Galaxia

by Kevin McLaughlin

  Most of her first four days with the NIP army had been spent bending the flesh and getting her bearings on the underground complex that served as the NIP headquarters and training area. It was located in an abandoned salt mine, and coupled with the best shielding they could buy, had been enough so far to keep the company, and now the Marines, off of them.

  Michi would not turn 20 years old for another two weeks, but they had given her a general’s star to wear on her collar. She wasn’t in command but had been given the title of Assault Leader. Michi got the feeling that the position had been created just to appease her demand to be in on any coming action.

  Michi thanked the ordinance technical two and tried to cubbyhole his position in the army. A “two” was the same as a sergeant, right? All of the unique structures to the 2,000-man force were confusing her, but she had to just smile and radiate an aura of confidence.

  At least the rank-and-file seemed to embrace her. Even men and women in their 60’s and 70’s seemed to truly like her and expressed their willingness to follow her. The fact that she had killed a Marine, and that is how the soldiers considered it, gave her immediate credibility and warrior status.

  The leadership, on the other hand, seemed to merely tolerate her presence. They were slightly condescending as if they found it amusing that the little girl wanted to play with the grown-ups.

  Her “assistant” was Colonel Perseverance Hannrahan, but Michi had come to the conclusion that he was more of a baby-sitter than assistant. When she asked about the coming battle, he told her not to worry, he was on top of it, and he would tell her when things firmed up. Michi got the feeling that even if she were nominally in command of the assault, it would be Hannrahan giving the commands.

  That pissed off Michi at first. But she had to admit that she knew next to nothing about military tactics, so it was probably better that the colonel issue orders. But Michi would observe and learn. The next time, Michi would be better prepared to command in her own right.

  “You’re supposed to go give a pep talk to the cooks,” the colonel told her, “but I’ve just been told that Jessep wants to see you. Let’s head on back, OK?”

  He phrased that as a suggestion, but Michi knew she really didn’t have much say in the matter. Jessep was General Jessep Alvarez, the man in charge of the army and one of the highest-ranking members within the NIP.

  At first, Michi had been surprised at the way people were addressed, usually by their first names. She had envisioned people marching about, shouting “Yes, sir!” and “No, sir!” Instead, despite the rank insignia, things were rather casual. Michi didn’t know if that disappointed or enthused her just yet.

  Michi had to stop several times on the way to the conference room as people came up to welcome her or congratulate her on the attack on the Marines. An older lady pulled Michi’s hand to her forehead, where she held it as she recited what sounded like a prayer in a language Michi didn’t recognize. When she was finished, she lowered Michi’s hand to kiss it before letting her go, a beatific smile on her face. Michi knew the woman meant well, but that creeped her out. Why would a woman, obviously in her 70’s or more, seem to almost worship a mere 19-year-old girl? Michi tried not to let her unease show and instead reached out to hug the woman.

  As with any group, crowd dynamics were such that when anything big was up, there was an undercurrent of intensity that could be sensed. It could have been something as simple as the army leadership suddenly heading for the command center, or it could be some deep tribal perception that couldn’t be explained. Whatever the reason, people started gathering close to the command center entrance. The number of people surprised Michi. She had been told that NIP had 2,000 soldiers, and they had been stepping up training since the Marines had landed. Michi didn’t know if that meant actual combat soldiers or if that number included support personnel, leadership, or other members scattered across the planet.

  As far as she knew, except for some of the leaders, and now Michi, most of the people who lived in the complex were indentureds who had run away. The free citizens came and went as they pleased. Michi had even recognized a few First Family members there, including one of her cousins. Michi thought that the constant comings and goings would be a security risk, but Hannrahan had laughed when she brought that up saying they “had that covered.”

  Several of the other leaders were already in the conference room, eating doughnuts and sipping coffee, when Michi and Hannrahan came in. Jessep saw her and smiled, motioning her to come.

  “Michiko! I trust Perseverance has been getting you acclimated?” he asked, then going on before Michi could respond. “Before we begin, I thought you might want to see this,” he said, holding out his PA.

  It was a reward notice with a copy of her university id holo. The Federation was offering a 300,000-credit reward for any information leading to her capture.

  “300,000? For ‘sedition?’” she asked, strangely disappointed.

  She had known this was coming, but given the fact that she and Doug had taken out a Marine, she had expected something bigger, maybe even the max reward ever offered on Kakurega—a cool million. Although 300, 000 was not chump change, still, other rewards often exceeded that.

  “Yes, I thought you would find that funny.”

  “But why sedition?” she asked, confused.

  “Because officially, the dead Marine never happened. Remember, they said the recording was fake. So, they gave you a high-enough reward to interest the bounty hunters, but not enough to give credence that some uni girl managed to take out a Federation Marine.”

  “But it’s not fake, and they know that,” Michi protested.

  “They know that, and we know that, but they don’t want the public to know that. And if a reporter had some balls, he or she would have tramped out to the Ledges and looked for the evidence like we did,” Jessep told her.

  “You went out there?” Michi asked, surprised.

  “Of course, we did, Michiko. Due diligence. We had to make sure before we approached you. And now, almost everyone is here, so why don’t you take your seat.”

  Michi went to her seat and sat down. It was near the head of the table, but not at it. Hannrahan sat immediately behind her and up against the wall. Michi looked around at the other leaders of the NIP, nodding at both Mike and the Right Reverend. She had met some of the others, but really was not yet on chatting terms with any of them.

  Jessep called the meeting to order, then jumped right into the reason he had called them together. “Friends, the time has come for us to finally level the first strike against those who oppress us. We have planned, trained, and given our all for the last 20 years, and other than a few small actions, some small acts of sabotage, we have merely been a gadfly to the company. That changes tomorrow.

  “At 8:15 AM, we will launch a military attack on the Marines. Our target? None other than their hero, Captain Lysander, the scourge who attacked legal protestors on Soreau, the same Marine who tried to enforce illegal tariffs on Greater France, the same one who perpetuated the aggression on the trinoculars.”

  A holo of the captain appeared in the center of the table. He was standing in Prosperity Square, scowling at something out of holo range.

  It was only a holo, and Michi had never met the man, but despite Seth’s half-defense of him, Michi felt the bile rise in her throat. She would love to be part of the attack to take the man down.

  “Captain Lysander’s company is located at the old refining complex, as many of you know. He has 180 Marines with him, but we’ve got over 2,000 righteous soldiers who are anxious to defend our home.

  “I’m going to turn this over to Dwantifor now for some of the details. Get comfortable, because you know how he is once he gets started,” he said, just injecting the right amount of humor to break the tension, Michi thought.

  The group chuckled, and then Jessep went on, “You can put away your PAs. We are now officially in lock-down. No one leaves and no communications. Dwantifor, yo
u’ve got it.”

  There was a buzzing as the operations chief walked to the front.

  “Pay attention,” Hannrahan whispered, leaning in to her shoulder. “Not all of it will make sense to you, but pick up what you can. We’re going to have a lot to go over tonight.”

  Michi nodded, too excited to speak. She watched the holo base, waiting for the holo itself to appear and eager to see what she would be doing. At last, no more little ticky-tack efforts. This was the real thing, and she was going to be part of it!

  Chapter 31

  Charlie Company, First Battalion, 11th Marines, commanded by Captain Ryck Lysander, was based at the old refinery where the first settlers cracked organics from oil and natural gas. It was located downstream from the city at a bow in the River Tay, where pollutants would have less of an impact, but close enough for easy logistics. With the arrival of Propitious Interstellar and their more advanced power generation emplaced, the old refinery grounds turned into an algae farm. The company’s patented Blue-99 was their top organic base, used in everything from food products to plastics to cosmetics to liquid fuel for aircraft.

  The Marine company’s location was probably more due to protecting the algae farm than anything else, but it also provided a good base of operations for actions in the southern part of the city. Michi hadn’t realized it when she and Doug had taken out the Marine, but the Ledges was in the company’s “AO,” or area of operations, as she learned it was termed.

  With the river on three sides, that left only the eastern approach accessible over land. This was a concern, but both Generals Kyne Fuller and Loski Sonutta-Lyon, who had served with various mercenary companies in the past, seemed to think that with their huge advantage in manpower, and with the plan they had devised, the NIP could simply overwhelm the relatively small force inside the refinery.

  The large force that would assault the entrance over the land, which Michi was nominally leading, was not the real breaching force, however. The assault force would initiate an attack to pin down the Marines, and then the real breaching force would emerge from the River Tay itself to hit the Marines from the rear. With that confusion, Michi’s assault force could charge the refinery and roll right in.

  The river commando force was their surprise element, and Michi though the plan was brilliant. No one would expect an underwater assault from a free-flowing river. But what the Marines didn’t know was that the NIP had a number of commercial divers within its ranks, and with the heavy deep-sea suits they had been able to acquire and the firm bottom at the river’s bow, even non-divers could simply walk across the river. The commando force would enter the river at a small lagoon that was out of sight to anyone at the refinery and would already be on its way, trudging the 500 meters to reach the first set of algae tubes at the leading edge of the river bank.

  Michi looked around at those of her force who were in sight. They had stopped in the trees stopped well short of the broad expanse leading up to the refinery’s front gate. Two Marines in combat suits were manning it, according to the reports coming in. Inside, there were probably 120-130 more Marines. The night patrols had already returned and were probably sacked out, and the day patrols had left. They would be non-factors in the coming assault. The NIP outnumbered the Marines fifteen-to-one, and from what she had been told, an attacking force only needed a five-to-one advantage to succeed.

  “You ready for this?” Hannrahan asked her.

  “I was born for this,” Michi replied.

  “Just remember, don’t go charging off. We are here to attract their attention and fix the Marines in place so our commandos can breach the defenses. Only then, will we actually go into the attack ourselves.”

  “I understood that the last fifty times you told me” Michi muttered under her breath.

  She glanced at her watch. They had fewer than five minutes to go. Her warrior spirit was clamoring for attention, and it was about time to let her out. She realized that she was still somewhat of a figurehead, but if she was getting into the fight, she could accept that.

  She checked her rifle. It had still been packed when she got it, and she had felt like she was opening a Christmas present as she ripped away the plastic storage wrap. It was beautiful, a two kilojoule Leung Min pulse rifle. It didn’t have as much range as that of most of her soldier’s weapons, but it was simple to use, and within 15 meters, it was deadly. Aiming was not vital—a simple point-and-shoot was all she would need to shut down any Marine in her path. She had one extra powerpack, so she was good for about 100 shots, but the fight should be over before she could exhaust the rifle’s charges.

  Hannrahan was absorbed with his watch. He held up his other hand, then still looking at his watch, brought the free hand down in a chopping motion.

  “OK, tell the arty to open up,” he told her.

  She flipped on her throat mic, cleared her throat, and gave the command that committed the people of Kakurega to war. “Donaldson team, commence fire.”

  Behind her, the three Donaldsons opened up, the outgoing rounds a sharp report. They were only 1,000 meters back, so within seconds, there were explosions to Michi’s front as the rounds hit the refinery. The war was on!

  She counted five outgoing volleys, and before Hannrahan could tell her, she shouted into her mic, “Assault force! Up and at ’em.”

  Michi had gone over in her mind what she might say when the time came, but in the end, decided that she didn’t want anything too flowery, just a simple command.

  She jumped up, pulling down on the bottom of her body armor, getting the collar off of the base of her throat. It was uncomfortable, didn’t fit right, and restricted her breathing, but the command staff had insisted on it. Every piece of body armor they possessed had been passed out, with all of the first wave of the assault force getting it along with some of the second wave.

  Hannrahan was speaking into his throat mic as he moved just to her front. Anger flared in Michi as she realized that he was controlling at least part of the assault. This was her command, not his! She pushed her anger down for the moment—she would confront him on that after the refinery was taken.

  There was an explosion just off to Michi’s left. Michi felt the shock wave, but didn’t see anything through the trees. She was momentarily startled, but then pushed forward. Of course, the Marines wouldn’t just let them waltz in. They were professionals, after all. But if the Marines were firing at them, then her assault force was doing its job by fixing the Marines in place. Within moments, the river commando breaching force would be hitting them through the algae farm.

  Coming out of the trees, still some 300 meters from the front gate, the first rank ran up the slight bank of the roadbed for Highway 2. This was the major highway that ran along the river to the south to Gaberson and points beyond. Four lanes wide with a grassy median, it could be a kill zone if they let it. That wasn’t going to happen. They wouldn’t cross it in force until the Marines were focused on the breaching force. But to give that force a chance, the assault force had to act the part, and that was going to result in casualties.

  The open area from the T-intersection to the refinery’s gates was almost 400 meters wide and 300 meters long, with the river on the south side and trees on the north. The refinery sat like an ancient fort on the west side of the open area.

  As Michi crested the roadbed and sprinted across the highway, she only had a glimpse of the front gates before all hell broke loose. Several explosions sounded just in front of her with plumes of smoke and dirt erupting into the air. The sound of gnats zinged past her ear, and she saw one of her men stumble and fall.

  “Now!” Hannrahan yelled from a few meters off her side.

  “Fall back!” she screamed, turning and running back to the far side of the highway and diving for the ground where the roadbed offered her slightly less than two meters of protection from direct fire.

  She got up on an elbow and looked up and down the edge of the road. She had gone over the road with about 400 soldiers,
and it looked like most of them had made it back. A body hurtled down the depression fifteen meters away from her, the soldier’s neck half-torn open, blood spurting wildly several times before tapering off.

  Michi stared at him. She knew some people would be killed, but seeing a man who had followed her into battle, trusting her to lead him to victory, die right before her eyes brought the seriousness home to her. This was not a lark. This was life and death.

  “Send up a count,” she heard someone call out.

  “I’d hoped we could have gotten farther,” Hannrahan said beside her.

  “Arinomamade,” she said quietly, looking up and down her line.

  “What?” he started, but Michi waved him off, and he continued, “But I think this still might do the trick.”

  “Are they going to mortar us?” Michi asked.

  “We’ll find out pretty quickly, won’t we?” Hannrahan said, sounding dismissive of her question.

  One of the assumptions of the assault was that the Marines’ ROE would not let them damage Highway 2. The company needed it to reach the cities and facilities to the south. Her first rank relied on that fact. The hope was that as the Marines knew they were there, and as they had acted like a disjointed force without the courage and fortitude to continue, the Marines would organize some sort of counter-attack. If that happened, the rest of the 1,100-person assault force would pour from the forest into the attack. If the timing was right, the breaching force would be hitting the Marines from the rear at the same time. The Marines would be caught in a pincher and be destroyed.

  Michi looked back to where the bulk of her force was hidden. Direct fire rounds were flying over their heads, the occasional clods of dirt and grass raining down on them. But something was missing, and it took Michi a moment to figure out what it was.

  “Where’s our arty?” she asked Hannrahan.