Fugitives

The officers watched the governor switch in an instant from a nervous capitulationist to a passionate hawk, and couldn't help looking impressed.

"It's rare to see someone as principled as you, Governor. I'm truly moved." Eleanor clasped the governor's chubby hand and gave it a shake. "However, my forces are short on manpower. Could you put the governor's personal guards under my command as well?"

That's the only bit of turf I have left, and you want to take that too? The governor nodded, heart aching.

"Also, if it's not too much trouble, could you hand over the city shield command center, the drone bases, and the planetary cannons?"

"W-well, the rest can be arranged, but the planetary cannons..."

"Second Lieutenant Cruz, explain yourself! Why are you here? Did you desert your post? Did you steal government property?"

"I've thought it over! The city's largest fortress cannon is a vital national asset. Legally, it should be managed by the governor's office and the municipal council. But these are extraordinary times. I'll write an order directing the central control room to obey your commands."

"Besides, even three thousand troops are stretched thin. We can't even fully man the watchtowers along the perimeter. I hope you'll use the governor's office's authority to recruit at least ten thousand temporary militia and place them under the garrison command. You'll also need to open the warehouses and issue them weapons. Oh, and militia recruits need settling-in allowances. I'm just a poor soldier; I can't afford that."

What she meant was that the governor's office would foot the bill. If the office couldn't make the funds available, the governor could pay out of pocket. Governor Yamadera exploded. "Y-you can't keep pushing your luck!"

"Cruz, you parasite! A mere second lieutenant, and you dare act so brazenly! Tell us, who else are you in league with?"

"Fine, fine! You can have it all! Everything!"

"Then I'm grateful for your generous support, Governor! On behalf of the seven hundred thousand residents and the three thousand troops, thank you!" Eleanor smiled, her smile radiant yet menacing. Then she drew her pistol and, without hesitation, shot a hole through Second Lieutenant Cruz's forehead. His anguished cry cut off at once.

The governor looked at Cruz's corpse, eyes still open, then at Eleanor. He gritted his teeth. "Y-you're something else..." He couldn't tell whether he felt more relieved or resentful. He left with a furious but utterly useless glare, his bearing tragic.

The officers fell silent, their hearts chilled as they watched Cruz's body being dragged away. But they knew that if they didn't carry out this woman's orders, they might be next. Thinking it over, when the madwoman had killed Cruz, she'd used a pistol rather than the Vulcan cannon on her mech. She'd at least let him keep some dignity. Really, truly, maybe they could still talk things out?

And so, the taut string of fear snapped with a twang under the pressure of an even greater fear and Stockholm syndrome. What followed was a reckless, desperate fervor.

"The million desert nomads out there are nothing but a million pigs! Rest assured, Commander! We'll be back with a necklace made from those barbarian chieftains' heads!" Major Sangga thumped his chest as he made the promise to Eleanor.

"That's right, Commander! Our troops are strong and our men are ready to fight!"

"Let's fight, Commander!"

"Let's fight!"

"Excellent, gentlemen. But we can't fight just yet! If we want a complete victory, we must be patient for now and wait for the right moment. First, we need to keep monitoring the enemy, and we need to hurry up with militia recruitment. I'm counting on all of you."

The officers marched off, full of confidence. Once they were far away, Eleanor suddenly snickered. "Uncle Louis, I bet these men won't keep up that bravado for more than three days."

"That's not bad. My lord once said an hour can decide the outcome of a battle."

"Exactly. So all we can do is hope the reinforcements arrive on schedule."

Major Dorset discreetly rolled his eyes, but Eleanor caught him anyway and snapped, "I'm not talking about Yuli or the stragglers returning from the outposts. I mean the outer ring..."

"I didn't say anything, young lady!"

Eleanor clicked her tongue and began fussing irritably with her little braid again.

"Besides, compared to the garrison troops from the outlying outposts, the refugees heading here are even more worrying!"

Eleanor Bonaparte fell silent for a long moment, then patted her head and let out a weary sigh for the first time.

Yes, around seven hundred thousand Blue Star Commonwealth citizens lived on New Jade Gate. More than six hundred thousand of them lived in Tulong. The rest were concentrated in small fortified towns, plantations, and mining districts. Together with the transport network, monitored and protected by blockhouse-like outposts, they formed the Commonwealth's foundations of rule on the planet—doesn't that sound familiar?

The fortified outposts had heavy weapons, mercenaries, and armed civilians, so they weren't afraid of attacks by ordinary desert nomads. But they were limited in size. Once the nomads gathered a large army and acquired weapons of their own (no one knew where they'd gotten them), the outposts were in serious danger. Some stubborn people refused to abandon the property they'd spent their lives building and chose to stand their ground. Others instinctively gathered their families and fled to what they thought was the safest place: Tulong.

The trouble was, the nomads were gathering their forces far too quickly—or rather, the garrison intelligence department was reacting far too slowly. No one knew how many refugees were now trapped outside the city, their fates uncertain.

A group of more than three hundred refugees had been on the road for nearly a week. Now that they were finally nearing Tulong Harbor, everyone had begun to relax.

Wang Yougui, a plantation owner seated in the cab of a large wagon, stuck his head out the window. "Little Kai, are our wagons and beasts of burden all right?"

"My name's Kelvin... Never mind, boss, don't worry. We're almost at Tulong." The one answering him was a cowboy in his thirties. A rifle was slung across his back, and a pistol hung at his waist. He rode a genetically enhanced sand charger, keeping pace with the convoy at a brisk gallop without showing the slightest sign of fatigue.

On New Jade Gate, a "plantation" could easily cover thousands or even tens of thousands of acres. Alongside the spice farms were vast stretches of artificially cultivated pasture for grazing, so naturally they needed cowboys. Besides herding livestock and tending the fields for their employers, these men also doubled as bodyguards. On average, every one of them had more than one dead nomad to his name.

When they'd first fled the plantation, they'd been a little on edge. But as their neighbors and the townspeople joined them, their numbers grew, and they gradually relaxed.

Now they had twenty vehicles of various sizes, more than fifty pack animals, and over two hundred guns. They didn't think an ordinary nomad caravan posed much of a threat.

Still, Wang Yougui had the life experience of an older man. "The closer you get to your destination, the more careful you need to be. I've had a bad feeling lately. All we have left now is the spices in the wagons. We need to sell them to recoup some of our losses."

"Don't worry. Councilman Jiang said he'd convince the merchants to buy our goods at a good price. You won't lose much. Once the nomads retreat, we can go home and start over..." Then I'll still have my job and my wages.

"Little Dong? I watched that boy grow up. I know exactly what he's like. He's never told the truth more than a few times in his life, and the older he gets, the more conceited he becomes! He's read a few books and now he acts like he's better than everyone. I don't trust him one bit..."

Cowboy Kelvin listened absentmindedly, his eyes occasionally straying to a certain cargo truck farther back.

Wang Yougui said crossly, "That young widow even has a kid in tow!"

"I-I know..." I'm just a poor bastard whose wife and child both died of illness. Who am I to judge?

"She's a college student, too. She'd never go for a killer like you."

"T-that's fine. I brought her some food last time, and she smiled at me. She even lent me a book to read." The cowboy admitted he couldn't make heads or tails of literary fiction, but he was sure this was the beginning of true love. His wife and son had died of illness, he'd lost his job, and he'd had no choice but to come work as a cowboy in the colonies. It had been five or six years now. It was about time he started a new life.

"Forget it. I can't rely on anyone. I'll go talk to that young lady from the Alliance instead." The old farmer shook his head in annoyance, but he couldn't bring himself to smile ingratiatingly at a girl young enough to be his granddaughter. Torn, he rolled his eyes and slumped back in his seat.

His gaze naturally tilted upward—and then he froze. Behind the ridge straight ahead, a group of desert nomads riding raptors came into view. They let out excited screams.

Cowboy Kelvin spotted them too. He wheeled his horse around and galloped back, shouting as he rode. "We've got company! Old folks, women, and children, stay in the wagons! Men, grab your guns! Get ready to fight! Miss Ma'er, don't get out of the vehicle. Keep little Lina safe!"

On the bus, a graceful, refined-looking woman met the cowboy's gaze as he swept past the window. Their eyes met for just an instant, but they spoke volumes. She held her little daughter close and silently prayed to the Spirit of the Universe.

Cowboy Kelvin kept galloping toward the convoy's largest RV. "Mr. Stein! Mr. Stein, we're under attack!"

"I see them." The mercenary Yaxiu Stein rose unhurriedly on the roof and calmly loaded a magazine into his oversized pistol.

He was a man of about twenty-five, with a stern face, dark skin, and a powerful, agile build like a black panther. His short hair was bronze, and his eyes were the color of yellow topaz. To aliens, he was obviously human, but an Earthling would know at a glance that he wasn't from Earth.

He was a mercenary and adventurer from the Free Stellar River Alliance, and now served as Councilman Jiang Yudong's bodyguard.

His employer now cautiously poked his head out of the vehicle and asked in a low voice, "Uh, Yaxiu, the enemy's here. What about us...?"

"Don't worry, Councilman. If they're just desert nomads on giant lizards, carrying old-fashioned guns and bows, I could protect you even if ten thousand more showed up." Yaxiu Stein's lips curled into a casual yet wickedly arrogant smile.

"Th-then that's good..." The councilman relaxed. He didn't much like Yaxiu's greasy, flippant manner, but he trusted his professional skills.

"Of course, if the nomads have tanks, there's not much I can do! Hahahaha... Son of a bitch, they really have tanks!"

Son of a bitch, why'd you have to copy the way I talk?

Councilman Jiang Yudong was overcome with despair.