Artem nodded to the artificers and they immediately pulled the tarpaulin back and began manhandling the boxes down on to the ground.
“You will all be issued with your personal firearm presently but first I must remind you about the safety rules we discussed in the classroom. You were given the notes and I hope you have studied them. As some of you will know, especially you younger ones who I trained as cadets, I don’t believe me just spouting out the rules is an effective learning technique.”
One or two of the more recently graduated groaned.
“So,” continued Artem, “we shall make sure that you all know the rules by spending the next quarter bell in a question and answer session. When I say your name, that person, and that person only, will answer the question. A wrong answer and you won’t be issued with your weapon, it’s as simple as that, so I hope you have all been studying hard.”
As usual Josei had been listening in.
: You know all the answers : he reassured Thalia.
: I knew them last night : she replied darkly with a venomous look at Artem. She hated this type of session and Artem was not the only instructor advocate of them.
: You’ll be fine : Josei encouraged and Thalia felt his mind detach. Larya had informed Josei and his fellow Lind that their human partners had to do this part all on their own. Artem and Larya knew that Lind had very retentive memories and did not want them to prompt their vadelns.
“As I said before, the firearms are dangerous, long-distance weapons. They are designed for one purpose and one purpose only - to kill. This type of killing someone is not like getting up close and sticking your sword into them. You might not see the face of whoever you are firing at and remember, the firearm is perfectly safe as long as you handle it properly and above all, treat it with respect. Now first question goes … to … Zeb. Where do you stand when you are operating a firearm when on the firing range?”
“On the firing line,” Zeb answered promptly. “You never go in front of the line because if you do you might get shot ‘cause you might be standing between another operator and their target.”
“Good. Cera, the next question is yours.”
Thalia heard Cera’s gulp of apprehension.
“What must you always assume?”
“That all firearms are loaded and therefore dangerous even if you think they are safe.”
“Right. Thalia, you are next. This question has multiple answers so I’ll keep calling out names. What must you never do?”
“Don’t place your finger on the trigger until you are ready to fire.”
“Dafid?”
“Never hand a loaded firearm to someone. You must always make sure you have unloaded it first.”
“Jenna?”
“Keep the firearm pointing towards the target. What I mean is that you mustn’t swing it around so that it’s pointing at anyone, unless of course you’re actually in the middle of a real fight … then you would be swinging it around and pointing it.” Jenna stopped her rather convoluted explanation and looked at Artem. He nodded and she gave out such a sigh of relief that she nearly blew her neighbour’s kepi off his head.
“Monika?”
“If you have a malfunction keep the firearm pointing towards the target and raise your hand so that the person in charge knows that you have a problem.”
“Jim?”
“Don’t rely on the stop switch, it could fail to work but use it whenever possible.”
The questions and answers continued apace and Artem kept them all hard at it until he was convinced every one of them knew the rules.
“So to sum up,” said Artem. “Safety first. Treat every firearm is if it is loaded and the stop switch off. Always assume a gun is loaded, don’t point it at anything unless you intend to shoot and keep your finger off the trigger and stop switch on until you are ready to fire. Now, I believe it is time to issue you all with your weapons. Once you have received it, it is your responsibility to keep it clean and in good working order. Above all, don’t lose it. We don’t have any to spare. Line up in front of the wagon.”
Thalia found herself third in line. In front of her were Vandiel and Katie.
As Vandiel took his, rather gingerly (quite as if a spitting, scratching kitten was being placed in his hands), Artem reminded him, in a very loud voice, to check it.
“Never take anyone’s word that a firearm is not loaded.”
Vandiel checked inside the handle for rounds, found none, and then looked inside the mechanism, making sure that no round had accidentally found its way there.
“Clear,” he said, and stepped back.
Katie stepped forward and took hers.
“Clear,” she said after a thorough check.
Now it was Thalia’s turn. She stepped forward and the artificer placed the firearm, her firearm, in her hand. It felt cold to the touch, cold and impersonal and very unlike the trusted feel of her sword. She performed the necessary safety checks and stepped back to let Zeb in.
“First ten over here,” ordered Artem and led the way towards the firing line.
Once they were standing in line, one to each target, he handed them their rounds, already inserted inside the clip, telling them that next time they would be preparing the clip themselves.
“Insert the clip inside the handle,” he instructed. “Make sure the stop switch is in the ‘on’ position. Once you’ve done that point the firearm down the range.”
As Thalia followed his instructions she was wishing that she wasn’t in the first group.
“These targets represent the enemy,” Artem was saying, as he walked up and down behind the backs of the ten. “Naturally, they don’t move like an enemy will, but that can’t be helped - we haven’t worked out how to design moving ones yet. Think of them as enemy - as targets. Now, point your weapons at the target, just like I showed you in the classroom. Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire. Trigger is for firing the firearm, not for resting your finger. Lift your arm higher Jim, so that your eye can see through the little space on top of the mechanism and line it up with the target. That’s right. Now, all of you, turn off the stop switch - try not to move your hand holding the firearm, check that you can still see the target, by that I mean identify your target, in the window and squeeze the trigger. Remember to squeeze it, not pull and jerk it.”
There were stuttering bangs as the ten squeezed their triggers for the first time and an unpleasant smell filled the air.
The recoil surprised everyone and Thalia saw Katie gingerly feeling the bridge of her nose to inspect it for broken bones, but the smell was the worst part.
That’s disgusting, thought Thalia and she wasn’t the only one.
“The smell is the stuff at the back of the round that ignites as the hammer hits it,” shouted Artem. “Now, if you’re happy, keep firing until your cylinder is empty. There are twelve rounds in each one.”
The stuttering bangs continued and the smell got stronger. Thalia decided she would sneak an extra shower when she and Josei got back to Stronghold. She was positive the smell would cling to her clothing and hair. There was little Thalia liked less than the feeling of dirt and unpleasant odours about her person.
At last they had all fired their twelve rounds. Thalia found that operating the firearm was getting easier with each shot but she wasn’t sure if she had managed to actually hit the target.
One they had finished, the order came to unload and they took the cylinder out of the handle. Then Artem went down the line checking that the mechanisms were empty and that no round remained unfired. Satisfied, he told them to go check their targets whilst he readied the next ten.
Thalia trotted down the range and when she reached the target saw that she had actually managed to hit it! There were eleven holes in her target!
They replaced the target with a new one (they were passed up to them by some nameless artificers standing in the pit behind and below the targets), trotted back to the firing line and prep
ared to watch how the next ten fared.
Incidentally, during the next bell, they learned how to deal with firearms that jammed. One vadeln had an incident with a round with a weak powder charge and the bullet got stuck in the barrel. An artificer had to come and show the unfortunate owner of the firearm how to clear it in safety. Three times one of the firearms didn’t fire at all and the mechanism had to be taken to pieces, oiled and put back together again.
These weapons had obvious drawbacks. A sword neither jammed nor misfired.
The experience was, as Thalia described it later, ‘a whole lot of steep learning curves put into one’. However, after it was over she felt a sense of accomplishment and pride. She and Dafid had shared the top score with eleven hits. This surprised her immensely - she had never been more than moderately good with bow and arrow or crossbow.
: Well done : ‘said’ Josei.
“Tomorrow,” announced Artem as they were preparing to ride back to Stronghold. “We will return and practice some more. By the end of the tenday I expect that some, if not most of you will be firing your firearms as you are moving. A few of you might even be doing it a-lind-back!”
Thalia couldn’t wait to try it and tried to push away the nagging worry at the back of her mind that they were doing this for a reason - a dangerous reason and that ‘practice’ might well turn into ‘actual’ before many more tendays had passed.
Intensive training continued for the Fifteenth and Fifty-first Ryzcks over the next two tendays until not only Thalia wondered if they would ever get the smell out of hair and clothes. Artem and the artificers told them they would get accustomed to it but this information was treated with a great amount of scepticism. They had a name for the substance now, cordite, a largely smokeless propellant developed by the artificers with the help of a copy of a very old scientific text they had brought with them from their home planet. It was far less unstable than blast-powder and dampness did not prohibit its use.
As Thalia sat in her room cleaning her firearm (the room smelt of it too) she worried about what was coming next.
: Whatever it is we shall be ready for it : Josei told her : and we shall meet it together :
Thalia felt comforted but the worries refused to go away especially because during a snatched meal when she and Artem had managed some privacy he had refused to answer any questions about what was going to happen once they had mastered the new skill.
She did forgive him about not telling her about the firearm though. As she told Josei later, no one could have resisted the appealing look on his face.
: Like this? : Josei ‘said’, imitating Artem’s look before changing the subject : It is time for my brushing Thalia. There is a nasty burr on my hind leg in a place where I can’t reach :
Thalia stood up and made a dive for his grooming kit.
* * * * *
Chapter 4
Journey
“The Fifteenth Ryzck,” said Susa Malkum slowly, nodding his head after a keen glance at Weaponsmaster Alkin. “Do you agree?”
Alkin thought for a moment then nodded. “They came out top in training and also have adapted well to the changes. Better them than the Fifty-first Ryzck if truth be known.”
Malkum laughed as he remembered the intense chagrin of the vadeln-pairs of the Fifty-first Ryzck, traditionally called ‘Susa’s Own’ when they had heard that the Fifteenth had beaten them yet again in target practice.
“They took that one hard didn’t they? However, there’s room on the Aikko for a Ryzck and another seven or so vadeln-pairs, Larku said forty-four maximum so we should consider who else should go.”
“Artem and Larya,” said Alkin instantly.
“You can manage without him?”
Malkum was surprised that the old Weaponsmaster would be willing to do without Artem for the amount of time necessary for the space ships to go, perform the mission and return. The informed estimate was that the mission would take the best part of a year. He knew Alkin was grooming Artem to take over when he retired, which wouldn’t be all that long if the pain from his joint-ache was any measure of his continuing capabilities.
“I can manage. Katie and Kenlei should go too. “They did well with these … what do you call them again? I keep forgetting and call them fire starters, perhaps because I don’t want to think about them.”
He shivered. For Alkin and the older vadelns the new weapon was a terrible, deeply frightening thing. After everything the elderly Weaponsmaster had learned over the last few tendays, it was no wonder that selective amnesia had occurred.
“Firearms,” said Malkum. “I’m not a great fan of them myself - for me personally swords and bows are more reliable and not liable to backfire or whatever they call it but they could be useful if you have to kill someone and are not close enough to do anything with your sword. It doesn’t seem right not to give an enemy the chance to fight back. The Lind don’t like them. For that very reason I expect.”
“If you’re sending Katie and Kenlei than may I suggest Jim and Avdrya from the Fifty-first as well?” suggested Alkin.
“Good idea. Jim’s resourceful and reliable and Avdrya is very powerful. She’s part Lind, part Larg.”
“Mostly Lind but I get your point. Who else?” prompted Alkin.
“They’ll need another medic. We can’t send them all that way with only one Holad and the Fifteenth’s Holad is Lastair. He’s young and not that experienced.”
“Agreed.”
“I’ll send Anne and Danavdr. Like Jim’s Avdrya, Danavdr is part Larg and good in a fight.”
“They all are,” agreed Alkin. “And perhaps an unpaired Lind? The rtaths would hate to be left out.”
“Slei. He’s resourceful, good to have beside you in a tight spot.”
“The other two places?”
“Jvldr the Larg.”
Weaponsmaster Alkin’s eyebrows rose in surprise.
“Jvldr? Are you sure? He’s not the most reasonable creature in the world.”
“I agree but like the Lind, the Larg will want a part to play. And I think I’ll add Rsya. She worked with Slei back on Rybak. I also happen to know that she has met Jvaldr and likes him. And as a bonus, because the last three don’t have human partners we’ll be able to accommodate a couple of artificers in the group. They will need them when the firearms start malfunctioning.”
“When are you telling them?” asked the Weaponsmaster.
“I’ll tell Vandiel and Zandya tomorrow. I can’t leave it any longer. The space ships are already in orbit and Larku is keen to get them moving. The supply ship they will be travelling on will land the day after. The Vada has its reputation for instant readiness to maintain and I don’t want to disappoint our Brai friends.”
* * * * *
“Cadet Tavin,” Susa Malkum welcomed his visitor at the door to his quarters. “Enter.”
“Weaponsmaster Alkin ordered me to report immediately,” answered Tavin assuming an ‘at attention’ stance in front of his commanding officer.
“Yes. I need to speak to you. Come away in. I don’t bite.”
Nervously, Tavin shuffled inside.
“How are you and Whufflya settling in?” asked Malkum, indicating that Tavin should sit on the chair opposite his own.
“Er, just fine Sir, I mean Susa.” Telling himself to get a grip on his self-control, he added, “I’m good. Whufflya too.”
“I’m sure Alkin wasn’t too happy about you missing practice,” continued Malkum, “but it couldn’t be helped.” Seeing that Tavin was still looking apprehensive, he continued trying to put him more at ease. “What’s your favourite class? You’re older than the rest of the cadets, any problems there?”
“Not in the least Susa. It doesn’t seem to matter.”
“They look up to you?”
“A bit. I’ve been helping one or two of the younger ones.”
“With lessons?”
“Personal problems mostly. They’re away from their families for the fir
st time. I try to help if they ask but we all help each other.”
“Do you help with their sword-work? I know you received some instruction in the past. Are the skills coming back to you?”
“Not as quickly as Weaponsmaster Alkin would like, or expects,” Tavin answered with a wry grin.
“You think you could handle yourself in a tight spot?”
Inwardly wondering what this was all about, Tavin said he could.
“I’ve also heard that you are very accurate at firing these new firearms.”
“Yes Susa. I’ve had a lot of practice. I was part of the team under Jill Hallam, Jill Ross I suppose she is now, that helped design and build them. I know their schematics like I know my own hand.”
Rightly thinking that the word schematic was another word for plan, Malkum continued. “That’s good to know. Now Tavin, what do you know about the history of our Vada?”
Surprised at the abrupt change in the way the conversation was progressing, Tavin hastily marshalled his thoughts.
“We’ve begun learning about it in tradition class,” he answered carefully. “And when Vadryzka Thalia met me and Whufflya when we got here she took me to see the copies of the Honour Rolls.”
“Yes, we left the originals behind. It seemed appropriate. They’ve probably made the Inner Sanctum at Vada into some kind of museum by now.” He sighed, remembering the contemplative bells of peace and quiet he and Freya had spent within its soothing interior.
“Possibly,” said Tavin. “But they will have treated it with respect.” He was being careful to keep his voice carefully neutral. He still didn’t know exactly where the conversation was going.
“Did you open the book?”
Tavin answered in the negative.
“If you had you would have seen a great many names, many of them belonging to people and Lind younger than you and Whufflya.”
“Thalia did mention that some of the names inside had been cadets like me.”
“She was right. In times past, perilous times past, cadet-pairs took part in wars.”
Tavin knew where the conversation was heading now.
“This is one of those times, isn’t it Susa?”
“It could be. There is an off world expedition being planned, one that includes one of the Ryzcks. They will be taking these new firearms with them.” He looked at Tavin expectantly.