Maybe

Maybe was a Marine Sapper in the 6th squad, 9th Company of the 8th Legion in the Malaz 14th Army.

He was originally from Aren, and was well known for his ability to retain facts. Maybe had pale green eyes and became physically sickened in the presence of magic. Before the 14th Army's uniform was standardised, he wore a brass loop on one ear from which hung a human finger bone.

In House of Chains

Maybe was part of Adjunct Tavore Paran's punitive expedition against the Army of the Apocalypse. He was placed in Borduke's squad. While the 14th Army was still in Aren, Maybe stood guard duty with Balgrid outside the 9th Company's improvised barracks. Balgrid was magically disguised as a bale of hay when their post was approached by Pearl and Lostara Yil. Maybe was impressed that Balgrid's disguise had fooled a real live Claw, but Pearl later confided to a confused Lostara that he had noticed two guards at the gate.

At Vathar Crossing, Fiddler and Cuttle used Moranth munitions to clear the debris blocking the river's ford. Maybe critiqued their work before rolling his eyes at their advice on crossing the river. Fiddler muttered that he hated "satirical bastards like him".

When Leoman and his two hundred desert warriors launched a surprise pre-dawn attack on the Malazan camp, Borduke's squad grabbed their Crossbows and prepared to fire on the warriors as they rode past their tents. Maybe fired early, foiling his squad's attack and allowing Corabb to make a spectacular escape.

Maybe was chosen as the bet-holder for the 9th Company Scorpion fights because of his superior memory. He silently repeated numbers and names to himself during the competition.

In The Bonehunters

After the Battle of Raraku, Leoman led the Army of the Apocalypse westward towards Y'Ghatan and the 14th Army followed. On the march, Maybe and Lutes found a huge scorpion of a type unknown to them to replace Mangonel. But before they could place Sparkle into the ring, Bottle informed them to spread the word that the competition was off. New company Captain Faradan Sort had deliberately crushed Joyful Union under her heel. Bottle advised them to get rid of the female scorpion before its distress scent attracted hundreds or thousands of aggressive males.

In the hours before Last Siege of Y'Ghatan, Maybe and Lutes were unable to eat and felt sick. Maybe's talk of the dangers and bloody effects of misfired Moranth Mountains sent Lutes vomiting and the other members of Borduke's squad experienced "sympathetic heaves". Borduke stormed off in disgust.

Adjunct Tavore launched the attack on Y'Ghatan by sending the army's sappers to breach the city's wall under the cover of night. First into the city were the Malazan marines, with Borduke's squad first into the breach. But just as they cleared the wall's rubble, they were ambushed by archers and swordsmen. Borduke, Ibb, and Hubb were killed immediately while Lutes was injured and had to be pulled from the fighting. Maybe and the other able survivors then tagged along with Fiddler's squad.

When enough Malazans were engaged in street fighting inside the city, Leoman sprung his trap. The city's olive oil-soaked buildings were set alight and the streets quickly became an inferno. Maybe fled the flames along with a mixed group of survivors from Fiddler's, Gesler's, Cord's, and Hellian's squads. He was among the small group of soldiers who survived Y'Ghatan by tunneling their way out from under the city. They spent three days crawling on their hands and knees through the dark led by Bottle and his rat.

Unaware that any had survived, the 14th Army made haste for the Kokakal Sea to embark on Admiral Nok's ships and escape the Bluetongue Plague ravaging Seven Cities. Faradan Sort and Sinn remained behind and discovered the survivors as they crawled from the wreckage. Captain Sort reorganised the shattered soldiers, placing Maybe into Hellian's squad. Touchy and Brethless squabbled over who would replace the promoted Urb as Hellian's corporal, so Hellian promoted them both. Maybe spoke for the other soldiers newly assigned to Hellian's squad when he accepted the dual promotion saying, "idiots make good corporals" and "we ain't gonna listen to you anyways." Nok's fleet returned the army to Malaz City where the Adjunct met with Empress Laseen.

In Reaper's Gale

Adjunct Tavore clashed with Empress Laseen at Malaz City and took the Bonehunters rogue, following the Tiste Edur fleet that had ravaged Sepik back to Lether. Tavore invaded the Letherii Empire, burning her transport vessels on the shoreline and spreading the marines in isolated pairs of squads across thirty leagues of coast. The marines moved forward into the Letherii countryside towards Letheras, the capital, with orders to kill Edur by night and stir the occupied Letherii into rebellion. Each squad had a mage responsible for hiding their presence and confusing their enemies. Fist Keneb followed in their wake with six squads of marines, while Captain Faradan Sort and Beak attempted to keep lines of communication open between both groups. Maybe joined Sergeant Hellian's 8th squad, though she always had trouble remembering his name because she thought it "stupid".

Hellian's squad was paired with Urb's for the landings. When they assembled on the beach, Urb found her arranging casks of rum she had salvaged from the burning ships amongst her squad. The two squads remained together and Balgrid and Bowl used magic to cover their tracks. After the squads defeated a troop of Edur at Boaral Keep, Maybe searched their pockets for coin but was surprised to find only polished stones. The squads acquired mounts at Hellian's suggestion and pushed hard inland for the capital, fighting from tavern to tavern. The two squads began taking trophies of ears and fingers and tying them to their belts, although Maybe had to give up on an Edur head that pulled his breaches down.

Contrary to the Adjunct's expectations, the Letherii soldiers did not use the Malazan invasion to turn against their Edur occupiers. As the marines neared Letheras fighting became more desperate and they began taking casualties. Hellian earned the support of the Letherii slave and Indebted classes by changing tactics to slay the government officials, lawyers, moneylenders, and debt-holders in each village. Then her squad stayed in the village tavern--decorated with the severed heads of their victims--until it was dry before moving on to the next. Fiddler and Gesler's squads found them drinking and singing at a tavern a day's travel from the capital. Fiddler did not approve, but could not argue with Hellian's success where all the other squads had failed miserably.

Almost as soon as the marines were reunited, a force of hundreds of Edur enveloped the village. The Edur were repelled by the arrival of Badan Gruk, Sinter, and Primly's fresh squads. The new arrivals deferred to Fiddler's seniority, and the former Bridgeburner ordered the marines to hold their position in hopes they would be reinforced by Fist Keneb.

By the time Keneb's forces arrived, thousands of Edur followed in their wake, pushing the gathered Malazans towards the city where the Imperial Brigade awaited. Caught between the two armies near Kravos Hill, the 800 remaining Malazans were forced to huddle under Beak's protective spell when the Letherii mages cast a deadly ritual of Chaos upon them and the Edur. The spell was broken, but the hair of all those under Beak's protection turned white. The Edur abandoned the field after their allies' betrayal, and the shaken Imperial Brigade withdrew to meet Adjunct Tavore's more threatening main force as it disembarked from the Lether River.

Keneb marched on Letheras thinking the marines deserved to be the first to enter the capital. After the marines found a hidden entrance beneath the wall, Hellian, Urb, Fiddler, and Gesler's squads were sent into the city to cause trouble while the remaining marines opened the city's west gate to Tavore's infantry. Hellian's squad quickly disappeared into a local tavern where she threatened to hang a Letherii barkeep unless he revealed the tavern's hidden stock. After the main force of Malazans entered the city, the City Garrison surrendered and the city fell.

In Dust of Dreams

(Information needed)

In The Crippled God

(Information needed)

Quotes

Pearl: "And have you a name, soldier?"

Maybe: "Maybe."

Pearl: "Well, what is it?"

Maybe: "I just told you. Maybe. Do you need me to spell it out or something?"

Pearl: "Can you?"

―Pearl meets Maybe

Notes and references

List of abbreviations • Paginations • How to reference an article