Tammy perks up as souls approach, and he hears the flap of the tent’s door. 12 men enter, taking their spots around the U-shaped table of maps and charts.
“The big issue is propane,” Leiben starts. “Once that runs out, we’ll need to cook with wood, or charcoal, but that runs the risk of smoke. We still have ammunition, we still have food, but fuel is the critical issue.”
There’s a thud as someone slams the wood table. “We need to launch a raid in Urithro! The fuel stores, the local garrison, my spies have determined the gurant presence is weakest there.”
“Are you serious?” A man with a softer, slightly more elegant voice speaks up. “Look how far it is. You want us to sneak all the way over there, undetected? And how would we bring the fuel back?”
“We’ll steal a truck, hide it in the nearby forest, maybe along the river, then send agents back and forth to syphon it off. After enough trips, we’ll be set for a while.”
In the darkness of the chest, Tammy’s eyes glow a faint white, barely illuminating the interior. He starts reading the thoughts and feelings of each man, one by one. Are they seeking to derail the conversation? Are they thinking ‘that’s a good spot for an ambush’? Are they nervous? Any sign that could point to traitorous intent. It takes time to analyze each man, and they all get a chance to speak their peace on the plan.
One man thinks “[were it up to me, I’d set ambushes on the roads leading into that town there, then take our time stealing all the fuel in town as our forces kill anything that comes close.]” But what he says is, “let’s go back to that idea of Urithro. How would you want us to sneak troops over? Lot of roads we’d have to pass on the way there.” The ‘voice’ in a person’s head isn’t always the same as how they speak, but they’re often similar enough that Tammy can figure out which is which. Plus, there are small context clues he’s spent years learning to decipher. For example, the flames of a person’s soul tend to flicker slightly as they speak. It’s only a few minutes before Tammy has accurately mapped out which soul corresponds to which voice, and which position they’re standing around the U-shaped table.
Tammy purses his lips and thinks, “is he just hearing out his comrade? Why not put forward his own suggestion?” The more the plan for Urithro is explained, the more his internal thoughts mock it. Yet vocally, the man is offering support. “Well, that’s obviously suspicious,” Tammy thinks. He keeps his soul locked onto this particular man, the one standing in position four of 12.
“Saidro,” Leiben says, prompting the flame of the fourth soul to flare up. “Is it safe to say you two came up with this plan together? You seem to be pushing for it quite strongly.”
“Haha,” Saidro’s laughter is fake, “no, no. I had my own plan at the start, but I believe Mr. Issador’s is the best path forward,” which is a lie. He thinks Issador’s plan is awful.
Leiben responds, “well don’t be shy, what was your original plan? Might as well pass around all ideas.”
Tammy scratches his chin, his fingers slightly visible thanks to the glow of his eyes. “There’re a lot of reasons behind deceit. You want to make friends with someone, so you bite your tongue when you think they’ve said something stupid. You want to curry favors with a person, so you back up their ideas even if you think they’re bad. But considering that Leiben is the only one who knows I’m here, and the only person he’s addressed by name is this Saidro person, it’s probably safe to say that he wants me to direct my attention towards him. Of all the people Leiben is suspicious of, Saidro is definitely at the top of his list. But what if he’s just a bootlicker? What about this Issador? Maybe Saidro’s pushing Issador’s plan, which he believes is garbage, for other reasons? Perhaps Issador is the real traitor, looking to take over, and Saidro knows this and wants to cozy up?”
The more Tammy listens in and analyzes their souls, the less of a possibility it seems. Deceit, jealousy every time Leiben speaks, annoyance at his comrades, it seems fairly cut and dry. Leiben was right to suspect him. The only thing that would make it clearer is if Saidro thinks something like ‘I can’t wait to send this info to the gurant so they can ambush our men’, but people rarely have their thoughts so direct and readable.
Tammy moves over to Leiben, to read his thoughts. “[-this, boy, but Saidro is clearly guilty. He has to be! His guilt is plain to see, clear as day, I just don’t know his motive. Does he seek to take my spot as leader of the resistance, and does he have a base of support? Who’s on his side? Or maybe he’s being paid by the gurant to sell me out.]” There’s a slight pause in his thoughts, and a very thin layer of deceit. “{Me and the whole resistance movement.]”
Tammy purses his lips, “There’s no point trying to cover it up so half-heartedly. Your primary concern is him taking your spot. The fate of the resistance movement is secondary to you. You want to keep the power you have.” Tammy thinks for a second. “Wait, nobody is talking about military strategy, or ambushes. Didn’t Leiben say there was a huge problem with that? The only thing they’re talking about is the lack of resources and where to source more. But no talk about how to deal with the gurant’s constant ambushing.”
The more Tammy listens, the clearer the image gets in his brain.
There is no treachery.
There is no sabotage, there are no double agents, nobody here is working for the gurant. The resistance movement has been running into trouble lately, yes, but it’s due to bad luck, or poor planning and mismanagement. Leiben, as the leader, is being blamed for this string of bad luck, and so there is talk of replacing him. Leiben doesn’t want to be replaced, so he contracted the Barabba Tribe—known for their incredible work as everything from spies to assassins to merchants—to figure out who are the biggest threats to Leiben’s power so he can get rid of them.
“But… why bother lying?” Tammy frowns. “We’re getting paid for this work, so it’s not like we care one way or another. If you told me what to look out for in the first place, disloyalty to you rather than loyalty to the gurant, I probably could have figured it out already and charted, like, each officer’s personal loyalty score or something. I could have spent the last hour in this box planning out all these tests for them! Bah, whatever. I feel like a sucker. But still, why bother with this? Did you think that… because bone-tails hate the gurant, we’d do better work if you framed it as ideological? We do good work regardless! In all our years of doing missions for the tribe, Avi and I have never once-“ his stomach retches from thinking about Avi and he shakes his head free of those thoughts. “N-n-never… never mind that. Time to work.”
With this new understanding of Leiben’s true goal, Tammy changes tactics. For the rest of the meeting, he searches for any sign of disloyalty among the commanders. Tammy was assigned to do a job, and while it may have been under false pretenses, the Barabba Tribe is getting paid regardless. Though he does silently mock Leiben because, if he was given the full picture, he would have prepared pen and paper to organize his thoughts and write a detailed report on each commander.
After an hour and a half, the meeting ends, with everyone leaving the tent. Tammy reads Leiben’s thoughts, “[I’ll come back in a while to let you out. That’ll be less suspicious.]”
An hour later, Leiben returns as his guards wait outside. “You awake?”
“Yep.” Tammy’s voice is muffled inside the chest.
“And? What did you find?”
“Well,” Tammy stretches his arms and legs, but can’t quite extend fully. “I figured out that nobody is selling information to the gurant.”
“…What?”
“Your real concern is about a power struggle. You think Saidro is disloyal, and I’ve confirmed that he is. Not a traitor to your resistance, or your people, just a traitor to you. With that in mind, I’ve also identified three more commanders with bubbling discontent with your leadership, and a third who might rebel if things continue to go wrong.”
“Who?”
“The men in spots two, four, and ten. Spot 11 was the potential traitor.”
Leiben moves to his spot at the table, “are those spots counting from the left, or from the right?”
“Obviously the left, haha, like how you read.”
“What? Kid, you read from right to left.”
“Oh. Is that how writing works on this planet? Anyway, I was counting from the left.”
“Left to… damn, I can’t remember who was standing where.”
Tammy frowns. It’s really not surprising why his men are seeking to replace him, but oh well. That’s none of Tammy’s business. “Well, I’ve done my part. I’ve done more than my part since you lied on the mission details, but whatever. If you’ll just let me out,” he presses against the roof of the chest, and the lock jangles, “then I’ll take the payment for the Barabba Tribe, and I’ll be on my way.”
“Huh? But if you leave, how will I know the other three traitors?”
Tammy inhales deeply, then sighs. “Crap. By having everyone stand in the same place next time?”
“Okay, but what about future traitors? How will I root them out?”
“Craaaaap,” Tammy bangs against the roof of the chest, “by being better at your job? I dunno. Our contract was just to tell you who the current traitor is, not to be on loan forever!”
“Just think of it as extending the contract by a few months. Or years. At least until I’ve secured my authority beyond question.”
“Ugh,” he taps the back of his head against the folded blanket.
“I’ll increase the pay to your tribe, of course! Just send the girl back with a message to her father that it’s a bit more complicated than originally thought. And don’t worry, I’ll bring you food and water, of course. I’m not a monster.”
“Can I leave this box, at least?”
“Will you run away?”
“No.”
“Boy, I might not be psychic, but I know when people are lying.”
Tammy covers his face and groans.
Leiben heads to the exit, “where’s your patriotic fervor? You’re helping me help the sarigaina resistance movement, which helps your tribe, which hurts the gurant! Don’t you hate the gurant? Haha, I’ll bring you dinner soon.” Then he leaves, his soul full of mirth.
****
Tammy’s soul intertwines with Avi’s, forming a telepathic connection.
“[…Avi.]”
“[Ah! Tammy?]” A mix of emotions run through the flames of her soul, mostly joy and embarrassment. “[How are you? Did everything go well? Why are you calling out to me? I-I mean it’s fine that you are calling me, I’m happy about it, I’m just curious!]”
At such a great distance, Tammy’s heart is steady. “[I got betrayed, haha. They locked me in a box and Leiben wants to use me to root out traitors.]”
“[WHAT??]” Her soul runs hot, and Tammy can sense her burning anger.
Tammy goes on to explain the events up until now. “[Err, how’s your face? Can you make it back to the tribe and call your father to come rescue me?]”
“[Forget him! All of them. I’m here, I’ll rescue you. My face is a bit swollen, but if I drag my along tail here..! O-ow.]”
“[What happened?]”
“[My cheek and forehead were swollen, so I cut them to get the pressure out, and now I can open my eyes!]”
Tammy feels her distant soul come closer. “[Wait, stop!]” She halts. “[You won’t make it to me during the day, it’s too bright out. If I can’t talk you out of rescuing me, come after dark. I’m in no danger right now.]”
“[Yes sir! I’ll stay away, for now. In the meantime, could we… chat for a bit?]”
“[…Sure.]”
Unmistakable joy radiates from Avi’s soul. She doesn’t speak about anything in particular, only briefly whines about how she could have bested Leiben if not for the ambush, and there are long periods of silence where they feel no need to talk. She’s just relieved to be in contact with her husband. Tammy always responds punctually, even if it’s just a quick sound to let her know he’s still listening. A lot of it is insipid chatter from two young teenagers, but Tammy isn’t on the verge of a panic attack, and he forgets his lingering injuries for a time.
“[Hold on, Leiben is coming. He’s probably bringing me food.]”
With practiced skill, Tammy’s thoughts echo everything Leiben says, and everything he says, creating a stream of information to send Avi’s way.
The chest opens, and the first thing Tammy sees is the barrel of an automatic pistol. “Any perticular need for that?” The sun is beginning to fade, so the sudden light doesn’t hurt his eyes. Past the pistol, and his arm, Leiben’s other hand is holding a wooden bowl with a spoon inside.
“Just want to be sure you wouldn’t do something stupid like that girl.”
“I’m in the middle of camp, and your guards are outside. What did you expect me to do?”
“Act irrationally, like a normal 13-year-old. I apologize for my poor assumption.” He brings his left hand around to pass off the bowl, then puts his pistol away.
“Can I convince you to stand guard so I don’t have to eat in darkness?”
“Sure, sure.” He backs up and half sits on the table, watching his captive.
Tammy sits cross-legged in the chest, politely eating his soup without spilling a drop. “I have to ask,” he says after a swallow, making sure to never speak with his mouth open. “Do you consider yourself the man most suitable to run this camp, and this resistance? Are you holding onto power selfishly, for your own benefit, or are you the best man for the job, and you need to ensure there’s no disunity when facing the Gurant Empire?”
“That’s shockingly good vocabulary for a kid.”
“Thank you.”
He shrugs, “probably a little of both. I’m the most competent person here, definitely, but I want to be in charge regardless. Second-in-command doesn’t suit me.” The calmness of his soul indicates he isn’t lying.
“Hmh.” Tammy swallows. “That makes this a little harder. I don’t like the gurant, and you being the most competent is for the best of everyone. So keep that in mind when I say it’s in your best interests to let me go with the previously agreed upon payment to the Barabba Tribe.”
“How’s that work? It’s in my best interest to lose a living lie detector?”
“Yes.” Tammy eats another spoonful of soup, his movements slow and considered. “I tried to contact Avi earlier, the girl you beat up.” On the edge of his perception, he hears Avi grumble. “She wasn’t there. Her soul is outside my detection range, which probably means she went home, crying, and is going to tell her father about what happened.”
Leiben tenses, unable to tell that Tammy just lied through his teeth. “What happens next?”
Tammy pauses, “well… probably something like this: She’ll be mocked for getting her face pounded in, she’ll sulk in a corner of camp somewhere, and then sometime tomorrow she’ll get anxious.” Tammy stops to take another bite, keeping Leiben in suspense. “She loves me a lot, and we’re actually married. Have been since I was six.” An instant reflex of delight spreads through Avi’s soul.
“Isn’t she the one that put you in all those bandages?”
The delight in Avi’s soul is immediately washed away by regret and guilt.
Tammy tenses, his face twisted in a frown. Beneath his long sleeves, the faint outline of overlapping bandages are visible, as well as those wrapped around his neck, and prominent bandages on his cheek and around his forehead. “That’s… true.”
“So she might be happily married to you, but do you want to stay married to her?”
This is a worthless question, completely unrelated to the matter at hand. “Well, I…” The more Tammy ponders the answer to this meaningless question, the higher his heart rate soars. His neck feels tight, his wounds hurt, a wave of fatigue hits his sore body in bursts.
“Boy? Samuel?”
“I-I,” his lips tremble, and in the distant clearing, he senses Avi. Her malignant presence turns twisted in his mind, effortlessly overpowering the light of every other soul in the resistance camp. Tens of thousands of bright and hopeful souls of those living outside the gurant’s tyranny can’t match her all-consuming blackness.
In his panic, he fails to notice that she’s on the verge of tears.
“A-anyway!” Tammy swallows hard, and forces himself to look Leiben in the eyes. “Sh-she’ll tell her father, Mr. Kashier, that I’m missing, a-and then he’ll come get me! So you’re, uh, you know, a good leader. And that’s good. Against the gurant. So I’d rather he not kill you! Yeah. So… You should just let me go, with the agreed-upon payment.”
Leiben crosses his arms, “to be honest, it sounds like it’d be better for you if you spent some time away from her.”
“E-eh, well…”
“Sorry for making you think about her. For a bit there, you seemed fine, but then I brought up your wounds and you freaked out. How about when her dad comes, you and I just sit down and explain you need a break from her? We can negotiate a long-term contract, but really it’d be more like a vacation for you.” He’s somewhat truthful. Leiben’s primary objective is getting Tammy to stay, regardless of how he feels about it. That it would probably be good for Tammy as well is just a side issue.
Tammy knows this, and puffs out his chest, though his bravado is betrayed by his trembling lips and furrowed eyebrows. “I-I’m a proud assassin of the Barabba Tribe! It’s not my place to hide in a box like some scared kid, and I don’t need a vacation!”
“Right,” Leiben says with an unconvinced nod. “Just finish your soup and take a nap in your nice, safe new chest.”
Tammy can’t even protest further. He sits in the box, finishes his soup, hands Leiben the bowl, then lets it close without a fuss.
Several minutes pass in darkness. His soul is still linked with Avi’s, but neither of them transmit their thoughts. His heart rate has slowly returned to normal, and she isn’t about to break down crying anymore.
Finally, Avi steels her nerves, “[should I go get father?]”
“[No, no. I think you’ll be enough. Just come around after dark. I’ll direct you to me.]”
“[Okay.]”
“[…How’s your face?]”
“[Good. The bleeding stopped. It’s still really swollen, and I have no water to wash off the blood, but, you know.]”
After another minute of silence, Tammy severs the psychic connection.