The Blue of Antyllus

by Michael E. Gonzales

  From out in the hallway, a hundred and fifty mercs ran into the vault and began to pull weapons out of their racks, ammo from the lockers, and haul as much as possible out toward a designated point within the city.

  And though the mercs had hidden their movements from him, Indra was a witness to the raid on the vault and had sounded the internal CDF alarm. The ready reaction platoon quickly mobilized and moved swiftly toward the vault.

  At the same time Jackson was meeting Sergeant Lavet at arms room six, a team of mercenaries moved through the civilian housing area taking hostages. They preferred females, as they were generally weaker than males. They had a few targeted names on their list, among them the wife of the CDF Commander, Colonel Lindsay, and, of course, Nash’s girlfriend, Dr. Eltanie Austrini.

  At 03:45, mercenaries rushed into the various vehicle garages around the city and took possession of all operational vehicles. One PC was being serviced and its wheels were removed, so they set fire to that vehicle.

  Simultaneously, flight-qualified mercenaries stormed the V-tol hanger. They killed a guard with one long range shot to the head.

  Other mercs occupied the control room and opened the outer doors. All twenty-one V-tols were stolen.

  The hostages were brought to a designated location within the city to link up with the element of the force that had stolen the firearms. This element was, by this time, hotly engaged in a running gun fight with the reaction force of the CDF. Indra was alerting more CDF soldiers to respond and directing them to tactically advantageous locations.

  Before the reaction platoon could be reinforced, the hostages were brought forward and placed between the mercs and the CDF. The firing ceased.

  This group of mercs and their frightened hostages divided up and fanned out through the city. Ultimately, they boarded the PCs and the V-tols.

  By means of her COMde, Major Kuriko informed the CDF that the hostages were dispersed among the various vehicles. Indra did not need the situation explained to him. He held his fire and allowed the vehicles and aircraft to depart unmolested.

  In their wake, the mercenaries left five dead and twenty-two wounded.

  Fortunately, the fighting had been short-lived and restricted to a small area within the CDF portion of the city. For the most part, the civilian population slept through it, completely unaware.

  ○O○

  Nash rose at his usual time, 05:30. He showered, dressed in his work uniform, wolfed down a nutrient bar and a cup of coffee, and grabbed his tools. Before he left his Q, he checked his PDA and saw that his first job this morning was the repair of a tram mag lift section in the floor inside the CDF zone of section five. Not far from where Tanny worked.

  He decided he would stop and buy a bouquet of blue, purple, and dark red flowers and deliver them to her office as soon as he finished with the floor.

  Opening the door, he was shocked to discover two armed CDF soldiers standing directly across the hall from his quarters.

  “Morning boys,” he said casually as the door closed behind him.

  The staff sergeant addressed him, “Captain Rastaban?” Nash instantly knew there was a problem. No one called him by his old rank anymore.

  “I’m Nash Rastaban. What can I do for you, gentlemen?”

  “Sir, you can set the tools down, turn around and assume the position against the door without giving us any trouble.”

  Whatever the problem, it was serious. He knew he’d done nothing, and so, willingly complied with the instructions.

  Nash was handcuffed and led to a waiting tram in the larger corridor. Thirty minutes later, he was seated in an interview room. Here, he waited another forty-five minutes.

  When the door opened, Major Dave Mitchel entered the room.

  “Hello, Nash. Why are you still here?” Dave asked as he took the seat across the table.

  “Hello, Dave, I’m still here because your people won’t let me go.”

  Dave was looking through a ream of paper, which of course Dave didn’t need to depend upon. “I mean, why are you still in New Roanoke?”

  Nash cocked his head and furrowed his brow. “Ah…I’m afraid I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

  “Didn’t you receive a visit from Major Kuriko in the room you’re working on two weeks ago, Thursday?”

  “Yes.”

  Dave placed the folder on the desk in front of him. “What did you two talk about?”

  “She offered me a job. She said she and some investors were going to reopen the factory.”

  “The factory is a function of the colony,” Dave shot back. “Not a private enterprise.”

  Nash leaned forward, “Sir, the last time I was associated with the factory it was a function of the IIEA. I thought it had been destroyed by the E’meset until Kuriko told me it still existed.”

  Just then, Dave held up a finger indicating Nash should wait. His glance shot off to his right. He was obviously receiving information over Ismay, the internal language used by all SUBs, bots, and Indra.

  Dave’s eyes quickly returned to Nash. “Your Q and your project rooms are clean.”

  “Clean? Clean of what?”

  Dave leaned forward and placed the palm of his left hand on the side of Nash’s neck and looked hard into his eyes. “Nash…tell me you don’t know what the mercs did early this AM.”

  “Dave, I swear to you, I have no idea what’s going on or why I’m here.”

  Dave sat back and nodded. “Your pulse did not change; neither did your eyes, skin temperature, perspiration, or respiration, nothing changed. And I detect honesty in your voice.” He rose, stepped around the table and behind Nash, took off the cuffs, and then returned to his seat.

  Dave slid the file forward in front of Nash, “Early this morning, one thousand nine hundred ninety-eight of the two thousand thirteen former mercenaries revolted. They broke into the armory and stole weapons and ammo. They took all the PCs and V-tols. They injured twenty-two. And Nash, they killed five of my people.”

  “Why didn’t Indra—”

  “Because they also took hostages, Nash.”

  Nash leapt to his feet. “Tanny?” he asked.

  “Relax. She’s safe. They did, however, take her roommate Ms. Cindy Mira.”

  “Is Tanny unharmed?”

  “She was on a tram on her way home from work, so they missed her, but she was a target.”

  “My God. When can I see her?”

  “Soon.”

  “And, Kathy?”

  “They left all the SUBs alone. A SUB would be too much for them to handle.”

  Nash glanced out the window behind Dave. “You suspected I was in on the plot?”

  “None of the former IIEA security force enlisted members were in on the plot. Of the former officers of the IIEA security force, you are the only one Kuriko visited…and spoke with. What would you think?”

  “Yeah…I see.” Nash said.

  “If they had asked, we would have given them all they needed to go live apart from us,” Dave said shaking his head.

  “Dave,” Nash said, “I know Kuriko. She didn’t do this just to live apart from us. She has some other plan. She left me with a clue though. She asked me if there were a chance to get back to Earth if I’d be interested.”

  “Back to Earth? And you said no?”

  “I’ve found…I’m in love with Tanny, Dave. If she decides to live in the bottom of that cave, I’ll follow her there. She’s here, and so I am here. I’m sure you, of all people, understand.”

  “Yes. Yes, I understand.”

  “They must be headed for the factory,” Nash said.

  “There’s no place else for them to go,” Dave said solemnly. “I asked the E’meset not to follow them because I don’t want any of them killed. Kuriko mentioned the factory to you, so undoubtedly that’s where they’re going. It’s still there. It’s big enough for all of them, and it’s still manufacturing atmosphere.” Dave paused and folded his hands in front of him on top of the t
able. “I don’t understand how Kuriko figures any of this is going to get her back to Earth.”

  “The truth is…” Nash said, “she knows she can’t get back. But, you see, she is in command now. She has power…over those people out there, the hostages, and through them, us. She’s all about power.”

  Dave leaned back in his chair. “She’s holding all the aces, that’s for sure…she has all the V-tols which were all armed with a basic load, so, she can strike New Roanoke anytime she wants. Indra’s air defenses are good, but we are now going to live under constant fear of attack. A single V-tol firing a single missile could allow a lot of the outside atmosphere into the city. And she knows just where to hit us.”

  ○O○

  Nash had learned from Dave that Tanny was in the bio lab so, naturally, he made a beeline there. He entered the lab and found it empty. Then, in the back, he heard voices and sobbing. Entering the back room, he saw all the lab coats surrounding Tanny who was sitting, crying.

  Someone looked up as he approached and said, “Here comes Nash.”

  Instantly, Tanny jumped up and ran to him. She threw her arms around him and cried, “Oh, Nash, they took Cindy!”

  He stood there holding her as she cried onto his shoulder. “What are we going to do?” she sobbed.

  He could only look into the faces of the others. In truth, he had no idea what was to be done.

  ○O○

  In the days after the revolt, Nash and Tanny spent all the time they could spare together, sharing several lunches and dinners. Nash was concerned for Tanny; he knew she’d never stopped worrying about Cindy. He told her they would not harm the hostages because, obviously, they still needed them. It was of little comfort to her.

  Two or three times a week, he sent Tanny a bouquet of the blue, purple, and red flowers she liked, and slowly her disposition changed. She didn’t stop worrying, but she was functioning much better.

  When dining facility number forty-five started showing films every Wednesday evening, Nash took Tanny to almost every movie shown.

  The one they missed was a story of a platoon of combat engineers cut off behind enemy lines in the bloody archipelago in Oceania. Nash had seen enough of war here on Antyllus. He’d left the old world and its bloody problems behind.

  The next film was a tear-jerking love story. An old one, Tanny had no doubt seen before. Regardless, Nash was the first to get tickets.

  As they left the theater, Tanny was wiping her eyes and holding Nash’s arm. “That’s such a good movie. Thank you for bringing me tonight, Nash.” And she leaned over and kissed his cheek. Nash’s breath stopped. He felt his face become flushed and had to force his jaws back together.

  He turned to look at her.

  “Nash,” she said, “you are the finest man I’ve ever known. I hope this doesn’t scare you, but…I don’t want to lose you.”

  His eyes searched hers. He slowly pulled her to his chest and kissed her. Her body relaxed in his arms. Their kiss spoke to both of them in a way neither had the courage to express openly.

  The other people coming out of the theater looked at them and smiled. Someone shouted, “Hey, kids, it wasn’t that good a digy!” which drew a chuckle from the crowd.

  ○O○

  The following morning, just as Nash was starting to direct several of the little maintenance robots to work on an air exchanger, his COMde alerted him to a call. It was Dave asking him to come to his office. “Come now, will you, Nash? It’s important.”

  When Nash entered the office, Dave was not there. As he waited, he looked around. Dave’s office was quite austere. There were no photographs or certificates as you see in the offices of most people. Everyone wanted to sound their own trumpet in some form, and office walls were perfect for that. On Dave’s walls were maps of each layer of the city, the surrounding areas of the city, and even a rough map of the continent. There were wiring diagrams, and plumbing schematics, and all manner of technical data, most just pinned haphazardly to the wall.

  Nash realized why there were no pictures of Kathy or any of his other friends on the walls. Being a SUB, Dave could replay his memories in full. Relive full days, weeks, or just a single moment as many times as he wished. Just like being there all over again. These maps were for the benefit of the bios he had to deal with.

  Dave entered rather quickly and took a seat. “Thanks for coming on such short notice, Nash. We’ve heard from Major Kuriko. You were right. She’s demanding we send a request to Earth for their extraction. If we don’t, they threaten to kill the hostages. Will she? Will she kill the hostages?”

  “Yes.”

  “I thought so. Will she turn them lose if we send the message?”

  “No. She’ll keep them as insurance. They will leave them behind, however. But God knows what they will do to them in the meantime. And there’s the question of what the IIEA will do, should they actually come, which is doubtful.”

  “Exactly. After the battle, we worried Wilmington was going back to the Demeter to nuke us from orbit,” Dave leaned in and folded his hands in front of him on the desk. “Nash, I’ve studied your record. You are perhaps the most knowledgeable human being on the planet as far as the terrain around the factory and its interior are concerned. We need your help. We, the CDF, and thousands of E’meset are going to launch an assault on the factory. We hope to rescue the forty-two hostages and subdue the mercenaries. Either way, when this fight is over, the mercs will no longer be a problem.”

  “So…you plan to kill them all?”

  Dave sat silent looking into Nash’s eyes for several seconds. A very long time for a SUB. “Not part of the plan, no. But when this is over, I will take steps to ensure they are never again a threat to this city. I will identify all the leaders and those responsible for the five dead and they will face trial.” He paused. “Nash, I need your expertise for this raid.”

  “Major Mitchel,” Nash said after a long moment of silence, “you said you have thousands of E’meset accompanying you on this raid. Who knows that land better than an indigenous warrior?”

  “The mine fields and traps have kept them at bay for twenty years. You know where all that stuff is.”

  “I will produce maps for you. But please, don’t ask me to go with you. I’m in love, Dave. I have been empty for so long, and now — without any warning — this woman comes and fills that hole in my chest. I won’t risk that.”

  Dave turned in his chair looking out the window. “Maps will be a poor substitute, but I’ll take what I can get.”

  Nash nodded and lowered his head, “Thank you, Dave. And I’m sorry not to be—”

  “It’s okay. Forget it. We’ll do just fine.”

  ○O○

  The following weekend, Nash and Tanny had seen the old movie, Craters of the Moon. Another boy meets girl story set during the early days of JILL.

  “Uhm…E’lika, do you have to get right back to your Q? I mean do you have to be back at a certain time?”

  Tanny laughed. “Cindy was rooting for me to…no, Nash, I don’t have a curfew.”

  “You may have noticed, I’m busy a lot of evenings—”

  “Nash, don’t give that a second thought. I know how much recovery work there is in the city.”

  “No, it’s not been recovery work. Well, yes it has, but not what you think.”

  “Nash, I don’t understand.”

  “Well, if you’ll agree to come with me, I’ll show you.”

  Thirty-five minutes later, they entered the top floor of the first ring of sector seven. Most of the damage in the hallway had been recently repaired by the maintenance robots, and the hall still smelled of fresh paint. They exited the tram and entered a hallway off the main corridor. As Nash approached the door, his COMde sent the code that opened it.

  He and Tanny entered the first room. It was shaped like a pie wedge. The wall to their left, the crust of the pie wedge, and the exterior wall of the city, was a massive window that ran floor to ceiling and the entire
length of the room. To their right, a large spiral staircase went up to the room with the observation dome.

  Downstairs, there was a modern kitchen with an ultra-microwave and a regenerator. The space had three bedrooms, two living areas, and two studies.

  There were boxes, ladders, tools, paint cans, and ground sheets all over the place.

  “Nash, what is this place?” Tanny asked.

  “This is mine. The city sold it to me cheap with the understanding I would turn it into two condominiums. The other side is finished, but this side is mine, and I want it to be, well, special. Do you like it?”

  Tanny had walked to the window and looked out on the vast blue and black world that stretched out before her. The terrain was quite well illuminated in the light of the smaller and more distant of the two red suns in this binary system. This time of year, with a sun over each hemisphere, it never really got dark.

  Off to the southwest, a huge storm was pouring rain into the forest and lightning was flashing like Christmas lights.

  “It’s beautiful,” Tanny said. Then she turned around and looked directly into Nash’s eyes. “You’ve done a beautiful job here, Nash.”

  “It means a lot to me that you like it,” he replied. “Come, let me show you something else.” He took her hand, and together, they went up the stairs and into the observation dome. The pigment in the optical silica nanofiber dome was darkened, and so the dome was opaque. Nash pressed a button, the lights dimmed, and the dome became clear. The southern extent of the nine-meter diameter circular room was on the very edge of the city wall and thus, the view was spectacular. “Look E’lika, even with the second sun up, you can see billions of stars,” Nash pointed out. “This room could serve as the master bedroom.”

  Tanny turned to look at him.

  Nash became suddenly aware of the implication of his words. “I…there’s a full bath just down there with two sinks, and his-and-hers walk-in closets.”

  Tanny smiled. “It’s awfully large for one man all by himself, don’t you think?” she asked.

  “I do think, yes,” Nash responded, without breathing.