Chapter 3

Mike drove the wagon with JJ seated beside him. Millie rode her horse beside the wagon in the areas where the road was wide enough and ahead of them where the road narrowed. They were traveling through a region of Chaos that was similar to some of the more remote areas of eastern New Mexico. The land was hilly rather than mountainous. There were areas of scrub brush at lower elevations, and areas with stunted trees on the hill tops. Most of the vegetation looked like it could use a lot more water before even thinking of greening up.

The ground was rocky. The cold weather of winter froze any water that had collected in the rocks during the rainy fall. The pressure of expanding ice shattered the rocks, leaving shards with hard angular edges. The hot climate in the summer months baked the rock. The winds eventually removed the sharp edges off of the rocks. It was harsh and desolate looking area.

It wasn’t a consistently rocky area. There were patches where a weak soil had taken hold and the hard packed ground supported the growth of some scrub brush. The road was little more than a cleared path from which the larger rocks had been removed from the road. It was a hard, bumpy ride for the two in the wagon.

It was early afternoon when they finally stopped for a quick meal. Not wanting to eat while being tossed around on the seat of the wagon while it traversed the rough road, Mike had agreed to stop for the meal. He had chosen an area surrounded by scrub trees and bushes. It was actually a pretty good spot for an ambush. He might have worried about that, except for the fact that they already had passed a hundred such places along the road. It wasn’t possible to stake out all of them out.

While Millie took a quick look around, Mike got the food out of the back of the wagon. JJ walked around the perimeter stretching her legs. It was nice to have a chance to move around. Although she hadn’t complained, the ride in the wagon was a lot rougher than she thought possible. It was as if every bump or dip in the road was immediately transferred as a jolt to her butt and lower back.

Once everyone returned to the wagon, Mike handed out slices of cheese, hunks of a sausage that was similar to salami, and pears. He held up two leather botas, (a basic leather canteen). He filled up three pewter cups with the contents of one of the botas.

Seeing that Millie was curious, he said, “Apple juice.”

Watered wine, hot teas, and the local equivalent of coffee were the typical beverages on the trail. The chance to have a real fruit juice, was a rare event.

Millie said, “Hey, that’s a real treat.”

JJ didn’t think she’d have an appetite, but after the first bite of food she dug in. The two women chatted a little about the taste of the food. Both agreed that Mike had done a pretty good job of collecting supplies. Mike ate his meal without talking.

Millie enjoyed the meal even though she’d been eating trail rations for several weeks. She had been looking forward to a hot meal in town, but she had her orders. She asked for seconds on the apple juice.

After she finished eating, JJ said, “Millie, if I understood correctly, you’re part of a scouting party.”

“That’s right.”

“What are you scouting?”

Upon hearing the question, Millie got a sour look on her face.

Mike waved a finger at JJ while he said, “You don’t ask questions like that.”

“Why not?” JJ asked.

“There’s an old saying: ‘loose lips sink battleships.’ She’s not going to talk about what she’s doing here, and it is extremely rude to ask,” Mike answered.

“Oh. I was just trying to make conversation,” JJ said.

Glancing over at Millie, Mike said, “Millie is a member of one of the most well known clans here. I’m sure she’d love to tell you about her clan history. From what little I know of it, it is fascinating.”

“What do you know of our clan?” Millie asked.

“I know that there are three citadels that are homes to the clan. There’s the Citadel North, which trains military engineering, and logistics support. Then there’s the Citadel South, which trains cavalry, and scouts. There’s the Citadel Central, which trains infantry.”

“That’s right.”

“So you are from Citadel South,” JJ asked.

“Actually, I was born in Citadel Central. I moved to Citadel South to train as a scout,” Millie said.

“How old were you when you moved?”

“I was eight.”

“Your parents moved when you were eight so that you could train as a scout?” JJ asked.

“No. My parents are still in Citadel Central. I tested to be admitted as a scout, and then moved to Citadel South,” Millie said.

“At eight?” JJ asked.

Having finished his meal, Mike rejoined the conversation saying, “The Merc Clan is a professional army. The clan earns its living, through war. Everyone in the clan is a warrior.”

“Women and men?” JJ asked wondering if women were expected to serve or were given a choice.

“Yes. Everyone starts training at eight.”

“Wow! That’s young,” JJ said.

Shrugging his shoulders negligently, Mike said, “I started training in the martial arts at that age. Your father started your training at ten., public school starts at six, with pre-schools beginning as young as four.”

“That’s true,” JJ said.

Mike said, “They get about six years of training in the military basics and then spend two years in the field before getting another four years of advanced training. They spend the rest of their lives in service.”

“You seem to know a lot about our clan,” Millie said.

“Actually, my friend Sid told me about the main clans. He’s friends with Gregor of the Rider Clan,” Mike said.

“King Sid?”

“Yes.”

“That was a quite a war. Too bad no one invited us to participate,” Millie said.

Mike said, “It would have taken two years for someone to ride here and hire you. Then it would have taken two years for your army to reach the war. By that time, it was over.”

“I know. I studied the slave war in school. It would have been a great war to be in. The armies that were built and put into play were absolutely huge. Citadel North thinks that Sid’s army had an absolute genius in charge of supplies,” Millie said.

“Sid says the same thing. He felt it was luck on his part to get the right people in the right spot,” Mike said.

Millie said, “Although there are a lot of men who will adopt the title of King, King Sid is one of the few men who deserves to be a king.”

“We’re talking about Sid? The Sid I know,” JJ asked.

““That’s right.”

“We used to train together,” JJ said.

She didn’t think it was fair that he got to do those kinds of exciting things, while she was stuck back on Earth having to act like a girl. Then she realized that she was now doing those exciting things, and they weren’t all that much fun. She had killed her first man and was still trying to deal with it.

“I know. Your father is training me with swords. and I’ve heard all about how he trained you and Sid, back when you were kids,” Mike said.

Millie took a long look at JJ assessing her.

Noticing that everyone had finished eating, Mike said, “Let’s load up and head out. We’ve got a Damsel to rescue.”

It didn’t take long for them to resume the journey. Mike repacked the food and set it in the back of the wagon. Both women made a quick stop in the bushes to relieve their bladders while Mike took the opportunity to give the horses some water from the barrel that was on the side of the wagon.

Wanting to get her mind off the dark thoughts that had returned with her recollection of events back in town, JJ said, “You were saying something about Sid being a king now?”

“Yes,” Mike said.

“He didn’t say anything about being a king,” JJ said.

She was going to have a long talk with Cat. She apparently had missed a couple of important facts from her geography lesson, like the fact that there was a kingdom owned by Sid. She also realized that she was going to have to learn a little more about the history of Chaos.

“He is,” Mike said.

Nudging him in the side, JJ said, “I should dump you and marry Sid. Then, I’d be a queen.”

Mike laughed. Millie wasn’t sure if JJ was serious or not.

“You’d look silly wearing a tiara,” Mike said.

“There is that,” JJ admitted.

Millie said, “So you both know King Sid?”

JJ answered, “His uncle and my father were friends. My father gave weapons training to Sid and me. We studied the sword, primarily. Dad also taught us knife fighting, along with a number of other less common weapons. His uncle taught him the staff, the bow, and basic survival skills.”

“What about his father? Didn’t his father teach him anything?” Millie asked.

Mike answered, “His father is a complete waste of space.”

“I don’t understand what you mean by that,” Millie said.

“His father is worthless,” Mike said.

JJ said, “Less than worthless. The universe would be better off without him in it.”

“He’s evil?”

“No. He’s greedy and amoral,” JJ said. “I remember some of the stories Sid would tell me about his parents. It wasn’t pretty.”

“They beat him?”

“No. They more or less ignored him unless he had something they wanted. Then they just took it,” JJ said. “He worked jobs around where he lived to pay for martial arts lessons. One day he came home and found his father stealing his money.”

“That’s horrible,” Millie said.

Mike asked, “What are your parents like?”

Millie answered, “It’s been a while since I’ve seen them. I remember the training area in back of the house. Every morning, we’d gather there and go through the morning routine. We’d do a little exercise and then practice with a weapon.

“My dad taught me how to use a sword. He made my practice sword with his own hands. It was an infantry style sword rather than one used by the cavalry. I still have it.”

“That’s nice,” Mike said.

Smiling while reminiscing about her childhood, Millie continued, “My mother is an archer and she taught me how to shoot with a little bow. I almost laugh when I look at that bow today. It’s such a small little thing that I’d snap it in half if I were to try to use it now. Back then, it was a grand weapon! I was so proud of it! I remember showing it off to every visitor that we had.

“It was my aunt who taught me how to ride a horse. It was knowing the sword, bow, and how to ride that got me into the scouts.”

“You’re proud of being a scout,” Mike commented.

“Of course, I am. It’s one of the hardest jobs in the clan. We move in a small force. We have to be very proficient in multiple weapons. We have to know how to ride. We have to know how to live off the land. We operate independently of the main forces, and often times run into enemy forces that are much larger than our own.”

JJ was suitably impressed.

Mike said, “I was a member of a special team back where I came from. We’d get sent behind enemy lines to report on what was going on. Sometimes, we’d have to take out a special target when it was impossible for the main forces to take care of them. Usually we’d be outnumbered and have to take out well fortified positions.”

“So you were a scout,” Millie said.

“I guess you could say that. I was a member of an Alpha team,” Mike replied. His voice had taken on a hollow tone while he remembered how his team was wiped out on their last mission.

JJ raised an eyebrow. She had known he was a Green Beret, but hadn’t known he was a member of an Alpha team. Those were the guys who were the pointy end of the stick.