Day 1 Late Evening - Unification

Riley: *"I'm always up for a war story, Adler. Did you drill a major? Did you sleep with someone's sister? Don't make me guess, I hate guessing games. Or games in general. Tell me, how does one go from Dorian Adler, DDS to Have gun, Will Travel?"*

He tossed an absent smile her way as the bottle did it’s duty. “Nothin’ quite so glamorous,” Dorian settled back in the chair. “I grew up on Hera…can yah believe Ah was a farm boy? Yes, yah should look askance at that one,” he chuckled. “Ah was the runt, born many weeks too soon and had mah family choosin’ coffins on more than one occasion. Mah father was a doctor, though. In the end, he got me through the sick time, gave me what ya might call a classical education in the process, and when Ah came of age, shipped me off tah medical school. And Ah went,” Adler rolled the drink gently between his palms, "gladly."

“Then came the time of war. Honestly, it didn’t register much tah me then. Ah was in my second year, buried in classes and an internship on Osiris. The war wasn’t about tah show itself there. Mah dad felt tha same way ‘bout Hera. Back in those days,” Dorian glanced toward Riley, “the planet was agricultural…sparsely populated. Hardly worth fighting over, we thought. But we were wrong.” Dorian took a sip, then set the glass before him. “Got an urgent wave from mah father. 'Come home at once.' Ah did. Ah’d never seen mah dad frightened before…leastways never recognized it. He wanted tah pack us up…leave tha valley…get off tha planet. Never told me how he knew,” Adler continued, nodding his head as he spoke. “But he knew. Next mornin’, the war came tah call.”

Dorian folded his arms, propping his elbows on the table. “The Browncoats were first. Yah could see tha desperation. They dug earthworks, laid in batteries. We watched ‘em harvest our fields fah whatever they could get tah feed their forces. We prepared as we could. With land locks on all civilian craft, there was no getting’ outta tha way in time. Sure enough, tha Alliance followed. We never really saw tha battle. Just heard it as it went on fah days while we clung together in our root cellar.”

“The first wounded showed up on Day 2. Nickersons brought their daughter Margaret. They were hunkered down in their house, about two miles down tha valley. Margaret had taken a piece of shrapnel tah the leg. With all hell breakin’ loose outside, father an’ Ah treated that girl on our kitchen table. Mah first amputation," he recalled. The bottle moved to refill their drinks.

“The wounded kept comin. Fifteen…twenty…forty…every day. Of course there weren’t sufficient supplies. Tha wounds…hell,” he cast a glance her way, “you’ve seen war wounds before, Lieutenant. But we were reduced tah workin’ with hand tools and cut piano wire stitches. We cauterized with a red hot fireplace poker. If a soldier’s friends had liquor, she was in luck. She would have anesthetic.”

“Ah remember Unification Day," Dorian said. "After word came of tha surrender, mah father went tah smoke his pipe on tha back steps. Bullet caught him in tha brainpan. We found him an hour later." The dentist's eyes never left his drink as he said, "tha last shot of tha war...or so we thought."

"Tha house was full up with wounded…yah could smell the beginnings of gangrene. But they kept comin.’ We're boilin' water in tha fireplace. Sterilization?" His quiet laugh was devoid of humor. "Mah sisters, Carrie-Ann and Melanie, would lash ‘em tah the kitchen table, one aftah tha next, and Ah'd get tah work sawin'...diggin.' . Sometimes we saved ‘em.” He took a swallow. “Sometimes we didn’t.”

Adler met Riley's gaze. "There's an old sayin'...'history is written by tha victors.' That history says tha valley was locked down tah better manage processing and humanitarian aid fah the surrendered browncoats and locals. Truth was they decided tah let hunger and sickness do their job for them. We waited. Ah even painted a big white cross on tha roof tah get their attention for our wounded. Tha girls were makin' stews outta whatevah could be foraged. We'd strip tha dead naked tah cut up their uniforms for bandages. Sometimes a fella would volunteer tah go to an Alliance checkpoint and beg fah help. We'd nevah see him again."

“bout that time a man showed up, trailin’ a leg gone putrid with gangrene. He wouldn’t let us tie him down fah the amputation. He sat up…watched me take his leg with a wood saw, an’ didn’t cry out beyond growlin’ into tha piece ‘o’ poplar we gave him tah bite down. A big man. Jebedia McComb,” Dorian said, his face darkening with the utterance. Realizing her scrutiny, he forced a smile. “What Ah didn’t know was that Ah was about tah learn a great deal of how tha world truly worked.”

“Nobody’s comin, young’un,” he told me on more than once. “Time tah learn survival,” he said. He taught me poker at night, when Ah'd sit in on games he was runnin'. When Ah realized he was terrorizin' tha weakest for their rations, Ah tried tah run him off. Ah shoved mah father’s pistol inta his face. He just slapped it away, an’ shouted 'do it again!' So Ah did. He slapped it down once more. “Faster!” he demanded. An’ that was how it went,” Dorian said. “Days of me practicin’…gettin’ slapped…but gettin’ faster. Nights spent playin' poker until somebody either needed help or died." He stared once more into his glass, setting the liquid within to swirling.

“One fine day, as Ah was doin’ rounds, Ah noticed that mah sister Melanie was missin.’ She was sixteen…a pretty girl. Later that mornin’ a soldier told me that he'd seen her headin' up the valley road…pulled along by McComb. Ah set off after them…on foot, but mah hope was as Ah had two an’ he was a one legged man draggin’ mah sister Ah’d overtake ‘him. Got close,” Dorian reflected. “Close enough tah see him flash an ident card an' pass right through that Alliance checkpoint…with mah sister. That,” he said as he took a swallow, “was tha last time Ah evah saw her.”

“Of course, no story is complete without a climax. This one happened that night as Ah returned tah the house. Alliance patrol had been sent along. Ah showed up in time tah see troops with flame throwers settin’ light ta the place. Ah called out tha officer. “We’ve got only wounded inside!”

For a moment, the dentist considered pouring another drink, then thought better of it. "By now Ah’m bawlin…tears rollin’ down mah face and Ah’m beggin' this officer ‘please, mah sister Carrie-Ann is in there!’ He called us traitors, accused us of giving aid tah the enemy, and ordered in the flames. Ah’m on mah knees,pleadin' with this man, when the house goes up proper and tha screamin’ starts inside. Ah guess mah coat fell open. This officer…he sees the pistol on mah belt, all lit up by tha fire. Ah remember his face…mouth startin’ tah hang open, his hand goin’ fah his sidearm. Ah hear a pop, an then that face just..implodes...and tha officer collapses backwards. Mah right arm is lifted toward him, an’ Ah can see tha smoke rise from mah pistol. Soldiers start hollerin, turnin’ toward me. Pop! Pop! Pop! They’re goin’ down. Ah’m walkin’ toward ‘em, an’ they’re just goin’ down.”

“Turned out it wasn’t all mah doin’,” Dorian concluded. “Small band ‘o’ renegade browncoats saw tha fire and took out the rest of tha patrol. They took me in…and eventually, we managed tah slip past tha pickets and escape Serenity Valley.” Dorian paused. After a breath, he said, "Ah understand it's a battlefield park, now. There's a historic marker marker on tha spot that says ‘Site of the Adler House.’ Chimney’s still standin’, though, Ah hear.” He lifted his eyes toward Lt. Riley. “Care for anothah drink?”