In the Shadow of the Rings by Frank Kennedy (grave mercy .txt) 📕

target. Quick. Quiet. As useful in the shadows as in the midst of a madding crowd. The flash pegs were Chancellor design, but modifications to the gun belonged to Hokki genius. Green Sun bought their stash from a new wave of arms dealers based near Puratoon, on the continent.

Ryllen coined its nickname: The Goodboy.

Though it was his gun of choice and facilitated every strike against the enemies of The Lagos, Ryllen trained on each weapon the black market provided. He focused on weight – both in his hands and tucked beneath his clothing – as wel as user interface. The more intricate devices, such as modified Unification Guard blast rifles, only worked efficiently during exercises. They were too bulky for close-quarter kil s, he concluded. Nonetheless, he resolved to master their subtleties. The crusade might soon face a hardened opposition. Street battles were inevitable. Firepower would be essential.

They trained on the tiny private island of Barrio, six kilometers from Pinchon. Although their leader, Lan Chua, never admitted it, everyone knew he owned the island along with a consortium of like-minded investors. Movement was easy; everything off-book and outside the auspices of Pinchon’s Island Transport Discipline.

Ryllen never exercised so hard, ran so far, or studied so long.

Classwork focused primarily on the disciplines of a new fighting strategy cal ed guerril a warfare. Lan Chua said it was developed on what he cal ed “the dark quad” of colonies – Zwahili Kingdom, Moroccan Prime, Mauritania, and Boer – where centuries of insurgencies and civil wars posed the greatest chal enge to the Unification Guard before the Chancel ors’ empire collapsed. He said the strategies gave Green Sun the best chance to sustain itself for the long haul.

“More than one bil ion Freelanders want what we have,” he insisted during one of many pep ral ies. “They wil poison The Lagos as surely as their poisoned the continent. We stand at the front line to fight this cancer. Our enemies go far beyond immos. Some are traitors who double-deal with the enemy from their estates in Haansu. Others are mid-level managers in the seamaster corporate structure who sacrifice their fealty for undeserved wealth. Our enemies take many forms. We wil , too.”

Ryllen understood, as did they al , that their targeted kil ings of immos and those who smuggled them into The Lagos was about to escalate. Yes, Green Sun had countless supporters throughout Pinchon – those in government, law enforcement, and seamasters

– who looked away when bodies turned up with a green dot painted between their eyes. But would their protection hold when true citizens fel ? How long before the great families of Haansu were directly affected? They had the resources to push back.

“We are going to suffer losses,” Lan Chua told Ryllen, Kai Durin, and two other captains as they walked the beach after sunset. “I have seen a tenfold increase in the hiring of personal security teams.

My contact in Puratoon says the clientele for his products has diversified. His competitors deliver to a third of the islands.”

“Our side?” Kai asked.

“Many sympathizers. Yes. But other entities have opposing agendas. To what extent they engage us remains an open question.”

Ryllen never heard Lan speak with such uncertainty. As Executive Chairman of Discipline at Nantou Global, Lan had more spies and informants at the ready than anyone in The Lagos. He’d built his

network with diligence and care, sinking deep inside al the major seamasters, the limp regional government, and its hesitant enforcement division, the Constabulary. Unlike years ago, when the Ark Carriers sent invincible soldiers planet-side to quel uprisings, Green Sun faced no uniformed army. It might have been easier that way, Lan suggested. At least the enemy could be clearly identified.

“Have you considered my proposal?” Kai asked.

“I have,” Lan replied. “Bombings would be a major escalation, and our broader message wil be taken to heart by the enemy. However, we have avoided collateral damage to this point. We are popular because we can rightful y prove everyone we kil is an enemy of The Lagos or a collaborator. Bombs are less precise. If we make mistakes, we wil become the enemy. You are one of my best, Kai, but I cannot undermine what I’ve built.”

Even in the dim light, Ryllen saw Kai’s frustration. The man he’d come to love spent the past few months researching and designing a new generation of explosives he thought to be game changers. They often debated the merits of Kai’s vision. Ryllen wanted to look his victims in the eye, to be sure their last thoughts were regret for