The Southern Calt pt. 7

Returning to the Southern Calt, Akashi and Celie must fight to expose the truth...

It was sundown by the time they saw the Southern Calt laid out before them. The mountain range hung over them like skyscrapers in the grand city-states to the north. On the other side of the world wonder lay their goal: The collective city-states of Cain and Sant. To get to the collective, they had to pass through the Southern Calt without attracting the attention of the soldiers who used to be their comrades. Along the way, they needed to steal the commander’s datapad if they wanted to find the truth. Akashi felt the weight of what came next in his chest. His body ached. He was covered in bruises, dried monstrous blood, and superficial open wounds. Celie was cleaner, but not much better for wear. Between them, they had a single revolver with one bullet.

Akashi checked the revolver again and again. It was a simple kinetic weapon - the kind given to forward operating commanders. This one was commander Saquoa’s - if she was still alive. Akashi decided it was his now. He ran his fingers along the black grip that stuck out from his utility belt. He looked to Celie - his small, quiet companion - and smiled. 

“Ready?” He asked.

“No. We need a plan.” She replied.

“If you can create some sort of disruption, I can get the datapad.” Celie nodded.

“Great idea. Not exactly a plan though, Pace - Akashi, sorry.”

“It’s fine, I’m used to it.” He waved away her mistake. As much as he hated the bastardization of his name, he didn’t care anymore. Their goal was more important. Exposing the war for the sham it was was more important than anything Akashi could think about. “You’re right though, it isn’t a plan. I’ve never really been a planner… maybe we should just split off, get our stuff done and meet at…” He prodded his memory for a point behind the trenches. He assumed they hadn’t begun to move out since they had left. He recalled a large boulder 20 yards behind the trenches. He relayed its position to Celie. She nodded.

“Sure… let’s aim for that.”

“Great. The Commander’s quarters is in an armored corner of the trenches. Only part of the trenches with an armored roof. If you can make a distraction, I can get the datapad.”

“I’ll do what I can.” Celie replied. Akashi smiled.

“Perfect. We can make this work.” Celie gave a thumbs up and jogged off into the growing darkness of the desert. He lost her in the mountain shadows. Celie split off to the right of him, so Akashi made his way to the left side of the large mouth of the Calt. 

As the sun fully disappeared from the horizon, the desert grew dark and cold. In the distance, he saw the lights in the trenches glowing. They illuminated the mountain pass, making the target clear. Akashi slunk towards the Calt. As he came closer, he saw that many of the defensive walls had been torn down. In their place were large supply crates. It looked like they were preparing to move into the desert. 

Akashi took a deep breath that felt like panic flooding in. He reasoned that the people of the desert had stopped fighting, hoping their holy servant would drive the invaders away. When that failed, he assumed they were looking for a new option. Clearly, the collective was taking advantage and moving in. They had to move quickly before the fight continued. 

He crossed into the Calt again and he felt a fear of returning to overtake him. The tunnels were terrible. They had changed him, but they weren’t the Calt. The tunnels weren’t where nearly everyone he had met since basic training died. The tunnels weren’t where sandstorms blistered his face. The tunnels weren’t where he spent sleepless nights afraid the next bomb to drop would be on them. As all these thoughts flowed through him, his earpiece came to life for the first time since he left the Calt. Akashi jumped. The front commander’s voice was speaking on the open channel.

“All personnel, be ready to move out at sunrise. Sleep while you can. Tomorrow we claim the desert and get out of this cursed Calt.” In the distance, Akashi heard cheers coming from the trenches.

“Command, this is Stells. Beginning evening patrols of the trench.”

“Approved, soldier. Keep an eye out and a hand on the alarm. Good hunting.” Before the commander disconnected, he mumbled, “It’d be great if my damn scout hadn’t turned heel…” Akashi winced. Of course he knew. Akashi’s heart soared with fear and anticipation. Now Akashi knew that the datapad was there. Not only that, but the collective replaced his guard duty with roaming soldiers protecting the trench. It sounded like an accident waiting to happen. They were getting sloppy.

Akashi made it to the lip of the Calt. In the distance he saw the lumbering figure of Stells - a member of Saquoa’s squad - beginning his patrol around the trenches. As Akashi approached, he stayed just outside the light of the trenches. He hoped he didn’t have to run into Stells. He wasn’t sure if the man was a good shot, but he was bigger, stronger, and healthier. Akashi pulled back the hammer of the revolver and pushed forward. 

As he prepared to cross that threshold into the dim light that protruded from the trenches, he felt his heart begin to pound. Once he stepped into the light, there’d be no turning back. No getting away. He had passed through so many points of no return, but this was the one that made him more than he already was. This was the one that made him viable for treason, not just desertion. 

He steadied his resolve, then crossed into the light. Stells was facing the other direction. Akashi thought to himself how ridiculous it was for one single person to patrol. One soldier should stay still from a safe and high visibility vantage point. Not wander around, hoping to see something. He decided he was right to consider the large soldier a meathead all those days ago. 

With ease, Akashi lowered himself into the trench. He dropped down into dry sand and dirt and looked in either direction. At this hour, most of the soldiers would be in the carved out spaces assigned to them. Down to his right is where their holes in the wall would be. To the left was where the commander’s armored bunker built into the trenches would be sitting. Other than the lights strung along the muddy walls, there was nothing to see. The trenches were packed up and ready to move. He crept towards the commander’s bunker, listening for any noise. 

Over his earpiece, Stells announced, “Command, we’ve got something going on over here. Moving to investigate.” Akashi hoped it was Celie’s distraction. He picked up the pace, heading for the bunker. After traveling along the main line of the trench, he knew turning right - deeper into the Calt - would lead him to the bunker. He looked around the corner and saw a single soldier standing in front of the bunker door staring up at the sky. No one took guarding the bunker seriously, and this soldier was no exception. Akashi jammed his foot into the wall and clambered up out of the trench and onto collective territory. He crawled along the edge of the trench, waiting for Celie’s distraction. He couldn’t get past the soldier without trouble and he knew that. He made himself small and waited. Minutes passed before Stells’ voice bloomed into existence again.

“Come in, command. We have a cargo crate moved several meters away from the rest. Might be an enemy scavenger trying to get ahold of supplies. No sign of tampering but -” The ground rocked and a bright light exploded forth behind him. “Command we have a bomb! Repeat we have a bomb! All personnel, to stations!” Akashi heard the commotion behind him and his heart leapt again. The alarm rose. He felt his body begin to shake with anticipation. 

He wasn’t afraid anymore. He wasn’t worried. He was ready. He glanced down at the trench and saw the guard run by. Moments later, the commander followed after them. Akashi took the opportunity and jumped up, running along the trench until he made it to the bunker's large metal dome. He jumped down into the trench, and burst through the door.

Akashi looked around, trying to find the datapad. The bunker was a modest 12x12 space, with a cot and a space heater. There was a rug on the floor that Akashi assumed was for the morning prayers that many devout followers of Strala performed. By the cot was a nightstand and an old steamer chest. Upon the nightstand, he saw the datapad. 

He approached in a haste, reaching for the datapad. It had been so long since he had handled one, it felt like an archaic artifact left behind in the new life he led. He tried to interact with it, but it was locked behind a password. He breathed through his teeth and tried to think of what to do. Maybe Celie would know. He took the handheld device and slipped it into a pocket on his pants. As he turned to leave, he heard the crunch of sand underfoot. His eyes dilated, he heard his blood in his ears, and energy burst through him. 

Standing in the door was the guard. The guard stepped into the door and looked Akashi up and down.

“Pace.” The soldier said through their desert mask. “What are you doing here?” Akashi tried to size the soldier up. Their voice was monotone and hard to place. Their clothes hung off them and the mask covered their features. He couldn’t tell if he knew them. If he had lunch with them. If he fought alongside them. No identifiable features.

“Hey… guy…” Akashi hazarded a plunge into trying to talk. “Don’t mind me just… looking for the commander.”

“Cut it, Pace. I know. We all know.” Akashi shrugged.

“Well, it was worth a try, wasn’t it.” The soldier raised their energy rifle.

“You’re coming with me, Pace.” Akashi tightened his grip on his revolver. He shook his head.

“No. No I’m not.” 

The soldier tried to fire their rifle, but Akashi dove for them. He slammed them into the wall and the bunker let out a deep rattle as it shivered around them. They threw Akashi off and tried to fire their rifle again. Pulses of blue light flew, but they crashed into the wall with a dull thunk as Akashi ducked down and approached too close for the soldier to fire. He came up with an upper cut into the soldier’s stomach. As soon as they doubled over, Akashi headbutted them, cracking the goggles of their mask. They stumbled back and put one hand to their face. Akashi took advantage and pulled their rifle away from their grip. He threw it against the far wall, then put his fists up. 

The soldier threw a sudden punch that connected with Akashi’s already swollen cheek. Akashi stumbled back. The soldier dove for him, but Akashi sidestepped. They fell ineffectively into the cot. Akashi rubbed his face as the soldier struggled to get back up. 

“Trust me…” Akashi said through labored breaths. “You hate me now… but when you find out the truth…” The soldier scrambled up, let out a scream and charged. Akashi pulled his elbow back, stepped into the charge, and connected his fist with the charging bull’s face. The soldier collapsed, flat into the ground at his feet. They let out a groan as blood bloomed from under the broken mask and onto the rug. Akashi could already see the bright red that would become swelling around their eye through the cracked goggles. Akashi took one more deep breath. “... You’ll thank me later.”

.

.

.

Akashi ran for the rendezvous point, panic rising in him and alarms blaring behind him. He rounded the corner of the rock and found Celie pacing back and forth on the other side.

“When I said a distraction, I didn’t think you were going to make a bomb go off!” He heaved out as he tried to catch his breath.

“Well, did it work?” Celie asked. 

“Could’ve gone better. Bunker guard saw me…”

“Did you take care of it?”

“What do you mean take care of it?” 

Celie threw her hands forward as if to say, What do you think I meant? 

“What, you wanted me to kill the guy?” He asked. Celie shrugged.

“You probably should’ve. Now they know it was you.”

“They already knew we turned coat. You heard the call over the earpiece, didn’t you? We’re in too deep now anyway. Come on, Celie. Let’s not start killing people. They could’ve been us if we weren’t chosen. That’s someone’s parent. Someone’s kid… someone’s-”

“I get it. I get it.” She sighed and shook her head. “They might send someone after us.”

“I know the Calt better than any of them. We’ll be just fine.” Akashi said. For the first time in a while, confidence rose inside of him. He gestured to Celie and they began running, getting as far away from them as possible. As they ran, Akashi began talking again. “The datapad is locked. Probably encrypted too. We need to bypass it, disconnect it from the network, and keep the files safe. Can you do that?”

“I can try. I’ve never been a big techie, but I did a little bit during spec ops in the mountains. Lucky for us, most datapads are encrypted using the collective standard.”

“Perfect. Let’s get out of dodge, set up camp in an old trench, and get this done.”

.

.

.

That night, Celie fought with the datapad and Akashi kept watch as she grumbled by the firelight inside the old abandoned trench.

“I got past the password. Encryption too - that was the easy part.” She announced midway through the night. Akashi looked away from his watchpoint.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Everything you did down there. It’s all on here. All the way until - whoa. That was close.” Akashi squinted as Celie pointed the datapad to Akashi. The last thing his rifle scope transmitted was him laying on his back, reaching for the revolver as the monster of the tunnels collapsed.  “I don’t know how you didn’t notice the transmission sooner. It started transmitting a few minutes after we fell in the hole.”

“I was a little preoccupied.” He began to wonder if the entire thing was a plot, but he couldn’t figure out how they could’ve caused the sinkhole to begin with.

“Well, don’t be preoccupied while keeping watch.”

“Heard.”

“I’ll have the datapad isolated from the network shortly.” Akashi turned back to the darkness. He was sure they wouldn’t send anyone after them, but he had to make sure. He had to be certain they were safe. “By the way,” Celie got his attention again. “We never discussed where we were going next.”

“I’m not sure.” Akashi replied. “I sort of just assumed we were going to Cain, but I guess I was just thinking of going home. Is Sant the better option?”

“No no. That makes sense actually. The collective network tower is in Cain’s outskirts. If we could take over the networks and upload the files, then we could leak the transmission to everyone at once. Anyone connected to the collective network would see it. The governments. The citizens. The soldiers. Everyone would know.”

“Huh… guess you’re right. So, how in the Fates above do we get through Cain security?”

“Don’t know. Let’s survive the Calt first.”

“Right. Survive…” High above his head, he saw the fates shimmering. Their wondrous colors enraptured him in the moment. Here he was, a single soldier, turning against all the odds to try and do what he thought was right. Would they smile upon him? Did they care for his rebellion? He figured he may never know. For the first time since he was a boy, he closed his eyes and prayed.

“Strala, lord of advancement. Lord of technology… it's - uh - been a while. I think I still know the cadence you prefer. Let me try…”

 Bless my great journey, for I know I am righteous. Please, give me this chance. Let me do right by our people. And if you condone this war - this death - please don’t get in my way. I can’t stand up to a god, but I’ll stand up to any human who stands in our way. Bless us, for we are the righteous. Praise the Fates. Praise to Strala.”

He didn’t quite find the cadence. Akashi hoped his prayer was still heard. He sighed a deep mournful sigh and tried to clear his mind. Somewhere high above the Fates began to glow even brighter. The fickle things they were, he wasn’t sure what that meant, but he was pretty sure the ethereal beings above Astra heard him. The gods in the realms beyond - that was less likely. He sighed, and checked the revolver again.

Still one bullet.

He wondered what he’d use it for. Would he have to use it at all? He shoved it back in his belt and rolled his shoulders. In the distance, he saw the beams of the sun beginning to peak out from the mountains over Astra. He wasn’t sure where the night had gone, but the morning had chased them nonetheless. “Praise Oran-Koh.” He whispered.

“Didn’t know you were so religious.” Celie commented. She yawned and stretched as she settled in next to him over top of the trench.

“Not usually. Everything we experienced though? Feel like now might be the time to find a god to love.”

“I’d think it’d be Rayyan given what we learned.”

“I don’t know. Insect god isn’t really my vibe I don’t think… seems a bit… gross.” He looked up at the sky, “No offense, great one.”

“You’re still covered in his servant’s innards. It’s pretty gross. Stinks too.” She laughed at him and elbowed his side. “Can you believe it? When you were a kid, did you ever think you’d be here?”

“When I was a kid… you know, I didn’t think I’d make it this far.”

“Everyone says that.”

“And I bet a lot of us believe it. When I was a teenager, I lost my best friend. She ran off to a place only the Fates know. I was alone. I thought about dying. I thought about chasing after her… instead, I just disconnected. I didn’t feel awake until I saw the first person die in the Calt. Then I realized this was my life. Protecting people was my life. As long as I can think about helping - protecting - I… I don’t have to think about the end anymore.” Celie grunted.

“I understand. I think we should find something better to do with our lives though. Ever think about gardening? Farming?” Akashi shook his head.

“I’m a boy from Cain through and through. That kind of thing isn’t for me. Auntie said her dad left the farmland outskirts for a reason.”

“And I’m a girl from Sant. We’re not too different, but think about it. A beautiful garden of homegrown vegetables… think about how beautiful that’d be. Not a worry in the world but if the crops are okay.”

“Yeah… that’s great.” Akashi said through a deep breath. Celie patted his shoulder.

“How about you get some rest before the sun is all the way up. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover before we’re out of here.”

“Alright. Alright yeah.” Akashi slunk down into the trench. He laid his head down in the dirt, thinking about the old ratty sleeping bag that used to be under his head when he was part of the collective. This wasn’t better, but it was right. He couldn’t forget.

He was right.

He repeated the words over and over in his mind as he drifted off to sleep.

.

.

.

Eternity in storm. 

Never ending rain. 

Thunder. 

Lightning. 

Eternity in storm.

Darkness pierces through my light,

Transmission from the hardened beyond.

The righteous calls to him.

I awake instead.

“Oh? What’s this?”

---

Hey there, everyone! Thanks for reading! Great news, parts 8, 9, and 10 are ready to go! Which means the The Southern Calt is finished! How cool is that? This means for the three weeks after this, we’ll be finishing this fun little serial. Thanks for joining me on this fun and challenging journey. I’m so glad I started posting this and had the chance to revamp this story in a huge way.

I can’t wait to make the retrospective for this one, because there is a lot I want to talk about. I hope you're enjoying the journey! Thanks for stopping by and I’ll see you next week for more!