more than that too," Bri noted. "The Empire has done horrible things. War crimes. Billions dead because they couldn't get along with anyone. Because they were so eager to stomp out any democracy that they’d kill anyone just to have their way."
Najima rubbed her chin as she listened to the passion of her new friends. "So do you all fight with the Vengali Commonwealth?"
"Not technically," Otto replied. "The only reason we support them is because we agree with them: that democracy and freedom is a good thing. If they started restricting people freedom of choice or freedom of expression within the government and political system, we would teach them a lesson too. And we have, on a few occasions." The table nodded in agreement, except for Brat who huffed angrily at any talk against the Commonwealth.
"Don't forget," Brat said, "we're also here to teach those scumbag Imperials that they need to pay for everything they did in the war. Just like Bri said. They did bad. They need to pay for it."
"What about me?" Najima asked. "I'm Imperial, and I didn't even know you existed until today. Why should I pay?"
"Whether you like it or not, we've all lost something because of your government."
The note was sour, and the table grew quiet.
"You can't just say something like that, though. Not without proof." Najima said.
"We're the proof," Otto replied, and the quiet grew even louder. Most of the table turned their heads down. "Brat found me early on. He was orphaned during the war. His dad, mom, and brothers all killed in a battle. Annapurna lost her sisters, and an uncle, if I remember. And even though they're Imperial, Priya's father was killed by an Imperial raid on his hometown. 'Collateral damage,' they say. But they neglect to mention that collateral damage means innocent civilians, like his dad, are the ones who end up as a statistics in an after-action report. And Bri lost both of her brothers. They fought with the army. One died a 'hero,' and the other was arrested for conspiracy, and executed."
Otto's eyes slimmed and his brow grew straight with anger. "And then there's The Quell. That's my reason. The Empire came in, and destroyed every planet in my system. Billions dead within hours... My friends, neighbours... my entire solar system was put in front of a firing squad for wanting to govern ourselves."
The words hung in the air with a pause as Otto collected himself. "We've all lost something to the Empire. Even you, I bet," he said, pointing a finger across the table. Najima couldn't help but pout, because he was right. No matter how well the Empire treated her as a child, or how lucky her family was, the Empire was responsible for what she lost. She would never have left home if she had never lost something to the Empire. It was hard to disagree with Otto. Her thoughts drifted to her anklet, but she shook the memories away.
"We are the reason that we fight," he said, standing from the table, arms folded, looking upon his group. "We are here because we have lost something. Something we love. And we are not going to rest until the Empire has learned that it cannot continue to take. We won't stop until we teach those responsible what we lost."
The table responded with a chorus of affirmation. Najima had never met someone with such conviction as Otto al-Kara. It was clear that he had lost much in his life, and so had all those who surrounded the table now. Najima had lost with them. It only made sense to her for them to demand justice from the Empire. Najima knew that she wished she could have justice as well.
∞∞∞
After dinner, the group returned to their routine tasks while Bri showed Najima around the group's small compound. The main room had a small corridor which led past several small rooms, each with bunks for sleeping, the walls all carved of the stone. "Otto told us that this was some type of military storage area during the Independence War," Bri said. "It works for us, no matter who made it." At the end of the hall was the kitchen and dining space.
Back in the control room, a staircase constructed of metal led from the main room to a point high up the mesa, to a perfectly rectangular room which acted as a dock for spaceships. The group's corvette, a lean, curvy, and sleek machine, sat idly next to Najima's raft. "That’s the Hayagriva. The exit to the dock has the same type of hologram as the entrance. We're able to stay completely hidden here."
With the moons already high over the desert, Bri led Najima back downstairs, toward the room she would be sharing with her, until they met with Otto in the control room. He stood with a grin and an assault rifle over his shoulder, dressed in black. "Tired already?"
"Not terribly. What are you all dressed up for?" Najima teased.
"Big party. Very high fashion. I need a date though. Want to come?"
"I dunno, Bri and I were just about to get all cozy and cuddly in her bunk," Najima said, wrapping her arms around Bri and sending her into a blushing and laughing fit until she let go. "Why should I?"
"From what I've seen about your type of fun, this party is just your type of soirée. There's another stockpiling warehouse on the other side of town, this one owned by the Imperial Army instead of CP. They recently got a shipment in, and we’d like to borrow that shipment with no intention of returning it. I was going to take Brat in with me," Otto said as Bratindra approached and wrapped his own arms around Bri's waist with a leer at Najima, "but he's not exactly the most - how shall we say? - agile."
Brat lifted a middle finger to Otto as the others laughed. "Care to join us?” Otto asked. “We could have a nice little bonding experience."
Najima felt that magnetism again. And going on this little mission with him would offer her a chance to see the work they're actually trying to accomplish on Nanda. "Let's do it." Otto told her to gather what she needed, and bring her weapons. She set her things in her bunk, and bid goodbye to Anna, Priya, and Bri as she, Brat, and Otto boarded Brat's Trogan, and they sped out through the winding canyon walls.
As they left the complex of mesas, they sped past cacti at hundreds of kilometres per hour, the moons lighting the ground as their vehicle hummed across the landscape. Najima could glance at shadows of local wildlife skirting out of the path of the speeding Trogan. She had never been in a Trogan before. While Doyels were more like a floating living room, with seats facing inwardly so the occupants could talk as they were driven automatically, a Trogan had forward facing seats. The speed was baffling, but Brat’s skill with vehicles which had boasted about shined, as he guided past any obstacle without a blink of hesitation.
"So bring me up to speed," Najima said to the silent car. "What should we expect?"
"We're looking for some very particular boxes," Otto explained. "They’ll be wrapped in red and should really stick out. We need to get in, take them as fast as we can, and get out before we’re detected. That's when," Otto said, pointing at Brat, "I call our trusty chauffeur in to pick us up."
"Seems easy enough."
The terrorist smirked as he craned his head toward Najima in the back seat. "Don't get too complacent. The only way inside the building is through the roof."
"Seems easy enough," she said, smirking back.
∞∞∞
Brat parked at the edge of town, letting the two off before racing away. Najima and Otto lurked through the alleyways, avoiding the brightly lit streets that were busy with the traffic of those citizens who did not abide by Nanda's inanely short day-night patterns. Many of the streets were already decorated for the upcoming parade that Najima had heard about, with banners and streamers draped over the roads.
After a series of streets were crossed, and alleys were crept, they found themselves in the same area of town that Najima was in earlier. Najima recognized several buildings, and only for a moment did she worry about the potential of getting caught again.
The moment quickly passed, and they came to the intersection of another alleyway. "This is our stop. The building is there, at the end of the next two alleys - the bright one that's all lit up. Looks like the scene you all caused earlier didn't make anyone happy." As Otto spoke, he reached into his satchel and procured a small communicator, no larger than a thum
b, with an earclip, and passed it to Najima. "Now you'll be able to hear Priya on the other end," he said as she flipped the ON switch.
"Signal's good, and the transmission is secure, so nobody can hear us," Priya said after Najima tested the line. "Here's the deal. I can only hack the security Lenses from the outside of the building. The ones inside have a much higher encryption than I can handle from here. The algorithmic architecture of this Imperial system is..."
"Speak Common to me, Priya. I don't speak computer nerd," Najima said as Otto shook his head smiling, assuring the ballistic assault rifle he carried on his back was armed properly.
"Basically, the security Lenses inside are on, and I can't see what they see. That being said, I can block their transmission for a short time. The cameras will stop recording, but only for about five minutes, before their cyberterror protocol will be able to break through my attack. No promises on whether that time is accurate, either. So you'll want to be fast."
"What are we taking?" Najima asked.
But Otto interrupted Priya, patting Najima's shoulder. "I'll explain later. We'll let you know when we're there, Priya. Keep an eye out on the guards' movements." Priya acknowledged before signing off, and Otto began smiling that smile of his. "Now we go up."
Without a second more, Otto