“Right now? Sprint runs on the roof,” Valerie told him. “Shade’s keeping an eye on them to make sure they’re giving it their all.”
“How are they doing?” Sneaker asked with concern.
“They’re doing OK, not grumbling too much. I’ve certainly heard worse from seasoned Commando’s on one of my punishment drills.” Valerie said with a smile before turning serious. “Cest’s was a wakeup call for them. They’re shaken, but I think they’ll get through it. In a way we spoiled them.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of anyone calling someone from the Ghetto spoiled before.”
“Not materially. I’m talking about operationally. We’ve never failed.”
“That’s an odd way of describing our success,” Sneaker said a bit bemused.
“Yes it is, but it doesn’t make it untrue. I saw it all the time in the elite units, particularly with new recruits. The team has enjoyed success and the confidence they all feel spills onto the newbies. They then inherit all the confidence without all the trials and losses creating it, they don’t have the same respect of the risks. The girls have seen our Crew go through mission after mission without a hitch. They thought they could do the same.”
“But much of it, is down to you personally. How could they think they could attack Cest in his home and get away with it? They’re smarter than that.”
“Yes, they are and mentally, I’m sure they would agree with you, but emotionally we’ve given them the belief they can’t lose.”
“So what can we do about it?” Sneaker asked. “It won’t be just them.”
“In my experience, you have a top notch NCO, to knock the stuffing out of anyone who has those notions, and a CO who will do the same to the officers. You need to run drills, exercises and sims that are harder than what you expect to face in the field. If the Crew completes them successfully, you dial it up a notch and keep going. It’s better to fail in a sim rather than when live ammo’s involved.”
Sneaker sat back and pondered what she said for a moment.
“Well, it brings me nicely to why I’ve asked you here. We need to re-organise the Crew in your absence. Particularly as you’re taking two of our up-and-comings with you.”
“Absolutely, and I’ve had some thoughts on that,” Valerie said nodding. “I’d recommend Judge stepping in to run the Enforcers. He’s got a clear head on him and doesn’t come apart under fire. You’ll need to step back into the operations and planning role. No one else has the experience and know-how. Judge will be able to follow a well thought through plan easily enough, but he’s not up to setting up a Job.”
Sneaker rubbed his jaw and shook his head. “I’m pulling back on the Jobs. We’ve got a good enough income coming in from Protection, the casino and other revenue streams and I just won’t have the time. On top of that, we don’t have a Hacker to step into Hanna’s shoes. There’s only so much I can do on my own.”
“You’re thinking of holding what we’ve got?”
“Pretty much, and there are some neighbouring gangs who are struggling. With our reputation, we could fold them into our own slowly and with them, we wouldn’t need the Heists.”
“OK. I can see how that would make sense,” Valerie nodded. “Make Troll Judge’s number two then. Give her some sort of title like Sergeant and put her in charge of discipline.”
“Troll? Really?” Sneaker laughed. “She’s the biggest pain in the ass we have and the only one, other than Hannah, who would dare to interrupt your briefings.”
“And that’s exactly why she would be perfect. Everyone is afraid of me, including Troll. I know it and I make no excuse for the reasons, but she still dared to challenge me. She has a good reputation, an Enforcer who gets the job done. She’ll always have Barney there to back her up and if necessary cool her down. The two of them have actually taken very well to my training. They were good before and realised I could offer them more. Troll would be perfect to keep it going.”
Holding up his hands, Sneaker smiled. “Alright, you’ve convinced me. I presume you think this all should come from me?”
“You need to make the chain of command clear. If I set it up, their authority will always be derived from me, and it needs to come from you. You’re the Boss after all. Once you’ve spoken to them, I’ll help them get settled into their new roles with whatever time I have left.”
Rolling his eyes, he shook his head. “Why do I get the feeling I’ve just been railroaded?”
“Not at all,” She shook her head and smiled. “You’ve just done what every good leader has done since the beginning of time.”
“And what’s that?”
“Listened carefully to a subordinate, who is vastly more experienced in certain areas than yourself, and acted on those recommendations.”
“Ah. That’ll be it. I’ll call Judge and Troll later. They’ll know what’s going on by end of play tomorrow.”
“Good. I’ve got some more drills for the girls so I’ll be off.” She stood and turned to leave before pausing. “Sneaker?”
“Yes?”
“I just wanted to say thank you.”
He frowned in confusion. “What for?”
“For getting me out of the bar last year.”
“It was Hanna,” Sneaker said shaking his head. “She brought you into the Crew, not me. I just didn’t say no.”
“Not then. If you didn’t come to me and convince me to help you save Hanna, I’d still be there.”
Neither said anything for a moment, there was an elephant in the room, if Sneaker hadn’t been able to convince Valerie, Hanna would be dead. That would have in all probability meant Sneaker himself, along with the rest of the Crew, would have died in the rescue attempt.
“You’re welcome, Valerie, and know you will always have a place here.”
She nodded and left. The admission was a difficult one, but something she needed to say. She owed it to Sneaker and more.
Satisfied she had paid at least some of her dues, Valerie made her way through the casino and over to the lifts. Unlike just about every other building within Inferno’s Ghetto, these were actually working. Sneaker was in the process of refurbishing the entire building from the basement up. One of the first things he did was fix the lifts.
“Afternoon, Guv.” The Enforcer on duty at the bank of lifts greeted her.
“All quiet, Twitch?” Valerie asked the short dark-haired woman.
“Yes, Ma’am. Everyone has been enjoying themselves and not even a hint of trouble, but it’s still early.”
“Glad to hear. Good work. I’ll be on the roof and then in the Sun if you need me.”
“Rather them than me,” it was common knowledge the girls were on Valerie’s shit list. “I’m still sore from yesterday’s time on the mat. When you want a lesson to take, you don’t mess about.”
“What would the point be otherwise?” Valerie said with a smile as she got into the lift.
The only security on the lifts was an Enforcer for the time being. Plans were in place to upgrade them all heavily, but there was only so much Sneaker could afford, even with everything the Crew stole over the past year. A simple command on the panel sent the car heading up on its anti-grav to the roof.
Stepping out when the doors opened, Valerie walked down the short corridor and stood next to Shade. He was leaning against the frame of the entrance. Out on the flat roof, Deni and Hanna sat huddled in the shade provided by the low wall running all the way around. The hot sun beat down. The sweat on their exhausted bodies showed how hard they ran before she arrived.
“How’d they do?” Valerie asked the old Enforcer.
“They did alright. Three reps up to level twelve.”
Nodding, Valerie was pleased. She asked him to make sure they got to at least level ten. The girls had pushed themselves as far as they were capable of and not held back. The sprint runs were not easy, a twenty-five metre back and forth, increasing in speed each time.
Stepping forward, Valeri
e unbuckled the thigh holsters holding her Mag pistols.
“Alright, girls. On your feet. Time for some unarmed combat practise.” Placing the guns out of the way, Valerie moved to the centre of the roof.
“Here we go.” Deni said as she staggered to her feet and helped up a groaning Hanna.
“Promise me, next time I have an idea, you’ll just slap me?” Hanna said with a sigh.
“Gladly. No way I want to do this again.”
They came over to Valerie warily and she smiled at them. “Usual drill. Your aim is to hit me. That’s all you need to do. One clean hit and you earn tomorrow off.”
“As if that’s going to happen.” Hanna muttered, circling to Valerie’s right and Deni to her left.
Deciding to give them the advantage, Valerie turned to face Deni. “It’s been done before. I’m not unbeatable.”
“Yeah. I’ll believe that when I see it.” Deni brought her hands up and moved into a front stance. Body sideways on to Valerie, feet shoulder length apart and facing forward.
Valerie was more casual and stood in a relaxed posture, hands by her sides. Deni came forward slowly and Valerie could feel Hanna doing the same behind her. That was where the attack would come from. She didn’t turn to meet it and only waited. Deni struck first, coming in with a combination of punches.
Her eyes gave it away, they flickered behind Valerie and she swept Deni’s attack aside with a sideways block while moving to the right. She was only a split second ahead of Hanna’s kick. It was all she needed. As the girl’s foot found only air, Valerie’s lashed out with a foot and caught her squarely in the stomach. She pulled the kick considerably and it only winded the girl.
Trying to take advantage of the distraction caused by Hanna’s failed attack, Deni drove in and Valerie fended her off. The girls were still learning the art of unarmed combat. Their moves did not have the precision and tightness of a master like Valerie. They did have speed and determination. Unlike Valerie, Deni wasn’t pulling her punches. There was no point teaching them how to defend themselves, if they didn’t automatically put everything behind it.
It was a quick and dirty way of teaching, it got the job done in the quickest way possible. Their best couldn’t hurt Valerie, so she let them give their all and she would work on their control later.
Hanna recovered and tried to attack from the side. Valerie kept moving, constantly turning the girls back towards each other and stopped them from surrounding her again. She fought mainly on the defensive, with only an occasional light punch or kick to make sure they kept their defences up. In the hot sun, the swift back and forth was hard work. After the sprint runs, the girls were drained and Valerie could see it in their faces and movements. The attacks were coming less often now and slower.
Their last move would be soon. The two of them would have come up with something, they always did. The first one was a feint to get Valerie to lower her expectations. She did not think they seriously thought it would work. The question was, would it come from Hanna or Deni? Who would be the distraction and who the real threat?
Breathing heavily, the girls broke off and put some distance between themselves and Valerie. She didn’t press them and let them go. Maybe they really were as tired as they looked and couldn’t carry on. It was possible, but Valerie still thought they were planning something, they were too smart not to. She could easily imagine them staying up late last night in their flat, to find some way to win this.
Deni and Hanna suddenly darted forward. Valerie stepped in to meet them, but it was another feint. The two split. Running to either side of Valerie and this time she did not turn to meet them. Expecting a normal attack, she was pleased to see them try a different tactic. They simultaneously charged at her full on.
Mind racing, Valerie was torn between letting them get to her, or showing them what was wrong with their move. She wasn’t ready to let them have a day off from their punishment. Valerie spun and stepped to the side, slightly towards Deni. Grabbing the charging girl’s arms, she pivoted and redirected Deni’s momentum straight into Hanna. The two went down in a tumble of limbs onto the hard roof.
After waiting for their thrashing to stop and satisfied there were no injuries above a bruise or two, Valerie crouched down next to the plainly exhausted girls.
“Not bad. It would have probably have worked in nine out of ten times. Maybe next time. We start again at seven tomorrow morning on the range. Don’t be late.” Valerie held out her hands to them. “I believe Frank has some ice-cream in stock down in the bar. What do you say? My treat?”
Five minutes later the three of them were sitting at a booth in the Dawn Sun, a large bowl of already melting ice-cream in front of each. Hanna and Deni were tucking into theirs with a gusto of someone more than half their age. It was another reminder to Valerie, neither one had enjoyed a normal childhood and probably hadn’t had an opportunity like this very often.
“How did it go with Sneaker earlier?” Hanna asked. “Any news of when and how we’re going to get to Olympus?”
“Not yet,” Valerie told her.
“Why’s it taking so long?” Deni said, clearly exasperated by the delay.
“These things take time. Sneaker needs to connect with his contacts on Olympus and, even for a Courier, it’s a fifteen day round trip.” A civilian courier left Blaze for each of the other twenty four worlds in the Pantheon once a day. They carried private citizens mail, along with most other non-urgent and unclassified messages. The military, news networks, banks and big corporations used their own Couriers.
“Sneaker can’t use those,” Valerie continued. “The security services monitor all messages. His had to go through the actual channel we’re going to use. It’s a civilian freighter and will take about forty days. That includes the time to reach the planet from the gravity shadow and the unloading and loading of the cargo. Our freighter only left ten days ago, so we still have at least thirty days.”
“Oh. I didn’t realise.”
“What’s it like out there in space?” Hanna asked in wonder.
“To be honest, it’s amazing. I started out flying orbital and atmospheric fighters. I love flying in the open sky, but it didn’t compare to how it felt once you left the confines of a planet. It’s impossible for our minds to truly comprehend it, until you actually get out there. We spend our lives on the surface of a planet hemmed in by walls, buildings, trees, mountains and even horizons, but out there…” Valerie paused for a moment as she stared off into the middle distance, not focusing on anything, trying to find the right words. “There’s none of that. When you look out into space, you really are looking at the infinity of the universe.”
Scooping up a large dollop of ice-cream heavily covered in chocolate sauce, Valerie luxuriated in the flavours before swallowing and continued. “Nothing we experience on a planet can truly allow you to comprehend the enormity out there. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is about one hundred thousand light years across. Our fastest ships could go from one end to the other in about seventy years, but we’ve never done it.”
“Why not?” Deni asked with a frown. “Someone on Life X could do it easily.”
“True, but why would we want to?” Valerie replied. “We have never seen any indication of any other intelligent life. The number of planets with their own individually evolved eco-systems are very few. We have the technology to see if a world orbiting a distant star has the right conditions for life, but there’s no reason to go. We have more than enough stars to visit within the area already colonised by humanity.”
“Hang on,” Hanna interjected. “There are only twenty-five systems in the Pantheon. Surely there are other places people can go and live to get away from the Privileged, further out.”
“Twenty-five systems doesn’t sound like much, you’re right. It’s when you consider the Pantheon is about one hundred and thirty light years across. There are three and a half thousand stars within that volume of space. The Boundary surrounding the Pantheon, is three h
undred and thirty light years wide. If you include both the Edge and the Wild, human space is one thousand, two hundred light years across and contains over three and a half million stars. With all of that, mostly unexplored, within six months travel of Olympus, why would we want to go further?
“Yes, we could leave the Privileged far behind, but in reality life would be hard. Colonising a world isn’t easy. Then, you need huge amounts of money for the terraforming. If you’d managed to find a habitable world with its own eco-system, you still need to fund the ship and supplies necessary. Even if you have overcome all of that, in all likelihood, within a few years, the colony would still be in the same state as the Pantheon is now.
“Throughout human history, there has always been the Privileged in one form or another. From the Pharaohs of Ancient Egypt, over seven thousand years ago, to the Kings and Queens of Europe, five thousand years ago, to our modern day, there has always been a small part of the population who hold the majority of the power and wealth. It’s human nature.”
“So nothing will ever change,” Hanna said questioningly.
Shrugging, Valerie shook her head. “I doubt it. It’s built into our DNA. At heart we’re animals, with the same instinctive responses as all the others. Even a Stone Dragon, evolving on a completely different planet to us, has the same instincts. It’s keyed to survive and mate. Everything the Dragon does will be with that in mind. Humans are no different. Our first instinct is always to go with the choice which has the least risk to us personally.”
“So your saying, to change the system, someone would need to make the choices of the Privileged as risky as possible.” Deni pointed out.
“Or find some way to limit an individual’s wealth and power,” Hanna said.
Valerie stared off into nothing before nodding. “I guess I am. It would take someone a lot smarter than me to work out how. It’s a question that’s haunted humanity for thousands of years with no answer.”
Crusade For Vengeance (Dark Vengeance Book 2) Page 5
