Mercenary by Duncan Falconer

world that had its own laws of nature, a microcosm of life practically independent from the ground. It even had its own weather. Those bastards shot at the balloon while I was in it. They burst it and it crashed to the ground. I was lucky to survive. They thought they had killed me and tried to cover up my supposed murder by burning down the facility and making it look as if the Indians had done it. When they realised I had survived the bastards came to kill me again. I managed to escape into the forest and went in search of the only allies I had. I arrived at Yoinakuwa’s village just as the mercenaries that the miners had hired were mounting their attack. They destroyed every hut and hunted down and killed nearly every man, woman and child. I found Yoinakuwa lying unconscious beside his dead wife and daughters. His two sons were making a last stand beside him. I had a rifle that had belonged to our security guards. I held off the mercenaries long enough to get Yoinakuwa and his boys out of there. They killed everyone else, every member of Yoinakuwa’s tribe. The miners’ aim was to destroy the Indians so that none of them would ever be able to challenge the invaders’ rights to the mines. And they succeeded . . . or as good as.
    ‘Yoinakuwa and his sons are the last of their line. It’s bad enough for a man to have to bury his wife and children. No man should have to bury his entire history. Since then they have never strayed far from my side. I truly don’t understand why. I know it’s partly because I saved their lives. But I have told Yoinakuwa many times that he owes me nothing. I even told him that I was largely to blame for everything by stopping the licensing of the miners in the first place. It made no difference to him.’
    ‘Are they the reason why you don’t leave?’
    ‘Ha! An interesting question. It’s true that I have often thought about leaving. You lose heart at times. It’s also true that I could not bring myself to say goodbye to them. Maybe I’ll take them back to France with me one day. I just don’t see them stacking shelves in the local supermarket, though. Obligation is a terrible thing, to be sure. I hope I wake up one morning and find they have gone. With luck that’s the way it will be.’
    Victor placed two plates on the table, along with a pot containing his gastronomic creation. He found some bread in a wooden box on the table, broke a piece off to test its freshness and placed a lump in front of Stratton. ‘Eat,’ he said as he spooned the food onto the plates. ‘This is as good as it gets around here.’
    While Victor poured them both more wine Stratton tasted the concoction. ‘Not bad,’ he said.
    The scientist shrugged. ‘From a man who enjoys corked wine that’s not much of a compliment.’
    Stratton smiled.
    Victor could not help liking the Englishman. He held up his mug. ‘Thanks again for the rocket thing. That was a natural act of chivalry. You can’t be all bad.’
    The door opened and Stratton reached swiftly for his M4 a few feet away.
    Louisa stepped into the cabin. ‘Oh,’ she said, pausing in the doorway. ‘Hello, Victor.’ She closed the door behind her.
    ‘Louisa,’ he said, greeting her.
    She stopped at his back and rested her hands on his shoulders. ‘You’ve had a long day, and a very unfriendly homecoming.’
    Victor enjoyed her show of affection. ‘I have cooked some food,’ he said.
    Louisa looked into the pot, dipped a finger in and tasted the contents. Her expression showed her approval. ‘I’ll take some for Sebastian.’
    ‘Be quick before my English friend eats it all.’
    ‘You are friends already?’ she asked.
    ‘We have both lived and died today,’ Victor said. ‘I don’t know what that means but we are certainly not enemies.’
    Stratton could not take his eyes off Louisa. She was even more beautiful close up. ‘Hi,’ he said, getting to his feet and wiping his hand against his side before offering it. ‘I’m . .