Savage Dog

1

PEPPER & LALASPAIN

SONG LIVES FOR EVER

There's a tale told

somewhere south of Burma.

It tells of one man's

rendez-vous with death.

A man who, when pushed

far enough, retaliated.

I'll be face-down an army

and spill a river of blood.

They say you shake their

heads discounting the legend.

But the fact remains...

It's all true.

I knew the man,

and for a while,

I loved him like a son.

The French hightailed it in '54.

And the US didn't yet

have boots on the ground.

For a while,

Indochina offered safe-haven to men

who had reached the end of the line.

European war criminals, ex-Nazis,

and other undesirables.

Or men with a price on

their head in the west.

Men like...

Martin Tillman.

(He's good)

The tiger and the elephant, gentlemen.

(Speaks French)

Mr Rastignac, may I have the honor?

My name is Jean-Pierre Rastignac.

I have been known by many names.

But the one that I most

commonly associate with,

is "The Executioner".

I face you as an equal,

with the exception of this blade,

we're quite fairly matched.

They told me if I fought,

I would go free.

This fight was your salvation,

But you lost.

(Great! I like that)

You shouldnt have done

that to the Corporal.

I asked the guards, why a

colonnial police station,

with only one small jail

would keep a prisoner for three years?

They said, only if you knew the answer.

Most prisoners who end

up here, have no hope.

I thought I might help...

You come twice a week

with flowers for him?

And he turns you away?

I can bring you fruit.

The food here is not healthy.

I don't need your help.

Don't waste your time on me.

You're not a waste of time.

You're just lost.

I'll come see you again,

in case you change you change your mind.

That agent is here again.

He is persistent.

I can kill him if you order it.

The world is changing, Boon.

We must adapt with it.

Isn't it your job to transition

the local police into power?

The side effect being that

for a brief few years

you need to beholden to the

authority of the French.

Not the Vietnamese.

Mr Harrison, what can I do for you?

Ho Chi Min's strength

in the North grows

as President Diem's influence

in the South diminishes.

The Americans are watching and will

send more advisers within a year.

You and your kind

will have to find a different

fleapit to loot over.

Perhaps...

I might be a valuable assistance

to you when they arrive.

At what price to me?

MI6 would like to

extradite Martin Tillman

to face criminal charges

in Great Britain.

There's no-one of that name here.

You're overlooking a potential

opportunity here, Colonel.

I know what you did in the war.

You'll need a friend like me if

you're gonna deal with the Americans.

Corporal Chef Boon, please

escort Mr Harrison out.

When I was a little girl,

I rescued a stray dog.

A fighting dog that had

been left for dead.

I look at those black eyes.

and felt the ultimate betrayal.

Some animals are not meant

to be caged, Martin.

Why are you talking to me?

You made some bad decisions,

- that's all.

- Mademoiselle.

I'll be back next week.

Good-bye.

Why do you bother coming back for him?

We build our own cages, Martin.

Alcohol is an easy paracil here.

Like Jamaican rum.

It'll help you forget your sins,

without losing your edge.

You assaulted a superior officer in '53.

You've served three years

of a six month sentence.

What does that tell you?

Tells me that I'm not the only

criminal in this room.

In the North you're

just an ex-legionnaire,

with a price on his head. In

the South you're just another

ex-con.

With no passport.

That tattoo is a writ of

judgment against you.

An execution warrant in Great Britain.

You're not so dissimilar to us.

Take...

Seor Rastignac,

Spanish Blue Division,

fought heroically for the Third Reich,

Corporal Chef Boon of the Fifth

Vietnamese Paratroopers.

Once a hero, now hunted by

the Viet Minh as a traitor.

And Seor Amarillo,

Loyal to Pertain, and fought

until the end of Berlin.

Sant!

This room is full of men who

backed the wrong horses, indeed.

I'm feeling charitable.

So...

I'm fulfilling my

obligation to you.

I'm paroling you.

Effective immediately.

Are you saying I'm free to go?

Our glorious rant together is over.

For most of us, Indochina

will be our last outpost.

But perhaps we can work together

again under different circumstances.

If you ever find yourself in spark,

I can always use a man

with a talent like yours.

I think I'll just be moving along.

Think about it, Martin.

You don't look like a man

with many opportunities.

You owe me now.

You ever see me again, don't you

dare presume to forget that.

Are you sure this is wise?

I want that British agent

out of my affairs.

The old Colonel was right.

Martin wouldn't go far.

He headed to the only person

he knew outside of the camp;

which is where I met him.

This is Martin, the one I

was telling you about.

I have to leave now,

I want the two of

you to be friends.

It's nice seeing you

again, Martin Tillman.

There was once an Irish

boxer named Tillman,

showed potential,

then disappeared.

Looked after her since she was

knee-high with a jack rabbit.

She believes in that good in man.

I don't.

Tell me where I can get a

meal and I'll be leaving.

I have no beef with you, son,

and I could use a good bouncer.

You look like you can handle yourself.

She says you're straight shooter.

When I was inside, she'd

visit every week.

Always bringing flowers

for the Commandant.

You don't know?

God bless her innocent heart.

Give me the picture.

I'll be damned if that old

flesh merchant, Hans Steiner

is her own father.

Take some flowers once a week,

in the hope that he'll sit her

on his knee and kiss her cheek.

He refuses to see her.

Steiner married his

Kong gai, local girl,

whom he later suspected

of deceiving him.

When Isabelle was born, that

gave him sufficient reason to...

deny her.

I was Steiner's valet,

saw the whole thing.

Adopted Isabelle.

She deserves better than either of us.

You ever hurt Isabelle, I'll kill

you fast like a shank of salmon.

And that's damn quick, boy.

There's an old storage shed

out back you can bunk in.

You'll mostly deal with drunks.

Every so often some

lame daft paws a girl.

They get one polite request.

Then, do whatever it takes.

Xie-xie.

Thank you.

That'll do it.

You know, you're just

like I was in my day.

But you ain't so old,

you can still change your path.

I'm nothing like you.

I'm young, handsome,

and ain't burning this one.

You, son of a b*tch!

Well, I have to say...

You're the only person in my whole life

who went out of his way to help me.

I appreciate that.

Even the worst of us wants to be loved,

and for a time,

Martin enjoyed a peace

he'd never known before.

Bow! Valentine! Sweet lil' emoti...

Merry! Sweet lil' emot...

He was a free prisoner,

She was an innocent,

who would watch her injured

patient limp back to life.

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