SWNOVELS Chapter CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Thosis was located five whole galaxies from the WWS’s current location above Vega Mamorae, and the journey would take them at least two weeks, even at New Edo’s highest warp. This was a vast improvement on the Bessie’s top speed, however, which would have taken twice the time, not including breaks to refuel.
Though the crew of the Bessie still slept on board her, they still had plenty of interaction with the inhabitants of New Edo. The WWS were a collection of families that had either been born into the group or had dedicated their lives to the purpose they served; that of righting injustices when no one else can, or will. They numbered around 30 million. Though they were primarily warriors, they had a civilisation like any other. With a growing population, several decks were dedicated to the education of their people, in both combat and academics. They had a rich culture and strict hierarchical class structure, which kept the whole operation running smoothly.
If a warrior lived long enough to be too old to fight, they would join the Shogun’s advisors. This was a very prestigious position to be in, as most warriors would fall in battle, such was their dedication to the cause. Those who survived were therefore believed to have wisdom that their comrades lacked. It wasn’t uncommon for entire crowds to bow as one of these elderly confidants passed them in a street and for inhabitants of packed restaurants to stand from their tables when they entered. They garnered respect above any other class, save for Shogun Tokugawa himself.
No one ever saw the Shogun; he dwelled in the highest floors of New Edo. He passed down his decrees through the Daimyo who served him, but even they were summoned and would not be so bold as to request an audience with him. Many people of the lower classes liked to fantasise what the Shogun’s private floors were like. Some said it was a living landscape, with plant life growing all around and even weather patterns. Others would joke that it was an enormous brothel, where the Shogun lived with a harem of a thousand concubines. But no one knew for sure, except the Daimyo and the Shogun’s advisors.
Unlike a capitalist society, the people of New Edo did not have a system of currency; it was their class that decided what services they had access to. A warrior class citizen would have access to better medical services than those of the merchant class as they would most likely need it more. All resources were shared equitably amongst the inhabitants. Their individual needs dictated what they could have, and their class dictated their needs. This by no means halted class mobility however, as those who were not content with the life they had been born into were given ample opportunity to serve the cause in the way they believed they were best suited. Most did not bother with this though, as every contribution was deemed to have as much merit as any other, at least in principle.
The citizens of New Edo busied themselves with their duties, taking pride in all they did. Millions of Samurai trained tirelessly, honing their skills for battle. The artists and poets spent their lives diligently practicing their craft, in the hope of producing the most inspiring works of their generation. Even the cattle farmers worked their hands to the bone to breed the healthiest livestock. It wasn’t all a parade of productivity though, as members who refused to contribute or were too feeble to do so, could face exile from the WWS. Doomed to live out their lives in dishonour they would never be allowed to return to their families.
Before every military engagement, the civilians of New Edo would put on a banquet for the soldiers. It was a joyous occasion as for a lot of them it would be their last meal. The second week of their journey was spent preparing for this feast.
Our heroes, on the other hand, were far too busy to assist with the festivities. They had been working side by side with Nobunaga to create a plan of attack. Yukimi’s intimate knowledge of Thosis gave them an indispensable insight into what awaited them when they arrived. Accurate troop locations and defence systems were mapped out for them to work on, as well as a clear run down of their defensive protocols. Van coordinated the strike patterns of the insurgent teams, so that he could ensure safe passage for Dallas, Yukimi and himself to get to the control room. His original plan was just to use a transporter to get in, but Yukimi’s information on the type of shielding they would be up against threw that plan right out the window. He thought of a way they might get around this issue, which involved making a call exactly one week before they were set to arrive at Thosis, but it was risky. Dallas had spent the majority of his time working on the equipment they had taken from the trash moon. He now had the two remaining mystery devices battle ready and was looking forward to taking them out. He and Van had spent some time together also, practicing for the battle ahead.
As planned, a week before the battle, Van made his way to the Bessie alone, to call Mondo. Nobunaga had forbidden Van from calling him, when he first suggested it, fearing it was a tactical mistake and would add too many variables to the battle field. This hadn’t deterred him though; it just meant he had to be a lot sneakier in his execution. He made his way into the cockpit and sat in the pilot’s seat. This, he was sure, would be the highlight of his day. It was a call he would never dreamed that he would actually get to make. Mondo had made his life a misery since the moment their paths crossed, so it was only right that Van repay that in kind. He shifted around in the chair until he had achieved maximum comfort. He closed his eyes and smiled, then he took a deep breath and exhaled. It was time for some fun.
“Are we all set, D00D?” Van asked.
“I’ve changed the transmission signature, as you requested,” answered the AI, ”Should I commence the transmission now?”
“Ready when you are. I’m gonna enjoy this.” D00D began the dial up. The communications blackout had made calling Mondo difficult, but not impossible. D00D had spent a whole day setting up a signal relay, bouncing the signal from one deep-space array, to another and so on. It was working, but the signal strength was weak, so Van needed to drive Mondo into a murderous rage as soon as possible for his plan to work. It was a challenge he was delighted to accept.
The HUD blinked to life and showed one of Mondo’s reptilian cronies. He seemed surprised and less than pleased to see the call was coming from Van. “You calling to beg for forgiveness, huh, you little shit? I don’t think you gonna do so well, maybe if you gave me your take from killing that shirt, I could put in a good word.”
“Listen, fuck-tard,” said Van, ignoring the scaly beast’s taunt, “I want to speak to the ‘fat-fuck’ of an organ grinder, so I don’t have time for his shit heel of a monkey. Now put me through to that living pile of Narg-Beast shit before I go to your home and skull-fuck your mother. Okay, Gecko fucker?”
The lizard-like alien stared at him; this was not the retort he had expected. Van wasn’t an expert on alien facial expressions, but he was sure the one he saw before him was shock. “You- you can’t speak to me like that! Apologise, IMMEDIATELY!!!”
“What part of ‘I don’t have time for your bullshit’ did you not get?” asked Van, continuing his barrage, “I know you didn’t get your job because you have a brain. But, if you take a break from fucking your daddy’s ass with your momma’s dirty tampon, for five minutes, you might be able to figure out what button puts this call through to ‘King of the retards’.”
“Oh-ho-ho,” said the creature, “he’s gonna make you hurt real bad now! And by the way; your imagination goes to a dark place, little man. That’s some sick shit, that’s what that is.”
The screen changed to a call holding message and Van got ready for what was coming next. His heart was pounding with a mixture of excitement and fear, coasting on wave of adrenaline. He clutched the arm rests of his seat, in an attempt to stop his hands from shaking. That was just a warm up, he told himself, now comes the real fun. Just remember; he can’t hurt you from the other side of a call. The screen switched back to the call and a grainy image of Mondo, every eye on his body was burning with fury. Van stifled a nervous smile; “Hey there, you gelatinous blob of shit,” he said cheerfully, putting on a fake grin, “thought I’d just check in. I mean, I honestly thought even a deranged stack of morons, like you, would have found me by now. Guess I underestimated just how fuckin’ dumb you actually are. So how are you, you old hack?”
“The word was you’d died, but I’m glad it was wrong. See, this way I still get to kill you myself,” replied Mondo, trying to keep his calm through gritted teeth, “I knew you were too weak to pull that job off and I was right; I know you betrayed me, dead man. And I know this, because I know exactly where you are.”
A look of panic spread over Van’s face. Despite the grainy picture quality, Mondo could see it. He smiled at Van, the ball was back in his court now.
“You forgot to cover up your transmission data, so I know you’re on Thosis. That’s right mother-fucker, WHO’S THE DUMBASS NOW, HUH?!?!”
“Now Mondo,” said Van, pretending to back-pedal for all his worth, “I was just playing before, you know that. I would never dare mess with you. Look, if you let me live, I swear I’ll never say a word to anyone about who I am or what I know about you, ok?”
“Ha!” scoffed Mondo, “You think you can bullshit your way outta this? And what you think you know ’bout me, anyhow?”
“I know I can smell you from the other side of the galaxy,” said Van, reclaiming his calm demeanour, “I also know that you’re too much of a pussy to kill me. This whole planet is surrounded by an impregnable weather defence. You won’t be able to get in here by throwing your massive fucking weight around.”
Mondo’s face began to change colour. Van had only ever seen this happen when someone made a fool out of the amorphous gangster. This was the anger he’d been looking for. Before Mondo could launch into a torrent of threats, Van cut the signal. This was the icing on the cake; not only did Mondo think he knew where to find Van, but he had also been denied the last word in an argument, something he would never let go unpunished.
Van sat back in his chair. The stage was set for the highest staked chess game in the Universe and he intended to either win or take his opponents with him. He could have really done with knowing how to activate the super laser concealed in his arm, but was confident that Charlotte and the tech Dallas had been working on would prove more than sufficient. He left the ship and went back to helping the Daimyo.
Before they knew it, the eve of battle was upon them. The streets of the samurai districts were awash with tables bearing mountains of lovingly prepared food. There were dishes to satisfy the dietary desires of all people on board. They danced, drank and made merry, even Yukimi cut loose. Van was ready to give his life the next day and, although there were plenty of men and women he could have probably bedded, there was only one person he wanted to lay with before he met his end.
He left his seat and went searching. As he passed through the sea of cheerful faces he found that he struggled to look at them. He was suddenly aware of the fact that a lot of the people here would not be at the next banquet. His eyes darted around faster, fearful of catching the gaze of one of the soon to be dead that surrounded him. He was almost ready to give up, when he caught a glimpse of purple eyes. He walked over and found Yukimi sat around a group of dancers. She was nursing a drink and had literally let her hair down for the evening. He walked up to her and asked to talk, privately. She excused herself from the people she had been talking to and followed Van away from the party.
They left the streets and found a quiet spot, overlooking the farm lands, it was peaceful here. Artificial streams separated the fields below. The meticulously crafted waterways formed perfect right angles. “What do you wish to speak about, Van?” asked Yukimi, brushing the hair from her face.
Van had never seen her like this, she looked beautiful. He had spent a long time perfecting the art of the chat up line, but in this moment, he found himself at a loss for words. “Listen, Yukimi, you know how we might die tomorrow? Well I was thinking-“
“You see those people back there?” she asked, looking towards the roaring party, “It’s a true testament to life that they are celebrating in this way. They are about to give their lives for the greater good and yet they’re sharing their happiness at a time that most would take as an excuse to act like selfish beasts.”
“I don’t-“
“What I mean,” she continued, “is that they aren’t using their probable death to garner any preferential treatment. Do you understand?”
Van stared at the mass of irreverent partiers. Yukimi was right, they seemed wholesome. If he was going to stand beside them, he would have to live up to their standards. It went against his usual ‘path of least resistance’ philosophy, but it felt right to aspire to something greater than himself for once.
“Yeah,” he said, “I think I do. Shall we go back to the party now then?”
They returned to the party and Van found that he now couldn’t look away from the brave men and women that surrounded him. He respected them too much not to. He spent the remainder of the party having fun with as many of the warriors as he could. Even though he knew this would be his last chance, or perhaps because of it, he wanted to remember as many of them as he could.