SWNOVELS Chapter 12
I staggered over to the door feeling stronger with each step. The door was metal with no way of opening it from the inside. It wasn’t a standard Confederacy sliding door but one of the type they had at the academy. An old fashioned door with hinges. Unfortunately for me the hinges where on the other side. Which meant I would have to barge through if anyone opened it. I had to time it right hoping that I would have the element of surprise. Leaning close I put my ear to the door unsure if it would work. It always seemed to do in those old vids. I froze hearing two voices on the other side.
“The bitch will be out for hours. Reggie gave it another dose of tranquilliser. It took down two of our best. We’ll mourn their loss later,” the first voice sneered.
I heard that much in his voice and noted that he wasn’t calling me ‘she’ just referring to me as ‘it’.
“Why didn’t we just kill her?” the second voice complained.
“They should have done,” I thought. I was doubly dangerous now.
“Boss wants its full confession before we execute it! WNN will be there to vid it all.”
I knew whose hands I was in. The ATL, WNN or as it was also known as World News Networks was known to associate with the ATL. I needed a plan of action but I had no weapons. I knew I would have to fight my way out but what with? I glanced at my marked hand and frowned that wasn’t going to work. I might get one with it then I would be unconscious. I would have to rely on speed and surprise. I listened further.
“Best we check on it. We don’t want it to die before it confesses!”
I heard footsteps approach.
The door opened before I had time to ready myself I just acted on instinct. I threw a shuriken still wet from my hand at the first target that presented itself. I hadn’t time to realise my error as I barrelled into his companion. I heard his head crack against the concrete floor and felt him go limp. By some miracle I hadn’t blacked out like I thought I would. I rolled off him going into a crouch my ears on alert. Either there was no one near or they hadn’t heard my confrontation my luck was holding. Quickly I dragged the two bodies back into the room and partially closed the door. One was tall almost as tall as a Valkyrie and broad wearing a long sleeved shirt and canvas style belt over his portly belly. His shoes were far too large for me to wear. I had difficulty dragging his body. His former companion was short and when I mean short he was shorter than most T’Arni and dressed in a similar fashion. I examined the bodies. Shorty was too small for me to wear any of his clothes and his friend was too large. The only thing of any use was the larger man’s shirt. I reached out and yanked the shuriken out of his chest. As I did so a charge of electricity passed though my fingers. I jerked back in horror aware of what had just happened. What life force still remained in his body after he had died had passed to me. I began to understand the Guardians weapon didn’t just kill Rhosani it drained their life force like some vid show vampire. I stared at my hand. I felt less injured and it didn’t hurt so much to breathe but my body still retained its mass of bruises and abrasions.
There would be a reckoning later but for now I had other things to consider. Quickly I stripped the shirt off the larger man and slipped it on rolling up the over long sleeves. Despite the rip in the chest it fitted like a short dress hanging down to the tops of my thighs it was better than nothing. I added his belt to my waist looping it around and tying it in place. Searching Shorty’s body I came up with a pistol. An old fashioned projectile weapon. I found it ironic that the ATL were using weapons from Earth considering how much they hated Terrans. I pulled out the clip and counted the rounds in the magazine. I had nine shots before the weapon became a useless lump of metal. Tucking the pistol in my belt I took a breath and edged my way out of the room closing the door behind me and wedging it with a piece of cloth from Shorty’s shirt. No one was easily getting into that cell it was a delaying tactic. Now all I had to do was get out of here without dying.
A barely lit and dusty corridor ran a far as I could see in either direction. Doors interspersed the corridor. The one opposite my cell was currently open. It contained a kitchenette, a table and two chairs. Two cups of half finished coffee sat on the table. With my throat dry I downed both cups grimacing at the taste. The rest of the room was a bust. I continued down the corridor unsure on my direction. I heard voices in the distance and halted wildly searching for a place to hide. I tried the closest door. I pulled the handle and entered jerking the door closed. I looked around trying to find a place to hide. Someone had made this room an office it contained a rusty metal desk with a chair behind the desk were a number of plastic packing boxes. On the desk was a datapad. Curiosity got the better of me and I leaned across the desk and took a close look at the datapad. From my cursory glance it seemed to contain a list of names. I hadn’t time to examine it closely when I heard footsteps outside the door. I froze my fingers scrambled for the datapad certain that that if I got out of here wherever here was I would need it.
The footsteps halted outside the door and I scooted behind the desk sliding the datapad beneath the feet of the desk. I pulled back the slide on the pistol and readied myself. I couldn’t afford to waste my shots with my eye still partially closed.
Suddenly a voice spoke from beyond the door. “Where are those two idiots?” the voice demanded.
“I don’t know sir,” the second voice replied.
I felt relieved in a way I was only dealing with two people. I couldn’t take the chance that they were both unarmed. These people had made their intentions all too clear. The door opened slightly and I took aim. Suddenly a series of explosions shook the building to its foundations.
“What the...?” the first voice shouted. “You go and check on the prisoner!”
I heard the comm bleep of a comms device followed by a garbled voice.
“We’re under attack. Kill her!” the first voice, said sounding angry. “That will show them how we deal with traitors.”
The door slammed closed and I heard the click of a lock. I was suddenly glad I wasn’t in my cell. The sound of footsteps hurrying away had me to the door with my ear pressed against it. Nearby I could hear the sound of someone cursing. Luckily for me the catch to unlock the door was on my side. I unlocked the door and peeked out. A figure stood outside my former cell trying hard to open the door. I edged out as quietly as possible. At that moment my luck ran out. He looked back and saw me.
“You!” he yelled grabbing at something in his waistband.
I couldn’t take the chance and fired. The sounded echoed down the corridor as he jerked and toppled over. Eight rounds left.
Before I had a chance to loot the body I heard a shout from behind me. I turned to see several figures at the far end of the corridor. I heard them fire as I ducked and rolled their shots flying over my head. I returned fire and ran in the opposite direction in the confusion. I don’t think they were expecting me to shoot back. A set of stairs led down I had no choice but to take them luckily for me it was darker here, which meant I had the advantage. I was now down to five rounds I had to be pickier and aim carefully. The corridor at the bottom of the stairs smelt of mould and as I stepped off the last step I went ankle deep into stagnant water. At least I think it was water it felt slimy underfoot. I took a cautious step one wrong move I would end in the water. Infection was the least of my worries at the moment. Any second now my attackers would reach the top of the stairs I had to keep moving. I moved carefully my ears alert to sounds of pursuit I began to worry about the sudden silence behind me. As much as I wanted to go back I pressed on certain of the fate that awaited me if I was captured. The corridor made a dip the ankle deep water was now up to my thighs. The corridor made a left turn I continued down wading through the water trying hard to remember what I could about Nthus fauna. I couldn’t remember of there was any poisonous reptiles or insects. I really didn’t want to encounter anything like that down here I had enough problems as it was. Unlike Earth the T’Arni had worked hard to balance the ecology and had removed anything they considered dangerous.
The corridor made a series of turns and I was thoroughly lost. It was dark down here I kept one hand on the wall with the pistol looped into the belt while my other held the datapad. The silence of the whole thing had me worried. I felt as if I was walking into an ambush. Several turns later I encountered a rusty feeling door. I felt along it edge until I found a handle. At first I pulled, when the door failed to open I pushed hard expecting it to be rusted closed. What I didn’t expect was the door to fall of its hinges sending a wave of stinking water down the corridor. I edged my way through doorway feeling the rivets on the door under my bare feet. The corridor abruptly sloped up and I glad to be out of the water my skin was beginning to itch badly where the water had touched it. I shuffled along the corridor stubbing my toe on something unseen. Suddenly as I put my foot down after doing a finger tip search of my toes I felt a sharp ripping pain in my foot. I stifled a scream as I pulled my foot up. My questing fingers found at sharp shard of metal in my foot. Blood gushed from the wound as I pulled it out. I grunted in pain my teeth gritted tight. I had to stop the bleeding not only would I leave a trail but I would bleed out if I was not careful even get an infection. I had my immuno jabs but I that didn’t cover whatever was in that water. I ripped the over long sleeves off my arms and wrapped it around my foot in a crude bandage.
I limped on at a slower pace pain pulsing through my foot. Still there was no sound of pursuit. Gun I hand I opened another door to be confronted by a rusty ladder. Up was up as far I was concerned. I climbed the ladder hearing sounds of weapons fire. A door at the top opened onto a gantry over a vast warehouse. My eyes were on the conflict below my feet. Armoured soldiers were battling the ATL. The ATL had a height advantage. I couldn’t ID the soldiers they were wearing standard grey and green camouflaged combat armour. It was too dim to make out any insignia on their armour. I could see the breaching charge holes they had come through which meant Marines. Whoever they were they were giving the ATL some cause for concern despite the ATL’s advantage. Unfortunately for the Marines already in the warehouse the amount of fire the ATL was laying down was preventing more Marines from joining the fray. I had to do something but I was at loss as what I could do. Surveying the position I saw something that made my blood run cold. Behind some cover the ATL was setting up a MAR launcher. That could devastate the Marines I could no longer be a passive viewer. I took aim and fired four rounds left. I hit my first target seeing him spin away from the half assembled MAR. His companion was quick on the uptake as he scanned the surrounding gantries. I took a chance and aimed again aware of how few rounds I had left. I fired but he ducked at the last moment the shot was wasted three rounds left. I couldn’t afford to miss again. He peered up from his hiding place trying to track where I was. I took a chance and fired again this time I didn’t miss. I must have hit one of the rockets as well. There was a flash and boom that shook my gantry. The MAR and its crew were no more. The blast had shaken the ATL as well. More Marines poured through the breach in the few moments of confusion the explosion had brought.
Two rounds left. I sat back leaning against the gantry railing my foot pulsing in pain. A movement on another gantry had me alert I could see the outline of a sniper rifle. I knew the type of weapon it was high powered enough to penetrate Confederacy combat armour. I didn’t take time to aim I just pulled the trigger and fired. He jerked and tumbled from the gantry onto his own forces I had no sympathy for any of them. I lay back I had only one round left there wasn’t much more I could do. Somehow my actions had a demoralising effect on the ATL. Some lost heart and threw down their weapons and surrendered. A hard core tried to fight on but were quickly killed. The Marines carried the day and I could take a breath. Sporadic weapons fire in the distance told me the fight was not over from what I could see the it would only be a matter of time before the Marines had mopped up the last of the ATL. The Marines had brought in lights and their medics were treating the wounded. I thought back to my first thought. They were too heavily equipped for Marines or security forces yet their breaching tactics said Marines to me. One of the Marines moved into a circle of light even from my position high on the gantry I caught a glimpse of the symbol on his shoulder pauldron.
My heart almost skipped a beat. I knew the tortoise symbol it showed was etched into my heart. They were not Marines these were GF and not just any GF they were 43rd. I wondered why they were here it couldn’t be a coincidence that they were here. Hyran was our base world. What were the 43rd doing on Nthus? It was a blessed relief to see them but a thought occurred to me. What could I do to indicate I was here and not make them think I was an enemy? The idea came to me it was so simple I couldn’t believe I had forgotten about it. The 43rd’s call sign was B.A.B some wit had coined the phrase ‘Bed And Breakfast’ long before I joined. It wasn’t until I lived on Earth that I learned the true meaning of the phrase considering the counter phrase it made more sense than a string of words.
“Bed and Breakfast!” I called out although my voice croaked a little at the end. Whether from emotion or the fact I only a little to drink and that was some swill they deigned to call coffee. It thrilled me to my soul when the reply came.
“At what price?” they responded automatically.
“Major Locke. Is that you?” a familiar voice called out.
I recognised the voice of my former ADC. Lieutenant Osward was General Osward’s grandson and didn’t get any preferential treatment. Well not while I was in charge of Company F. “Lieutenant Osward?”
“Captain now ma’am,” he paused and asked. “Where are you?”
“Up here on this gantry.”
“Can you get down?”
I thought about it. There was no way down from this side the alternative was trying to find my way back through the maze of corridors. I was in no condition to do that. “That’s a bust captain I’m wounded.”
“Ok major we’ll get a grav sled up to you.”
The grav sled or to put it correctly as an anti-gravity lifter was a nifty piece of equipment. Rather over large it was limited by it’s carrying capacity. Ok for a few people or equipment but was prone to EMP bursts that would render it useless. I recognised it as a medical unit. It rose into the air with two medics one steering while the other guided it up to the gantry. As it came level to the gantry one medic vaulted over the railing and landed next to me drawing his scanner out with practised efficiency.
“Stay still major while I scan you.”
The medic scanned my body. “Captain got an L5 here,” he said through his comms.
I didn’t like the sound of that. L5 was the GF designation for seriously wounded. I’d been L6’ed on several occasions even L7 in Anoxi but I didn’t think my wounds were that bad. The medics helped into the sled and we floated back down. The two with me were replaced by a half dozen more. Suddenly I heard an all too familiar voice.
“Major?”
“LT!” I was glad to hear Tutor’s voice it reminded me about the datapad I had. In all my excursions I hadn’t dropped it or lost it I had to know what was on it. I’d feel a bit stupid if it were someone’s grocery list. “Vorra with you?” I asked.
“Yes ma’am the whole squad’s here awaiting your orders.”
That last bit surprised me. I couldn’t think why they were I wasn’t in the GF or anything like that any more. “I need her hacking skills.” I waved the datapad in his face.
“Vorra get you butt in here pronto!” Tutor yelled down his comm link. “The major wants you.”
Vorra arrived in a rush her boots clattering on the concrete surface of the warehouse.
“Major?” she said and saluted.
I wasn’t about to pull her up over protocol. “Here, see if you can get into this?” I handed her the datapad. “I need to know what’s on it?”
“I’ll get straight on it major.”
I had to ask Osward the question. “Captain Osward how did you find me?” It couldn’t have been a coincidence that they were here.
“Flight Lieutenant Ross from the Havok.”
“Ross?”
“Well ma’am,” Tutor said with a nod from Osward. “Lieutenant Armaradies ordered him to over fly your path. He was overhead when you were taken but he couldn’t find a place to land so he shadowed your abductors and trailed them to this warehouse. He remains overhead as we speak.”
That explained how they found me but I had another question. “Who ordered this operation?”
“General Osward,” his grandson said.
“He didn’t go though Com Ops did he?”
“No ma’am, as far as Com Ops is concerned this is an extension of our training mission.”
“In?”
“Urban tactics. We were slated to head for another city but when the call came through we decided to do it for real.”
“Major?” one of the medics interrupted before he had a chance to answer. “We need to put you through a de-con shower.”
Reluctantly I let them strip me down and haul me into the decontamination shower several times and until they were satisfied I was clean.
Minutes later I was back on the grav sled my legs covered in a cream while my foot was encased in a healing gel and bandaged. I felt a bit cold in the hospital gown they had provided but at least it was clean. As I sat there two people entered. I instantly recognised my old CO General Osward. The shorter T’Arni in the admiral’s uniform wasn’t anyone I knew. I saluted both as they halted in front of me. Both returned the salute. Just then Vorra slipped in behind them her face grim.
“Major Locke this is Admiral Katares,” General Osward told me.
I wasn’t about to correct my former CO but I had to say it. “You do know Com Ops put me on a permanent leave of absence?”
“Oh, you were reinstated about eleven hours ago.”
“By whom?” I sincerely doubted that Com Ops would reinstate me since elements within it were out to kill me. I still held the hope that a few good people staffed Com Ops.
“By me,” Admiral Katares stated.
“You can do that?” I wondered how much power Admiral Katares actually had.
“Sorry Locke,” General Osward apologised. “It was the only way to get you back. I wanted you to return to the 43rd but I was overruled you’ve been reassigned to Spec Ops.”
Vorra spoke up before I could answer that. “Sirs, ma’am. Major Locke gave me this datapad she got from the ATL. I really think you should see this!”
Vorra handed it to Admiral Katares, which made sense since he was her commander. I guess he was mine now as well. He and General Osward spent several minutes pouring over the datapad.
I had to ask the question. “Vorra?”
“Ma’am?”
“What’s on it?”
“I wish it was good news but it isn’t. It a list of active ATL supporters.”
Suddenly I was glad I kept hold of it. It also went some way to explain why the ATL was aggressive in defending the warehouse. I bet that their leader had been too busy searching for this to worry about me.
General Osward finally finished looking at it and handed it to me. “You’ve hit pay dirt with this.”
I was surprised to hear him using a Terran expression. “I just picked it up and thought it might be important?”
“You don’t know how important this is?” He gave me a look. “How the hell did you get your hands on it?”
I explained my escape and then getting lost in the maze of tunnels under the warehouse. What surprised me was that neither had asked me about my hand. They seemed to take my report as read. “General, Admiral?”
“That’s not all of it. If General Osward is correct this was only the tip of the iceberg.” Katares stated grimly.
I began to wonder if everyone had learned Terran expressions while I was on Earth. I was certainly hearing them now or could it I had been hearing them all my life and not noticed. I doubted that after the amount of times I had explain something I had said to the Havok crew.
“From what I’ve read they were planning something big,” Admiral Katares added.
“Bigger than my torture and execution?”
“Execution?”
I hadn’t told them that and went on to tell them what I had overheard before I escaped.
“Wasn’t there some WNN outside when we surrounded the place?” General Osward said. “We detained them.”
“General, Admiral?” Captain Osward said. “I’ll get some of the men to deal with them.”
From the tone of Captain Osward’s voice I doubt they would be walking away from this in one piece. I had no sympathy for any of them after what had happened to me but I couldn’t help but worry about the political implications of roughing up members of the press no matter what they had done. “They may have already alerted the rest of the ATL!” I warned.
“Good point,” Katares said. “Take a couple of my special people.”
I wondered what he meant by that but a Marine hurried in before I could ask about it. There seemed to be too many of these interruptions.
“Sir!” The Marine saluted Admiral Katares. “There’s some Terrans here asking about Major Locke.”
“What Terrans?” I asked.
“A squad from the embassy asking for Major Locke,” the Marine replied.
“Admiral?” I looked at him wanting reassurance. I did wonder how the Terrans found me that quickly. They couldn’t have tracked my ID chip since the ATL had dug it out of my arm. I missed the rest of what Katares had said.
“No more than three,” Katares said.
“Yes sir!” the Marine saluted and whirled about on the spot and marched out smartly.
It gave me time to peruse the contents of the datapad and instantly regretting it. I felt sick to my stomach at the names on the list. High-ranking senators and Com Ops officers were on the list. I had no doubts it was genuine. It was the fact that a number of those on the list I had met in my duties as a major in the GF made me ill. I recognised one of the names on the list was an officer I had fancied before the debacle of Anoxi. I shuddered in horror at the thought I actually kissed him at a party. I wished I had never picked the thing up but there was no going back. These people were a danger to the Confederacy, a danger to all I held dear my path was clear. With the knowledge we had gained from the datapad we had a chance to make things better and save the Confederacy. Yet I hadn’t a clue how to go about it perhaps Admiral Katares or General Osward had a plan. Before I could speculate further the Marine returned with three Terran Marines in full armour. As they closed in I noted Marines and GF take up defensive positions. The Terran captain stood to attention and saluted. What surprised me was that he used the Confederacy salute.
“Captain in the wrong uniform?” His action prompted me to say.
“When in Rome,” he replied and removed his helmet.
I found myself facing a red haired man with a freckled face and green eyes. I understood his thinking. “Yes, of course.”
“We are ready to accompany you back to the safety of the embassy your grace.”
I noted the frown on his face as he studied the bruises and scrapes on the visible parts of my body. “Negative captain my mission here has not ended.”
“Your grace?” he sounded puzzled.
“Inform the ambassador that I’m alive.”
“Already done so your grace. The ambassador ordered us to stay at your side until you are back at the embassy. If that means we follow you into hell so be it.”
Just what I wanted more guards. I had an idea. “Captain find where this came from?” I tossed him the pistol. “The ATL had it I want to know where it came from and captain?” I hoped that would get him off my back.
“Yes your grace?”
“I do want it back.”
“Anything else your grace?”
“I’ll need someone to put a guard on Gena Guerro.”
“Already done your grace.”
I felt relieved that was one of my worries off my list. The ATL might go after her after I had thwarted their plan for me. “Good, that will be all captain.”
He made no move to leave. I doubted he was going to let the GF and Marines intimidate him.
I turned to Admiral Katares. “What now sir?”
“General Osward I want your half dozen companies to head over Com Ops HQ and detain any on the list that are still there. I’ll take the rest to the senate building.”
A year ago I’d have been willing to jump at the chance to take down my enemies without a thought. But some of what Ellie and Camelia had drummed into me about politics had me thinking about the consequences of our actions. “You do realise we’ll be classed as mutineers and that will play right into the ATL hands?” I asked Admiral Katares
“I have taken that into consideration. I have friends waiting.”
I wondered what he meant by that. “And me?”
“I can’t leave you here. Perhaps it’s for the best if you go with the Terrans to the embassy.”
“Sir?” I didn’t want to go. I knew I would follow his orders.
“That was never an option here,” he told me with a wink. “Major Locke comes with us.”
“Admiral sir I can’t go anywhere dressed as I am?” I protested.
“Someone get Major Locke a uniform.” He pointed to the Terran Marines. “Come with us and follow my orders.”
“Yes sir!” The Terran captain saluted.
It looked as if I wasn’t going to be rid of my escort just yet. Finally ready I was dressed in a set of skinnies and one of the medics had found a plastic cover to go over my bandaged foot and I was carried to a waiting MRECV. As I sat and watched the ramp close an old Terran expression came to me the ‘die was set’. I knew there was nothing I could do. I will have to see how this played out. The engines powered up and we were off to what I did not know.