The Empire's Corps: Book 04 - Semper Fi

by Christopher Nuttall

  Darkness fell and she knew no more.

  ***

  Jasmine watched as Blake and Carl manhandled the woman into the van and slammed the doors closed behind them. She’d been worried about the scheme to take the woman off the streets, but it had seemed like the best of a set of bad options. No one had said anything as the kidnap went into action; indeed, everyone nearby had looked away, determined to avoid getting involved. But then, they had the papers to prove that they were security officers, if anyone dared to ask.

  “She breathed in a small dose,” Carl reported, as he checked the woman’s pulse. “But once we get her some stimulant, she should be fine.”

  Jasmine hoped so. It had taken two weeks to gain a feel for the city and another week to locate the senior surviving member of the Democratic Underground. According to the files they’d bribed an official to give them, Danielle Chambers hadn't been taken too seriously – and besides, her husband worked at one of the more important factories in the city. They’d just kept an eye on her from a distance, but seen nothing to indicate that she was still involved with subversive groups.

  It wasn't a surprise. The older – and better off – parts of the city looked much more advanced than Camelot, but the aura of fear was almost overpowering. Jasmine had never felt anything like it, even on Han; people were scared even to breathe. How could an entire population have been broken so easily? But then, terror was a very easy tool to use – and Admiral Singh seemed to have found a balance between terrorising her population into submission and terrorising them into uselessness. And most of the people who might have resisted had already been rounded up and turned into examples to concentrate a few minds.

  She scowled as she remembered the public execution they'd watched, from a safe distance. Executions had been public on Avalon too, for a while, but this was different. The gunmen had lectured the crowd for hours on just what their victims had done to deserve to die before finally opening fire, careful to ensure that it took several hits before the victims died. They’d been profoundly shocked; there were kids in the crowd! Sometimes, according to Wolf’s contacts, schoolchildren were taken to see executions. Admiral Singh clearly believed in starting her intimidation when the children were very young.

  Jasmine had once caught a gladiatorial show on Earth and that had been sickening, but this was worse. Much worse.

  The van drove into a garage and came to a halt. Wolf had been happy to provide a safe house which, officially, belonged to a known collaborator. Jasmine had been quietly arranging living quarters that weren't connected to Wolf at all, just to ensure that they had some place to hide that he couldn't find them, but they'd used enough of his resources just to find the woman. She opened the door for Blake and Carl, who carried Danielle into the next room and placed her on the sofa. Jasmine picked up an injector tap and pressed it against the woman’s neck. A moment later, she screamed so loudly that Jasmine had to cover her ears.

  “Relax,” Jasmine said, firmly. The woman’s hands came up, clawing at Jasmine’s face in her panic. “You’re among friends. You’re going to be fine.”

  She studied the woman thoughtfully. Danielle was in her early thirties, with short brown hair and a face that was homely, rather than pretty. But there was a hint of strength there, strength that had been sapped away over the last two years. Sooner or later, Jasmine had concluded while they’d been watching the woman from a safe distance, she was just going to snap under the pressure. If Admiral Singh’s forces ever changed their mind about her, she would vanish into one of their jailhouses and never be seen again.

  Unless as a character in a snuff flick, Jasmine thought, as she held the women down gently. They’d seen those broadcasts too. It took a great deal to shock a Marine, but Jasmine had been profoundly shocked – and angered – by what she’d seen. Or worse ...

  “Relax,” she said, again. Telling Danielle anything she didn't absolutely need to know was a risk, but there was no choice. Right now, it was clear that the woman believed that she had been snatched by the security forces. “We’re Terran Marines. And we’re here to help.”

  ***

  Danielle stared at the woman – and she was a woman, although it was hard to tell – in absolute disbelief. She couldn't be from the Empire; the Empire was gone. On the other hand, the only real source of information they’d had came from Admiral Singh’s people and they had good reason to lie. Maybe the Empire was still out there, preparing to return to the sector and dispose Admiral Singh.

  She fought for breath, glancing around the room. It was no jailhouse cell; there was a comfortable sofa, a stone fireplace and a small drinks cabinet set against one wall. Unless it was all a trick ... but what did she know that made tricking her worthwhile? Everyone she'd known in the Democratic Underground was gone. There was no point in tricking her – besides, all of the rumours said that Admiral Singh’s forces preferred torture to trickery.

  The woman holding her down was smaller than she'd imagined Marines to be, but she was clearly strong – and there was an icy determination in her face, as well as hints that she’d had to undergo reconstruction therapy in the past, a sign of real damage rather than vanity. Her companions were big tough-looking men, one of them a solid mass of muscle; the other thin, wiry and moving constantly, as if he couldn't stay still. They both wore dark suits, but they didn't really seem like the security officers she'd seen. Maybe it was the absence of the ever-present leer.

  “I ... I don't know what you mean,” Danielle said, caution winning out over hope. “The Democratic Underground has been broken.”

  “Maybe so,” the Marine said. She helped Danielle up into a sitting position, then passed her a bottle of water. “But we do need to restart it.”

  Danielle hesitated. It had been two years of fear, ever since Admiral Singh had arrived. “My children ...”

  “We can get your daughters out of the city,” the Marine assured her. “Today, if you like. But if we do, will you help us?”

  “I don’t know,” Danielle admitted. “I just don’t know.”

  Years ago, there had been no real danger in being part of the Democratic Underground. The Governor seemed unconcerned about their activities and they’d never crossed the line into outright sedition, at least by any reasonable definition of the term. They’d had the sensation of rebellion, she saw now, without the actual danger that went with it. But now ... now she knew just what Admiral Singh did to rebels. Even if her daughters were out of the line of fire, both she and her husband would be in danger ... terrible danger. Could she face the torments that had been meted out to her comrades?

  The thought was a bitter one. They’d only ever played at rebellion. When the game had become serious, they’d folded faster than a busted flush.

  “This situation cannot last indefinitely,” the Marine said, very quietly. “Admiral Singh’s empire is going to collapse under its own weight. If you help us, we can ensure that it is destroyed without inflicting horrendous damage on the planet as well. Your daughters will be safe and well ...”

  “Get them off-planet,” Danielle said, firmly. “Get them off-planet and I’ll give you whatever help I can.”

  “That might be tricky,” the Marine admitted. “We don’t yet have a secure link to orbit, let alone interstellar space. It would be far safer to send them to a farm ...”

  “But get them off-world as soon as you can,” Danielle said. At least they’d been honest. She had a feeling that Admiral Singh’s goons would have promised whatever she wanted and then broken the agreement. “Please.”

  “We’ll do our best,” the Marine promised. “Now ... what is going to happen at your school.”

  “There’s no one at home to answer their call,” Danielle admitted. “If they can't get hold of me, they will assume that I was arrested ...”

  “Call them now, say that you’re helping the security forces and you’ll be in later,” the Marine said. “Does your husband know anything about your activities?”

 
Danielle shook her head, miserably. At one point, keeping the secret had just been part of the thrill. Now, it was going to destroy their relationship ...

  “We’ll come and pick you and the children up at five in the evening, before your husband comes home,” the Marine said. “After that, we’ll burn down the house, ensuring that they think you’re all dead. You can make contact with your husband later.”

  “Oh,” Danielle said. It was a good plan, but Trevor was going to kill her when he realised what sort of trick they’d played on him. “Is there no way you can warn him in advance?”

  “He goes to the pub after work for a drink,” the Marine said. She scowled. “Maybe we can pull him out, then tell him ... do you trust him? Because if he isn't inclined to join us ...”

  She left the rest to Danielle’s imagination. “Leave him,” she said, finally. She did love Trevor; he was a good man, in his way. It would be safer to have him believe his family dead rather than force him to choose between rebelling and betraying the rebels. He was going to definitely kill her when he found out the truth. “Maybe you can contact him later.”

  ***

  Jasmine recognised the pain in Danielle’s eyes and shuddered, inwardly. The hell of it was that it wasn't a fair thing to demand of anyone. Maybe they could take the risk ... but Trevor’s choice couldn't be predicted in advance. And if he said no, they would have to hold him prisoner or kill him themselves.

  “We will,” she promised, wondering just how much Danielle could summarise about the coming nightmare. Trevor might find someone else, believing his wife and kids to be dead – or he might do something stupid, now that he had no family ties to keep him in line. “And then you can rebuild your lives.”

  She stood up. “We’ll drop you off at the school,” she said, hoping that they hadn't misjudged Danielle. “And we’ll pick you up tonight.”

  “Oh,” Danielle said. “My home might be bugged.”

  “We can take care of that,” Jasmine assured her. It wasn't the first time they’d had to operate under stealth, with a single word making the difference between success and absolute failure. “Just pack each girl a small overnight bag and nothing else. And don’t say anything out loud.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  This tends to lead to an endless spiral, an endless demand for money to fulfil their political obligations, rather than an attempt to cut spending. Professional politicians, having no connection with the world outside their offices, therefore tend to raise taxes, accidentally damaging the economy. In the end, the political system simply runs out of money – and has to cope with a backlash when the services the population has grown accustomed to simply fail.

  -Professor Leo Caesius, Authority, Power and the Post-Imperial Era

  Danielle’s superior was pleased – and relieved – to see her again. Most people who were ‘helping the security forces with their enquiries’ tended to simply vanish afterwards, with nothing to say what had happened to them. Danielle didn't hesitate, however, to request permission to take the afternoon off. It was a measure of how rattled her superior had been that she agreed just as quickly. After all, anyone who happened to be associated with a person the security forces had found interesting would probably be found interesting themselves.

  Normally, that would have bothered Danielle; this time, she didn't really care as she went through the motions of teaching her class. Mathematics, thankfully, was completely non-political; Admiral Singh wasn't stupid enough to believe that she could change the hard facts simply by issuing orders. Some of the other teachers were questioned regularly just to ensure that they trod the party line at all times, particularly those who taught the social sciences. There was even a rumour that such classes would be terminated altogether, replaced by loyalty-building exercises to ensure that the children all worshipped their mistress.

  It made her sick. Every day, children were taught the glories of Admiral Singh’s empire, how important it was that they all worked together to expand her conquests ... and what they should do if their parents showed signs of disloyalty. Danielle had heard stories of children who had turned their parents in to the security forces for making critical comments about the government, ensuring that no one could truly trust anyone else. The children themselves had been extensively rewarded; there were times when Danielle had remained awake at night, wondering if her daughters would one day betray their mother. If they ever found out the truth ...

  She completed the morning’s classes, then walked out of the building rather than staying and joining the other teachers for lunch. It was never very decent food – and besides, it wasn't one of the meetings when they were all reminded yet again of their responsibilities to Admiral Singh. Attendance might be voluntary, but no one was fool enough to believe that missing one of those luncheon dates was an option.

  Back home, she went through the motions of preparing lunch for herself while covertly surveying the house, trying to decide what to bring. Normally, she cleaned up the children’s rooms for them, even though her parents had insisted that she learned to do it for herself. She didn't dare irritate the girls to the point they went to the security forces ... if they looked at Danielle’s past, they’d definitely arrest and disappear her. The thought made her shudder; what sort of world was it where you didn't dare trust your own children? Or discipline them, if they did something wrong.

  It was strange to realise that her workplace, for all of its faults, was one of the better schools in the city. Others were far worse, with bullying, abuse and even rape on a regular basis – and the teachers powerless to discipline the children. Everyone knew someone who had lost their job, or worse, because the children had reported them to the authorities ... it stopped, she'd been told, when the children reached the technical schools, but only because the technical schools were important to Admiral Singh. The kids who went there were utterly unprepared for harsh discipline.

  She went through Amber’s wardrobe of clean clothes and packed enough for a week in a bag, then moved on to Rochelle’s room and did the same. Both girls were growing like weeds, although she worried about the nutritional value of the food they were receiving. In theory, food was sold at a fixed price; in practice, she knew that the real price was often much higher. Why should traders sell at the price the government told them to sell at when they could get more by smuggling? There had been days when she’d been forced to feed the girls oatmeal, porridge and algae-based ration bars. She hadn't had any other choice.

  Once she’d packed the bags, she picked up the teddies both girls had owned since they were children and added them to the pile, then left the bags at the top of the stairs and walked into her former study. Most of the books she'd once owned had been declared forbidden – Admiral Singh’s list of forbidden books was even longer than the Governor’s – and she’d thrown them out, rather than risk having them discovered. If the girls had seen them ... they might have told their teachers. And the teachers, convinced that it was a test orchestrated by the security forces, would have reported their words.

  There was a small chest of drawers in the room; she pulled the top drawer halfway out, then reached inside and found the hidden compartment built into the wood. She’d seriously considered throwing out the chest of drawers, but it had belonged to her mother and she couldn't bear to part with it, even though trying to conceal anything was seen as evidence of guilt in Admiral Singh’s universe. Inside, there were a small collection of notes and coins, issued by Admiral Singh, and an Imperial Credit Coin. The latter was useless on any world Admiral Singh held sway, but if the Empire still existed it might come in handy.

  She closed the drawer and stuffed the money in a third bag, then went into the bedroom she shared with Trevor. They’d shared it ever since they’d married, she recalled, feeling memories pressing in around her as she picked up a handful of pictures. Taking them with her was a risk, but she wasn't going to leave them behind. There was one of their wedding day, one of their parents before Trevor’s dad had died i
n an accident ... and one of their children when they were very young. She added them to the bag along with a handful of clothes for herself, then picked up the bag and strode outside. It was nearly four o’clock and the girls would be home soon.

  As always, they came home immediately, chatting happily about their time at school. Luckily, no one had mentioned to them – if they knew – that their mother had had a run in with the security forces ... but then, they went to a different school. Danielle smiled at them and gave Rochelle a hug – Amber thought that she was too old for hugs – before shooing them both into the kitchen. For once, she’d decided to forget keeping food under tight control and cooked them up a large dinner.

  Amber looked up with wide eyes. “Are you and daddy going out tonight, mom?”

  Danielle almost flinched. “We could be,” she said, as smoothly as she could. Trust Amber to remember how she’d been left with a babysitter when her parents had needed a break. Trevor and her hadn't gone out ever since Admiral Singh had arrived. She hadn't really dared sample the city’s new nightlife at all. “But you have to eat up now and get ready.”

  She hadn't given any thought to getting the children into the vehicle, assuming the Marines turned up on time. And they would, she was sure. Would they object, would they fight ... would they scream loudly enough to alert the neighbours? But it wouldn't matter. She was hauntingly aware that screams, no matter how loud, were ignored by everyone else. They’d just be grateful that it wasn't them being tortured, or dragged off into a prison van.

  The dinner should have been lovely, but it tasted like ashes in her mouth. She ate what she could anyway, then give the girls a chocolate biscuit each for dessert. Neither of them questioned their good fortune, although by the look in Amber’s eyes it was clear that she was plotting mischief and mayhem for when the babysitter arrived. Danielle finally sent them to the living room to play while she checked the kitchen for anything of sentimental value, then placed the bags by the door. She was just heading back to the kitchen when there was a knock at the door.