by Magus Tor
“Their troops are left essentially leaderless,” said Nicholas, immediately jumping to the most obvious military conclusion.
“And the fight will move to Earth, and fast,” said Jonathon, thinking aloud.
Aurelia had a brief flash of worry for her parents. She knew there was nothing she could do, knew that they knew what they were getting into, but she was still worried. She desperately hoped that she would see them again soon.
As it turned out, the fight for Lunar City was small and contained. With so many disgruntled Workers, all of whom were more than aware through personal experience of what advantages the Elite had over them, the streets were soon barricaded, and Aurelia and Tara even found that they could safely walk around most areas of the City.
“What worries you most?” Tara asked curiously, as late one afternoon they were doling out water canisters to Workers in the centre of the City.
“Have you ever been to Earth?” Aurelia asked her.
Tara shook her head with distaste. “Never wanted to.”
“But you've seen pictures, right?”
“Sure.” Tara handed out a container to a young tech Worker, who smiled at her.
“That's what scares me. That desolation, that total destruction. Knowing that we caused it and could cause it again.” Aurelia thought about the places she had seen, thought about the swamps of City 02, the water still so poisonous that even touching it could kill.
“But there aren't any nuclear weapons anymore,” Tara said. “They were all destroyed, as part of the Contract when the Empire was formed.”
Aurelia looked at the girl and remembered that once she had been as naïve, as trusting, willing to believe the best of everyone. It amazed her that after a life lived in Lunar City, someone as street-smart as Tara could still be so innocent. “That doesn't mean that the technology is lost,” she said quietly. “Just that the Elite will require time to build what they need.”
She had said “the Elite,” knowing instinctively that nuclear weaponry was not an option for Jonathon.
Tara thought on this, working silently for a few minutes. “We'd better defeat them fast, then,” was all she said when she finally spoke.
And that’s the problem, Aurelia thought, her hands busy but her mind thinking. For so long, they had relied on the Military Class to keep the peace. Even the threat of Clones was enough to keep everyone well behaved and in line. All of those elements that had come together to destroy her home planet were gone. There was no chance of aerial bombardment, no nuclear weapons, no atomic weapons, even. What they did have was people. People who were going to fight face to face, at least until one side or the other developed an alternative. She wondered if that was good or bad and whether the threat of more serious weapons would have led the Elite to negotiate rather than fight. There was no answer to that, but she couldn't help but worry that what they were doing would lead to the same consequences as the last Great War had. That was the part that kept her up at night.
What was clear, now that she was out on the streets again, was that the Elite were gone. The brightly-dressed kids who had once hung around the street corners preening like peacocks just wanting to be seen had left, and along with them their families.
“She's gone,” Jonathon had said, coming down the stairs one evening.
He'd had a pang of conscience and gone to the upper floors of the house looking for the woman who was technically his mother, though he had little to do with her. He’d wanted to offer her, at the least, a safe passage to Earth. With his father gone Out of the dome and both children working for the Resistance, he thought she could use the help.
“To Earth?” Tara asked idly, even less interested in her mother than her brother was.
“Who knows?” said Jonathon with a sigh.
Aurelia watched their apparent unconcern about their mother's whereabouts with interest and, if truth be told, envy. She had had only one message from her parents since the War had begun, telling her that they were fine and not to worry about them. That was all. She assumed they were busy, and should something happen to them, that Jonathon would know, but who knew?
“War seems such a strange word for this,” she said, returning her attention to Tara, still handing out water canisters. “This seems like nothing more than a scuffle. War is too strong a word.”
“I wouldn't count on that,” said Tara. “There'll be a lot more to come.”
Of course, she was right. But at the time, that didn't stop Aurelia from being optimistic. If they could just secure Lunar, maybe they'd be okay, maybe everything else would fall into place.
Jonathon had made two important decisions in his first few days as President. One was to go to War. The other was to fortify Lunar City as much as possible.
“We need a base,” he'd told them all. “Somewhere that's safe and contained, somewhere we can send casualties and children, somewhere we can train fighters if necessary, and Lunar City is ideal for that.”
As such, large metal barricades were suddenly springing up around the dome itself, to prevent anyone from trying to breach the self-built protection that Lunar already had. Jonathon then announced a general amnesty to anyone wanting to leave, allowing safe passage to Earth in return for ensuring that Lunar City became a fully Resistance-oriented stronghold. There was an unexpected problem with this, however, and one that didn't become apparent until late one evening when the house alarms began to ring.
“Gods damn it!” said a gruff and familiar voice. “I'm losing my touch.”
“Bryn!” said Aurelia, standing up from the table to welcome the old Clone-turned-Connector into the dining room.
“You've changed the alarm sequences since the last time I was here,” the black-clad man grumbled, eyeing Nicholas.
“Well, I figured if you already knew how to get in, then it was probably more secure to go ahead and change them,” said Nicholas. “You'd have done the same.”
“That's my boy,” said Bryn, clapping Nicholas on the back.
“And what brings you here, other than a burning desire to break into my house whenever necessary?” asked Jonathon, though his smile took the sting out of his words.
“Ah, that would require a drink,” said Bryn.
“So it was my whiskey that brought you here,” Jonathon said. But he was grinning. Standing up, he led them all down the long corridor and into the living room, where they could settle comfortably.
“I've got news,” announced Bryn, once he had a glass of deep amber liquid in his hand. “And I'm not sure you're going to like it.”
“Spit it out, then,” said Jonathon, dropping onto the couch next to Aurelia.
“For the past few days, we've been pretty busy down in the tunnels,” Bryn began.
“And you've secured everything as I've asked?” Jonathon interrupted.
“Yes, yes,” said Bryn, impatiently. “That was easy enough; we know where all the entrances and exits are, part of the job. No more than an afternoon or so's work to get everything welded tight shut. You've got no worries there. No, we've been busy with something else. Refugees.”
“Refugees?” asked Aurelia, confused.
“Not so sure that's the right word, actually,” admitted Bryn. “People wanting to come in, I meant. There's been a fair few hundred now, I'd say.”
“Wait, people are coming into the dome from Out?” Jonathon asked. “Er, were you not supposed to be securing the tunnels?”
Bryn sat forward, his hands on his knees. “I'm not the one that declared a general amnesty,” he said.
Jonathon groaned. “But that's not what I meant. I meant it for those who may have supported the Empire, so that they could stay if they agreed to give their allegiance to us.”
“Well, then,” said Bryn, sitting back again. “You should have said so. Because now you've got every brigand, criminal, and smuggler from outside the dome coming in to have all their sins forgiven.”
“Which is going to send Lunar's crime rate skyrocketing, pre
sumably,” added Nicholas.
“To be fair,” Bryn said, “there's plenty of others too, those that lived on the settlements and are tired of the hard life out there. Those are coming in too, and are more than happy to support you against the Empire.”
“And where are they?” Jonathon asked.
“Down in the tunnels; where do you think?” Bryn said, taking a mouthful of whiskey and almost choking on its strength. “I'm not fool enough to let them all go running around the City yet. Thought I'd best check with you first. But with so many coming in, I haven't had the chance to come up and see you. The situation’s getting critical now, though. We can't keep that many down there.”
“Suggestion,” said Nicholas. “We can't let some of them in and not all of them—there'll be a riot. If we let the bad apples in, then we're going to need to pump up our security work a bit, and we just don't have the sec Workers for that right now.”
“So?” asked Jonathon.
“So, we assign those settlers who are deemed trustworthy to sec Work. They'll be plenty fit enough after living Out. They're used to controlling fights and the like, and used to looking after their own supplies, since they'd be taken from them otherwise. And in the worst case, a sec Worker makes a far better soldier than just a regular person. They'll be used to following orders, and they'll have some weapons training.”
“Hmmm.” Jonathon nodded, thinking. “Seems like it could work. Bryn?”
“As long as I get my tunnels back, I don't care what you do with 'em,” Bryn grumbled. “Sick of the crying of babies and wailing of women.”
“Nicholas, Elza, can you deal with this?” asked Jonathon.
Both nodded, then left to take care of the logistics.
“Glad we're alone now,” Bryn commented, after they left. “Not sure you want anyone else to hear the other bit of news I've got.”
Aurelia felt a tightening of muscles, a short stab of fear. What had gone wrong now? From the look on Bryn's face, this was something serious enough. More serious to his mind than the refugee status, anyway.
“Go on,” said Jonathon.
“It's your father,” Bryn said, putting his glass down. “We've lost him.”
Jonathon furrowed his brow. “Lost him?”
Bryn gave a curt nod. “That's it. Look, with all the people coming through, we just didn't have the men to send out and keep an eye on him all the time. I had someone out there I thought could keep tabs on him, but with all this movement, it seems he's disappeared.”
“To where?” Aurelia wondered.
“Who knows?” said Bryn. “I know he's not come through the tunnels, at least not yet. We'll catch him if he does. In the meantime, I assume he's wandering around the surface trying to find a way back in. Or he just got tired of being watched and figured he'd do just as well at another settlement. There's plenty of empty portable domes and supplies out there. Those coming in couldn't take everything with them.” He shrugged. “Not much we can do, though I'll keep an eye out. But I thought you should know.”
Jonathon pursed his lips in thought. “I suppose there's not much he can do as long as he's still Out,” he said. “But...the strange thing is that my mother has also disappeared. Left the house. We assumed she'd found a shuttle seat to Earth and gone with the rest of the Elite.”
“Could be coincidence,” Bryn said. “Might not. Either way, there's not a lot you can do at the moment. Besides, two old Elite aren't going to be that dangerous to you one way or the other.”
Privately, Aurelia wasn't so sure. She'd never met either of Jonathon's parents, but from what she'd heard from Tara, they shouldn't be underestimated. Still, if what Bryn said was right, then as long as Jonathon's father was still outside of the dome, there shouldn't be too much trouble. Besides, Jonathon was constantly surrounded by security these days. It would be tough for anyone to get past them. Strange, though, that both parents should show up missing at the same time.
Even with the influx of refugees from outside the dome, the fighting around Lunar City calmed down in the next few days. There had been little of it to start with, only skirmishes after the initial attack on Jonathon. But now the streets were relatively safe, and Nicholas was convinced they’d secured Lunar. Neither he nor Jonathon were fools, though.
“There'll be trouble on Earth before long,” Nicholas said. “We'll need to be prepared.”
“We will be,” vowed Jonathon. But the news came faster than he expected.
The com system announced a call just as the dome was changing from dark black to a faint pink-blue colour, early one morning. Jonathon, recognising the ring as one that heralded a secure communication channel, jumped out of bed. He pulled on a robe and left the sleeping pod to speak in private.
Aurelia was only half awake and rolled over to the side of the bed that still had Jonathon's warmth, snuggling down and closing her eyes again. She wasn't sure how long he was gone. She was awakened by his shout for her from the corridor outside.
Wondering what was going on, she dragged herself sleepily out of bed and grabbed the first thing she could find to wear off the floor: the same simple pantsuit she'd worn the previous day. She ran her fingers through her long hair to get most of the tangles out, left the sleeping quarters, and went to find out what Jonathon was yelling about so early in the morning.
She found him in the dining room. Nicholas was already there, looking bright, well dressed, and fully functional, despite the early hour. Elza followed behind her a few moments later, hair in disarray and eyes still looking sleepy.
“What's going on?” she yawned, pulling out a chair.
Aurelia smelled the coffee before it arrived, brought in by a young hospitality Worker. She gratefully poured cups for everyone, and Jonathon waited until each of them had a warm drink before continuing.
“I've had news from Earth,” he said sharply. “The com call was from your father, Aurelia.”
Though she was anxious about whatever news Jonathon had, Aurelia felt a quick flash of relief that her father was still obviously fine.
“It's started,” Nicholas said. It wasn't a question. He spoke with full certainty.
Jonathon nodded. “This morning. A large, organised force attacked City 04. Stefan received word of it immediately. His scouts have spotted a similar force gathering around City 05.”
“Who are these forces composed of?” Nicholas asked, all business.
“It seems the vast majority are Workers. We don't have word yet on why they're fighting, but Stefan guesses—and I think he's right—that the Elite are using propaganda from the last War to convince them to join the Empire Army.”
“What does that mean?” asked Aurelia.
Jonathon looked at her. “That they're persuading people to join up in order to avoid the ravages of the Great War. The Empire saved Earth the last time, or so the Workers think, so it makes sense that they’d do the same again.”
Aurelia considered this. It was smart. She herself had been worried about the possible destruction that could occur on Earth. And, she thought, if I had never come to Lunar, if I'd stayed a Worker, I too would probably have been persuaded to join the Empire.
“They acted fast,” Nicholas said, and he sounded as though he were thinking aloud. “Either they already had plans for what should happen in the event of a rebellion, or they're extremely persuasive.”
“I think we can count on both those things,” Jonathon said. “There must have been plans drawn up at some point, likely right after the last War, as to how the Empire would respond to rebellion against their rule. And we know that the Elite are persuasive. They've successfully persuaded Earth to bow to them for the last fifty years, and probably even before that.”
“Well, there's one thing in our favour,” Nicholas said. “If that is the case, then the plans they have are out of date. They don't take into account population growth, or the growth of the Cities. We may be able to use that.”
“How did the Resistance respond to the attacks?�
� Elza wanted to know.
“The leader of 04 was taken by surprise,” Jonathon said. “The Empire forces took a full half of the City before there was even an attempt at response. As of now, the Resistance is holding approximately a quarter of the City, but they're having a tough time.”
“The Empire know what they're doing,” Nicholas told him. “04 is the hardest of all the Cities to defend. Those wide streets are almost impossible to barricade.”
Jonathon considered this for a moment. “Given your choice,” he finally said to Nicholas, “which of the Earth Cities would you take first? Which would give us the best chance of establishing a solid base on Earth? I'm thinking something along the lines of what we've done to Lunar City.”
It was Nicholas's turn to think now. “03 is probably the easiest to defend,” he said. “It's small, it's located on an island—taking it should be no problem. However, it's also extremely isolated, which could make troop movement very difficult.” He thought again for a moment. “I think I'd go with 02,” he concluded.
“Why?” Jonathon was not judging his answer; he just wanted to hear his reasoning.
“Because it's already divided into defensible sections,” said Nicholas. “Taking the whole City at once is unnecessary. We can take it a piece at a time. Simply by taking one island and cutting bridge access, we have one safe point. We can then use that safe island as a base to take another, and another, and so on. Plus, 02 is not as isolated as 03, and though it doesn't have a shuttle bay of its own, it makes up for that by having far more transport depots than the other Cities. Since we're likely to use transport pods rather than shuttles to ferry troops around, that makes sense. The only problem will be getting troops to 02 from Lunar. However, the majority of our fighters are Workers who are with the Resistance, so we'll move only a small number of Military Class down from Lunar.”
Jonathon grinned. “Congratulations,” he said to Nicholas.
Nicholas raised his eyebrows. “Because...?”
“Because you've just earned yourself a seat on my cabinet once all this is over. A brief but well-thought-out answer to my question. Thank you. I will admit that I've considered naming you the leader of the Resistance Army, but I've decided against that.”
