“You don’t need to know more about them, only how to hurt them,” Rajiv said sternly. Kenneth knew Rajiv was on their side in this. The Indira Federation was strong, clearly, but they had some pretty small outposts that would be very vulnerable should the might of Chinzhou decide to descend upon them.
“Yes, but how do we hurt them enough? We’re so few, and we’ve lost so much already. We cannot fight another war; even if we win, there won’t be enough of us left,” he said. Rajiv set his cup down and stood.
“I cannot stand idly by and watch this happening to you,” he said. “Please excuse me, as I have to go and check something.” He paused for a moment. “There are rules to be obeyed, but there are also provisions for unforeseen circumstances. Hopefully, I might have something that could help you. I have to try, or else I could not live with myself.” Kenneth stared at him, puzzled by the sudden outburst. The Dehlian was indeed becoming a friend.
Tina hammer
The knock on the door disturbed her musings, and she looked up from the large map that lay spread out across her table.
“Come,” she barked. She didn’t have much time before she had to go, so this had better be important. The door opened, and Kenneth entered, with Rajiv Singh trailing behind.
“Do you have a minute?” Kenneth asked. No I don’t, she thought.
“Of course. Have a seat,” she said. The two men sat down, and she noticed the Dehlian frowning, as she’d seen him do when he was considering something.
“So,” she said as she sat also, “what can I do for you?”
“Actually, Mr. Singh here has something for you. Well, for us, I believe,” Kenneth said.
“He wanted you to be present, as he says this is something that needs to be considered from a military perspective, as well as a political one,” he continued, and gestured for the ambassador to speak. Rajiv Singh produced his tablet.
“What I have here are the detailed instructions that ambassadors of the Indira Federation need to comply with. Since I speak on behalf of the Federation, I always have to make sure my actions are in compliance with Indira law.” He thumbed around on his tablet, finding what he was searching for.
“Now, I have said before that Aurora must solve its own problems. I personally sympathize with your cause, and I believe your values and principles are compatible with the values and principles of the Indira Federation. And if I can be so blunt, the invasion made my job a lot easier, since you are now a united people under attack, and clearly justified in defending yourselves. Which also makes what I’m about to say possible, even though my hands were tied just a short while ago.” He paused, and looked at each of them.
“You’re allowed to help us now?” Tina said, narrowing her eyes. She understood the Indira stance, but she did think it was a bit hypocritical. They didn’t need sympathizers; they needed weapons, medicines… The Dehlian smiled.
“There is a way, I think. I have studied the laws and regulations and legislative preambles, and I believe I have found a way to give you everything you need.” That made Kenneth sit straighter.
“Everything?” he said. Rajiv Singh nodded.
“Everything. Please let me explain.” He seemed to settle in as he began.
“As an ambassador, I speak on behalf of the Federation. I am allowed to make trade agreements, political agreements, and such. In the preamble for our constitution, it says that the Federation is made up of free entities that may choose to enter or leave the Federation freely. Now, for leaving, there are certain requirements, in order to secure a stable relationship between the settlements. We made mistakes early on, which I have told you, and needed to make sure peace is secured even in the face of political discord or disagreement on other issues. But as long as certain requirements are met, anyone can join the Federation. Of course, such membership is pending until a formal recognition can be made by the Federation Assembly. We would be reluctant to let a civilization that was larger than Dehlia join, as it might threaten the founding principles and values upon which the Federation was built. But Aurora would have no such problems. And if you were to join the Indira Federation, you would have the might of the Federation behind you. I can personally guarantee that Dehlia would take you under its wing and protect you from this and any future threats. We have so much in common. Democracy, ideals…”
“Wait a minute,” Kenneth said. “You’re proposing that we… join the Indira Federation?” Tina looked at the ambassador, before turning toward Kenneth. She could see something was bothering the president. Rajiv Singh obviously didn’t notice, though, as he nodded eagerly.
“Yes. The Federation will have whatever you need for taking back what is rightfully yours. My starship contains the weapons you need right now, and as members, you will be under the protection of the full might of the Federation. I will personally request that a full battle group be assigned here, and I believe they will see the value of protecting your settlement from the vile Chinzhoi.” Tina frowned.
“The Federation ships will take years to get here, even if they sent a ship right now,” she said, and the Dehlian nodded.
“Yes, of course. Which is why I also have the power to use the resources at my disposal, in the short term. My starship is very well equipped, but it all depends on how well established they are on Aurora,” Rajiv said.
“Please, explain,” Kenneth said, leaning back in his chair. Tina thought he looked pale, and she sympathized with him. It couldn’t be easy, being in charge in the middle of a war, with no former leadership experience.
“Well,” the ambassador began, “with the means at hand, we should be able to withstand the attack we know is coming, at some point or another. We will protect the Stronghold, and we may be able to drive them back south toward Fort Andrews. If they have settled elsewhere, we probably will not be able to clear the entire planet. I believe we should be able to hold this northern part of Verdi, at least, which buys us time. When forces arrive from Dehlia, the rest of the planet will be liberated.” Kenneth rose from his chair and walked over to the stove. He poured himself a cup of coffee and stood there. No one said a word, and Tina could see he was deep in thought. She could understand his dilemma and felt relieved she wasn’t the one who would have to make the final decision. On the one hand, they were up against an enemy that might destroy them all, that seemed superior in every way. On the other hand, if they pledged allegiance to the Indira Federation, they had to accept that their short-lived independence had come to an end. Any sort of autonomy they would have as members of the Federation would be limited. They would become a junior partner in a partnership that would always be dominated by Dehlia. But was there really a way around it? If it boiled down to a question of survival, how could they afford to turn down such an offer? Besides, from what they had learned, the Indira Federation shared some of their most important values, such as democracy and freedom of speech. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad, being part of a stronger union of free people, with the ability to defend themselves and each other from outside aggression and protect their way of life. Tina knew it was an impossible choice, one that didn’t have one single best answer. She could think of no one better suited for making the final decision than Kenneth Taylor.
Chapter 12
Thomas dunn
The team was clearing out of the forward base as quickly as possible. Just minutes ago, the Chinzhoi recon patrol had stumbled upon the trapdoor. Luckily, it was booby-trapped, and the explosion had been deafening. The enemy soldiers were all dead, but now that the base was exposed, their hideout on the north bank of the Trickler would have to be abandoned. Thomas took a final check before he set the timer.
“Three minutes,” he said, “and this place goes up. Let’s move it, before their buddies come looking.”
“Now what, boss?” Juliana, one of his team members asked, as she closed up her backpack and eased into the shoulder straps. Thomas didn’t have a clear answer. Because of the comms still being mostly out, they sometimes had to go wi
thout orders, figuring out what would be most useful to the overall strategy by themselves. For a while now, they had been making short incursions into occupied territory, trying to gather more data on their opponent. The Chinzhoi were still a mystery to him. The story of the Chinese arks had spread, but why had they come here in the first place? It must have taken them decades to get from Chinzhou to here. They already had at least an entire planet at their disposal, and though it wasn’t as hospitable as expected, there had to be other planets that were easier to reach. How did they plan to keep two planets so far apart united?
A loud crack made Thomas whip around. The shots came from this side of the river, cutting Juliana almost in two at the waist, causing her upper body to topple, head first, into the scorched ground. Thomas dove and rolled sideways, scanning frantically for the shooter. To no avail. Another round hit the ground right where he had lain seconds before. Keep your movements unpredictable, he thought.
“Do you see anything?” he shouted. But they only had a vague direction to go by.
“It’s gotta be up there, at least two clicks,” Marco, the school-teacher-turned-soldier said, pointing at the rolling hills just north of them. Thomas had found a good cover and had taken a moment to consider their position.
“All right. In a minute, the forward base will go up in flames, and we have to be out of here by then. We go in thirty seconds, west two hundred meters, then northwest until we reach that hill. We have more possible escape routes from there.” He looked at his watch. Twenty seconds.
“Be unpredictable, no straight lines, no patterns to your movement. Their shots take maybe two to three seconds from there to here. They have to fire where they think we’ll go, so let’s make it difficult for them.” He breathed hard, squeezing his rifle. His palms were sweaty. Ten seconds.
“Rally point Charlie. Anyone still alive report back to the Stronghold. Enemy preparing to move, Chinzhoi recon north of the Trickler. Remember that.” He counted the seconds, three, two, one.
They moved simultaneously, all six still alive, darting from their covers. Thomas leapt forward, and then to the left as he raised his rifle and fired two quick bursts, blindly. Shots rained around them, but no hits so far. He kept moving, rolling, leaping to one side, then the other. Stopping, firing a burst, ducking again, and leaping forward. A pebble flying through the air hit his cheek, and he felt something running down it. But he kept moving. One hundred fifty meters. A scream from right behind him. One down; he didn’t turn to see who. Keep moving, keep moving. A gun nearby discharged wildly and missed Marco by a hair as someone was hit. Two down, four left. One hundred meters to go.
A rumble behind them drowned out every sound, and the heat wave almost made him stumble. There goes the forward base, Thomas thought. He dove forward, but not even the sharp pain in his palms stopped him from scrambling right back on his feet. The ringing in his ears muffled all sound, almost to the point that he could have been fooled into believing the enemy was gone. But Thomas Dunn was no fool, and even though his hands hurt and his lungs screamed for respite, he kept moving. He saw someone topple just to his right, and almost stumbled on another. Holly, the surgeon turned medic. The scream on her lips never reached his ears, but the contorted features as she tried to stop the blood from pouring out of her belly burned in his vision even as he left the poor woman behind. Only two left, with less than fifty meters to safety. He didn’t know who else still ran, but he knew that unless one of them survived, those back in the Stronghold would never know the enemy was moving north. At least if they knew, they could prepare, whether it was for fight or flight.
Every part of his body ached as he threw himself behind the outcroppings of a hill. Safe, at least for now. A body bumped into him just seconds later.
“Shit, that was…” Marco said, panting. Thomas managed a half-smile; at least he wasn’t the only one alive. He’d lost almost every member of his team. An anger burning worse than pain welled up in him. He wanted to find a way to get to the snipers, to avenge his friends.
“Boss, what do we do?” Marco asked. Thomas scanned the area. The enemy had to be far away, and the terrain both north and west favored close combat more than long-range sniping. Thomas considered his options for a moment, but in the end, he managed to put his feelings aside. Revenge would have to wait. His first duty was to those back in the Stronghold. They would take advantage of the cover offered by the terrain and sneak out of there.
“We get the hell out of here. Tina and the others need to know what’s happening,” he said, gritting his teeth. Live, to fight another day. Marco nodded and checked his weapon and ammo.
“For what it’s worth, sir, I agree. It sucks, but I agree.”
Kenneth taylor
Thomas Dunn had returned less than an hour ago, but wasted no time. After presenting his brief report of the fighting on the Trickler to Tina, she had brought him to Kenneth’s cabin. The Indira ambassador sat in the corner, and Kenneth thought that even though he considered Rajiv Singh a personal friend, he was tired of exchanging pleasantries. It was time to get down to business.
“Thomas, I want you to hear this,” he said. He was about to say more, but a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.
“Ah, there he is,” Kenneth said. He didn’t have to say more, as the man entering was used to being in charge and never saw a closed door as an obstacle. He entered without waiting for an answer. He stopped when he saw Thomas, though, a glint of anger in his eyes as he recognized him.
“Mr. Dunn,” he said quietly, and walked over to the table and sat down without a word. Kenneth watched as the former governor eyed the younger man carefully. He knew there was tension between them. Thomas had been the governor’s protégé, his golden boy, except for the fact that he’d been working quietly against him all along. He sighed. These were the people he was hoping would be able to cooperate one day, to build a future for them all.
When all were seated, he looked at each and every one of them, and lastly at Rajiv Singh, who seemed eager. Kenneth had a bad taste in his mouth.
“You’ve all heard the Indira offer,” he began, “except you, Thomas.” He winced as he saw a glimmer of hope in the younger man’s eyes. Today, Kenneth Taylor would make a decision that came with a steep price. Some would claim the price was too high; that it made everything they had fought for a waste. And he knew they might be right. He had made some really bad choices in his life, but although he could see both sides of this argument, this was a decision he was certain of. There would be no more doubt, no regrets.
“In short, the Indira Federation offers protection and promises to make sure we get to keep Aurora. They will chase the invaders off the planet and secure peace,” he said, and noticed how Thomas leaned forward. Too good to be true.
“The only condition is that we join the Indira Federation.” He leaned back and looked at the ambassador, who nodded, smiling. Thomas was about to say something, but Tina raised her hand slightly, silencing him, never taking her eyes off Kenneth. It’s time.
“We share many of the ideals of the Indira Federation, as explained to us by Ambassador Singh here. I may even be so bold as to say that Aurora and the Federation are natural allies and friends. And I consider Ambassador Singh a friend, as well, both to Aurora and Aurorans, and to me personally.” The ambassador was beaming by now.
“However, we would become junior partners, or not even that. That’s not what we came here for. We want cooperation. Not submission.” He paused, as he let that sink in with the others sitting around the table. He noticed Havelar nodding, and though he appreciated the former governor’s support, he also knew they differed on key points. And he wanted to be perfectly clear on where he stood, and why he was willing to risk everything. Rajiv Singh was about to say something, but Kenneth motioned for him to wait.
“We have some experience in trading liberty for security,” he said, “and I for one am not willing to make that trade. Not ever again.” Kenneth noticed the expression o
n the ambassador’s face change from pure joy to bewilderment.
“Mr. President, you do know that you may be condemning your entire settlement, and everyone here?” he said. Kenneth nodded.
“Yes I do know the price. I know the consequences of failure; in fact, I have known them all my life, and never have I been more willing to risk that price than now.”
“I guess that means we’re alone then.” Tina sighed.
“Well, I’ve faced worse odds,” Thomas said, grinning wryly. That made Havelar chuckle, although he kept quiet.
“We will have to do this by ourselves, as we have so far. This is our world, and we intend to keep it that way,” Kenneth said, and turned toward the ambassador.
“Mr. Singh, Rajiv, I assure you that none of this is meant to offend. Aurora and the Indira Federation are indeed natural allies, and I want us to develop a true friendship, as equals. There are many ways for equals to cooperate, and therefore, we look forward to meeting more of your people in the future. Your people will always be welcome here, as long as you realize that Aurora has made a choice to remain independent.” Rajiv Singh rose and bowed to Kenneth across the table.
“Mr. President, I hope you never find reason to regret your choice,” he said.
“I shall return to my shuttle. I need to report your answer to my superiors.” Kenneth thought he saw a hint of anger in the eyes of the Indira ambassador as he left. Apparently others noticed, as well. Havelar guffawed as soon as the door closed.
“Now that was one pissed off ambassador.” Kenneth waited for a moment. He felt bad about surprising his friend like that, but he couldn’t see any other way. This wasn’t something you eased into with ambassador lingo and politician’s jargon. It was a statement, simple as that. Aurora would welcome the Indira Federation as friends, but would never submit to them, which was what their offer of aid implied.
“I just hope they will tolerate our refusal,” Tina said quietly. Kenneth thought he knew what she was thinking. Tina was tired of war. She was their military leader, and he would have trusted her with his life, but Kenneth knew she’d had enough of war even before they left Earth. She had laid that life to rest when she set up camp on the Trickler, to make a peaceful living building boats and ships. But war had caught up with her, and it seemed her fate was that of the warrior, whether she wanted it or not.
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