily about things she did when not on duty and wanted to know what
Alois did for fun.
“I haven’t had much time for that, I’m afraid.
Although I like the ocean, and I read whenever I get the chance.”
He looked thoughtful. “There
are so many things I want to try. I
get tired of the endless fighting and the ruthless campaigns.
I don’t think I’ve had anything to celebrate for a long time.
Even though I’ve had a stressful time of it in this ravine I almost
prefer it to what I’m going back to.” He
smiled at Miyuki. “And you—I
think you’ve spent more time here yourself then on those battlefields.
I can’t believe you’re getting away with this!”
“I can’t believe it either,” Miyuki murmured, and
yawned. “I’m so tired!”
“If you’re tired,” said Alois, “then you should
rest.”
He moved aside some parts and created a makeshift pillow
from the blanket. He invited Miyuki
to rest her head on it. She curled
up on the grass, her eyes half closed. Alois
lay down next to her and gazed up into the trees.
“Let’s pretend we’re at the beach,” Miyuki said
drowsily.
Alois began to speak softly, and painted a picture with
words of their ocean escape. After
a while Miyuki fell asleep to the sound of his voice. Alois found himself thinking that he had never felt so happy.
Several hours passed.
The sun had disappeared behind clouds and the air became cool.
Miyuki awoke with a start and realized it was because Alois was shaking
her.
“Get up,” he said when he saw that she was alert.
“There’s something I have to show you.”
Miyuki rubbed at her eyes and combed her hair with her
fingers. She looked at Alois and he
motioned to the ground. Miyuki’s
eyes rested on the radio.
“It’s fixed,” he announced.
“I sent a message.”
Miyuki’s eyes opened wide.
“When will they come?”
Alois stood and helped Miyuki up. “Soon. Now.”
He stepped close to her. “Once
again, I want to thank you for everything you’ve done.
This won’t come back to haunt you on my account, I promise.”
“Alois!” Miyuki
laid a hand on his chest. “I…”
she found herself at a loss for words. Her
throat began to close and she could feel herself choking up.
Alois looked down at her, and his eyes radiated a burst of
tenderness. “I wish there were
time for me to do something in return. You’ve
been so kind!”
“Maybe you could find a way to end this war.
Then we’d be able to spend some proper time together.”
Miyuki wiped at a tear that was forming.
“I know that sounded really flippant.”
She pulled on his shirt and drew his face close to hers.
“But I think I love you!”
“Miyuki!” Alois
felt stunned, but though secret to him at the moment, his heart was gladdened by
the words. Suddenly he didn’t
want to leave and was sorry he had transmitted the SOS so soon. His head bent down; his lips parted. He would kiss her good-bye at least…
Abruptly a strong wind kicked up and unbalanced them.
They could hear rumbling which quickly grew louder in the sky above.
The air suddenly felt warmer. The
wind whipped their hair and clothing into a frenzy.
“What is it?” Miyuki cried.
Alois grabbed her firmly by the shoulders.
“They’re here. Run, Miyuki! If
they find you they’ll kill you!”
He pushed her southward toward thick bushes that crowded
together near the stream. Miyuki
called for him as he parted but the words were snatched from her mouth by the
noise and he did not hear her. He
looked back only once to make sure she was hidden from view. She was crouched down in the center but parted the branches
to see out. Miyuki thought she
heard voices. Some lights flashed,
and then the sound of an engine churning filled the air.
The ship lifted quickly away. Miyuki felt as though her heart was being torn out of her
chest. The quiet settled again into
the ravine and Miyuki knew that it was over, that he was gone.
Dirty and tearstained she struggled out of the bushes.
It was starting to get dark; she had tarried too long.
As fast as she could she headed back to base.
Miyuki encountered a few inquisitive glances as she walked
to her quarters but a defiant glare cut short any comments.
When she reached her cot, she dove under the blanket and sobbed quietly
far into the night.
The afternoon of the following day the enemy forces
withdrew as quickly as they had come. All
raids and assaults abruptly ceased. There
were no more attacks, and no more plundering.
The Battle of Cepheus was over.
End
of Part I
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