Special Request

“Viking! Sir!”

Viking turned to see who called. He recognized the younger man’s freckled face. He never caught the lad’s name, but he knew he worked in the R&D department with Professor Albrecht. The young man ran up to him.

“The professor sent me to see if you were back yet,” he said. “Says he thinks he’s gotten as close to your special request as he can.”

Viking followed him back to the R&D lab. Before the soldiers occupied the castle, it was the astronomy tower. One of the history nerds in the ranks explained to him Jaims Drügeldorf built it due to his love of the sky. With the mountains rising behind the castle, Viking was surprised Jaims found a place with a good enough view of the sky. The men working there respected Jaims immensely, even leaving his star charts littering walls, and keeping his old telescope as the dominant feature of the tower’s top floor. Viking found it a nice piece, but he didn’t gush about it as much as the professor or the others. Apparently Jaims had an exceptional understanding of certain scientific endeavors.

In the floor below — which was another large room containing a model of this foreign solar system — was where Albrecht and his people did most of their work. Viking found the man engrossed in a mathematical formula when he arrived. He knocked his home world tune on a table to get the professor’s attention. The older gentleman excitedly turned his goateed head.

“Viking! Ah, it’s good to see you made it back.” Albrecht led him to a table on the other side of the room. “The others made it back safe, too?”

“Yes.”

“Good, good,” he said absentmindedly. He pulled an axe from the table and handed it to Viking. “Here it is.”

Viking took it, letting it rest in his hand for a moment before he began lightly swinging it. Its handle curved near the bottom, and the grip was enough to keep it from sliding in his hand. It was also off-balance.

“I could probably do a better job if we weren’t cut off from the homeland,” Albrecht explained. “As it stands, I’m not sure how well it will work for you in close-quarters situations, but I can tell you the range is fine enough.” He handed Viking a small box. “To get you started.”

“Thank you,” Viking said. Glancing at both axes currently hanging from his hips, he asked, “Is it just the one, then?”

“Unfortunately, yes. Given our resources at the moment, I can’t justify building more than the one to the brass.”

“I’ll let you know how it handles in the field.”

Albrecht smiled. “I’ll be glad to know what you think.”

“I must ask, what anti-aircraft weapons do you have?”

Albrecht’s brow furrowed. “Depends on the craft. Is that what you found in Älgenhul?”

“And what Calhoun found downriver. Warmongers.”

The professor thought for a minute. “The mortars and guns up front should be able to reach, but it all depends on how high the ships go. They could still very easily get out of range.”

“Would there be any way to increase that range?”

“Might take some work to boost them more than the charges can. You said there were two of these things?”

“If they don’t notice what I did, then there’ll only be one.”

Albrecht raised an eyebrow. “What exactly did you do?”

“A little cut in the canvas.”

“Oh, really?” the professor chuckled. “That’ll be a bad day for them once that hydrogen leaks.”

Smirking, Viking nodded.

“I take it the Warmonger was too close for something a bit more immediate.”

Viking’s face immediately turned downcast. “I could hear their screams.”

Viking said it coldly, a simple matter of fact. Albrecht was silent for several seconds before he responded. “I’ve told you before, I’m not that kind of doctor.”

“I saw them, too,” Viking continued, ignoring the comment. The professor, accepting his fate, said nothing to interrupt. “The fire raining down, consuming them. I know it would have been immediate, and no risk of them finding the damage, but I couldn’t do it to the people there.”

“That’s admirable.”

“But I’ve also been thinking about something that happened back home many years ago. As I told you before, we had a war like yours once. I never told you how we ended it. How my homeland ended it. The longer I’m here, the more I seem to think about those in the crossfire. I’m worried the only way to end this war will be what my people did to end theirs.”

“How did they do that?” His voice shook with morbid curiosity.

“Two bombs. Two cities. Millions of civilians dead.”

Albrecht said nothing.

“I understand the concept behind it, too. How the bombs worked. There’ve been times I’ve been tempted to tell you, or even someone else. You’re one of the top men our boys have, yeah?”

Albrecht nodded slowly. The idea of such a devastatingly final weapon intrigued him.

“I have another special request for you. I need you to tell me if our boys, or the enemy, ever begin work on such bombs.”

“I can’t guarantee I will know if such a project goes underway, even on our side.”

“I understand that. My request applies only if you do.”

He took a deep breath. He knew what he was about to say would not be what Viking wanted to hear, but he believed he had to say it. After being friends for so long, he believed he deserved the truth. Still, he kept his voice at a whisper. “Sometimes horrible things have to be done. If what you’ve told me is true, this could be the only way to end the war and save countless lives.”

Viking leaned in close. “We cannot let them make those bombs.”

“Have you ever considered such weapons could be an inevitability for any advanced enough civilization?”

“Yes. I’ve also considered they don’t have to be.”

“Heh. Have you ever considered you may be a bit too... black and white?”

“No.”

Albrecht sighed. “Very well. I will tell you if it ever does. But I must ask: did the consequences really outweigh the benefits?”

Viking laughed. Albrecht recoiled at the sound, and the other researchers and scientists in the room abandoned their tasks to stare at him. Viking never laughed. “I don’t know,” he said. “All I know is our peace is based on who has the bigger bomb. Is that the future you want for your children? For your grandchildren?”

He did not wait for Albrecht’s answer. He only walked away, and left the professor alone with his thoughts.