by Ricky Sides
“Yes, we were trying to close with them, but we couldn’t fire because the medical tent was in the line of fire. We were circling south to get the angle on them when you engaged the enemy. Well done, Private. Well done indeed,” the sergeant stated.
***
Peter crawled tiredly out of the small crawlspace, where he had been working to restore the damaged relay. He made his way as rapidly as possible to the nearest intercom switch and activated it. “Captain, you should have weapons now,” he stated.
A moment later, Bill responded, “That’s just been confirmed by the gunner. Thank you for a job well done, Peter, and you did it in under your estimated time.”
“You’re welcome, Captain. Where am I needed next?” asked the engineer.
“Doctor Dean says you need rest. He’s ordered a minimum of four hours sleep before I permit you to handle critical systems. I’d have already ordered you to bed, but we desperately needed weapons,” responded the captain.
“Have the drones all been repaired?” asked Peter.
“Most were, but a few were damaged beyond the capabilities of Lisa and Evan. Don’t worry about that now. Get some sleep. You’ve been on duty for twenty-one hours, Peter. You’re going to start making mistakes. That’s inevitable when a man’s been awake that long taking on stressful duties,” Bill explained.
“I can probably fix the drones in a couple hours, and then I can sleep, Captain,” Peter explained.
“Go to sleep. That’s an order, Peter. Lieutenant Carter, please escort the good engineer to his quarters,” the captain said in a no nonsense manner.
“That won’t be necessary, Captain. I’m on my way,” Peter said.
When he got to his cabin, Peter found a glass of iced tea and a sandwich waiting for him on his desk. He gratefully ate the sandwich and drank the tea. He then turned in, certain that he would never be able to sleep with so much going on in the ship. He was asleep in moments.
In the infirmary, Lina got out of bed and dressed. She reported to the control room and said, “Captain Young, I’m reporting for duty.”
“The doctor cleared you for duty, Lina?” the captain asked dubiously.
“Yes, sir,” she responded as she handed Bill her medical release form.
The captain scanned the form and then he said, “If you can get Lisa and Evan to go to bed, you’re welcome to handle one of the drones. You’re certified with the old style drones. The new models handle differently, but you should be able to manage well enough.”
“I’ll manage, Captain. And I’ll get those two to hit their bunks,” she stated confidently.
Twenty minutes later, Evan and Lisa climbed into the bunks they would be sleeping in for the duration of their stay aboard the Constitution. Before they parted, Evan told Lisa how proud he was of the way she had done what she could to protect the brave peacekeeper, who had prevented the catastrophe at the medical tent.
She had surprised him with a kiss, and then she said, “They would have hurt mom. I owe that peacekeeper a lot. I heard a sergeant say he was going to submit her name for a medal. I plan to speak on her behalf as well.” She kissed him again and then she entered Melissa’s cabin, where she would be sleeping the rest of the night.
Evan walked quietly down the hall to one of the strike force cabins, where he was sleeping during his stay aboard the ship. Entering quietly, he found a sandwich and a mug of hot chocolate waiting for him on his bunk. Had he not been a ship brat for years, Evan would have wondered how the cook knew he would be going off duty, but because of his long-term familiarity with ships and the fact that his dad was a captain, he knew the secret. It wasn’t magic, or anything especially out of the ordinary. The captains tipped off the cooks and their assistants when personnel were unexpectedly relieved of duty so they could place food and drink in their rooms. He knew Lisa would be enjoying a similar meal in her cabin.
***
Pete met with the drill instructor sergeant who had wanted to see him regarding Private Bean. He listened attentively to the man’s account. The sergeant was well known to the council member who knew that he was not prone to exaggeration. He had already had a call from Lisa, telling him how she felt about what the private had done, so when the sergeant confirmed it, Pete went inside the command tent and came back out with the small box containing the medal. “Let’s go, Sergeant. She’s one of yours, so you need to be there when I give her the medal,” he explained.
“Thank you, sir,” the sergeant replied.
In a private ceremony conducted inside the medical tent, Pete presented Private Ann Bean with her Peacekeeper Medal of Valor. Those of the wounded, who could do so, applauded her achievement. The young woman acquitted herself well in Pete’s eyes when she said, “Thank you sir, but I don’t consider myself particularly brave. The fact is, most of the time I was scared to death.”
“We all are, Private. Exhibiting valor doesn’t mean you don’t feel fear. It means we don’t permit that fear to cause us to freeze or prevent us from acting when and as we should to protect those around us,” Pete explained.
Ann considered his words for a second before she replied and then she said, “I think the thing that scares me most is doing the wrong thing, or failing to act when I should in order to protect those I love.”
Pete smiled warmly at the young woman, and then he said, “Then you and I share that fear, because that’s my chief concern as well.”
Pausing to study the woman, Pete asked, “Have you ever heard of the Women’s Elite Corp?
“I have, sir. They were a unit founded in Illinois that disbanded after the formation of the peacekeepers,” she responded.
Pete leaned close to the woman and speaking softly, so that the others present wouldn’t overhear him, he said, “They weren’t disbanded. They still exist. I think you have what it takes to work with them and become a part of their unit. Are you interested?”
“I’m honored, sir, but I think I’d like to stay with the base in my home state of Alabama,” she replied quietly.
“I understand,” Pete replied. “Nevertheless, I’d like you to think about it. If you ever change your mind, then approach any council member, and please remember, the unit is secretive. Very few people know it still exists.”
“No one will hear a word from me, sir,” Ann promised. She felt flattered that such an important peacekeeper had trusted her with such knowledge.
“Thank you,” Pete said simply. Standing erect, Pete saluted the prone, but newly decorated private.
Turning to Maggie, Pete said, “A large group of unarmed APCs is en route from Detroit. They’ll be here in a couple of hours. When they arrive I’ll be directing some here to evacuate the wounded.”
“Thank you, dear,” she responded. “Do you have a moment for a private conversation?” she asked.
“Of course,” Pete responded. He knew he needed to get back to the wall because the pirates could attack again at any moment, but he was not about to say no to his wife and then spend the rest of the night wondering what she’d wanted to discuss. Besides, Jim was there, and he was capable of instructing the men.
The two walked outside the tent. They strolled through the moonlight, stopping about forty feet from the temporary medical facility. “Did you ask her about the women’s group?” asked Maggie. Pete had told her that the group still existed, but he had told her little concerning them.
“I did, but she declined. Still, something tells me she’ll reconsider. I think she’d make an excellent addition to the team,” Pete explained.
“You’ll get no argument from me on that score,” Maggie stated.
“Did you call me outside to talk to you about that?” asked Pete.
“Not really. I just wanted a kiss and I knew you’d be embarrassed in front of the wounded,” Maggie responded.
With a chuckle, Pete pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly.
When they broke their embrace, Maggie said, “You know dear, there’s a possibility that Lisa
will want to join that unit, if she ever learns of its existence.”
“She’s got plenty of reason to take an interest,” Pete admitted.
“Do you ever regret agreeing with their request and setting them on their mission?” she asked.
“Yes, every time I see a request for a new team member, and realize that one of them has died in action. That’s happened three times,” responded Pete. “But they are making a difference. They’ve saved numerous women in a lot of cities across America, and they’ve done it without the benefit of the full resources of the peacekeepers.”
“Why did they walk away, Pete?” Maggie asked curiously.
“They left because they knew they’d be doing things to stop the marauders that the peacekeepers couldn’t abide. They do things that blur the line between right and wrong, such as carving up a marauder who has kidnapped women and hidden them. They make such men talk. Those women fight fire with fire, baby, and they do it well. They knew that if they remained members of the peacekeepers, they would have hurt the reputation of the organization as a whole, so they walked away. Officially, the peacekeepers have done nothing to support them since they walked away,” Pete explained.
“And unofficially?” asked Maggie.
Pete remained silent for a moment. That moment stretched into several seconds, and Maggie began to think that Pete wouldn’t answer her. When he answered, he spoke softly and in a low tone of voice so that he wouldn’t be overheard as he said, “In the beginning, they left with their weapons, a pair of vehicles, and a supply of food. Later, when the APCs were developed, the women received two that were custom designed for their needs.”
“I’m telling you this because you specifically asked and because you mentioned that Lisa might want to join them. Discourage her. It’s not a pleasant lifestyle. When they’re not fighting the bad guys, they’re usually on the run. Half the time they are running from the good guys,” Pete explained, adding, “They take on the jobs that the peacekeepers would shy away from, because they involve fighting established law enforcement types that are abusing people. They go in and extensively investigate such allegations. If they find out the law enforcement people are guilty, then they deal with the problem.”
“They act as judge, jury, and executioner?” queried Maggie.
“That’s the short answer, Maggie. Yes they do. But in my opinion, the ends justify the means in their cases,” Pete stated.
“I’m not sure I agree with that, Pete,” Maggie stated.
“That opposition is exactly the reason they left, Maggie, and I know how you feel, but I’ve always supported their action,” Pete revealed. Then, because he wanted her to understand why he supported the group, Pete added, “Let me cite you an example of what they do from one of their recent reports.”
“They make reports?” asked Maggie.
“Yes, but only to the council,” Pete said. Then he asked, “Did you think we just turned them loose on the world? We monitor them. We’d be forced to intervene if they went rogue, so we have to keep an eye on them,” he explained.
“Alright, I’m sorry for interrupting. Go ahead,” stated Maggie with interest.
“There was a case in a small town in New Mexico. The local sheriff had been in office since the aftermath of the night of the quakes. At first, he did a good job of protecting the citizens from the lawless elements, but then he took to taking little girls from their homes. He always claimed that the mothers were unfit. He would take the girls from single moms you see. Those little girls would become his wards. He took one or two a year that way. At first, everyone believed his stories, but when the local doctor volunteered to treat the girls free of charge, the sheriff said no. That made the doctor suspicious. She arranged to speak to one of the girls and learned that the children were being systematically abused. In a community meeting, the doctor tried to rally the support of the local population to do something about the sheriff. She was found murdered two days later. The team got word of that incident. They went in and investigated the allegations. The sheriff figured out he was being investigated, and hid the kids in a cave. The team forced him to reveal the location where the children were hidden. When they recovered the children, their medic examined them all. The allegations were true. The sheriff had raped them upon numerous occasions. He made them dress up for the events, Maggie. He wanted them to look as young as possible,” Pete paused. In the moonlight, Maggie saw her husband’s eyes and for a moment, she saw a deep burning anger there as he continued, “He made them wear diapers to feed his damned perversion, Maggie. There were eleven of the girls,” Pete said. Swallowing hard, he added, “When I read that report, I couldn’t help but think of Lisa.”
In the moonlight, Maggie saw her husband’s eyes continuing to flash with anger. He clenched his fists as he sometimes did when his anger was on the verge of exploding into action. “I hope they killed him,” Maggie said.
“They did,” Pete replied. “That guy was determined to take the girls with him. Even under threat of execution if he didn’t talk, he wouldn’t reveal the location of the kids. That’s when the team went to work with their knives and made him talk, and that is what we, as peacekeepers couldn’t have done. In this case, the ends justified the means.”
“Not everyone would agree with that sentiment, dear,” Maggie said.
Shrugging, Pete said, “Oh hell, I know that, but I don’t care about everyone else. What matters to me is how you feel, Maggie. I support them one hundred percent, and I always will in such cases. Believe me when I say that they are careful. There have been instances in which they have investigated false allegations and walked away without revealing their presence. They don’t act on rumor, although they do investigate rumors at times.”
Smiling at her husband, Maggie wrapped her arms around him and kissed him on the lips. “Rest assured that if all of their actions are similar to the case you just cited, they’d have my full support,” she stated.
“They are similar, Maggie. Thankfully, most aren’t that dramatic, but they are similar. Thank you for understanding,” Pete said.
The sounds of firing at the wall interrupted their conversation. Pete kissed Maggie again. It was a tender kiss. “I’ve got to get to the wall, but before I go, I want you to promise to board one of the APCs with the wounded for evacuation when they arrive. I don’t want you to argue with me, Maggie. The fact is that we can’t hold them. The EMP weapon taking out our fighters has changed everything. They will break through. Jim and I have decided to evacuate everyone when the APCs arrive, so don’t fight me on this,” Pete said soberly.
“I understand, Pete. You be careful, and don’t worry about me. I promise you that I’ll board an APC the moment my last patient has been loaded,” she responded. She hastily kissed her husband and added, “You be careful, Pete, and make sure you get aboard one of the evacuation transports yourself.”
She stared hard into his eyes, causing Pete to smile. “I will, Maggie, and that’s a promise. I love you, girl. Now get inside the tent, so I can get to the wall.”
“I love you too, Pete,” she said. Turning away, she walked to the tent. Opening the flap, she turned to see her husband standing nearby. He waved goodbye and then trotted away in the direction of the wall.
Chapter 22
The thirty APCs heading to Washington from Detroit were still an hour out when they received a communication from the Valiant. The base was now under all out attack. The Constitution had successfully fended off three attempts to take the wall, but now even the Constitution was so low on power they couldn’t fire their weapons and the ships had now expended their supply of conventional ammunition. Evacuation had just become urgent.
The APC pilots communicated amongst themselves and decided to take a more risky course. Filled with more than a little danger, that course would save twenty minutes on the arrival time, but it was going to be an extremely rough ride.
***
Inside the Peacekeeper, Tim listened to the urgent commu
niqué from the Valiant. Patricia was near tears as the radio transmitted Teresa’s voice, which was choked with emotion as she said, “Peacekeeper, Jim wants you to have a running account of what is happening so I’m sending you a video feed.”
A moment later, the main video screen in the control room showed the battle from the Valliant’s perspective. All along the wall, peacekeepers were fighting the enemy with small arms weapons. As they watched the video, they saw several peacekeepers fall backwards. In some cases, the peacekeepers were fighting with knives and using the stocks of their weapons to beat back the attackers.
Then the scene shifted as APCs began streaming into view. Some of the APCs flew down to hover just above the heads of the attacking pirates. They then applied full thrust upward, and the crew of the Peacekeeper saw the pirates flattened by the force of the drive. Tim nodded his head in satisfaction as the pirates began a hasty retreat. In view of the fact that the APCs were unarmed, he was glad that Cliff had thought to inform the pilots of that potential use of the drive engine as a weapon. Then the scene shifted to the wall once more, and Tim stared in disbelief as the camera panned a close up image from one end of the wall to the other. All along the wall were fallen peacekeepers. In the background, the Constitution landed behind the wall. Its bay door was opening even before it touched the ground. The strike team members ran to man positions on the wall.
“Peacekeeper, we are landing next to discharge our strike team,” Teresa said. There was a hint of anger in her tone, and Tim understood her frustration. It looked as if almost half of the peacekeeper defenders had been either killed or wounded. The scene shifted once more as the Valiant landed. Teresa let the camera film what it could of the peacekeeper side of the wall. Seen from that angle, Tim was sure that most of the peacekeepers down on the ground would be dead. Apparently, the enemy had learned to target their faces.
Moments later, the Valiant was again airborne and the Arizona landed. Her strike team also rallied to the wall and with them was their captain. The camera followed Jack Wilcox as he sought out Jim and Pete. It showed the three men briefly, but then the scene shifted to the newly arrived APCs as they landed and men emerged to begin the evacuation process. Tim heard Teresa inform the APC teams to evacuate the wounded first. He saw two APCs land beside the medical tent, which was easily identifiable by the large red cross on the top, and their teams begin to load the patients. A drone hovered protectively near. Three dead pirates were in plain view. Tim heard the drone operator’s voice shout a warning that there were more pirates nearby. It was Lina’s voice. She must have had her volume turned to the highest setting. A gun fired somewhere nearby. They heard the sound, but didn’t see the source. That single shot was answered by half a dozen as the peacekeepers on the ground fought off the remaining infiltrators.