The Hunger Rebellion

by G F Cusack

  Will had arrived to report on Smit shortly after the recent riot. Even though Smit had lost soldiers in the riots, those who did survive attributed their survival to him. This was why they remained loyal to him.

  It was clear that Smit had lost control over the Sanctuary’s security. The current unrest in the Norm classes was reaching boiling point. It was not lost on Brand that this was mainly the fault of the elites. The amount of profiteering brought about by their greed amazed even him. Restricting food supplies so the black market price would rise might have initially been a profitable strategy but they had pushed it too far.

  Starving people were harder to control if you didn’t feed them occasionally. He would have to address this at the next council meeting, but for now he needed to portray strength. He couldn’t let the rank and file of the Company troops know this was the elites’ fault. He needed a scapegoat and he had chosen Smit.

  He threw the report on the desk. “Captain Smit, come and stand on the red line in front of my desk.”

  Smit approached slowly, to avoid being perceived as making any sudden movements. He wasn’t sure how much trouble he was in but his situation was clearly precarious. The last thing he wanted was to provide a reason for his own execution.

  “I have summoned you here to explain yourself, Smit. It seems as though you have lost control of the capital. The recent riot at the distribution point is just one in a number of events that make me doubt your abilities. Do you remember the last time I summoned you?” Brand waited for a reply.

  “Yes sir.”

  “Good, then you will remember that it was to discuss your inability to stop some of my valuable soldiers being killed by rebels at a checkpoint. Because of your incompetence then, I had to send a message by killing some valuable pit warriors. I told you at the time that I expected to see improvements. Instead you have gotten worse! I like to think of myself as a fair man so before I decide on your fate, I’m going to let you give me a reason for not having you immediately taken out of this room and straight to the gel plants for processing. Do you understand the gravity of your situation?”

  Smit felt sick to his stomach. During the previous riots, he had seen his own troops ripped limb from limb. At one stage it seemed likely that the crowd would overwhelm his location and also tear him and his surviving troops apart. He had felt less scared then than he did now.

  His fate might depend on his next few words. There was every chance that Brand had already made a decision, but if Smit had any chance of saving his own hide he needed to do it now.

  “You will see from my report on the riots that some of my troops did not follow their orders. The troops near the gel distribution tables pre-empted their orders and they paid the ultimate price. Their commanders on the ground survived and I punished them immediately. After the riots, they were sent straight to the gel plants, as an example to the rest of the troops.”

  Brand picked up another sheaf of papers from his desk and brandished them at Smit “Yes, I read your report. Although I have been known to read fiction for distraction, this is not the kind of fiction that I enjoy. According to your report, your failures are due not to your incompetence but to that of your soldiers! I am a firm believer in accountability but if your soldiers are at fault, this brings up the question of leadership. Do you not believe that a leader is responsible for the actions of his troops? As you punished some of your own troops for the actions of their subordinates, surely I should punish you for their actions?”

  Sweat was running down Smit’s face even though he was wearing very little and it wasn't overly hot in the office. He was trying to think fast while keeping his eyes on the leader. Brand held the arm of his chair with one hand while the other was still brandishing the sheaf of papers.

  “I have served the Company well for the last fifteen years,” Smit said. “I have no family, no partner, my whole life has been devoted to the service of the Company.”

  Brand immediately pounced on his words. “So what you’re saying is that you have had no distractions. Which means you have no excuse for your incompetence. If you had stood here and told me that you had a wife who had just died in labour, leaving you to bring up six children alone or any of the feeble excuses that people usually try to use as mitigation, you may have stirred up some sympathy. But what you’re telling me is you have no excuses and you are no longer of any use to the Company.”

  A lump had formed in Smit’s throat. He was finding it hard to talk but he realised if he didn’t defend himself, his life would be forfeit straight away. “No sir, no sir, I am not saying that. The people are starving, they’re becoming more and more desperate. If I had more resources, I could quell the uprising. We need to seek out the leaders of this uprising, and if I was given more troops, I believe I could do this.” Smit was trying to formulate a plan, any plan, just to stay alive.

  Brand also noted that William’s report identified issues with the potential uprising – that somebody seemed to be agitating the crowd and escalating the unrest. For the moment, this didn’t matter. Smit had already been replaced in the time it had taken him to enter the council buildings. When Smit had been summoned, he had left his troops in William’s hands.

  In his turn, Will had installed his own soldiers in temporary control and had left Dennis in charge. He trusted Dennis, who had proven himself with his successful assault on the Farm. As a reward for his success, the moment his convoy cleared the wastelands he had been brought back to the capital by helicopter.

  Smit hadn’t noticed Brand pushing a discreet button in the armrest of his chair. So he was startled when the doors behind him opened and several armed men entered. The men lined up against two of the walls – three men either side of him, their weapons drawn.

  Smit hoped that they would not shoot him straight away, not so much because he felt his life was worth anything but more because he thought Brand wouldn’t want to mess up his office. Realising that he was out of options, he dropped to his knees and raised his arms in the air. “Please, sir, I have given my life to the Company. I know I can do better. Please just give me some more resources.” Smit resorted to crying as his final option. He didn’t expect sympathy from a man with Brand’s reputation but he had no other choice.

  “Please, please, I'm begging you. I know I can quell the rebellion. I just need some more manpower.”

  While he was whimpering on the floor, he noticed the presence of someone else in the room. Standing nearby was one of his most trusted lieutenants, Jason – Jason River.

  “Lieutenant River,” Brand said.

  River stood to attention. “Yes sir”

  “I have some questions for you and I want you to think very carefully before you give me your answers. As Captain Smit’s second-in-command, I believe you’re the ideal person to answer these questions. Do you believe that Captain Smit is incompetent?”

  River hadn’t known why he’d been summoned to the supreme leader’s office. But he did know anybody who entered this room was in danger. He had come prepared to do anything possible to leave the room alive. He decided to play for time. “Sorry sir, I do not understand the question.”

  “Well, that doesn’t bode well,” Brand said. “I had hoped that you had more potential than your boss. He seems to be incapable of maintaining the security of the Sanctuary and the capital. This was his only job, a job that he has held for some time. He has been happy enough to accept the benefits of the position. He has had more luxuries than most of the capital residents could even dream of. Do your troops trust you, River?”

  “Yes sir.” Surely that was the only answer that Brand expected. After fluffing the first question, he was determined not to make that mistake again.

  “Let’s start again. Your troops trust you. Do you trust Captain Smit? Is he a competent leader?”

  River had to make a decision quickly. As much as he liked Smit, it looked like his leader was done for. For his own survival, River had to consider denouncing his boss. This was not personal
, just survival.

  “He has made some mistakes, sir.”

  “Honesty at last, I do like honesty. And what were these mistakes?”

  Thinking frantically, River decided to focus on leadership. “His orders were not clear during the recent riots. We lost soldiers and, with better leadership, those soldiers might still be alive.”

  He was hoping that he would get away with not having to provide too many details on the riots. He assumed Brand had already been briefed. He wished that this would all be over soon. If he could just talk himself out of the situation now, he might live another day.

  “So you do think that your boss is incompetent – that’s fine, as I agree. If you were to be promoted and replace your previous boss, do you think you could do the job more competently? Think carefully before you answer.”

  River realised that his boss was lost. The supreme leader had clearly written him off. The only question now was: would River’s words save him or seal him to the same fate as Smit’s? His survival instincts kicked in. “Yes sir, I know that I have the experience to progress. I believe I deserve a promotion and I know that I can learn from Captain Smit’s mistakes.”

  Brand enjoyed seeing people squirm and suffer – it was one of his main pleasures. He nodded to the armed men and they all raised their weapons, aiming at both River and Smit. “I’m a man who believes in loyalty, River, and what you have just said concerns me. It seems that you do not have any loyalty to your boss. I’m sure you’ll agree that is rather disturbing. How do I know that, once you leave this office, you will be loyal to me? I need to see something to show me your allegiance is not with your previous boss but with the security of the state. Is it?”

  Seizing on what he thought was an opportunity, River replied, “Yes, I am loyal to the state.”

  “You and I have both decided Smit is no longer worthy of your loyalty or the state.” Brand looked River in the eye. “Are you willing to prove your loyalty?”

  There was no going back now. “Yes, I will do whatever it takes.”

  “I like that, I like that we have something in common. We are both prepared to do whatever it takes. Something Captain Smit was not. What have you done to contribute to the Company?”

  Not knowing where Brand was going but realising he needed to provide an answer, River blurted out, “I have performed well in the Company sports teams.”

  “Not really what I had in mind.” Brand grabbed the knife that was sitting on his desk and tossed it to River. Although the move was unexpected, River managed to catch it without losing any of his fingers. Now that he was in possession of a weapon, all of the soldiers aimed their weapons at him. Each one of them had their finger poised on the trigger. To a man, they knew that if anything happened to the supreme leader, they would be dead before the end of the day.

  “Time for you to prove your loyalty. I have just given you a knife. If you want to take over from Captain Smit, I need you to dispose of him.”

  A shocked look came over River’s face – although not as stark as the pain that Smit’s face now showed. No longer grovelling to Brand, Smit turned his attention to River. He was still on his knees with tears streaming down his face.

  “River, have I not treat you well? You know I am not a bad person. Please don’t do this, don’t do this.”

  They were his last words. Without further hesitation. River plunged the knife deep into Smit's throat before withdrawing it just as quickly. A gurgling sound followed and the blood began to gush through Smit’s fingers as he grabbed for his throat.

  “Excellent. Now throw the knife on the floor, over there.” Brand said pointing to the left-hand corner of the room next to one of the soldiers.

  River automatically followed instructions and tossed the knife away. The fact that River had obeyed his order without a second thought and killed his old boss to prove loyalty was not lost on Brand. It was best that he didn’t retain his weapon.

  Abruptly, Smit stopped twitching. Although most of his blood now covered the wooden floor, the floor had several layers of varnish. Once the body had been removed, the cleaning crew would make the floor seem good as new in a very short time. This was not the first time somebody had been killed in this office.

  “Well, River, I’m glad to say you have passed today’s test. You are now the leader of the internal security for the capital and the whole of the Sanctuary. When you return to your new office, you will find Mr Spears is keeping your seat warm. Mr Spears works for William, who you will have no doubt noticed accompanying Captain Smit for the last few days. I expect a seamless handover. Here are the written orders for you to give to Mr Spears. You can choose your own subordinates. Spears was one of those who suggested you for the promotion so ensure you treat him well.”

  Brand had prepared two sets of orders for Spears. The first set, which he had just handed over, was to tell Spears that River was now in charge and that Spears and his troops no longer needed to stay as Sanctuary guards. They could return to their usual duties.

  He had created the second set of orders in case things hadn’t worked out as he anticipated. If he had needed to kill both Smit and River, these orders would inform Spears that he was to consolidate his position and, until further notice, to keep the position of Sanctuary security leader.

  “Well, Captain River, I’m sure you have lots to do in your new role. Go away and do it but be aware that next time you are in this office, I expect you to bring me good news. Use whatever means necessary but I want this uprising quashed, do you understand that?”

  Even though he was still in shock, River composed himself and stood to attention. Looking straight at the supreme leader, he said loudly, “Yes sir, I understand. I won’t let you down.“

  “Good. Now get out.”

  River turned and left, trying to remain as composed as possible. After leaving Brand’s office, he headed back to Smit’s old office. He needed to come up with a plan fast. Word would get back to the troops that he had killed Smit. A lot of the soldiers liked Smit. River had to take charge – he needed people to be loyal to him. So he needed to spread the word of Smit’s failures.

  He would build on Brand’s narrative that Smit was incompetent. It was Smit’s fault that his troops had been killed at the food riots. Smit had been warned in advance. This story was coming straight out of his head but it seemed a reasonable explanation.

  Nobody could prove or disprove what Smit knew in advance. River was going to make it about the soldiers. Let them believe that it was to their benefit to get rid Smit.

  He had decided that his first task was to pick the most violent men and form them into a squad, a death squad that would instil fear in the population. Brand wanted results and River was going to give him results. He didn’t have Smit’s leadership experience but he definitely had a violent streak.

  River assumed that the fear he had felt in Brand’s office was so strong that it would work on the masses. Although this might have been true in earlier times, the current climate indicated more brutality might actually infuriate the masses. If so, the resistance in their plan could stoke up revolution. This was a lesson River would learn on another day.

  “Get that out of my office.” Brand pointed to Smith’s carcass. “Take it down to the basement and put it on the next shuttle to the gel plants.”

  He had hardly finished talking when two cleaners entered with a tarpaulin. They rolled the body up and carried it out. Brand was already off to another appointment before the body had even left his office.

  40

  Heading into the wastelands

  16 September 2202

  Frank had gained agreement from the convoy leaders. Even though Cenk was initially reticent, he seemed to realise this was the only option. The next step was to gather the forces. They had chosen a place close to the border with as much cover as possible. This would be the only time that they were all in the same place and at their most vulnerable.

  But on this occasion Frank wanted all his people to h
ear the briefing. Now they were all gathered in front of him, while he stood on the top of a vehicle.

  After an eerie quiet, he began in his deep voice. “Most of you have known me for some time. Some worked with me, some lived in the compound long term and some were just trading partners until the Company attacked.

  “Since we learnt of the bombardment, some of you went to the Farm and we all experienced the devastation. Over the years we have all lost many friends and colleagues at the hands of the Company, including in the recent attacks. I am grateful that you have trusted me with your safety so far.”

  He took a deep breath. “The next step on our journey is extremely dangerous and I want to ensure you all know the risks. It is my intention to follow the Company convoy into the wastelands. The signs say it is toxic but we have intelligence that this is all a façade designed to discourage people from going through.” Looking around, he could see fear in some of their eyes but not one person was speaking.

  “Our choices are limited. Winter is coming and the resources that we had stockpiled, both at the Farm and at the compound, are no longer an option. We have intelligence that lots of resources are on the other side of the wastelands. So far we have survived because of our intelligence and that is why I believe we should continue to rely on it. If it wasn’t for this girl,” he pointed to Flo, “coming to warn us of the Company attacks, most of us would not be here now.” Frank let that sink in before continuing. “Some of you may not know that since our two convoys re-joined, she also detected that Pence was spying on us for the Company. It was he who told the Company that some of us were heading to the Farm. He was responsible for the deaths of our fellow fighters but he has passed his last message.

  “I trust the intelligence that there are resources at our destination. I am also certain that without replenishing our current supplies, we will not make it through the winter. Attack is risky but if we run away, that is even riskier. I’m sure you will admit that it is a novelty to be the attackers instead of playing defence but we don’t know exactly what is waiting for us. Our intelligence indicates that we have the greater numbers and we have the element of surprise. If anyone wants to opt out and turn around, that is your choice and you will not be judged. Before you make your decision, though, also consider that if you turn round now you will be deciding to spend the winter hunted by the Company, with no safe haven and no resources.” Again Frank paused.