The Peacekeepers. Books 4 - 6.

by Ricky Sides

  Not for the first time, Evan felt a flush of hot anger at the man who’d taken Lisa captive when she was eight years old. Even though five years had passed and the man was long dead, she still had occasional moments of terror associated with that captivity. Having only recently been taken captive himself, Evan could more easily relate to her experience now.

  “It’s okay Lisa. We can find somewhere else to hide,” he said, patting her on the shoulder to reassure her that he wasn’t upset with her.

  They looked for an alternate place to hide, but there really wasn’t anywhere else where they could be relatively certain they wouldn’t be discovered before the ship left the citadel.

  Soon they found themselves beside the berths once more. “I’m sorry, Lisa, but there isn’t anywhere else that will work. Maybe you’d better let me make this trip alone this time,” Evan said.

  Lisa stubbornly shook her head and replied, “I’m going with you, Evan.” Looking thoughtful for a moment, Lisa opened the blind covering one of the berths. I think it’s wide enough for two. We can put the bag at our feet. It will be close, but you’ll be with me. It won’t be like the trunk of that car if you’re with me.”

  Shrugging, Evan stowed the bag at the foot of the berth and climbed in. A moment later, Lisa climbed in beside him and drew the blind shut. The subdued lighting from the hallway barely penetrated the screening material, but in moments their eyes adjusted and they could see relatively well inside the berth.

  “Well it is comfortable. Not as comfortable as my bed in the citadel, but it will do,” Evan said.

  Lisa turned over on her side to face Evan. She said, “Evan, there’s something I never told you about me. I think I want to tell you now, so I can ask you a question about it.”

  “Alright, tell me, I’m listening,” Evan responded.

  “Mom says that man hurt me. Hurt me inside. He hurt me so bad that I won’t ever be able to have a baby,” Lisa admitted.

  “He was a monster. I’m glad Pete killed him,” Evan said angrily.

  “Evan, I’m scared,” Lisa admitted.

  “He’d dead. There’s no way he can hurt you now, so why are you scared?” Evan asked, puzzled by what Lisa had revealed.

  “I’m scared because some men won’t have a woman that can’t give them a child. I’ve heard mom talking to women who were upset because they couldn’t give their husbands a child. They thought that they would lose the man. Would something like that matter to you, Evan?” she asked.

  Evan thought she sounded as if she were on the verge of tears. Her question wasn’t one he’d ever considered, but he wanted to give her an honest answer. All of the people who had been influential in his life had taught him that honesty was important. So when he answered her, he gave an honest answer as he explained, “I’ve never thought about having children. But if I loved the woman, the way that Jim loved Mom, then no. It wouldn’t matter to me. Mom wanted to give Jim a baby so much. She was so happy when she thought….” Evan couldn’t go on. Unbidden tears overwhelmed him. He angrily brushed them away and said, “I’m sorry, Lisa.”

  “It’s ok, Evan,” Lisa said and wrapped one of her arms around him to comfort the young man.

  Moments later Evan continued, “I think Jim said it best. I heard him tell Mom that it didn’t matter if they couldn’t have a baby together. He had me. If I had a wife who couldn’t have a baby, we could adopt a baby just as your folks adopted you.”

  “Thank you. That’s what I wanted to know,” Lisa said contentedly.

  “All you have to do is find a man like Jim then,” Evan said with confidence. Then he frowned and said, “They are kind of rare though. It might take you a while to find that kind of man.”

  “I think you’re a lot like Jim,” she said.

  “Well, maybe I am, but you’d never marry me,” Evan said with an air of finality.

  Lisa wrapped her arms around Evan and kissed him on the lips. For a moment, she felt that physical yearning that her mother had warned her about during a private conversation. Rolling onto her other side, she faced the curtain and said, “I think I’ll take a nap. I want to be wide awake when we make the trip in the new ship.”

  “Alright, I’ll wake you when we take off,” Evan replied. He lay there on his back beside Lisa, just listening to the sound of her breathing. He thought he could listen to that sound for hours and not get tired of hearing it. He was confused by her response and confused by how she was beginning to make him feel lately. Soon, the rhythmic sound of her breathing told Evan that Lisa had fallen asleep, and though he’d promised to wake her when they took off, he too was soon sound asleep in their berth.

  ***

  Jim knocked on the door to Lina’s room in the citadel. The door opened almost immediately and Lina greeted him. “Hello, Captain,” Lina said in greeting.

  “Lina, if you have a moment, I’d like to speak to you,” Jim responded.

  “Come in then, Jim,” Lina said, taking her cue from Jim and dropping the formalities.

  Jim entered the room and Lina softly closed the door.

  “How are you doing, Jim?” Lina asked.

  “Better, than I was, but far from top form,” Jim responded honestly. He knew Lina was referring to the loss of his wife. She’d offered to talk to him, should he ever need to talk to someone who could relate to his experience.

  Nodding her head, Lina said, “Some days will be better than others.”

  Jim knew that she was speaking from experience. She’d wanted to die when her husband, Robert had been murdered.

  “I came to speak to you about another matter, Lina,” he said. Then, without preamble, he said, “I want you to stand down from this mission.”

  “I can’t say that I’m surprised, Jim. Is this an order?” she asked.

  “No. Consider it a request. I’ve got a bad feeling about this mission, and I don’t want you hurt. You’ve been through enough,” Jim said.

  “I’ve got a bad feeling about this mission too. I’ve been watching what you’ve been doing. I can’t help but notice that one by one you are excluding crewmembers from the mission.” Taking a deep breath, she continued, “You know what I think, Jim?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “I think you’re planning a suicidal action, if that’s what it takes to stop the Nukes. In a way, I think you’re yearning for death. You feel so guilty for surviving the attack on the cabin that you are yearning to die yourself. Nothing would suit you better than to eliminate the entire crew from the mission, take the Valiant up alone, and then go out in a blaze of glory.”

  “Be careful Lina. We’re friends, but how dare you presume…,” he began.

  “I dare because I’ve been where you are today. I dare because, like you, I wanted to die. I dare because I care. I care about what happens to you, and I care about what will happen to that young man, a few doors down the hall, if you do this. And I dare because I care about you,” she said fiercely.

  Jim was shocked. He didn’t think he had a suicide complex, but Lina had nailed his plans to eliminate the rest of the crew from this mission. He stood mute for a moment, letting what she’d said sink into his awareness.

  “Oh hell,” Lina said. “Life’s too damned short to beat around the bush. Jim Wilison, I want you to think about this. I volunteered to be your pilot so I could be close to you, and watch over you as you go through this phase. One day, and that day may be a long time coming, but one day you’re going to make it through this. When you do, I’ll be there for you. I missed my chance with you the day we first met. I’ll be damned if I miss another.”

  Jim had been shocked by what she’d said before. Now, he was stunned speechless. It took a moment for him to respond, but when he did, he struck out in anger as he said, “My wife was just buried. What is wrong with you? How can you stand there and say the things you just said?”

  “I can do it because I care more about you than I care about myself. If you don’t snap out of it, you won’t live another six months, because I gua
rantee you if a peacekeeper wants to die, he’ll find plenty of people willing to help him do it,” she responded with anger. She took a calming breath, and then in a calm and gentle voice she said, “And I do love you. Right now, you need to know that your life isn’t over. I’m waiting for you. Evan is waiting for you. I know you need time, and I don’t plan to crowd you. But when the time is right, I’ll be there.”

  Jim turned to walk away, but Lina stopped him when she said, “Oh and Jim, you can take your suggestion, and shove it. I’m the pilot of the Valiant. I fly her or you fire me.”

  “Just don’t be late,” said Jim quietly as he left the room. Despite his anger, he closed the door quietly. In the hall, he saw several peacekeepers that turned their heads and went back into their rooms. “God, were we that loud?” he wondered.

  Embarrassed, Jim entered his room and sat down on the bed. He was tired, and he was confused. Maybe Lina was right. Maybe he was getting suicidal. What she’d said had a ring of truth to it. She’d been right about other things. Evan did need him in his life. As for her declaration of love, Jim knew that if she’d said that when they had been together in Fort Polk, he might never have met Lacey and Evan, because he may have married Lina.

  Part 3

  Chapter 15

  Pete stood outside the citadel, near the Quonset hut used by the guards, watching as the fleet departed to the north. The massive bulk of the Constitution caused the other ships to seem small by comparison. Flying above and around the mainline ships was an odd assortment of drones and fighters. It was an impressive sight to behold.

  Hovering protectively above the citadel was a squadron of six fighters that was about to depart for their patrol. Twenty of the fighters were remaining at the citadel. Most of those fighters would time their flight to the enemy base so that they would arrive within minutes of the Constitution. One small squadron of six fighters would remain at the citadel to provide air cover, just in case the enemy decided to attempt a raid in the absence of the rest of the ships. The Constitution had dropped off a replacement fighter for Jeff, who was on medical leave in the infirmary. Namid and her ten-fighter escort, due to fly a special mission seeking the missiles in Mexico, brought the base fighter count to thirty-two.

  Pete sighed as the ships disappeared from view. He wished that he was going with them, but his place was here at the citadel. He was the commander of the base, and if he were the enemy, he’d launch an attack on the base while it was lightly defended. They’d gone out of their way to make it apparent to the observers that the ships were flying north in order to lull them into a false sense of security, but Pete was aware that that could easily backfire on them.

  Pete climbed aboard the sled that personnel used to travel from the Quonset hut to the interior of the base and nodded to the duty pilot. The man radioed the control room, and then he took the sled to ten feet in altitude and flew into the base. Pete leaned against the safety rail as he watched the lights flashing past. He hoped they’d thought of everything.

  Pete made a mental note to invite Evan to go to the mess hall and eat with his family that night. Jim had informed him that Evan had been disappointed at being left behind, and that he’d promised Evan and Lisa that they could accompany them on their trip to Base 1, after this critical mission was concluded.

  Pete had also heard about the argument between Lina and Jim. He usually heard about everything that happened on the base. He’d kept that information to himself. Jim and Lina were both adults, and certainly didn’t need advice from him. But he was troubled by Lina’s accusation that Jim was suicidal. After hearing the rumors about the argument, he had carefully examined Jim’s behavior. He’d never before left an item for Evan with Pete. Nor had he stripped his ship of the crew to the extent that he’d done this time. But Pete didn’t think Jim would deliberately endanger the crew, no matter how small in number. That part didn’t add up.

  Once the sled dropped him off, Pete made his way to the staircase that led to the control room, and the rooms where they lived. He was intending to go see Evan. But as he was climbing the stairs. The door to the control room was thrust open, and the radioman looked out. Spotting Pete, he said, “Sir, Captain Marino is on the line. He wants to speak to you.”

  “I’m on my way,” Pete said.

  Entering the control room, Pete conducted a five-minute conversation with the captain of the Havana, but before he could leave, he got a message from a fighter squadron leader that a column of several hundred men was closing on the base. The pilot reported that there were six tanks and about a dozen armored personnel carriers in the column. The column was twenty miles out and closing. The pilot also reported that the men he could see were all wearing UN blue headgear.

  Pete ordered the fighters to attack the convoy, and then he listened intently as the battle chatter between the pilots commenced.

  In the sky near the convoy, the six fighters closed on the enemy. They had just begun to acquire targets with their targeting computers when several of the tanks in the column unleashed ground to air missiles at the fighters. The fighter squadron fought back gamely, but their laser and minigun fire was only able to destroy a percentage of the oncoming missiles. In the blink of an eye, four of the fighters were blown from the sky.

  The squadron leader was the first to die. One of the remaining two pilots had time to radio the base, warning that the enemy was launching salvos of missiles at the fighters, before the missile on his tail destroyed the fighter.

  Pete recalled the lone survivor of that squadron. Then he got on the public address system, and said, “This is the base commander. All available pilots assemble near the fighters. This is not a drill. I repeat this is not a drill. All available pilots assemble near the fighters.”

  Turning to the radioman, Pete said, “Advise the exterior guards that they may need to withdraw into the base. Tell them that if I give the word, they’d better evacuate to the base in minutes. I’m going to talk to the pilots.”

  Pete ran out of the control room and down the stairs, taking them two at a time. When he emerged into the flight bay, he saw the pilots running into the bay and assembling near the fighters. He frowned when he saw Jeff Brown hobbling across the floor on his wounded leg to stand with the other fighter pilots. The man’s burns were bad enough, but he also had a leg wound to hamper him. He walked toward the wounded pilot, planning to send him back to the infirmary, but Jeff saw him coming and held up a piece of paper. “I have my doctor’s release, sir,” Jeff explained.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Pete responded.

  “No, sir, I’m not. I explained to the doctor that once I was in my bird, I’d be as comfortable as I would be in any chair. The leg wound won’t hurt my performance, and as I hear it, you need every pilot you can get right now,” Jeff countered. Then he said, “Well, she wouldn’t clear me to fly escort for the Peacekeeper, but she did clear me for base flight duty,” Jeff clarified.

  “Give me the paper,” Pete demanded, and the lieutenant handed it over. Pete read the note and shrugged. “Alright, Lieutenant, looks like you’re back to flight status.”

  Pete noted that all of the pilots seemed to be present, so he said, “An armed convoy is en route. There are tanks and armored personnel carriers in the convoy. They just launched salvos of missiles at our fighter patrol. We lost five of the six fighters. The survivor is on the way back to the base,” explained Pete.

  Shocked silence greeted his announcement. “What are our orders, sir?” asked Jeff.

  “You are to locate that convoy, but beware the missile capability. Work out a plan, but do it quickly. They will be here soon, so I need you to get airborne ASAP,” Pete said.

  “We know what to do, sir. The squadron was taken by surprise by the missiles. We won’t be taken so easily,” Jeff assured him.

  Pete knew that when Jeff said what he’d said, it was no idle boast. The man was the best squadron leader in the peacekeepers. “Then get your fighters in the air, and good luck,”
Pete responded.

  Namid’s fighter was the first to get airborne. Contacting the control room, she said, “This is Phoenix. I am ready to depart.”

  “Phoenix, one moment for conformation from the entrance,” the control officer said.

  “Roger that, standing by,” Namid responded. She knew that the control officer had to contact the entrance guards to ensure that no one was coming in through the tunnel. Once he had that confirmation, he’d trigger the switch that would activate the green light situated above the tunnel inside the bay. Outside, at the entrance to the complex, another light would switch to red. That informed the personnel outside that a ship or fighter was emerging.

  When the light went green, Namid accelerated through the tunnel and emerged into the open sky. A moment later, Jeff emerged and flew up to join her. He requested the last known coordinates of the convoy, and received that information just as the lone survivor flew into the airspace above the base. He dropped down to join the formation, which continued to grow.

  “Jeff, are you sure this is a good idea?” Namid asked.

  “I’ll be fine, Phoenix. I’m just glad I was able to get Captain Young to ferry in the Base 1 spare fighter,” he responded. Then he laughed and asked, “Why is it, every time we go to war, I lose my fighter just before the big dance?”

  “Let’s hope this mission turns out as well as the last,” Namid responded. Then she asked, “Are you up to being the flight leader for this fight?”

  “I thought you’d never ask,” Jeff said.

  “Well, it looks as if we’re all here, so lead on, Cowboy,” she replied.

  “Roger that, Phoenix,” Jeff responded. He led the way as the twenty-seven fighters flew away toward an encounter with the deadly enemy that had already claimed the lives of five peacekeeper pilots.