"I’m Riggens…McCloud. Wells."
They nodded.
"Get in here."
"Yes, sir!" they both said.
After the commander left the door and moved around to the seat at his desk, they shuffled in. Parker and Harvey stood in front of him. Sweat pooled in the palms of Parker’s hand. He licked his lips, and he pulled in his muscles to stand as erect as he could.
Riggens glared at him. "Have you ever had to set up quarters for VIPs before?"
"No, sir," Parker said.
"Wells." Riggens jabbed his finger at Harvey. "McCloud just threw you under the hovercar. The assistant minister is arriving tonight. Have a shelter set up for her."
Harvey shuffled his feet. "Y-Yes, sir."
"McCloud," the commander rasped.
"Sir."
"You and Wells are two days late."
Did he hear we were stranded? "Sorry, sir."
"I also heard you fixed a problem with your transport, getting your unit safely to Tharsis."
"Yes, sir. I jimmied several water hoses and used them to pump fuel into the engines. Our originals cracked in the cold. Improper storage."
"Sounds like you are ready for your first assignment, then."
"Yes, sir." He wondered if he was going to have any time to take a dry shower before the assignment, but doubted it. He felt disgusting in his two-day-old, sweat-soaked uniform.
"Go over to the K sector houses. There, I want you to evict the riffraff that set up in our shelter. We need it for supplies."
"Sir, where should I send them?"
"Out the door. They moved in without permission. I’m not obligated to find them shelter."
"But—"
"But what?" Riggens rasped. "Go now. Take Wells, Taro, and Bolden. Sergeant McCloud, you are their commander now."
"Thank you, sir." Parker and Harvey turned on their heels and exited quickly, looking the entire way to the hovercar for a map of North Tharsis. Where was K sector?
Two hours and plenty of unhelpful residents later, Parker and his unit arrived in K sector where they found the shelter they were ordered to evict. The unhelpful residents troubled Parker. When he requested this assignment, he had expected to help Tharsis, and they repaid him with misinformation about the location of K sector and plenty of ignored knocked doors. He wondered what they feared so much.
Parker pulled on his tight uniform, and as a precaution, he drew his rifle into a ready position. His right hand held tight against the grip; his other cradled the fore stock. His throat clenched, and he swallowed hard to loosen his nerves.
"Sergeant," Pete Bolden called from his left.
"Bolden?" Parker gazed over at him. Bolden and Taro set up his wing, while Harvey crept forward in front of him.
"Sir, I see people inside. At least three. One child."
"Got it." Parker’s muscles relaxed. "Ease up, guys. It’s a family."
Harvey stood from his crouched position and let out a breath. "Looks like an easy first one."
"We can hope." Parker moved to the door and knocked. "You have to leave!"
A rustling came from inside, and then a thud boomed against the doorway. "Go away! We have claimed this for our own."
Bolden pressed his face against the window, but almost immediately, the window went dark. "They covered the window, sir."
"See anything?" Parker said quickly.
"The door is blocked, too."
Parker shook his head. "Easy? Harvey, you had to open your mouth, didn’t you?"
"You never like easy, anyways." Harvey smirked.
Parker nodded. "With me?" He pointed to the door. "Use your shoulder."
They positioned themselves against the door.
"On three," Harvey said. "Three."
They heaved their shoulders into the door. It thudded, but didn’t move. Parker drew back and kicked against the handle. It didn’t move again. "We aren’t moving this doorway."
"I have some explosives." Taro reached into this pocket.
"No," Parker said, thinking of the child, or children, who were inside. "We can’t risk the people inside. They might be squatters, but they just want a place to stay."
"What then?" Harvey rubbed his hand against the rough outside wall. "We cut a hole and let the air out."
"No!" Parker replied. "I’m going to call command. Maybe I can get these people a stay until tomorrow morning."
Harvey grumbled. "Riggens doesn’t seem like the forgiving kind. A stay will be a miracle."
"I have to try." Parker drew his commun up to his face. "Command. This is Sergeant McCloud over in K Sector. We have a situation here."
A few minutes later, a familiar voice replied, "What situation?"
"Commander Riggens," Parker choked out. He was surprised to have the commander on the line and not a relay officer. "We have a situation with the squatters."
"Are they armed?"
"I don’t think so."
"Why don’t you know that yet?"
"They have barricaded themselves in the shelter, and we can’t extract them."
"Break the door down!"
"We tried, but they blocked the doorway."
"McCloud, get the door open! Get those squatters out of there."
"I can’t, sir. Not without risking the lives of the children inside."
"That is terribly disappointing." With that, Parker’s commun switched to off.
Fifteen minutes later and after a few futile attempts at getting into the shelter, Parker was thinking he might have no other choice but to report failure back to Commander Riggens. He had been happy in his promotion to sergeant, but the added responsibility lying on his shoulders made him feel like he wasn’t ready. He had been the squad leader at the academy for three years, and in that time, he hadn’t missed a beat with any of the responsibilities. His first real problem and he couldn’t complete it without having to return to his commander begging for assistance.
Harvey had been his wingman through the academy, but Parker felt he couldn’t trust him here. Harvey wanted to please the commander, and hurting those kids wasn’t an option. If the family spent a few more hours in the shelter, he would have to accommodate them until a more peaceable solution was found.
The hum of a hovercar in the distance rolled over the hill up to K sector. Parker pulled out his binoculars, and as he adjusted the lens into focus, he saw the hovercar moving fast, and it was military issue.
"Jinx," Parker muttered. "Riggens is here."
"Riggens!" Harvey’s face turned ashen. "He is going to send us to Uranus."
"No," he said. "He is tough, but he understands that children can’t be displaced."
"You better hope so. Somehow, I think he uses children as footrests."
Parker wondered how true the statement might be.
After a few nervous moments, Riggens pulled up.
"McCloud," Riggens screamed, as he hopped out of the hovercar and stomped up to him. "Why aren’t those people out of the shelter?"
"Sir—"
Then Parker felt a surge against his chest, and he hit hard against the coarse Martian surface. He looked up at Riggens, who was moving over him. Parker could hardly believe it, but the commander had shoved him to the ground.
He felt his lip, and tasted blood and the irony sand of the Martian surface. He pursed his lips, wanting to jump up and stomp on the commander.
"Stay there," the commander bellowed, and then he turned to his squad mates. "Wells, Taro, Bolden, come with me."
Parker watched from the ground as Riggens moved to the back of the hovercar and handed Taro, Bolden, and Harvey each a sledgehammer. "What are you doing, Riggens?"
"Shut up and learn." Riggens pointed at him, then turned to Harvey. "Knock the door down."
"Yes…sir," Harvey said with a bit of reluctance.
Parker shot a stare at Harvey, who looked away immediately. Parker knew Harvey would have a hard time saying no to Riggens. A part of him didn’t blame him. He was on the
ground, and probably had ended his career with his insubordination, and Harvey wouldn’t let that happen to himself.
Harvey moved up to the door. Tentatively, he looked back at Riggens.
"Do it, Wells," Riggens bellowed.
"You don’t have to do it," Parker said.
Riggens rushed over to him, reared his foot back, and threw a heavy boot into his midsection.
Parker felt like his stomach was in his throat. He coughed violently and spit up vomit. The acidic taste made him retch several times.
A loud thud sounded next, and Parker didn’t have to look to know that Harvey was following orders. Several heaves later, the door was thrown off its hinges.
Taro and Bolden, not wanting to appear weak, threw their hammers into the side of the shelter, breaking the windows and forging dents in the metal exterior.
Riggens drew his sidearm and fired several shots into the shelter.
A moment later, a man holding his daughter rushed out; in his other hand, his wife trailed behind. They passed Riggens, who wasn’t forgiving. He threw out his foot, and the woman, too terrified to watch where she was running, tripped to the ground.
"Stay out of where you don’t belong," Riggens rasped. "Find your own shelter."
The man didn’t reply. He picked up his wife, bloodied and bruised, and ran down the alleyway.
Riggens simply laughed.
Hatred grew in Parker toward Riggens, and he didn’t know why he was so unprepared for how brutal a Martian outer colony could be. The outer colonies forged hardened Martians. He trained for these types of colonies, so why did he expect this to be any different? Perhaps it was his sense of right and wrong. This colony, even if it was like the rest of the outer colonies, was wrong to treat people this way.
Turning to him, Riggens glowered at Parker.
Parker wanted to tear his head off, but Riggens made it clear with his hand on his pistol that Parker shouldn’t move. "Private McCloud. Get to the barracks and find your assigned quarters. I expect you on patrol tomorrow morning."
Parker didn’t reply. He stared as Riggens, Taro, and Bolden hopped into the hovercar.
Harvey lingered behind a few paces and whispered, "I guess this is how things are run out here."
"No, it isn’t," he replied.
"Get in here, Wells, or double time it with McCloud back to the barracks."
"Coming, sir," Harvey said. "Sorry, Parker."
"Me too, Harvey."
"Where have you been?" Harvey bellowed as Parker walked up the laneway to the barracks. "It’s two hours until shift starts."
Parker reared back his fist and clubbed Harvey across the head. "It’s ten kilometers in a Martian night over a mining pass to the barracks, you fool. Where do you think I was?"
Harvey backed up a few steps. "Look, I didn’t want to, but what was I supposed to do? Disobey orders?"
"I did. Why didn’t you back me up?"
"I was scared," Harvey said.
Harvey’s words took Parker aback. It didn’t feel natural that his friend would admit his fear. Harvey was as tough as they came, and Parker knew he was right. Riggens had subjugated Harvey in a matter of hours. That was how these tyrannical leaders worked…obedience through fear. "I’m going to stop Riggens and his tyranny. Are you with me?"
"Why can’t you just leave it alone? These outer colonies are like this."
"Doesn’t make it right, and Aethpisian Command wouldn’t stand for this in Aethpis, so why would they here? I’m going to bring them Riggens’ head."
"I can’t help…" Harvey’s eyes pleaded with him to agree.
"Your sister wouldn’t want you to let Riggens terrorize this colony."
Harvey bristled. "That’s a cheap shot."
"It works."
Harvey’s youngest sister was a moral pressure point for Harvey. She had died trying to save a group of children from a raider attack four years ago, and it was the reason a troubled Harvey had squared his life and joined the Aethpisian Army.
Harvey chewed on his lower lip. "I know it does…and that’s why I hate you for it. What’s your plan?"
"Simple. We’re going to expose Riggens to Mars."
"How are you going to do that? He runs an outer colony. No one is watching us here."
"Jenny can."
"What can she do?"
"Broadcast Riggens being a tyrannical leader on her holofeed."
"And how are you going to do that? Riggens doesn’t seem the type to welcome visitors."
"With a camera and some smarts. She told me she has her feed on the holochannels open for any breaking news. I’ll give it to her."
"Jenny Freeman’s channel on the holotube has about ten viewers, who are probably asleep."
"Those feeds propagate like viruses when someone passes it along. I have to try."
"I suppose, but how can you make Riggens out to be a bad guy and not just another tough leader in the outer colonies of Mars? You have to be tough to run a colony like this."
"That is the trick, isn’t it? Tough and fair is how you run a Martian outer colony."
"It’s going to be difficult to bridge the fine line of perception and reality."
Parker picked at his chin with his finger. "What’s our next assignment?"
"Nothing for me, but he wants you to evict another person from their shelter, and somehow, I think it will go a lot like yesterday. He made you look naive and weak. You don’t want that on a holofeed."
Parker thought for a moment and then a plan hit. "Perfect."
"Didn’t you learn your lessen yesterday, McCloud?" Riggens bellowed as he exited his hovercar. He had the same sinister skip in his step that he had shown the night before.
He must enjoy it, Parker thought. But he hoped that Riggens’ smug smile would soon be rubbed off. He had set up a simple plan using his latest assignment as a reason for Riggens to come show him the proper way. Parker had figured the commander’s ego would force him to wear down Parker and turn him into one of his servants. Riggens’ arrogance was too great to concede defeat.
Parker had set up the connection to Jenny Freeman’s newsfeed, and his trap had been set. Riggens had ordered him to clear out another shelter in B sector, where Parker had placed cameras to capture the whole affair.
"I couldn’t do it, sir," Parker said. "It’s the same family as last night."
"Of all the stupid things on this retched planet." Riggens stormed to the back of his hovercar. With a violent jerk, he pulled out the sledgehammer again.
Parker took in a deep breath. The cold breezes from the north whirled over his skin and he felt goose bumps form on his arms, wondering if his plan left out a vital variable…Riggens’ insanity.
Riggens bared his baked-bean teeth and hurried over to him.
Parker flinched, wondering if the commander would hit him.
Instead, Riggens pushed the sledgehammer into Parker’s midsection. "Do it!"
"I can’t." He pushed the sledgehammer back, hoping Riggens would show him the proper way.
Riggens drew his pistol. Fingering the handle, he swung it hard.
Parker tried to dodge it as best he could, but he wanted a powerful show for the holofeed, so he absorbed most of the blow. The handle hit hard against his jaw. He stumbled to the ground, dazed. Slowly, he turned, and out of the corner of his eye, he caught the extended barrel against his temple.
"Do it or die!"
Parker felt real fear for the first time in dealing with Riggens. He had figured the commander’s tyranny to be overplayed bullying, but Riggens was a truly brutal man underneath it all. A man who would rather kill than lose or be embarrassed.
He rose to his feet, feeling the commander’s eyes staring at the back of his neck. He dragged the sledgehammer over to the doorway. With a heave, he slammed it hard against the door. Another strike broke the hinges.
Someone screamed from within, and Riggens laughed.
"You’re crazy," Parker yelled at Riggens.
"Finish it! Evict that family!"
Parkers drew the sledgehammer back and threw it at the door again. With a quick foot slide, he missed the door and whirled the hammer’s head around into Riggens’ shoulder.
The pistol flew in the air and landed on the red surface. Riggens stumbled to his knee.
Parker stepped toward him, but the commander wasn’t as stunned as he thought. Thrusting upward, Riggens surged his fist into Parker’s jaw.
Parker staggered back into the shelter’s wall.
Riggens jumped up and pushed his body into Parker’s.
Parker shifted to his left, and pressing hard, he swept his leg under Riggens, sending the brute of a man to the ground. He turned his hand over and slammed it hard against Riggens’ neck. It staggered Riggens for a moment, and that was all Parker needed. Next, he slipped his hand to his waist, and then he pushed the cuffs over Riggen’s wrists and ankles.
"You will die for this, McCloud."
"I hardly think so," Parker said. "All of Mars just saw your little show."
"They won’t care about some criminal family inside a shelter."
"That might be true, but you just ordered the destruction of Assistant Minister Perez’s shelter."
"What? You said it was the family…"
"I did find them again, and I sent them to a better shelter in A sector. I routed you to the Assistant Minister’s chambers."
"What is the meaning of this?" a voice said from the doorway.
Parker recognized her as Assistant Minister Perez. "Assistant Minister, Commander Riggens has been terrorizing this town for years. He ordered me to evict a poor family out of their shelter, and I have rounded up at least a dozen families to testify against him."
"They are criminals and it was legal," Riggens hissed. "You have detained an officer of the military. McCloud, let me go."
"Riggens, is it true about the family?" Perez said.
"I can show you the video, madam." Parker handed her his commun.
After a minute or so, Perez nodded toward him. "Take Riggens away."
"What have you done?" Riggens spit at him.
"I have given this colony a chance again. The people are jaded, but the mining will give them purpose, and the new leader will give them hope for the future. Your reign is finished."
Lunara: The Original Trilogy Page 105