by Daniel Gibbs
“Whoa. That’s some serious hardware,” David commented as he walked into the room and examined the rows of rifles, sidearms, and heavy weapons.
“This is also the TCMC’s armory for the embassy,” she explained. “There’s some basic ballistic body armor over there. Feldt’s goons don’t use energy weapons for the most part. They like to inflict damage and pain.”
Qadir walked over to the rack of armor and pulled a vest off. “Wouldn’t power armor be more prudent for this mission?”
“There’s none here. Gilead won’t allow type three armor on their soil.”
“Technically, this is our soil,” David pointed out, referencing the concept that an embassy is sovereign territory. “But I suppose since we’re always trying to play nice with the neutrals, we let it go.”
Eldred flashed a grin. “Exactly, Colonel.”
David retrieved an armored vest for himself, along with a battle rifle with integrated optics, twelve magazines of ammunition and a sidearm. While he busied himself collecting gear, the others did as well.
Between a medical kit, ammunition, communications equipment, and explosives, when Eldred was done, she had a small arsenal in the black duffle bag she carried.
Qadir snorted as she wrapped up her weapons selection. “We have enough here to wage a small war.”
“Let’s get something straight. Feldt fancies himself as a ruler over the wastes. He has enough gunmen to be considered a significant security risk, in that the police won’t even go out there. Only the Gileadean National Guard will, and half of them are paid off. We’re walking into a lawless area with only ourselves to count on.”
Pausing as he adjusted the sight of the battle rifle he’d selected for himself, David grunted. “How many gunmen are we talking about here?”
“He has at least four or five hundred security troops, if you can call them that. They’re untrained by military standards, but we know they can fight. Feldt’s used them to decimate his competitors.”
David dropped the last few items into the duffle and glanced between Eldred and Qadir. “We need some help.”
“There is no help, Colonel. Gilead’s military is too corrupt.”
“Ah, you forget the Lion of Judah is in orbit.”
“Your Marine unit?”
“There are three thousand Marines on the Lion, yes. But I was thinking a bit more surgical in our approach. We also have tier-one operators on board. I could get a team down here to assist.”
“It might be prudent to wait on such an action until we see what we’re up against,” Qadir’s voice cut in. “Far be it from me to be the voice of caution, but wouldn’t we risk an intergalactic incident by introducing troops without authorization?”
She’s got a good point there. We’re cursed if we do and cursed if we don’t. “Director Qadir is right. I’ll put them on standby as previously planned.” David engaged his commlink. “Cohen to Lion of Judah.”
A few moments later, the ship’s second watch communications officer, Second Lieutenant Bell’s voice filled his ear. “I read you loud and clear, Colonel.”
“Patch me in to Major Hanson.”
Again, it only took a second for Hanson’s voice to echo through the commlink. “Good morning, sir.”
“Same to you, Major. How’s my ship?”
“Everything is going well, sir. We performed a full search and rescue pass on Master One’s previous location. No survivors, though we expected that. Little was found in the debris.”
“I’m about to depart the embassy with Director Qadir and CIS. We’re going to go looking for a lead. I need you to have a tier-one team on standby. Get with Captain Rajneesh and ensure he’s standing by.”
“What about your previous orders not to deploy assets unless otherwise authorized, sir?”
“Keep them warm, Major. I’ll let you know when and if to deploy. Understood?”
“Aye aye, sir.”
“Cohen out.” David returned the communication device to his pocket and briefly closed his eyes. I hope I don’t regret this. Going out with little backup seems unwise, but I’ll defer to Eldred’s judgment. If she says she can get us in, I have to believe her.
“Let’s head up topside,” Eldred began, interrupting his thoughts. “I’ve got some transportation waiting for us.”
Little was said by the three of them as they moved through the embassy. The place was like a maze, with interlocking corridors, cube farms, banks of offices, and large open areas. It reminded David of the main space station over Canaan, at least a smaller version of it. They passed through a warehouse area and ended up beside one of the sorriest, beat up, and dented vehicles he’d ever seen.
“Ah, here we go,” Eldred said, her tone cheery.
“This is a joke, right?” Qadir asked. “Twenty-one eighty-five called and wants its electric jalopy back.”
After their laughter died down, David stroked his chin. “Does it run?”
Eldred crossed her arms in front of her chest. “It runs. Might look like a piece of junk, but under the hood, everything is great. We can’t drive into the desert in an expensive ride. The key part of this mission is subtly acting the part. Our cover is we’re tourists looking for a fix. We heard about Orbita and want to try it. That’s the only reason people go out to Feldt country.”
“Ride?” Qadir questioned as she peered in the window.
“Gilead’s helicar network only extends to the edges of its capital, and with much of the planet undeveloped and without infrastructure, they use old school, non-autonomous vehicles here. There’s a whole culture around it. Something about tricking out your ride with gizmos and gadgets.”
David rolled his eyes. “Let’s get this show on the road.” He dropped the duffle bag next to the trunk. “Care to do the honors?”
She touched a button and the latch disengaged, causing the trunk door to open. “I’ll make sure the long-range batteries are topped off while you two change.” Eldred pointed toward a pair of bathrooms. “There’s clothes for both of you in there.”
This is going to be interesting. Quite interesting. David stalked off to the men’s restroom, curious to see what the agent had up her sleeve.
After returning from the rural spaceport, Carmina Ramirez had gone to the market then back to her apartment. Visiting the outdoors always drained her. I get to see the abject poverty and misery the rest of Feldt’s serfs live in. A glance around living room confirmed the luxury she had. It was one of the reasons she’d sought out Coalition Intelligence six months prior. The next morning, the day went by slowly. There were few things to do inside of her gilded cage. One of her few hobbies was painting. She had a landscape painting of the desert and the mountains beyond in progress and spent the better part of four hours working on it.
A knock at the door interrupted her with a start. The specter of being found out was never far from her mind, but after the events of the previous day, they were firmly in the forefront of her thoughts. She set her brush down on the paint board she held and put it down on the nearest counter. The knock came again, its sound shaking the apartment. As her heart pounded in her chest, she walked to it and undid the latch. As she swung the door open, there stood one of Feldt’s top lieutenants—a man she knew as Benoit.
“Good morning, Ms. Ramirez,” he said with exaggerated formality.
She almost jumped out of her skin. There was something about how he spoke. He knows. Forcing the fear down, she smiled. “Good morning, Benoit. What can I do for you today?”
“May I come in? I have a few questions for you.”
“Questions?”
“There was a security breach. Boss challenged me to find out who did it. You know how he is.”
Ramirez stepped back from the entryway and gestured inside. “Of course. I’ll do what I can.” She did her best to keep an inscrutable expression on her face while gripping her hands tightly in a fist, to avoid them trembling in plain sight.
Leading the way to her living room, she
sat down and smoothed her skirt out as she did. Its bright floral pattern was in stark contrast to her mood, which was anything but cheery. “Please, have a seat.”
Benoit sat, staring at her with piercing eyes. “How are you?”
“I’m fine. I’ve spent the morning working on a painting for Edward.”
His mouth curled up into a grin. “Ah, I’m sure he’ll like it. Tell me, have you heard of our problem?”
“I’m afraid not. He doesn’t keep me informed of such matters. I attend to other needs, as I’m sure you know.”
Benoit stood and started pacing around the small living room. “Oh, I do. You’re quite untouchable because of it.” He stopped and paused near her. “We lost a freighter yesterday to the blasted Terran Coalition. The mightiest warship they have, the Lion of Judah, is here. At Gilead.”
She glanced up, and her eyes met his. “I wonder why.”
“Because they’re looking for us… for him. They didn’t get lucky—there was a leak. Someone tipped them off.”
“That’s horrible. Who would do such a thing after all he’s done for us?” She frowned and bit her lip. I know he suspects.
Benoit’s face appeared an inch from hers. “I know you did it.”
Ramirez turned to her side as the foul stench of his breath washed over her. “That’s a lie!” she practically shouted. Her hands shook, and her mind started to freak out. How do I get away from him? I don’t have any weapons. How do I get out of this?
“I tracked down every person who’d been in the same hangar as the ship. Oh, you had a great cover story. The special meal bit was quite inventive. But you stand out, Carmina. With your fancy dresses, shoes, and hairdo, you’re very memorable. Several men recall you walked around the vessel and out of sight. That got me wondering, so I pulled the security holocamera files. Not the ones you can see; the hidden ones you didn’t realize were there.”
Her face went white as he continued.
“It took me hours, and I had to run the files through a quantum computer for image enhancement. Want to guess what I found? I saw you put something on the hull. Probably a tracker of some sort. It’s enough to keep Feldt from killing a member of my family, and a member of everyone’s family.”
“What do you mean?” Ramirez asked, her mouth wide open in dismay.
“Don’t you recall your initiation? He keeps tabs on our friends and family. If we disobey, they die. The way he encouraged us to find out who did this? Threatening to kill someone close to us. All of us.”
It took her a moment to realize what Benoit had said, and for her mind to process it. He’s a monster. Ramirez had always known Feldt was insane, but there was a method to his madness. At least typically. “I didn’t know he would go so far.”
“Why not? He openly admits he’s a sociopath. Did you think you could get out of this without paying the price?”
“I have no family or friends. My parents are dead. I thought he’d kill me and only me. Or maybe the Terrans would keep their word.”
Benoit backhanded her with enough force to cause her to cry out in pain and blood to drip out of her nose. “No one gets away from Feldt. We’re sentenced to work for the devil the rest of our lives. You’d better pray he decides to kill you quickly. The amount of pain he’s capable of delivering is beyond comprehension. I’ve seen him amputate someone’s legs and force them to crawl across a minefield until they hit a mine.”
“Kill me,” she said, looking up into his eyes. “Please. Kill me. Say I struggled, and it was an accident.”
“I would if I could. But he’d call it a failure and use his infernal system to murder someone I care about.”
Ramirez closed her eyes, thinking back to the day she decided to do something about the terror she saw delivered by Feldt, the day she asked God to help her defeat him. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Let it come quickly to me. “I will not resist you, for the sake of everyone else who lives under this monster.”
He stood, hand resting on a sidearm on his hip. “If you move, I’ll injure you enough to subdue but not kill,” Benoit began. “Now stand up and walk out in front of me.”
17
The vehicle bounded over another sand dune, briefly catching air before landing with a bone-jarring thud on the unpaved road. Road isn’t the right word for this dirt path we’re driving on. David kept glancing from side to side, front and back to maintain complete three-hundred-sixty-degree situational awareness. I can’t believe CIS refit some electric car so old it could have come with the Exodus.
“I believe you enjoy jumping this contraption, Eldred,” Qadir yelled from the backseat.
“Yeeeeeeeehaw!” Eldred shouted.
David shook his head. “I didn’t realize we were aiming for a demolition derby here.” Gazing out at the endless desert, he continued, “This place reminds me of Arabia Prime.”
Eldred whipped them around a hole in the dirt. “Without the giant replica of Mecca.”
“Do not use the name of our most holy place in conjunction with this cesspool,” Qadir said icily.
David glanced into the backseat. “I don’t think she was comparing the two’s religious population. Are we there yet?”
Both women laughed at the lame joke.
“They let five-year-olds command starships now?” Eldred said as she snickered.
“Something like that.” In the distance, light reflected off a piece of glass or alloy—something reflective. It immediately got David’s attention, and he focused in on it. “Company?”
Eldred turned her head to look in the same direction as David. “Feldt’s people have checkpoints throughout the desert to pick up interlopers, government patrols, or other gangs looking to rob them. Those aforementioned gangs also have random people out here trying to hijack Feldt’s shipments.”
David slid his hand into his pants pocket, feeling the sidearm within and confirming the safety was off. “Serious opposition?”
“Nah. Half strung out, but they have comms devices. We don’t go loud if at all possible.”
Nodding silently, David resumed his vigil. After another ten minutes, the reflection had come into focus: a small shanty, recently built by the looks of it, stood by itself in the desert, near a tall dune. Even a kilometer away, he saw several military-aged males milling about.
“This thing wasn’t here the last time I came this way,” Eldred said.
David didn’t take his eyes off the structure and potential enemies. “You come out here often?”
“Enough to know when things are different.”
I think they’ve noticed us. He narrowed his eyes and squinted to see better. The men had unslung their rifles, which looked at this distance to be civilian models to David and were walking toward the “road.” “Qadir, take off your hijab and hide it. Now.”
“I prefer—”
“Director,” David began as he turned to face the backseat, “I don’t think many devout people come out here, so humor me.”
She nodded her agreement and pulled the garment off her head before stuffing it under the seat.
Eldred cleared her throat. “Stay frosty, guys. This could go south in a hurry, but remember, we go loud, our cover is blown. Got it?”
“Loud and clear,” David replied as he glanced at Eldred. He returned his gaze to the windshield to see one of the men now standing in the middle of the path, waving his hands wildly.
Eldred slowed the vehicle down, and the cloud of dust kicked up by the tires caught up with them, sending a wave of it through the air. The three men—that they could see—surrounded the car. The one previously standing in the road walked up to the driver’s side window, which she lowered.
He leaned into the car. “License and registration, please, miss?” After delivering the line, he laughed loudly.
David could smell the booze on h
is breath immediately. To play along, he laughed together with the gunman, as did Eldred and Qadir.
Eldred shrugged. “Don’t have them with me, officer… not much use for such things out here.”
The man turned serious in an instant. “Where are a fine group of people such as yourselves going in the wastes?”
“We have a few stops to make to replenish our supplies,” Eldred said, flashing a smile. “You know it’s hard to obtain some things in the city these days.”
“I’m afraid you’ll have to turn around.”
“But why?”
“Orders of Mr. Feldt. No one in or out today. Come back next week, and I’ll hook you up, little lady.”
David was starting to formulate a reply in his mind when the crack of a gunshot startled him as it came out of nowhere. It took him a moment to realize the man who’d be questioning them was falling backward with a bullet wound evident in the center of his forehead. What the heck? A second later, the smell of propellent reached his nose and he twisted around to see Qadir holding a pistol, its barrel still smoking.
The two remaining gunmen raised their rifles, and their fingers went for the triggers.
More shots rang out from behind David, jolting him into action. He reached down and drew the sidearm in his pocket as a burst slammed into the door, directly under the window. The practiced motions of muscle memory broke through the adrenaline coursing through his body and he leveled the pistol, sighting down on the nearest enemy’s center mass. Three shots later and the man flopped to the ground, blood stains spreading across his chest.
“Shit!” Eldred screamed as more bullets impacted the windshield of the vehicle, causing cracks to spider across it and severely limiting visibility. The safety glass didn’t shatter, but more shots continued to impact it.
We’re dead if we stay in this thing. David flung his door open and rolled out. The gunman remaining shifted his focus and fired another burst that went wide. These idiots must be high. The click of a dry magazine was music to his ears. He leaned out from cover to see the man trying to reload his rifle quickly. The lack of training was apparent as he fumbled with the weapon and lost control of the new magazine.
