Harper had been tortured for many hours until he learned how to answer the Intelligence ministry’s questions. No matter the person, everyone succumbed to torture. It was the reason that Nivad had most of his agents add augments that would allow them to kill themselves. There was a large bonus for them if they activated it.
They also wouldn’t be hunted down by Nivad.
She threw a video up, replacing some data sheets, which showed the reporter and his speech, sped up to get through it all, then Dalia threw in a video that showed the reaction in various stations.
“So someone incited the asteroid miners to attack the inner system?” Nivad asked.
“Our agent did.” Dalia widened the frame of the video on the stumbling man and froze it.
“And that is our man, one Sergeant Mark Victor, served on Masoul, part of that unit that worked with our agent, the triple twos. Westerly Sector, Complex Three. He’s our war hero,” she said, looking to Nivad.
“What’s our angle?” Nivad leaned forward.
“We tell the story as it is: he joined the EMF, feeling a duty to his species to keep the peace. He joined with his brother and served with honors on Sacremon. Went to Masoul, exemplary record, we allude to great things, and hell, we won’t even be lying. Then we say that he went to Osdal to gather intelligence, and when he learned about the people of Osdal and their plight, he revealed the darkness that lays under Harmony. He’s a regular worker’s hero.”
“What if he survives?”
“We parade him around; we act as his mouth piece. He’s shown an affinity for his people, so we use them and his brother against him. If he comes back, which I doubt, we have two more planets to clear. We can easily get someone to make sure he disappears,” Dalia said, shrugging.
“Good, heroes will keep the people and the Troopers going, they need something to see. Have this broadcasted across the colonies, add in the video with the family,” Nivad said, waving away the names of them, he’d already forgotten.
They were just ploys to be used in the public opinion sphere.
“I have also a number of people that have received commendations on their record for their actions, stuff that would have warranted a medal with government militaries,” she said.
“Pass them on to Wallace and let him deal with it.” Nivad felt a sliver of excitement run through him. Now they could pull a big one over on Harmony. Getting public backing was a powerful incentive.
“With the asteroid miners, the fleet is moving in. They are trying to remain undetected but they put their timeline at three weeks until they reach their targets. They will no longer be focusing on any stations, except those that are being contested between the asteroid miners and Chosen.”
“Good, it will show that we are united in taking down Chosen. How long until the colony ship arrives?” Nivad asked.
“Twenty years.”
“Have the CEOs bargain with them, better terms than before; they keep their equipment, no charges. We want them to welcome the Osdal partnership back, not be angry at it. We will also need to have the EMF disarm them. Have a carrier stay behind to secure the system. We need to have Osdal producing for Earth and Her Colonies as soon as possible. If the Osdal partnership starts to even look like they’re fucking up the transition period, I’ll deal with them,” Nivad said, locking eyes with Dalia.
She nodded, her face grim and understanding. This was a delicate situation, and fucking it up could make the system go rogue, leaving only the option of killing all the native inhabitants off. They needed to look good for the next couple of decades. Killing those that had help to fight against Harmony wasn’t going to do that.
Chapter 34
Processing Station One
Osdal Actual, Osdal System
7/3267
As soon as Bandit Two landed, Tyler and his section were grabbing their gear and heading off the shuttle. It was only a section of three, but Yu knew the damage that those three could do.
Ali, Dashtund and Tyler all carried heavy gear bags out of the airlock and they changed into the local dress of the people on the station. Holm had sent images of how the people dressed, they left the craft looking like three bored workers.
“Well let’s go and see the sights,” Yu said, Young took over shutting down the craft as He slid down to the cargo bay. Bobbie was waiting, wearing his civilian suit and helmet.
They exited, heading into the station. They separated, Bobbie meeting up with Iliev and Bairamov in a restaurant as Holm waved down Yu.
Yu waved back and made his way over to him, knowing Tal was hiding somewhere.
When did we get so good at blending in and making it look like we weren’t planning to blow everything with a signal? Yu knew that Bobbie, Young and himself had got better at fighting under the triple two’s tutelage. It made him appreciate just how destructive and deadly the Triple Twos could be - in an instant.
“Damn, I think the view screen is out,” Holm said, wincing as white noise filled the room. Yu knew that it was a noise cancelling device in play.
“Can I get two coffees and could you see about doing something to that view screen, it’s making my ears ring,” Holm asked a passing waitress.
A man gave the view screen a few slaps and Holm turned the cancel device on and off, then on again at a lower setting. Blaming the view screen would draw less attention to the noise and their conversation.
Yu leaned in as Holm’s face became serious. “Power systems, sensor server farm first and secondary, don’t know where the missile launcher controls are. We’ve seen some converted shuttles, don’t know if it’s all of them,” Holm said, sitting back.
“Sorry about the view screen,” the waitress said, coming back with drinks and looking at the screen. The man that had been hitting on it seemed to have given up.
“No worries, just happy to see my boo,” Holm replied, smiling to the waitress and laying a hand on Yu. Yu blushed; he knew Holm was straight.
“Ah okay,” The waitress said, smiling and moving away to give them privacy.
Yu grabbed a coffee. “So you think it’s worth Haas and Jerome hitting another station? Or go straight to the ground?”
“We’ve got some thirty other teams in place, hopefully they’ll get something we don’t. I’ve already found signs of them, seems they know who we are,” Holm sent Yu a picture.
It was a coolant tank, and in an obscure corner there was the grey clay-looking incendiary putty with three twos next to it.
“Best to stick to messing up the chosen’s operations on Osdal Actual instead of stepping on the other team’s feet,” Yu said. They were mostly alone and it was easy for him to forget that there were other teams of Troopers and Combat Shuttle crews out here too, working to bring Harmony down.
“Damn right, they’re going to have their hands full with Tyler seeing just how good their rifles are,” Holm’s voice was low and his eyes were dark.
They looked after one another, and the images of Mark made him feel like failure, even though he knew there was nothing he could have done to stop it. But here he was, sitting in a station drinking coffee, while Mark was working the mines.
Chapter 35
Mining City Twenty-One
Osdal Actual, Osdal System
7/3267
“I no longer think that the situation is tenable in Osdal. Once the processing stations have completed their latest runs, I will have the freighters sent to Fernix and start shipping out our original development team,” Luke said to the shadows of Housapel and Fernix.
“It is unfortunate that you were not able to stop this leak,” Fernix said dangerously. “However, we will adapt and overcome; we are using the same idea that we used with Masoul. The EMF want someone to blame and they are fabricating these lies to make people angry with Harmony. We are censoring most of the feeds coming into the system.”
“We are doing the same. I believe that we are seeing Nivad’s handiwork here, so be prepared if this turns into something more than
it seems,” Housapel warned.
“Yes sir. Now, if you will excuse me, I have matters to deal with in-system before I depart for Housapel,” Luke said.
“Certainly, we will be seeing one another soon enough,” Housapel said.
Luke cut the channel, knowing that they were not pleased with him. He had failed due to his subordinate having her implants record; an incident he thought he had cleaned away.
Chosen were deployed on all of the stations. He’d reinforced Processing Station One, it controlled the missile launchers and linked it to the sensor grid.
There were pitched battles going on in various stations. Chosen were running where they could, in others they were being reinforced. Luke left that up to them, he cared little.
As long as he got his materials and he got the hell off this shit hole of a planet, he didn’t give a fuck what those that had sworn their lives to Harmony did.
***
Mark woke up in Caroline’s lap. She’d cleaned his wounds with precious water and it stung, because his painkiller reservoirs were running low. He checked his implants, and his head wasn’t as bad as it had been. His augments had pulled him out of the worst, but he had really bad surface wounds, a break in his wrist, and in his skull, ribs and jaw.
A red hot poker showed how she’d cauterized most of the worst wounds closed and sealed the missing fingers.
He still had his trigger finger, and in the daze of drugs and pain he found great joy in that, promising himself he’d need it later. If it was okay, then he would be okay.
He was trying to trick himself into thinking his wounds weren’t as bad as they were.
The siren for next shift shrieked. Caroline started awake, her eyes turning pained.
She was just a woman caught up in Harmony’s shit. Mark side hugged her and indicated for her to come to his level.
“Thank you,” he said, trying to not move his broken jaw.
She smiled, and Mark wished he could have seen her entire face, but it was covered by her scarf. He respected her to let her choose when she decided to show her face to him.
“Let’s get to work, lover boy,” she said, easing her legs out from under him.
Mark felt his heartbeat speed up as he started getting up, finding her helping him to his feet. She was kind and caring and it burned something intense in his heart.
“You should look into some weight, your heavy butt sent my legs to sleep!” She used humor to counteract what had happened just hours ago.
She gave him a weak smile, for his benefit rather than her own. He saw the worry in her eyes, the worry for him, and it touched him in a way he hadn’t known before.
Many saw him as a statue, resilient, unfeeling, a Trooper’s Trooper. She saw him for the man with the insecurities, one that could be hurt, and she cared for him.
He ruffled her hair, getting a pout that made her squint and the corner of her eyes tighten.
He laughed, and the motion hurt his mouth.
“Jackass, come on, trucking time,” she said, her face lightening in a hidden smile. It fell away as concern replaced it and she made him walk first. She was protecting him in her own way.
Mark looked at her dumbly, his mind and emotions all over the place.
“Come on slow-poke,” she said, putting her fingers through his and pulling, forcefully but not enough to hurt him. Mark followed, looking at their hands. It felt good.
She looked to him and their hands, and Mark saw her cheeks turn pink and she started to pull away in embarrassment, but Mark squeezed in reassurance and caught up so they were side-by-side.
She didn’t try to break away again and stayed close to him.
They didn’t say anything but Mark promised that he would get her to smile, for real, just once. He didn’t try to hide his emotions from himself. The way he’d looked out for her, how they’d slept beside one another, the reason that they were always together.
Mark cared for Caroline deeply, in a way he had never found with his past lovers or flings. Sure, he had offloaded his life story onto them; he had never done that with Caroline and it didn’t matter, he could see she didn’t care for that.
She stayed around based on what he had done, and she cared for him. Not because she should, hell, she should be on the other side of shack city rather than being around him. She cared for him because she wanted to.
For the first time she saw Mark Victor the man, not the gangster, or Trooper.
It was irrational and stupid. His body was broken, terribly so, his skin was a mess of bruises and friction burns, and his skull was broken and his fingers were missing. Pain was something Mark had become used to.
But this, this was something different, something new and almost magical.
He didn’t see rainbows and butterflies in the future, but the tiniest sliver of hope filled him. He glanced down at their entwined hands to make sure it was still real.
She helped him up and half dragged half carried him up his truck ladder.
Mark knew that she had just made herself a target for him.
He let out a grunt of gratitude, his jaw closed shut by the medical augments.
“Don’t pass out, and we’ll see about those wounds later,” Caroline said.
She checked on him through the day when she could, and then helped him out of his truck when it was quitting time.
Mark cried silently as she cleaned his wounds with water.
She crunched up his food and fed it to him and fed him water. He would have died if not for her care.
That had been a few weeks ago. Mark woke up, nightmares making him tense and sweaty.
He found Caroline next to him, making soft noises, her eyes closed as she tried to get some rest, her fragile hand touching the parts of his face that weren’t badly cut.
Mark pulled her next to him and sank back into sleep.
One new man had hit Caroline and taken her and Mark’s food.
Mark slipped out in the night and found the man; he took the food back and most of the man’s too. The man never stole again, and no one messed with Caroline.
From then on that was how it went, she made sure he stayed alive and acted as something to calm his raw nerves and stop the nightmares.
Mark stopped anyone from looking at her with anything other than boredom.
The Chosen had thinned out a few days after the incident. There was news that the asteroid miners were rebelling against Harmony, siding with Earth.
The camp workers who decried that they were not Earthers now didn’t care if the asteroid miners were backed by Earth, they just wanted to be set free.
Mark and Caroline were doing maintenance on the trucks, and it was grueling work. Mark moved hundred pound drums of coolant, and Caroline worked electronics and batteries.
Straining, Mark felt some of his wounds open. He had a new rag shirt and it covered his wounds that were healing much too fast. He already had skin forming again and his bones only needed a few more weeks before they were finished.
“Three hundred meters, your right hand side, air car turret.” Tyler sounded like he was right next to Mark.
Mark felt strength returning to his body and his heart beat faster. He looked at the man lounging behind the air car’s turret, harassing people as they went by.
Suddenly, his head rocked back in a fountain of blood and he slumped into the turret.
“Two hundred meters, pisser,” Tyler said in Mark’s ear, and a hole appeared in the side of the chem toilet’s wall.
So it went on; Tyler called out targets and holes appeared in them.
The Chosen started reacting diving for cover and running, but the camp workers kept working, paying no attention.
“Truck, twenty meters, hiding,” Niemi called out, and Mark heard the bullet whiz as the Chosen stumbled backwards and then fell to the ground. Mark looked around, the Chosen were in a panic and the camp workers were looking around with vacant eyes.
Mark moved to the downed Chosen, pulling off their kni
ves, and tucking their holsters and pistols into his pants and grabbing the extra magazines.
The Chosen were firing wildly, and a camp worker went down with a cry. Everyone got low, and Mark scrambled back to the coolant barrels.
The panicked Chosen’s yells were cut short as rounds found their targets.
“We’ll be seeing you soon, bro,” Tyler said. Chosen stopped falling and Mark knew that Tyler, Niemi and their spotters were already vacating their shooting positions.
“What was that?” Caroline asked, her eyes looking to Mark’s waistband, implying the pistol underneath.
Mark smiled at her.
“Just don’t do anything too crazy, I put a lot of work into putting you back together.” Her voice was gentle as she touched him.
Mark nodded sincerely, emotions making his guts twist. He knew at that moment that he liked her, that she’d put her life on the line for him, though he’d never seen her full face and he hadn’t talked for weeks. Yet he wanted to make her smile and laugh freely. He’d seen a few rare moments and they made his heart leap.
Their relationship wasn’t sexual, yet it was fulfilling. They looked out for one another and cared for one another, and those actions had led to feelings. He watched her as she continued to work on electronics.
She might have a scar across her face, but those eyes captured his heart. They saw him for the killer he was and they didn’t care, to her he was her defender.
He kept moving barrels as his mind started spinning. He wondered if she liked him in that way, or if she simply wanted his protection.
He hoped it was the former.
Chosen ran around scared, and a few fired off their machine guns in random directions, but none of it did much good. The Chosen leaders were hiding in air cars and barking orders at other Chosen. Camp workers tried to help those that had been hit by Chosen rounds, but many wouldn’t make it.
Mark pushed his thoughts of Caroline to the back of his mind. He was a Trooper, and if he survived he would be fighting across Osdal, and then wherever the EMF sent him next.
Osdal (Harmony War Series Book 3) Page 18
