Chapter 3
Anny poured the chilly water over herself with one hand, while scrubbing with her other hand and hoping she was getting all of the soap off of her. The last of the water dribbled out of the plastic jug and she dropped it and grabbed a towel, spluttering and shivering hard. The weather was turning colder and her 'quarters' had no heat, aside from a tiny fireplace.
The plumbing didn't work, either.
She had been here for two weeks and submitted numerous requests for maintenance, but so far nothing had happened. She was obliged to haul water from the nearest source, about 500 meters away, and make do. Although the toilet didn't work, at least the drain in the bathtub was functioning—so far. Some days she had the time and energy to heat up her bath water over the fire, but not today. Separate but equal—yeah, right. She dried herself with the towel and pulled on her uniform. There was no electricity in the cottage, either, but Sergeant Major Szytko had provided a few field lanterns. Making sure she had everything she needed, she turned off the lanterns and went outside. It was well before dawn, but a brilliant glow from the floodlights surrounding the parade ground gave enough light for her to follow the path through the woods.
"Halt! Who goes there!"
She stopped and sighed. Two figures were silhouetted against the light at the end of the path. They both had rifles with fixed bayonets. "It's just me, sentry: Cadet Payne." Who else would it be? I'm the one you are here to guard, remember?
"Advanced and be recognized!" She stepped forward until she was two meters from the figures and halted. A hand light switched on and she squinted as the beam was played across her face. "Present your ID and pass!" She had both items near at hand and passed them over to the sentry with the light. He took them and shined the light on them and then back on her and then on documents again.
"This pass is dated yesterday. It's no longer valid." Oh great, they're going to play their little game.
"It was issued by the Provost yesterday. It's valid until I can get another one today."
"It doesn't say that here. I'll have to check." He clicked on his wrist com and spoke into it. "Corporal of the Guard? Post 10. We have a situation here." He looked at Anny and even in the dark she could see the grin on his face. She said nothing and just went to parade rest and waited. After about five minutes another cadet with corporal's chevrons arrived but, as she had expected, he wasn't willing to accept her pass either. The Sergeant of the Guard was summoned and he showed up after a ten minute wait. He looked over her ID and the pass and checked his chrono several times. Finally, he handed the items back to her and said she could go—just as reveille sounded over the loudspeakers. She instantly broke into a run and sprinted for the parade ground.
They were getting the timing down perfectly. The first time they did this they had actually caused her to be late for formation, but they had forgotten that their communications were recorded and when she was able to prove that the sentries had tied her up for nearly thirty minutes on a simple check of ID and pass, they had gotten the chewing out and punishment duty and not her. After that, they carefully left her just enough time to get to formation—if she ran and if she got up a half hour early to be ready. They're trying to drive me out.
Anny wasn't exactly sure who They were, but the incidents seemed too persistent and involved far too many people to just be the routine hazing of a new plebe—even a female plebe. But the big question was where did this originate? If it was just something the upper classes had come up with (the freshman class wasn't well enough organized yet to be behind it) then she could probably handle this. If nothing else, they would get bored with it after a while if she refused to let them get to her. But what if it came from higher up? If the Academy staff were involved, maybe even the Commandant, himself, then what could she do?
She reached the parade ground just in time to fall into ranks with her company and not quite be the last one there. Sergeant Byrne glanced at her but said nothing. Byrne and Szytko had both been fair with her so far, so she wasn't sure where they stood in all this. In fact, everyone had been fair if your definition of fair was that it fall within the letter of the regulations. They weren't going to give her any grounds for an official complaint—and that alone was enough to make her suspect a conspiracy from higher up: mere bullies wouldn't be this careful.
Sergeant Byrne called off the role and everyone was there. After he'd reported this to the battalion adjutant, C Company, and the others, took intervals to give them room for the morning PT. All of them took off their tunics and trousers and left them folded on the dewy grass. Everyone had on their PT gear underneath, just as she had the first day. This was followed by a brisk hour of calisthenics that left them dripping hot despite the chilly morning. Then came the order to get back into their fatigues…
Her tunic was gone.
She'd left it piled with her trousers, right behind her during the exercises. But now it was gone. She looked around, but she didn't see it and none of the cadets seemed to have it. None of them would meet her eyes, but some appeared to be smiling. Great, now what do I do? There was nothing she could do but fall in with the company. Naturally, she was in the front rank, right under Sergeant Byrnes' nose. He noticed instantly.
"You're out of uniform, cadet."
"Yes, sir."
"Where's your tunic?"
"I don't know, sir."
Byrne looked distinctly displeased. The sun was just peeking over the rim of the world and it cast horizontal shadows across the parade ground. The other companies were being sent to breakfast, but Byrne called C Company to attention and walked up and down the line. He returned to the center of the formation and glared. "Has anyone here seen Cadet Payne's tunic?" Silence. "She was wearing it when she arrived. It did not walk off on its own and it did not blow away. Theft is a dismissible offence at the Academy. Now, I'll ask again: has anyone seen Cadet Payne's tunic?" Silence, but a very uncomfortable silence now. Byrne's glare grew darker. "Very well, we shall search for it. Break ranks and sweep the area. Move!"
The company spread out and slowly moved across the parade ground. A black tunic on the closely-mowed grass would have stuck out like an anti-flare in the morning sunshine, but there was nothing to be seen. They reached the edge of the field and in short order her tunic was located in a trash receptacle next to the bleachers that were used by visiting dignitaries. It was returned to her and she quickly put it on. Byrne called them back into ranks. His glare had achieved new levels of darkness.
"There is a thief in the company," he said. His voice was pitched low, but somehow that was more menacing than if he's been shouting. "Quite probably several thieves since I saw no one break formation during PT. Now, we could find the thieves. They probably left DNA evidence on Cadet Payne's tunic. If necessary, we could call in the JAG people and fast-penta the lot of you." Anny sensed cadets shifting uneasily all around her. "But I'm not going to waste their time on a batch of sneak-thieves. Whoever you are, you have dishonored this company. And since you refuse to come forward, the whole company will have to pay along with you. Company! Right—face! Forward—march! Double time—march!" He led them off at a brisk trot, past the barracks, past the mess hall and onto a road that went into the huge training area that bordered the Academy. On and on…
And on.
By noon cadets were starting to collapse and Byrne finally ordered a halt. They were in a forested area that had to have been at least thirty kilometers from where they started, maybe more. They were all exhausted and even Anny was feeling the effects of her early start and a lack of food. Her legs and feet ached and her stomach felt like an empty sack. She flopped down under a tree and closed her eyes. She had thought about taking a few ration bars with her when she left her quarters that morning, but had not. She silently vowed she'd never do that again.
"Anny!" a voice whispered to her from behind the tree.
"Jer?" she whispered back, but didn't move. It sounded like Jer Naddel, the Komarran cadet she'd met on the obstacle course.
"Anny, I saw who took your tunic."
"Well, don't tell anyone. It doesn't matter now."
"What do you mean it doesn't matter! The whole company is being punished because of them!"
"Yeah, and if you rat on them, what do you think is going to happen to you? Just forget it." Naddel didn't say anything more for quite a while. Anny hoped he would realize what a huge mistake it would be to try and turn in the perpetrators. It was extremely unlikely, despite Sergeant Byrne's dire statement, that anyone would be kicked out of the Academy over what they would insist was just a prank. Naddel would make a lot of enemies for no good purpose.
"It's not fair," whispered Naddel.
"Welcome to Barrayar."
The trip back was a nightmare. The break had allowed their muscles to stiffen and they were all in real pain from the first step. At least they were headed back—or so they hoped. By mid-afternoon some of the cadets could go no farther on their own, so those that still could were obliged to help those who could not. Anny found herself with Jer half-carrying a smaller boy who hardly looked old enough to be a cadet.
"Thanks…I think," he gasped as they hobbled along. By this time the company's formation had completely unraveled. Cadets were scattered along a kilometer of road, singly or in small groups. The pace was about that of a slow walk. Sergeant Byrne moved along the column urging them on. The scoundrel hardly even looked winded.
During another short rest break the boy they were helping pulled off his shoes. Anny winced at the blood-stained socks underneath. "Drat, I was rather afraid this was the case," muttered the boy.
"Next time wear two pairs of socks," said Anny. "It helps.
"
"Next time? Can we expect this bracing exercise frequently?"
"In all probability, yes," said Jer, looking at Anny with a pointed expression.
"Oh dear. By the way, my name is Alby. Alby V… Worth. I know you, Miss Payne, by reputation. And Mr. Naddel, I've seen you around the barracks. You might have missed seeing me, being at the short end of the line as I am." Anny would have known to put the Vor in front of Alby's surname even without his slip just from his demeanor. Still, he didn't seem as stuck-up as a lot of Vor.
They all groaned when Byrne ordered them up and back on the march. Alby had tears on his cheeks by the time he had his shoes back on, even though he didn't make a sound. It must have hurt like hell. A short while later a truck appeared on the road in front of them. It stopped and waited for the cadets to approach. Anny was interested to see Sergeant Major Szytko standing next to it.
"You've got another eight klicks back to base," he said to the group, as a whole. "Anyone who can't make it, climb aboard." A number of the cadets hobbled over and flopped into the open back.
"Alby, you should go on the truck," said Anny.
"What? I'm just starting to get my second wind! No, if you'll permit me to continue leaning on you, I think I can make it."
"All right." Silently she wished he would get on the truck. She was nearing the end of her own endurance and half-carrying Alby wasn't easy. Still, she wasn't about to say so. They aren't going to beat me! They continued past the truck. Several of the cadets inside were watching and two of them gave a curse and got back out and followed along. Szytko was watching her, too.
The last eight kilometers, which Anny normally could have covered in forty-five minutes, took three hours. It was dark by the time they stumbled and dragged themselves onto the parade ground. Of the ninety-eight members of C Company who had left that morning there were still seventy-five left in the ranks when Byrne called the roll. "I hope you have all learned something today," he said. "The company is dismissed. Break ranks-march!"
Slowly, painfully, the company dispersed. A few headed for the mess hall, but most turned towards their barracks. Anny, contemplating the kilometer back to her own quarters, nearly curled up on the grass right there.
"Thank you, Miss Payne." She looked up with a start. It was Alby. "I wouldn't have made it without your help." Anny started to smile, but then another voice snarled out from close at hand.
"Yeah, thanks a lot!" She turned and saw a cluster of cadets shuffling past. They all had looks of raw hatred on their faces. Anny just stood there and watched them pass. Alby looked on curiously.
"Whatever is the matter with that batch? They act as if you were to blame for our unfortunate day."
"I suppose I was," replied Anny glumly. "Alby, you better go to the Infirmary and have them do something for your feet. Can you make it on your own?"
"It's that building over there? Yes, I can make it. And thank you again." He turned and hobbled away.
"My pleasure," whispered Anny.
She briefly considered going to the mess hall for a proper meal, but the ration bars she had stashed in her quarters would just have to do. She slowly walked towards the woods.
"Halt! Who goes there!"
Oh, for God's sake!
The sentries halted her, demanded her ID and her pass, and then absolutely refused to let her through because she hadn't gotten a new pass from the Provost. She tried to reason with them, toyed with the idea of just killing them, but eventually, she found herself trudging to the Provost's office—which was two kilometers in the opposite direction. There was a half-hour's delay in getting the new pass since it was past normal office hours. Then two more kilometers back to the cottage. The sentries let her through without comment this time.
She flicked on one of the lanterns and dug out a ration bar and munched on the tasteless thing. As tired as she was it wouldn't have mattered if it was a Ma Kosti meal. The pain in her body slowly gave way to a kind of numbness, a numbness that eventually filled her brain along with the image of the hatred on the faces of those cadets. They can turn everyone against me. It was true. Today's incident could be repeated with an infinite number of variations. Do something to Cadet Payne and the whole company gets punished. Again and again until every cadet in C Company would be her enemy. She began to shake. What can I do?
She finished the ration bar and realized that she hadn't brought any water back with her. She was parched and filthy. Nothing to drink and no bath in the morning. She was too tired to even care. She collapsed on the bed and curled up in a ball.
She had sworn that no matter what happened she would never let them see her cry.
But no one was watching right now.