A Creature of War, Book 4, CH14 (Patreon)

They stood in the large lobby of the mall as DCH, Sydney and half a dozen soldiers escorted a little under two dozen humans through a crowd that was becoming agitated. New arrivals were barely more than ambulatory skeletons in thick blankets, but that didn’t do anything to engender pity from the watchers.
There had already been anger over what Vee had done to William, which the Bull had ignored, and now it was being redirected to people who couldn’t defend themselves.
“Enough!” Vee’s voice carried over the crowd.
“What the hell is this?” someone asked in the growing silence. El found the man, tall, tanned skin, dark hair and wearing a shirt and jeans that had seen better days.
“These are people who need our help,” Vee answered.
“What help?” the man replied. “We barely have enough to help ourselves, let alone a bunch of social rejects.”
Murmurs of agreement broke the quiet as people in the crowd became agitated again. A lot more of them than El had expected.
“Enough!” Vee didn’t get silence this time, but enough people quieted he didn’t have to yell to continue. “These are your people, left in the cold by your governor.” Vee pointed at the group. “Look at them. They’re on the verge of death. It is our duty to help them. To help any of those abandoned by your previous leader.”
“Yeah?” the man asked. “And what if we don’t want to help them? I did a lot for this place. I helped build at least half the rooms. What if I don’t want my work to go to those people?”
“Then leave.” Vee looked over the crowd. “I will not have anyone who is willing to turn their back on those in need.” The announcement did nothing to calm the crowd. “We are a community. The only way we will all survive is if we band together. That means helping those who can’t help themselves.”
“What about food?” a woman asked. “I happen to know the reserve aren’t infinite. How are we going to feel them?”
“We’re going to have to make sacrifices, there’s no helping that, but it’s for the greater good.”
“No!” An older man pushed his way to the front of the crowd. Unlike many of those around him, he looked well fed. His face even had some extra fat to it. He wore a well-pressed suit that looked a little large on his frame, as if he’d lost a few kilos, but nothing compared to those around him.
He puffed his chest. “I didn’t hand my wealth over to William so I’d have to suffer for those kinds of people. I say they’re going back outside.”
Those close to him too a step away as Vee walked to the man. “You say?” the bull smiled. “I’m sorry, but who gave you the impression you have a say in what is happening?”
“The Governor listens to me. I’m an important man.”
“Maybe you haven’t heard, but the governor is dead, executed for the crime of dereliction of duty by leaving his charges in the cold to die.”
“I heard how you murdered him. You think that gives you the right to govern us? You’re nothing more than a machine made to serve us. Now stand aside and let one of your better take charge.”
Vee’s only reaction was to raise an eyebrow. “I was made to protect people. Not you,” he poked the man hard enough to force him back among the crowd, “but all of them. My job is to make sure that as many of you survive the winter. It won’t be easy. I’m not going to lie, but I can promise that I will not put one person above the others just because he thinks he deserves it.”
Vee went back next to El. “Sydney, DCH, take them to the hospital. I’ll see to them once I’ve dealt with this.”
The group made their way through the crowd. Once they were gone Vee addressed them again. “The first thing that we’ll have to do is ration the food. Like one of you said, it’s a limited resource. Children and pregnant women will be at the top of the list, below them will be guards, after that workers. Anyone else will be below them.”
“What does that mean?” the fat man asked.
Vee fixed his gaze on him. “It means that those at the top of the list will get the better food. If we need to tighten the rations for some reason, they will be the last to feel it. If you feel that putting children and pregnant women ahead of everyone else is wrong, then get out of my city right now.”
This announcement got approval from the crows.
The man snorted. “What about you? I didn’t hear where you fit in this list. Let me guess, at the top? Above the children? Never to suffer like the rest of us?”
“If you think that, you don’t belong in my city.” He raised his voice. “Those making the decisions are at the level of workers. This is going to ensure we’re motivated to improve things,” he smiled at the man. “Instead of sitting around with your thumb up your ass.”
More approval from the crowd which clearly displeased the fat man. With a huff he turned and vanished among the other people.
Vee answered a few more questions, then left the crowd to go see to the new arrivals. El felt around to ensure there was no one who could listen in.
“That man is going to be trouble.”
Vee chuckled. “He’s just pissed because I’m upsetting his perfect little world. He probably had a preferential arrangement with William, and he doesn’t like that now he’s going to have to suffer like the rest of us.”
“I think you’re underestimating him.”
Vee put an arm over El’s shoulder and pulled him against him. “He’s a civilian. He hasn’t had to suffer a day in his life. It’s normal that he’s upset, but he’s going to come around when he sees that everyone is in the same position.”
“I’ll hope for that, but I’m going to keep an eye on him, anyway.”
“Sure. Maybe you should form some sort of internal police. I don’t think William had anything like that.”
El didn’t want that. He didn’t want to be in charge of anything right now, but he thought about the unrest in the crowd. Maybe he didn’t have to be in charge. He could put DCH in charge and just supervise. “Why not?” he leaned into Vee. “It’s going to give me something to do when you’re too busy to take care of my other needs.”
* * * * *
The men and women seated at the table looked at their plates. Like El’s it contained only three strips of dried meat, some cheese and sickly looking vegetables.
“What is this?” one of the women asked in disgust. “I didn’t come to this meeting to eat worse than I’ve been eating these last few days.”
Vee didn’t look up from the stack of paper he was reading. El had his own stack of papers, a list of anyone who’d kept current with their combat training, but he wasn’t looking forward to reading it. Reading wasn’t something he’d had to do much of over the last few decades. Where had they even found paper and instruments to write with?
“It’s what’s required for you to survive.” Vee put the papers down. “I wanted to be careful until I knew what our reserves are like. According to this report you’ll be able to eat better at tomorrow’s meeting.” The bull nodded to an older man dressed in faded, but colorful clothing. “I appreciate you being prompt with this.”
The man bowed his head. “It was my pleasure, sir. After all, I too want to start eating better.”
“I understand, but don’t expect to go back to the lavish meals you had before. We’re all only workers now.”
“Oh,” the same man replied. “I understand, after all, the good of the community is what is important.”
“Exactly.” Vee smiled. “I’m glad you understand. I was worried that—”
“Don’t trust those.” The man who spoke was seated on the opposite side of the table from the man who’d spoken. He had black hair and beard with gray at the temple. His face was controlled, but there was anger in his eyes.
“Malcolm,” the colorful man said nervously.
“Sod off Fred.” Malcolm looked at Vee. “Those reports he gave you aren’t accurate. The Governor wasn’t someone who liked bad news, so Fred got in the habit of padding his reports.”
Vee looked at Fred. “Is this true?”
Fred tried to force a smile. “To be fair, William could get rather harsh when you disappointed him.”
“I’m not him.”
“True, true, but you did kill him.” Another forced smile. “It does set a precedent.”
“I killed him,” Vee’s voice was cold, “because he left people to die. I will be harsh toward anyone who won’t do the job they’ve taken on. Is that clear?”
“I see,” Fred said as the others nodded. “In that case I’ll make sure you get—”
“Don’t bother. If you can’t do your job properly from the start, I’m not interested in having you do it at all. Enjoy this meal because it’s the last one you’ll have at this table.”
Fred stammered protests, but Vee’s glare silenced him. “You, Malcolm, right?” the man nodded. “How much food do we actually have?”
“I don’t know. I just know it isn’t as much as those reports say.”
“You’re in charge of the construction, right?”
“Yes, sir. I supervise the new rooms being built.”
“Can they function without you for a few days?”
“Sure, the plans are already done. Unless something goes wrong, the foremen can deal with what needs to be done.”
“Good. I want you to provide me with an accurate count on the food we have. I’m not going to rush you, but sooner would be better.”
Malcolm nodded.
“I can help,” Fred offered.
“No, you can’t,” Vee stated.
“Then what am I going to do? Malcolm, you—”
“Stop begging Fred,” Malcolm cut him off, “it’s undignified. If you need to feel useful, I can use more builders.”
Fred’s horrified expression said what he thought of that. “Surely there’s something else I can to help.”
“You like eating?” Vee mused.
“Of course.”
“Then I suggest the guards. You can’t get pregnant, so that’s the best you can expect when it comes to food.”
“But, but that’s outside, where it’s cold. I’ll freeze to death.”
“You have your options. Make up your mind and don’t bother me about it.” He nodded to a woman. “Elizabeth, what’s the status of the nurseries?”
“The three we have are filled, but I’d like to see about setting up more of them. With your announcement that pregnant women will get better food, we’ll have a boom in birth. Also it’s one of the few places where the elderly can do meaningful work.”
Vee nodded and then the conversation turned to the hospital, how many of the new arrivals from one of the other group of people the Governor had left outside to die hadn’t survived the night, and the rest of the reports, intermingled with complaints about how little food they had to eat.
* * * * *
There was a knock at El’s door. “Come in,” he said, putting down the paper. His eyes hurt. He couldn’t remember reading ever being this difficult, but then he’d never had to read by candlelight, or paper. Even the maps had been digital and on a screen that provided its own light.
DCH entered. “Sir, I have a situation I need your help with.”
El raised an eyebrow. He’d given the rabbit the job of running the new police force. Officially El was in charge, but all he planned on doing was reading the reports and provide advice. He didn’t want to make any of the decisions that would affect people’s lives.
He followed DCH to the room that had been set up as the police headquarter. Another of the bedrooms William had set aside for representatives from the other cities.
A badger and six Anthros waited in the middle of the room. The bed had been removed to make space for two extra desks. Only the nine of them were in the room.
Alicia and her unit weren’t armed. They hadn’t been demoted to civilians, they needed soldiers to man the wall, but these seven had been stripped of the right to carry weapons inside the mall.
“She wants to join the police force.”
El looked at the rabbit, then the badger. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No, Sir,” she answered.
“You left civilians to die,” El stated. “You put aside your duties for what? A more comfortable room? Better food? You raised your sword against Vee. How could we ever trust you with any weapons?”
“I followed the orders I was given. It isn’t an excuse, Sir,” she continued before El could comment on that. “Just a fact. I’m not a Specialist, Sir. I’m not even Support class. I’m just infantry. We never lead, we follow. We lost our leaders on the way here. Sir, I don’t know why I ended up in charge of my unit, but I did. I did the best I knew how, and when we got here, the Governor gave us structure again. I should have questioned his orders, I see that now. I see that’s part of what a leader needs to do, but I didn’t know then. This isn’t an apology, Sir. I did the best I knew how. I will not apologize for that.”
What she said made sense. As a Specialist he was always at the forefront of the fighting, so people followed him. He’d received some leadership training, but mostly he learned because he spent so much time in the company of officers, watching how they did things, watching them argue orders with their superior officers.
He tried to remember if he’d ever seen an Infantry soldier given a leadership position. He couldn’t. Like her, some had fallen into that role when everyone else about them had died in battle, but to the moment they were back among others, they went back to taking orders.
Still, was that enough? Would she follow these orders? Or was she still loyal to the Governor?
“DCH, tell me there’s an Empath somewhere in here.” He couldn’t hope for a telepath, that was Specialist level power, and other than Peek, he hadn’t heard of one among the other Specialist at the Freak Lab. There were stories of them in other countries, but he hadn’t encountered any.
“Not that I know of, sir.”
Empathy was a Support class ability. Based on amplified senses. There hadn’t been many of them, there weren’t many occasions where an Anthro could be in the presence of humans in positions of power, but that hadn’t stopped the scientist from experimenting, and the brass from trying to make use of them. Just like cold-blooded reptiles as scouts.
“There aren’t any,” Alicia said. “There was one as part of a unit that got here a few weeks after we did, but he died.”
“Died how?”
“A construction accident.” She paused, frowned. “At least that’s what we were told.”
“Okay, and now?”
She looked at him, uncertain.
“Tell me what you think, now that you know more about what you got wrong.”
“I—” she closed her mouth and eyes. El gave her time. Vee might be able to approximate an Empath, he could sense vital functions. He’d have to ask. But El couldn’t. He hoped that listening to her reasoning would give her a clue as to where she stood.
“I don’t think he ever met the Governor. He usually met with all the new arrivals, but the skunk was clearly an Empath. I remember him losing his shit along with the people around him. He was so close to the end of his rope he had no control anymore. I don’t remember the Governor actively ignoring him and the people he arrived with, but it’s the only time I can recall where he didn’t make time for them.”
She looked at her feet. “He wouldn’t want him anywhere close in case he could pick up on his ulterior motives. He couldn’t kick him out, so an accident would be the easiest way to remove him. If it was even an accident. As you heard, Sir, there are people here who don’t think too highly of us. It would have been easy to arrange for the skunk to be put with a group of builders who don’t like Anthros. They could have killed him and claimed there was an accident. Even if we have anyone to investigate, I doubt they would have bothered. We had more pressing things to deal with.”
El nodded. The reasoning made sense, but it didn’t help him figure out where she stood. He turned to DCH. “What’s your opinion?”
The rabbit looked at him with a lost expression.
“Sir?” Alicia said. “I can be an asset to you. I know the people here.”
“I know you do,” El said, “that’s part of the problem. Can you see that?”
She began shaking her head, then stopped. “You’re worried that I still have loyalties to the Governor and the people who are still loyal to him.”
“Am I being unreasonable?”
She shoulder slumped. “No, Sir.”
“Alicia,” DCH said, “Do you know who those people are?”
“Not all of them. I wasn’t part of the Governor’s inner circle.” She thought about something. “He didn’t have any Anthros that close to him.”
“Sir,” DCH addressed El, “If she can identify even a few of them, we might be able to prevent upcoming troubles. And, to be honest, We can use more people inside. We can barely handle the disturbances that have been happening since Vee took over. I don’t think it’s going to get any better.”
El nodded. “You understand that I’m not going to arm you.”
“Yes, Sir.” Life had come back to her, and while the six others looked worried at going about unarmed, she seemed willing to jump off the wall to prove herself.
“Pair each of them with someone you trust implicitly. One from our unit ideally.”
“Yes, Sir.” DCH answered.
“Thank you, Sir.” Alicia said. “We won’t let you down.”
El nodded and hoped she was telling the truth.