FaultyHyperdrive

  Day three iy was the most active so far. Redagga woke Jaina and I up before dawn to start getting ready. The Healer was tired and grumpy, but someone had brought glorious life giving coffee we all woke up quickly. I think the early start kind of kicked my brain bato military mode a bit because it felt unfortably normal. Aside from the far less normal experience of putting my leg on.

  But I was fine.

  That day I was introduced to another district. Sort of. A dozen miles the north of the city of Beaver Valley proper was a military fortress, or what used to be one. Now it was sidered the War Distrid rimarily used to train younger folks who wao get a bat css when they became adults. The actual military tral and for the nation had been moved to Howling Rock as it is the most easily defended regioween difficult terrain, several heavily defended cliff passes, aher patterns that make airship travel all but impossible, it was the natural choice.

  All of this was told to me by a teenage oramed Tom sitting with us as we waited for roup’s turn to use the long distance shooting range. Red took Jaina to a different range, pistols and rifles did have a bit of a reach differeer all.

  Tom was friendly, excited, and frankly kind of fun to hang out with. He kly the model and every detail of my on and expressed friendly jealousy that all he had was his dad’s old hunting rifle. But he timistic that he’d get a military css a somethier in Willow Creek’s army. Which is apparently tiny pared to the size and popution of the nation. But numbers swell during war as hunters and warriors and shaman rush to the aid of their home by the tens of thousands.

  There was only oher adult with us, a human man in his forties or so that said he was a refugee from one of the towns caught between Uvtrayl and Pitrak. He wao learn to better defend his new home now. Everyone else was a teerying to practito a bat css. Most of them were less friendly than Tom. Especially when one of them said they’d seen me going into the Encve District. Dekarru was right, people look at you funny when they find out. Well, mostly they looked like stupid horny teenagers. But there was also dession and smirks of smug superiority as they joked about primitive Path savages. Not Tom though, he just sat by me aalked about guns.

  Once we got on the rahe ot worse. At least at first. I let the others shoot a few rounds at their targets, one of the kids was quite talented. Managing four of six shots iy good grouping around the ter of the paper target with a humanoid shape in the ter. I could tell at a ghat one of them would even have hit the heart. Even thought our targets were only at a fifth maximum distance for the rawo hundred yards acc to the markers, it was impressive for a kid.

  Then I got into position and readied my rifle ahem be snide for a moment. “A, look! She actually figured out the right way to point it! Must be the smartest of them all!” Pulling my sungsses off and carefully putting them away I turo the others and offered them a wink. They were stuo silence by my eyes. Useful things these.

  I focused aied my rifle into my target, then reloaded and did it again. I stood and pulled the rope t my target close and they all just stared, wide eyed. As I pulled the target down and tur towards the others, showing of the smiley face of bullet holes, I grinned “A look! He’s happy to see me!”

  Tom and the refugee both thought that was hirious. The other kids had crappy senses of humuess. The range master however, wao see how good I really ulled out aarget that she sent to four hundred yards. I had to focus more and take time between each shot but I managed six rounds in the chest. O was at eight hundred, I didn’t eve every shot ter mass, but they all hit the target somewhere. At ohousand yards I mao hit the target twice. Though both were grazes.

  “Damn, nearing thirty?” the gruff older oran asked me as we shuffled out of the rao make room for the group. She handed her duties off to a younger human man and walked with me towards the shorter distance ranges.

  “een actually.”

  “You’re shitting me.” she narrowed her eyes.

  “Former Pitrak Military, I do have some training and a military sedary.” I knocked on my prosthetic that was mostly hidden by the pants I wore, the look having been pleted with a boot. I felt almost normal that day. “That’s how I got this thing.” I fought the grimace that came with the a and mao keep my voice upbeat.

  But I was fine.

  “That expins it, though it’s still impressive. You joining up with ours? We could use the skills. Don’t o stand a lot for the real distauff.”

  I smiled and shook my head. “I’m with Dekarru’s Encve.” and my assumption the name was well known proved correct.

  “Damn, was hoping to get another sniper for us. We have too many that want to rush in a close. Training them to use scatterguns instead of axes is w out but we still need better rao keep up with modern military equipment and tactics. Magid numbers isn’t going to keep us untouchable forever. But orc warrior tradition is drilled into too many of our youth.”

  “Well, the refugees are more likely to be ameo longer raraining. Maybe offer iives for service?”

  She lifted a brow at me “That… is not a terrible idea actually. I’ll toss it up the line, see if someone above me likes it. In the meantime, if you’re not joining up and you’re already trained, what brings you here?”

  I couldn’t help but notice the tone sounded so much like ‘you e here often?’ and smirked. “I don’t really remember the training. Amnesia, otal. I still feel the right things to do, ways to move, but I o flex those muscle memories a bit, shake the rust off, you know?”

  She bli me “That sucks.”

  “Not pletely, it brought me here after all.”

  “That is a bright side, yes.” she smiled and I saw the hint of a blush.

  “I see my friends ing nga said she wants to get us a little field training time on our way back so we’re probably heading out shortly.”

  “Any ce you’re ing back?”

  “I think it’s not super likely for me, Jaina probably needs me time but I think practical experience is more what I need.” She hid the disappoi, though not well enough for me. “Buuuut, the Encve District does accept guest visits.”

  She blushed again “I’ve um… heard some things about the district.”

  I giggled “I’ll say sent is w there, no one will touch you without your permission. You don’t have to be naked either, but you might find it more fortable to not be the only person covered.”

  “I’m not sure that I-” I reached up and ran a finger along her jaw and gave her a teasing smile and a wink.

  “Just an option. I’m Esme by the way.”

  “Uh, Qwil, I mean, Master Sergeant Ironeyes.” she corrected herself.

  Just then Red and Jaina reached us, Redagga was giving tips to the healer “… and stop being afraid of the gun. You should be more afraid of what happens if you miss.”

  “Red, Jaina, this is Qwil. I’m sorry, Master Sergeant Ironeyes.” I introduced her and smirked at the woman.

  Red perked up. “Ironeyes? Oh damn, I heard about you. Six years ued in the rifles division of the Bck Sands marksman championships. You’re one hell of a shot.” She reached out to shake the other woman’s hand.

  “That’s high praise ing frga the Wall. I’m sorry for your loss, but I thank you for what you did. My cousin wouldn’t have made it out without you.” she said, shaking Red’s hand firmly.

  Jaina and I both looked at Red questioningly. “I… I’ll tell you tonight, lets get some field training in first. You two o learn how to move through the terrain without falling in a gopher hole or something. By the way, how’d you do? Jaina could barely hit the target at ten yards. Hope you did better.”

  I pulled out one of my paper targets and showed it to her. “How’s this?”

  Red narrowed her eyes “Also pretty terrible, gotta be ho.”

  Qwil cleared her throat. “That one was at ohousand yards.” Red whistled “Your friend has the makings of a dedicated sniper, and a talented o that.”

  I grinned “Well you always e by our yurt arying to vince me to join up with you.”

  Qwil’s deep green face gained a bright red tint “I.. should get bay post. You all have a lovely day and e back if you need more practice uidance.” she bowed her head slightly and quickly walked off.

  Jaina smirked. “And I’m the slut?”

  Red patted her on the head “Yes. That was just flirting. Now lets go.”

  Outside Red had us go off of the path and deep into the brush and figure out the best way through, over, or otherwise past various natural obstacles. After a few hours, Jaina and I were both scratched, bruised, itg, and pulling thorns from our arms. It was miserable work, but at least we were actually learning. Plus Jaina got lots of practice with various restorative magics. It was… less enjoyable for me as Redagga had forbidden me from using my e and so I stumbled a lot just because of my metal leg.

  But I was fine.

  But we had done enough, the sun was starting to set, and we were hungry and tired. So Red brought us back to the wide, well maintained road between the War Distrid the city proper.

  I sighed and rubbed at my neck as we got back to the path that let me more easily walk again. It was hurting to be standing for so long. My prosthetic was also moving funny, the ankle joint was stig a bit. My frustration was starting to build and I just wao be home again with my tribe.

  Then there was a loud g noise as I took aep, and the joint failed entirely just as I pressed my weight to it. I hit the ground hard “Fuck!”

  Jaina was there in a heartbeat, rollio my bad f me to stay down as she looked me over for injuries. I was fi was just a fall. I’d had worse. She had to heal a cut up my arm from a rock but that was fine. I was fine.

  She saw the prosthetid swore “This thing was supposed to st a decade, why did the ankle fail already?” She tugged my pants leg up to unstrap it, then pulled it off to examine closer and froze. “Esme, what…”

  “It’s fine, I’m fine.” I insisted as she leao ihe nub of my leg closer.

  “Esme, you’re bleeding, what happened?” theone ged “You’re still using the old padding, Esme this has been worn through for over a week. I got you a rept, you should be using that.”

  “I fot, it’s not a big deal, I’m fine.” I was starting to say it louder, I didn’t mean to.

  “What, Esme, the joint is a mess. You haven’t ed or oiled it at all retly, have you?” I kept my eyes on the sky, I couldn’t look at her.

  “I’ll fix it whe back okay? I just fot, it’s fine.” I fought to keep the anger down. I was failing.

  “Esme, you have to and oil it every day. If you’ve been having problems you ask for help-”

  “I DON’T FUG WANT TO!” I screamed as I lost trol, my hands immediately c my face. “I don’t want help, I don’t want to oil my leg, I don’t want to ge fug padding.” I couldn’t keep my voice from shaking. “I want my fug leg back.”

  I could feel her hand on my arm. “Esme, I’m sorry but that’s not an option.”

  I sniffled and tried and failed to keep the sobbing down. “I know… I know. I was, I was hoping that maybe some magic could-…” I choked on my tears “But Dekarru, she fug colpsed over hair. Fug HAIR. I khen… this is me forever now. Broken.” I let out a bitter ugh “Gods, it’s so stupid! I don’t even remember having a leg that works but I still miss it? How fug pathetic does that make me?”

  Jaina and Redagga both leaned down to hold me. I wao throw them away, to reject the fort. I was so fug angry and hurt and days of it building while I pretended everything was fine was just too damn much. But I hem. My heart hem. My arms slid down and squeezed them both.

  “Please… please just take me home. I want to go home.” I said through my tears. Redagga lifted me up like I weighted o nothing and held me in a princess carry that I wish I could have felt something other than embarrassed by. I pressed my face against her neck, she didn’t say anything. Just walked with me against her.

  My mind stirred and a blurry se pyed. A partial memory dragged itself from the fractured mess of my past and showed me that my failures were nothing new.

  A woman… this person my mind called mother, screaming and angry and drunk as always.

  ‘Useless broken bitch! You ’t even help your own family when things are tough? All you have to do is earn some money so we don’t get tossed oreet, just let some men have a little fun a to keep a roof over our heads! But I guess that’s too much to ask for a worthless fug dyke like you. Don’t think I don’t see how you look at the irls at church! I was willing to let it go as long as you were pulling your weight but if yonna be selfish you find somewhere else to sleep!’

  I tried to say something in my defe a fist met my jaw and the world wobbled.

  The memory faded but the taste of blood in my mouth lingered. It hurt, my shoulder hurt, my stump hurt, my heart hurt. I was so fug tired. I just let myself focus on the soft swaying and boung of being in Red’s grip, drifting away from the world as time ticked by.