Chapter 6 - The Badge

  The badge felt heavy in Akiko’s hand. It was smaller than the katana she had carried for years, yet its weight carried a different kind of responsibility. She turned it over, the metal catching the sunlight streaming through the marshal’s office window. The words “Deputy U.S. Marshal” were etched into its surface, a foreign authority tied to foreign laws. Yet, for reasons she couldn’t fully articulate, she had accepted Kane’s offer.

  Marshal Kane stood across from her, his arms crossed as he watched her. He didn’t smile, but his expression wasn’t as guarded as it had been.

  “It’ll take some getting used to,” he said, nodding toward the badge. “But you’ve earned it. And I’m glad to have you on board.”

  Akiko gave him a small nod, slipping the badge into her pocket. “I will do my duty. But understand this, Marshal: I will follow your laws, but I will not abandon my code. My sword… my honor… they are as much a part of me as this badge.”

  Kane held her gaze for a long moment, then nodded. “Fair enough. As long as you’re working to clean up this city, I won’t question your methods.”

  Akiko inclined her head slightly, her way of sealing the agreement.

  Their first patrol together began at dawn, the city coming alive with the bustle of merchants, laborers, and the ever-present tension of gang activity. Kane led the way, his revolver resting in its holster, his hat pulled low against the morning sun. Akiko followed, her katana secured at her side, drawing wary glances from passersby.

  “You’re a sight, all right,” Kane said as they walked the crowded streets. “Most deputies just carry a gun. You, on the other hand, look like you’re ready to march into a battlefield.”

  “Every place I have been has been a battlefield,” Akiko replied evenly. “This city is no different.”

  Kane gave a low chuckle. “You’re not wrong about that.”

  Their patrol took them through the docks, where the smell of salt and fish mingled with the acrid scent of coal smoke. Immigrant workers, mostly Chinese, labored under the watchful eyes of foremen who barked orders and carried clubs. Akiko’s eyes narrowed as she observed the scene. The workers’ faces were lined with exhaustion, their hands raw and calloused. She could see the fear in their eyes, the tension in their shoulders as they moved.

  “They are treated no better than cattle,” she said quietly.

  Kane’s jaw tightened. “It’s worse than that. Some of these foremen are tied to the gangs. They take a cut of the workers’ pay and beat them if they complain. I’ve been trying to shut it down, but it’s like cutting the head off a hydra.”

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  Akiko’s hand drifted to the hilt of her katana. “Then perhaps it is time to cut deeper.”

  As they continued their patrol, a commotion drew their attention. A group of workers had gathered near one of the warehouses, their voices raised in anger. Kane and Akiko pushed through the crowd to find a foreman standing over a young worker who lay crumpled on the ground, blood trickling from his nose.

  “Get back to work!” the foreman bellowed, raising his club threateningly. “Anyone else who wants to slack off will get the same treatment!”

  Kane stepped forward, his voice cutting through the noise like a blade. “That’s enough. Drop the club.”

  The foreman turned, his sneer fading when he saw Kane’s badge. “Marshal,” he said, his tone dripping with false respect. “Just keeping the men in line.”

  “Beating a man half to death isn’t keeping him in line,” Kane shot back. “It’s assault. Now, step away from him.”

  The foreman hesitated, his eyes darting to the crowd and then to Akiko, who stood silently at Kane’s side. Her hand rested on her sword, and the look she gave him was colder than steel. Slowly, he lowered the club.

  “You’re making a mistake, Marshal,” the foreman growled. “You don’t know who you’re messing with.”

  Kane’s eyes narrowed. “That sounds like a threat. Care to repeat it?”

  The foreman glared but said nothing. Kane motioned for one of the workers to help the injured man, then turned to the foreman. “Get out of here. And if I see you lay a hand on another worker, you’ll be spending the next month in a cell.”

  The foreman spat on the ground but obeyed, pushing through the crowd with a string of curses. The tension eased as the workers murmured their gratitude. Kane glanced at Akiko, who was watching the scene with a measured expression.

  “What do you think?” he asked.

  “You let him go,” she said. “He will return, emboldened by your mercy.”

  Kane sighed. “Maybe. But there are lines we have to follow. I can’t just cut him down in the street.”

  Akiko’s eyes met his, her voice quiet but firm. “Sometimes, Marshal, lines must be crossed to protect the innocent.”

  Kane didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he turned and began walking. Akiko fell into step beside him, the uneasy partnership between them as clear as the morning sun.

  The rest of the day passed without incident, though the tension between Kane and Akiko lingered. As the sun dipped below the horizon, they returned to the marshal’s office. Kane leaned against his desk, removing his hat and running a hand through his hair.

  “You did good today,” he said. “Even if we don’t see eye to eye on everything, I can tell you care about doing the right thing.”

  Akiko stood near the window, her gaze fixed on the street outside. “Injustice cannot be ignored. Not here, not anywhere.”

  Kane smiled faintly. “Glad we agree on that, at least. Get some rest, Miss Sato. Tomorrow, we’ve got more work to do.”

  She nodded, but as she left the office, her mind was far from rest. The badge on her hip felt no lighter, and the path ahead seemed as uncertain as ever. But she had made her choice, and she would see it through. For the city, for the innocent, and for the honor that still burned within her.