by Grant, Peter
Jake’s lips whitened with anguish and fury as he remembered Laredo’s obliterated capital city, formerly his home. For a moment he couldn’t speak, then he nodded. “I can see why you want it. What if some of those assault bugs are still running around inside the base?”
“I presume the Bactrians collected them before they left, but we can’t be sure. Again, I only said the patrol should try to get in. I want you to assign your best junior officer to lead it.”
“That’ll be Dave. Not only is he the best I’ve got, he’s also the only officer I’ve got here. Trouble is, we didn’t bring any of our troops with us. He’ll have to borrow some of your security detachment.”
“I figured as much. I can give him a couple of them, and I’ll have Captain Tredegar ask his people for volunteers to accompany him back to the base.” He thought for a moment. “Come to think of it, he’s your senior surviving officer, isn’t he?”
“Yeah, since Captain Dyson was killed three months ago.”
“Then I think it’s time he was promoted to Captain. Also, I’m going to amalgamate the remains of Drake’s Regiment with Niven’s Regiment. I’ll promote you to Lieutenant-Colonel as Commanding Officer, and Captain Tredegar can move up to Major as your Executive Officer.”
Jake laughed. “No need, Boss. Even with them, I’ll have no more than a hundred and twenty combat-effective troops – only three platoons’ worth, all told. Even a Major is too senior for that sort of command!”
“It’s the principle of the thing. No, as of today you’re a Lieutenant-Colonel and your son is a Captain.” He rummaged in a drawer and pulled out two sets of rank insignia. “Let’s go tell him, and I’ll pin these on both of you; then I’ll have him prepare to move out tonight with a couple of my people. He’ll rendezvous with Captain Tredegar to be briefed and collect more volunteers, then cover the rest of the distance to the Matopo Hills. His partner’s among our pilots, isn’t she?”
“Yes, Sir – Sergeant Tamsin Gray.”
“Then she can fly him there in an airvan, along with another to carry the rest of the patrol when it’s assembled. May as well let them spend as much time together as possible.”
“Dare I say you’re getting sentimental in your old age, Sir?”
“Just as I daresay you are, Jake. We may as well. After all, neither of them is likely to live to anything like our age, are they?”
Jake nodded slowly, grimly. “Not if the Bactrians have anything to say about it.”
~ ~ ~
TAPURIA: SECURITY SERVICE HEADQUARTERS
Colonel Kujula looked up as a knock came at his office door. “What is it?”
His aide opened the door. “Sir, Captain Vima requests permission to speak with you.”
He frowned. “Didn’t you tell him I wasn’t to be disturbed except in emergency?”
“I did, Sir. He apologizes, but says this is a matter of the utmost importance that can’t wait.”
“It had better be! Very well, send him in.”
He toggled the holographic display above his desk, reducing it to a mere icon above his lamp. Captain Vima’s security clearance wasn’t high enough to allow him to catch sight of the report he’d been studying. Neither is his intelligence, he thought sourly to himself.
The captain marched to the desk and snapped to attention as the aide closed the door behind him. He was a pudgy, moon-faced, unprepossessing young man wearing an immaculately-tailored uniform, Bactrian Army brown rather than Security Service black like the Colonel’s. It was made of a luxurious fabric, far superior to military-issue cloth – and strictly non-regulation, his superior noted with frustration. Unfortunately, the political influence of the Minister of State for Culture was such that his son could not be disciplined over so minor an issue… not without damaging the career of anyone who tried, at any rate.
“What is it, Captain?” Kujula snapped. “Be brief. I’m very busy.”
“S – sir, I regret to report that the suspected rebels Monique Edwards, Ronald Welsh and Art Ransom appear to have… ah… vanished, Sir.”
“What?” The outraged Colonel surged to his feet, leaning forward, clenched fists resting on his desk, blood suffusing his face.
“T – they’ve disappeared, Sir.”
“How could that happen? I gave you explicit orders that they were to be monitored at all times, using every available sensor and technique!”
“Y – yes, Sir, you did, but… Sir, yesterday Welsh went to a restaurant for lunch, Edwards left her place of work during the afternoon, and Ransom attended a reception in the evening. Those following them kept their distance so as not to alarm them – our standard procedure. Each suspect was tracked by means of devices we’d attached to their clothing, accessories and vehicles. When the tracking devices didn’t move for a suspiciously long time, our agents investigated. In every case they found the suspects missing. They appear to have abandoned everything to which we had attached trackers. They changed into different clothes, and may have disguised themselves too. They disappeared before our agents noticed their absence.”
Kujula sank slowly into his chair, eyes narrowing. “Why didn’t our agents report this to you immediately?”
“They did, Sir. Each of them sent me a message to report their failure.”
“Then why didn’t you inform me at once?”
“Er… Sir, I was at the Military Governor’s residence all yesterday afternoon and evening, discussing matters of protocol for our celebrations at the end of next month. His aide invited me to assist her because my father will be among the VIP guests in the delegation from Bactria. I was so busy I didn’t have time to check my messages until this morning.”
The Colonel bit his lip, closing his eyes to hide the blaze of fury behind them. How the devil, he wondered mentally, am I supposed to guarantee the security of our colony on Laredo when I have to put up with influential idiots like this? Why can’t I get more Security Service officers who know what they’re doing, instead of having to borrow whatever rejects the Army feels like dumping on me?
He was silent for a moment, then opened his eyes and waved his hand dismissively. “Wait in the anteroom, Captain. Send in my aide.”
“Y – yessir!”
He waited until his aide had closed the door and crossed to stand in front of his desk. He studied her from head to foot as she approached, mentally approving her smartness and poise. She wore Army brown like Captain Vima, but there any similarities ended. She’d graduated from Bactria’s Military Academy without any high-ranking officer or politician exercising influence on her behalf, which was unusual, but justified by her very high examination scores. He’d noticed them while scanning the profiles of newly arrived officers, and had asked for her services on temporary assignment to serve as his aide. He’d been pleased to discover that she had a logical, analytical brain and was willing to use it – something he encountered depressingly seldom among junior officers.
“You heard that, Lieutenant Yazata?”
“Yes, Sir. I listened over the intercom, as per your instructions concerning Captain Vima.”
“Good. When dealing with a nincompoop who has influence, it’s important to have a witness to document his shortcomings. Remember that for future reference in your own career.”
She smiled mischievously. “Thank you for implying that I may have a worthwhile career ahead of me, Sir.”
He permitted himself a dry chuckle. “So, Lieutenant, what conclusions do you draw from these events?”
Her brow furrowed as she thought. “Sir, three almost simultaneous disappearances would appear to confirm our suspicions about the people involved. The odds are vanishingly small that the incidents are unrelated. Unfortunately, each of them has a wide circle of friends, acquaintances, colleagues and contacts. We haven’t yet discovered all of them – perhaps not even most of them – and we don’t know which of them may also be involved with the Resistance. There are probably too many to arrest and interrogate them all within a reasonable t
imeframe.”
“I agree. Continue.”
She licked her lips thoughtfully. “Sir, have any suspected Resistance leaders in other towns also vanished?”
“That’s a very good question. We must make urgent inquiries. We’ll also ask our field offices whether any other locals, people we haven’t so far suspected, are missing from their usual haunts. If they are, the timing may suggest they’re connected to the Resistance as well.”
“Yes, Sir. If more are missing, it’ll also suggest that Resistance leaders are gathering for some reason. It might be for consultation and planning, or it could be for an operation.” She hesitated. “Sir, could they have learned about our upcoming celebration? Might they intend to attack it?”
He felt a chill down his spine. “We’ve taken every precaution to keep it secret. We haven’t even notified most of the units that’ll be participating. They’ll only be informed two weeks prior, giving them just enough time to prepare their troops and equipment and reach Tapuria in time for the parade. We hoped that such intense secrecy would prevent the Resistance learning about our plans in time to do anything about them. Furthermore, they’ve taken so many casualties in recent months that we believed they wouldn’t have enough able-bodied fighters left to be able to do so. If we were wrong…” He shook his head in dismay. “That could be very bad. Prepare orders for distribution.”
She took a slim pen-like object from her chest pocket, pointed it at him and pressed a stud at one end. “Recording, Sir.”
“One. Signal every field office to confirm the location of all suspected Resistance leaders immediately. Do not, I say again, do not allow them to detect increased surveillance. If any have disappeared or do so in the next few days, or if other prominent Laredans not currently under suspicion should disappear, this office is to be informed at once.
“Two. If any of those who disappear should return, I’m to be informed at once. All necessary preparations should be made to arrest them and send them here at once for interrogation, but no action is to be initiated without my express approval.
He paused, looking at her intently. “Switch off your recorder.” She complied. “Lieutenant, are you prepared to put your future on the line in a task of great importance? Success will guarantee you rapid progress in your career. It may even bring an opportunity to transfer into the Security Service, where intelligence and competence will produce more rapid advancement than in the Army. However, failure will doom you to remain a Lieutenant forever – perhaps even be court-martialed for dereliction of duty. What say you?”
She gulped. “I… Yes, Sir, I’m prepared to accept the challenge.”
“Well answered. I’m temporarily reassigning you to take over from Captain Vima, and command our counter-espionage agents in Tapuria. It’s essential that we detect any preparations for a forthcoming attack in time to neutralize it. You’ll have to galvanize your people to renewed efforts and make examples of the least effective among them – you have my permission to shoot one or two if need be.” Watching her closely, he was pleased to see that his ruthlessness didn’t appear to trouble her. “If our celebrations pass off without incident you’ll earn an official commendation. However, if you fail in your mission and an attack takes place, even if it doesn’t succeed, it’ll be very much the worse for you.” He didn’t feel it necessary to add that it wouldn’t do his career prospects much good, either.
“I understand, Sir. If I’m to take Captain Vima’s place, what will he be doing?”
“If he was a Security Service officer I’d break him at once for inefficiency and dereliction of duty. However, he’s Army, so I need to motivate a new assignment for him. Because of his family influence it must appear to enhance his career, but in reality I want something where his incompetence will cause him to fail so publicly that we can get rid of him once and for all.” He thought for a moment, then called up his display and entered a query. “Aha! I thought I remembered seeing this. The commanding officer of the garrison at Caristo was airlifted to Tapuria last week for medical treatment.”
“Yes, Sir. If I recall correctly he was injured in an aircar accident. He’ll be in hospital for some time.”
“That gives me an opportunity to dispose of Captain Vima. The title of ‘Garrison Commanding Officer’ sounds good, and disguises how bad the place is. Caristo’s a punishment posting – it has no redeeming features whatsoever. I’ve heard some soldiers complain that if there’s a Divinity, and if he, she or it wanted to give this planet an enema, that’s a likely place to insert it! I’ve seen surveillance vid of the base – it’s dirty, the troops’ uniforms are unkempt, much of their equipment is unserviceable, and discipline and morale are very poor. There’s no way even a good officer would be able to get them into a fit state to join the parade next month, given so little time to prepare them. I think they should drag Captain Vima down to their level in short order.” He began entering a message. “I’ll nominate him to take over there, and have him hand over his responsibilities to you at once. I want him out of here by tonight!” He looked sharply at her. “See to it that you don’t make the same mistakes. Keep me informed about everything, understand? I want no more surprises!”
“Understood, Sir.”
“Very well. I – ”
His console chimed urgently, interrupting him. He brought up the display to see a flashing purple icon, indicating a top-priority message. “Just a moment.” He opened the message and read intently, then thrust himself to his feet, a smile of triumph on his face. “At last! The interrogators have been busy with that rebel officer we captured a few weeks ago during the assault on their base in the Matopo Hills. He was too badly hurt to answer questions at first, but he recovered enough for them to start work on him yesterday evening. I thought his resistance would have been greatly reduced by his injuries, but he held out longer than I expected. Still, he’s cracked at last, like they always do.”
“Has he given us anything worthwhile, Sir?”
“He most certainly has. It turns out he was the commanding officer there. He told us some very interesting news.” He consulted his terminal’s time display. “I’ll see the Captain now to get his transfer under way. While I do that, contact our garrison at Hermonosa and tell them in my name to dispatch combat engineers at once to the Matopo Hills base, complete with heavy equipment to dig through the wreckage they left behind. They’re to use the road they cut through the bush for the initial assault, and advise me of their estimated date and time of arrival. I’ll signal further details later today, and join them in an assault shuttle once they’ve started work. There’s something hidden in the base that we have to recover.”
“Yes, Sir.” She hesitated. “May I come too, please, Sir? I haven’t been in the field yet.”
“Not this time. Your job is to take over Captain Vima’s agents and whip them into line as quickly as possible. When you’ve done that, we’ll see what can be arranged.”
“Yes, Sir.” She bit her lip to hide her disappointment.
He smiled as he watched her walk to the door. It had been a very satisfying week. He’d earned a profitable bribe in untraceable gold from an off-planet fur trader; he’d found a way to get rid of the execrable Captain Vima; and he was on the verge of recovering something the Security Service had been trying to retrieve for years, ever since that idiot Major-General Strato had so stupidly signed it. If he succeeded, it would guarantee him at least a letter of commendation from the Commissioner of the Security Service on Bactria, if not a medal for outstanding achievement. Life was indeed good.
March 1st 2850 GSC
IN THE WILDERNESS
Captain Tredegar held out his hand in greeting. “Good to see you again, Lieutenant – but I understand it’s Captain now?”
“Yes, as of yesterday. General Allred has major’s insignia waiting for you at HQ.” Dave grinned at his opposite number as he shook hands. The twilight was deepened by the tangled mass of brush, scrub and trees growing well above head height, mak
ing it prematurely gloomy on the narrow trail. He sneezed as dust thrown up by the airvans’ fans got into his nostrils.
“Looks like both of us are going up in the world. When did you get here?”
“We arrived at that hill just before dawn.” He gestured to its bulk low on the horizon. “We laagered up during the daylight hours under camouflage netting, then flew to meet you as soon as the sun set.”
“Good – then the Bactrians probably haven’t spotted you, or us. We’ve been moving very slowly and carefully so as not to raise dust or leave clearly visible tracks that would give away our position. How many are with you?”
“Two pilots for the airvans, plus two of the General’s security detachment who volunteered to come with me. I understand I’m to get more volunteers from you to make up the rest of my patrol.” He gestured to the small convoy of vehicles behind Tredegar, who grimaced.
“That’ll be difficult. More than half of us are wounded to a greater or lesser extent. We’re relying on our able-bodied personnel to get the rest of us through.”
“Were you hurt?” Dave asked with real concern.
“I was too close to an explosion. It blew me into a big rock and broke some ribs. Nothing time won’t heal, but it’s very painful. Deep breathing’s no fun at all.”
“I believe it! How about if I take just six of your people? I can offer them an airvan ride back to base instead of having to bump through the bush for another hundred kilometers.”
“That should be enough incentive to make everyone volunteer! I think we can spare half a dozen.”
“Thanks. We brought you as much in the way of medical supplies and rations as we could fit on top of and around our long-range fuel tanks. We need them to reach the Matopo Hills and return, but they take up a lot of space in our cargo compartment, I’m afraid.”
“Thanks very much. I’ll have my people help you load them into our vehicles, then we’ll eat before moving on to make camp for the night. We’ll talk later.”
