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In the same very wide world as The Tod’cxeckz’ri Paper
Everybody knew the Tojibarri stole people. It was the first thing you learned when you were in the Corps: when you were on a Tojibar-held territory, you went in pairs or triples, you didn't drink or eat anything you hadn't brought with you, and you never went into their forests in less than a group of twelve.
Everyone knew it, and yet Unther hadn't ever met anyone who'd known anyone who'd been stolen by the Tojibar. Yes, they traded in slaves - many of the Ring worlds did - but most of those slaves were one of the three Variations on humanity common to the Tojibar territories. Not great, doing that to their own people, but not Corps business, not something Unther could fix on his own, and not a threat to someone wanting a drink.
Thing was, they'd been using the buddy system and everything. And Unther had been sitting in the back of a public park, his back to his partners, shoulders touching. Sure, they'd been a little bit relaxed, but they'd been on duty for fifteen Central hours; it was time for a break.
He'd sipped his drink - fruit juice, not even fermented. He'd taken a bite of his energy bar. He'd bounced his shoulders off Kay and Gwinn. And then he'd lost consciousness.
( Read more... )
Everybody knew the Tojibarri stole people. It was the first thing you learned when you were in the Corps: when you were on a Tojibar-held territory, you went in pairs or triples, you didn't drink or eat anything you hadn't brought with you, and you never went into their forests in less than a group of twelve.
Everyone knew it, and yet Unther hadn't ever met anyone who'd known anyone who'd been stolen by the Tojibar. Yes, they traded in slaves - many of the Ring worlds did - but most of those slaves were one of the three Variations on humanity common to the Tojibar territories. Not great, doing that to their own people, but not Corps business, not something Unther could fix on his own, and not a threat to someone wanting a drink.
Thing was, they'd been using the buddy system and everything. And Unther had been sitting in the back of a public park, his back to his partners, shoulders touching. Sure, they'd been a little bit relaxed, but they'd been on duty for fifteen Central hours; it was time for a break.
He'd sipped his drink - fruit juice, not even fermented. He'd taken a bite of his energy bar. He'd bounced his shoulders off Kay and Gwinn. And then he'd lost consciousness.
( Read more... )
