Crusade For Vengeance (Dark Vengeance Book 2)

by Adrian D. Roberts

  “Surely they don’t have anything that can breach our armour, though?” she asked.

  His massive shoulders rose and fell in a shrug exaggerated by his armour. “You know as much as I do. Your spy told us they only have Mag pistols and Pulse rifles, but in our game you never plan with the belief your intelligence is one hundred percent accurate. If this was my facility, I’d have some heavy weapons tucked away for a rainy day. The most logical place for them would be right through that door.”

  “That has to be a worry.”

  He shrugged again. “It’s why they pay us the good money, or at least they used to.” His helmet didn’t have a visor, so she couldn’t see his face, but the frown in his voice came through clearly.

  “We’ll all have to work out how to get paid.” Julianna said lightly.

  “Stick with us and we’ll make sure it’s worth all our time and necks,” Troll butted in. “With that big old armour, we could do some very high end scores.”

  “Heh, I can’t see the Major allowing us to do that,” Ulrich pointed out.

  “You’d be surprised. She led our Crew to some pretty profitable scores. Oh, oh,” she pointed towards the shuttle. “It looks like it’s about to get serious.”

  The Sergeant Major was striding over with the rest of First Platoon and four platoons of the Alliance Militia. That was what they had begun calling the combined force of Rebel Fighters and Enforcers. The remaining two platoons were setting up defensive positions around the shuttles.

  “Change of plan, people. The Guv is back in business and she’s given us new orders.”

  “The Guv?” Julianna asked herself quietly in confusion. Her com was on her team’s net and she hadn’t realised until Troll answered her.

  “That’ll be Carter. Things are about to get interesting for the guards on the other side of that door, trust me.”

  ***

  Unbuckling her armour from her arm, Valerie set it down on the table. She readjusted its length and strapped it back on. With it secure, she rolled her arm and flexed the elbow and wrist a couple of times.

  “That’s better.”

  “For you maybe,” Briseis said from nearby. “I have always been proud of my height and now it has become my downfall.”

  “I think downfall is a bit harsh, uncomfortable would probably be closer.” Valerie replied. She and the three Spartans were all dressed in armour they scrounged from the dead or captured guards. For Valerie it wasn’t a problem. She was of average height for a woman. One of the female guards they had taken alive was a similar size. It wasn’t the perfect fit of her personal armour sitting in her Tea Chest, wherever that was right now, but it was close enough to do the job.

  For Briseis and the other Spartans it was a different matter. With their height, only one of the female guards came close and her chest plate was unusable, due the hole Valerie’s Pulse rifle burned through it. They had to make do with armour taken from the male guards. No matter how well made, all armour came in two categories, male and female. The two sides of the human species were built differently and that never changed.

  The four of them took the first pick of armour and weapons. Valerie made sure of that and no one argued. They needed the best fighters to have the best equipment available. Now they and four other women in cobbled-together armour, were in positions covering the blast door sealing the lift shaft. To make sure everyone knew what side they were on, should the guards try and retake this level, all of them wore a bright yellow arm band made from the torn off sleeve of their prison jumpsuit.

  Hanna could not give them visual or even verbal communications. The only contact with the outside was through the text messages. Hanna was being deliberately obtuse about who was coming up that shaft.

  Valerie suspected it was the Crew. It was the only thing that made any sense for Hanna to try and hide from her. Whoever it was, they were due to arrive any minute. Hanna gave them all the other details she could. She told them the timings and route the rescue team were taking to get to them, along with a brief outline of the number of Rebel Fighters and Enforcers assaulting the Rock. It was an impressive figure and Valerie knew she owed all the Crew for this.

  It was obvious there was a lot going on, far more than she knew. Valerie had a lot of questions for Hanna and the others. Not least among them, why the Rebels expended this much resources on freeing everyone from the Rock? She told Quin it would be an excellent recruiting ground, but she hadn’t expected this much of a response, this quickly. They moved so fast, there had been no time for Todd to go on his bi-monthly leave and get an update. Something wasn’t right and Valerie didn’t like it.

  The sound of running feet caused all but the Spartans to turn around.

  “Eyes front!” Valerie snapped and the four prisoners jolted back round. Ingrid came running up.

  “Quin says thirty seconds,” the woman gasped and Valerie turned back to the lifts.

  “That means any moment now,” she warned everyone. “Fingers off those triggers.” They waited and the seconds ticked by until the doors were wrenched open without warning. “Hold your fire!” Valerie commanded, though she could barely believe her eyes. Hanging in the lift shaft on antigrav, his big armoured hands holding the door open, was the last thing she expected to see. “Button?”

  “Yes, Major,” the man answered through his external speakers as he pulled himself in and shutdown his grav-belt. The weight of his armour settled onto the metal floor with an audible clank. “Good job this door isn’t as strong as the ones surrounding the crew wing. Alpha fire team is right behind me. We could do with some room.”

  Questions piled up in Valerie’s mind, but the immediate situation required action first. “You heard him,” she told everyone and waved them back. “Give them some space to get out of the shaft.”

  “Are they the legendary Devils?” Cheimon asked.

  “Not just Devils, they’re Shadows,” Valerie replied. “My old Company.”

  Wester followed Button in and then a Lieutenant Valerie didn’t know. Richings and Guggenheim were right behind. The Lieutenant turned to the team.

  “Richings, secure the entrance with Wester, Button and Guggenheim,” he turned back to Valerie. “Major, it’s an honour. I’m Lieutenant Michio Saito. Is there some place we can talk?”

  His visor was down so Valerie couldn’t see his face. She knew exactly where it was in his suit and held her gaze on his as she answered.

  “Briseis, stay here and back them up with the rest,” she waved to a room off to one side the armoured Devils could fit into. “This way, Lieutenant. You too, Button.”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” Button replied.

  Lieutenant Saito went first, followed by Button. Valerie shut the door behind her, took off her helmet and shook her hair out. The two Devils raised their visors and Valerie asked the first in a long queue of questions.

  “What in hades are you doing here, Button?”

  “Major. If I may-” the Lieutenant started to say.

  “No, you may not, Lieutenant,” Valerie cut him off. “I know who you are, Lieutenant. I put you on the list as a recruit for the Company. I‘ve never met you so I’m going to talk to Private Button. Keep quiet until I get to you.”

  His eyes widened at her tone, but she didn’t care. Right now she wanted answers from someone she knew, without a doubt, she could trust. “Yes, Ma’am,” he replied tightly.

  “Well, Private?” she asked.

  “I thought it was obvious,” Button answered with a shrug of his armoured shoulders. “We’re here to rescue you.”

  “Don’t be flippant with me, Private,” she growled back, her eyes hard.

  His armoured form straightened as he snapped to attention. “No, Ma’am.”

  “How many?”

  “The whole Company, Ma’am.” He answered, his eyes looking straight in front of him, over her head.

  “Why?”

  “After I met you in the alleyway, I reported it to Major Forlani. She guessed
what happened to your family. We then talked to the rest of the Company. They were all eager to assist you, Major!”

  The box creaked at the mention of her family. The rage fought to be free and she forced it back.

  “The Rebels?”

  “After Hanna lost contact with you on Ison Island, she made contact with us through my cousin Cherilyn.”

  “Cherilyn..?” Valerie mused out loud. The name tickled a memory in the back of her mind and then it became clear. “That was the woman in the alley. I didn’t recognise her. She faked her own death to join the rebellion and you’ve been working with her.” Valerie shook her head in wonder. Her most trusted soldier was part of the rebellion and she hadn’t known. She pushed it away. It didn’t matter, not any more. Here he was breaking her out of prison, she could hardly complain.

  “Yes, Ma’am.”

  “Alright. I understand. Report, Lieutenant.” He also stood stiffly at attention.

  “Yes, Ma’am. Each shuttle bay of the five prisoner wings have been secured. The crew wing is sealed. One Company platoon is leading each assault, with one hundred and twenty Alliance Militia troops to back them up. We have two shuttles at each bay to remove the inmates. The rebel freighter Wandering Pony is coming in to transport everyone to a safe harbour.”

  “What about the assault here?”

  “C&C has been feeding me updates,” he activated his armours holo projector. A three dimensional diagram of the prison wing hung in front of them. “Sergeant Major Bickerstaff is leading the assault. The guards are fortifying the admin section here, at the top of the wing.” Red barricades flashed onto the diagram. “This is as much as we were able to see until they took the cameras and sensors out.”

  “Hanna said you were using a trunk shaft to get here. Do you think they know what you’ve done?”

  “No, Ma’am.”

  “Then we have a good chance of hitting the guards upstairs in the rear. That’ll take some of the pressure off Gil.”

  “Ma’am. My orders are to get you out of here.”

  A noise that sounded a lot like a stifled laugh came from Button and she gave him a hard look.

  “Sorry, something in my throat,” he said innocently.

  Valerie turned back to the Lieutenant without replying. “Have I been stripped of my rank, Lieutenant?”

  “Err, no, Ma’am. You were declared dead.”

  “Am I dead?”

  His face tightened at her question. “No, Ma’am.”

  “Then I have seniority over Major Forlani and certainly over yourself. We will be doing this my way. Understood?”

  “Yes, Major!”

  “Good. Let’s get things organised.”

  Turning, she went out of the door and waved to the women supporting the three members of Shadow Company. “Briseis and the rest of you, come with me.” They looked at each other for a moment, before following Valerie as she led them back into the crowded guard room. The walls of the rooms surrounding the lift entrance were too thin to stop Pulse shots. Valerie had kept all the prisoners back here, along with her reserve.

  A dozen women were inside armed with Pulse rifles. None were fully armoured. They had scrounged whatever they could. Behind them, filling the back of the room and all along the walkways looking down on the playpen, was everyone else. No one wanted to be left below.

  “Did I hear right?” Quin asked, from her position at the controls with Todd, Ingrid and Luisa. “Those are Legion Commando Devils out there and they’re your old Company?” Everyone turned to look at her in disbelief and not a little worry.

  There was anger in Quin’s voice. “Yes. They’ve joined the Rebellion. We don’t have time for long explanations if we want to get out of here and I really don’t know the full story. The guards have consolidated their strength at the top of the wing. The main rescue force has to go through them to free everyone else. I’m going to lead the Devils to hit the guards in the rear. Are there any volunteers?”

  “We will gladly fight beside you.” Briseis agreed instantly, with enthusiastic nods from both Cheimon and Phrike.

  “Is it true the Blaze gangs are here as well?” Ruby asked. She was one of the four women who Valerie picked to assist her and the Spartans at the entrance. She and her three friends were originally from the Pantheon system of Carthage. Valerie hadn’t had the time to get the full story, but it was obvious she was a powerful player in the Underworld there.

  “Yes. I don’t know much yet, but there are a hundred Enforcers from Blaze here on the Rock right now, working with the Rebellion.”

  The woman nodded. “We’ll come with you.”

  “Good,” Valerie looked around the room. “Anyone else?”

  A number of women put their hands up and Valerie took a quick head count before nodding.

  “Make sure you’ve got grav-belts and come with me.” There were twenty-three in total and it took a few minutes for them to get organised. While they sorted themselves out, Valerie took Briseis, Ruby and their people back to Shadow Company. She waved for Quin to come with them.

  “Lieutenant.”

  “Yes, Major?”

  “I’ve got twenty-four women here, myself included, who will assist you in the attack.”

  “Major, with all due respect, I don’t think bringing untrained civilians along is a good idea.”

  “Noted, Lieutenant, but these three women are experienced Spartan Hoplites who would easily match any Marine. Ruby is a former member of the Carthage Underworld. I’ve learnt over the last couple of years the gangs are not to be underestimated. The rest are all former military from outside the Pantheon, Rebels and Criminals. They know what they’re doing.”

  “Yes, Major.”

  “Good. Bring up the wing’s schematic.” The Lieutenant did as he was told and Valerie studied it a second time. With a plan in mind, she looked to those around her.

  “Alpha team will be the breach. Hard and fast. If you see a threat, take it out. Briseis, I want you and the Spartans to lead team two. Pick the best of who we’ve got and come in behind Alpha. Sweep and secure, make sure no threats have been missed. Ruby, you’ll have the rest as team three. Secure our way in. Your job is to stop anyone hitting us in the backs. It is entirely possible there are guards still on other levels who could decide to join the fight. Quin, set up barricades at the doors here. You’ll have a few Pulse rifles and plenty of Mag pistols to make any guards trying to get in here regret it. Any questions?”

  “Where will you be, Major?” Lieutenant Saito asked.

  “With you.”

  “Major, they’ll certainly be armed with Pulse rifles. That armour is not going to protect you.”

  “I’m very aware of that, Lieutenant. This isn’t my first mission. I’ll pair with Button. We know each other’s moves well enough. I can use his armour as a shield without slowing him down.”

  “Thanks, Major. I always wondered why you kept me around.” Button called from his position guarding the entrance with the rest of Alpha team.

  “What do you expect after I find out you’ve been working for the Rebellion under my watch.” She shot back and if felt like the banter she had enjoyed on countless missions with him. For a moment it was like the last few years were washed away and then the pain was there again. She shook it off and continued with her briefing.

  “Wester and Richings will be the Forlorn Hope. Button and I’ll be right behind them. Lieutenant, you and Guggenheim come in last. Anything happens to me, you’re in charge. Anything else?”

  There were shakes of heads from all around. “Good, Briseis and Ruby get your people ready. Lieutenant, tell Gil and Command the plan.” As everyone headed off to carry out her orders, Valerie walked over to Button and fitted her helmet back on.

  “Nice to see you back in charge, Major,” he said. “With all respect to Major Forlani, she’s not you.”

  “He’s right,” Wester agreed, “and I think I say from all of us how sor-” She stopped in mid-sentence as Valerie held u
p her hand abruptly.

  “I don’t want to hear it, not here, not now.” Even through her helmet’s external speakers, Valerie could hear the freezing temperature of her own voice. It wasn’t a conversation she wanted to have.

  “Did everyone in the Company agree to join?” she asked.

  “Mostly, Major.” Corporal Richings said. “Major Forlani arranged for us to leave under the pretext of a mission. We couldn’t risk saying anything to Lieutenant Saito or Captain Gibson until were well underway. The Lieutenant was right behind us, but Captain Gibson strongly disagreed.”

  “I see. I can’t say I’m surprised. What happened?”

  “Major Forlani shot him when it was clear he was never going to join us.”

  “Ah.” Valerie tried to feel some regret at the death of her former second in command. It just wasn’t there. He was a brave man and a good soldier, but the way he treated the troops, who risked their lives with him, now epitomised for her the Privileged attitude. It was just that lack of caring for others’ lives that had killed her family.

  “He never did understand the key principles of why the Company was so successful.”

  “No, Major and no one objected to what happened. They all understood why Major Forlani had to kill him.”

  Nodding her understanding, Valerie stood with her team. She couldn’t help think of the last time she saw them. The Company had returned from their successful mission on Gomez, on board the heavy cruiser PLN Wishart. After the normal debriefs and after action reports Valerie needed to have on Furioso, she met up with the team for a game of cards. These men and women relied on her to lead them into battle and she relied on them to support her. She made a point of socialising with them at the end of each mission, once they were home and all the reports complete and meetings were finished.

  It was a time for them all to wind down and chat about whatever they wanted off the record. Valerie supplied the beer and they brought the food. That night was like all the others and until now, she had forgotten how much she enjoyed it. The next morning they all headed off on leave and Valerie flew home to her family. Since then she thought she was never going to see them again and if she did, they would never forgive her. Not just for Furioso, but also for letting her family die. Now they came to the Rock to rescue her because they chose to.