Starlight Gleaming Ch. 13

He moved his arms around her neck.

"Wait, Tomin!" I suddenly realized what he meant to do. "If you love her as much as you say, how can you kill her?"

He looked up at me. "The alternative is death by torture. If I renounced her by divorce, it might save her, but I sincerely doubt it. A quick, clean death would be merciful. I have been to Marvak, even if for only a short time. Trust me. Death is a blessing compared to such torment as Supay's followers would deliver."

"Once done, you can't undo it, Tomin. Can you live with it?"

"I love her, even though I finally see that she no longer feels the same way for me or for our children. This would be merciful," he repeated. "If it meant their survival, I would give my life for my sons in a heartbeat. If I kill her, it means Supay is deprived of torturing her for all her knowledge of me, sifting until all the patterns of how I live and think have been pulled from her experiences. In his own lands, her father is a brutal tyrant, but he is nothing against the Minister's power. If father and daughter weren't simply abducted from their homes, they would be charged with treason and their reputations destroyed before he carted them off to Marvak Prison."

"If things are as you say they are, letting her live is dangerous. But I ask that you trust that we can find a way to keep you and your sons alive. If she dies, don't let it be by your hand. You want to be able to look your sons in the eye and tell them that you, their father, did nothing to hurt their mother, that she made her choice to leave both you and them." I took a breath. "If we are to make changes in our society, we must be better than those we fight against."

Teela was beginning to stir. Tomin pulled out the stunner and shot her again. Standing up, he stared intently at me. "Ranji, do you promise, if anything happens to me, that you will do everything in your power to save my sons, to protect them as if they were your own? Do you give your word as a warrior?"

I held out my hand to him, palm up. Tomin put away the stunner and pulled his belt knife. With two swift strokes, he cut our hands, and we clasped them together, our blood mixing before dripping to the floor. Tomin looked into my eyes with a desperate fierceness, waiting for me to begin.

"I, Ranji Kandikan, give you my word and pledge my blood as an Imperial Officer. I will protect your sons as if they were my own flesh and blood." Then, because it felt right, I added, "I call you brother, Tomin Hayantotichti."

"I, Tomin Hayantotichti, accept your word and pledge, and give my own word and pledge my blood to protect your family, Ranji Kandikan, as if they were my own. Brother!"

We worked quickly. From the first aid kit in the house, he gave Teela a sedative. She'd sleep for hours. Then we applied Nu-Skin patches to our hands. He packed a few things for his soon to be ex-wife, then sent a message to several people, announcing their divorce, based on her being frigid -- a common allegation used to sever marital bonds. Then he rummaged through the house, tossing things into a duffle bag. Once that was full, he slung it over his shoulder, along with a large rifle case. I was given two large, bulky suitcases to carry, which I loaded into the trunk of the ChoCac. Tomin carried Teela out, wrapped with a blanket, and laid her in the lee side of the neighbor's house, sheltered away from his own. I carried the suitcase he'd packed for her, setting it down beside her. All of this had taken us nearly an hour.

Tomin went back inside to the main living room and powered up his laptop, setting his tablet and phone next to it. Several keystrokes, and soon a large red bar filled the center of the screen, with a three minute timer, counting down.

"Is that what I think it is?" I asked.

"It will level the house. You've spilled your blood here, Ranji. We can't leave it behind for Imperial Security to find."

We hurried out to the vehicle. Tomin hit the accelerator, and our vehicle sped away.

"Ranji, Styen, these are my sons, Garan, who's four, and Mika, who's three. Their nanny is Affetellotl, but we usually call her Affie. Boys, this is your uncle Ranji. Say hello to him."

"Hello, Uncle," they dutifully replied. They were nervous about the sudden change in their lives, but they were also fighting sleep. The nanny sat between them, her arms comforting them both.

Tomin drove fast, putting more distance between us and his former home. We were several streets away, and even with the sound proofing of the ChoCac, we heard the muffled boom of the explosion behind us.

Both boys gasped and looked around for a reaction. Then Garan asked, "Is Mother coming with us?"

"No," Tomin answered. "She's going to visit your grandfather."

As if that answered everything, the boys lapsed into silence. While the others said nothing, if my own mind was any indication, the adults were filled with thoughts that were loud and agitated.

* * * * *

At the runway, we were directed to a nearby enormous hangar, no doubt designed for transports, with the hangar bays open and bright floodlights driving off the darkness, and scores of people scurrying about. Nearby were hundreds of tents in various stages of coming down. Sergeants yelling orders. Soldiers hustling about, some of them escorting civilians. On the tarmac was a Condor with its cargo door open and ramp down, its six huge Chayloc engines idling away, adding more noise to the directed chaos.

Lines of Tortoises filled up women and children, but the large armored transports headed south, away from the Condor, vanishing into the darkness. Ground Service Security quickly checked us out, then directed us toward the hangar.

Tomin parked and unbuckled. "Boys, Affie, stay inside please."

"Styen, stay here and protect them," I added.

Tomin and I got out and approached the hangar. As we neared the center of the activities, I was not surprised to see Field Commander Barankoshto in the middle of it all. She stopped the captain giving his report in order to acknowledge us, even putting her hands on her hips as she looked at Tomin and me.

"Well, I'm glad to see you made it here. I already know Kandikan, so you must be Hayantotichti. There's some visitors in the office behind me who've been waiting for both of you. I'll talk to you once you've been to see them. Barris!" Turning away, she said, "Alright, Captain, finish your report."

A third sergeant directed us to the hangar office. I recognized her from the gate, helping with Melannee's escape.

Inside the office were three Imperial Security captains. One of them was a Medico. On the desk was a closed body bag that was occupied.

The medico fiddled with his equipment. However, the two security captains drew weapons on us. Both held Wampag Talons.

"Lieutenants Kandikan and Hayantotichti. Hands up and step inside please. No noise. Thank you, sergeant." The lead security officer had a narrow, hatchet face, his dark brown eyes and demeanor were cold and businesslike.

The door closed behind us. I noticed that where name tags should have been were bare velcro backings.

"Arms up!"

We complied.

"This is a precaution. However, if either of you move, I will shoot to kill," continued the one who'd spoken. "Alright, Devaal. Scan them."

Carefully moving so that he did not get between us and the two men with weapons, Medico Captain Devaal held a box in one hand, with a cable that ran to a wand held in the other. Pointing it at me, the wand suddenly blinked and flickered, hummed, and after a half second, a green light blinked on the box. Devaal nodded. Then he did the same to Hayantotichti. Again, the green light blinked.

My mind was awhirl. Had Barankoshto betrayed us? If so, it meant that we would have to look for an opportunity to escape and possibly kill these men.

"They are both human," Devaal announced.

"Hayantotichti, I heard you were offered a weekend trip to Huezteca."

Tomin blinked. "But the best rates are for staying in Yucatan itself."

The Imperial Security agent nodded. "Kandikan, I'm told you can complete this phrase. From the heavens we see starlight ..."

"Gleaming, the light of alien suns glittering down upon us."

Someone had talked to my father, or someone had been spying on our conversations. The latter notion displeased me.

"Just so. Alright, you can put down your arms. Devaal, begin."

The Medico captain put down the box and wand. He retrieved a very large syringe and three four-inch long cylinders filled with light metallic-blue liquid. "Grab the wall, Lieutenant," Devaal said, nodding to Tomin.

Tomin turned and did as instructed. Devaal loaded the first cylinder, shooting Tomin in the right buttock. Quickly replacing the empty cylinder, the second shot went between his shoulder blades. The third shot went to the base of his neck. Each time, Tomin grunted deeper. With the last injection, he sucked air.

"The discomfort will pass," Devaal said, moving back to the desk. I noticed a large medical satchel next to the full body bag on the table. Devaal exchanged the cylinders and syringe with a tablet computer with a short antenna attached.

The lead security officer began speaking again, his attention on Tomin. "In order for you to survive, you must become someone else. Is your wife with you?"

He shook his head. "She refused. She believes her father can protect her."

"Your new identity includes a wife. This is unfortunate--"

"Wait! Affie's in the car. I won't force her, but I know she loves my sons. I'm sure of that. Maybe for them, she will agree--" Tomin suddenly grimaced, grabbing his stomach. "Oh, gods, what's happening?"

"The nanobots are working," Devaal said. "The pain will come and go, and can be quite intense, but it will last only a few hours, diminishing as time passes. Some simple phenotype re-coding. Strictly cosmetic. We don't have time to sedate you and give you a complete new identity." He tapped on the tablet. "Ahhh. The ID chip is coming online. Interface successful. Sending new ID packet now."

The security officer placed his hand on Tomin's face. "Your new name is Bilan Monaycote. You are a Ground Service Lieutenant in the 716th Mobile Infantry Regiment, commanding Company Four. You were born on 318.16.12.01.17 in the town of Manetacua, Arana County, Queschua State. Repeat it back to me."

Sweating and his eyes glazing a bit, he repeated it back verbatim.

Next, Tomin was given names of deceased parents and where they were buried, how they died, followed by service record incidents that were part of this new, fictional identity. Each time that he paused, Tomin repeated the information back. As the drugs worked, his voice flattened.

When the security officer appeared done, he looked at me.

"Lieutenant Kandikan? Normally you would not be witness to something like this, but I'm instructed to include you. Besides, Lieutenant Monyacote will be assigned to you for a while. Please get this Affie woman and bring her here."

Out at the ChoCac, Affie, who had been dozing, was reluctant to leave the two sleeping boys; Garan had been laying against her, and Mika curled in her lap.

I reassured her and Styen that everything was all right, and asked Styen to continue keeping watch on the boys. Styen gave me a questioning look, but nodded without comment. He had noticed the patch on my hand.

Once back in the office, I was startled as all of Tomin's hair had fallen out, leaving him completely bald. Even parts of his eyebrows were missing, and there were slight changes to his facial structure. No. No longer Tomin, I reminded myself. Ground Service Lieutenant Bilan Monaycote. His eyes were still glazed, but when we entered, he faced her.

"Affie, do you love my boys?" Bilan asked her, his voice hoarse, a touch deeper in pitch.

"Yes, Master," she replied, her face alarmed at the changes in him, and beginning to take in all the strangeness of the room and its goings on.

He reached out and touched her shoulder to bring her focus back. "Would you give your life to protect them?"

"Yes, Master." Keeping her eyes on him, she steadied.

"I need you to help keep them safe, Affie. To do that, I need you to pretend to be my wife. It might mean sharing a bed. We might not ever be able to have our old names back. In return, you would be a free woman."

The security officer cleared his throat. "There is no pretend, Lieutenant. We will give you both new memories and matching documents. If she agrees to this, she will be your wife. Affie, do you agree?"

She glanced at the security officer, the possibilities flashing across her face. Affie nodded. "He is a good man and a good father. I agree."

As instructed, both of them stripped, and Devaal hooked both up to intravenous lines attached to murky bags marked simply "nutrients." Affie had shots of her own, crying out with each injection. Very quickly, she became Rana Monaycote, Bilan's wife. Devaal gave her a shot right above her slave tattoo on her outer thigh, and within minutes it faded away.

For the next hour, instructions and background information were given to them both. When it was time, I was instructed to bring both children in, the eldest first.

"Wait," I insisted. "Will this procedure hurt them?"

"No," Devaal answered. "There will be no genetic re-coding. They will get one injection that will make them amenable to the deep-level instruction. All of them will be given a code phrase that will restore their memories, should it ever be possible for them to resume their former identities. When we are done with them, we will give you one as well, so that you remember their new identities automatically when queried. You are their lynch-pin to their old lives now."

"All right. Agreed. I have given my oath to protect his sons, and I intend to keep it."

Devaal nodded. "He needs some physical changes to hide. She now has a changed genetic marker so that she will not show up in the slave database, should anyone test her DNA. When you're ready, Lieutenant."

With each trip outside the office, I noticed the crowds of civilians and numbers of Ground Service diminishing. Field Commander Barankoshto still remained at the center of the fading chaos, directing activities and receiving updates from her staff.

I brought Garan first. After fifteen minutes, I brought Mika.

As promised, there was the mild discomfort from the single injection for each child, but the extent was a vocal programming of their new names, and the names of their new parents. Garan became Powan, and Mika became T'uul.

Even drugged, Mika objected. "Mika," he insisted. Even with his eyes closed, he was agitated.

Perplexed, the lead security captain instructed Devaal to dose him again.

Devaal shook his head, pulling out a new scanner from his bag and running it over the boy. "He's too young. If his will and identity are so strong, it is better to build on to it rather than to try and build new." Turning to the small boy, he instructed, "Mika, your first name is T'uul, but Mika is your second name. Your name is T'uul Mika Monaycote."

The small boy repeated the name, relaxing.

The lead security agent turned to his partner, who thus far throughout had remained silent. "Are you finished completing the modifications to their identifications?"

"A few more minutes," he replied quietly.

Devaal then gave me my injection. I repeated their names. Where I'd met them -- in Tohingo just before my enlistment, among a few other things. The drug made me feel a bit light-headed, and the words felt profoundly important.

When they were done with me, Devaal held out a bright pink pill in his hand for me to take. A stim-tab. "You'll need it to get through today. I recommend you get some sleep tonight, though."

Nodding, I swallowed the bitter pill dry.

The large trunks in the rear of the ChoCac were even brought in. I discovered they contained infantry power armor. The power armor included genetic information about Tomin, so the database had to be purged and updated for Bilan.

Bilan and Rana dressed in new clothing. It was contrived that I had saved Rana while Bilan was stationed at Sentry War base, near Tohingo, and that we had subsequently become good friends.

Before Bilan's final instructions were given, he asked, as Tomin, how many from the two companies of Imperial Security had survived the Minister's purge.

"You are the fifth, and likely the last. The other four survivors have been assigned to your unit. Rana and your sons are done. They and your luggage will wait outside for you. You have one last bit before your new identity is complete."

Over two hundred men and women. Their lives ended, just like that. Melannee had described the Xipe Toltec priests as sociopaths. Janetta had called them sick fuckers who made her feel dirty. To my mind, Minister Supay was their role model.

Bilan reached out and caressed Rana. She turned her face into his hand, kissing it. "Ranji? Will you help my wife take our boys outside to the transport?"

"Of course," I replied.

The second security officer carried the luggage as Rana and I carried the boys. Just as we exited, I saw a full helmet with data cables attached being placed on Bilan's head.

We went toward the sedan-style ChoCac, where Styen stood outside chatting with a third sergeant, showing off his unit tattoo. When he saw us approach, the sergeant guided us to a nearly empty Tortoise. Half a dozen people clustered near the front, sleepy children near their mothers. The rest of their luggage from the ChoCac was already on board.

Rana, her sons gathered around her, smiled at me. "Thank you, Ranji. Do you think my husband will be long?"

"I don't know," I answered. "But I have no doubt he will do his best to be back by your side." I paused, then continued. "Rana? This is Styen Topangiti. He works for my family. Styen, this is Rana Monaycote. I met Bilan and Rana in Tohingo, just before my enlistment."

Styen gave me a startled glance, then bowed. "Lady Rana. A pleasure to meet you."

"Once again, Ranji comes to our rescue, getting us here in the nick of time. Seems we just got here, and my husband is being deployed to a new duty station again. At least this time we get to go with him. Maybe next time we can meet your family, Ranji?"

"I would be honored to introduce all of you. And it was my pleasure to help get you here, Rana," I assured her. "I'm going to check on Bilan."

As I turned to go, Styen fell in beside me. When we were out of earshot, he tersely whispered, "What's going on, sir?"

"To protect them, they are literally getting new identities. I believe the body in the office will become that of Tomin Hayantotichti, late of Imperial Security, who apparently died earlier today."

"Yes, sir."

I glanced at him, then stopped, making a sudden decision.

"Styen, I know you are here to help protect Calia. However, I want you to take the ChoCac back to the hangar and collect your gear. I want you to accompany them. They are going on the ship that is taking the refugees to be settled in the village of Ohtan. Mother has agreed to help them find places to live, jobs and possibly find husbands for the widows. He's in this fix because he's on our side. I want you there to keep an eye on things and make sure they get to Tohingo safely. I've pledged to be his brother, and he to be mine. I've also given my oath to protect his sons, and I'm asking you to help make that happen. I need your help in this, and there is no one else I'd trust to help keep them safe. I'll keep Calia and Anton with me until my orders come."

"What orders, young master?"

"I'm going to Sparanztlo."

Styen gave me a hard, searching look. "Gods above, Ranji." He rarely used my first name in public. Like Zinja, he was originally a Free Farmer, and after his retirement, even though he worked as personal security and his social class was now Guild, he saw himself as a commoner and servant to my family and its noble rank.