A Pride of Lions

by Mark Iles

  The Magellan set down in the centre of the small but empty spaceport, in the middle of the octagonal military citadel. Petite as she was, the Magellan easily towered over the smooth black battlements.

  Loreen was nothing more than a lightly settled world, with a penal outpost protecting the colonists who had decided to settle there; the tiny garrison numbering only two hundred or so, including officers.

  Despite the promise of rich ores deep underground and the endless supply of valuable native wood, there were only a few thousand settlers as yet. This was probably because the planet had only been discovered a few months prior to the outbreak of war and, since then, few had been willing to leave the relative safety of the more populous and well defended worlds, despite the lure of land to be had and riches to be made.

  A large, slightly podgy Commander by the name of Muller was in charge of the base and he was relieved to see them. He grinned from ear to ear and jumped to his feet from behind his desk when Captain Kotes, Selena and Bryn entered his office. He shook their hands and ushered them quickly onto tan-coloured bamboo chairs, no doubt made by the colonists from local produce.

  “Welcome indeed,” Muller began, sitting back behind his desk. “We’ve been here over a year now and it’s great to see fresh faces. Captain, from your signal I understand the Magellan had to set down for repairs, not in response to the signal I sent asking for reinforcements?”

  Selena raised an eyebrow. “Why reinforcements, Commander; what possible threat have you got here? It all looks rather peaceful to me.”

  Muller leaned back in his chair; raising a somewhat chubby hand he tapped his fingers against the chair’s arm. “We sent out an urgent message because about three months ago a ship crash-landed here. We picked it up on our deep space sensors as it came in and asked for their identity, but they didn’t reply. Nor did they respond when we said that unless they complied we would be forced to fire on them. The decision not to do so was mine alone, and I take full responsibility for that. You see, the sensors showed it was a human ship and it had been badly damaged, so I thought that was probably why they couldn’t reply. I didn’t want to be responsible for any resulting loss of human life, particularly if they had just escaped from a battle with the enemy. On reflection, that was the wrong decision and, as it is, I wish we’d blown the beggars to hell.

  “Unfortunately for us, the ship turned out to be carrying revolutionaries and by the time we reached the crash site with a rescue party, the survivors had long since gone.” He laughed bitterly. “They’ve been hiding out in the hills and raiding us ever since. I’ve lost quite a few good men trying to flush then out. They’re very well trained, not to mention armed, and it appears they intend capturing this base. They’ve no ship now, you see, and this citadel is their only hope of getting hold of one. If they can control our communications facilities and summon help, then they’ll be able to get away. But they’ll certainly get a shock if they try it. I’ve had the base rigged so that it can be blown up should it be captured. Only myself and a few others of us have the right command codes, so once it’s activated they’ve had it.”

  Bryn pursed his lips. “How many rebels are there?”

  Muller frowned, “It’s hard to say, really. I’d guess there’s a couple of hundred at the most. The crux of the problem is they’ve been trying to turn the colonists against us. Before now the rebels were simply playing for time, but now the Magellan’s here they could attack in an attempt to seize her.”

  “According to our records there aren’t that many colonists here, so surely a few of them joining up with the rebels can’t be much of a problem,” Kotes replied.

  Muller shrugged. “Actually there are only a few thousand of them, but even that’s more than enough to give us a headache if they combine forces. The locals are worried about the Manta and want to get back to civilisation, and better protection. We’re going to start work on your repairs straight away, so hopefully you’ll be gone long before the rebels get enough balls to take a crack at us. Then, when the reinforcements I asked for do finally arrive, we can go and hunt down the bastards.”

  “That’s good news about the repairs, thanks,” Kotes replied. “We need to get out of here as soon as we can. I have an urgent mission to carry out. You can use what men we don’t need at the moment, if you like, to bolster your defences until the Magellan lifts. But we won’t be able to help you beyond that, I’m afraid; we need all the men we have.

  “And, before you blow your communications equipment to hell by mistake, I have an urgent message to send,” Selena added, giving Kotes a steely look. “It appears that the Magellan’s communication gear was damaged in the attack. I need to send an update on our mission and inform the Admiralty that we’re okay but we’re delayed en route, not to mention that the Magellan has temporarily lost her communications gear – so we can’t check in.”

  “No problem, Commander. I’ll arrange immediate access for you and get our guys to sort out your communications gear. Is there anything else you need?”

  Selena turned to the window and stared out at the thick evergreen forests surrounding them. “Not at the moment; although a shower, a hot meal and an ice cold beer would go down a treat later on.”

  When they’d first arrived she’d thought about how pretty the planet was, but it didn’t look quite so inviting now that she knew about the rebels and that night was falling. A light mist was gathering at the base of the trees just outside the citadels perimeter, making the forest appear eerie and filled with menace. Bryn’s arm brushed hers as he stood beside her, and they stood silently looking out of the windows together. He felt it too, she realised. Kotes and Muller were now standing slightly behind them, looking out into the coming darkness themselves, and Selena couldn’t help wondering whether she should be more worried about those two leaders than the rebels stirring in the gathering darkness.

  * * * *

  After a good night’s sleep onboard the ship Selena, Samantha, Arthur and Za’an joined one of the base’s patrols, which left at first light. They were in the first of two skimmers, each carrying ten well armed troops. The anti-gravity craft could travel at varying heights, from just above the ground to several hundred feet, if required. Apparently, Muller had been tipped off that the rebels were hiding in a village about thirty miles northwest of the base and he wanted it checked out.

  The sleek, grey metal craft slipped noiselessly through the citadel’s twin gates, then rose and skimmed rapidly just over the tree tops: motion trackers, infra-red sensors and weapons systems constantly sweeping for hidden threats.

  The journey to the village didn’t take long; Selena and the others savoured the fresh, cool, scented air and pleasant scenery. The engines slowed down and the two craft entered the village from opposite ends, the soldiers alert and ready for anything. The craft stopped and hovered noiselessly, while the troops dropped to the ground using their gravpacks, like seeds on a summer’s breeze. As they did so, a small boy stepped sleepy-eyed from behind a bead curtain in a hut doorway, blinking in shocked disbelief at the sight of the troopers landing right in front of him. Before anyone could move, his mouth dropped open and he began to yell shrilly. Instant panic broke out amongst the villagers as they exploded from doorways and ran in all directions, their cries of alarm waking others.

  There was instant bedlam. Children screamed with fright, women screeched and ran in all directions, clutching babes, while dogs barked and snarled at the troopers as they stalked through the village, scanning the huts and undergrowth. One canine worked itself loose and charged them, only to be instantly shot with a microwave weapon, exploding and splattering gore everywhere. The other dogs took the hint and slunk off instantly but continued to bark and harass them from a distance.

  Without warning, a small group of red and blue uniformed rebels burst from a hut close to Selena, while simultaneously a second group ran from a building directly opposite. The two groups merged and opened fire as they retreated towards the other end
of the village and the waiting group of soldiers from the other skimmer. To their horror, the rebels soon found themselves in a cross-fire; machinegun bullets smashed into them, making their bodies dance even as they died. Some of them burst from hits from microwave weapons while others’ limbs and body parts simply fell apart, as if surgically removed, by hits from slicers. Out-manned and out-gunned, the rebels tried desperately to take cover and fight it out but fell one by one, neither giving nor expecting, quarter. Within minutes, the battle for the village was over.

  Selena walked through the piles of bodies and scattered limbs, some burning while others still pumped blood. A few wounded survivors tried to crawl away but Selena and the others calmly shot them where they lay. She smiled slightly, realising that if fate had dealt her a different hand it could easily have been her lying there in the bloodied dust. Then a young child ran from the shelter of one of the buildings and began to tug at a bag around the neck of one of the bodies.

  “Hey, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” Selena shouted.

  Even as she spoke, a woman ran from the trees and grabbed a rifle from one of the fallen rebels and pointed it at Sam, and was literally blown from her feet as explosive machinegun bullets raked her body and tore her apart. There was terror and defiance in her eyes as she died. Others, who’d followed her out, stopped instantly in their tracks, looking in horror at their fallen friend while raising their hands high.

  “Quite right, I’d stop exactly where you are if I were you.” Selena said, icily. “Dying like that isn’t nice, no matter what people tell you and you see on the screens — so don’t make the same mistake that your friend there did.” One of the women had already picked up a weapon but she had stopped halfway to her feet, with the gun still pointing at the floor. “Put it down,” Selena said menacingly, staring directly into her eyes.

  Za’an grabbed the child still trying to free the bag from the dead person’s neck. He simply picked it up with one arm then turned to face the villagers and pulled out his knife, holding it to the child’s throat. The child’s eyes widened in terror, as it felt the keen blade against its neck. Za’an looked at the woman and said gratingly, “Okay, bitch; put the weapon down or the child dies.”

  The woman looked from Selena to Za’an and then at the child. Finally she saw the multitude of weapons pointing at her and, with a wail, she dropped the rifle and began to cry, legs giving way beneath her.

  “Za’an, let the child go,” Selena said, keeping her eyes on the woman.

  Without a glance at Selena, he immediately complied and the child ran up to one of the women who stood there looking on in horror. The woman, in her early twenties, snatched him up and held him tightly, while stroking his hair slowly to comfort him.

  Za’an strolled over to the body that the child had been so interested in and pulled off the bag from the rebel’s neck, opening it and glancing inside. He poured the contents into his hand for all to see; jewels and valuable coins.

  “Give it to me,” Selena commanded.

  Without a word Za’an poured the contents back into the bag and tossed it over to her. She weighed the bag in her hand and then threw it back to the child. The villagers gasped, their eyes widening with surprise. There would be enough money from the valuables in the bag to buy food to feed their whole village for quite a while; but she had to wonder if it had stolen from the villagers in the first place, which would explain how the child knew it was there. Whatever, she knew from their reaction that she’d done the right thing.

  “Lower your weapons,” Selena ordered, and instantly the troops in both parties did as they were told. She noted the disbelieving look in the villager’s eyes. “Listen to me!” she shouted. “I don’t care what this rebel scum have been telling you, we’re not here to harm you but we do represent the Federal Government. If you attack us then you will be killed; it’s as simple as that. But we came here peacefully. Now, all of you come out; I want to talk to you.”

  One by one the villagers stepped out.

  Selena faced them calmly. “Are there any more rebels here?” she asked. Instantly many of them looked at a building close by and immediately a group of people burst out, guns blazing. The villagers scattered, several of them falling as they were hit. As Za’an lifted an injured villager and carried her to safety, a rebel took aim at him and opened fire. Arthur had the rebel in his sights but to Selena’s astonishment he didn’t take the shot and lowered his weapon. It was another trooper who took that last man down. Gradually, the villagers got to their feet and began to help the wounded, as Selena asked loudly:

  “You men, police those bodies. Now, you in the village, who’s in charge here?”

  “I guess I am,” an elderly fellow said, stepping towards her.

  “Then do you mind telling me what the hell is going on here?” Selena said, facing him. “You all ran away, why?”

  “Wouldn’t you?” the man replied calmly. “The rebels said you’d kill us all for helping them after they gave us food because we were hungry. What were we to do?”

  “And why wouldn’t we kill you for helping the rebels?” one of Muller’s lieutenants snarled. “It’s no less than you deserve.”

  “What would you do,” the man snapped back, getting angry, “if your children had nothing to eat and when you ask the local authorities for help they ignored you? You lot throw away large quantities of unwanted food every day, while our people go hungry. We don’t want something for nothing, we’re prepared to work for it, but if we have to side with the rebels to survive then that’s what we’ll do! Look,” he said, mellowing and spreading his hands wide as if in surrender, “all we’re trying to do is raise cattle and grow our own crops, but things here have been hard. There’s no work for us in the citadel and so no way to earn money to buy food, what else can we do? The rebels shared what they had without us even having to ask. They helped with our crops and cattle; and their medicines saved lives. Whereas each time we asked the citadel for help they simply turned us away. What would you do if you were in our place?”

  “Yes, and these rebels just shot at you and injured members of your village. Things have changed now,” Selena replied. “We’re here. I’ll speak personally to the base commander about what you’ve said, and I absolutely guarantee that from this moment on he – or his replacement — will be far more understanding. We’re prepared to help you but I want one thing understood, there will be no more siding with the rebels. If you do, then we’ll burn your entire village down, with all of you inside the buildings if need be; and I mean all of you. Is that completely understood?”

  A shocked silence followed. Selena turned to her companions. “Okay,” she said. “We’re finished here. Let’s go.” As they boarded the skimmers and left the village, Selena turned and had a last look back. Somehow, the whole incident had left a very bad taste in her mouth.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Aboard the Magellan Bryn knocked on the door of the cabin allocated to Selena as an office, entering as he heard her command to do so. “Ensign Jones is waiting in the corridor outside as ordered, Commander,” he said, leaving the door slightly ajar.

  “I want you to remain in here while I talk to him,” Selena replied, closing the files on her screen and looking up from her desk. “Wheel him in, Lieutenant.”

  Bryn opened the door further and loudly called Arthur’s name and rank. The man marched in crisply and stopped to stand firmly to attention in front of Selena, his eyes straight ahead.

  “I’ll come straight to the point, shall I, Ensign?” Selena said, leaning forward and eyeing him keenly. “During the battle yesterday I personally saw Sergeant Za’an in the line of fire, and you with a clear shot to take the man out and save Za’an’s life; but you didn’t do so, and he could easily have been killed. Tell me, why was that exactly?”

  “I’m sorry, ma’am, my weapon malfunctioned.”

  “Don’t bullshit me, Ensign. I’m an expert in it; I’ve even done the course. For your informatio
n I had your weapon examined immediately after we returned to the citadel. Its computer showed that no fault had occurred at all. I also examined your personal file.” She leant forward and eyed him intently. “Do you think I’m stupid, Ensign? Because, trust me, I’m not. I wondered what might make you act in such a way against Za’an, and so I looked again into both of your files — in depth. Za’an was convicted for organ smuggling, among other things, and your wife was a victim of that same crime; not only on the exact world but in the same city that Za’an had resided in. Bit of a coincidence, isn’t it?”

  “For what it’s worth, I don’t think you’re stupid at all, Ma’am, far from it. If you must know, I’ll tell you. Za’an’s personally responsible for the death of my wife, Mira. She died horribly, and he deserves to pay for it. I’ve sworn on God’s holy cross that I will be the man who destroys him. I’ll tear his heart out with my bare hands, if I have to, and gladly eat it in front of him and anyone else who cares to watch. I’ve watched him slay other people time and again, biding my time; so many others. But until now I’ve been unable to do anything about it without giving myself away. If he isn’t stopped, there’s no telling how many more he will go on to kill. That man’s a monster.”

  “Ensign, let me put it simply for you. This is a team, which you have signed on for. I will not have you jeopardise this mission, at any cost. Is that clear? You know full well that the fate of all mankind rests with us. If we fail, everyone dies. If you put your personal concerns before that, I’ll have you taken outside and shot immediately. Is that understood?” She waited until Arthur had nodded, before continuing more softly. “However, you’re an important member of this team and I do understand what you must have gone through. Not only that, having read Za’an’s records I have to agree with your assessment of the man. You can do what you want with him once the mission is over, but not before then. Is that absolutely clear?”