#truncheons

British Edwardian Truncheon, Dated 1902, Presented to Joseph Eadson for Apprehending a Poultry Thief

An Edwardian polychrome-painted and gilt-highlighted truncheon, Burnley, dated 1902, presented to Joseph Eadson for apprehending a poultry thief. Painted with the Imperial Crown above the initials 'ER' and the Burnley City Coat of Arms and motto, the gilt words 'PRESENTED TO J. EADSON FOR HIS GALLANT CONDUCT IN THE ARREST (SINGLE HANDED) OF A NOTORIOUS CRIMINAL 6 MAY 1903', with a turned and knopped handle, 38 cm long.

Theyoungling hits like a Human, Edrio growled through his breather mask, andJyn bristled because she didn’t speak Tognathi but she could understandcontempt when she heard it.

And she had only been here a yearbut she knew already what the expected reaction should be for disrespect. You must show them only strength, Sawhad told her in those first days, when she cried all the time for her Mama andher Papa until Saw told her she could not go out and eat with the others lestthey see her weakness. Lest they see a coward they could not trust on thebattlefield. And when one of the soldiers had knocked her on her butt the firsttime her growling belly had driven her to dry her eyes and shuffle tentativelyinto the mess looking for food, Jyn had learned quickly that the only way toshow strength was to shove back when she was shoved. That soldier had earned abruised ankle from her kick and a bloody wrist where she bit him, and though he’snearly thrown her across the room (Magva had stopped him, laughing about the ‘littleferal kitten’), Jyn had earned a grudging scrap of respect. Enough to make sureshe ate enough to fill her belly, that night.

So now, a year later, when stupidCodo had called her sweetheart withthat sneer in his voice, Jyn had launched herself without hesitation at hisscrawny chest. The boy was older and bigger than her (everyone was), but not bymuch, and Jyn had spent her last year learning how to hit the soft spots. Kneeto the solar plexus, fingernails dug hard into the inner elbows, teethsunk into the meaty part of his shoulder (if she wanted him dead, go for thethroat, that was the rule, but Saw wouldn’t like her killing his newestrecruit, not unless he earned it). This time it was Maia who dragged her off,Maia who stopped it from going any higher (in the corner, Magva laughed again,but already she was passing her days of stopping a fight when she saw it,already the bitterness of her laugh was gaining a jagged edge that made Jyn’s spinestiffen).

This time, it was Edrio and hisegg-brother, Benthic, who stepped between Jyn and her opponent. They both do, Benthic agreed with hisbrother, jerking his head at first Codo and then Jyn. The difference is that she knows where to land the blows.

Tinyfists, Edrio sneered. Tiny blows.

“Leave it,” Maia said into Jyn’sear. “Leave it,” she snapped at Codo when the boy started to lunge forward. ButJyn lunged harder, startling him, and the brat went dancing back with his eyeswide.  Maia’s hands clamped down on Jyn’sarms, the older girl using all her superior height and weight to bear down andpull Jyn back.

That’sright, Jyn thought, her lip curled to show her teeth and her eyes wide andunblinking, back off, sweetheart.

“She needs a real weapon,” Magva cackledfrom her corner. “She could do some real damage then. Brass knuckles, or atruncheon. Get one of those, kit, and no one will call you sweetheart anytimesoon.”

Jyn didn’t react, not until Codo hadsulked off with Benthic close behind, the Tograth cheerfully grating out a listof laborious tasks that needed doing around the base, and Edrio went back tocleaning his gun and Maia sighed and let Jyn’s arms loose. “Just don’t go and,”she started, looked at Jyn’s face, and gave it up. “Whatever,” she mumbled, andstalked off, skirting Magva as widely as she could without being too obviousabout it.

When there was no more noise butEdrio’s rhythmic cloth rubbing against the metal of his blaster, Jyn turned fromstaring after Codo to look at the older woman. “Trunch-yun,” she repeatedslowly.

Magva raised an eyebrow, though itwas hard to tell under all that black, smudged makeup. “Truncheon,” sherepeated, and then her face broke into a smile. It wasn’t even her mean smile,or the one that meant there would be so much blood later that Saw would orderher to hose herself off. It was…it was a nice smile, Jyn decided. Kind of likeit was suddenly Magva’s Life day and she was excited. “Come on, kitten, comeon. We’ll fix that hole in your knowledge right now.”

She seemed so happy about it, andwas off down the corridor so fast, that Jyn decided not to argue with the “kitten”nickname. At least, not this time. Edrio barely glanced up as they both passedanyway, so no one was around to witness the disrespect. No one who cared, atleast. So Jyn followed Magva through the base until they reached the woman’sbunk, and however excited and happy Magva suddenly seemed, Jyn knew better thanto step foot in that claustrophobic little space. She’d seen Magva settingbooby traps for Imps – and worse, she’d seen what happened when those trapswent off. No, she was going to stand right here in the corridor and wait to seewhat the woman came out with.

What Magva came out with, it turnedout, was a long black collapsible stick that looked like it was made from some lightweightmetal, with a little handle about two thirds of the way down the shaft. “Truncheon,”Magva tossed the stick to Jyn, who caught it and clumsily tried to fit her handaround the handle. “Like this,” Magva grabbed her fingers and forced her handinto an uncomfortable grip. Jyn almost resisted, almost yanked her hand away,but Magva’s grip was strong and anyway…she wanted to know.

The stick felt weird in her hand, unbalancedand awkward. But Magva stepped back and mimed a swiping motion, and when Jynclumsily copied it, she felt the weight tug her hand into a smooth arc. Sheimagined what that might feel like, cracking into the gut or the skull of anenemy, and suddenly her small hand felt heavy without being slow, powerfulwithout being bulky.

“Good shit, kitten,” Magva laughed, watchingher take another swipe, then another, the truncheon whistling through the airfaster and faster as she gained a little confidence.

Jyn swung the truncheon one moretime, and then glanced up at the other. “What d’you want for it?” she asked alittle rudely, because she didn’t have anything she could trade Magva forsomething like this, but she wanted it. She was so, so tired of people callingher small, or tiny, or delicate. She was so tired of feeling so empty handed ina world full of heavily armed soldiers.

Magva laughed, and it was the bitterlaugh, the jagged laugh, but there was still just a little of the delight, too,lingering behind the pain. “What I want, little killer kitten,” she grinned atJyn, her teeth gleaming yellow among the smudge black warpaint, “is to pointyou at the Imps and see you do some fucking damage.”

More laughter, louder this time. Jyndidn’t get the joke, but as she swung the truncheon and heard it sing throughthe air, she thought – yeah.

Police Weapons - The Victorians - Part 1

Victorian Police Truncheon