A Hero

by Stephen Arseneault

  The captain asked, "What was that?"

  "I'm guessing that's our new fleet, sir."

  "Our what?"

  I explained the transition that was taking place. I could only guess the agreement had been signed, turning control of the Union over to the consortium of corporations. The captain was having a hard time believing anything of the sort was being done. I assured him I had heard it from the top.

  Ten minutes later, our comms came back online.

  The Prime Minister of the Union showed on all our displays. "My fellow citizens. As many of you know, the colony at Demos IV is under attack. We have done everything we know possible, to protect each of you. But our efforts have not been enough.

  "As of 2:01PM, Union Standard Time, your government, with approval of the Supreme Court of Justices, signed an agreement with a consortium of our most powerful corporations, to take over prosecution of this war. All military contracts are void, and this group of corporations, calling themselves, The Corporation, has been given control. All civil and military authorities and all citizens—now report directly to The Corporation.

  "In the meantime, this Ministry, your Congress, all Federal, Colony, and State governments, will retain control of civilian affairs at the lowest levels. We will also function as the watchdogs over The Corporation, so don't fear this move. I regret that after more than a decade of war, this administration and the prior administrations could not deliver a winning strategy.

  "Already, a force of tremendous power has intervened in the conflict on Demos. We hope to be hearing progress reports for those efforts shortly.

  "So, what does this mean to the average citizen? Unfortunately, the specifics of that are yet to be known. Just know your elected government has determined this to be our best chance of not only surviving this war—but winning it. I ask for you to be patient and supportive during this temporary transition."

  The comm switched to a corporate spokesperson. "Hello. My name is Naomi Downs. You will hear from me often in the coming days as I explain changes you will be seeing. All penalties for violating the current laws are immediately doubled.

  "In addition, public complaints about this transition, or the personnel involved with said transition is henceforth a violation of the law, punishable as a misdemeanor for the first offense, followed by a felony, including a mandatory prison sentence of at least two years for any subsequent offense. We will provide a proper forum for complaints while public voicing of those complaints is prohibited. Any effort to thwart the will of the new corporate government, will be considered an act of sedition, punishable by a minimum of five years in prison.

  "Interference will not be tolerated. There is a war going on and all possible resources are needed for its prosecution. And for those who might be fearful of anything I said, keep in mind that if you are a law-abiding citizen, you will have no worries. Good day."

  Outgoing comms again shut down.

  I shook my head. "This is bad."

  We spent the rest of the afternoon listening to one new instruction after another. A shuttle landed next to us and a black-uniformed official emerged onto a ramp. "Rayford T. Jackson?"

  Art chuckled. "They've already got your number."

  I stood. "That would be me."

  The official glanced over his shoulder into the cabin of the shuttle. "You have two minutes to select eight people to bring with you. You are being transferred."

  I looked at Art. "You up for a ride?"

  "Might as well. It's not letting me through to the wife. I'd like to know if she and the boys are okay." Art tapped on his comm.

  I patted him on the shoulder. "I'll see what I can do."

  My selections were Ballard, LaFleur, Bowman, and several others to round out my eight.

  The official gestured with his hand. "You won't need your packs."

  We dropped the packs to the ground. Each of my selected team retrieved several personal items. Not until the transport had lifted did a comm come in on the main display. It was Sheila.

  She grinned. "Good. You survived."

  "Where are we being taken?"

  "Up to my command ship. I'll give you a debrief shortly... after I destroy this Togmal fleet."

  "You're still fighting?"

  "I'll talk to you in a bit."

  I looked out the shuttle window as we cut toward The Corporation's command ship. The exterior was a gloss black. Major gun ports appeared every fifty meters along her half-kilometer-long beam. Triangular in shape, it was a thing of beauty.

  The shuttle landed in a protected bay. We walked down the ramp onto a deck that was clean and polished. Everything around us was new. Personnel hurried about with efficiency. I knew Sheila was running a first-rate operation.

  They took my team to a waiting area before processing them into their new positions. An escort took me to an elevator and up sixteen levels to the command bridge. A half-dozen massive screens, showing details of the major engagements of the fight, surrounded Sheila and her executive team.

  "Ray. Come in. We are just wrapping things up."

  "You've won this fight?"

  "At a cost. Their ships are still faster and more powerful than ours. We make up for some of that with our armor, but that only goes so far. We're studying the tech we've captured and hope to have a few working prototypes in about two years."

  "Two years?"

  "Some of this is new to our science teams; they're still trying to understand it. Anyway, this is what you missed out on. We can control about 90 percent of the ongoing battle from here. The rest we are working on, and there's always the unknown you have to deal with. I heard your regiment almost got wiped out. We were hoping to have the gunships deployed in time to prevent any loss of life, but the politicians refused to sign until Togmal ships were entering the atmosphere."

  "Is there a way you can check on something for me?"

  "Name it."

  You know Art, Arthur Mayhew. He has family here on Demos. Any way to check on them?"

  Sheila waved over an aide and assigned the task. "We'll know in a few minutes. To put your mind at ease, if you were wondering, Denise's parents are secure. When this is over, I will return them to the surface."

  "Thanks for doing that. They were defenseless."

  Sheila sat in her command chair. "So, Ray, are you ready to be a big part of this?"

  "TC's offer still stands?"

  Sheila shook her head. "That's off the table. The signed agreement stripped him of any authority. His father is first in line with his sister being second. TC is well down in the mix with the rest of the corporate biggies. Anyway, it was Estelle's request that brought you here."

  "Estelle? What does she want?"

  Sheila shrugged. "I couldn't say. Just know she is a big and powerful player. I suspect I won't, in any way, be envious of your situation. A woman spurned..."

  I rolled my eyes. "Not this again."

  "I don't know, Ray. Her ship arrives tomorrow."

  — Chapter 34 —

  * * *

  I glanced around at the bridge. It was a mixture of bright lights, holo-displays, and manned consoles. "Looks impressive."

  Sheila smiled. "The data comes through five dozen consolidation stations on the deck below. These displays show us the prioritized battle scenes along with the data needed to make decisions. We're still fine-tuning the system, but I have to say, so far it delivers. You'd have to be a complete idiot to make the wrong decisions from here."

  I shook my head. "We've seen our share of those people in positions they shouldn't be in."

  "True. But I'm here now and so far, the execs are pleased with my performance."

  I smiled. "I knew they would be."

  The aide returned with a less-than-eager look, whispering information into Sheila's ear. Her smile faded. "Thank you, Shanice."

  I pointed as the aide walked away. "Shanice? From Baxter? I thought I recognized her. What'd she say?"

  Sheila pursed her lips. "The Togmal kille
d Art's wife and sons in the first attack. A dozen gunships set almost their entire town ablaze. I'm sorry, Ray. For you and Art both. I know you spent a lot of time talking about his kids with him. If you want, I can have Shanice deliver the news."

  I stood in depressed thought for several seconds. "No. No. I'll do it. He should hear it from me."

  "I'll have Shanice take you to him. From there she'll show you to your quarters for a cleanup... and then dinner with me later."

  My walk was slow on the way there. I blamed myself for Art's family's demise. Had I accepted TC's offer, they would have been evacuated before the action began. When I entered the room, I could see in Art's face—he knew. He dropped to his knees and began to sob. I knelt beside him putting my hand on his shoulder.

  "I'm so sorry."

  I knew the exact pain he was going through. Not a day went by where Denise and Pea didn't cross my mind. They say time heals all wounds, but mine had never healed. They had only grown more distant.

  Shanice escorted the others to their quarters, each touching Art on the shoulder and offering their condolences as they passed. It was a stark reminder of just how painful war could be. Art stayed in his quarters to grieve that evening. A somber mood pervaded dinner.

  The following day, Estelle arrived and had me transferred to her ship. When I walked into her private quarters, I could tell by her smile what she had on her mind. She still wanted me, and I figured she felt she was now in the position to have me.

  Estelle walked to stand just in front of me. "Rayford. You clean up well. I was expecting to see you covered with battle scars."

  "I have my share. Both inside and out."

  Estelle frowned. "You're talking about Art's family. I heard. A tragic loss when we were so close."

  I crossed my arms. "What do you want, Estelle?"

  "I want you on my team. My executive team. I've followed your career and... well... let's just say you know how to stay alive in a fight. I want people like that on my staff. And given your extensive experience, well, all the other execs have requested you. Even Sheila. But I have first dibs."

  "I'm not interested in an executive position, Estelle. I want to fight Togmal... to kill Togmal. They murdered my family."

  "Your position here will kill Togmal by the thousands. Of that I can assure you."

  "Watching on a display is not the same. I know it sounds barbaric, and maybe that's what I've become, but I need it to be up close and personal."

  I was almost shocked by the gleam in Estelle's eye when I finished that statement. It was one of the most disturbed, almost devilish expressions I had ever seen.

  "You're a warrior, Ray. I like warriors. I like men willing to put it all on the line. Men who lack fear."

  I huffed. "Lack fear? You've got me all wrong, Estelle. Fear keeps me alive. Fear of injury and death and fear of those around me experiencing the same. And even fear of those happening to anyone else too. No one should have to go through the pain I went through when this all began. No one. I live in fear of injury and death every day."

  Estelle stepped forward, placing her warm, soft hand on my right cheek. "You have always been so vibrant, so alive, Ray. I've been drawn to you since we first met."

  I sighed as I reached up, gently moving Estelle's hand back to her side. The smell of her perfume wafted in the air. Her warm smile and plump lips beckoned me to take her in my arms. She was extremely attractive in every way—except personality. That I found repulsive.

  She coyly turned to the side. "I've changed, Ray. I've grown up. Being here in business with all the responsibility it entails, has matured me beyond those teen years where you knew me before. I want you on my team, Ray. Close... on my team."

  She leaned in. I could almost taste her warm breath. It smelled like candy. I took a step back and looked for the door, moving to it as fast as I could go.

  After stopping, I glanced back. "I just want to kill Togmal, Estelle. I have no room in my life for anything else right now. I'm sorry."

  I walked into the hall, closing the door. Her aide hurried in just behind. The yelling began before I was out of earshot. When I reached the elevator on that deck the aide emerged from the room, crying.

  Estelle had not changed. She had matured, that was for certain. And she was as stunning as ever. But her heart was both selfish and dark. I imagined I might "accidentally" be spaced before making it off her ship.

  Sheila was waiting when I exited the shuttle into the docking bay of the command ship.

  Her eyes were wide open, expressively so. "You know how to piss off a woman, Ray. I'm afraid to ask what you said."

  "She wanted me. I didn't want her. Same old story."

  "Well, I tried to get you on my staff earlier, but you told me a resounding no. Now she wants you up on the front lines— and dead."

  I smirked. "Good then. I got what I wanted. Except for the dead part. I have no interest in that. What of my squad?"

  "They'll be going with you. She apparently wants you all punished."

  Before the day was out, we were back on the ground on Demos. A pair of officers in black uniforms were instructing us on what to expect as Corporate Marines. We were all part of a new military. It was a military that would give us the best of weapons and support in the field, and extreme punishment for any who stepped out of line.

  Our new commander read off a long list of offenses, including insubordination, complaining outside of newly established channels, and any talk that could be construed as anti-corporation. They owned us and had full authority over every aspect of our being, including our lives. I could see from the faces in the crowd that many were uncomfortable with the situation.

  But we were at war and no longer fighting with relaxed rules. That had been a big part of our problem. The new authority vowed it would be a problem no more. If it brought good decisions to the battlefield, I was all for it.

  The Togmal were strangely silent for several months before their next attack came. They attempted a new assault of Demos IV. Their ships did not reach orbit. Sheila's fleet destroyed forty-two of the seventy-six warships involved. The rest turned and fled.

  Two months after that attack, command loaded us on transports and sent us to the frigid colony of Baxter. I dreaded the fight out in the pure white. But my dread disappeared when we were each provided with snow gear that would not only keep us warm, but gave us an advantage over the Togmal warriors we were fighting.

  The fight on the ground took fifteen days, leaving our enemy eradicated and the Baxter Colony reclaimed. On the final day, I was standing on the steps where Denise had picked me and TC up after final exams. The building behind me was nothing more than icy, snow-covered ruins. It mirrored my life since losing my family.

  Upon our return to base at Demos, they promoted me to lieutenant. It was a promotion I took reluctantly, knowing it wouldn't be wise to refuse the will of The Corporation. They sent me to Officer Candidates School (OCS) and hurried me through. The training was far different from the lax, politicized training that OCS had previously become. I came out of the school with a new respect for the efficiency of The Corporation, but still leery of their end-goal.

  Our next fight was on the Mycene Colony where I had gone to boot camp. We arrived mid-summer. The temperatures were soaring, and the humidity levels were so high my exposed skin felt as though it was in a constant hot fog. But again, our gear was exceptional.

  Corporate command had just introduced a new fighting suit. It was lightweight and hard, absorbing most moderate impacts from debris where our prior gear left unprotected alleys for damage to get through. The suits had cooling, allowing our Marines to maneuver in the heat of Mycene without breaking a sweat. The ground-battle on Mycene took two months. It was again a complete victory for our forces.

  When we returned to base there was a huge shake-up in the command structure. Those officers who The Corporation teams felt were not worthy of their positions—were busted down to the rank of private. They promoted the pe
rformers. Again, I was not eager to make the move, but a pair of captain's bars were shoved in my face, and in the newest Corporate Marines there was no longer a right of refusal.

  Before our next raid, an edict came down that the elected Congress, Prime Ministry, and judicial courts were having power stripped away because of abuses. Many of the over-watch activities of those government entities were now termed as subversive. The announcement was a shock, but most people didn't seem to care. We were winning the fight against the Togmal and most were feeling a sense of security for the first time in a decade. I wondered if that sense of security was misplaced.

  Our next mission was to liberate Haven. An hour before our fleet was to leave Demos space, a private shuttle landed. An escort in a black uniform came to collect me. After being taken aboard, they asked me to sit in a plush, high-back leather chair. It sat across from another one. I expected a smiling Estelle to come through the door at any moment.

  TC came into the room and took the seat in front of me. "Hello, Ray."

  I shook my head as I smirked. "I was expecting your sister. Glad it's you."

  "Yes. Well let's say this is an unofficial meeting."

  "What's on your mind, TC? We not winning fights fast enough for you?"

  "This is and isn't about the war, Ray. I come to you today as a friend. I know I can find support from you on this matter."

  The look on TC's face was one of worry. It was a look foreign to him.

  "What's going on? You seem a little out of it."

  "I'm worried about the agreement, Ray. You know I'm a Goodall-man, corporation all the way... but that has always been secondary to being in the Union. I like a system of elected officials where, if they get out of line, they are held responsible and replaced. We are not heading in that direction."

  It was shocking to hear those words coming from TC's mouth. I had a sudden feeling I was being set up... that my loyalty was being tested.

  "Explain further, Thomas. I'm not getting where you're going with this."