Defiance of Orders, part II

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Crispin sat down on the cold hard stone that was once an entranceway to a grand home. Now it was nothing more than rubble, housing more rebels than it once housed tenants. It was late Autum and the rain poured down. Crispin was tired, but his watch shift didn’t end for another three hours. He rubbed his hands together, but that did little good.

 

“Coffee?”

 

Crispin snapped out of his state of self pity, he jumped up and pointed his weapon at the direction the voice came from. “Damn it Juhdia, don’t do that.” Crispin took the hot drink from his mentor, he gulped it down in one breath. The hot liquid and caffeine improved Crispin’s spirit, though not much. “Thank you.”

 

“Easy boy, there is not much of that to go around. We had to use seven Phaser cells to power up the replicator. And that power is almost used up.” Juhdia sat down next to Crispin and rested a pot of coffee by his feet.

 

Crispin looked at Juhdia, “Easy? Huh, old man.”

 

Juhdia poured Crispin another cup, “How many times have I told you not to call me that. Hell, I had to tell your Father…” Juhdia was suddenly at a lost for words, he saw the look on Crispin’s face. “Just do not tell anyone gave you a pot of coffee.”

 

“Sure old… Juhdia. I just wish this was all over and we could go back to the farm.”

 

“That’s why they call it “The Long Night”. It takes some time to win, or lose. Trust me, I’ve been through enough of these.”

 

Juhdia and Crispin talked till Crispin’s watch shift was over. Crispin curled up into a ball in the corner and drifted off to sleep, but he continued to shiver from the cold. Juhdia took off his coat and laid it on Crispin. But still the boy shivered, not from the cold, but from his dreams.

 

 

 

Time had pasted and though Crispin was still a year shy of fifteen, the age of the draft was lowered to fourteen by the Provincial President, he was turning into a fine strong man. Under Juhdia’s teachings Crispin was becoming a worthy soldier. But there was still so much to learn.

 

Crispin sat in the back of a room in a war torn building as the Rebellion Leaders talked over their attack plan. Crispin was Juhdia’s second in the Frankfurt Rebellion Cell, so he was supposed to be present during such meetings, but Crispin’s mind was somewhere else.

 

The second of the New York Rebellion Cell, a young redheaded girl named Rebecca, who like Crispin was still only a teenager. She got up and exited the room. Crispin followed her. She sat down and curled her legs to her chest and placer her head on her arms which were on top of her legs.

 

“Hello, Rebecca, right?”

 

Rebecca launched from her sitting position to a fighting stance. “Oh, you.” She sat back down again. “Yeah, you’re Juhdia’s second, Crispin Xavier. You and Juhdia have quit a reputation.”

 

Crispin responded with a cocky smile and laugh, “Yes ma’am.” He sat down next to Rebecca.

 

The two talked for hours, even after the meeting. Juhdia spotted Crispin, but thought the boy needed to spend sometime with a member of the opposite sex. And Juhdia could see that even under the worn exterior she was a pretty girl.

 

Over next few months Crispin and Rebecca had formed a relationship. Every chance they had to spend time together, they would. Juhdia was happy that Crispin had met someone, even though the planet was in the middle of a civil war. Crispin was happy that he had finally met someone he could love.

 

One day the Frankfurt cell met up with the New York cell. Crispin looked for Rebecca, but he could not find her. He went to the leader of the New York cell. “Greeting Bel’el. Where is Rebecca?”

 

The Tellarite man turned from Crispin. Tears rolled down his cheek. “She was captured and executed last week.

 

Crispin stood there, not knowing what to think. He had seen people die and he had lost people he cared for, even before the war. It brought back the memory of losing his parents. Crispin was filled with a well of emotions, but for some reason, he could not cry.

 

Juhdia told Crispin that this was the effect of war and he must find his own inner strength to go on.