Revolutionary Right

by Wayne Basta

  Maarkean grabbed the door and held it slightly open until the rest of the team reached him. He almost asked Gamaly what had happened but decided it didn’t matter right now.

  Gesturing for everyone to get ready, he pulled open the door all the way. Gu’od and Seesz charged in first, followed by everyone else. Holding the door, Maarkean went in last.

  The first room inside the building was merely an entrance foyer. There was a directory for offices and a few nice-looking plants.

  Maarkean expected to meet more resistance, but had no idea how much. It was a good sign that there hadn’t been a squad of troops just inside the door.

  Watching carefully for anyone trying to sneak up on them, Maarkean followed the group down the right hallway. They moved quickly. Everything seemed quiet. That’s why it was such a surprise when Maarkean heard the sound of blaster fire ahead and saw Gu’od fall to the ground.

  “I’m fine,” Zeric growled, once they made it to their fall-back position at the hotel. “Get back to the line.”

  The young Ronid who was helping him walk looked unsure what to do. He looked from Zeric to Lei-mey. It irritated Zeric that the man waited for Lei-mey to nod before releasing Zeric and heading back toward the sound of weapon fire.

  Left to walk on his own, Zeric immediately regretted his decision. The blaster shot he had taken had seriously messed up his leg.

  Without a word, Lei-mey slipped in and took the soldier’s place. Zeric appreciated the assistance, but he was sure she would make him pay for it later. Happily, Kumus would soon be back from getting his head wound patched; he could take her place.

  With Lei-mey’s help, Zeric climbed the barricades that had been assembled in front of the hotel’s entrance. Peering over the top of them, he examined the scene before him. A couple dozen meters away was another line of barricades manned with everyone left in the city who could still fight. Beyond them were the vast majority of the Alliance forces that had stormed the city.

  After Zeric had been shot, possibly by friendly fire, the Alliance’s push to break through the barricade had continued relentlessly. Barely holding onto consciousness, he had ordered them to fall back and to detonate the barricade.

  As the survivors raced away from their defensive position, Zeric had watched as their emergency explosives had failed to detonate, leaving the way clear for the Alliance to follow. The EMP mines must have disabled the triggers at his position.

  It had been a tough fight back to the hotel, and along the way Zeric had heard two loud explosions. That meant that the other positions’ explosives hadn’t failed, but also that they had been overrun.

  Back at the hotel, he learned that the best count had a third of their forces dead or captured during the retreat back to the hotel. Fighting through the pain while a medic hastily wrapped up his leg, Zeric directed the defense of the hotel. There was little information available to him that was not bad.

  After a short time, a Ronid runner came up to him. “Sir, rear positions report that Alliance forces are holding position across the street from the hotel. They are no longer advancing.”

  Glancing back across the defenses before him, Zeric saw that the troops were doing the same thing in the front. Why were they stopping? All of his efforts to stop them so far had been swatted away. He had no doubt that the Alliance forces had suffered casualties, but he had no illusions that their losses had been anywhere near as great as his own.

  Optimistically, Lei-mey said, “Maybe they aren’t able to break through our defenses.”

  Frowning, Zeric said, “We’re weaker here than we were on the streets. Just more concentrated. But so are they.”

  “Maybe we hurt them more than we think?”

  “Possibly,” Zeric said absentmindedly. “More likely, they’re holding back until they can get their SPCs through the streets, or their fighters can be rearmed for a bombing run.”

  Shocked, Lei-mey said, “They couldn’t possibly be planning to level the entire area from the air, could they?”

  “Well, if they’re as hurt as you hope they are, bombing us would be the safest plan. If they’re only as hurt as I suspect they are, it would still be the safest plan. Even if they aren’t planning on bombing us, the SPCs’ cannons can level the hotel pretty good,” Zeric said.

  Easing back from the barricade, he looked around and realized that the runner and a few others were standing around him and Lei-mey. He immediately regretted what he had said and mentally kicked himself. Fatalistic talk was dangerous for any fighting group. Words like those coming from a leader could kill morale.

  Zeric tried to find a way to recover from what he had just said, but nothing was coming to him. This was why he had never wanted to be an officer. Shooting the enemy was easy. Morale was hard.

  Shrugging, Zeric said, “We’ll just have to win before they can do that.”

  Easing down from the barricade, Zeric eyed the others and thought that they appeared satisfied with his response. Not that he had any idea how to go about doing it, though. In his mind, things were pretty hopeless.

  Lei-mey slipped in and helped Zeric move toward a table that had been set up with a map of the city. The Alliance had jammed their connection to the satellites, so he had to rely on static maps and visual sightings of troops. Their comm gear was also being jammed.

  “If only we knew how Maarkean was doing,” Zeric said as he looked down at the map. The one of the city had just been replaced by one covering the block where the hotel was. Markers were being set up representing all of the Alliance forces. The markers indicated that the Alliance had twice as many forces now as when they had arrived, but since there weren’t that many troops on the planet, the spotters must have been exaggerating out of panic. It was an ironic consolation that they weren’t actually facing almost two thousand troops.

  Zeric stared at the map, trying to find some option that didn’t result in all of their deaths. Surrender would accomplish that. It seemed that it might be their only option. With his leg injury, slipping out and trying to escape by himself wasn’t even a choice anymore.

  “Sir.”

  Turning, Zeric saw Kumus standing beside him. He had not even noticed that the boy had returned. A thick bandage was wrapped around his head, partially covering his left eye. It took Zeric a second to realize the boy was holding a comm device out to him.

  “What is it?”

  “Colonel Cage is calling, sir. He wants to speak to whoever is in charge,” Kumus said grimly.

  Zeric looked from Kumus to the comm device and back to Kumus. “Don’t give it to me. Go and get the prime minister.”

  “He’s on his way, sir. But the colonel is sounding impatient.”

  “Good, let him wait,” Zeric said grumpily.

  The last thing Zeric wanted was to have to negotiate with the Alliance commander. He knew how hopeless their position was, and so did Cage. If they talked, Zeric doubted he would be able to bluster enough to pretend it was any different. Then he wouldn’t even be in a good position to negotiate anything for them.

  Several minutes went by while they waited for the prime minister. The waiting played into both sides’ hands. It gave the Alliance longer to get their SPCs through the city, and it gave Zeric longer to stay alive. He hoped no one ever found the prime minister.

  While waiting, Zeric was almost glad his leg was injured. He hated it when people paced when they were nervous. Instead, he contented himself with tossing around a piece of concrete from the barricade that had fallen into his pocket.

  After what seemed like forever – probably a matter of seconds – the prime minister appeared. Zeric told him what was going on, and Kumus handed over the comm device. The prime minister looked as nervous as Zeric felt.

  “This is Prime Minister Corte.”

  Kumus must have switched the comm to speaker, because Zeric heard the response clearly. “Prime Minister, this is Colonel Cage. I must say, I did not expect you to turn rebel.”

  “Colonel, you received
the statement from my office ordering you not to leave your base.”

  “I did. But, as you know, you have been relieved of your office and no longer hold any authority. I was, however, content to leave some of your government in place until the new governor arrived. But now you have made that impossible.”

  The expression on Corte’s face did not match the tone of his voice. “Colonel, you are a reasonable man. The order to remove my legitimately elected government from power is an illegal order. You must know that.”

  “We can debate that at another time, Mr. Prime Minister. Right now, I am putting down an insurrection.”

  “What you call an insurrection, I call the people defending their right to democracy. A right supposedly guaranteed by the Alliance Charter.”

  Zeric wished he knew more about Colonel Cage. He thought he sensed some conflict coming from the colonel. Any good officer would find himself conflicted in Cage’s position: caught between principles and orders. But Zeric knew many soldiers and officers who would have had no conflict. They believed in their government and following orders above all else.

  “Prime Minister, give up this rebellion. Order your people to lay down their arms. We will take these Kreogh Sector Congress members into custody. Then we will discuss what is to be done about all of your people who raised arms against the Alliance. They will have to be punished for this act of treason, but if you surrender peacefully now, we can discuss what that punishment might entail.

  “If you do not, I will be forced to storm your position. My SPCs are making their way through the city now. To ensure the safety of my troops, I will be forced to bombard your positions before moving in. The death toll will be higher than either of us wants to see.”

  Prime Minister Corte lowered the comm device and cast a look at Zeric and Lei-mey. Despite the Ronid features, Zeric could see the conflict on his face. The vast majority of the people defending the hotel were locals. As their leader, he was responsible for their safety.

  If it had been Zeric in that situation, he didn’t know what he would have done. He didn’t like the sound of surrender, but his natural inclination was to try to stay alive.

  While Corte continued to ponder his decision, the colonel spoke again. “Mr. Prime Minister, what is it going to be? Will you surrender, or will there be more bloodshed?”

  Another voice came in over the comm after Cage. “This is Major Maarkean Ocaitchi, commander of the Enro Defense Forces. Colonel Cage, you are hereby ordered to surrender your forces.”

  Zeric could hear the amusement in Cage’s reply. “Major Ocaitchi, I will not talk with officers who betray their uniform. Please put the prime minister back on. Let’s not hear any more bluster.”

  “Colonel, I am not calling from Perth, but from your command center. We have taken control of your base.”

  “Nice bluff, Major.”

  Maarkean was replaced by another voice. “Sir, this is Lieutenant Graham. The enemy has overrun our position, and the base is in their control.”

  A wide smile spread over Zeric’s face. Maarkean’s mission had been a long shot.

  “Colonel,” Maarkean went on, “you have limited supplies and, now, no chance for more. All your fighters are now in our hands. As we speak, they are being repaired, refueled and rearmed. Their targets will be your other two bases. Should you fail to surrender your forces, they will level those bases.”

  There was silence for several minutes. Zeric pictured Cage trying to verify the information he was receiving. He hoped Maarkean wasn’t bluffing. There were still two bases out there.

  When no response came, Maarkean spoke again. “Colonel, reinforcements are weeks or months away. You have injured troops and no supplies. The entire planet’s population will oppose you. If you make your last action a massacre, there will be no place you can hide to escape justice.”

  Silence continued, and Zeric started to think Cage might be preparing to assault the hotel. He leaned over and whispered to Kumus, “Tell everyone to prepare for an assault.”

  The boy nodded and then raced off to the other command positions. Zeric hobbled over to the barricade. He pulled himself up and looked out at the troops surrounding them. There was no immediate indication that they were about to attack. Not much had changed since he had looked earlier.

  “Very well.” The voice of Colonel Cage came through the comm again, startling Zeric. “We surrender.”

  An eerie silence enveloped Zeric, and he lost track of everything around him for a moment. He must have hit his head or something, he thought. This must be an illusion. There was no way the Alliance would have just surrendered.

  Slowly, so as not to end the illusion too quickly, Zeric turned to look at Lei-mey and Corte. He wished he could read Ronids better, but he would bet good money that their current expression was pure shock.

  Fortunately, Maarkean was able to react to the news better than Zeric or the two politicians could, because Zeric heard his voice come over the comm again. “Thank you, Colonel. I assure you, your troops will be treated well.”

  “I expect nothing less from a former Alliance officer, Major. I will order my troops to lay down their arms,” Colonel Cage said, and then clicked off the conversation.

  Zeric turned back to look out at the surrounding troops. Nothing happened immediately, but then he realized he had not informed the troops that the Alliance would be surrendering. If they stepped out and were shot, everything would collapse.

  He grabbed the comm and quickly announced, “All troops, hold fire. The Alliance has surrendered. Team leaders, take Alliance forces into custody.”

  As his words filtered out across the defenders, Zeric could track its progress by the sounds of cheering. With some difficulty, he restrained himself from feeling the same excitement – until he saw the first Alliance soldier step from behind cover, holding his arms up in surrender.

  With a spontaneous surge of joy, Zeric let out an excited yelp. He loved winning.

  Maarkean heard Zeric saying over the comm, with disbelief mixed with cheerful enthusiasm, “They’re complying with the order to stand down.”

  Maarkean let out a breath, feeling a tremendous weight fall from his shoulders. He had no idea how tense he had been for the last several minutes. When Cage had said he surrendered, Maarkean kept expecting some kind of trick or double-cross. It had felt like several long minutes while he waited for Zeric’s confirmation.

  “Please give my congratulations to Prime Minister Corte,” Maarkean said in reply, genuine pleasure coming out for the first time in a while. “His people fought well.”

  With a thud, he dropped the comm mike and allowed himself to collapse into the chair behind him. Around him in the Alliance command bunker, the members of his assault team were cheering. Sounds of greater excitement filtered in from outside the building, where the bulk of their forces were located.

  Was it really over? he thought. Utter annihilation had suddenly turned into complete victory. Apparently, leading a grand battle was no different from being in a dogfight when it came to how quickly the tables could turn.

  With the acceptance that the battle was over, Maarkean realized he had to face the worst part of any battle: the consequences. There would be many after this one. He had no idea how many people had died or been hurt already.

  Despite his concern for everyone who had fought for him, he first went to check on his friends. Stepping out of the command center, Maarkean went down the hallway to where Gamaly knelt beside Gu’od. The male Liw’kel had more emotion on his face than Maarkean had ever seen him have. His antennae were flattened against his head, and his face was contorted in pain. But he was alive.

  When Maarkean had seen Gu’od go down, he had been sure his friend was dead. In the chaos of battle, he hadn’t had a moment to find out for sure. The idea he might be dead had played no small part in his drive to ensure that the battle ended well.

  Giving Gamaly a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder, Maarkean said, “He’ll be all right
. A simple blaster bolt can’t take down a Ni’jar master.”

  “That’s what I keep telling her,” Gu’od said through gritted teeth.

  Gamaly gave him a small smile at that, and Maarkean left her to tend to her husband. He had already sent Saracasi to find a medic, Alliance or one of their own, to see to all of the wounded in the command bunker. Reassured that Gu’od would live, he turned to the others.

  Of the rest of his team, Seesz Owwoke stood guard inside the command bunker, none the worse for wear. Atoshi Dren was their only confirmed casualty. The big Dotran had gone down shortly after Gu’od, during their charge into the command center. It felt odd to feel more grief over a dead Dotran than over Alliance soldiers.

  There were many Alliance soldiers down, most of them stunned. Even though they were the enemy, he still took comfort in knowing that most of them would live. He just wished they had shown the same courtesy to his forces and used their stun settings.

  Looking up from the Dotran, Maarkean saw Saracasi leading a group of people down the hallway. A Braz with a medical bag rushed past her when he saw the bodies on the ground. He started to head toward the command center, but Gamaly grabbed the man and directed him to Gu’od.

  Relief flooded Maarkean as he recognized the others with Saracasi. Lahkaba, Lohcja and Solyss Novastar followed her toward him. Showing no interest in decorum, Lahkaba reached out and pulled him into a strong embrace. Even though it wasn’t terribly professional, Maarkean relished the physical contact. After any battle, it felt good to know it was still possible to care.

  “How are your teams?” Maarkean asked, once the Kowwok released him.

  “A few injuries, no fatalities,” Solyss said confidently. “Asheerah led them well.”

  Maarkean nodded in relief to that news. Apparently, there was more to Solyss’ Liw’kel crewmember than just a scary presence. The Chimopori had the largest cargo hold out of the four ships, so it had carried the most troops. If there were no fatalities among them, their total losses would not be too high, though he would have to wait for reports from Ar’cher and Relis for the final tally.