Scarlet Eyes

A Rifts Story

by Alexis Williams

(Based on the Rifts Roleplaying Game, published by Palladium Books)

CHAPTER TWO

The people of Cobdendale were nervous.

They liked being a protectorate of the Coalition States, but they didn't like to see their protectors more than was absolutely necessary. The menacing, skull-shaped helmets and vehicles. The shiny, ebon armor, bristling with enormous, destructive weapons. These were things the rural townspeople didn't prefer to have marched around their homes and children. Even now, two Enforcer robots, as tall as two-story buildings, were leaving huge footprints all over the snow-softened earth. Two hideous spider-skull walkers had already picked their way through the town and headed off toward the surrounding farms.

The townspeople were used to visits by the military, but not like this. Every October, a comparatively small administrative detachment would visit, update the census files, load up the town's taxes of produce and livestock, and depart efficiently. The only time the townsfolk would see a fighting force was if they summoned them on their official emergency communicator.

But there were no threats to the town today. And it wasn't October.

The citizens knew the routine. After the landing, they had begun to assemble in the park around the transports. People from the surrounding farms would take a little longer to arrive, but they knew not to dally. The soldiers had set up a table, in front of which the citizens were queuing, ready to present their identity papers.

While most people were puzzled, only nine of them were experiencing extreme anxiety. They were the members of the Cobdendale Liberation Front. They had only started meeting six months earlier.

And then this.

For Jon, this was too much of a coincidence. He stepped up to the table, behind which sat a corporal. Jon had made sure that he was first in line. He didn't want to waste any time finding out what was going on. He handed his card to the soldier, who inserted it into a small computer.

The corporal looked up at him. "Anything to report?" he said.

It was the standard question, but Jon searched his face for any signs of a hidden meaning. He could find none. He said, "No, sir."

The soldier pressed a button on the computer, the identification card popping out. He handed it to Jon. "Next."

Jon stepped away, having gained no insight on the situation. He took up a position nearby and listened for any further clues.

He scoped out the force itself. The armor and weaponry held by the military was indeed intimidating. This troubled him a little, knowing that someday the Front would probably be facing the nasty end of those weapons. But whenever that time came, they would be ready for them with technology and magic and whatever else they could marshal. They would face the Coalition's lackeys, and they would drive them out for good.

But that time was far away. All nine members of the Front were Jon's age or younger, and would have to spend years training. But they were off to a good start. The traveler Tobias and his two friends had already agreed to teach them a few things during their stay.

Jon thought about the wanderers. Was the military here for them? He hoped they would stay out at the ruins until the army left. If not, there would be nothing the Front could do to protect them.

After observing things for half an hour, Jon still couldn't tell what they were after. They were difficult to read. Only a few of them had exposed faces. The highest-ranking one he could see was a captain. His expression was one of boredom. The officer sighed and checked his watch. He leaned against one of the transports, his eyes half-closed.

Jon turned away from him and checked on the other members of the Front. They were wary, but calm. Frederick helped his grandmother move forward in line. Tina was trying to reign in her young cousins, who were running around trying to get a closer look at the soldiers. Jon smiled. He loved their curiosity. It was for them that the Front must someday succeed. So that they might live in a society that didn't outlaw so many kinds of learning.

Jon looked over at the newcomer Nikolai, who was protectively guarding his wheel barrows of farming supplies and his sister, Sonia. They had already passed the check, their second one since arriving in the town the previous year.

Jon regretted that Sonia had shown no interest in discussing the political situation—so he had learned during his subtle, but futile attempts to start recruiting her. And he was even more disappointed when she showed no interest in him as a man. She was beautiful and tough. Jon admired the way she'd protected her younger brother on their lonely trek through the wilderness after the two were orphaned in their homeland. There was really no equal of her in the community. Jon hoped that she would change her mind eventually.

As he watched, one of the soldiers approached the siblings. Jon grew alarmed. Would this be the first sign of trouble? Was the army after the newcomers?

With as much forced casualness as possible, he meandered toward them.

"We've been spotted," Mina said to the others. "Sky cycle at five o'clock."

Royd flicked a switch on a plasma rifle. The soft whine of the weapon coming to life was a lullaby to him. Mina had already popped the sunroof for him. He said, "I'll be right back, kiddies." He shoved a helmet onto his head. He superstitiously ran his finger along the scar on his cheek, then stood up through the hatch, spitting fire.

Tobias glanced at him. "Well at least he got to have some fun today." He turned the wheel sharply to stay on the narrow road. What was left of the ancient four-lane street was only a crumbled strip about five feet wide. Foliage pressed against the sides of the truck as they sped past. There were no turn-offs apparent.

Mina said, "We don't, by any chance, have a plan, do we?"

Tobias said, "Great idea. I nominate you for the plan development committee."

"Thanks so much." Mina rolled down the window while whispering a shield spell, then stuck her head out. She saw Royd exchanging fire with the sky cycle, which was having no trouble following them. She could feel the heat coming off the scorched roof. If it hadn't been reinforced with armor, it would've been destroyed with the first shot. Still, she didn't like to think about what would happen if it took a couple more hits.

She thought hard about a plan. She knew her destructive powers were no match for the cycle's armor. But perhaps their attacker wouldn't need to be destroyed.

She surveyed the skies and summoned the magic energies that permeated the ether.

After a moment, a thunderclap resounded and a point in the air a hundred yards ahead of them suddenly blazed and split. A giant rift opened up, spewing forth an unending horde of Xiticix. The vaguely humanoid insect army made a straight line toward the sky cycle.

The pilot's full attention was on the sudden event. He seemed to quickly forget about Royd, grabbing his controls with urgency and diving in a tight swoop. A moment later, his jets fired loudly, propelling him rapidly in the opposite direction.

The Xiticix pursued him for awhile, until Mina reached the edge of her range and allowed the illusion to dissipate.

Royd sat back down and peeled off his helmet. Mina smiled at him as he quietly shut down his rifle and put it away. Finally, he leaned back as if to take a nap, but not before muttering, "Smart aleck."

Tobias drove for another couple of miles, coming to an area of hills, caves, and immense boulders. He pulled over into a secluded spot. "So," he said, rubbing his lightly bearded face. "What now? Do we go on to town or get the hell out of here?"

Mina said, "That depends on why the army is actually here."

Royd's eyebrows knitted. "Well I assumed they had come here for us."

"I don't know," Tobias said thoughtfully. "If they were looking for us, they wouldn't have sent out a lone sky cycle. Our reputation is a bit better than that."

Royd said, "I suppose that did look more like a perimeter patrol. As if they were just trying to make sure nobody left town."

Mina frowned. "You don't think they're after the Liberation Front, do you? They're just a bunch of kids. They're hardly a threat yet."

Tobias sighed. "That's never stopped the Coalition before."

"The truth is," Mina said quietly. "We just don't know why they're here."

After a moment of silence, soft breezes rustling the trees, tiny sunbeams dancing on the dented hood, they all knew what they had to do.

They were going to find out.

Nikolai steeled himself as he watched the armored soldier approach him and his sister. If there was trouble, he would be ready. His sister had the same calmness that she always possessed.

The soldier held a computer pad of some kind. He glanced at it as he reached them. His voice was tinny, apparently amplified. He said, "Sonia and Nikolai Korpanoff?"

The boy stepped forward protectively. "That's us. Why?"

"You are dismissed." He waved them off. "Gather your belongings and return home. Immediately. You have two minutes to leave." He turned and walked away.

Nikolai stood confused, until his sister pulled him by the arm. She spoke with her usual authoritativeness. "Grab that barrow. C'mon, let's go."

"But—" He complied reluctantly. "I don't get it." He didn't see anybody else being sent home. Already suspicious of anything the government did, he just knew that this was part of some malevolent plan.

With her usual practicality, Sonia said, "Just be grateful and come on." She was moving, and he heeded her instructions.

But something was very wrong.

Captain Owen Selby leaned against the transport and watched the populace of Cobdendale being herded and processed. It wouldn't be long now before the drama unfolded. Everything would go according to schedule. It always did.

Which meant that he'd have to hurry. He would only have a little time to try to put his conscience to sleep. Half a bottle should do it.

Moments later, he sealed the door to his ready room behind him and pulled a hidden flask of Scotch from his boot. He hated the taste, but it did its job.

He collapsed in a chair and tried not to think.

Owen Selby was a young man, but his face sagged. He had dark rings under his eyes, and felt tired pretty much all the time. His brown hair was dry and brittle. His uniform always a bit wrinkled.

He couldn't help feeling old, that his life was pretty much over. Eventually, he hoped, he would learn to cope with his fate, and he might not need to lean on the alcohol so much.

But not today.

He was only halfway through his intended consumption when the communicator in his collar chirped. "Captain Selby, you're needed in Tactical."

"On my way." He sighed, took a final gulp, and left.

Upon arrival in the tactical analysis room, he was greeted by an eager lieutenant, who briefed him on some encounter one of the sky cycles had had.

"Obviously, sir," said the lieutenant. "At least one of the travelers is a mage or a psionic." He pointed to a video screen. "When the pilot turned to run, he switched on his rear scanners, so he could see his pursuers. Fortunately, he was scared enough to hit the recording button accidentally."

Owen watched the screen. It was an area above a forest. A vehicle was traveling along a narrow road in the opposite direction of the sky cycle.

The lieutenant narrated. "This is where the pilot said he saw the rift open up. Then a horde of Xiticix flew out and attacked him. He estimated thousands."

Owen could clearly see that there was no such thing on the screen. The pilot, under the thrall of magic, however, would've seen the aliens there. Selby said, "Have you identified the illegals?"

"We're processing their images now." The junior officer pressed some keys on a panel, then touched the video screen. Soon, Owen was seeing a close-up of the vehicle. One armored man was standing through the sunroof firing a plasma rifle. A woman stuck her head out of the passenger side. After a few seconds, the computer enhanced the picture well enough to make out her features.

That was when Owen Selby's world turned inside-out.

The lieutenant rambled something that he couldn't hear. Owen struggled to keep his face impassive. Inside his body, his blood flow had reversed itself.

Mina.

Feeling dizzy, he had to take a deep breath and turn away.

"Is something wrong, sir?"

Owen composed himself quickly. "No. What were you saying?"

"I was wondering if you want me to redirect units to that area."

Owen thought for a moment. He wasn't sure what to do. He needed time to think. "Yes. See to it. But, um—"

"Yes, sir?"

He spoke with as much confidence as he could. "I'm suspending the Immediate Kill List. I want them all captured alive."

The lieutenant looked confused for a moment, then hurriedly nodded. "Yes, sir. I'll get right on it."

"Good. I'll be in my ready room." Selby left, focusing on walking calmly. He couldn't believe this unexpected turn of events. Fate was finally offering him a chance.

A single chance to undo the mistakes of the past.

A single chance for redemption.

Jon sat brooding on the dull, yellowed grass that spring had yet to revive.

Different parts of his psyche battled for dominance. The part of him that believed in the innate good of people wrestled with the part that knew the twisted evil of the enemy.

On seeing the soldier approach Nikolai and Sonia, Jon had moved toward them to offer whatever help they might need. But before he'd reached them, the soldier had finished and departed.

That was when things turned strange. Jon had watched as Nikolai and Sonia picked up their supplies and left the square, apparently headed home. But why would the army send them away? Why wouldn't they be included in whatever the army was about to do?

Jon pondered this question hard, but only one answer made sense.

And his heart grew black to consider it.

Owen Selby studied the Coalition officer in the mirror. He could not see the regret. Or the bitterness. Or the desperation.

He could not see the treachery, and the plans that were forming. Nor the glimmer of hope that had been awakened by the presence of Mina.

With luck and caution, no one else would see it either.

He secured his hat in place and left to carry out his duty. But the new hope had made this duty even more sour. Yesterday, this would have been just another unfortunate chore. Today, knowing that she was near, that she would probably know of it . . . it contained the potential for an awful tragedy. It could very possibly destroy his last hope for escape.

But he had to do it. He could only pray that she would understand.

He silently cursed Colonel Hodges, the commander of this mission, on whose shoulders this task was supposed to fall. But the colonel wasn't good at public speaking. He tended to sweat and stutter, ruining the effect of omnipotence the Coalition liked to project. So Selby, as second in command, was required to perform the duty. Everyone considered it a lucky honor—except Owen.

He stepped out of the vehicle. The breeze seemed to disappear. A loudspeaker sounded a simulated bugle's call-to-attention. The eyes of the townspeople turned to him.

Owen activated the communicator in his collar and cleared his throat. He read from a pad, his voice amplified across the park.

"The following citizens will stand." He read the names of the eight members of the rebel group. They slowly rose. "You are hereby accused of sedition and conspiracy to treason, in the formation and meetings of the so-called Cobdendale Liberation Front. How do you plead?"

They looked at each other. One, a brown-skinned young man with curly hair, took a step forward, several soldiers tensing. The man gazed at Selby, at the silent colonel who stood nearby, then at the townspeople, who watched him anxiously.

The rebel leader's rapid words addressed the people. "What kind of government outlaws the honest discussions of its citizens?"

One armored soldier strode toward him.

"A corrupt and oppressive one!" Jon stood his ground. "They are more concerned with power and control than on protecting you. They—"

A backhanded blow knocked Jon several yards away to land hard. As he recovered himself, the guard stepped over and picked him up by the throat and carried the gasping man over to Captain Selby.

Owen forced himself to continue. "It shall be recorded that the accused has admitted his guilt and implicated his accomplices. The penalty for these crimes is death. All the accused persons will step forward."

The remaining seven—frightened, some with heads bowed, some with tears streaming— moved with great deliberation toward the front. Wails could be heard from some of the townspeople.

The eight were formed up in a line. An equal number of fully-armored soldiers took their places opposite them, each carrying a low-damage ballistic rifle. These specially-made weapons were useless for actual modern combat, but were perfect for executions, when one wanted intact corpses.

Owen Selby barked the orders to carry out the Emperor's sentence.

Sweating and out of breath, three figures raced over a hillock and took cover behind the flour mill. Royd unclipped a pair of binoculars and leaned around a corner.

"Well?" Tobias asked impatiently.

"Lotta bad guys," Royd answered. "Uh-oh. They've got the Liberation Front. And those are . . . execution rifles."

"We've got to do something," Mina urged.

"Like what?" Tobias said.

"Same thing we always do." She peered around the wall. "Make trouble."

Owen's command to fire was interrupted by an earth-shearing thunderclap. Then a cloud of smoke seemed to erupt from nowhere, engulfing the prisoners and their executioners.

A smile of relief spread across the officer's face. He looked around for Mina, but didn't see her.

The prisoners dove for cover and scattered. Despite that, Owen would have to move quickly to keep them from getting shot. He yelled for the soldiers' attention and ordered them to search for the magic-user at the other end of the park. "And remember," he added. "I want them alive!"

Something exploded nearby. Owen grabbed three infantrymen and told them to take the colonel inside, further lowering the number of troops available to chase the prisoners.

Then he ran off to secure a weapon and armor for himself. Somehow, he would find Mina.

And everything would be all right.

Bill Turner had never seen such chaos. He stood frozen in a crowd of townspeople, watching it unfold. One moment, eight kids were about to get shot for some kind of treason; then, after an enormous thunderclap, soldiers were scattering, while a thick cloud of dark, odorless smoke spread across the park.

Then he realized that several soldiers were shouting at the crowd of townspeople. They were ordered to lie down on the ground. His wife was grabbing his hand and pulling him closer. He looked up to see the widow Green kneeling slowly. Her arthritis must've been making it difficult to move. An armored soldier helped her by shoving her to the ground.

Bill Turner put his cheek to the moist grass and squeezed his wife's hand.

There was nothing he could do.