— Yes. Penalty Major Bolotnikov. What you got is what you got.
— And what you don't have, you don't have.
— And what you don't have, you don't have. — Bolotnikov had already realized that his interlocutor was a high-flying bird, which meant that one could learn much more from him by respect than by force. It was only necessary to approach the matter in the right way.
— So what do you want to know from me, Penal Major Bolotnikov?
The major squirmed a little in his chair, then nodded affirmatively and stared confidently at his interlocutor: "Name. Rank. Why did the Kiwis keep you prisoner? And where were they taking you? For starters, this.
— Name… Yes… I had a name… — the prisoner stared down, and it was clear that it was a painful question for him, so he wanted to emphasize that he was talking to a penalty officer, that is, to someone who also did not have all the power. — The Jackal was my name. That name doesn't mean anything now. But I had no other…
— Go on. I'm listening to you very carefully.
— I'm a hevy myself. I used to be. Until I broke a rule… And they were taking me to punish me for breaking that rule… We're strict about that.
It was well known about the Kiwis that they were not to be surrendered. Not at all and never at all. That each of them always carries two last grenades. One for when they're about to take you prisoner, if there's nowhere else to run. And one for yourself when you've used up the first one. It was both a trick and a sword of Damocles for the Kiwis. They were both proud and afraid of it at the same time. Proud that each of them had always been ready and used it. And afraid that they didn't know when that moment would finally come, or if it would come at all.
— So what did you surrender yourself? And to whom?
— Chumam from SCK.
— To the Chumas? Heavey surrendered to the Chumas? How does that make sense? — The Hiwi were fighting hand in hand with the Chumas. It was hard to see where their spheres of interest diverged, but it was completely inconceivable that there was that level of disagreement between them to allow for a surrender.
— The world is not at all what you think it is. — Jackal grinned. — You Maquis are used to the Maquis fighting a plague empire and the Kiwis helping them, aren't you? Well, the world is much more multifaceted than that. And the plague empire, which looks so monolithic on the outside, is rotten in reality. There are agencies fighting each other worse than you and me. And, rest assured, far more ruthless. And if you had taken this into account when you strike again, you would have defeated us and the Chums long ago… But you still fight the old-fashioned way — see an enemy, shoot him. You see a friend, you shake his hand. And shake his hand where everyone can see it. You think it's strength, but in fact it's just stupidity.
Bolotnikov took out cigarettes from his outside pocket, then matches and smoked: — Will you have some?
The Jackal shook his head negatively: "I smoked mine a long time ago.
What this chiwi was saying was shocking to the core. They had an inkling that what they were doing was not what they were doing to win. That no matter how many chums and chiwis they killed, they were not getting fewer. There were only more corpses, both their own and those of others, and there was no end in sight. It was obvious that the approach was wrong, but there was nothing to change it for. And to understand what inside the plague empire could work against it, obviously, meant to find the Achilles' heel of this system.
— What agencies are you talking about? SCIU and the imperial army?
— Close enough. Of course, they have their differences. But that's just on a local level. They don't really have much to divide. The JFK operates on a small scale, the Imperial Army on a large scale. And they have different interests. The army is after the budget, and the CCC is after influence… And it's someone else who's after influence. Their goddamn Church, and especially the Inquisition. No one is more hungry for influence than the Inquisition. And they don't want to share it with the CCC. These two forces would have destroyed each other long ago, but their style of confrontation is so underhanded that when one of them seems to be outnumbered, it turns out that the other still has hidden powers. And it starts all over again. Now the SCK has the army, the administration, and even some branches of the Inquisition firmly under its thumb. But unlike the BCC, the Inquisition has its cogs absolutely everywhere, and unlike the BCC, these cogs are fanatically loyal to their patron. This supreme patriarch, who can always absolve any sins and bless for any deed… But BCC will not absolve sins, no matter how hard they try. Problems can, but sins can't. Only the Church can do that. And now their leader Nevroh wants more than ever. If you press the right thing at the right time, there will be nothing left of SCK.
— What do you mean?
— You hit them pretty good at Luhansk. No matter what they say to each other, it's a serious loss for both the SCK and the imperial army. And Nevrokh used it very well. He made it look like it was a punishment from the Black Stone for those who didn't follow their code of Silan-Zhah. That such losses would be impossible if their souls were pure. That it was the Black Stone's way of ridding itself of heresy. A heresy that is unacceptable to the Empire. Believe me, Silan-Jah is more powerful than any argument the CCC can make. And they know it very well… These problems have changed the formation of the whole column, and to cover themselves, the local chief of the SCK, Zakinhr, has transferred power to the people in one of the mines. So that neither the Church nor especially the Inquisition could get in. After all, there was no reason to purge people of heresy… Neither the administration nor the Imperial Army understood what the move was about, but they were okay with it. And this is just the beginning. Zakinhr wants to extend this experiment not just to one sector of the Deez, but to the entire convoy. He's sure that the prefect Gora will be his obedient puppet. Where can he go… Believe me, soon the entire column will be under the leadership of
Gora, who is at the beck and call of the SCK. There will be no Inquisition here, no confrontation with SCK. And then you will realize what opportunities you have missed… Instead of the SCK and the Inquisition eating each other, you will get new hives, more serious than the previous ones. And you'll have no one to fight for… Except yourselves.
Bolotnikov finished another cigarette and looked at his interlocutor's face. Yes, exactly the interlocutor, not the prisoner. One could only hear such things from a conversation, not during an interrogation. What he was about to learn was as important as it was difficult. Soon the one who had been their loyal friend, the one who had seemed the most important link on the road to victory, would turn out to be their most dangerous enemy.
Masha
Masha had that dream again. She was standing in the middle of a field, and there were two big armies standing around her, facing each other. And the two commanders of those armies were bargaining with each other for her. It was pouring rain and thunder and lightning, and sometimes it was as bright as day.
She was looking at the details, the way the two men were discussing something, standing in front of their troops. And the one in the light-colored garb was acting a little nervous. It was obvious that he needed to bargain for something now. As if it was something personal, important to him.
Masha began to stare harder into his face, trying to recognize something familiar, and finally she saw in him the face of Raphael, her dead husband.