Ironwood
"Iron might weep, but it did not break." – Susan Dennard
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WITNESS TESTIMONY – GENERAL COURT MARTIAL #382, CAPT W.S. ADLER
SCRIBE: Loki 55-30
SUBJECT: Iron Wolves
ASSOCIATIONS: Iron Lords, Six Fronts, Ironwood
TYPE: Witness statement transcription
They didn't call themselves anything at first – never thought of themselves as anything special, far as I could tell. The first time they showed up, no one really knew who they were – just that they had these matching armbands and IFF tags. Names didn't show, they just got marked as green, like they were masking them, somehow.
First saw 'em back during Six Fronts. I got thrown against a wall by a Captain, and he had a blade to my throat when he just…turned all of a sudden. And this puny little Warlock bitch-slapped him. She must have used one of those fancy palm tricks because the freak's head exploded. The Warlock looked me over, said something to the effect of, "let's fuck these bastards up" – my words, not hers - and ran into the fray. I got a glimpse of a I lost track of her after that – never did get her name.
I remember something about the name 'Iron Wolves' getting thrown at the Iron Lords as an insult. Apparently, they decided to make the name mean something because about two months later, I ran into a whole mess of 'em – nine appeared out of nowhere behind a Skiff that had just landed over on a street – I forget which – rifles and machine guns blazing like suns. Each one was tagged only as 'Wolf'. They ripped that Fallen crew apart like a pack of wolves. 'Was the first time I saw what they could do together.
The full name started getting thrown around I think two months after their first sighting. Not sure who started it or why, but the people loved 'em. The Iron Lords hated the Wolves – never did learn the reason. No one knew who they were, 'cept for one. When Six Fronts was over, they disappeared. No one really knew where they went, but the name kept getting thrown around. Seemed like every refugee group and every Guardian out in the wilderness had heard of them.
They were never pretty, always going in covered in fire and leaving covered in blood, but they did what we couldn't. They always fought together, whenever and wherever they were needed. The Iron Lords hated them for some reason, but the people loved 'em, 'cause they were always the ones doin' protectin' the people out there when we couldn't. Then…well, nine went to help the Iron Lords, four more just disappeared, and one…well, he's on trial right now.
"How come you never talk about it?"
Sig looked up from the picture in his hands, fixing his gaze on Lia." Why does it matter?"
Lia made a face." Because…you were heroes."
Sig didn't say anything, and looked back down at the picture, brushing his fingers reverently over the holographic image." No…we weren't heroes."
(I gather now to bond myself, forever in service.)
Fourteen figures, clustered around that same tree – it had been nearly a century dead by the time they'd taken this single picture. The only one of them all together, just before…just before Rezyl went to the moon. A wistful smile crossed his face as he mentally ticked off their names.
(Even if I am not to be remembered, I fight on.)
History only remembered nine, but there'd been fourteen of them. They'd all been wiped from the Iron Archives…a liability, one of the Iron Archivists had called them. Only Efrideet and Skorri had disagreed, bless their hearts.
All records of Rezyl had been wiped even further, his final two centuries expunged from the Tower. Nine of the Iron Wolves had died trying to get the Iron Lords and Ladies out of their own mess. Three more had simply vanished. And then…there was him. The last Wolf.
(I stand with pride and courage in the name of Life and Light.)
The Iron Lords didn't want them – they all said the Wolves were too young and careless and didn't understand their purpose. The Vanguard said the Wolves were too rash, and their methods weren't "in line with Vanguard doctrine and regulations". What that meant, Sig had always thought – and maybe it was too close to Rezyl's line of thinking – was that the Vanguard weren't ready to do what they needed to. But he understood - they hadn't been, either.
(I stand amidst the dark, always to light the way.)
But they'd cared, too. The Wolves had fought in the dark, to serve the light, to make sure no one had to see or do what they did. The Wolves emerged in the darkest hour, and they'd done their duty, better than anyone. But they'd kept under wraps by the Vanguard – for good reason.
"The Iron Lords were the heroes." He spat the word – the Iron Lords were good people, but they were arrogant. That had been their downfall." They brought the people together, protected them from each other. We lived and died in the dark, where no one else wanted to go."
He glanced up at Lia. She was chewing at her lip, a frown worn on her lips, like she always had while thinking. She was a lot like Skorri, he decided. Always able to make people laugh, enjoy life…and always remember why they fought so hard. He looked back at the image in his hands. Sig had spent so long hiding this part of his life…the dark deeds, the shadows, the faces in the night…but maybe…maybe it was time to bring them back. Not today, he decided.
"We went to that ironwood when the City needed us, and like the ironwoods, when it was our time, the Wolves died out."
He watched as Lia produced a silver-leaved sapling from behind her. No, wait…no, that's impossible. It couldn't have been more than a few years old, at most. He gently set the picture aside and accepted the little tree.
"Saladin told me to give you this. He wanted me to tell you that…the memory lives on."
Gently brushing the ironwood leaves, feeling them nick his fingers, he could almost believe it.
Author's Note:
Well, there it is. This was…a bit different compared to what I normally do and how I normally write, and a bit of a chore, but I honestly enjoyed writing it. Had like…5 complete rewrites. But still, this was fun. If you hate the format from the first parts, let me know, and I'll do something about it for the next time I get that idea.
As always, if you enjoyed this, please show your support! Even if you didn't enjoy it, let me know what you thought – I'll take any advice I can get to become a better writer.
Enjoy!
-Krast