Inside the main Assembly Building almost a hundred people were listening to a speech by President West of Kerberos, who was also one of the three councillors from the Kerberos Colony. He had been one of the key drivers behind some kind of a peace agreement. He’d also made a great deal of the fact that the Assembly would be convened to come to a long lasting and equitable arrangement between the colonies and their respective belligerent factions. Normally the meeting would be run by the Speaker but today was a special occasion, the first to ever take place in the colony under the authority of President West. For something this important the President had needed to take personal control.
* * *
Light was fading in Yama City and as often happened the coolness of the night was amplified by the light patter of rain on the stone walkways of the new city. The city lights were garish, most coming from the downward facing street lighting. A substantial amount also came from the many lights and equipment set up by the scores of news crews and reporters that had arrived for the momentous event.
As the groups outside continued chanting, those inside prepared for the critical gathering. The leaders of Proxima’s colonies and the many other groups were still in closed session inside the massive structure. A number of video screens and speaker systems were already being erected so that the people in the rain could see what was happening inside. So far only two of the great screens were in position and although one kept crackling the second showed a clear picture of the hall. Around this display a number of at least fifty people pushed and shoved for a better look.
The cold and wet the weather seemed to do little to dampen the enthusiasm of the Kerberos citizens. The stoic members of the public stood outside the Colonial Assembly Building waving their placards and shouting in support of their representatives. Most of them outside were common citizens, many of whom toiled in the factories and industries covering the surface of the single planetary colony. Scores of them wore masks or filter tubes in their nostrils to help with the lower oxygen content of the atmosphere. Though Kerberos was one of the newer colonies it was wealthy. But the crowds in the streets appeared not to have benefited from the massive increases in trade and production in the last thirty years. At least a dozen people carried placards from the new Socialist Worker Party that aimed to improve the lot of those working in the heavy industries. They advocated common ownership and cooperative management of the means of production and allocation of resources in the colony. Another group from one of the lesser-known Disciples of Christ decried the breakdown in morality of the colonies and pushed their own arguments of piety, absolution and belief in the old idea of the Trinity.
Most of the placards complained about simple domestic matters such as job security, cuts in social spending and the profits of the mega corporations that did most of their work on the planet. One group stood out more than the rest. About thirty members of the Church of Echidna had assembled around an icon of the half woman half-snake goddess they worshipped. The icon was a bizarre fusion of monotheism and pagan mythology. It was the largest church on Kerberos but so far no religious groups had been given access to the Assembly. One man in the traditional robes of the Church pushed ahead and moved up the marble steps to the entrance of the building. Alongside him were three men in hooded robes, it was not clear who they were as their clothing covered their faces. A line of riot police blocked his path.
“You can’t come in, only Colonial and Confederate representatives,” said the officer in charge.
“I am an official representative of the Church of Echidna, our presence has been requested at the Assembly,” the man said.
The officer looked down at his datapad, checking the details of those with permission to move through the barrier. It took a few seconds and as the wait dragged on a few more of the Church members moved forward carrying the icon with them.
“I have you and three assistants on the list, you can come through,” the officer moved aside to let the man and his three assistants in.
As they moved forward the people with the icon tried to follow them into the building.
“Hey, that thing has no business in the Assembly!” shouted somebody in the crowd.
“They have the right to enter!” shouted another.
A substantial number with placards starting shouting their support for the Church followers, some even pushed ahead to help protect the icon. At the same time angry disagreements spread like wildfire through the crowd.
“Barrier!” A police officer shouted to the rest of his men.
The police responded quickly and in less than twenty seconds the loose groups of officers formed up into a tight line of armour and shields. Their state-of-the-art body armour produced full head, torso and limb protection. Each of them wore additional plating around the important joints and organs. The hardened black armour gave them the appearance of giant beetles, an impression that was reinforced by their oversized helmets. As well as providing around the head defences the helmets were equipped with drop down shoulder and neck protection against overhead blows and missile strikes. This should be enough protection against all but military grade weapons, but that didn’t stop each of them from carrying a large transparent rectangular shield. They were slightly concave to provide additional strength and rigidity, the marks and scratches along their fronts easily demonstrated their frequent use. Facing outwards the armour provided a powerful and secure barrier to protect the Assembly and the important dignitaries inside.
In the commotion someone near the icon started to scream. It wasn’t obvious who it was but a number of people starting to run about and a few fell over. Sergeant Travis, on the watch for potential problems, gave a quick hand signal to his officers. Some of them were unable to see him due to the number of protestors pushing up to the line. Already they were starting to push and shove against the armoured line.
“We have a situation at the icon, Charlie Squad secure the icon and its group. Help them inside the line,” he said into the intercom link fitted into his helmet.
Almost instantly half a dozen policemen broke from the line and surged ahead towards the icon. A few of the protestors thought they were the intended objective and tried to stop them from passing. As two of the men dealt with the immediate problem, the other four police officers pushed their way to the icon, but it was too late. With a flash the icon and a dozen of the followers disappeared. The effect was as though a massive rock had been dropped into a pond. The immediate area around the icon was engulfed in a featureless void that swiftly turned into an angry cloud of pressure and debris. The massive blast ripped through the crowd, the shockwave knocking many to the ground and sending dirt, blood and debris in every direction. Those nearest to the blast were torn to pieces and the ones just a short distance away suffered terrible wounds and burns. The blast was so powerful it managed to catch a handful of the police who were closest, even managing to rip the helmets and shields from the first two. One of the officers, a man called Harris and the oldest of the riot police, took the brunt of the blast onto his chest’s body armour. Incredibly none of the debris penetrated but the power of the blast catapulted him twenty metres through the air and into the street, where he landed hard on his back. The entire area around the building erupted into screams and shouting as people who could walk did their best to escape the scene. Their running turned to panic and in moments the scene became one of chaos.
Sergeant Travis, leader of the police unit lifted himself from the ground and wiped the dust from his visor. As he stood he found himself engulfed in a thick cloud that obscured his vision. He looked back to see one of his men on his back with a piece of metal embedded in his chest. The man had obviously died from the violent impact.
“Sergeant Travis, we have an incident here, explosive device at the Southern entrance to the Assembly Building. Officers down, civilians wounded. Need ATU and medical assistance immediately!”
“Understood, aerial medical unit inbound, ETA seven minutes,” came the reply.
> The Sergeant moved along to check on the rest of his unit. Luckily the armour and shields of the men had protected them from the worst of the attack but there were still many injuries. He walked towards three of his men as one was wrapping a cloth around a bleeding wound on his leg.
“Gardner, get the rest of your squad down to the street level. We need this area cordoned off. Jenkins!” he shouted.
He waited for a moment before his redoubtable second in command appeared.
“What is your status?” asked Sergeant Travis.
“I’ve got four injured, they are being taken care of now, luckily nothing too serious. The three squads from the Ninth Precinct are unhurt, I’m still checking on the rest.”
“Good, good. Get the three units down to the street fast! We need medical attention for the injured. Keep one squad back to protect the Assembly.”
As he watched the dust cloud started to settle revealing over twenty bodies plus more people still staggering away from the crowd. In the middle of the bodies were the charred remains of the religious standard. Incredibly it was still intact but had suffered damage and scorch marks from the attack. Around the damaged icon were the bodies of the members of the Church, each one dressed in their traditional garb and all badly mutilated by the blast. From the boundaries of the area small groups of people emerged, some were bleeding, others may have just arrived. At the sight of the partially burnt icon they started to swoop back in as bodies were still being carried away.
“Cordon off the icon, get those people away from there!” he shouted.
Sergeant Travis moved down from the line and towards the relic, doing his best not to slip and fall on the blood. Small numbers of police joined him as they tried to create a protective screen around the clump of bodies by the relic.
A man lifted a stick in the air and waved it over his head.
“Zealots out, Zealots out!” he cried before being dragged down by the mob.
Travis tried to push his way through to the man, but was too late as he was already being dragged off by four burly men, who then promptly disappeared into the darkness.
“Dispatch, we need that backup now. The Assembly Building is not secure, I repeat the Assembly is not secure!” he said firmly into his radio.
There was no response from the set. He tried again but the numbers of people moving back into the area was just too much, with a hand signal he instructed his men to fall back to their original positions outside the building. As they moved back the crowd plucked and grabbed at the ruined icon, though whether for souvenirs or as relics he couldn’t tell.
Jenkins rushed over to him.
“Sir, we’ve got a problem around the corner. A car has been crashed into our command centre and a device set off. They managed to get everybody out but they have had to fall back to the Assembly perimeter. Something big is going on here!”
* * *
“Fellow representatives, as you are all aware, in the last year events have conspired to bring violence and disorder to the colonies of the Confederation. The causes are many and in some cases are still being discovered. In calling this Assembly it is my hope that we can rebuild the road to real peace and lasting security throughout the sector. We can be strong, safe and productive if we work together. I am fully aware that there have been two previous attempts to resolve the grievances between the religious organisations on Prime and the political structures of the Confederacy. They both failed and it is now our job as citizens of the Confederacy to ensure we do more than lay out another road map. We owe this to every man, woman and child in the sector!"
A round of applause spread gently through the building. It was hardly the resounding roar he may have hoped for but it was at least audible. There was always the possibility he would have been shouted down and that would have been a disaster. As the noise dulled he prepared to continue.
“Starting today…” he said before being interrupted by the first bomb blast.
From inside the substantial stone building the explosion sounded like a dull thud but it was clear something bad, if nothing else by the number of security officials rushing to the doors and balconies to see what was happening.
“Please be calm, we are checking on this disturbance. Stay where you are, there is no cause for alarm,” the President said in a reassuring voice.
The sound of alarms was barely audible and the sound of police hovercraft flying over the building was hard to disguise. The recognisable blare of police sirens ran from one side of the building to the other as more police vehicles swept in around the building. A police officer hurried around the outer walkway of the hall until he reached the President, he leaned in and spoke briefly before handing him a datapad. The President looked at it for a moment, the officer headed back as the President stood up to speak. Some of the representatives started to get up, either to see what was happening or to try and find safer surroundings.
“Please be calm, this situation will be dealt with shortly. I have just received this report from the local police officers providing security for this important gathering. It is believed that an unknown attacker has triggered an explosive device in the crowd. There have been many casualties but it is unknown whether they or this Assembly was the intended target,” he said sternly.
One of the door burst open along the lower side of the hall and in ran three men, each of them dressed in drab grey overalls and carrying a bloodied body between them. A number of security people ran to stop them. They weren’t fast enough to prevent the first man from speaking.
“It was the police, they killed the Echidna representatives in the street…in cold blood!” the man shouted before he was dragged to the ground.
As the security men tried to restrain him one of the men managed to fight free and pushed out into the middle of the hall. In one hand he carried an object, it looked like a small metal ball about the size of a man’s fist. Several people spotted his movement and started shouting, assuming it was a bomb. He was evidently about to speak or do something with the item when one of the guards jumped forward and struck him with his baton. It was a heavy strike and intended to hit the man in the arms but in the struggle he was struck in the temple. In an instant the man collapsed to the ground, blood running from the wound to his head.
As he hit the floor the object dropped from his hand and rolled into the crowd. Some of the spectators ducked down behind their seats but the rest stared on intently, fascinated by the spectre of what might be. As the object stopped they could see it presented no real threat.
“What is it?” shouted one.
“A snake or something, a figurine,” said another.
Muttering and shouting spread before a man in the robes of the Church of Echidna stepped inside. Several of the dignitaries bowed as he passed, showing due reverence to the leader of the Church on Kerberos. The man moved out into the open area. As he approached the fallen object the security guards stepped back. Either they had been ordered to back off or they could see the situation for what it was.
“Order!” shouted the President but it was no good.
Pandemonium erupted in the hall with officials from each of their worlds trying to get a better view of what was going on. One of the trade representatives turned and quickly left and was followed by a small number of followers to the nearest emergency exit. At the same time two guards in dark suits and armed with carbines approached the President, flanking him on both sides to protect him from any potential threats.
“Delegates, please be seated, this disturbance will be dealt with shortly!”
The robed man stopped and knelt down to pick up the object. As he held it the people attempting to leave the building turned and watched. From outside a number of shouts and cries could be heard, presumably from the gathering protests. The man lifted up the object and turned to face the President.
“President, this is part of the Icon of Echidna, the ancient relic of our religion and our most revered symbol. We intended to present the icon to the Assembl
y as a sign of our respect to the people of Yama City. Sadly it appears this is the only part of the relic that has not been destroyed by the fires of violence or of the greed of material gain. I, the Bishop of Yama, offer this small piece of Echidna to the proceedings,” he said before walking to the small altar at the back of the room. He placed it down carefully. A number of the delegates started to clap and more than a dozen men shouted and cheered him.
Behind him the security units dragged these other men away and out through a small doorway to the side of the building. It was standard procedure, after all, they were not allowed inside the hall. But from where the delegates sat it looked as though the security forces and police were beating or arresting people at will.
Star Crusades Uprising: The First Trilogy Page 33