Глава 13

Bumping into an old friend isn't necessarily a good thing for a Sarkaz.

I may not be a Sarkaz, but I know to come prepared.

When you're a kid, you're naive and stupid. A little camaraderie is enough to get you handing over your heartfelt trust.

Even if the place where you built that camaraderie stinks as bad as Kazdel.

Eventually, at some point, you grow up. Maybe it's the first time you kill someone, maybe it's the first time you almost bleed out, or maybe it's the first time you crawled out from under a pile of corpses.

You start learning how to live in the grown-up world. You can be ruthless, you use any means necessary, you can even throw your friends under the bus just to live on, and nobody will hold it against you.

And then, that contrived plot comes around, and you bump into an old friend.

Honestly, after all these years apart, even if you're old friends, do you really have that much to talk about?

It's just... when you were young and stupid, you handed over that trust, you built a 'friendship'.

But when you're at that age, you have the unique opportunity to talk about 'friendship' in Kazdel without being laughed at.

Ulšulah, we're done unloading. They're counting everything in at the warehouse.

Same as before: steel, pure gold, Originium, stuff like that. There hasn't been a personnel transport in weeks. Sounds like most of the forces from the Royal Court in Kazdel are already here.

That makes things easier on us. Back when the Royal Court guys were floating around, they'd come down here and complain to us, made all sorts of trouble.

Stop.

That's enough for now.

Oh, sorry.

Hey, uh, Commander, I've been posted to the waystation for six months now. According to the rotation schedule, it's about time for me to—

I haven't received any new orders for you.

But... your performance speaks for itself. I could approve three days of leave for you.

Ohh♪ Our Ulšulah♪

But don't let it go to your head, make sure to stay grounded.

All your life in Kazdel, you were a cobbler. Your greatest accomplishment is nailing soles together. What are you in the running for, unless you're prepared to blow yourself up?

Ulšulah♪ You're no fun♪

Get outta here, kid.

I watch Ulšulah's profile, the corners of her mouth curling up.

Thinking back... back to then.

She carries herself the same way, at least.

The young Sarkaz cobbler approaches Hoederer and slyly hands him a flask.

(Whispering) Hey, brother, hold onto this for me. Ulšulah can't go a day without the stuff.

(Whispering) You're really something, man, walking around with this piece at your side, and still—

*sigh*.

Watch your mouth, cobbler.

What's sweeter than honey♪ What's toxic as nightshade♪

Looks like he hasn't even had his coming-of-age yet. Those years with Her Highness Theresa did a lot to see these kids grow up nice and sheltered.

And now, he's in a war out here by Londinium. Hah, brother and sister joined hands to create the worst joke in history.

If only it wasn't a joke.

If you open that notebook, I'm setting it on fire.

Hoederer quietly tucks away his notebook.

You two haven't changed. That's nice.

It's been years.

Since that operation.

Me, Hoederer and W... the old W, got ourselves into trouble, killed some people we shouldn't have killed.

It's not just the Scar Market, showing your faces in Kazdel would be trouble for you.

I see your names there a lot... on the bounty lists. You're famous.

I've never been a cheap date.

Sure enough. Ines's investment paid off well.

We were all so young.

Getting old now?

I'm a Sarkaz, you're a sheep. In theory, I'm gonna live longer than you, Ines.

We're all Infected, so this isn't about racial lifespans.

Good point. I'll drink to you and wish myself good health.

——ahhh.

I remember you used to say that if a Sarkaz wants to live long, she needs to keep a clear head, before somebody else trades it for coin.

Whoever wants it can take it. Victorian, Sarkaz, doesn't matter to me.

She leans in close, sizing me up, then glances at Hoederer.

You've got wrinkles, Ines.

I died three times and only got a few wrinkles to show for it. I should thank the myriad souls.

You don't thank them, you're a sheep.

As for Hoederer, you're missing an eye.

Wanna see the socket? It's all thanks to the fine Caprinae woman right here.

Lose an eye, or lose your head. You had a choice.

I guess Ines broke her heart when she made the move.

...Drop it.

We're old friends getting together again, can't we get back to a nice atmosphere of sentimental nostalgia?

Talk about days gone by, muse on the passage of time...

We could talk about how you became the youngest major in the Military Commission, the driver of this skeletal Feranmut, Commander Ulšulah.

Yes... we should talk about that. Otherwise, we being who we are, we shouldn't be so warm and friendly.

And we could also talk about you, these two Sarkaz...

One Sarkaz traitor, and one sheep. Why are you popping up at a secret Military Commission site?

I know you were detained by General Manfred, Hoederer.

And you and Ines, who disrupted our operations, together with an obnoxious little girl planting bombs all around, stole into my territory, in broad daylight.

As an officer of the Military Commission, I can't very well let that go.

It's two against one here, Ulšulah.

Is it? Remind me, where are we again?

Huh, since when?

The girl wasn't like this before.

You're welcome to try, Ines.

She's wearing a smile, but she's dead serious.

The most important thing I've learned over the years is to be true to my decisions.

And Theresis is your decision?

No, the Military Commission is.

You decided to go with Babel—Or what is it called now? Rhodes Island? And I decided to stand with the Commission.

We decided our paths a long time ago.

Ulšulah, we can still—

No.

I know what you want, Hoederer, you haven't changed a bit.

But we're not those kids who strutted around cheery for a whole day on the back of a single bounty anymore.

We don't get to relax after our missions these days, no idle afternoons on the streets of Kazdel.

We are Sarkaz... or at least we're citizens of Kazdel. It's our responsibility to make those streets and alleys a better place.

Kazdel is the main issue here, Ulšulah!

Then you've gotta admit, the Military Commission is the best choice we've got! Even Her Highness Theresa wouldn't disagree!

It was the two royals who made Kazdel into a nomadic city, the both of them who made it possible for us to even talk about the future of the Sarkaz here!

It was the same two royals who promoted me, giving a poor girl from the slums a chance to stand in the sight of the Royal Court, among those pure and ancient bloodlines.

Once trapped by naivety and compromise, the Sarkaz lose our chance at a true homeland.

There's no room for me to hesitate here.

The Military Commission, it's... it's the foundation for Kazdel to become a nation.

Will there even be a Kazdel once this war is over?

All I know is I'm no traitor.

Sure, we were prepared to bump into this old friend from the beginning.

Hoederer tacitly crosses from my side to confront this stupid girl, the Major of the Military Commission.