Return to Takomaan
Takomaan - June 28
Taavi casually lounged in his watchtower. Mongol throat singing played gently from an old cassette player next to him. It was just another morning in the village. He didn’t expect anything to happen. Even with the rumors they had heard of things happening elsewhere in Yavdi, they didn’t expect the trouble to reach them here.
And then he heard helicopter blades beating in the distance, gradually getting louder.
A helicopter? No, it can’t be. The last time a helicopter had come to their village…he didn’t want to think about it. Taavi shot out of his seat and began ringing the alarm bell. Immediately, the village came to life. People ran out of their homes, making their way to the central square to await further instructions. The village militia assembled at the front entrance.
“What’s the emergency?”
“It’s barely past dawn…”
“I don’t see anybody on the road.”
“Do you hear the helicopter in the distance?” Taavi said. “Like when Bielke attacked?”
Mentioning that man’s name instantly dispelled all of the complaints.
“We have to get ready,” militia commander Kettu said, “We don’t have the same advantages we had last time, so we’ll have to do this all ourselves. Weapons at the ready.”
“Right!”
“Everybody, let’s get to work!”
“We’ll defend our home!”
Their numbers had seen a slight boost since the previous incident. Many families from neighboring villages had taken refuge in Takomaan, hoping to escape the fighting elsewhere. There were a couple Yavdian Army soldiers whose units had been completely destroyed, much like Samir’s division. And there were even a few of Otso Bielke’s men from the last attack, who had decided to stay in the village to escape certain execution by firing squad at his hands for desertion. But their weapons still remained largely the same. Mostly small arms and hunting rifles, with a few bits of Yavdian Army hardware the ex-soldiers had on hand. It would have to do. The militia exited through the front gate and began setting up barricades and trenches under the ex-soldiers’ guidance. Taavi took out binoculars and scanned the sky, focusing on the direction the noise was coming from. It took a bit, but he soon made out a large dark object rapidly approaching, its downdraft shaking the forest’s trees as it flew past.
“Ready!” The militia crouched behind the sandbags and prepared their guns. Of course, the barricade would only help if the helicopter landed outside the village. As fate would have it, and luckily for all of them, it did land outside, halfway between the forest and the village. Kettu silently motioned to the rest of them, and they slowly advanced, guns ready. The helicopter’s engine cut off, and the rotors’ rotation slowed. Getting closer, Taavi could make out more details. It didn’t look like the same Siam-era model that Bielke used. And instead of a Yavdian military insignia, it had…what appeared to be a lion and sun, but crossed out?
Persians? What are they doing all the way out here?
“This is the Takomaan village militia!” Kettu shouted through a megaphone. “State your business and intentions here, or we will open fire!”
The door immediately slid open, and Gulichi popped his head out, frantically raising his hands. “Wait! Don’t shoot, it’s me!”
Taavi furrowed his brow. “Gulichi?”
“Taavi?” Gulichi lit up. “Hey, Taavi! How’s it going?”
Taavi sighed. “Next time, you should have announced your arrival over the radio.”
“I tried, but we really have bad reception here, you know?” Gulichi mimicked the sound of static. “I suppose I got too used to the city, huh?”
“Damn right, city boy!” Taavi stepped forward and clasped hands with Gulichi, pulling him in for a bear hug. “Welcome back, Gulichi.”
“Glad to be home.” At that moment, Kettu loudly cleared his throat. Gulichi and Taavi immediately snapped to attention, the former rolling his eyes. “Oh, right. Hey, Commander Kettu.”
“Juha…” Kettu grumbled. “I should’ve known it was you.”
“You should’ve known if you had a better radio.” Guilchi made more static noises.
“Still with that tone of yours, boy? Need I remind you that you still owe me a hundred pushups?”
Gulichi rolled his eyes. “I see Ol’ Piru’s still a
piru. Don’t know how you survived all this time without me, Taavi.”
“For your information, I’ve been doing just well, Gulichi,” Taavi said.
“Alright, it’s safe, guys!” Everybody else in the helicopter started disembarking. “Okay, this is going to be a long story, Taavi, so please bear with me.”
“I assume you’re back for a reason?” It probably had to do with the fact that most of the people Taavi saw leaving the helicopter weren’t wearing military uniforms. Some were carrying what looked like scientific equipment. Gulichi’s slight nod confirmed his suspicions.
“Yeah, it’s complicated,” Gulichi said, “Anyways, we kiiiind of need access to the lake.”
---
The militia escorted Gulichi’s group back to the village. As they walked along the dirt road, Samir took in the sights, trying to refamiliarize himself with the terrain. Aside from the path, the fields were largely unmanaged. Grass grew up to his knees. Bushes and shrubs were scattered everywhere. The only defining feature he saw was a metallic structure about fifty feet away from the path. It was longer than it was wide, with a crumpled can-like body and a skinnier tail. What appeared to be a rotor was now barely visible in the grass. A crossed-out green hoof and lightning bolt insignia, set in a circle of black dots, was the only thing telling him this was Otso Bielke’s old helicopter. He nervously looked at the black scimitar strapped to his belt, and then at Taavi. He could feel their wary gazes occasionally focusing on him and the sword.
A tyrant’s weapon indeed. Why do I still carry this around?
They passed through the front gate, and Kettu held up the megaphone again. “All clear! There’s no danger here! Except Gulichi Juha!”
“HEY!” Gulichi said.
“I didn’t know you were this popular at home,” Samir said.
“Eh, I don’t like to talk about it,” Gulichi said.
“Is that why you wanted to leave so badly?”
Gulichi shook his head. “No. It wasn’t all bad.”
“GULICHI!” several children ran down the road and wrapped themselves around Gulichi’s legs. “YOU’RE BACK!”
“Hey, kids.” Gulichi waved awkwardly. “Yeah, I’m home.”
“Did you save the world yet?”
“Is it true that Isfahan’s buildings are always on fire?”
“You got any souvenirs for us? What’s Persian candy like?”
“Where’s Friedrich and Ilyana? I want a
shagaa rematch!”
“Patience, patience, kids!” Gulichi held up his hands and smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ve got plenty of stories to share. Just wait until dinnertime.”
Wow, it’s like he’s completely different now. He wasn’t like this the last time I was here.
Leyla playfully elbowed Gulichi. “You sure are popular with the kids.”
“I used to help babysit when I was a teenager. We all did. It’s nothing.”
The kids then turned their attention to Leyla. “Hey, who are you, soldier lady?”
“Leyla Mala, Turkish Army.” Leyla gingerly moved a hand in a small approximation of a wave. “Nice to meet you.”
“Are you Gulichi’s girlfriend?”
“WHAT?!” Leyla’s face reddened. “WHERE DID YOU GET THAT FROM?!”
Gulichi nervously looked away and hastily whistled a traditional Mongolian folk tune. Samir couldn’t help but snicker.
Oh, these two…though Gulichi would probably point out I’m one to talk.
“Hey, Samir, back me up here!” Gulichi pleaded.
“What do you expect me to do, though?” Samir said.
“I don’t know, just bail me out!”
By now the kids had doubled over, howling with laughter.
“Nah, I don’t think I will,” Samir said with a grin.
---
“So…” the village elder said. “You want access to the island in the lake?”
Gulichi translated the elder’s words into German for Alexandra and Magnus’ convenience.
“…in a nutshell, yes,” Alexandra said.
“Alexandra, I don’t think we should have led with the whole ‘hidden technology that could benefit the Roman exile convoy’,” Magnus said.
“What else was I going to say, Magnus? My mother-in-law’s future-seeing ghost told me?”
“Yes, I do have trouble wrapping my head around it,” the elder said, “I still don’t know how you came across this information. Our village is quite isolated from everywhere else.”
“Sometimes, I don’t know how I got the information either,” Alexandra said, “But what I do know is there’s a good chance that something’s buried on that island. Something that might save the lives of thousands of people to the south.”
“The lake is sacred to our village, the island even more so,” the elder said, “You must know not just anybody can set foot on the island.”
“We’re aware,” Magnus said, “We don’t make this request lightly. Gulichi has told us how significant the lake is for you. But we wouldn’t be asking this if we were less than certain we will find something.”
“We promise we won’t overstay our welcome,” Alexandra said, “We’ll do what we need, try to be as respectful as we can, and then leave as soon as possible.”
“I vouch for them, sir,” Gulichi said, “They’re not like Bielke. I assure you, they’re good people. The princess would have vouched for them too.”
“The princess is not here, though. They are.”
“Still, their promises won’t be empty,” Gulichi said, “I swear on my honor.”
Are they as obsessed with honor here as in Persia? Alexandra thought.
The elder thought it over. “Very well then. I will grant you two days to do what you need.”
“Really? Thank you so much!” Alexandra respectfully shook the elder’s hand.
“This means so much to us and everyone in Mesopotamia!” Magnus said.
“Please remain respectful,” the elder said, “That island also means a lot to our village.”
“We won’t overstay our welcome,” Alexandra said, “I promise.”
