by P. A. Piatt
“What did you say?”
“Two nights ago; we took Root into custody, along with Shelly Baird, and turned them over to Chive.”
“Why did you do that?”
“Chive identified Root and Baird as members of the resistance, so we raided their house. Chive was supposed to turn them over to you for prosecution after he interviewed them.”
Schultz glared at Fortis. “Chick Root and I arrived here on Eros-28 on the same transport, back when the GRC thought this dusty rock had minerals worth mining. That was thirty years ago. In all that time, I never once knew him to be involved with China Mike or a labor slowdown, much less the resistance.”
“We were told he quit his job and joined the drug cartel in protest of the Security Directorate.”
Schultz squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. “Chick Root quit because he had a heart attack. He stayed on as a freeloader because his wife, Shelly Baird, has two years left on her contract. You say Chive has Baird, too?”
Fortis nodded, too numb to speak. He wanted to apologize, but he couldn’t form the words. He doubted anything he could say would suffice, so he sat in silence.
“He probably has her at the site,” said the chief.
“I’m sure you’re right.” Fortis didn’t know what Chief Schultz knew about Jandahl and his activities, and he wasn’t sure what he could reveal. “What do you want to do?”
Schultz hit the accelerator and the cart lurched forward. “I have to report this to Governor Czrk and find out how he wants to proceed. It’s going to be a tough sell without any evidence.”
“Do you want me to go with you?”
Chief Schultz stopped the cart next to the door into Fenway. “No, I think you’ve done enough, Lieutenant. This isn’t your problem anymore.”
* * * * *
Chapter Twenty-Four
Fortis caught up with Ystremski and the platoon in their dormitory. He motioned for the corporal to follow him, and the two men crossed the hall into the weight room.
“Remember Jandahl told us that the Kuiper Knights killed Chick Root, and they would make it look like an OD? He was right. I just came back from the crime scene with Schultz. Chick Root is dead and they did try to make it look like an OD. I guess Jandahl’s got some credibility now.”
“Uh, yeah. About Jandahl…”
Ystremski told him about the meeting between the intelligence operative and Chive and his subsequent discovery of Jandahl’s body.
“You’re sure Chive killed him?”
“There’s only one access to that utility room, sir. He went in and a few minutes later Chive and his goons came out. Unless Jandahl figured out a way to break his own neck like that, Chive murdered him.”
“Did you tell anyone?”
Ystremski shook his head. “You were out with the chief, and I didn’t know who else I could trust.”
“Shit.” Fortis rubbed his face with both hands.
“What do you want to do, sir?”
“Let’s find Chief Schultz. We’ll tell him everything we know about Jandahl and show him the body. Maybe that will be enough to get the governor to move against Chive.”
Ten minutes later the two Space Marines were standing in front of Schultz’s desk.
“Chief, do you know a man named Jandahl?”
Shultz shook his head. “Not one of ours. Who is he?”
“He told me he worked for GRC corporate. The day before our first mission with Chive, he approached me in the corridor and warned me about Chive and the Kuiper Knights. Jandahl claimed they were up to something here on Eros-28, but he didn’t say what it was.”
“It’s wise to be wary of mercenaries. Especially the ones you aren’t paying.”
Fortis continued. “I didn’t think much of his information until he returned last night. He told me Chive and his men tortured Root to death at their site, and his body would probably be dumped in Boston and made to look like an OD.”
“You knew that last night, and you didn’t say anything this morning?”
“What was I going to say, Chief? Would you have believed me if I had told you?”
“You went to the crime scene with me, and you didn’t say a word.”
Fortis felt his face redden. “I’m not proud of it.”
Schultz steepled his fingers under his chin. “Okay. Why are you telling me this now?”
Fortis gestured to Ystremski. “Tell him.”
“I saw Jandahl sneaking around, and I got curious, so I followed him. He went into a utility room, and I waited for him to come out. Instead, Chive and two of his guys came out, and when I looked in the room I found Jandahl dead.”
“You say Chive killed this GRC intelligence operative…uh…”
“Jandahl, sir. That’s exactly what I’m saying. I watched Jandahl go into that utility room, then I saw Chive leave. Afterward, I found Jandahl with his neck broken.”
Chief Schultz heaved himself to his feet.
“Let’s go take a look at this body.”
A few minutes later, Fortis, Ystremski, and Schultz entered the utility room. Jandahl’s body was gone.
“It was here, I swear!” protested Ystremski.
“Nobody’s calling you a liar, Corporal.” Fortis turned to Schultz. “I bet Chive and his men moved the body.”
“They probably took it out of here and loaded it into their crawler. Maybe they’ll dump it in Boston, make it look like another OD,” said the chief.
“What do we do now? Go to Governor Czrk?”
The chief stroked his fleshy chins. “And tell him what? Do you think Governor Czrk is going to believe your tale about a GRC corporate operative sent here to spy on Eros-28? Where’s your evidence? Czrk is a company man, and he’s going to need more than the word of a couple Space Marines whose troops were arrested for their involvement in the China Mike trade.”
“Look, Chief. When we got here, the last thing I wanted to do was get mixed up in the internal politics of Eros-28. I don’t know the players, I don’t know the issues, and I don’t know who to trust.” He took a deep breath. “I fucked up. I let my men go on liberty against orders. Everything that happened after that is my responsibility. I only agreed to the raids because the governor left me no choice, but I didn’t agree to torture and murder. If there’s a price to be paid when we get back to Atlas, I’ll pay it, but I wasn’t about to leave Marx and Landis here.”
Fortis felt Ystremski’s hand on his arm, and he realized how close he was to the chief. He took a deep breath, forced himself to relax, and took a step back.
Chief Schultz’s eyes flicked from the lieutenant to the corporal and back before he spoke.
“I believe you, Lieutenant. Sending a corporate spy to investigate what’s going on here sounds exactly like something the GRC would do.”
“It does?”
“Czrk is our third governor in two years,” said the chief. “Appleton was the governor for years, but, when the subway collapsed, she was replaced by Warren. That’s when the entire facility went on strike. And then they sent Czrk. He got the place under control. Now China Mike is everywhere, and productivity is slumping again.”
“Maybe Jandahl was onto something.”
“Could be.” Schultz stroked his chins again. “I guess we’ll never know.”
They stood in silence for a long second until Corporal Ystremski shuffled his feet and said, “Sir, I need to get back to the platoon.”
“Yes, by all means, you two should get on with your duties,” replied Chief Schultz.
“What do we do now?” asked Fortis as they walked to the door.
“You should do what you have to do for your men,” said Schultz as they exited the utility room. “I need to think about how to proceed with the information you’ve given me. Chive and his men might be dangerous, but they don’t run this facility.”
* * *
Three hours later, Chive waved to Fortis from the door of the Space Marine dorm. Fortis followed him into the passage
way, and the security director handed him a now-familiar target folder.
“Ben West. Electronics technician. We believe he constructed the timers used in the explosive charges that destroyed Garage Number Seven, as well as being a member of the resistance.”
Fortis examined the photographs. “What’s the source of your intel?”
“That’s not your concern. I develop the targets, and you execute the raids. That’s how this works, remember?”
After a long moment, Fortis closed the folder. “What time do we execute?”
“As soon as you can get your men together, I think,” said Chive. “My source indicated that West finished a night shift early this morning, so he should be home asleep.”
“A daylight mission. Hmm.”
“The streets around the target location are too narrow for the crawler, so you’ll have to debark the crawler a couple blocks away and proceed on foot. Dolph will guide you to the location. He’s waiting outside with the crawler.”
“Okay. I’ll have Corporal Ystremski get an assault team together, and we’ll meet you outside.”
“We have a new target,” Fortis told the corporal. “Daytime mission. And we make the final approach on foot. Which team do you think we should send?’
“I’ll take it with Assault Team One, LT. Who’s the target?”
“Guy named West.” Fortis handed him the folder. “Chive said this guy is the electronics technician who built the timers for the charges that blew up their garage.”
“Huh. At least we’re going after a bad guy and not just some alleged ‘resistance’ member.”
“If you believe Chive, sure. He said this guy should be asleep after working a night shift, and we have to go in on foot because the streets are too narrow for the crawler.”
“We’ll need to move fast. If he sees us coming, he’ll rabbit.”
“Good point. Get the men ready, and let’s move out. Chive and Dolph are waiting.”
Ten minutes later, Assault Team One was loaded, and Dolph was steering the crawler into the duty streets of Boston. Fortis sat in the copilot’s seat, and they discussed the mission details with the mercenary driver.
“I’ll park two blocks away and lead you the rest of the way,” Dolph said. “After I point out the house, I’ll return to the crawler and let you guys to do your thing. After you cuff him and stuff him, we’ll haul ass.”
“Why don’t you stay?”
Dolph laughed. “The locals know who the crawler belongs to. If I let it sit for too long they’ll steal it or torch it.”
“Do you know anything about the target location? Is there a China Mike lab, or a tunnel?”
“I don’t know, LT. I didn’t get any details from Chive except the location. I didn’t have time to scout, either. At least it’s not dark.”
“There’s that, but I still don’t like it.”
“DINLI.”
Fortis gave Dolph a strange look, and the Kuiper Knight shrugged.
“Old habits die hard.”
The lieutenant nodded. “DINLI.”
Dolph stopped the crawler at the entrance to a narrow alley and shut off the engine. “We walk from here.”
The Space Marines formed up single-file with Dolph in the lead, followed by Ystremski and his assault team. Fortis and Cowher brought up the rear. When they arrived at the target, the corporal waved Fortis forward, and he crouched with Dolph.
“It’s the third house from the left,” the mercenary told them. “Green metal door.”
The corporal took a quick look around the corner and spotted the door. “Got it.”
“Good luck.” Dolph turned and jogged back to the crawler.
Assault Team One formed up, the breacher in front followed by Corporal Ystremski and the other team members behind him.
“Go, go, go!”
The assault team ran across the street and spread out along the front wall. The breacher tried the door and signaled that it was unlocked. The assault team poured inside.
Fortis listened to the chorus of “Clear” over the radio as the team moved through the dwelling.
Finally, Ystremski announced, “All clear.” The corporal emerged and jogged over to Fortis and Cowher.
“The place is empty, but somebody was definitely in there, LT. The boys found a tunnel in a bedroom closet. They’re checking it out now.”
Three doors down, a figure burst outside, turned a corner, and sprinted down the alley.
“Shit!”
Ystremski took off in pursuit, followed closely by Fortis and Cowher.
“We’ve got a runner!” Ystremski shouted into his radio.
The man had a head start, but he was no match for the speed-enhanced corporal, and Ystremski tackled him less than a block away. He struggled to escape, but the trio of Space Marines subdued him without much trouble. They confirmed his identity as Ben West and dragged him back to the target location.
The assault team was waiting in the street when they returned, but they weren’t alone. A group of civilians was gathered in the alley a short distance away, shouting and cursing at the Space Marines. The crowd was growing quickly.
“What’s going on?” Fortis asked.
“We came outside to find you, and these people showed up. They started yelling at us, and then their friends showed up.”
“You didn’t respond or point weapons at them or anything like that?”
“No, sir. They’re over there shouting, that’s all.”
A fist-sized rock flew toward the group and bounced along the dusty street.
“Let him go, you bastards!”
Ystremski gestured. “LT, we’re ready to move out to the crawler. Let’s get the hell out of here.”
“Mercenaries go home!”
More rocks pelted the group.
“Lead the way, Corporal.”
Four Space Marines grabbed West by his arms and legs and the Space Marines withdrew toward the crawler. Fortis brought up the rear, and the crowd gave chase. The shouts continued and more rocks landed around the them, but there were no injuries.
They arrived at the crawler and Fortis saw the engine cowling up with Dolph deep inside.
“What’s going on?”
Dolph stuck his head out. “Fucker won’t start.”
The crowd rounded the last corner twenty meters away and stopped at the sight of the crawler. A couple stones landed near the vehicle and a large one bounced off the crawler with a clang.
They waved their fists and chanted, “Let him go! Let him go!”
Ystremski instructed the men to lean West on the front of the crawler. “If they want to throw stones, they’ll hit their own guy,” he told Fortis.
Fortis shook his head. “It’s our duty to protect him while he’s in our custody not use him as a shield. Get him into the back and out of sight.” He leaned under open engine cowling. “How’s it looking, Dolph?”
“I think I got it.” The mercenary slid out and wiped his hands on his uniform. He jumped behind the wheel, the motor whined, and the crawler lurched. “Get in!”
Fortis scrambled into the front while the assault team and Cowher climbed into the back. Rocks rained down on the crawler as the Space Marines jumped in and the crowd surged forward. Several of them ran alongside and pounded on the crawler, but fell back as they picked up speed when the streets widened.
“That was close!” Fortis exclaimed.
“They get pretty pissed off when the crawler rolls up. The first time we went out, Chive butt-stroked one of them, and the guys beat down a few more. That got them so riled up that they went on strike. That’s when the governor ordered us to stay out of Boston.”
The crawler rolled to a stop at Fenway, and Fortis and the assault team debarked as the waiting Kuiper Knights climbed aboard.
“Wait here, I’ve got some business to attend to,” the mercenary leader told Dolph. He turned to Fortis. “How did it go, Lieutenant?”
“Not bad. West ducked out through a tunne
l, but we caught him down the street. A crowd of civilians showed up and things started to get ugly, so we got the hell out of there.” He pointed to a large dent in the crawler caused by one of the rocks. “We’re not doing anymore daylight missions. If that had hit one of my guys…”
“Huh.” Chive examined the damage. “At least you got him.”
The Space Marines filed inside and turned toward their dormitory while Chive headed for the governor’s office.
Lance Corporal White met Fortis and Ystremski in the corridor. He held up a piece of folded paper.
“The communications center sent down a message from Battalion, sir.”
“Bad news, corporal?”
From: Commander, Second Battalion, 1st of the 9th
To: Platoon Leader, 3rd Platoon, Foxtrot Company
Extraction time confirmed for 132:41:87:2 Galactic Standard Time. Fleet transport will contact the spaceport on the standard hailing frequency on final approach.
Ninth Division remains at Alert Condition Bravo.
Sobieski sends
Fortis passed the message to Ystremski and consulted his watch.
“That’s fourteen hours from now. Form the platoon, and I’ll brief them. Then I’ll go tell the governor and get Marx and Landis released.”
* * *
Lieutenant Fortis met with Governor Czrk, Chief Schultz, and Security Director Chive in the governor’s office.
“Fourteen hours,” said Governor Czrk.
“That’s correct, sir.
“I guess that’s it then. Chief, release Marx and Landis—”
“Just a moment, Governor,” interrupted Chive. “There’s been a development in our fight against the China Mike dealers that I haven’t had a chance to share with you.”
Governor Czrk spread his hands wide. “Well, go ahead Mr. Chive. What have you got?”
Chive shot a look at Chief Schultz. “My information is best kept in strict confidence, Governor. I’d rather the resistance not know.”