by G. P. Hudson
The firing paused and Jon peered at the devastation in front of him. What had once been an intimidating array of war machinery now looked like the pock marked surface of an asteroid.
“Have the ship continue firing. We’ll use it as a distraction while we move in.”
Bast’s left eye twitched and the pounding resumed.
“Let’s go,” said Jon, and he led the group across the road into the devastated compound. When he saw the size of the craters left by the ship’s weapons, he was thankful that Kevin and Seiben had put on the exoskeletons. He leaped over one crater, clearing it easily, but had to run around another, its width too big for even him to clear. He jumped over a mound of molten metal, likely where a tank had stood. The ground between them and the building had become a burning obstacle course.
Bast ran up beside him and said, “We should avoid the entrance those soldiers came from.”
“Agreed,” said Jon. “Probably more of them waiting inside.”
They raced past the entrance, relentless energy bursts accompanying them, the blinding light keeping the small group concealed from view. Jon felt the creature’s excitement. It thrived off combat and encouraged Jon to press forward.
They rounded the back of the building and a door came into view. Jon pointed to it and Bast nodded. The group approached the door and it slid open. They ran inside and stopped directly in front of a soldier. The man stared at group, a confused look on his face. He then lunged for a panel on the wall. Lieutenant Jarvi beat him to it, doubling the man over with a punch to the gut. Jarvi stripped away the man’s weapon and let him fall. The man writhed on the floor, hands gripping his stomach, gasping for air.
Colonel Bast stepped in, seized the man by the hair, and pulled him up to his feet. Bast’s hand grabbed him by the mouth. “Shout and I will crush your jaw.” Bast must have squeezed his fingers because the man whimpered in agony.
“Where is Dr. Ellerbeck,” said Jon, approaching the soldier.
“Who?” he said, and then cried out in pain as Bast squeezed again. “I don’t know any Dr. Ellerbeck,” he pleaded, when Bast loosened up.
Jon considered that he might be telling the truth and chose a different approach. “Where is the Prime Minister?”
Recognition spread across the man’s face. “He’s being held in detention.”
“Was a woman brought in with him?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Very good. Take us to detention.”
“Please, just let me go. I won’t call for help.”
“That won’t be possible,” said Bast, letting go of the man’s jaw and turning him around. He gripped the man by the back of the neck, “Do not try anything foolish, or I will snap your neck in two. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” said the man, a solitary tear tracing its way down his cheek.
The soldier took the group to a lift. “No lift” said Jon. “Where are the stairs?”
“This way,” said the man, pointing down the corridor with a shaking finger. He led them to the staircase and said, “We have to go down several flights. Detention is five levels below ground.”
“I hope, for your survival, that you are telling the truth.”
“I am,” said the man. “I’m on your side.”
“What does that mean?” said Jon.
“I agree with General Calledonius. I am pro Sallas. Pro democracy.”
“General Calledonius?”
“Yes. Didn’t he send you to free Prime Minister Sallas?”
“I’m not at liberty to discuss that. Tell me what you know,” said Jon, prying for more information.
“Of course. I understand. General Calledonius is pro Sallas. He is fighting against the coup leaders for control of the planet.”
“You mean General Juneau,” said Jon.
“Juneau is dead. The Colonels are in charge now.”
“I see,” said Jon, shooting Bast a glance.
“When the bombing started we were all convinced that it was General Calledonius. Who else would have the means to strike from orbit?”
“Very perceptive of you.”
“So you see, we’re all on the same side.”
“Remember what I told you,” said Bast. The man looked back and Bast gave him a threatening look.
“Ok, I understand if you don’t believe me. The truth is, the last thing I want is to return to corporate rule. I have kids to think about. I want them to be free to choose their leaders, and not be governed solely by some cost-benefit analysis.”
“Has General Calledonius engaged the Colonels?”
“Calledonius attacked from the west only minutes ago. From what I’ve heard there is a full scale battle waging for control of the capital. Sending your team in to free the Prime Minister at the same time is sheer brilliance. But who is this Dr. Ellerbeck?”
“I’m not at liberty to discuss that either,” said Jon.
“I understand,” said the man, nodding.
“What’s your name?”
“Lieutenant Jannus.”
“Okay Jannus, don’t cause any trouble and you’ll get to go home to your kids,” said Jon.
Jannus nodded. “Only a couple more flights of stairs.”
They continued down the steps, weapons shouldered, ready for whatever might be waiting. Soon they reached a locked door.
“This is it,” said Jannus. “The scanner needs to verify my DNA in order to unlock the door.”
“Proceed,” said Bast, releasing his grip on Jannus’s neck.
Jannus stood in front of the scanner and a band of emerald light swept across his body. The scan ceased and the door made a metallic clicking sound. Jon gripped the handle. Bast seized the back of Jannus’s neck again, while Jarvi and Kevin moved up alongside Jon. Jon held out three fingers and counted down to entry. Three. Two. One.
They burst through the door, surprising two guards. The men attempted to swing their weapons around. Jon fired off a round at one of the guards, hitting him in the neck. The man dropped his weapon and fell backward, his hands trying to stop the blood spraying out from his wound. Kevin and Jarvi each fired at the second guard, one round hitting the man in the chest, the other in the forehead. He was dead before he hit the floor.
Bast pushed Jannus through the door, with Seiben following close behind. Jannus looked aghast at the dead guards.
“You killed them. Why did you kill them?” said Jannus, his voice cracking.
“They would’ve fired on us,” said Jon.
“But I know them. They have kids. You shouldn’t have killed them.” Jannus trembled, visibly shaken by the sight of his dead friends.
“I’m sorry,” said Jon, a troubling pang of guilt taking hold. He felt the creature chastise him. It was right. This was no time for weakness. He had a job to do. He could wrestle with his conscience later.
“Where are they holding Prime Minister Sallas, and Dr. Ellerbeck?”
Jannus looked up at Jon, a hint of hatred in his eyes. “They’re down here,” he said, and started walking. “This better be worth it,” he hissed at Jon as he passed.
Bast stopped him, “Do not forget your circumstances. Your friends cannot be saved, but you can still survive this. Be smart.”
Jannus took a deep breath, and nodded.
“Are you authorized to open the cells?” said Jon.
“Yes,” said Jannus.
“You know what will happen to you if you’re lying?”
“I know.”
“Are there any more guards?”
“Yes. We will need to pass through another set of doors before reaching the cells. There will be two more guards stationed there.”
“Okay, lead the way.”
Jannus continued down the corridor until they reached the next set of doors. “Please try not to kill the guards.”
“No promises,” said Jon.
Jannus nodded and stood in front of the DNA scanner. The door unlocked and they moved in, again catching the guards by surp
rise.
“Drop your weapons,” yelled Jon, his finger tight on the trigger.
The men both looked stunned and he could see that their instincts were telling them to fight.
“Do as they say,” shouted Jannus, from behind.
They looked at Jannus and one of the men said, “Fucking traitor,” and raised his weapon. Jon squeezed his trigger and blew off the top of his head, covering his partner with bits of brain and blood. The second man watched with horror as his partner fell. He turned back to the group, rage filling his eyes.
“Don’t do it,” shouted Kevin.
But the man didn’t listen. Anger replaced reason and he raised his weapon. Three high powered rounds hit him simultaneously, launching him into the air. He hit the ground hard, his body slack.
“We tried,” said Jon.
Jannus just shook his head.
“The cells?” said Jon.
“Right. This way,” said Jannus. He led them down a narrow, gray corridor. Large, heavy looking doors stood every few meters. Each door had a long metal slat, likely for pushing food through.
Jannus stopped at one of the doors. “Prime Minister Sallas is in here.”
“Where is Dr. Ellerbeck?” said Bast.
Jannus looked confused. “I thought you were here for the Prime Minister?”
“Dr. Ellerbeck,” said Bast.
“I believe the woman is over here,” said Jannus, walking up to another door.
“Open it,” said Jon.
Jannus stood for another DNA scan and the door clicked unlocked. Jon pushed the door open and looked inside. A fair skinned woman, wearing civilian clothes, sat on a cot. She looked up and wiped a strand of red hair off her freckled face.
“Captain?” she said.
Jon smiled. “Hello Doctor.”
Ellerbeck jumped off the cot and threw her arms around Jon. “I can’t believe it. How are you here?”
Jon patted her on the back and gently pulled her away. “I’ll explain everything later, but right now we have to get you out of here.”
“What about Michael?” she said.
“Who’s Michael?”
“Prime Minister Sallas. We can’t leave him here.”
“Doctor, we aren’t here to rescue the Prime Minister. We’re here to rescue you.”
“I’m sorry, Captain, but I’m not leaving without Michael,” said Ellerbeck, defiance in her tone.
Jon didn’t need an explanation. However it had happened, he could see that Dr. Ellerbeck and the Prime Minister were romantically involved. And short of knocking her unconscious, she would not be leaving without him.
Jon frowned, “I guess we’re rescuing the Prime Minister.”
Chapter 24
Prime Minister Michael Sallas sat in his cell, staring at the gray concrete wall. The time spent in isolation had allowed him to think. Why had General Juneau staged a coup, especially with the Kemmar threat looming? He knew Juneau didn’t like him, but to overthrow the government was extreme, even for the General. Juneau had proven himself a capable military leader, but governing a planet was another matter entirely. Sadly, Sallas understood that Juneau didn’t need the populace’s backing if he crushed dissent with an iron fist.
Still, he felt that there had to be something more to it than just a power grab. Someone pulled Juneau’s strings, and the more he thought about it, the more he saw Stumpf’s miserable face. The corporations had been unhappy when New Byzantium transitioned to democracy, and none were more vocal than Franz Stumpf. All of them feared their planets becoming democracies. And why wouldn’t they? The CEOs had amassed incredible wealth under corporate rule, for themselves and their companies. No wonder that the idea of an elected government was so controversial.
Sallas himself had created plenty of controversy. Within days of taking power he angered the corporations by doing away with hereditary debt. Prior to that point any debt a person acquired in their lifetime, and hadn’t paid off, was inherited by their children and grandchildren. People were literally born into debt, which essentially turned them into corporate slaves. In doing away with hereditary debt, the corporations lost mountains of money, while the population gained their liberty. To Sallas, it was perfectly reasonable for a debt to end with the death of the debtor. To someone like Stumpf, it was the most heinous blasphemy ever committed. Indeed, the more he thought things through, the more he believed that Stumpf was the coup’s mastermind.
The sound of the door unlocking pulled Sallas out of his thoughts. What would happen next? Would he be tortured? Killed? The door swung open and a tall, intimidating looking soldier entered. He knew this man, although he couldn’t figure out from where. A second person entered and his stomach flipped.
“Elizabeth? What’s going on?” he said, standing.
“Michael,” she said, stepping toward him and falling into his embrace. “You’re okay.”
“We have to go,” said the familiar looking man. Then he realized where he knew him from.
“You’re Captain Pike,” he said.
“Yes.”
“But how are you here?”
“Later, right now we have to get you and the Doctor out of here.”
He didn’t need any more persuasion. He followed Captain Pike out of the cell where four more men waited. One man held the other by the neck. A prisoner.
“Nice to see you again, Doctor,” said a giant of a man, whose arms looked bigger than Sallas’s thighs.
“Nice to see you too, Chief,” said Elizabeth. “This is Security Chief Kevin St. Clair,” she said to Sallas.
“Are these all members of your crew?” said Sallas.
“Only two. I don’t know the other four.”
“I’m Captain Seiben,” said a middle aged man. “I rescued your Captain.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, worst decision of my life,” said Seiben, with a scowl.
Elizabeth gave Seiben a knowing smile.
“Are the rest Chaanisar?” Elizabeth asked Kevin.
“Those two are,” said Kevin. “The one holding the prisoner is Colonel Bast, and the other is Lieutenant Jarvi. They rescued us from the Kemmar prison.”
He could see by her expression that the statement surprised her. She had told him about the Juttari and had spoken briefly about the Chaanisar. He made a mental note to find out more when they got to safety.
“Who’s your prisoner?” asked Sallas.
“My name is Jannus, Sir. I am on your side.”
“Then why are you a prisoner?”
“Words do not establish loyalty,” said Colonel Bast. “This man’s security clearance allowed him to unlock your cell. It is doubtful he is telling the truth.”
Sallas wondered if Jannus was sincere. He decided that he was out of his element, and that he should let the soldiers do their job.
They approached a set of doors and Captain Pike said, “Doctor, Prime Minister, I want you two to stay behind us. Seiben you stay with them too. If we run into trouble keep your heads down. Understood?”
They nodded and fell back behind the soldiers. Captain Pike prepared to open the doors while Kevin and Jarvi stood ready, weapons pointed. Bast stood behind them, still holding Jannus, and pointing his weapon with his free hand. Pike counted down with his fingers and pushed the doors open.
On the other side a group of soldiers were advancing. Fire erupted instantaneously from Jarvi, Kevin, Pike and Bast. The soldiers in front fell. The others returned fire. Sallas grabbed Elizabeth and dove for the ground. Seiben did the same, dropping to the floor next to them. A furious firefight ensued, lasting only a couple seconds. As quick as it had begun, the firing stopped. Sallas raised his head to see what had happened and saw two soldiers running away. To his astonishment, he saw Lieutenant Jarvi streak after them with inhuman speed. In a blur of movement he got in front of the two fleeing soldiers, stopped and faced them. The soldiers stopped, and for a brief moment they stood there. Sallas looked at Jarvi’s face and thought he saw
amusement. A split second later Jarvi shot both men in the head.
Elizabeth jumped off the floor and ran forward. The man called Jannus had crumpled to the floor. The man who said he was on his side. Sallas got to his feet and rushed to Elizabeth, who already tried to help the man. Even without medical training, Sallas immediately saw that it was hopeless. Jannus had several holes in his torso, black blood pouring out of him. He lay on the ground, his mouth open, taking short quick breaths. Jannus looked up at Sallas, and with pleading eyes said, “Don’t let this be for nothing. Free the planet.”
“I will,” promised Sallas, moved by Jannus’s request.
Jannus looked away from him, up to the ceiling, focusing on nothing in particular. He struggled to breathe now. With what seemed like tremendous effort he said, “My children.”
“No, no, no,” said Elizabeth. But, despite her best efforts, Jannus stopped breathing.
Chapter 25
“He’s gone,” said Jon to Dr. Ellerbeck. “We have to leave. Now.”
“I know,” said Ellerbeck, standing.
“This man didn’t need to die,” said Sallas, pointing a shaky finger at Jannus’s body.
“I’m sorry he died, but more people are going to die before the day is through. Maybe even all of us. If you have a problem with that you’re welcome to stay behind.”
Sallas glared at him, but wisely remained silent. If they were going to make it to safety, Sallas would need an attitude adjustment.
“Let’s go,” said Jon, and they all moved down the hallway. “Do you know a General Calledonius?” Jon asked Sallas.
“Yes, why?”
“He’s fighting against the coup.”
“Calledonius is a good man,” said Sallas. “If anybody can challenge Juneau, it’s him.”
“Juneau is dead.”
“What? How?”
