Epilogue
La Malinche
Robles (Daxiangshu), Shengu County, Jiaodao Province
Robles was just another little town built along the rail line. There was nothing special about it and the local bar was like any other dive where roughnecks, scavengers and other hardscrabble types congregated to take a bit of the edge off their miserable existence with a bottle or two of cut-rate liquor. It was the last place you would expect to see a half dozen Imperial sailors walk in. It was like the start of a bad joke.
The bar went silent as the sailors walked in. Some of the patrons pretended to ignore them, but most glared in wordless contempt. So far, no one was quite drunk enough to shoot off their mouths or start a fight. It was less than a year since the new masters took over, but that was long enough for people to know that the new Imperials were not to be crossed.
The officer among the Imperials approached the bar, specifically a young woman who was quietly drinking beer straight from the bottle, perhaps the only in the room who was not just pretending to ignore the new arrivals.
"Hello there, Yasuko," the officer said.
Without looking at him, the young woman replied, "Lowen."
"You look well."
The young woman turned in her seat and looked at the officer.
"So do you," she said. "Your Emperor feeds his knights well."
"You could enjoy the same," the officer replied. "You have a knighthood yourself, you know."
The young woman turned back to her beer, saying, "My place is here."
"Is it? I've heard some of the stories of the one they call 'La Malinche'."
The young woman gave a low, sardonic chuckle.
"That's one of the nicer names they have for me."
"Why do you do it?" the officer asked. "Why do you stay here on this planet where you're hated? You could go anywhere else in the known universe. You could be a very important person in the Empire."
"This is my home," the young woman insisted. "Somebody has to make sure you Earthers don't go too far."
"You're just one girl," the officer said. He then corrected himself. "No, one woman. A talented woman, yes, but just one woman. What do you expect to do?"
"What I have to do, the same as it's ever been."
Looking rather pained, the officer told her, "Don't do anything foolish, Yasuko. After all you've done, I'd hate to see the goodwill you've built up go to waste."
"I don't do what I do for any reward... or to be loved."
Awkwardly, the officer replied, "You... You don't have to live unloved, you know."
"You're not pullin' me up an' I'm not pullin' you down," the young woman said. "I like you, Lowen, maybe more than like you, but we're on different paths. I can't go where you're goin' an' you can't go where I'm goin'. That's just how it is."
"It doesn't have to be this way," the officer said. "You could do more good inside the system than outside it. You'd warrant a place in the interim government, like what your mother is doing. Celestial, Infernal, none of that matters anymore. You could help bring all people together as fellow citizens of the Empire."
"I've always been better at breakin' things than makin' 'em."
The officer paused a moment before trying a different tack.
"Will you not see your mother?"
The young woman shook her head and took another drink.
"She doesn't wanna see me."
"You're her daughter."
"I'm the person who killed both her husbands. There's no gettin' away from that."
The officer just stood there, as if he was trying to think of some different approach, but nothing was forthcoming. He had used up his meager bag of tricks. The arts of persuasion clearly were not his forte.
"So that's it then?" he said. "You're just going to push everyone away?"
"It's better for everyone."
"It's a lonely existence you're condemning yourself to."
"This is how it's gotta be."
The officer sighed.
"Well, clearly I'm not going to change your mind. I'm sorry it has to be this way. Good luck, Yasuko. And... goodbye."
Without looking back at him, the young woman said, "You take care a' yourself, Lowen."
The officer signalled to the other sailors that it was time to go. Once they had gone, the young woman finished her beer and fished out some chips to put down on the bar.
"Keep it," the bartender said, scowling at her. "We don't want your blood money 'round here."
"Well then, thanks for the drink," the young woman replied.
"Pleasure's all yours, chingada."
"Yeah..."
The young woman got up and scanned the room for anyone who might want to make a go at her. No one did, but just about everyone there was glaring at her with ten times the contempt they showed the Imperials. However, it was as she said. She did not do what she did for any reward or to be loved. And so she walked out of the bar, a lone wolf nipping at the heels of giants.