by Ernest Filak
“He’s in charge and the responsibility is all his. We’re only following orders,” Theodore wanted to calm my fears.
“Wouldn’t it be better to get away?”
“And do you know where and how? Because I don’t. We’re in the middle of nowhere. Let’s stick together and things will work out somehow.”
“All right,” I agreed without more discussion.
“We have one fully operational Mech. This is our asset. Unfortunately, all power steering is gone, so we’ll have to take turns every two hours. Can you handle that?”
I nodded.
“I’ll go first,” he decided. He dragged out a personal armor and a rifle with a suspended grenade launcher out of the grass next to the leg of the machine. “You won’t squeeze into the operator’s seat in anything heavier than that. I chose this one so that it fits both of us. Put in on. We have to see if it’s comfortable enough.”
Everything worked fine. We only had to tighten the clips a bit.
“Okey dokey,” I said.
He walked around me, checking all the equipment.
“You’ve got extra magazines in your pockets and grenades at the sides. Jump up.”
I jumped a few times in place. Nothing rattled. We were ready and it was time. The grayish sky in the east promised another interesting day ahead.
“We should really get out of here. The longer we stay, the more we risk,” I moaned.
Theodore looked at me strangely.
“What?” I asked.
“Some orders are very difficult to issue,” he said. I didn’t understand what he meant so I asked for an explanation.
He took a narcocigarette from his pocket and smelled it, inhaling deeply. He didn’t light it. He savored the fact he had tobacco.
“You see, a few hours ago a battle took place here. Hundreds of decent boys and girls died or were badly wounded. Not everybody is dead. Many of the wounded have taken painkillers, others are still in shock. You know how many Star Troopers are injured. We can’t take everybody with us. What are we supposed to do with them?”
It was a simple question that hit me. I didn’t know the answer to it.
“Special forces have their own procedures. Whoever is unable to walk dies, even if they have to be killed off by a friend. Neither the separatists nor the revolutionaries had ever had that kind of training. That explains the delay.”
“What are you talking about?” Alexy showed interest after our long absence. “Where did you get that from?” he asked, impressed by the equipment we were carrying.
“Excavation site,” I mumbled.
“What?” the son-of-a-bitch wasn’t as deaf as I thought him to be.
“Commander, how are we supposed to face the enemy of humankind? Just bread and salt won’t do,” Theodore was trying to win the young man over.
“I’m scared,” Sunshine whined.
I almost wet myself with laughter. I turned my eyes. I couldn’t watch as her eyes welled with tears. A fucking actress. A group of Star Troopers were approaching from the direction of the shooting range led by Captain Nemov. Of course Sergeant Gall was right behind him. My finger instinctively moved to the safety of my gun.
“Calm down,” Theodore hissed.
I lowered my eyes. I didn’t want them to see the hatred that was lurking inside me. The right time and place would come.
“Great Uncle Kola and Cousin Victor,” the young revolutionary commander leapt up to meet the newly arrived. They started greeting each other warmly.
“Hello,” Captain Nemov embraced Theodore, “we still haven’t had the chance to thank you for breaking us free.”
“Don’t mention it,” my buddy said sincerely.
In this particular case I shared the emotions. Thanks to the officer, we found out everything there was to know about the situation and, above all else, we regained our freedom. A few Star Troopers were not very happy about it, because from now on they had to carry their equipment themselves.
“Our scouts had stumbled upon two revolutionaries,” the Captain pointed to the men who were still embracing. “I suppose you don’t mind if your squad gets bigger.”
We didn’t.
“Ready to set off?” he asked in an official tone.
It was Alexy who was supposed to answer him, but he was still busy with his folks.
“The Mech is ready,” I said.
Nemov walked around the machine.
“Is there a place in it for some extra luggage?” he asked after his inspection.
“We took some extra batteries from the destroyed ones, which should extend our range to about three hundred fifty yards,” Theodore said. “We could add around one hundred kilos. If our destination was somewhere closer, we could probably get rid of some of the load.”
“You seem to know a lot about this equipment,” the officer was clearly impressed.
“We used to work on a similar one for Bio&Sonic. Of course that other one was without weapons,” I said.
“Obviously,” the Captain didn’t broach the topic, although we were all aware of the fact that he didn’t believe in a word of our explanations. The circumstances weren’t very conducive to further questioning.
Nemov grunted meaningfully, and Alexy stopped the greetings. We gathered around the officer.
“I’m not going to give away any secrets if I tell you where the evacuation point is,” he spread a cellulose map on the grass. It was like something out of a museum and must have dated back to the first exploration of the planet. Where did he get it from?
“We’re here,” Sergeant Gall pointed to a red spot.
“Exactly. The evacuation zone is here,” the Captain showed a bloody distant area. It was about half a yard. I didn’t have any idea what the scale of the map was, but it became clear to everybody that we were in for a long trek. “To get there we would have to walk across the only totally open space. Considering our green friends I really don’t feel like doing that.”
Nobody did. The encounter with one devourer was warning enough to know that we should avoid them like the plague. On open terrain their blades would turn us into ribbons in a couple of seconds.
“A detour is out of the question,” the officer continued. “Besides, radio communication keeps breaking down. Also, we can’t forget that we might come across units that know nothing about the ceasefire, or even refuse to honor it.”
“International brigades carry out orders,” Alexy was indignant.
“As long as they reach them,” Sunshine interrupted him.
“I’ve saved the best for last,” the Captain stopped, which had a class B horror movie effect on us. The tension grew. “We can’t be sure if anyone will be waiting there for us.”
“The fucking Fleet always flees first,” Sergeant Gall had a firm opinion on the subject.
“We can’t stay here either,” Theodore said.
“That’s true,” the officer agreed. “That’s why I’d like to suggest an alternative solution.”
“What exactly?”
“North of our position, a planet defense station had been built. It is said to have been completed and equipped, but never manned with personnel,” the Captain scratched his cheek. “This information hasn’t been confirmed.”
“In other words, once we reach the place it might turn out that there’s nothing there?” the young revolutionary wanted to make things clear.
“I can’t make you join us. You can do whatever you want,” Nemov was used to giving orders, not negotiating. He didn’t reveal any details as to the station’s location. “We’re setting off immediately.”
He folded the map and finished this short briefing. Then he waited for the decision. Alexy seemed unable to make it on his own.
“We’re in,” Theodore helped him out. Sunshine and me backed him up automatically. Finally, the three revolutionaries unwillingly accepted our plan.
Without further ado, Theodore climbed into the Mech.
“I have one more question,”
Captain Nemov held up the front cover before it closed.
“Yes?”
“Wouldn’t it be possible to attach a cart with the wounded behind you?”
“No!” Theodore answered immediately. “If we were moving along a road, that would be possible. But we’ll have to trudge through a wild natural forest. We’ll still have to look for a better passage, as we won’t make it through muddy terrain. It would only be extra torture for the wounded. I’m sorry.”
For a moment they eyed one another. This time it was the officer who had to back down.
“Good luck,” he said and walked away to some other tasks.
Sergeant Gall stood there looking at me and my equipment. I guessed it wasn’t very much to his liking. Fuck him. A fucking Star Trooper and royal lackey. Since the officer didn’t say anything about my equipment, he didn’t protest either. A bloody ally. He turned around on his heel and followed his supervisor. Well, it would be swell to send a bullet into his back now. It was such a simple, pleasant thought.
“Pavel, help me,” Sunshine asked, struggling with her protective armor.
“Give it to me,” I quickly gave her a hand.
“Next time don’t speak out of turn. I’m the commander here and it’s me who should be making the decisions.” The revolutionary felt obliged to tell us off.
The Mech turned towards him. Its .30 caliber barrel was hanging over the head of our commander. I hoped Theodore had noticed that the trigger of that gun had almost no leeway and would bang at a touch.
“Yes, Commander,” I answered placatingly. “We’re not used to it. It just came out. It won’t happen again.”
Why tease the young man? After his passing we would have to look for another commander. And since he declared himself one, let it be. If he starts jumping too high, some buckshot will find a way into his ass. Sunshine discreetly winked at me. She shared my feelings. We had had worse boors ruling us before.
The Star Troopers were pretty damn quick. Given the sign, we set off marching. It was high time. Sunrays appeared over the horizon. We could hear first moans and cries from the battlefield. I jumped out in front of the Mech, a bit to the right. I still remained in its field of vision. Sunshine took the flanking position at the back on the left. The other three revolutionaries kept their distance. They were walking close together, as if they were going to a picnic. But it wasn’t my job to tell them how important it was to walk separately. Maybe it was for the best. In case the devourer attacked, they would be the first to attack. They were a perfect target.
The Star Troopers must have been thinking the same thing as none of them said anything. Besides, they had their own problems. They were leaving seriously wounded people behind. Their heads were still visible over the trench, in which a makeshift medical point was located. A paramedic was handing out painkillers.
None of those left behind begged to be taken with us, although their silence spoke volumes and was very depressing. Every soldier who was able to stand on his own came with us. Even if they couldn’t keep up the pace and stayed behind. I felt accusatory looks on my back. It was a relief to hide in the shade of the forest. Until quite recently they had been my enemies. Now I only saw lonely people. Something changed. I still wondered though if it wouldn’t be a better idea to kill them off. But maybe it was us who were blacklisted? In my mind I wished them all good luck and a quick death.
Chapter IX
Somewhere in space on a support ship.
A ship was squeezing through subspace, although physicists had never fully explained the nature of this phenomenon. It was said that only five people understood the mathematical equations that described subspace and the laws governing bodies moving in it at a speed exceeding the speed of light. None of these geniuses were present on board of the unit. Four of them were currently lodging in deluxe mental asylums on Earth, surrounded by well qualified personnel that analyzed their every move. The fifth one worked as an advisory to the minister of transport, and his mean colleagues claimed that his place was among the other four.
Whichever was the case, to move in subspace theoretical knowledge wasn’t really necessary. All the calculations were done by computers. The captains were only supposed to initiate the starting and launching procedures, which was a piece of cake. However, cases of mysterious disappearances still happened.
The ship was one of the smallest units equipped with an interstellar drive. Only drones and couriers were smaller. It didn’t have its own name, only a coded signature HS11. The first letters stood for its system of origin – the Hadesian System in this case.
The dents, scratches and cracks on its body proved the unit had taken part in fighting. Its primary designation, once it was first introduced into service, was electronic combat, although newer types sprang out very quickly, and the ship was sent to systems that were further and further away. It was frequently used for various purposes, which was typical. Such small units were very popular with contractors, as they were very economical and it was easy to change your business profile without any additional costs.
Richard “Bloody” Steward gazed through the porthole at the stars blinking outside. They quickly disappeared, leaving smudged streaks of light behind. He was the only officer on the ship who had been assigned a tiny cabin, which must have served as a storage room before. The walls still bore traces of anchor screws. Not long before, he spent time in richly decorated and well equipped interiors, surrounded by a network of personal assistants. He smiled at his somber thoughts. For a moment he considered using an intercom, but he soon decided that, first of all, disturbing the captain wasn’t the best idea, and, secondly, certain things had to be handled personally. He walked out into a narrow corridor.
Two guards stood upright once they heard the hinges creak.
“General,” the soldiers lying on the floor were about to get up.
“At ease,” he said.
Their tense muscles relaxed and bodies fell to the grated floor. The stuffiness and the stench of unwashed bodies was nauseating. The air treatment systems of the unit couldn’t handle the extra people on board. It was short of a miracle that they had managed to squeeze in so many. “Packed like sardines,” he thought. Thanks to that they had been able to evacuate almost the whole personnel of the special forces of the orbital station. HS11 was the last royal vessel to leave the system.
“Make way for the General,” one of the guards shouted.
The men tried to blend into the walls, but it didn’t change much. Steward kept knocking against somebody’s arms, legs or equipment all the time. He didn’t complain though. People were more important than that. They tolerated the conditions with patience. In critical places some sentries had been put, just to be on the safe side.
The officer squeezed through the narrow corridors packed with human meat towards the captain’s cabin. At present this place was used as operations room. The crew working here had been specially preselected. The process was strict and not without casualties, but the end effect was more than satisfactory.
“Attention!” for a moment the bustle went quiet.
Steward saluted. He didn’t fail to notice that a few people still followed the old way of saluting on Earth and touched an open hand to the forehead. The royal version required beating one’s fist against the left side of the chest.
“Good day,” Richard extended his hand towards the Head of Information, Gordon Ramirez.
“General,” the man said with a smirk. He couldn’t get used to the golden trouser stripes and huge stars on the epaulettes.
“Shut your mug, or you’ll get flies landing inside, Colonel,” Steward mumbled.
When hearing the word colonel, Ramirez opened his mouth wide and let out a throaty chuckle. Some of those present smirked at the sight. The head of intelligence and counterintelligence of the Kingdom of Uroboros was scared of only one thing in the universe as humans knew it – the dentist.
“How is the evacuation going?”
There were no mea
ns of communication in subspace, so shorter leaps to pre-arranged places where USMS system communications buoys were positioned had been planned.
“We’ve got confirmation from 59% of units,” the Colonel reported and went on to present more detailed information. The statistical data gave a clear picture of how the realization of Plan Moses was getting along. The strategic minimum which gave the Kingdom of Uroboros the chance to survive was 30%. These limits had already been surpassed in all sectors.
“Send a confirmation to Eagle One and Sword.” Such important news had to be immediately sent to the commander-in-chief, as well as to the queen.
The issues remaining were connected with personal safety.
“Nobody is following us?”
“The mass power indicators don’t show any anomalies.”
Subspace had its own rules. The basic navigation tool was indicators of mass divergence and maps of those. Each moving ship exerted influence on its surroundings. The only way of detecting it was finding density changes. There was always the risk, however, that the chaser had better equipment at its disposal and kept hiding out of reach.
“Go on,” Steward urged the man to speak.
“The Captain wishes to have a word with you, General.”
“Is that urgent?”
“I don’t think so, Sir. He will probably complain about the conditions and the diminishing supplies. There are about twelve hibernating capsules on the ship and they are still empty.”
“He doesn’t really believe it that I will let myself to be frozen while the rest of our people are squeezed into the nooks of that bucket?” Steward’s good mood disappeared. “Does he have any idea what influence that would have on the morale?”
“Richard,” a short man allowed himself to use the less official form of address. “He only wants to make sure you get maximum safety and comfort. Don’t be mad – I would have suggested the same if I was in his position.”
“Fuck off me! It’s an order,” the general didn’t make an effort to stick to any formalities. “Understood?”
