Guns of the Temple (The Polaris Chronicles Book 1) (5 page)

“You made well of yourselves during that little spat in the Caliphate. But while you sailed back here, we finally declared on the Argeads. The first strike in the campaign will be at their citadel, Vergina, at the northern border. It’s a taxation point more than anything else, but well-guarded and a visible show of strength for the Dominion. Take it for the glory of the Imperium.”

“Yes, Milord, but I am afraid our company lacks for numbers.”

“Which is why I will accompany you, along with a legion of janissaries. After our triumph, Alfa’s future will be assured, and you will never lack for eager men and women willing to die under the banner.”

“
Ba’gshnar
, I’m so happy! You’ll finally see us on the battlefield.” Lucatiel said.

“We will carry out our duty to the fullest extent of our abilities,” Aslatiel said with a note of finality.

Chronicler gave them a sideways look, deepening the lines of his already craggy features. “Then why do you still tarry here? Go forth and kill.”

In grudging acknowledgment of their upcoming battle and probable agonizing deaths in the service of the Dominion, the most unfortunate squad in the Cloud Temple was free from the kitchens for a day. To celebrate, Lotte permitted them to sleep late in their quarters as long as everyone made muster by the end of morning watch. Having been so used to getting up by the end of middle watch, however, no one found themselves able to sleep for that long. Before the sun could crest the horizon, the ready room was a bustle of groggy activity born out of habit.

Temple barracks were a squalid affair, with the most common arrangement a communal living space ringed by sleeping cells and a small powder room with latrine. The spaces were cramped and there was no way to change, bathe, or eliminate in privacy. There had been concerns in the past about the behavior this would incite in squadrons of young men and women, but reality was different. There was only so much living together that one could tolerate before temptresses and bravos became unpalatable to each other.

Taki sat at the ancient wooden spool table in the center of the ready room, nibbling on the end of his quill while jotting down and appending notes on a ledger. To his displeasure, he noted that the nib was starting to curl, which would soon render it useless. He would have to get another soon, and even the lowest-grade nibs carved from plastic were overpriced.
The most plentiful remains of the Golden Age of Man, and they’re really just the droppings,
Taki thought to himself. Plastic had neither the strength of metal nor the density of wood, and was mostly unsuitable for use in crafting. However, its one redeeming quality was that it could be found nearly everywhere, and often in great quantities.

Next to Taki, Draco carefully trimmed back stubble with a greased stiletto stropped to a razor’s edge. In his free hand was a much higher-grade relic: a small circle of flawlessly reflective mirror. Taki wondered who Draco had killed to acquire such a piece, but quickly chastised himself for covetousness. When Draco wasn’t speaking, it was easy to mistake the senior corporal for some sort of mythic prince with his flowing gold hair, high cheekbones, virile jaw, and broad shoulders. Taki, on the other hand, could never manage so much as a credible mustache let alone an authentic combat beard. Before his envy could crest further, the boy caught sight of the manacles still around Draco’s ankles and decided he was probably better off overall.

“Already working on that, Natalis? How diligent you are!” Lotte said, peering over his shoulder while she cleaned her teeth with a pick and cloth. Taki turned to reply, only to blush and shrink when he realized she wore nothing but her smallclothes. She raised an eyebrow in confusion but quickly realized the reason for his consternation. “Ah, I’ve forgotten how cloistered the academy was,” she said, and withdrew to finish her morning toilet.

“Still embarrassed by boobs?” Draco asked with surprising compassion. “No worries, it’s natural when you’re so fresh out of that monastery. But I promise you’ll grow jaded at the sight of those two. Now,
my
perfect, chiseled body on the other hand...”

“No one wants to see
you
in the buff,” Hadassah said, plopping down at the table. Draco snorted. Taki remained uncomfortably quiet, trying to concentrate on the ledger. Miffed that he paid no attention to her, Hadassah’s lips curled into a devilish smirk. “Hey, Newboy, you want me to make the captain have an ‘accident’? So you can see what you wanna see?”

“Don’t bully him.” Draco flicked her ear.

“Ow! Shithead.”

“An accident? Oh my, it simply wouldn’t do to have a cute girl like you dunked in the
latrine
!” Lotte said as she returned fully dressed. Hadassah vehemently shook her head in protest of her innocence. “Well, Natalis, what do our stores look like? I haven’t seen our books for months.”

Taki sighed, glad the subject had shifted back to work. He decided not to ask her why she had abandoned all responsibility of the squad’s finances. Perhaps, he mused, that was the real reason the major had been so keen to recruit him. He had learned to read, write, and factor before entering the academy, making him a rarity among the mostly unlettered lower ranks. Hence, he was the unit’s purser from now until his death.

“Since the squad hasn’t been active for the last year, we have a goodly amount. Sixty rounds of old Nayto, thirty-five Sovietskij Rimmed, eighty-five Luger, and fifty Murrikanian ACP, all virgin pre-war surplus. There’s an abundance of common dirty rounds for our use as well. We also have around a kilogram of loose powder and three kilograms of minie ball of various sizes,” he recited.

“That’s a lot of ammo,” Draco said, greed glinting in his eyes.

“Yeah, we could buy the exarch’s tower with that. Or eat bacon every day forever!” Hadassah said.

“I thought you were a Jewess.”

“I told you before, I don’t do the whole
kashrut
thing.”

Draco shot her a dirty look.

“I’m obligated by the Hoplite’s Code to remind everyone that the less we shoot, the more we end up getting back in our pay,” Lotte said. Inhabitants of the Temple had a few privileges that levy troops of Dominion nobility did not. “Of course, I expect you to shoot as much as necessary to accomplish your mission. Anyone holding their fire just because you want to hoard is going to catch a beating.”

“Emreis, your pistol uses black powder, so I’m giving you a hundred grams and thirty-six balls for this,” Taki said, marking down ammunition assignments for the group. “Captain, you will get your standard combat load of twenty-eight Murrikanians. Mikkelsen, you get twenty rounds for your Nagant and sixteen Luger for your pistol. Finally, I will take thirty rounds of old Nayto.”

“Make sure my rounds are flat-nosed for use on infidels,” Hadassah said.

Lotte ignored her. “Make sure you control your trigger finger, Natalis. Old Nayto is expensive, and you’re only being allowed to fire it because your gun uses naught else.”

“I will, Captain. I can throw wind and fire instead, and if nothing else I can handle a sword,” Taki said. Like any Cloud Temple initiate, he had been compelled to prove proficiency with sword, pike, and crossbow before being awarded expensive and dangerous training with firearms.

“And remember, everyone, we’re not the sole company responsible for guarding the fort. It has its own men at arms, and the river overlook is constantly patrolled by carronade barges. We’re merely there to shore up defense in case the regulars are overwhelmed. Plus, we have the major.”

“I don’t know if that’s a plus,” Draco said. He lamented that he could not spit in their quarters.

“I’m surprised I didn’t have to account for any ammunition for her,” Taki said. “Actually, come to think of it, she doesn’t really use a firelock in general, does she? Does she have any weapons?”

“Have you seen her fight? She doesn’t need to use any ammo,” Hadassah said, shaking her finger at him. “If you haven’t seen what the major can do with lightning, you’re missing out. No one else can do that, not even the exarch.”

“Dassa’s not japing with you for once, Natalis,” Draco said. “If you see the major get annoyed, you’d best run in the opposite direction.”

“I’d prefer
not
to see her do that ever again,” Lotte said, shaking her head.

“Indeed,” Draco sighed. “I’d rather face a horde of rapey landsknecht.”

“Like the ones that tried to jump the major as she was taking a shit,” Hadassah said.

“Mikkelsen, you’re talking about our flag officer here,” Lotte warned.

Hadassah blinked in feigned innocence. “But Captain, I’m pretty sure she has an asshole, and possibly lady-parts.”

Lotte replied by sharply rapping the girl’s head with her knuckles.

“Sorry, I don’t follow any of you,” Taki said. “What did the major do to those Ursalans?”

“Okay, ever seen a guy just...go
plorp
?” Hadassah said excitedly, miming an explosion with her hands.

“What?”

“I had this Kingdom asshole lined up in my sights, and all of a sudden,
zap!
Pink mist, smell of burnt leather everywhere. It was awesome as hell! Anyway, the old hag’s a pain, but she’ll kill everything that moves. Including you, Newboy.”

Taki raised an eyebrow and decided to abandon further inquiry.

“Captain, we’re going to be facing something more than the usual Imperial harassment unit, though. Didn’t the major talk about them using spetsnaz?” asked Draco.

“She did,” Lotte said. “And they are a formidable enemy, too. They’ve got stronger armor, harder steel, more guns, and better bullets than we ever will. But we have the backing of righteousness in our actions. The Imperium is overreaching, and they will realize that once we reach in and pull out their entrails. Still, though, all of you be cautious…and don’t hoard all of your
good
bullets,” she said, patting Hadassah’s knee.

“Let’s get to the shrine and get our ammo, then. I haven’t had a chance to hold my iron lady in a while. This’ll be fun,” Draco said. Jauntily, he pushed the door of the ready room open and stepped into the cloudbank outside just as the first rays of sunlight pierced the horizon.

Taki’s pupils constricted too late as a stray sunbeam hit his face and turned his world searing white. The same thing had happened to him years ago, right after he had crossed the threshold of the Cloud Temple for the first time in his life.

The men who had retrieved him from the orphanage had called themselves “polaris,” and had told young Taki that he would also become one if he survived the trials ahead. Though the Temple was far away it was always watching out for children like him, who had caused the ruinous events known as the Gotterdammerung, or more colloquially, the Fall. It was the Fall that was responsible for every malady of the present day, where scores fell to the sword or starved to death in the uncaring shadows of ancient, crumbling skyscrapers. The knowledge and progress of the old world had been mostly forgotten, except this time everyone knew who was to blame.

Taki’s ancestors had racked up such a burden of sin that even eight centuries later, he was hellbound the moment he’d exited the womb. His only chance to escape eternal damnation was to serve the basileus of the Dominion as a soldier, and never leave the Temple without the permission of a lord of the realm. When Taki had asked the men how he had been noticed, they had been surprisingly honest. The presbyter had noticed the boy’s propensity to set fires without the aid of flint and steel. Taki was lucky, they had said. A more ignorant guardian might have had him drowned.

After making their way on horseback for what seemed like countless leagues, the two escorts and their unwitting charge had joined a larger group of children and chaperones. Some had worn manacles, while others had seemed to journey of their own volition. A few of the youngsters had died on the ensuing march and the subsequent hike up a frozen mountain road, but Taki had survived to stand before the gates. He had stared mutely up at the high concrete walls emblazoned with dire warnings against unlawful transit, and had realized there was no going back to life as a human. Still, he had reflexively taken a look behind him, just to make sure.

And the sun chastened me for doing so,
Taki reflected as he rubbed his eyes to drive out the floating purple afterimages clouding his vision.
But I’m about to go on a mission, so why am I being punished now? This had better not be an omen.

Draco whistled as he jogged down ancient stone steps and through claustrophobic alleyways and thin overpasses with his companions in tow. The Cloud Temple had little space to spread laterally and so expanded vertically for the most part. No one was quite sure how old the fortress was. Everything seemed to have been built atop something else which was built atop ruins which were built on yet more ruins. Alleyways led to nowhere and staircases could simply stop in midair to drop an unfortunate into a hell of nonsensical geometry. Rails and pipes haphazardly jutted throughout, useless as handholds but always a threat to unwary heads. It was rumored that the chaos was deliberate. Another form of training. Eventually, the squad reached the pockmarked armory shrine in the center of the complex.