The Peacemakers

by Jim Roberts

  Joe saw his friend fall to his knees, badly wounded.

  Danny...

  He thought he saw Whisper glance over in his direction for a brief moment before the entire area was engulfed in an explosion the likes of which Joe had never felt. His entire body was yanked off the ground and thrown backwards as a shockwave hit him like a thousand sledgehammers.

  * * *

  TITUS WAS so close now...

  He and his squad ran as fast as they could towards the wreckage of the Barbarian. He could almost taste his victory on his lips. He pushed through the stalks of corn as he made his way to the debris field.

  The Olympus heir came out directly in front of Prometheus and Whisper, just in time to see the Canadian soldier crush the cyborg's head with his own mangled limb. Titus barely had time to register the phrase 'Protocol One' before Prometheus exploded. The Centurions ahead of him were incinerated by the blast. A brilliant wave of explosive energy flared across Titus's face and body, as he was lifted off his feet and thrown back. Titus screamed as he felt his skin melt and boil in the incredible heat of the blast. He only had a few brief seconds to enjoy the agonizing pain before he was engulfed in darkness.

  * * *

  JOE CAME to as he felt himself being carried. He looked up and saw that he was hefted on the back of the powerful Russian. Krieger's beefy shoulders held him up like he was nothing.

  "No...put me down! Danny..."

  Joe could barely manage to speak. He vaguely heard Krieger say something akin to "He is gone, my friend!"

  Joe turned his head and saw the form of the modified Osprey come into view. As the two men reached the aircraft, Joe's hearing started to return. His face burned from the heat of the explosion. Upon reaching the waiting VTOL, Krieger dumped Joe onto the floor of the aircraft. He saw the rest of the Peacemakers waiting there. After they were inside, the VTOL began to rise. Joe pulled himself to his feet, looking out the open side door at the scene below.

  The Hyperion armada beyond had turned around, retreating back towards the northern side of Sadoma.

  Joe didn't understand.

  As the VTOL flew towards the south, Joe saw several helicopters roar past, bearing UN markings. He looked down from the open door and saw a large battalion of UN APCs and tanks enter the embattled country, moving through the cornfield towards Sadoma. A loudspeaker connected to one of the UN aircraft was shouting orders at the Hyperions.

  "−is UN jurisdiction now. Repeat, Olympus forces, you are in violation of contract. You no longer have jurisdiction in this country! Cease all forms of combat and begin evacuation from Zimbala immediately! Failure to adhere to these terms will result in your organization's immediate expulsion from the UN PMC Protectorate. We repeat−"

  Joe shook his head, wincing from the pain he felt all over his body.

  Danny...gone...

  He looked over at his people. Rourke was helping several of the Peacemaker technicians, applying first aid to various cuts and scrapes. Jade had regained consciousness and was resting against the aircraft bulkhead. Brick and Sarah sat together, the reporter tending to the ugly wound on his arm. The Colonel was laid out alongside Orchid on a makeshift stretcher.

  Krieger moved to sit by Joe.

  "Are you alright, tovarisch?"

  Joe grimaced, feeling tears form in his eyes. Blinking them away, he answered, "What happened to Orchid?"

  Krieger didn't respond at first.

  "What?" Joe asked again.

  "We have been betrayed, Joe."

  Joe looked over the people in the aircraft, taking note of who was missing.

  "Where's Doctor Yune?"

  Krieger lowered his eyes, shaking his head.

  "He is gone. So is the Agrippina woman. Took off together."

  Joe slammed his fist against his knee, his face transforming into a mask of rage. His soul twisted inside him like a caged beast. This time, he couldn't hold back the tears.

  Danny Callbeck...

  My friend...

  My brother...

  Chapter 35

  Revelations

  UN MASH Camp, South Africa, November 26th

  The sun was high in the sky, beating down on Joe Braddock as he limped his way towards the recovery tent of the MASH unit. Set up three miles from the border of Zimbala, it was the UN's primary zone for treating the sick and wounded refugees streaming over the border of the beleaguered nation. The entire compound was on full alert, with jeeps moving UN soldiers around to help facilitate the influx of refugees needing help.

  To Joe, it felt like another world than the one he'd spent the past twelve hours in.

  After reaching the base five hours ago, Joe had denied all offers of medical assistance for his wounds until he was certain the other members of his unit were taken care of. Brick, Jade and Colonel Walsh had all been taken away on stretchers to the appropriate areas for treatment.

  As the medical doctors were checking the Colonel's vitals, Joe heard them mention the word 'oncologist'. The old war horse was coughing violently, hardly able to sit up. The paramedics had rushed him away to the tent where Joe was heading right now.

  Braddock moved his head around in wide circles, feeling the tendons crack. They had had to give up their weapons to the UN security personnel upon entering the MASH, as a precaution. That was fine−he didn't want to look at another gun right now.

  Joe felt like a burnt candle as he walked past the UN soldier standing guard outside the Recovery tent. Joe knew he looked worse for wear. His ankle was killing him and he'd suffered some bad burns on his face and neck.

  Still, he was alive.

  When he was cleared for entry, he threw open the tent flap. Inside, he saw the Colonel, resting in a large stretcher bed, an IV connected to his hand and an oxygen mask over his mouth. Joe breathed in grimly as he approached the Peacemaker commanding officer. The tent was filled with over a dozen patients−mostly Zimbalan−in similar states as the Colonel.

  Joe walked to the bed where a nurse was tending to the heart monitoring machine beside it. The nurse looked at the battered soldier; a disapproving look on her face.

  "You shouldn't be in here, soldier."

  "I just need a minute, ma'am. He's my CO."

  The nurse looked as if she would object, but when she saw that Joe wasn't asking, she nodded. Before she could leave, Joe caught her eye.

  "Is he going to be okay ma'am?"

  The nurse's face was completely neutral. "You will have to ask an oncology doctor about that. From what it sounds like, he's been putting off getting that cough checked out for quite some time. As far as his superficial wounds go, he should be better in a few days." The nurse managed a curt nod before excusing herself to help other patients.

  Joe leaned over the Colonel. He'd never seen Walsh in such a weak state before.

  "Colonel?"

  Walsh stirred, his eyes opening weakly.

  "Sergeant...how are...the others?"

  "They're fine, Colonel. Mostly superficial wounds. Brick's arm is pretty bad, but he should pull through ok."

  "Good..." The Colonel lifted his hand to the mask and removed it. "Joe...about Danny..."

  Joe shook his head. "There's nothing to say Colonel."

  "Braddock, there's...there's a lot of things I need to tell you," The Colonel was halted by several violent coughs. Joe saw blood spackle Walsh's lips.

  "There's...a good chance I won't be seeing this fight through to the end..." The Colonel wheezed. "There are things...you need to know...in case."

  "With all due respect sir, stop this. I know you've taken worse..."

  "Cancer ain't something you just get better from, son."

  Joe bit his lower lip, afraid to ask what the Colonel wanted to tell him.

  "I've...kept things from you Joe...from all of you...my son, David...he was the reason I chose to come here...I thought he was dead. And it turned out, he already was..."

  Joe nodded, having already guessed where the Colonel was going with this. "P
rometheus..."

  "Yes. Olympus...transformed him. Used him to test an ungodly creation. Sarah was going to tell me everything. But...well, you know what happened."

  "Yeah," Joe said, pulling over a metal stool. His ankle was beginning to throb from standing.

  Walsh took a moment to breathe into the oxygen mask. "I never wanted my boy to inherit my war. He was so headstrong; always wanting to do the right thing. He would help anyone unable to help themselves. Olympus did what they did to get back at me."

  Joe frowned. "I don't understand, Colonel."

  "Fifty-three years ago...a long time now...I first faced Olympus. They were known as Olympia then. My first military engagement was as a special Black Op recruit during the Bay of Pigs incident in 1961. President Kennedy's attempt to liberate Cuba from Castro with the help of the CIA and a specially trained unit of Cuban exiles."

  The Colonel took another breath from the oxygen. "What the history books say about the invasion isn't...entirely accurate. I was there. And so was Olympia. Castro had hired the man we now know as 'The Imperator' to aid in defending the island in preparation for the Cuban missile crisis one year later. When we landed, we met hardened Olympia forces that destroyed most of my unit. We found they had been planning to launch an early attack against the south coast of America, using a missile they had built. I was left on the island by the CIA, to fend for myself."

  The Colonel wheezed, "I destroyed the missile complex, and escaped."

  Joe said nothing. He was fascinated by the story.

  The Colonel continued, "Anyway, it was the first of many meetings I had against them over the years. I began to see that Olympia was responsible for many of the 20th century's military clashes. They were always there, behind the scenes, pulling strings and doing the dirty work for nations unwilling to foul their own hands. The Gulf of Tomkin incident, assassinations of key South Vietnamese dignitaries, the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan; Olympia has played a part in all of these incidents, either directly or indirectly."

  The Colonel didn't seem to be looking at Joe now, as if he was caught up in his own past. "I lost...so much over these years, son. My...wife was killed, in front of my eyes. It was retaliation for my interfering. In '82, I fought with the Mujahedeen soldiers against Russia. I met the Imperator for the first time then. He gave me this..." The Colonel gestured at his marled eye and wicked scar that curved down his forehead and into his neck.

  Joe spoke finally, "Colonel, Orchid told me about the meeting with Doctor Mobus. We know what the Code is."

  Walsh shook his head. "No...Joe. No you don't."

  Joe was confused. "I don't understand."

  "We can't understand the Code," Walsh said, taking in more oxygen, "The Code is not just some thing to make Centurions perform better in combat. It goes all the way back to what I told you when we first met...about the Fog of War."

  Joe frowned, not following where the Colonel was going with this.

  "War is a steady stream of madness, son. Remember when I told you that war cannot be quantified or understood? That is what the Code is...it is a means to an end. Olympia has always desired to control war itself...they're now no longer doing it behind the scenes. They have come out onto the world stage. All they need is the Code."

  The Colonel eased back into his pillow, breathing easier. "We are at a new foothold in history, Joe. We're part of something that I am certain has been playing out longer than I've been alive. Olympia, or Olympus−they are merely the newest incarnation. And they believe the Code will give them a way to control war itself."

  The Colonel reached under the bed. He pulled out an object the size of a computer disc. Joe's eyes went wide.

  The Code.

  "I kept it with me...didn't trust anyone else with it. It's our only bargaining chip...the only thing Olympus needs to create their new future."

  Walsh held it out to Joe, looking his Staff Sergeant hard in the eye.

  "This disc is everything Joe. Without it, we are lost."

  He released the disc into Joe's possession. The Ranger looked at it for a moment, his mind racing, trying to make sense of everything he'd just heard. He looked up at the Colonel. Walsh's eyes had closed. Resting easy for the moment.

  Joe stood up and pocketed the disc.

  He exited the tent, blinking against the harsh African sunlight. Across the MASH courtyard, he saw Brick and Sarah. The journalist was speaking to someone on a cell phone. After a heated exchange, she threw the phone to the ground where it burst apart in dozens of fragments. She started to cry, as Brick gathered her into his arms, probably saying something reassuring. The SAS man saw Joe watching. He raised an arm in a silent salute. Joe nodded.

  "Hello good friend!"

  Joe looked over as Krieger made his way towards him from behind the tent. Bowser came rushing up to Joe, eagerly seeking attention from the beleaguered soldier. When Joe finally got the dog settled back down, he noticed Rourke and Jade standing behind Krieger. The URAF rebel had a small bandage on her forehead, but otherwise looked fine.

  Jade cast a baleful glance over to Brick and the reporter. "CNN is being less than helpful to Miss Anders."

  "Aren't they giving her an opportunity to tell about the civil war?" Joe asked.

  Jade shook her head. "It just isn't big news. Olympus aiding a dictator in a civil war? It would just be pushed back to a casual mention on a Sunday report."

  "Damn." Joe said, looking back at the journalist. He felt for Sarah, and indeed for all those still fighting. He had seen their strength and determination first hand. Joe had wanted the URAF to receive a fair shake in the international community's eye.

  The adage No Justice in Africa seemed to make more sense every day he spent here.

  Joe turned back to his comrades. Krieger looked like he was about to say something else.

  "What?" Joe asked.

  "It is just..." Krieger was uncomfortable meeting Joe's eyes.

  Jade answered instead. "We're all really sorry about your friend, Joe. He saved us all."

  Danny.

  Joe nodded a thank you. "We're moving out once the Colonel is better. Get some rest and chow. There isn't anything more we can do here."

  The three Peacemakers nodded wordlessly. Krieger whistled for Bowser to follow him and he moved off into the MASH compound. Rourke followed, saying nothing. Joe watched the SEAL for a moment. He'd been hard on the man, he knew. The SEAL had more than proved his mettle during a tough bind. As taciturn as ever, Joe hoped one day the man would open up about his past.

  Joe caught Jade's eye before she could leave. The rebel fell into step beside him as they made their way to nowhere in particular. Joe had to hobble slightly on his bruised ankle.

  "So what are your plans now? Are you going back?"

  Jade tossed her luxurious black hair. Joe thought the African sun caught it beautifully.

  "I don't know. With Musabe dead, I don't have much reason to go back. The URAF has much ahead of it, in dealing with the UN to restore order."

  "So what will you do?"

  Jade smirked. "Well, for a team of castaway soldiers, you guys know how to get things done, even though you do end up destroying everything in the process."

  For the first time in as long as he could remember, Joe smiled.

  "It's gonna be a long fight. I'm not sure even I will see the end of it."

  Jade smiled back. "Then you just might be needing my help. Oh, by the way, thank you."

  "For what?" Joe asked, confused.

  The rebel leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "For saving my life."

  "Oh...uh...your welcome." Joe said, slightly flustered.

  Jade winked and took off through the MASH. The Ranger rubbed his cheek. Her petal warm lips had breathed a new life into his sorrowed exterior.

  He wandered through the MASH for a few minutes, reflecting on the last few months. Thoughts of his brother in arms were foremost on his mind. The pain of what he had lost seemed to be off to the side. Joe kne
w he had good men and women to help his cause, to avenge the loss of those taken by Olympus. His lost Ranger battalion, and now Danny Callbeck and Isabella Cordova.

  Joe swore he would make Olympus pay for taking them from him.

  It would only be a matter of time before his war burned hot again.

  As he walked along the east border of the compound, he looked out at the beautiful South African scenery. Beyond the compound was the rich steppe of the Limpopo province. On the horizon to the east was the top of the Waterberg Biosphere, a tall massif range peaking up from the wilderness around it. The range was breathtaking to look upon, even in this time of emotional loss.

  Joe felt tears once again well in his eyes.

  "Sergeant..."

  He abruptly swallowed his grief and turned to see Orchid approaching him. The JSDF soldier looked every bit as strung out as he probably did.

  "I...I am so...sorry, Sergeant." Her words were halted as she tried to speak.

  "Don't, Private. You don't have to say anything."

  "I...just never saw it coming..."

  "None of us did. Yune fooled us all. Just a little doctor making his gadgets."

  Joe saw the young Private ball her hands into tight fists. "If I ever see him and that bitch again, I swear..."

  "I know."

  Orchid took a halting breath as she reached into her pocket. "Whis...Corporal Callbeck wanted me to give you this...in case he..."

  Joe looked at Yuanza's outstretched hand. In her palm was Danny's Inuit amulet. Joe reached forward and took the charm from the sniper. He held it in his open palm for a moment before clenching it tightly.

  Brother...

  The two teammates looked out over the compound perimeter together for some time. The sun would soon be setting on their time in Africa, but for the Peacemakers, another war would certainly come their way.

  It was as certain as fate.

  Chapter 36

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