Red Dust of Mars

by Christopher Wills

  “But Sir.”

  “Jethro. Mars is lost. The government haven’t a clue how to defend the planet and the senior military have either committed suicide or disappeared. You are under Earth’s command. If anybody tries to stop you from leaving you are to take any action to stop them from preventing you from leaving. Do you understand me Jethro?”

  “Any action?”

  “Yes and if that means killing them, so be it. Unless you get back to Earth with what you know, Earth is doomed like Mars. Now go.”

  “But sir.”

  “And Jethro. You’ve got the makings of a bloody good officer. I’m really sorry to put this on your shoulders.”

  “We can take you with us.”

  “No you can’t.”

  The Major pulled back the bedsheet that was covering him. Half his stomach above the missing leg was blown away. What was left was connected by a spaghetti of tubes to the machine beside his bed. Jethro could see mostly red fluids going into and out of his torso from the machine.

  “It’s only that machine that’s keeping me alive. Now get the fuck out of here. That’s a direct order.”

  Jethro hesitated. “Is there anyone I can tell.”

  “Tell what?”

  “About you?”

  “No.” The Major looked as though he was somewhere else. “There’s no longer anybody. Thanks but it’s time for you to go. Earth needs you. Before you go take this and read it and learn it.” The Major handed Jethro something wrapped in cloth. “Now go on, fuck off.” The Major pulled a black lead he had in his hand. It was the power supply to the machine that was keeping him alive.

  Immediately an alarm sounded and a light connected to his bed started flashing. A team of white coats rushed to the Major’s bedside. Jethro stepped back as the team plugged the machine back in and tried to restart the Major’s heart. They tried ECT for a long time then they stopped. Major Misere was dead. He had done his duty.

  Shit. Brave bastard. Shit shit shit.

  Jethro made to leave the Reading Room but as he got to the door a hand apprehended him.

  “Calm down. It’s me. Doc.”

  Jethro put his fist down. He couldn’t believe he nearly hit a doctor.

  “Can I have a word?”

  Jethro had his orders from the Major but he liked the Doc and there was no point in antagonising anyone unnecessarily.

  “OK. but I don’t have much time.”

  “I know. Follow me.” Doc led him out of the Reading Room and into the foyer. Jethro’s team were no longer in the place he told them to stay.

  Where the hell are they?

  Doc led him into a small unlit passageway and then along it to an office halfway down. She locked the door after they entered. Jethro was nervous. He recalled a question he was asked at his officer selection.

  Can I kill a woman?

  Do I have to kill her? Jethro wasn’t sure he was able to kill an unarmed civilian. And a very pretty one at that although possibly twenty years older than he was.

  chapter 24

  The News

  Alice: “…and today to continue our series on the Humboldt Squid we have a very special guest.”

  Ted: “Yes today we welcome famous chef Wan Tew Cook. Hello Wan Tew Cook.”

  Wan: “Herro evelybody call me Wan.”

  Ted: “What?”

  Wan: “No Wan. W - A - N, Wan.”

  Alice: “I’ll take this Ted. Wan so what are you going to show us today?”

  Wan: “I’m going to slow you how to crook a Squid steak.”

  Alice: “I’ve been looking forward to this. Please carry on Wan.”

  Wan: “Thank roo, Arice. First roo need to malinade the Squid steaks for up to one hour. I lose soy sauce, ginger, garlic and sesame oil. Here’s one I plepared earlier.”

  Alice: “Mmm that smells good Wan.”

  Wan: “Thank roo, Arice. Next grill steaks for 5 minutes each side, like toast.”

  Alice: “And that’s it?”

  Wan: “No. Next you slice the steaks and serve hot.”

  Alice: “Wan that looks and smells rovery. I mean lovely. It looks and smells lovely. Sorry about that.”

  Wan: “Why not tly some Arice?”

  Alice: “Mmm mmm mmm. People. I am in heaven.”

  Ted: “Whilst Alice is recovering from her trip to heaven, that’s the end of the show. Remember folks, we deal in facts on this news channel. We don’t make this up.”

  chapter 25

  “First Jethro. About your team.” Doc sounded tired. “They’ve been requisitioned by the Mars Defence Force to help protect the Capitol Building.”

  “Shit. Sorry.”

  “Don’t worry I’m a doctor. I’ve heard a lot worse than that.” Doc smiled. “Second. You must get out of here. Mars is doomed. You must get to Earth and tell them what’s going on.”

  “Major Misere told me exactly that just before he pulled the lead on his machine.”

  “Well you’d better go then.”

  “What about you?” Jethro didn’t want to leave her behind.

  “I’m not leaving Mars whilst there are casualties, but I’ll do anything I can to help you.”

  Brave woman.

  “I need to get to my team to extract them. Do you know where they are?”

  “I might be able to help you. Wait here.”

  Doc unlocked the door and left Jethro alone in the office. Jethro was in a dilemma.

  Should I stay or should I go? Can I trust Doc?

  He didn’t have time to think because she was back. “Put this on.” She thrust a white coat in his direction.

  Jethro put the coat on. It covered his military suit.

  “Here.” Doc gave him a badge and a small electronic box to hang over his shoulder. He had seen others wearing them in the Reading Room. The badge read Doctor Orlando Watt.

  Doc had a big bag over her shoulder. “Let me carry that.” Jethro took the bag.

  “You’re my assistant Jethro. So you do everything I tell you, OK?”

  “Yes Doc.”

  “And don’t smile.”

  “Sorry Doc.” Jethro wiped the smile from his face.

  “Follow me. If we meet anyone, I’ll do all the talking.”

  They left the office and continued to the end of the corridor where there was another door, slightly more substantial than the office doors. Doc eyed the scanner and the door opened leading to stairs heading down.

  “Where are we going?”

  “There’s a series of tunnels that connect all the government buildings. This one leads to the Capitol building where your friends are.”

  As they walked along the tunnel panel lights sensed their presence and came on as they approached and went off as they passed. The tunnel was long and curved so they couldn’t see very far along the tunnel. After a few minutes’ walk they came to some stairs. Doc stopped.

  “The plan is that I’ve come to requisition a small team for medical care at the Library as the number of casualties are too great for the numbers of medical staff we have.”

  “But you’re only a doctor,” said Jethro. “Do you think you’ll be able to get away with it?”

  “I may only be a doctor, but I also happen to be the Senior Medical Minister for Mars. So yes I think I can get away with it.”

  “Oh. Sorry.” Jethro was impressed and tried to remove his foot from his mouth whilst remaining cool, calm and collected.

  Doc unlocked the door and they found themselves in a wide and bright passageway inside the Capitol building.

  “Don’t ask questions. Just follow me.”

  The passage was crowded with suits walking briskly up and down looking important and others holding meetings in small groups in everyone’s way. Jethro listened out for the conversations they were having.

  “…knew this was going to happen. I told them…”

  And

  “…right in front of me. Shot herself in the head…”

  And

  “�
��I told Martha and the kids to leave yesterday but they refused to go…”

  And

  “…don’t know who’s in charge, now that the President is dead…”

  Finally they reached a large door that Doc opened with her eye signature. Jethro followed her into the office.

  This was no tiny little admin office. The ceiling was at least two storeys high and there was a large window facing the door but some form of metal protection was down preventing anyone from seeing out or in. There was also a large partners desk with one of the places occupied by a young man. And this wasn’t Doc’s office. It was only her outer office.

  She breezed past the man saying, “I need to see you in my office, now.” He jumped up from his desk grabbing an epad and followed Jethro into Doc’s real office.

  Plush carpet. One wall lined with leather bound books. Jethro could see they were medical books. A large old and battered but still impressive wooden desk. Pictures and certificates on the walls. The whole office could have come from some ancient twentieth century film set.

  Doc got straight to the point. “Get me the security camera view access on my monitor.”

  “But that access is reserved for the military, Minister.”

  “We are at war. That means we all work for the military. So we are all effectively in the military. I need to be able to see where to send medical help, when the attack comes.”

  The assistant was flustered. “You think this building will be attacked Minister?”

  “Do you think it won’t?”

  The assistant knew the answer so didn’t question the Minister further. “Right away Minister.” He rushed from the office to set up the connection.

  Within a short time the monitor on Doc’s desk powered up showing a thumbnail of every military post guarding the Capitol building.

  The assistant returned. “Anything else Minister?”

  “No thank you. Go home. Be with your partner.”

  “Yes Minister.” He left.

  “He may be too late but one can always hope.” Jethro could see Doc’s eyes were shining.

  She looked at the monitor. “Which are your team?”

  Jethro scanned through the thumbnails then saw them. They were guarding one of the corners of the building in a small hastily constructed post. He couldn’t see any weapons other than the ones they took from their ship. If the spiderbots attacked they wouldn’t last five minutes in that position with those weapons unless they broke cover and could get behind them.

  “There.” Jethro pointed.

  “Let’s go and get them.”

  Jethro and the Doc left to go through the main passageway.

  “It’ll be quicker if we go outside the building and round,” Doc said.

  But as they approached the main front entrance and exit to the building a large explosion smashed through one of the doors sending it tumbling past them and crashing into the rear wall to their left. Jethro hastily put his breather mask and goggles on and made sure Doc was OK. She had hers on and was crouching down.

  “One minute.” Jethro held up a finger. “You go behind there.” He pointed to a reception counter. Doc nodded.

  Jethro rushed forward to the doors. A military guard had been wiped out by the explosion and Jethro picked up one of the weapons lying on the floor and gave it a quick squirt to see that it was working. He carried on running until he was flat against the wall by the open door. He could hear the skitter skitter of the spiderbot’s metal feet as it mounted the steps outside and headed for the doors.

  A couple of dazed soldiers stood up not really knowing where they were.

  “You two!” Jethro shouted. “Up against that wall now.”

  Like all well trained military, they reacted immediately without understanding what they were doing and obeyed his orders. Jethro was nervous. He fiddled with the controls on his weapon. It was very similar to the one he used on Earth, probably made in the same factory but with a few minor differences.

  The spiderbot crashed the other door down with its fist and stepped into the foyer of the Capitol building. Those still standing who had been able to get their breather masks on screamed and started running for the rear of the building trying to get away from the spiderbot.

  Jethro calmly stepped behind it and took a few paces back then he aimed his weapon and fired. The laser hit the exact spot he had used to bring down the robots earlier, and thankfully it worked. There was a small fizz bang explosion and the spiderbot teetered forward and crashed onto the floor of the entrance hall to Mars Capitol building.

  He ran to the two soldiers still flat up against the wall.

  “Have you got comms?” he shouted.

  “Yes sir.”

  Get on it and tell whoever you are in contact with that the robots can only be stopped on that plate on their upper back. Do you understand?”

  “Both nodded.”

  Jethro ran to the Doc still behind the reception counter.

  “Let’s go.” They ran past the fallen spiderbot through the door and around to the front left corner of the Capitol building to find an argument going on.

  Gunny and the rest of the team were surrounded by Mars military in a stand off with all guns pointed and Jethro could see the red charging lights indicating ready to fire.

  chapter 26

  Jethro was about to intervene when Doc stopped him with a hand.

  “Who’s in charge here?” She had a good officious tone when she wanted.

  “I am ma’am.” A young Lieutenant in the Mars army replied.

  “And what’s the problem?”

  “It’s these Space Marines ma’am. They’re from Earth and they refuse to obey my orders.”

  “That’s because they are already under strict orders from me. These Marines are specially trained medical staff and they’re needed in the makeshift hospital in the Reading Room of the Library.”

  “But ma’am…”

  “Don’t you but ma’am me. Do you know who I am soldier?”

  “No ma’am.” Jethro could see the classic military fear of having done something wrong, but not knowing what, in his eyes.

  “I am Doctor Aguilar, a Minister of State, the Senior Medical Officer for Mars. I sit in Cabinet next to the Chief of Defence Staff, General George C. Scott, who is a personal friend of mine.”

  Having gained complete control of the situation she toned her voice down as she spoke causing the tension to lower and almost completely defusing the situation.

  “Yes ma’am.” The Lieutenant stood to attention and saluted her.

  “No need for that soldier. But I do need these Marines.”

  “Yes ma’am. Second Platoon, lower your weapons.”

  There was an uneasy silence for a moment when Jethro thought the Mars soldiers weren’t going to do it but they did and the Lieutenant marched his platoon off.

  Jethro handed out the white medical orderly coats. “Put these on. It’ll help us move around.”

  “What about the Major sir?” Gunny asked.

  “I’m afraid he’s dead.”

  “And the rest of his team?”

  “Dead.”

  “What now sir?”

  “Now Gunny,” said Jethro. “We return to the ship. We get back to Earth and we report.”

  “What about Mars sir?”

  “Sorry Heinmann but a small crew from an EMV is not going to make the difference for Mars. If we get back to Earth in time, we might just make the difference for Earth. If they listen to us and prepare.”

  “Good luck with that sir.”

  “Thanks Gunny.” But Jethro knew Gunny was right. It might take a lot of convincing some politicians that Earth would soon be under attack from aliens, given that many on Earth still refused to believe that aliens existed. Some even suggested that First Contact was a defence industry plot designed to encourage the Earth and Mars governments to spend more money on the military.

  Jethro knew they would need the video evidence to convince some on Ea
rth.

  “Come on we need to get you out of the city before it’s too late,” said Doc.

  Jethro looked at his communicator, D minus 3 hours. She was right.

  They followed Doc round the side of the Capitol building and back towards the Library building. More robots had arrived and were attacking the Capitol building.

  It went against everything Jethro valued to run away from a battle but he knew it was a battle they couldn’t win. Winning the war was more important than winning the battle was something Jethro had learnt from his history studies in training. It was vital to get the valuable data he had collected back to Earth or that war would be lost before it had even begun.

  They reached the Library building. There was one more building behind that then the desert but spiderbots must have outflanked them and there were four spiderbots attacking the rear Library building.

  Doc took Jethro’s arm. “I know another way out.”

  “No. We’ll go through these to get out.”

  “Don’t be a fool. You can’t possibly beat them.”

  “We can.” Jethro knew he could and maybe should have taken the easy option but he also knew the team wanted to feel they had done something.

  Jethro halted the team. “Gunny. Take one round to the right and come up behind. Walker take one and do the same to the left. OK”

  They responded and left Jethro with Brains, Heinmann and Doc.

  “Now we wait until the flanks get in position.”

  “Jethro. They’ve seen us.”

  One of the spiderbots fired a blast from its laser in their direction but they were already moving. Jethro led them round towards the front of the Library building but the spiderbot was following them.

  “What are you doing Brains?” She was getting down on the ground.

  “Playing dead sir. Then when the spiderbot passes me I’ll get it in the back.”

  “And if it treads on you, or decides to shoot you anyway?”

  “Sir, you need to go.”

  Bloody Space Marines that can think for themselves. They’re not paid to think, I am.

  “You’re not going to leave her there?” asked Doc.

  “I’m not going to bloody well carry her. Come on.” Jethro dragged Doc away.