My scarred hands were folded in front of me as I sat before them. Over the last two days I’d told them the same story from beginning to end, twice already and they picked at it a third time. Now they conferred in tones that white noise prevented me from hearing. But I still knew what they said. Lutz leaned on their table, narrating for me.
All the victims’ testimony sided with the actions of my people. We’d rescued them from the murderous hands of Coyotes. To terrify them into compliance, the Coyotes randomly killed someone, in the most horrendous ways possible. Including cutting their throats and ripping them out with their bare hands.
The men asked ‘why’ over and over again, getting the same answers. They were running an illegal mining operation inside the mountains, but no one could prove it. Before the Marines arrived to ‘save us’, the tunnel was blown by a small nuclear bomb. Sealing it forever.
Everyone swore it was the last desperate, vengeful act of the Coyotes.
Lutz popped out of existence, reappearing on the edge of my table. “They’re at a deadlock.” He really liked to carry on conversations when he knew I couldn’t answer. His idea of being annoying.
It worked well, but he was useful.
“The general on the left, Gen. Hardass, is on your side. He saw some freaky stuff over in Syria and gets the ‘do unto others’ angle. And when we came in he was putting on his jacket. He’s got the Raider Cross on his right arm.”
I gave Hardass a passing glance. I’d worked with his kind. He’d seen lots of battle before he got to the top and understood the truth could be stranger than fiction.
Lutz pointed to the other general. “Gen Marshmallow hasn’t seen the front line of anything, but the buffet. He’s all ‘by the book’ and thinks you violated the terms of the oath you swore with all this Ci’in stuff. We need to figure out what he wants to hear to make this go away. So I can say goodbye.”
I lowered my head, turning slightly to Lutz. “I’m doing my best.”
“Captain!” I jerked my head up as Marshmallow used the microphone to make his voice boom in the hearing room. As if it was necessary. It was a small room “Are we boring you?”
I clenched my teeth, shifting in my seat as I leaned forward. My last pain pill was wearing off. My lips brushed the microphone they’d provided me. “Sir, yes sir.”
His mouth popped open. Hardass raised an eyebrow slightly. My commander scrunched up his eyebrows, but didn’t say anything.
“I have repeated everything I know. I don’t have anything else to add, except that I am… offended. Particularly with your prejudice, sir. My oath to the United States Marine Corps does not negate my religion, any more than it does yours, sir. Nor does it negate the obligation I have to the true native population of this country. Sir.”
I turned my arm enough to display the tattoo I shared with Hardass. “I am not a consciousness objector. I have killed to defend our country, our constitution and our people, including the native population you refuse to acknowledge as legitimate. Sir.”
“Ewww, go for the jugular by calling him a bigot. Great tactic.” Lutz snickered.
There was a stunned moment of recovery as Marshmallow’s shock turned to anger. “I am not prejudice, Captain. I am reacting with doubt.” He glared at me. “We’re supposed to believe that the entire Indian…”
Gen. Hardass cleared his throat, loudly, getting a secondary glare from Marshmallow.
“That the entire Native American…”
“Sir, Earth People.” I corrected him, for the tenth time in these hearings. “The National Council of Tribal Affairs has worked for decades to change the derogatory designations to our many tribes. As this is a legal tribunal, please use the correct term. I am of the Earth People. Sir.”
He stared at me, looking even more annoyed that I continued to speak back to him. “Captain. You want us to believe that the entire population of… Earth People, picked you as their next great Chin.”
I leaned into the microphone again, dropping my voice and speaking slowly, implying in the sheer tone that he was stupid enough I needed to speak slowly. “The Ci’in, sir! As in, The Bishop. The Pope.” I got a smirk from Hardass. “I am The Ci’in. And no, it was not the entire population of Earth People, but all the tribal leaders elected to the council. A unanimous vote. Sir.” I was maintaining protocol with each statement.
“And they just showed up at your door and dragged you away for this… promotion.”
“Yes, sir. They did. The Spirits spoke to the tribal religious leaders, Shaman, as you prefer to call them. The Great Mother told them it was time for a new Ci’in to be appointed. We do not question our Spirits when they speak to us. Sir.”
“And these Spirits speak to you now.” He said it with such venom, he sounded like the Maxa’xak.
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes towards Lutz, who had raised his hand as if volunteering to answer. A part of me wished he could.
I blinked slow and stared back at the general. “Yes, sir. Just as I’m sure your God speaks to you. Unless… he doesn’t, sir.” I leaned away from the microphone. “If that isn’t the case, then I feel sorry for you, sir.”
Lutz laughed so hard he lost concentration and fell through the table. Casey snorted and I was trying hard to keep a straight face.
“Captain, I’ve had just about enough of this.” Marshmallow was starting to look like the real thing when you hold it just far enough out of the flames it doesn’t burn, but puffs up really big.
Hardass wasn’t even looking at me, or at Marshmallow. He leaned on his arm with the tattoo, his mouth buried in his palm.
My commander’s face was the darkest red I’d ever seen. Having gone
