A Hero

by Stephen Arseneault

"Yes, sir!"

  Lieutenant Gil Forbes commed his platoon as he hurried away. He was the best of my rebel Marines and one of the most dependable officers I had ever seen. He always got the job done, returning from every mission with the same stoic expression he was showing that day.

  Hayden said, "We need that control room, Ray. The Corporation will be here with a fleet in less than four days."

  I nodded. "And this station and our fleet will be waiting to turn them back." I glanced around the corner, firing off several more plasma rounds.

  Forbes came over the comm. "Colonel, we're in position. Looks like we only have a single team to push back. This hall is clear. They've locked us out of the storage areas, but we'll have access soon enough."

  "Give me a sec." I turned toward my troops. "We're hitting this hall hard in five. Lieutenant Forbes, you are a go!"

  Seconds later, the other end of the hall echoed with the whumps and crashes of plasma fire. I stepped out, firing my rifle along with the others beside me. The Corporate Marines at the other end took hits and backed away. They had lost their advantage. Hayden charged ahead with me at his heels.

  "Come on!" He yelled. "We got this!"

  The big hulk was out front. It was the place he always favored. My heart was pounding. It was almost as exciting as the final Togmal defeat. We were taking Iceguard from the brutal, thuggish corporation and I had confidence this would be the event that set them into a downward spiral. I smirked to myself at the cartoon of Estelle stomping her feet and spewing out expletives.

  But the fight was not over. A second group of Corporate Marines rammed into the side-hall Forbes was manning. Within seconds, we lost our advantage. We were now out in the open. The original group of Corporate Marines charged forward to their prior position. When the first plasma rounds sizzled past us, Hayden dove to the floor, sliding forward as if on a sheet of ice, while spraying the hall's end with plasma.

  He slapped the floor and pushed himself along with his left hand while firing with his right. He bounced from side to side off the walls. His special battlesuit was designed for the slide with hundreds of tiny air jets keeping his body only a millimeter off the deck. The Marines at the end of the hall again turned away.

  "Forbes! What's happening?"

  "They have us boxed in, Colonel! We can no longer see down your hall. There are enough of them to keep us locked in place."

  "Can they overrun you?"

  "That's a negative, sir. We have a solid position. But so do they."

  Hayden stopped, rolled, and pushed himself to his feet, sprinting the final ten steps to reach the maintenance room doorway. We came up behind him. Two of my sergeants hustled past, continuing the firefight. Hayden kicked in the door with a heavy boot. Several workers inside exploded as his plasma rounds entered their bodies.

  He growled. "Always a mess. Come on. This is it. That console over there gives access to the entire station."

  I hesitated at the sight of the console. My mind yelled at me that this was not a station maintenance room, maybe just a mock-up. But Hayden beckoned me to come in.

  In my moment of indecision, I took a slow step toward him. At that same instant, the Corporate Marines down the hall charged ahead. My team, still out in the open, was taking it hard.

  Hayden grabbed my arm and pulled me in, slamming the damaged door behind him.

  Forbes came over the comm. "Colonel! They're everywhere!"

  I yelled, "Pull back! It's a trap!"

  I could hear my team in the hall being forced away from just outside the door, taking casualties in their attempt to protect me.

  Forbes yelled, "Colonel! Corporate Marines crowd the storage areas!"

  "Pull back! Everyone! Get back to—"

  The butt of a plasma rifle came down hard on my comm, disabling it. I felt a tremendous pain in my wrist. A second move had my rifle ripped from my hand before I could bring it to bear. I looked up in time to see a grinning Hayden Roth. He snatched my combat knife from its side pouch as his big hulking frame pinned me to the wall.

  A second door inside the room flew open. A dozen Corporate Marines streamed in. I was immobilized. I had the sudden realization—I was caught—captured by the enemy.

  Out from behind them walked a smiling TC Goodall. "Hello, Ray."

  My eyes didn't want to believe what they were seeing. The trap had been perfect. I withheld the shocked look I wanted to express. Outside in the hall, the rumbles of plasma exploding quieted as the fight moved away from us.

  "Why are you doing this?" I asked.

  A laugh from TC followed. "Are you really asking that question? The Corporation, Ray. I did it for The Corporation. Which is my family by the way."

  "You can't win, TC. The people are against you."

  "Oh, but we just won, Ray. Capturing you will bring about the demise of the rebellion. The people have no power. We have control and we are keeping it."

  "If you're thinking—"

  Hayden rammed a pair of pliers into my mouth, extracting a tooth with a cyanide capsule. I gave a reflexive gag as he pulled it out.

  "You didn't think we would let you off yourself, did you?" TC chortled. "You're an extremely important asset, Ray. We need you."

  "I won't be telling you anything, Thomas. You might as well kill me here and now. After my capture, Union Command will reorganize, securing themselves."

  TC pulled up a chair and sat. "Yes. About that. They won't have knowledge of your survival, Ray. At least not at first. After they find out you're alive, you will deliver the rebellion to us." TC grinned. "And you will enjoy doing so."

  I spit blood from my mouth. "Never."

  "Never say never, Ray." TC smirked. "There is one other interesting twist to all this. You will find it revolting today but will relish it in a short time. Estelle will soon have what she wants."

  "My life? She's wanted that for a long time. She wanting to do the deed herself?"

  "Not your life, Ray. Your body and soul. She will soon own them."

  "Never." I glanced up at Hayden. "Why'd you do this?"

  "Are you kidding?" Hayden shook his head. "Look at how The Corporation is running things, Ray. Virtually no crime or corruption. They defeated the Togmal, not the Union. For me personally, and for all the Marines, we are finally making an excellent wage."

  "There are no Marines, Hayden. You're nothing more than corporate cops."

  "Semantics."

  "Is this about money?"

  "Isn't it always? What is freedom without the means to enjoy it? I've already put away enough in seven years to retire five times over. Marine pay was okay, but we can now retire in fifteen years instead of thirty. Fifteen years, Ray. That leaves the rest of our lives to go out and live. Want to talk about freedom?"

  "Wages for everyone can't possibly be higher, Hayden. The math doesn't work. For every winner there's got to be at least one loser. Your excellent living is at the expense of someone else."

  Hayden leaned in. "Then they should have joined the Marines, Ray. Not my fault if they're idiots."

  At that moment I realized you could never really know a person. Honor, integrity, loyalty, friendship, those were traits everyone had some level of. There were some people you would just never expect could betray you. Hayden had shown me almost anyone could be bought.

  TC waved a hand. "Enough of this. What is our progress outside this room?"

  Hayden checked for status over his comm.

  "The rebels in the far hall have fought their way back to the docking bay, sir. Looks like they will make their ship and probably an exit from this system."

  "You said this was an air-tight plan, Mr. Roth."

  "And it was, sir, until you pushed up the time schedule. Had you allowed the skirmish in the side hall earlier, we would have delayed entry into this room by another forty-five minutes, giving our fleet the opportunity to get as close as possible before detection. Now the rebel ship will be away and gone before their arrival. I warned of tampering with the
schedule... sir."

  TC scowled. "You had better watch your insolent attitude, Mr. Roth. There are a thousand Hayden's vying for your position, each as capable as you."

  Hayden bowed. "My apologies, sir. I can be a bit hot-headed at times. Station is secure, sir. The rebel ship is away. They will escape. Our fleet will not catch them."

  I smiled. "And the rebellion lives on."

  TC stood from his chair. "For a short while only, Ray. We have big things in store for them. When the last of that scum breathes their final breath, The Corporation will be stronger than ever. The people will look back on this event and rejoice because we stopped the rebellion and The Corporation won. The Union is gone, Ray. Dead. We know how to run this empire in a far more efficient manner. Everyone has a job. Everyone has their place without worry of corrupt officials stealing from them."

  I shook my head as I was jerked to my feet. "Delusional."

  Four days later, after a long flight, a pair of Marines dragged me out of an elevator and down a hall. A hood was removed from my head. I recognized the hall from so many years before. It was Estelle's command ship. They hustled me through a door into her private chambers. Shackles restrained my hands and feet. To my right side sat a doctor in a lab coat.

  A smiling Estelle was standing before me with her hands on her hips. "I knew you'd be back. The rest of you, except the doctor, go."

  The guards, bowed and backed out the door, closing it behind them.

  Estelle grinned. "I've been so looking forward to this day, Ray. When TC came to me with this plan, I thought there was no way he could pull it off. But here you are. All ready to become my servant."

  "Serving you is one thing I will never do, Estelle. I never said this before because I cared for your feelings, but I find you repulsive."

  Estelle stepped closer, placing her warm soft hand on my cheek, touching my lips with her thumb. "I know. I've known for some time. People always said I was difficult. But none of that matters anymore."

  I turned my face away. "What is it you want from me?"

  "You know what I want, Ray. I want you. I want your love, and respect, and admiration."

  "Never going to happen."

  Estelle smirked. "Oh, but it will happen, Ray. You will love me, you will practically worship the ground I walk on, and you will betray the rebellion for that love. It will all be happening soon."

  I slowly shook my head. "You're delusional. Just like your brother. Who else would kill their own father for power?"

  "Kill?" Estelle turned. "Daddy? Did you hear that? He actually thought you were dead."

  Aarlis Goodall appeared from around a corner. "Sorry it had to come to this, Rayford. I liked you. We all liked you."

  I scowled. "More deceit."

  Aarlis feigned a frown. "It hurt me here in the heart when you chose the Union over us. You know there would be no rebellion without you, right? We made you a hero of so many battles against the Togmal and you turned on us. It was quite disappointing."

  "You made me a hero? And as to the rebellion, I'm only a single person. I was encouraged by others to fight because what you're doing is wrong. The people are reclaiming their freedom."

  Aarlis shook his head. "Without you as their figurehead, any notion of a rebellion would have withered and died right along with that corrupt Union."

  "Is that why so many of those corrupt politicians are now in your employ?"

  Aarlis frowned. "A necessary evil... and temporary. They have their use. We're keeping them in check for now."

  Aarlis sighed as he shook his head. " I think Thomas is the most let down here. He feels he may be losing a friend. I wish I could have persuaded you to voluntarily join our team, Ray. You would have been family. But I suppose that was never in the cards."

  "And never is forever, Aarlis."

  The old man smiled. "At one time that was true, Ray. But we live in a new age. Doctor, administer the shot. I have other important business to attend to."

  I felt a prick on my arm. I turned to see the doctor pulling back a needle. My legs were suddenly weak. The voices of those around me faded. The lights in the room dimmed and went dark as I slumped to the floor. My inner thoughts dissolved into nothingness.

  ~~~~~

  Once again, this Human is asking for your help! If you enjoyed the book, please leave a review on the site where it was purchased. And by all means, please tell your friends! Any help with spreading the word is highly appreciated! I have a free science fiction eBook short story, titled "THE SQUAD", waiting for anyone who joins my email list. Also, find out when the next exciting release is available by joining the email list at comments@arsenex.com. Visit the author's website at www.arsenex.com for the rest of the series and other works!

  Thank you for reading my work! I hope you have a great day!

  Stephen

  Books by Stephen Arseneault

  * * *

  SODIUM-AMP-OMEGA Trilogy Series

  SODIUM:

  Butchered, abandoned.

  Dissected like lab rats.

  Alien machines are stalking Humans.

  Man is suddenly no longer alone in the universe. Advanced enemies plague our very existence. We have to muster all our strength, determination, and courage if we are to survive. And if those can be managed, there is a galaxy to be conquered.

  This six-book saga takes Man from his first encounter with aliens back in 1957, all the way to a fight for our all-out survival in the future. If you love tales written in the style of the science fiction masters, prepare yourself for full immersion in this fantastic adventure! Get it here!

  AMP:

  In a distant galaxy, Humans are on the run.

  An insane species follows.

  They will not stop... ever.

  Trapped on an immense station with limited resources, our only option has been to flee. Years of peace are over. War is again coming to the Grid.

  This time however, it's time to stand and fight.

  This exciting eight-book series chronicles the struggles of Don Grange, a simple package deliveryman, who is thrust into an unimaginable role in the fight against our enemies. Can we win peace and freedom after a thousand years of war?

  Continuing as a legacy of the SODIUM series, the story picks up a thousand years into the future. Don't just sit at home scratching your head about what to do because you are bored, go on a mental rampage, travel the stars, take a risk and dive head-first into this non-stop-action saga! Get it here!

  OMEGA:

  The Alliance is crumbling.

  There are rumors of war in Andromeda.

  Whole colonies are being conscripted to fight.

  When corruption and politics threaten to throw the allied galaxies into chaos, Inspection Detective Knog Beutcher gets caught in the middle. Espionage, intrigue, political assassinations, rebellions and full-on revolutions, they are all coming to Knog Beutcher's world.

  Told from the unique perspective of an alien, this thrilling eight book series is cast a thousand years into the future beyond the exciting AMP series. Prepare to be reading until the wee hours! Get it here!

  * * *

  HADRON:

  Billions die.

  Life on Earth is shaken to its core.

  We can be our own worst enemy.

  After scientists using the Large Hadron Collider discover dark matter, the world is plunged into chaos.

  Massive waves of electromagnetic interference take out all grid power and forms of communication the world over. Cities go dark, food and clean-water supplies are quickly used up. Marauders rule the highways. One group of citizens takes a stand. Can they make a difference?

  A benevolent species will arrive in their spaceships to rescue the Human race from themselves. Only, are they really so benevolent? Our little corner of the Milky Way may be a very hostile place.

  This eight book adventure begins as a modern day, Human survival story and then morphs into an al
l out fight for rule of our section of the Milky Way. If you love reading apocalypse-turned-science-fiction, and reading with your mouth agape, this saga was made for you! Get it here!

  * * *

  ARMS:

  Selling arms to the outer colonies.

  A sweet deal.

  Unless you're being used to threaten the peace.

  Genetically engineered and trained for war, Harris Gruberg and Tawnish Freely, former Biomarines with the Domicile Defense Force, have been out of work since the centuries-old war with New Earth came to an end two years prior. They lack the knowledge and experience needed to live among a civilian population.

  Getting involved in the illegal arms trade offers the promise of working with something they know-- weapons. When the profits from their efforts run wild, they soon find out acquiring wealth so easily comes at a high cost. Will their mistakes bring a return of the Great War? Or is what's coming far worse?

  If you enjoy fighting the good fight, protecting the people and what you love, the ARMS saga will keep you ripping through pages until your fingers bleed! Get it here!

  * * *

  FREEDOM:

  Addicted.

  Enslaved to the Empire for 500 generations.

  We are bought, sold, traded, and hunted for sport, our value only measured in credits.

  But a mysterious virus is sweeping through our populations, giving immunity to the addiction and making us aware of our condition. We feel the call of freedom. Our masters feel different.