The Planetsider Trilogy

by G J Ogden

  “Not enough,” said Ashley, and for the first time her voice lacked sparkle. “We use the hacked idents to communicate over a dark channel, and we’ve so far established links with four sectors, all Flying Corp. There are perhaps fifty of us in total.”

  “Sounds like you’ve been busy,” said Maria, impressed. Fifty was more than she had expected.

  “You didn’t think I’d just sit here on my decrepit old ass and do nothing, did you?” Ashley replied, with a hint of her earlier sparkle, but her mood was still somber.

  “What about the Security Corps? Have any of the blue boots joined with you?” asked Page, but Ashley simply shook her head.

  “Reports from the other sectors suggest that many of the units are conflicted about what they are doing, but they still follow orders. Blue boots are very good at that.”

  “Not all of them,” added Page. Ashley’s statement didn’t sound like an intentional dig at him, but he still felt the need to defend himself.

  “The reality is that everyone is afraid of reprisals from the sector commanders, especially now that Kuba has also been given military authority.”

  “What?” said Page, leaning forward.

  “Darien granted him the effective rank of major; it was communicated to the sector commanders about an hour ago. We managed to intercept the transmission.”

  “Why the hell would he do that?” wondered Page, his eyes flicking across to Maria.

  Maria frowned; it was a good question. But then she remembered how Kuba had been the one to make the public holo announcement, and her conversation with Page where he’d suggested that Darien appeared weak. Perhaps Kuba was exploiting this weakness; perhaps their alliance was more fragile than it appeared.

  “He could be making a play for control,” suggested Maria. “That oily snake liked Kurren about as much as he liked Archer, and the only thing that kept him in his hole was his cowardice. But if this Major Darien lacks the wits or steel of Kurren then Kuba could easily manipulate him.”

  “Great…” said Page. “The only thing worse than Kurren calling the shots would be that guy.”

  “It won’t come to that,” said Ashley. “We don’t need fifty allies. All we need is already in this room.”

  “What do you suggest?” asked Maria.

  “We need to let everyone see you,” said Ashley, vitality fizzing in her voice again. “Major Darien is weak. Kuba lacks the charisma of Archer or the menace of Kurren. So, a stronger voice, one that calls for an end to martial law, one that uncovers the lies and promises to set things back to the way they were – that could be the spark we need.”

  Page was nodding as Ashley spoke, but he also saw a flaw in her plan. “That all sounds great, but there’s one problem; how do you plan to hack the base-wide holo? These phony idents won’t get you that level of access, and it would take double the numbers you have to storm the comms control center in the government sector.”

  “I don’t plan to hack the system from the CCC,” continued Ashley, undeterred. “Well, not from inside it, anyway.”

  Maria laughed and clapped, as if Ashley had just told an exceptionally witty anecdote. “And you have the audacity to call my stunt in the spaceport crazy?!”

  Page’s eyes flicked from one to the other, waiting for either of them to explain, but neither did. “Anyone care to let the blue boot in on the joke?”

  “Former Commander Jansen here means to hack into the main holo system from outside the base,” explained Maria, still beaming broadly. She knew it could work, but it was still the gutsiest of gutsy proposals.

  Page’s eyes widened. “But you’d have to be practically parked on top of the CCC to broadcast a signal hack that was strong enough to override the main feed!”

  “One meter above it should be enough,” said Ashley, coolly.

  Now it was Page’s turn to laugh. “Are you sure you two are not related?” Then he threw his hands up. “What the hell, it’s been a week for crazy plans, I say go for it!”

  Ashley smiled at Page. “You always did have a good eye for partners, Sal.” The clock on Ashley’s desk bleeped an hour marker and she read the time, noticing how late it had become. “I suggest we move this discussion back to my apartment. They run security sweeps through all the training facilities at night.”

  Maria and Page agreed and they all stood to leave, but then Page heard the sound of heavy footsteps outside the window. He immediately recognized the distinctive thump of Security Corps boots and drew his sidearm, swiftly chambering a round. He moved to the window and cautiously peered out. “Is there another way out of this room?”

  Ashley frowned, “Yes, there’s a door directly into the adjacent lecture theater, why?”

  “You two need to get out, soldiers are coming.”

  Maria pulled her sidearm out of her jacket pocket and loaded it. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, we must have been seen coming in here. We don’t have time to argue; for this plan to work you and Ashley have to get out, while I hold them off.”

  “Karl, you’re not expendable…” Maria began, but the sound of the boots grew louder, echoing up the stairwell and along the corridor.

  Page clasped his hand over Maria’s sidearm and fixed her gaze. She had never seen him look more determined. “If this crazy plan is going to work, they need you, not me. You know I’m right, Sal.”

  Maria clenched her teeth, refusing to release her hold on the weapon. She knew Page was correct, but she didn’t want to accept it. Page did not relax his grip or his stare, which was imploring Maria to go. She cried out in frustration and thrust the weapon into Page’s waiting hand. She wanted to say something, but words escaped her.

  “Go, please…” Page urged, and though his words were no louder than a whisper, they pierced Maria’s ears like a scream.

  The thump of the heavy boots drew up outside the door as Maria ran to join Ashley. She glanced back to see Page backed up behind Ashley’s sturdy desk, aiming both weapons at the door; she wanted to turn back and to fight with him, but if she did then both of them would be captured or killed and their entire endeavor would have been for nothing. Ashley called to her from outside an open window leading out to the fire escape platform and Maria forced herself on, arriving at the window just as the sound of gunfire erupted behind her. She hesitated, again feeling the pull to return, and it took all the force of her will not to run back. She punched the wall, letting the pain in her knuckles blanket the swarm of conflicted emotions that surged through her body. The sting of each punch overpowered her anger and overwhelmed her desperate helplessness, but no matter how hard she struck, she couldn’t numb her guilt or shame at once again abandoning her partner while she ran free. She climbed out of the window and raced along the metal escape route, blood dripping from her still clenched fist and falling through the metal grating like tears.

  Chapter 14

  The door burst open and Page immediately opened fire with both weapons, aiming low so as to minimize the chance of killing or fatally wounding the advancing soldiers. Killing maddened creatures on the planet was one thing, but these soldiers were UEC, the same as him, and they were only following orders, just as he had once done. He would only kill as a last resort, though he doubted that his former brothers in arms shared the same sentiment.

  The first two soldiers fell, both grasping their thighs, and amid the torrent of bullets from Page’s twin sidearms, the third ducked back into the hallway. Page shifted position, continuing to lay down suppressing fire through the door, as the soldier pressed his rifle through the opening and fired blindly into the room. Page was struck in the chest and rocked back against the wall; the hit felt like a hammer blow, but when he looked down there was no blood.

  They’re firing non-lethals, Page realized. They’re trying to capture us alive!

  More non-lethal bullets thudded into the wall beside Ethan, but he blotted out the pain from his throbbing chest and surged forward, firing through the wall that was providing the third
soldier with cover. One of the rounds clipped the soldier’s calf and he yelped and retreated back down the corridor, shouting “Fall back, fall back!”

  Page advanced to the first prone soldier and kicked him solidly in the head, knocking him clean out. The second, having witnessed this, held his hands above his head and begged Page not to kill him. Ignoring the petrified soldier, he peered cautiously through the door, and saw that the remaining soldiers had retreated into the stairwell for cover.

  Discarding his empty sidearms, he quickly searched the body of the unconscious soldier and found what he was looking for; a grenade. Suddenly, rounds smashed into the wall beside him, showering him with dust, and he dove for cover. Non-lethals or not, if he was hit in the face or head then he would be knocked out just as soundly as the soldier he had just clobbered. He lay on the floor, staring at the grenade in his hand, contemplating whether he was desperate enough to use it, and then pressed the actuator. To throw it, he knew he’d have to move back into the line of fire, but there was no turning back now. With adrenalin coursing through his veins, he jumped up as if on springs and tossed the grenade through the door towards the stairwell. He called out, “grenade!” at the top of his voice and was then pressed back against the wall as more gunfire erupted towards him. He heard the panicked cry of ‘grenade!’ from down the hallway, followed by the frantic scuffle of boots, before a concussive blast pulsated through his body, shaking the floor and walls. He ducked down, grabbed the rifle from the unconscious soldier and charged through the encroaching smoke and dust, turning hard left out of the door and running in the opposite direction to the soldiers. At the end of the corridor he peered out of the window and saw Maria and Ashley slipping away though the narrow paths around the rear of the campus. But then his heart sank as he saw a unit of soldiers closing in on them.

  “Damn it!” he said out loud to himself, and then smashed the window with the butt of the rifle. Alerted by the sound of breaking glass, the soldiers skidded to a stop and aimed their weapons up towards the window. “In here!” Page shouted and then unleashed a volley of non-lethal bullets towards them, hitting three before the others reached cover.

  “Come on, come and get me!” he shouted out, willing the soldiers to break their pursuit of Maria and Ashley and come for him instead. He fired twice more and then watched as the shadowy figures rose and sprinted towards the campus building, away from Maria and Ashley, who were now mere silhouettes in the distance. He smiled, knowing they would be safe, and then pulled back from the window.

  There was a sudden barking of orders outside from a stern, female voice and Ethan could hear the shouts drawing closer. He tried to clear his mind and think of a plan to escape, but the shroud of dust was clearing and more shouts echoed down the corridor towards him, forcing him to move. He darted from door to door, but each was locked and would not budge against his weakened shoulder. He turned down another corridor and could hear the soldiers closing in; panic swelled in his gut and he felt himself losing the battle to control his fear. Frantically, he tried another door and it opened, leading him into a narrow stairwell. He ran through, almost falling down the flight of stairs and barreled into the wall at the bottom, using it as a brake. The shouts were not far behind.

  He threw open the door, ran through without checking if anyone was on the other side and spotted an emergency exit leading to the campus grounds half-way along the adjacent corridor. He ran for it and, without warning, bullets hammered in the wall to his side; but this time they were real bullets. Instinctively he dropped to a crouch and fired back in the opposing direction, continuing the suppressing fire until he reached cover. The rifle clicked and checking the magazine he found it empty. He threw the weapon to the ground and sprinted for the emergency exit but, seconds from reaching the door, it flung open and three soldiers charged through. Their eyes widened, evidently more surprised to see him than he was to see them, giving Page the early advantage.

  The first fell easily, as his momentum carried him swiftly into Page’s waiting fist; luckily, rather than intentionally, he had swung with his good arm. The second soldier was close behind and struck Page on his wounded shoulder; Page cried out in agony, but managed to wrestle the soldier off his feet, before being struck in the face by the rifle butt of the third. Page fell hard on his back. His lungs burned, his cheek bone and eyes stung, and his wounded arm lay useless at his side. He tried to rise, but he had nothing more to give, and collapsed back again, resolved to confront whatever fate awaited him.

  The third soldier stood over Page and then removed her helmet, revealing obsidian-black hair, pulled tightly back from her hard-edged face. She sneered at Page and then activated the commlink on her PVSM. “Sir, we have him.”

  Page did not hear the response, because the next thing he saw was her boot racing towards his head.

  Chapter 15

  Page opened his eyes, but then squinted against the brightness of the light. He was vaguely aware of being sat upright in a chair, but he didn’t know where. Pain stabbed below his right eye, which he couldn’t open fully, and his cheek throbbed and felt like it had swelled to twice its normal size. His eyes began to adjust to the light and, groggily, he was able to make out a few shapes, one of which was clearly the figure of a man. Adrenalin kicked in and he tried to stand, but found himself restrained to the back of the chair by his wrists.

  “Please do not try to get up, Major Page,” said a smooth and softly-spoken voice, which had a more lyrical quality to it than the speech of a typical soldier. “I assure you, there is no hope of escape. But, there is hope of release, should you decide to co-operate fully.”

  The man had slowly come into focus, and Page recognized the figure of Governor Jacob Kuba standing a few meters away, resting against an enormous black table. He glanced around the room, trying to work out where he was, but pain splintered through his neck and face and forced his good eye shut. From the little he could make out, he knew the room was an unfamiliar one. It had perfectly smooth, gently curved walls that appeared black, but shimmered as if made from some sort of crystal or glass, while the opulent black table and high-backed chairs suggested it was a place of some importance.

  “Where am I?” asked Page, returning his squinting eyes to Governor Kuba.

  “You are in the Teardrop, Major Page. I assume this is your first visit? I wish it were under happier circumstances.”

  The Teardrop? thought Page. Why in the hell has he brought me to the Teardrop? “Yes, I have always wanted to see it; thanks very much for the invite,” he said aloud, building up his bravado and steeling himself for the interrogation that he expected to follow Kuba’s softly-softly introductions.

  Kuba laughed, though it sounded just as fake as his half-smile looked. “You are welcome. Do you know why I have brought you here, Major?”

  Page shrugged, or at least gave an approximation of a shrug, given that his hands were tied to the chair. “I guess it’s just because you’re such a nice guy, right? Everyone says so.” Then he scrunched his face into an expression of intense puzzlement. “No, wait, I got that wrong. Every says you’re a sleazy, double-crossing, cowardly scumbag. Sorry, I don’t know how I mixed the two up.”

  Kuba’s half-smile wavered momentarily, but remained plastered to his face. When he spoke again, his tone had hardened. “Brave talk, Major Page, we shall see how long you manage to keep that up.”

  Page laughed derisively and shook his head. “Brave; you don’t know the meaning of the word. And if you want to make threats then why don’t you unfasten these binders, so we can have a proper… conversation.”

  “You soldiers are all alike,” spat Kuba, his mouth pressed into a thin line. “Boorish and boring. You bore me, Major Page!” He pushed away from the desk and paced two steps closer. “Kurren, Darien, Salus… all the same. Whether UEC or GPS makes no odds; the military are and always were the problem and the reason we are stuck on this wretched moon.”

  “And I suppose you’re the solution?” scoffe
d Page. Then he looked at his body and arms, bound into the chair. “It looks like your tactics aren’t entirely dissimilar to Kurren’s, Governor. Maybe if you’re trying to be better than him you can let me out, end martial law and hand back power to the council of ministers?”

  “Oh, I shall, my dear Major. But all in good time.” A flicker of a smile returned to Kuba’s face. “Before that, I must first complete the task that the arrogant imbecile Kurren was unable to finish.”

  Page was surprised to hear Kuba speak of his former leader in such derisory terms. “I thought you and the mad General were the best of friends?”

  “A mere relationship of convenience, Major,” said Kuba, his eyes twinkling. “I am curious, however; did you deal the finishing blow, personally?” Kuba’s dumpling-like face swelled in anticipation of the prospect of hearing about Kurren’s grisly demise.

  “I’m sorry to disappoint, but it wasn’t me,” said Page, honestly. “In fact, if anything finished him off, it was the planet. He was suffering from severe genetic deformation.”

  Kuba laughed and clapped his hands together like a drunk at a party who had just been told a vaguely amusing story. “Wonderful! Even better than I had hoped for!” he said, gleefully. “I had assumed that, since you betrayed him, it was you that dealt the killing blow.”

  “I betrayed no-one, it was you and Kurren who betrayed the UEC,” snapped Page. “Kurren lied about Diana and Maria and murdered everyone on the GPS station, bar the few that escaped, and he hunted those down to try and finish the job.”

  Kuba’s expression leveled again. “It must trouble you greatly to understand the role you played in the death of so many innocent people,” he said, driving the words into Page, as if tightening a screw.

  Then Page realized something that he had not considered before; Kuba did not know that the civilians had escaped Kurren’s grasp. He took a small measure of comfort in knowing that if Maria failed, they would remain safe.