"I could have told you that one." I took a sip from the treacle-black brew and shook off the bitter taste. Americans loved their coffee and Mark in particular. I still hadn't converted him to English tea bags but there was still hope.
"It was good to see them having fun for a change, what with the news and all."
“News? You've lost me. The last bit of breaking news we had was that the roof tiles had come off the youth centre.” I said.
"Haven't you heard the latest, John? I was going to bring it up in today’s service, try and get everybody to pray a little for the people out there. As of yesterday, the early warning beacons in the Zion group were alerted to a fleet of 'Man 'o' War' class ships on a course for the Prime world. I thought given your history you would have..."
"I'm sorry Mark, I try not to keep up with the news outside of this village. In the army we were the news. It's nice to be in the middle of nowhere for a change.”
"Well we have away teams on several of those planets, members of our Church doing work out there. We can't get through to them; the military has stopped all broadcasts for security reasons. I suppose they could be intercepted or something." My heart skipped a beat, and then returned to normal, probably just a 'knee-jerk' response. Then I realised. "Mark, isn’t your son out there?”
I could see it in his face, the pain hidden behind the mask he wore for the benefit of the congregation. I'd seen it on the faces of every parent who had a child in a war zone; it wasn't something you could hide very well. But he was trying and doing a pretty good job of it too.
"The Lord will protect him. We pray everyday for his safe return and for those other unfortunate people out there." I was stunned. I knew David; I'd watched him mature from being a rebellious little teen to the devout Christian his Father had hoped he'd become. But now it seemed it had become a costly decision.
“You don't sound so sure?” I said giving him a minute to think about it. I don't know how anyone could commit their child to an invisible force rather than take action to save them from harm. Although Mark's ability to help millions of miles away were limited; to simply commit his loved one to a seemingly inactive being had to be a coping mechanism for his own inability to act. I'd seen it in trenches when the fighting was thickest, people dropping to the floor to pray when the odds were stacked against them and there was nothing they could see to do to change them. They made dangerous soldiers to their own side.
“What more can I do? I've sent messages over and over and yet they all receive the same response.” He looked at me with eyes begging for an answer that wasn't coming from his book anymore.
“I'll get in touch with the MOD. See if I can help.” I offered knowing full well it would go nowhere. He seemed momentarily satisfied and after finishing our coffees in silence he left.
*
The following day I woke up later than I usually would. I'd had a rough time trying to get to sleep; my mind kept turning it over, forming images of the conflicts I'd seen and adding David to the hundreds of dead that collected in piles on the road. I imagined the orbital bombs flattening the Church he was in, wiping him out. I saw him decapitated by the enemy, burned alive...
But by morning it was all pretty hazy and the blazing heat from the sun lifted my spirits a little. I made a mug of tea and started up the console while my toast cooked in the kitchen. Instantly the news feed came to the screen and the main headlines were taken up by the news from the Zion group.
The Zion group was a cluster of planets owned by wealthy believers who wanted a place to devote their lives to worship. They’d colonised them around fifty years ago, using most of the existing structures left behind by the frontier men of the last century. It was pretty secure and the nearest military force was only a week away, add that to the sphere of EW beacons and you would have thought it would have been quite safe for these people to practice their faith.
“Tensions are still mounting as contact has been lost from several of the planets in the system. Long range scans have shown considerable ship movement from ARC forces directed to the region...” the news caster droned as I buttered my toast.
“Vid-link.” I called out to the console. “Jeff Simms, MOD.”
“Clearence code please.” the console chirped.
“B5678. Shap, John.”
“Subject?”
“Inquiry. St. John, David. Zion group.”
“Thank you.”
I sat in my chair near the console and ate my toast. It was set to be a beautiful day. The skies were clear blue and the breeze coming in through the window was warm. I could see my greenhouse at the end of my small field and on its glass roof a gray shaggy looking cat was staring back at me. It wasn't such a bad life after all I thought.
“John. Long time no see.” The face of Jeff Simms appeared in my living room. He was all smiles and his uniform was freshly pressed. Simms had been a stickler for the rules and it had been his job to see every soldier through his time in the forces from signing up to dropping out. Or at least it was his job to arrange their funeral.
“Hello Jeff. How's things?” I replied.
“Spot on, mate. You? How's civilian life treating you?”
“I can't complain. Just enjoying breakfast while you're working...” I grinned.
“Thanks. Some of us have been at it since five am. You've seen the latest?” his face tried to retain its grin but I could see he was bothered by it all.
“Yes. Look Jeff I'm calling on behalf of a friend of mine. His son is out there and he wants to make sure he's alright.” Jeff nodded and held his hands up.
“No problem mate. What unit is he in?” he said.
“He's not a soldier. He's a missionary. His name is David St. John.”
“I'll take a look for you.” Jeff turned away from the screen and ran his fingers over a touch screen tablet embedded in his desk. “St. John, David. Departed lunar colony in June last year. Arrived at Zion group two months later. Took transport to Sidon the following week. He's still there as far as our records are concerned though I don't envy him.”
“Why's that?” I said.
“Can't say over vid-link but it's getting worse out there. We have very limited communications since ARC moved near so I can't even reach David for you.”
“Thanks Jeff I appreciate it.”
“Are you coming back yet?” he said laughing. “We need all the help we can get.”
“If it's bad enough to want me back it must be bad.”
Jeff's face turned deadly serious. “All I can say John is it's that bad now.”
*
As promised I began finishing the gates. As I was applying the paint, I heard something above the bird calls and rustling pines. It was oddly familiar, a sort of thumping sound, mechanical and deep toned. It shook the turpentine in the jar on the windowsill. It began to get louder, the thumps closer together. Putting down the paint pot, I walked out into the sunlight - until it was blacked out.
It settled down in the field across the path, anti-grav pads sending clumps of soil and turf in all directions until they cut off and feet extended out from the sides like a spider. Then hatches lifted outwards and a set of steps shot out into the dirt. It was an Mk IV assault speeder, but an updated one with matt black anti-radar shielding, plexi-glass hatches and twin machine guns mounted in the nose. Streaked in white lettering above the frontal exhaust pipes was written 'MILLITARY OFFICE'. Then a figure emerged from the starboard hatch in olive green dress, followed by a tall, wide shouldered officer in black breaches, boots and a peaked cap. Across the arm of his jacket was a Lieutenants stripe and the pips on his collar confirmed his rank.
I watched the spectacle for a few moments, and then returned to the rapidly drying paint.
"Excuse me," A voice shouted over my fence. It was the Lieutenant's aide, all youth and arrogance.
"Can I help you?" I shouted without turning from my work.
"We're looking for a Lieutenant John Shap. Could you tell us where we mi
ght find him, it is of the utmost urgency."
"There is no man of that rank around here, Private," I replied, working the brush into the welds where the catch jutted out. Maybe my fence could rust, but if people saw the Church gates rusting my reputation would be ruined.
"But is there a John Shap then?"
"Finished," I said to myself, satisfied. Putting the brush in the turps, I turned and wiped my hands on a cloth. "Who's asking?"
"Military command," The Lieutenant piped up, obviously fed up with the wait. "If we don't find him, we'll have to hunt him down with dogs until he owns up."
"I didn't see any dogs on that rust-heap of yours. You're bluffing."
"Try me." The young adjutant looked on in shock, wondering why his Lieutenant hadn't put a bullet in my head for my insolence.
"What the hell are you doing in a black dress, Dan?" I shouted. His aide looked fit to burst, his face had changed colour.
"What's with the face hair? You get lazy in your old age, John?"
"What's with the rank? Did you stop being lazy?" We met half way up the drive and shook hands, all grins and laughs. "How long has it been, Dan? Nine years or so?"
"Just about. How the hell are you?"
"I'm good. Damn good. That's record time. I was only on the 'link to Simms an hour ago. He's usually quite slow in reporting people."
"You've been off the scanner for too long. Sometimes we just need to know where you are and what you're doing. We don't want another case like we had in New York."
Dan Burns was an old school friend. We'd both joined up at sixteen but after a year in basic we'd gone our separate ways and only met up again as part of a peace keeping force posted to Ganymede. As usual we'd promised to keep in touch but such promises were always made on the way out of the door. He'd been a sound bloke though and I'd met a few troopers who'd served under him who only echoed that assessment.
"So go on, what brings you out this far? They could have sent anyone to check up on me," I asked. We were sat on the porch; the sun beating down fiercely now it was afternoon. That had led to a round of cold beers, then another and I was just about to get the third when I decided that was enough small talk. Military Office didn't pay house calls for fun.
"I suppose you've heard about the Zion conflict," Dan said.
"I have. Something about an ARC fleet moving into the region was the latest."
"The information has been delayed. It's six weeks old. As of last night, we lost two planets to a full on assault, the other three are in jeopardy and over sixty-three percent of our forces are being redeployed to make sure they don't go the same way."
"What's so special about Zion? It's full of colonists with no war interest, no hostile intentions." Dan looked to his aide, they exchanged something non-verbal.
"John, this stopped being a war of property and material gain years ago. To the enemy, it's a crusade."
"A religious crusade? They're more like 20th century Communists.”
"Do you remember Scientology in the twentieth century? How it was started by one man?"
"A tax dodge you mean."
"That's never been proven. They are following someone called 'Asc Theros', a man who's managed something we've never been able to do in centuries."
"And that is?" Dan leaned forward, hands out in front. His face was set like a tombstone.
"Unite the entire population. There are no factions, no splinter groups following unorthodox practices. They're a collective, they act as one united force."
"There's nothing new to that. Communism managed it for a while. Can't we just take out this guy, this 'Theros'?”
"No chance. There's more to this than you think. These guys aren't just fanatics. We were able to capture a supply frigate moving into the sector trying to bypass our lines. We took several prisoners who weren't able to kill themselves before we got to them. John, they're like nothing we've ever seen before. They're brainwashed in ways our shrinks can't begin to unravel. Plus there's something else.”
“Like what?”
“Their bodies, altered in some way. Not just improvements, bizarre changes, changes that don't make sense.” Dan had gone pale, sweat forming beads on his fore head. It was bothering him and I suspected he'd seen this first hand.
"Well you'd better get back to it, Lieutenant. Sounds like the world needs you." I made for the kitchen, but Dan was on his feet.
"Let's not dick about, John. According to your contract, you're property of the Military Office for another eighteen months."
"Are you conscripting me?" I felt like throwing the glass at him - if I thought it would help. I'd seen this coming long before now, only it was confirmed when the Mk IV had landed. He was right, I might have been kicked out, but that didn't end the contract. It just left it open until I was needed.
"You're being recalled to active service, effective immediately."
"Why me? It's not like I was a war hero, not some medal winner. Why waste all this time to get me?"
There was something in Dan's eyes, something that hadn't been there on the battlefield all those bloody years ago. It was the same look Mark had, that look of despair, of helplessness but kept back only by a glitter of hope somewhere deep within it.
"You were there. On the front lines in that sector. You know the terrain, the tactics of...”
“Go on. The tactics of what?”
“Of Rorsch. Of Major Heinrich Rorsch. He's why we can't kill their leader. He's one of our own.”
"No," I said, flatly. “Not a chance. The guy was a nut job even when he was on our side of the battle barges. It might never have been proven but that's why we lost Pothos, that's why we lost that fucking farm world. Nobody listened to me then either.”
“Well I can assure you, they're listening now.”
The sun was beating down now and the air was thick with the lazy scent of summer. I could imagine harvest, or days just sitting on the porch with a cold beer, or one of the village barbeques. "I'm not going back there. You can drag me if you want, but if you've really read that file you'll know exactly what will happen. I’m not some ‘story’ you can sell to meat fresh out of basic, my war days are over.”
There was a stretch of silence between us, Dan looking straight at me. Then he got to his feet, put on his cap and held out his hand.
"If you change your mind." We shook, his grip firm and resolute - like a man with a purpose. Then his aide handed me a slip of yellow paper with a number on. "We leave for Zion tomorrow night."
"I'm confident that the war will go on without me."
"Indeed. It was good to see you again," he said and headed back towards the Mk IV.
"Thanks for the beer," His aide added, quickly following. Then the anti-grav units churned up more of the field and a moment later they were gone, a speck that disappeared into the clouds.
*
The following day I was sat out in the garden that stretched across the back of the house, taking in the bird calls and sipping lemonade from a chipped glass. It was slightly overcast and the sky seemed to be moody, the air tingling with tension. I was just starting to shut my eyes for a moment when I heard the side gate squeal open.
"Good morning," Mark said, taking the seat next to me.
"It doesn't look like it will be a good afternoon. Look at that sky." Something bounded across the overgrown grass, a swift blur of browns and grays.
"I saw that speeder land yesterday," he said. "For a brief moment I thought it was looking for me."
"I'm sorry, I never thought. I got in touch with my friend at the MOD, he confirmed that David was in the Zion system on Sidon one of your missionary planets but that's all. Communications are limited now. I meant to come round and tell you but as you saw the MOD were glad to pay me a visit once they traced where I was. Sorry.”
"Actually I came to apologise to you, I thought maybe you'd received some bad news yourself."
"Well," I said. "Some might say it was bad news. It was an old army buddy, come to t
ake me back."
"He didn't do a very good job - you're still here." We laughed. I hesitated to tell him what Dan had said. In the end I had to tell him though I knew what it might mean to him.
"He offered me a post in the Zion group. My former rank and command as before," I said. Mark's face took a serious turn. I didn't add any more to the story, there was enough for him to worry about.
"Quite a position, John. Well unless you're leaving tomorrow, I assume you turned it down."
"I'm afraid so. It would just be too much, seeing it again; I don't know how I'd react. I could end up getting people killed if I hesitated even once. I'm what they call a liability now."
"But they would have known your past, it's the military. They obviously thought that you still had the ability to command.”
"Who knows? Anyway, I turned it down. I like my life the way it is."
"Well only you and God know how you feel. I'm sure you made the right decision." He got up to leave.
“Mark.” I called. He stopped and turned. “Forget it.” I replied. Maybe some things are best not said.
Out on the front we walked to the path, but before he passed through the gates I caught something missing in his eyes. Where Dan's had held a tiny glimmer of hope for the future, Mark's had faded like a dead star. It didn't take a genius to figure out what he'd have thought when seeing that speeder land on the porch of an ex-soldier, he was only human. But most of all he was a father and that put David above everybody else and I expect the very concept of doing so cut him deeply.
“Mark.” He turned. “Say the word.”
“Excuse me?”
“Say it and I'll go. I'll try and find him, bring him home.”
“I can't ask you to do that. He might not even...”
“That's a possibility.”
“But John, I have no other hope.” he muttered, choked.
“I didn't think so.”
CHAPTER 3
The troop transport vessel 'Midian' lurched out of the magna-locks with a shudder of power as the twin fusion engines kicked into life. Out in the deep blackness of space, the ship traversed a small asteroid field before settling into a steady flight plan. In two weeks we'd be arriving at Sidon, the first planet in the Zion group. There Lt. Dan Burns expected to rendezvous with the battle cruiser 'Avalon' where we would begin deployment as required.
Soul at War Page 2