Barry Longyear - Enemy Papers

One of the shadows stood up and became Sergeant Benbo. "Have to check the line. See you in a little while, Mo."

Benbo crouched, ran off, and dissolved into the remaining shadows. Nicole looked at the shadow Benbo had been talking to. It was Morio. She spoke to him. "How are you making it, Morio?"

"Okay." He was as still as the scorched rocks surrounding them. "Major, all this stuff… battle…"

"What about it?"

"I wasn’t ready for it. It turned my guts to water."

"You have a lot of company… had a lot of company."

"Major, I never had any heroes before; just never thought in those terms." His eyes looked at her out of the darkness. "Amos-Sergeant Benbo. He is one hell of a man." The eyes disappeared. "Sleep. Have to get some sleep…"

…A rough hand shook her shoulder.

"Major?"

She awakened in the bay of the Drac lander. Where every muscle before had been numb, they now ached as though she had been chain-whipped for days. She opened her eyes and saw Benbo squatting next to her.

"Sergeant?"

"In a few minutes we’re docking with the lander’s…" He issued a single, harsh laugh. "I was about to say mother ship. "

She pushed herself into a sitting position and rubbed her eyes. When she lowered her hand she saw two Dracs carrying one of the human soldiers out of the compartment. "What’s going on?"

"Dead. Must’ve popped one of your bunch’s good-bye pills."

"Who?"

"Corliss." Nicole couldn’t remember any Corliss. Benbo saw the look on her face. "He was one of the mud soldiers-one of mine."

Nicole watched as the hatch closed behind the two burdened Dracs. "How did you find out that we’re about to dock?"

Benbo nodded toward the closed hatch. "I overheard toadface."

"Adze Dracon?"

"Ni Adze."

"Where did you pick up Drac?"

"Amadeen. I was there when the fun turned from practical jokes into soldier-time." He looked down at the deck. "Everybody talks a little Drac on Amadeen. Then the Mavedah gave me a little refresher course." The soldier lifted his right hand and looked at it. Even in the darkness Nicole could see the pock marks. The Mavedah, the Drac terrorists on Amadeen, liked to use needles. Electrically charged, dipped in pain-causing chemicals; sometimes just for the sake of the screams and scars that could be made.

She looked away from the hand. "How many Dracs are on board?"

"Four that I know of. And that human, Mitzak. Major?"

She turned her head and saw Benbo, hand still raised, looking back into her eyes. "Don’t try it. Don’t even think about it."

"About what?"

He lowered his hand. "Taking over this lander. Even if we could take it over, the rest of the Drac fleet out there would vaporize us in seconds. Besides, where could we go? Toadface owns Catvishnu."

"Do you want them to work on that hand again?"

"Don’t worry about it, Major. This isn’t the Mavedah. The clowns in the little red suits are Tsien Denvedah-regular troops. They aren’t into pain-just victories." Benbo placed his hand on Nicole’s shoulder. "We’ll get our chance, Major. We just have to wait for it."

The lander slowed again, rolled slightly, then braked just before the sounds of slamming locks vibrated the hull. The hatch at the front of the compartment opened, revealing one of the red-clad Dracs. It waved an impatient three-fingered hand.

"Dasu! Dasu, nue shaddsaat!"

The human, Mitzak, came from behind the Drac and spoke. "We are at the parent ship. Please prepare to disembark." The beaten soldiers struggled to their feet and began filing through the hatch. As she came to the hatch, Mitzak reached out a hand and stopped her. He looked concerned. "You and your charges will not be sent to the planet Hujiam, as is usual for war prisoners captured in this sector. All of you will be sent to Ditaar."

"Why?"

"The route to Hujiam is presently under attack by your forces-"

"Gee, that’s too bad."

"-We could not assure your safety as is required by the war accords."

Nicole studied the man’s face. "Mitzak, in your face I see a problem."

He stood motionless for an instant. "Major Nicole, the population of Hujiam is used to receiving prisoners, and the facilities to instruct prisoners are there. The population on Ditaar is not prepared to either receive or instruct prisoners. I am concerned that the Madah of Ditaar will be very harsh."

"Madah?"

He looked toward the other soldiers, then closed his eyes. "Perhaps I can find an assignment to care for you on Ditaar. I shall try."

He turned and left through the hatch. Nicole looked back at the prisoners and saw Sergeant Benbo helping Lieutenant Taiseido to his feet. Sharp fingers jabbed her shoulder, and she turned to see the Drac guard pointing toward the hatch.

"Chova, Irkmaan!"

Joanne Nicole looked into the creature’s yellow eyes.

"Ne irkmaan, kizlode. Irkwoomaan!"

"Humans, this choice you have." The fat Drac officer in the brown uniform stood upon a raised platform inside the bay of the ill-maintained building at the edge of the military field, V’Butaan, Planet Ditaar. "This choice to be soldiers for humans, soldiers for the Dracon Chamber, or soldiers for no one: Madah. You die, you fight, you starve. Your choice."

Leonid Mitzak remained silent until the Drac officer nodded at him and left. Mitzak looked over the small assembly. "Dracs do not hold prisoners. Station Master Harudak offers you the same that is offered to all those defeated by Drac forces. You may continue to fight for the USE Force, in which case you will be killed; at this point, a quite foolish gesture. You may enlist in the forces of the Dracon Chamber, in which case you will be put to work serving the Drac cause. Or you may be neither, in which case you will be cast into the Madah-you will become non-beings, living upon charity."

Mitzak raised a hand and indicated the building. "Because the Dracon Chamber agreed to the war accords, the traditional treatment of the defeated is amended to include these facilities. For those of you who choose the Madah, this facility is available to you for housing, clothing, and food, should you find it impossible to subsist elsewhere."

Sergeant Benbo looked around, then faced Mitzak. "You’re telling us we’re free to leave?"

"Free to leave this building; not this planet. You are also free to stay, and I would advise staying." He wrapped his robe tightly about his shoulders, and Joanne Nicole thought she detected genuine concern on the man’s face as he looked toward the room’s open doors. "Out there you will not be under the protection of the accords; instead you will be a subject to Drac custom. And the custom of the Madah is harsh. The people of this city, V’Butaan, are not accustomed to having humans in their Madah. You can expect a degree of hostility from both the citizens and those in the Madah."

Morio Taiseido spoke: "Mitzak, are there Dracs in this Madah?"

"Of course:" He paused for a moment, then continued. "There is much you should learn before making your choice. But we are not equipped here to provide you with this education. However, I will do what I can. I have been assigned as Harudak’s deputy. I can be found here when you need me." He stepped down from the platform and walked slowly from the room.