The helicopter touched down in the empty dirt field next to the tribal center, and dozens of men and women with powerful looking weapons jumped out. They fanned out in every direction, surrounding the main building, and a few of the outbuildings on the tribal centers campus. Dozens of people came out of the various buildings, excited or concerned about the newcomers. When they saw the guns, several people yelled and darted back inside.

Isaka watched from the center steps as two more people, a man and a woman in perfect black suits, with white shirts, and black ties, wearing sunglasses and looking for all the world like they were government agents, stepped out of the helicopter. They spotted the council members, who had followed Red-wind’s grandmother outside to the parking lot to watch the helicopter, and headed in their direction.

“Let me do the talking.” The old woman said, sticking her cane into the earth with a heavy thump. The other elders shrugged their shoulders or looked indifferent, knowing she would handle it. Isaka got the feeling that this woman was the one they usually assigned to deal with outsiders.

And I don’t blame them. She’s kind of scary, Isaka thought as the two agents came within talking distance and the thump, thump, thump of the helicopter finally died off.

“Mis Red-rock?” The male agent asked. “Which one of you is Mis Red-rock?” The elderly woman stepped forward and thumped her cane in the ground again. It had an odd heavy feeling, as if the Earth itself moved when the cane struck it.

“It says Red-rock on my driver’s licence, but I haven’t updated it in years. What do you want? Barging in here with guns, and scaring good folk, you better have a damned good reason or you’ll feel my cane boy.” The agent’s eyes went wide at the statement, but his voice stayed calm.

“I apologize for the intrusion, ma’am. The rangers are here to ensure we got here safely, and to help secure the reservation in case of. . .“ The man hesitated as he looked around. The buildings were mostly prefabricated, but the roads were clean, the people looked healthy, and there was a distinct lack of roving gangs. Which was a pleasant change of pace, Isaka thought.

“In case of what? Spit it out, boy.” The female agent stepped in, continuing with the explanation.

“In case of extra normal circumstances or incursions, ma’am. Have you been privy to the events going on outside your reservation since the system came online?” She asked, removing her sunglasses to reveal a still healing scar covered poorly by an eye patch packed with clean white gauss.

“No, not really. This young woman was the first person we’ve seen. Well, other than a few groups of young and stupid punks who came in and tried to make trouble. The people worked together and sent them back home with their tails between their legs and a new lesson in their heads.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” the female agent said. “Most places in the world have fared, far less well. My name is Agent Stokes from the Bureau of Indian Affairs. This is Agent Myers from the Draft Bureau. There has been a draft imposed on all specially abled people of sound mind and body and of legal age within the United States ma’am.”

“What does that mean? Haven’t you government types hurt my people enough? Can’t you just leave us alone?” The two agents looked at one another. Stokes sighed and continued on with her explanation.

“I’m sorry ma’am no. The threat is existential to the integrity of the nation, and, well? It’s pretty much damn near everywhere. People have been given powers and most do not know how to cope with the fact that they can bend reality to their whims, or take a bullet to the face without dying. And then there are the XP addicts those are the worst.”

“Don’t get me started on the Anti-system cults, or the system worshipers. Those wack-jobs have been having it out in nearly every major city in the country.” Agent Myers said as he pulled his own sunglasses off. He shook his head sadly. “And those are just the deliberate threats. There was this girl in Massachusetts, she created, summoned, manifested I don’t know what to call it. She used some power and suddenly there was a fire-bear the size of a freight train. She was only twelve years old and had no idea how to control it. It ate everyone in her town, burned every building, and then was about to end her, but a draftee stepped in and redirected the thing. We had to use two hellfire missiles to take the damn thing down before it reached the nearest populated area.”

“Long story short ma’am, we’re here looking for people who can help.”

“Well. That is an important reason. I supposed you don’t deserve the cane.” She looked back at the other council members for a moment. None of them spoke or moved so much as a muscle. Sighing, she turned back. “I don’t know how I feel about you coming in and just rounding people up, though. It’s one thing to recruit, it’s another for force.”

“And that’s why I’m here.” Stokes said. “The Bureau has decided that instead of a simple draft, we’ll try to recruit from the reservation first. If we don’t meet our quota then . . .”

“That’s why I’m here. I’m sorry ma’am but if there aren’t enough volunteers, we’ll have to institute the draft.” Red-rock bristled at Agent Myers’ statement, but she kept her head.

“Please, we won’t need to go that route. I’m sure once we explain the situation, enough people will help.”

“Fine,” the old woman said. She shook her head sadly, sending her long black locks of braided hair shimmering in the sun. “What in the government’s wisdom, does it consider ‘specially abled’ exactly?”

“Anyone over level 5, or who has something especially unique about their system augmentations.” Myers said clinically, as if he were reading off a government document. “We need approximately twenty volunteers too . . .”

Isaka realized she needed to leave. She turned, ignoring the rest of the conversation, and headed back to the four-wheeler she and her sister had used to get out to the reservation. “Come on Wendy, we need to get out of here.”

“What? Why? I have questions I think those government guys can answer. It could help us if the basin gets . . . hey what are you doing?” Isaka grabbed her sister by the upper arm and pulled her along. She was taller than Wendy, and stronger. Where Wendy had inherited their mother’s looks and personality, Isaka had inherited their mother’s size. She wasn’t a giant like some of her cousins, but neither was she small.

“Shut up, we need to get out of here before one of us gets drafted.”

“Drafted? What the hell? But they’re not supposed to be back to the basin for another two months.” Wendy hissed as she opened the passenger seat and started climbing in.

“But we’re not in the basin Wendy, and I heavily doubt those dudes with guns are going to care about where we are from.” Isaka put the key in the ignition and turned it.

“Hey! You, get out of the car now!” A man with a rifle in some odd army gear shouted as he turned and pointed his rifle directly at them. Isaka kept trying to turn over the engine, but it wouldn’t go. “We’ve disabled the car, now get out!”

“Fuck.”

---

“You didn’t tell me you were level 7!” Wendy hissed at her as the agent lowered the giger-like, energy reader. “I would have come by myself!” Wendys voice grew louder as her anger grew.

“She’s level 3. But it says she started at level 0. Put a tag in this one’s file for next time the agents go through the Uintah Basin.” Agent Myers said as he lowered the reader and put it away. “Mis Wendy Smith, you’re free to go. I’m afraid your sister is being drafted for a term of service of no more than two years. Here are your papers. You are to report to Hill Airforce Base or your nearest national guard unit for pickup in a week’s time. That way you can get your affairs in order.” Agent Myers handed her the yellow slip of paper that Isaka had seen so many times on the news recently.

“There’s a national guard recruiter in Vernal. I’ll go there I guess.”

“That should work fine. Your country thanks you Mis Isaka Smith for your service.” Agent Stokes said. The two agents turned and went back to talking with the tribal business council. Isaka wanted to scream, to say or do something brash but, she couldn’t. She wouldn’t put her sister or the people on the res in danger because she had a tantrum.

Isaka had heard what had happened at other places, had seen the videos and speculation on line about when high-powered people tried to resist the drafters. It was not pretty. She swallowed her pride and walked away. Two years wasn’t that long, anyway. Wendy glared at her as they walked. “What? Don’t give me that look. It happened after we killed those two dudes yesterday. I got like, four levels from that.”

“Seems unfair, as I hit them both first, and I only got three. But still, you should have told me. Now you’re going to be gone to god knows where for two years! Mom and dad won’t be happy about this.”

“There you go, spark plugs are replaced.” Red-wind said as he closed the hood of their crew cab four wheeler. “You should be able to get back now.”

“Thanks red-wind.” Isaka said as she took the keys from him. “Don’t you think I know that? I wasn’t planning on getting conscripted in the middle of the Ute reservation now, was I? How the hell was I supposed to know that would happen exactly?”

“I don’t know, but you’re the one telling them. I’m not taking the heat for this. You know what they’re going to say, they’re going to go on and on about how neither of us are ever going to give them grandbabies, how the line of Smith is going to die off. No matter that it’s the most popular last name in the world, let alone in Utah. Point is you’re dealing with it, not me.”

“Ladies?” The two sisters looked back and found Red-wind standing there, looking awkward. “Uh, well. I think I’m going to be volunteering. From what my dad told me while you two were being rounded up, there are only a few nature speakers among the younger people on the reservation. And I’m one of them. My cousin Lenny, he’s only level 3, but he has this trait that makes it easier for him to cast earth spells and talk to earth spirits, so he’ll probably qualify I think.” Isaka smirked and raised an eyebrow. “What? Just because he lives on the reservation doesn’t mean he has to stick with traditional Ute naming conventions you know. Lenny is named after his dad.” Isaka raised her hands in surrender, but fought a smile. “Anyway, most of us younger people are going to go, so the elders aren’t drafted. Point is, we’re going to have to show up at that little station in Vernal in a week or so too. So, you won’t be going by yourself.”

That made Isaka feel better. Not much, but at least when she would enter government service in a week’s time, she probably would not be doing it alone.