Prisoners of Sol - Girret Storm Riders (9/11)

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As we progressed from dozens of rescues under our belt to hundreds and even thousands, our team began to make a name for ourselves. Narol, Tunia, and I had turned into a well-oiled machine, while I learned to trust my squad brother to find the shrewdest path to saving lives. By the third tour, I was far older and less hot under the collar to trot into life-risking danger. I supposed Father Time mellowed us all out in the end. Our unit was still one of the most active, however, without various stories about our rescues picked up on evening news and circulated through survivor accounts.

My physical body had taken a beating to where I couldn’t trundle into danger at full speed anymore, and I thought it was time for someone younger to take my place. The three of us had decided to accept the high-ranking administrative roles in the Storm Riders, as I sought to reform the organization closer to its initial intention. Narol stayed on as well, since it was cozier and allowed him to be home with his family again; he certainly had earned the ability to coast on reputation. He deserved every ounce of credibility he got, since he was the bravest Girret I’d ever met.

There was never a man more loyal to the people he cared about, and that’s a different kind of honor that I wish I’d known from my family. Narol pulled my ass out of danger time and again, especially when I was a young hothead who was outright eager to die. He saw the good in me when my own name felt so stained that it could never be cleansed. Now, we’re all looked up to as heroes.

Narol was reciting stories to his teenage nephew, who’d taken his head out of his phone long enough for his uncle to regale him with breathtaking stories. “So Redge wants to charge into the pileup. We don’t see that a lot, since the cars are supposed to be off the road, for this exact reason. The stars aligned though for two people trying to visit relatives in the hospital: same story. Never do that, son, no matter how much you love ‘em. They wouldn’t want you to wind up dead in a ditch too.”

“Narol! Don’t scare my boy too much,” his sister chastised him. “Redge is stoic and sensible. You could emulate that a little more.”

“Thank you for the compliment,” I offered, sipping at the homemade, fresh-squeezed hukka juice. I had spent holidays with Narol’s family for over a decade now, but it was always a wonderful experience to be a guest in their home. It was equally incredible to see his face come alive, just like he’d lit up when he spoke to them on the phone back in boot camp years ago. “I try to put my emotions aside so that my actions can speak above everything else. Words tend to be distractions. You watch what people are doing, it says volumes about their characters.”

The teenager flitted his tongue out in irritation at the interruption. “Mom, I want to hear the story. Go on, Uncle Narol.”

“I pull him back and tell him to wait to assess the scene, seconds before the lithium battery goes POP! You can feel the heat through the suits and the force, hit just the wrong way like in the movies. The dust ratchets up infernos like we all know, but we feel out the other car with our suit’s radar and bust in the window. Tunia battles the flames for us with our extinguisher. Let me tell you though. You’re not getting a car fire out. Those things are persistent.”

“That’s so cool!”

“Tragic accidents aren’t cool at all. It sounds like someone died in the other vehicle,” Narol’s sister said. “It’s one thing to appreciate your Uncle Narol and your Uncle Redge being courageous, and another altogether to worship the devastation.”

I hissed for attention. “There is room to respect nature’s capacity to destroy and consume, one you need sometimes to keep your pride down and not get yourself killed. Believe me, I’ve tussled and scraped against death enough times to know. Car fires are a highly dangerous situation when you’re there. No time to appreciate nature’s raw power, you just want to do some whirlwind slithering and get everyone out of there that you can. Narol taught me that serving society means maximizing the lives saved, and remaining in the fight. He brought me home.”

“Neither of us could’ve done all of the rescues we’ve done without the other. We have great chemistry together, and I know you’re going to shake things up in a leadership role too,” Narol commented. “That’s the footage you’ve seen on the news of me holding Redge while he reaches through the window and pulls out the unconscious driver. Caught on dashcam.” 

His nephew gave an attentive nod. “There was a child. The people loved you and hailed you as heroes. There was an internet thread sharing different stories about your unit in particular.”

“Oh, it was nothing special. It’s nice to be appreciated, but we’re just doing the best we can,” I piped up, sticking to modesty.

“Nothing?! Redge kept an infant from burning alive, with those sharp ears and that paranoia of leaving anyone behind!” Narol’s voice rose with enthusiasm, and he nudged me in the side with an affectionate glance. “We’re about to leave, when he hears crying. There was a little baby jostled from the car seat, fallen to the floor in the back row. He does a 180 and a perfect dive through the window, while I scramble after him. I try to pull him back, and wonder what on Doros he was doing, to find he’d snatched a kid.”

“Seconds later, that vehicle catches fire too and the whole roadway’s going up. Narol was lightning quick in getting me out, at an awkward position. I might’ve been too quick to jump back in there, but I knew what I heard. There was no time to waste, and we wouldn’t have all gotten out of there if our whole unit wasn’t ready to do what was needed. Tunia kept the flames off of us for just long enough—she’s useful to have in a support role. The lesson there is every Girret can help, in whatever way you’re able to. You make a difference. That spirit is the glue that holds the Alliance together.”

“It is! We saved a handful of Derandi in our time, though they were a heck of a lot easier to get out. Flying does that, they usually just needed a safe place to go. Or maybe they got trapped or injured by falling debris. That said, people are people. We never treated anyone in need any differently. Maybe next time, I’ll tell you about the Derandi ambassador that crashed flying upside-down in the dust storm! Balance system not properly calibrated if she didn’t realize gravity was pulling her down.”

Narol’s sister cleared her throat. “Perhaps another time. You don’t want to fill your nephew’s head with tales of tragedy and incidents, do you? He doesn’t need these images in his head next storm cycle.”

“We can switch the subject. Thank you for having me with you,” I interjected, not wanting Narol to upset his sibling too much with the grandiose stories. “Narol is lucky to have such an amazing family, and I’m lucky to have stumbled across such an amazing Rider who’s willing to include me. I appreciate you guys so much, and I’m excited to take the next chapter at changing the world! The reputation we’ve built gives us so much fuel to work from.”

“What are you two planning to do with your new positions?”

“I don’t know yet. Narol thinks we need a publicity stunt to get public backing for more overhauls, but I think we should increase transparency and candor. We can root out corruption and show the people we’re working for them. That we’re bringing out the best in the Storm Riders, like Bneria and the old legends. A new era.”

“A new era,” Narol mused, through a mouthful of food. “It’s sappy, but I actually like that. It’d be a good slogan for any office.”

“Don’t listen to his wild schemes. He thinks we could be in a true political office one day.”

“We could. We’re a power unit together. I’d back you anywhere, Redge.”

I chuckled. “Thanks, Narol. My focus has always been on being a good Rider, and we worked hard to make it this far. I’m happy to stay dialed in on this job, here and now, at least for the time being.”

“Me too. Just don’t forget the ambition it takes to truly change the world. I know you have it in you.”

Narol’s unfounded trust in my ability to climb to the apex of Doros’ hierarchy astounded me, but I supposed I found it amusing and flattering that he thought a career of rescues would be enough. It would be a large enough task to juggle to try to get the Storm Riders back in shape, and I knew we’d have our hands full righting that ship before the watching world.

Next

A/N - 9! Redge and Narol have completed hundreds of missions together, and return home to share with Narol’s nephew, who has grown much older. Redge has been a part of Narol’s family and feels close to them, and our narrator and his squad have been moved to administrative positions. Do you believe that they can enact meaningful change in the Storm Riders organization? Is Narol right to suggest higher ambitions for Redge?

As always, thank you for reading and supporting!