Chapter Eleven

No mustelid had
slept all night. Many had been rejoicing the return of their lost companions,
but to a few it had been a night of fear, hard work, and quiet brooding.

David had been
cooped up in one of the old cells, attending to Phil’s injuries with the very
few tools he had at his disposal. There was little he could do but set a
rudimentary cast to the broken bone and hope he could get access to the Harvester’s medical bay before too long.
He didn’t even have anything to staunch the flow of blood or ease the poor
mustelid’s pain.

Though he had
been taken in by the celebrations for half an hour, Rhys had spent most of the
night planning with Leandro and Twitch. He expected some form of retribution
from Cardinal Erik and, once he had been made aware of the night’s events,
Captain Rivers. Rhys was in no doubt that the port’s captain would take the
rescue of the two mustelids as a personal affront. He wouldn’t care about the
slight towards the Vatican. It would be a matter of personal pride. Cardinal
Erik, naturally, would not rest until he had punished Rhys most severely for
his actions and continued resistance to Vatican ways.

Very soon after
Rhys’ return, Leandro had voiced his opinion that Captain Rivers and Cardinal
Erik would wait until after dawn to assault the jail. Though Rhys had initially
been sceptical they would wait the few hours left until morning light, a pink
tinge on the eastern horizon had quickly grown to a red dawn, and still silence
reigned across the port.

At first light,
Twitch, William, and Richard had armed all the mustelids again, taking the
unused weapons from the small cell they were using as an armoury. Rhys had
again equipped himself with an ionic rifle, which he kept against his knee as
he sat.

Leandro had been
very eager to hear all about Captain Uwele’s reluctance to assist Cardinal
Erik; in fact the grey-furred mustelid had perked right up and grinned from ear
to ear at this news.

 In contrast, Twitch had been quite downbeat
the entire time, and had voiced his doubt that Captain Uwele would be willing
to publically voice his willingness to help the mustelids. As Twitch had
pointed out, adhering to the port’s command hierarchy was completely different
to backing an open rebellion. However, Leandro waved Twitch’s concerns away
with barely a second thought.

With the coming
of morning light, the jubilant mood that had permeated the jail slowly began to
trickle away. A few mustelids approached the trio of planners and sat by their
table, listening in as they worked out the best way to tackle the coming
retaliation. None made any contribution to the discussion, but Rhys noticed
they seemed to be comforted simply by hearing the plans being made to counter
the humans.

Slowly the crowd
grew larger, until, by the time Captain Rivers began banging on the front door
of the jail, every mustelid was gathered around the table. Even David and Phil
had returned, though they sat alone a little away from the others. Once again
all eyes turned to Rhys. Once again they looked to him for the inspiration they
needed to secure their freedom. He stood, self-conscious of the attention.

 “You have been waiting for this moment for
years,” Rhys said softly, his voice barely audible over the distant hammering.
“Now is the time for action. You may look at me as a saviour, Leandro says he
believes me to be the greatest mustelid, but I am not. I am the same as you
all, no greater than the youngest kit, no better a leader than any of you, so I
ask you not to look up to me.

“You must follow
the one responsible for all this. Look to Leandro for courage, not to me. He
has led you to this point, not me. He is the greatest of us, and you must all
fight not just for your freedom, but for him. You all deserve more than this,
so let us stand together and show humans everywhere that mustelids are strong,
mustelids are brave, and most of all, mustelids want their freedom!”

“For Leandro!”
came a cry from near the back of the hall.

“For Leandro!”
Rhys repeated, raising his rifle above his head.

The gesture was
repeated by all but the grey-furred mustelid, who stood with tears in his eyes
as “For Leandro!” reverberated around the jail.

“Captain Rhys,
you do yourself an injustice. You are the hero of this hour, not me,” Leandro
said.

Rhys shook his
head. “Let’s just go and see if Captain Rivers has changed his mind.”

With Leandro and
Twitch by his sides, and a horde of mustelids at his back, Rhys once more
headed for the guardroom. As he expected, Captain Rivers was stood in front of
the door, again with about two dozen men from the various crews about twenty feet
away. This time though, Captain Sykes and Captain Uwele were stood by Rivers’
side.

Cardinal Erik was
stood with the various crew members. The brim of his hat obscured his face, but
Rhys didn’t need to see the cardinal’s expression to know how livid he was. The
Martian’s outline was blurred, such was the ferocity at which he shook, barely
keeping in check his rage.

Rhys almost
quailed upon seeing the cardinal, but Leandro was not phased.

“Captain Rivers,
are you willing to talk today?” the grey-furred mustelid called out.

Rivers looked
like he had swallowed something very unpleasant, though his face was as red as
it had been the previous day.

“I will talk,” he
said, though the glare he aimed at Captain Sykes suggested that it wasn’t his
preferred option.

“However, we wish
for you to come outside so we may speak to you directly,” Captain Sykes
continued. He seemed perfectly calm and at ease with the situation. Rhys knew
they would have better luck swaying Sykes than they did Rivers. If Leandro was
correct, and they were able to persuade Uwele too, then the pressure of numbers
may be enough to force Rivers’ hand.

Rhys glanced
across at Leandro.

“Let’s go and
meet our destiny, shall we?” Leandro said, before turning and selecting a
number of mustelids to brave heading out of the jail.

Rhys’ tail
thrashed wildly as he took several deep breaths. This meeting was a culmination
of almost a month of direct planning, and many years more of hopeless dreams.
It could alter the very future of TIE. Twitch, David, and William all
volunteered to come. Leandro also chose a couple of mustelids to join him; Rhys
knew their names to be Marie and Lucas. All had an ionic rifle on their back.

The crowd of
mustelids shrank back as Leandro opened the door, their courage failing them
for the moment. Even Rhys felt the natural instinct to turn and flee from the
sight of so many stony faced humans, with Cardinal Erik standing barely two
dozen feet away, but he stood his ground.

Captain Rivers
ground his teeth as he quietly seethed away. He didn’t seem capable of
speaking, so it was Captain Sykes who stepped forwards to meet the mustelids.

“Under the
protocols of the London Convention, we are required to listen to your demands,”
Captain Sykes said, enough volume in his voice to be clearly heard by everyone
present. He peered down at the mustelids with a sense of intrigue in his eyes,
which greatly relieved Rhys when he saw this.

“Captain Sykes,
my name is Captain Rhys Griffiths and I am here to represent the mustelids of
the Mount Cotton spaceport,” Rhys said, stepping just ahead of Leandro. “For
two hundred years mustelids have been treated like slaves. The time has come to
change that.

“Since I became a
mustelid little more than a month ago, I have come to realise that so many
human perceptions of them are wrong. They are intelligent, they are caring, and
they deserve so much better than what they’ve got. I urge you Captain Sykes,
you must reconsider how you treat mustelids, because they are not unthinking
slaves.”

Captain Rivers
made a noise somewhere between a bark of laughter and growl of frustration, but
he was silenced by Captain Uwele.

“So what exactly
are you asking for?” Captain Sykes said, ignoring Captain Rivers’ small
outburst.

“Equal treatment.
We want somewhere decent to live. We want to be treated with respect and to
have opportunities within Spaceways. And most of all we want to be paid for the
work we do,” Rhys said, which drew a raised eyebrow from Sykes.

“Regardless of
whether or not I agree with you, it is not in my power to give that,” Captain
Sykes said uncertainly.

Rhys felt a touch
on his shoulder, and he turned to make way for Leandro.

“We understand
this, Captain Sykes,” the grey furred mustelid said. “We do not ask for change
to come instantly, though we would very much like that. We are asking for
awareness of our plight, and for support from the human captains. Captain Rhys
has done so much for us already, but he can’t do it alone. We ask for people
like you, Captain Sykes, or you, Captain Uwele, to listen to us, and to help
us.”

This time Captain
Uwele stepped forward. “I don’t understand. You’re not meant to be acting like
this. What I saw last night... I witnessed a daring rescue, something I didn’t
know mustelids were capable of. You’re not...”

“What? Brave enough?
Intelligent enough? I know what you all think. You think we’re just dumb
animals, cowed into submission so we’re too afraid to put a single thought
together, other than to obey your every beck and call.” Twitch snarled as he
stood forward.

“You were
designed to serve humans. That is your role,” Captain Uwele said with a hint of
desperation in his voice, as though he was firmly trying to cling on to his
beliefs.

“I was not
designed for anything. I was born, just the same as you were. All of us were.
We’re not designed to serve you or anyone. We are not your slaves,” Twitch
replied. Then he took a deep breath and said quietly, “I’ve been wanting to say
that for a long time.”

“We are not
simple animals, and we are not inferior to humans, destined to live as slaves.
You of all people should understand that, Captain Uwele,” Leandro said, turning
to the dark-skinned captain.

“What’s that
supposed to mean?” Captain Uwele said, his voice turning suspicious.

“Your heritage
was one of oppression and slavery. Your people have risen up from that. Will
you not give us the opportunity to let us do the same?” Leandro said softly.

“Preposterous!
It’s not the same...” Captain Rivers said, finally breaking his silence, but
Captain Uwele raised his hand to stop his companion from speaking.

“If you really
are as intelligent as you claim, then why do you always appear so dull-witted,
so cowed, around us?” Captain Uwele asked. Rhys had to suppress a smile. He
already knew that they had managed to get the young captain on their cause.

“Fear, mostly,”
Leandro said. “As much as we wanted to change matters, we were powerless to do
so, over two centuries of oppression stood in our way. Captain Rhys gives us a
voice we have never had before. He gives us the authority amongst humans to
truly stand up and fight. With a leader to guide us, you’ll find that we’re
very capable of doing just that.”

“So with
authority, with someone to stand up for you, you will fight for equality?”
Captain Uwele asked with an intrigued gleam in his brown eyes.

“Don’t even think
about it!” Captain Rivers warned the younger captain.

Captain Uwele
turned to Captain Rivers. “They’re right. When we grew up we were always told
mustelids can’t think for themselves, that they are just there for our benefit.
But if they’re not, then perhaps we should be doing something to help them.”

He then addressed
Rhys. “I will back you in this. You showed bravery I could never have thought
possible last night by taking your companion from the cardinal, and today you
have shown me that mustelids are capable of much greater acts than I gave you
credit for. You have opened my eyes to the truth,” he said, holding out his
hand, to which Rhys stepped forward and shook.

 “And I too will offer my support,” Captain
Sykes said. Though there were a few shocked faces amongst the humans behind,
not a single protest was raised, though Cardinal Erik looked like he had
swallowed a grapefruit. For a moment Rhys dared believe they had done the
impossible and swayed the minds of two captains.

“I don’t believe
what I’m hearing,” Captain Rivers snarled, pushing Captain Sykes to the side
and storming towards Rhys. In his hand was an activated plasma pistol. “I don’t
care who you are, or who you say you were, you are an animal. I will not reason
with you and if I have to create an example of you, then so be it.”

“Captain
Rivers...” Captain Sykes warned.

“Enough! I don’t
know what’s gotten into your heads, the both of you. These are fucking rodents,
and we do not go treating them with bloody equality,” Captain Rivers said,
turning on his companions and waving his pistol around.

“Cardinal Erik,
do you have anything to say?” He beckoned to the cardinal, who had taken a few
steps forward from the rest of the humans. Edgar Scott was stood right behind
the Martian.

Cardinal Erik,
his face as red as his robes, stalked forwards and stood directly in front of
Captain Sykes, his nose less than an inch away from the captain’s.

“Hear me now when
I say that if any man dares to offer allegiance and support towards these
beasts, then I will personally excommunicate them from the church. I will give
you both one chance to take back your words, for I am feeling particularly
generous this morning, but you shall both have one chance only,” the cardinal
growled, his voice remaining ominously quiet.

“No Cardinal, my
conscience will not allow me to bow to your pressure, not this time,” Captain
Uwele said, bravely facing down the livid cardinal.

Cardinal Erik’s
features twisted in a grotesque display of apoplectic fury. Even Captain Rivers
took an involuntary step back lest he be caught in the oncoming storm of rage,
but Captain Uwele stood firm. He serenely stared at Cardinal Erik, his eyes
unblinking, a calm half-smile forming on his face. This only seemed to enrage
the cardinal further.

“You dare... you
dare! You dare oppose an emissary of the Vatican! I would see you explain your
blasphemy to His Holiness would he demean himself to deal with scum such as
yourself,” the cardinal screeched, but still Captain Uwele did not step back.

“I dare, yes. I
dare because Captain Griffiths has shown me the error of our ways. I am a
champion for his cause now, and if that puts me against the might of the
Vatican then so be it,” Captain Uwele said, his calm, melodious voice a stark
contrast to the discordant shrieks the cardinal was still emitting.

Captain Sykes,
less composed than Captain Uwele, stood forward again to face the cardinal. “I
too will stand against the Vatican, if I must.”

“These creatures
are intelligent,” added Captain Uwele. “They deserve the right to be treated as
such, regardless of the origins of their species. Yes, the first mustelids were
created in a laboratory, and against the Vatican’s wishes, but that was
centuries ago now. Times have changed, and the mustelids are as much a part of
this Empire as humans.”

“Fools,” Cardinal
Erik hissed. In both hands he grasped the crucifix that hung on a chain at his
neck and raised it high above his head. “By the power granted to me by His
Holiness Pope Adamantius, I sever the two of your from the Holy See, and brand
you enemies of the Church. Never again may you seek guidance or assistance from
those of the faith. Revel in the company of beasts and blasphemers, for that is
where you now belong.”

Captain Uwele
puffed out his chest in pride. “If that is the price I pay for choosing what my
heart deems right, then I accept my fate. Together with Captain Sykes and
Captain Griffiths, I will attempt to change this Empire for the better. If the
Vatican wants no part in this future, then I have no time for it.”

Turning his back
on the humans, Captain Uwele moved to stand by Rhys and Leandro. He folded his
arms across his chest as though he challenged anyone to argue his position.
Rhys knew this to be a decisive moment. Under the London Convention, no man was
permitted to open fire against any peaceful protest. Even if Captain Rivers
refused to believe mustelids were bound under that treaty, a human now stood
against him. No matter the captain’s standpoint, they were all protected from
violence.

A few seconds
later Captain Uwele was joined by Captain Sykes, and the migration did not end
there. Led by Edgar Scott, all of Rhys’ crew present joined the mustelids to
face down the cardinal, along with nearly a quarter of Captains Uwele’s and
Sykes’ crews. In all about half the humans present had sided with the
mustelids, a number far beyond Rhys and Leandro’s wildest expectations.

“So the lines of
battle are drawn,” Captain Rivers spat as he glared at each and every one of
the humans who lined up with the mustelids.

Leandro stepped
forward, his back straight and ears perked high. “We do not wish for a battle,
Captain Rivers. We have no desire to spill any blood today, nor ever, though we
will defend ourselves should the need arise.”

“You will do
nothing of the sort,” Captain Rivers spat. He raised his plasma pistol and
targeted Leandro, who stood unflinching.

“Captain Rivers,
you will stand down,” Captain Sykes warned.

“Leandro, step
back,” Rhys cried out at the same time. He had seen the murderous ambition in
Captain Rivers’ eyes. It was clear he still didn’t believe himself to be bound
by the London Convention. There was only one way this could go.

 “This is what happens to all rodents who defy
their place in life,” Captain Rivers crowed. Both Rhys and Captain Sykes lunged
for him as he took aim at the regal, unflinching figure of Leandro.

A crackle of
plasmid energy.

Captain Rivers
collapsed to the ground under the combined weight of Rhys and Captain Sykes,
but the cries of anguish from the mustelids set Rhys’ fur on edge. He looked
back, knowing and dreading what he’d see.

Leandro was lying
on the grass, struggling to breathe. Blood leaking out of the terrible wound in
his chest. Captain Uwele knelt by the mustelid’s shoulder.

“David! David,
get here now!” Rhys shrieked as he slid to Leandro’s side, all the while
knowing it would be too late. He gently lifted Leandro’s head and cradled him
close to his body.

Leandro stirred
and placed his hand on Rhys’ chest. “Captain Rhys, never give up this goal of
yours, do you hear me?”

The other
mustelids had knelt down beside Rhys and Leandro. Edgar Scott and Aleksandr
Chekov had restrained Cardinal Erik, who, perhaps understanding that a line had
been crossed that should not have been, had tried to make a silent getaway.
Captain Rivers was continuing to hurl abuse at the mustelids, even as Captain
Sykes held him firmly against the ground.

None of this
mattered to Rhys.

“Stay strong
Leandro. You have to see this through. Without you in it, then what’s the point
to this story? This is your greatest tale, you can’t end it here,” Rhys said,
tears forming in his eyes. David put a supporting hand on Rhys’ shoulder.

“Let me be,
Captain Rhys. The story doesn’t end here. This is just the end of my chapter.
It’s up to you now. Now it’s your turn to tell the stories. The tale continues
still,” Leandro whispered before his eyes turned dark and his head rolled
against Rhys’ chest, gone forever.

“No!” Rhys
snarled, gently resting Leandro’s body on the grass. He shrugged off David’s
hand and stalked directly for Captain Rivers, who was still lying prone on the
floor. Rhys shoved Captain Sykes to the side and grabbed Rivers’ collar.

“You killed him.
Murdered him. And for what? What had he ever done to harm you!” he shrieked
into Captain Rivers’ face, and for a moment the human appeared very concerned.
“This was his story, and by God he wanted to live out its final chapters. He
wanted to see it through, and you took it from him!”

“He’s a fucking
rodent, just like you. Learn your place,” Captain Rivers spat, to which Rhys
responded by striking the human in the face.

“You don’t know
anything about us, nothing!” Rhys yelled, hitting the captain again and again.
Tears flowed freely from his eyes as he felt a massive pressure around his chest.

Edgar Scott
picked Rhys up and carried him away from Captain Rivers. “Captain Griffiths,
please just calm down for a moment,” he said gently.

Rhys caught sight
of Marie and Lucas fawning over the body of Leandro and held back another sob.
Twitch and David were holding on to them, fighting back tears of their own. It
was impossible to think that Leandro was gone, it just couldn’t be so. And yet
the evidence before his eyes proved to the contrary. He buried his head in
Scott’s chest and cried.

Deep down he knew
he was acting in a way unbefitting of a Spaceways captain, but at the same time
he just didn’t care. He was no longer sure if he wanted that anymore, not if it
associated himself with people like Captain Rivers.

“Come on Captain,
you need to pull yourself together,” Scott said as he placed Rhys back on the
ground.

“Fuck off.”

Scott sighed and
sat down on the grass, looking out over the expansive land of the spaceport.
With a gentle tug on Rhys’ tail, he pulled the mustelid down to the ground too.

“This can’t be
the first time you’ve lost a friend,” Scott said.

Rhys gasped for
air. “No,” he managed to breathe out, choking back a fresh wave of tears. “I’ve
lost people before, but never like that.”

“Tell me about
him.”

Rhys shook his
head. “He had all these stories. He had seen so many places, and he never had
chance to tell me them. I hardly knew him at all. It’s those inside that know
him. They know and love his stories, and this was meant to be his greatest of
all. Not his last.”

“He died proud.
Even I could see that, Captain. There aren’t many mustelids who could do that.
I don’t know what you have done since this whole fiasco began, but I know
you’ve been involved in all this. If he had to die, then at least it was
because of you he died happy and proud.”

Rhys said
nothing. He didn’t trust himself to speak any further, but he was spared by
Twitch, who had come over unnoticed. “He’s right you know Rhys. He died knowing
that his dream could still live on through you. You told us this morning we had
to fight for Leandro. Now it’s your turn. Fight for him so that cowards like
Rivers don’t win.”

“When did you
become such a thinker Twitch?” Rhys said, in spite of everything managing a
slight laugh.

“I’m learning a
lot from you,” Twitch replied as he squeezed in between Rhys and Scott. He
gripped Rhys’ hand tight and leant against his shoulder.

Behind them the
prison doors had been opened again, giving the mustelids the chance to mourn
their fallen leader. Rhys couldn’t bear to be amongst them. He felt like he was
intruding. For all that he had cared and respected Leandro, these were the
mustelids that truly knew him, and he wanted to respect their last farewells.

He wandered away
with Twitch, leaving Edgar Scott behind, and with no destination in mind. It
wasn’t long before the other mustelids of his crew caught up with him, and they
found an isolated spot under the perimeter wall to sit in each other’s company.
Rhys found himself holding Steph in his arms, mirroring Twitch and David
opposite them. Richard lay face down in the grass, with William sat beside him,
gently stroking his prone companion.

“So what do we do
now?” Steph asked.

“I’m sure Admiral
Garter will be on his way here soon. We’ve probably made a lovely mess for him
to clean up,” Rhys said, looking up at the clear blue sky as though expecting
to see the Europa descending into the
Terran atmosphere, but there was nothing to be seen.

“Captain Sykes
and Captain Uwele will fight for us now though. You heard them both before...”
Twitch said before choking up.

Rhys nodded and
clung that little bit tighter to Steph. “They’ll fight for us.”

“They’ll fight
for Leandro,” David corrected. It was a dull echo of the passionate chant that
had run through the jail such a short time ago.