Quote Originally Posted by Ramil
4

The tunnel ended up/The tunnel exited on a flat stone plain. A landing pad for flyers was empty and a low decorative fence was stuck over with wet leaves/had wet leaves sticking on it. An opened/open door to the flight-control cabin was swinging silently back and forth in the wind. It was drizzling even though a pale yellow sun which was giving nearly no warmth at all was seen over the horizon. Straight rows of cottages were seen in the distance. They looked bad… deserted.
“What a wonderful morning.” Kay said to the rain holding the ‘Convoy’ by his hip. “Why didn’t these bastards warn us?”
“You didn’t ask?” Arthur pulled the hood of his jacket up and put his hands in the/his pockets. “They were offended that we didn’t renew the aThan having so much/because we had more than enough money. They gave us leaflets with information… gave us breakfast. Well, would it have changed anything? We can return even now and renew our contracts. They count on it.”
“We don’t need it, do we…” Kay breathed out noisily. “It looks quiet. Read the last section to me.”
“Right now, daddy.” replied Arthur fooling around. “Planetology, economics, politics, culture… here it is... the current situation.”
“Give me a brief summary.”
“The conflict between two population groups of Velikorossia… it occupies this whole continent. One side stands for the forced return of the Azure islands also known as Jeng Shi which was occupied seventeen years ago by the Sagun principality. The other side stands for continuing/the continuation of peaceful negotiations on the territorial problem. The former are supported by Kaiserland, the latter naturally get support from Sagun. The war is going on over the whole territory… A month ago both sides started resorting to the doom virus and bio-terminator. The estimated number of victims is about four million. The forecast on the outcome is unclear. Imperial authorities maintain neutrality. Currently skirmishes are going on for control over Kitezh… it’s the capital.
“My congratulations, Arthur” Kay took a map from his leaflet and unfolded it. “We’re very close, it’s thirty kilometers to the city.”
“And the imperial spaceport?”
“It’s located symmetrically to us in relation to Kitezh.”
“Aha…”
They exchanged glances and Kay felt sympathy to Curtis junior for a moment. The boy turned out to be a better client than many of his former ones. Many adult men would have cursed at everything and demanded guarantees of safety.
“Well, how are we going to go, straight or circling around?”
“God only knows…” Kay looked around again. “Kitezh is somewhere there… how far would it be if we circle around?”
“Ninety four kilometers” answered Arthur after a second.
“Rounding up… Say a hundred. And half of it would be off the roads.” Kay put the pistol into the pocket of his raincoat and raised his head. The air smelled only with rain and damp foliage… but then the doom-virus had to have no smell.
“Nevertheless it’s safer to circle around the city.” Arthur began.
“Of course, it is three days of walking at least. There’s no food. Are you vaccinated against the doom-virus?”
“Sure.”
“I’ve been vaccinated too” Kay took a pause “but not in this body.”
Arthur shrugged his shoulders – it’s your problem, then he asked:
“So shall we circle around?”
“Depends… Get down!”
Curtis junior dropped down so quickly as if he’d been pushed under his knees. Kay dropped on one knee over him, grabbed his pistol and froze.
Arthur was lying still for a minute then he turned his muddy face and looked at Kay in perplexity.
“I think I saw something” said Kay without lowering his pistol.
“You, idiot…” shouted Arthur with his voice rising to a shrill.
“No, I’m not mistaken.” said Kay with relief. And a fan of violet flashes from the ‘Convoy’ passed over the back of Curtis junior that made him duck down to the dirt again. For the next several moments they were half rolling and half creeping on all fours and the bullets were smacking in the puddles behind them. At last Kay dumped Arthur in the concrete ditch of a gutter that was encircling the landing pad, then Kay jumped after him and started to laugh.
“What is it with you?” asked Arthur rising up on his elbows. He was lying in muddy ditch water, wet to the bone and shivering with cold. A crazy bodyguard on top of all this was too much.
Still laughing, Kay switched his pistol to fire in single shots and explained:
“It was clear as day that there had been an ambush. I thought that if we just stand there for a little they would break and try to get closer. They’ve lost the element of surprise now.”
“I thought you killed them all.”
“No, I didn’t kill anyone. A couple of burns that’s all.”
Kay took off his cap and put it on Arthur’s head then crept a couple of meters further along the ditch. Then he turned to Arthur and made a strange gesture – he threw his hand upwards and quickly lowered it back.
Arthur understood it in his own way. He turned over on his belly stood on his fours and looked out of the ditch for a moment.
There were splashes of bullets again. At this moment Kay leaped up giving Arthur a momentary spiteful glance. His pistol spat fire twice and someone screamed through the shots. Before their opponents could shift their aim Kay disappeared back into the concrete ditch and crept over to Arthur.
“What are you doing kid?”
“But you…”
“I asked you to put the cap onto the barrel or onto your hand and lift it. Remember, I will never ask you to risk your life. You’ve got me for such things, understand?”
“I will.” promised Arthur breathing heavily.
Kay drew the cap over his eyes and turned away. Still Arthur could see him through a neat bullet hole with parched edges.
The shooting stopped.
“Hey!” shouted Kay folding his palms/holding his hands around his mouth. “Who’s your leader?”
There was a single shot then there was a reply.
“I am. What do you want?”
“How about a temporary truce? Let’s talk.”
“What damn truce are you talking about? Raise your hands and come out. I’ve got thirty men over here.”
“And do you want to get half of them killed?”
“What do you propose?” the man replied. He was calmer this time.
“I will get up and make ten steps forward. There won’t be any weapon in my hands. Come to me and let’s have a talk.”
“Get up!”
“Do I have your word that I won’t be shot at?”
“All right” a reply followed after a short pause.
Kay searched through his pocket and produced a shock grenade in a small metallic case and handed it to Arthur.
“Do you know how to use it?”
“Yes”
“If I get shot, put it on your forehead and activate. You don’t/Don't you understand? You won’t be able either to kill yourself with the ‘Convoy’ or get out of this mess without me.”
“Okay.” Arthur took the grenade.
“My regards to your father.” Kay rose up.
He stood for a second expecting a shot. Then he shrugged his shoulders and made several steps forward. A figure appeared in the door of the flight-control cabin. They met in the middle, Kay and a man of medium height in light armor. They looked at each other critically.
“Who are you?”
“Traders from Endoria. I was flying with my son… our ship blew up.”
“Where were you going to?”
“To Cailis.”
“Bad luck.”
“Indeed.”
The man was feeling uncomfortable. Kay carried himself too freely and too friendly.
“What do you think of our local problems?”
“Couldn’t care less, to be honest.” Kay answered in Russian.
“Are you Russian?” the man inquired.
“A very little/A little bit.”
“Will you go with us?”
“We need to get to the spaceport. We don’t/won't fight.”
“I saw it how you didn’t fight… All right, give up your weapons, documents and money, and get lost.”
“You will have nothing with aThan cards and you cannot falsify imperial documents.”
“We have a war here, haggler. And if your piece of junk blew itself up nearby then go and blame your fate. Give up your weapons.”
“We’re not going to make it through without them. Take one pistol and one stunner.”
“Are you going to haggle with me here?” the armored man was dumbfounded.
“You have twenty two, maybe twenty three men” Kay began “only two have armor, including you. Your weapons are hunting rifles with ordinary and fragmentation bullets, a couple of shotguns, and three stunners that didn’t even fire. No ammo?”
The bandit leader was silent.
“I may have burned the hands of three of your guys; one other has a burn on his belly. Another one won’t be able to see with his right eye, I’m afraid. And listen now, I didn’t shoot to kill. I was just cooling them down a little. That whole band of yours will be able to get us, granted, but only half of them, no more, would/will live to see it.”
The man unclenched his fist. A short tube could be a one-shot pistol… could not be.
“If you’re that tough tell me what are you going to do with a bullet in your belly?”
“I will spit it to/at your face and tell you that Russians never kill each other.”
“Are you hoping for the aThan?”
“My immortality has expired. But my son still has it. He’ll get back and revenge me/and take revenge.”
The man looked at the ditch. It was very close and he was in full view. He clenched his fist again hiding the pistol.
“How do you propose to do it?”
“It’s easy. Take the stunner from the holster. Take it yourself; I don’t need any bullets in my back. There is a pistol in the pocket of my raincoat. There is also cash, not much but I’m sure you will find uses for it. I’ll return to my son. When you all leave so that we can see it we will run away from here.
The man chuckled, took the pistol and money and quickly put it under the breastplate of his armor.
“You’re lucky you’re Russian. You’re not lying to me, are you?”
“Check it for yourself.” Kay was politeness itself.
“Do you speak our tongue?”
“I speak badly but I do understand” answered Kay with a slight hesitation.
“Get back to your ditch.”