by Selina Rosen
"With all due respect, Sir, why me? I'm not a political; I'm not even combat. I'm the maintenance Sergeant. A huge hole has been ripped in our ship, and it's my job to see to the repairs . . ."
"I'm the Captain!" Briggs screamed glaring at him. "I'll tell you what your job is, and you will not question my orders. Do you understand?" Briggs levered himself out of his chair with an effort that looked like he might have been velcroed to the seat, and stood to his full height of five foot four.
Gee, let me see . . . Yeah, I'm pretty sure you're a stupid fucking prick, so I'd say I've got it covered.
"Yes, Sir . . ."
"You're a simple minded person, Sergeant. I need someone who's simple to deal with these primitives. Someone who thinks like a commoner. No disrespect intended, Sergeant, but someone stupid enough to think like they think. Anyone who can handle the morons who serve under you in maintenance knows how to talk to primitives." It was pretty clear by the tone of his voice that disrespect was intended.
Well, go. . .o. . .lly, Captain, I'm overwhelmed at your faith in me. I feel honored that you think all us guys in maintenance are such a bunch of total ignoramuses. Let's disconnect the main gravitational transfusion junction and see what stupid fucks you think we are then.
"You will leave by shuttle at 0800 hours. Until then go about your duties . . . Oh, and assign someone else to oversee the work in the transport bay. A monkey with a pair of pliers ought to be able to do your job here, so it shouldn't be too hard to find a replacement," Briggs ordered. "You are dismissed."
Sergeant Bradley saluted, quickly turned on his heels and left. Outside the bridge door he started to mumble under his breath all the things he would like to say to Briggs. There was a bunch of static from one of the monitors overhead. Usually this would have been of concern to him, because he would have been in charge of making sure it got fixed, but as of a minute ago anything to do with the maintenance of this station had been changed to the list of things that weren't his problem.
The monitors usually had a steady stream of station news including who was to be where when, just in case someone was confused about their assignment. On most ships or stations this sort of system was mostly a waste of technology, but when you had a prick like Briggs running the show and changing assignments and shifts at the last minute, it was a necessary evil..
Bradley looked up; the screen had gone blank. And not just that one but every screen he could see up and down the hall. He felt somehow vindicated but then felt guilty because he would be passing this and all the other huge problems off to one of his subordinates. Just his luck – exciting things finally start happening up here, and he gets shipped planet side.
The screens all lit back up again, then went black again, and then there was . . . What the hell was it? Some small alien filled up the screen.
"People of the Reliance. Specifically personnel aboard the satellite, Pam Station, which is in orbit around the planet Beta 4. I am Mickey, President of New Freedom. Reports by the Alliance are false; there is no hunger or sickness here, and we are keeping a close eye on Reliance activities. For instance, we are aware that currently the Council of Twelve has you enslaving the peoples of Beta 4 and shipping them to Earth to be used as shock troops to fight us. We ask each one of you to look deep within your own conscience. Do you think it's right to use radioactive gold to buy these humanoids and to poison their leaders? To send them to fight us – the New Alliance – the same force that the Reliance couldn't overcome? To pit primitives against lasers and plasma blasters? What happiness has the Reliance brought you? We have sent one message to you already as proof of our intentions. Stop the inhuman acts against this world and against the peoples of my country, or we shall retaliate again – this time with severe prejudice."
The transmission halted, and the screens returned to their normal duty.
Bradley had to stop himself from laughing out loud when he heard Briggs screaming and slamming things around like an angry child.
The New Alliance must have one hell of a communications system, and one hell of a spy network. Not long after he heard Briggs start screaming, MP's started running down the halls, no doubt looking for the spy amongst them.
Bradley smiled, so there was a spy on board leaking information about their top-secret mission to the New Alliance? It wasn't him, and he didn't know who it was, so it also went on that growing list of things that just weren't his problem. He hoped they didn't get the spy and that this caused them to dissolve the operation altogether. But that little bit of hopeful conjecture was between him and his brain, and so far – try as they might – the Reliance hadn't managed to do away with free thought.
Except of course in the GSH's. No doubt if they didn't cost so much to reproduce and there wasn't this hidden fear that they would somehow break their conditioning and take over, the Reliance would completely phase humans out of the military – hell, maybe they'd do away with humans altogether.
By the time O800 hours rolled around there were already rumors flying about who had been arrested. He was on his way to his meeting with Lieutenant Stratton in the hanger when Corporal Riley ran up to him.
"Sergeant! They've just arrested Harker."
"What!" Bradley couldn't believe his ears. "What in hell's name for?"
"They think he's one of the spies, maybe even the spy," Riley informed him.
"That's insane. I've known Harker most of my life." Bradley looked at his watch. He didn't have time to go to the brig to check on Harker and meet Lieutenant Stratton in time. "Damn it all! Riley, run tell Lieutenant Stratton I'll meet her in a few minutes. I can't leave without checking on Harker."
"Why should I tell her you're running late?" He asked.
He only thought a second about making something up. "Tell her my best friend just got thrown into the Brig. I just want to check on him it won't take me long."
* * *
Harker paced behind the bars like a caged animal. When he saw Bradley he ran up to the bars grabbing them in his hands.
"Damn, Bradley, am I glad to see you," he said.
"What the hell did you do?" Bradley asked wanting to sound supportive. It was hard because he was agitated. Whatever Harker had done had put Bradley in the position of doing something that if found out might make him a suspect.
"You know we're constantly monitored?" Harker said.
Of course he knew, but sometimes he forgot. He thought about what he'd said to Riley earlier that afternoon and what he'd done when he'd been talking to Captain Briggs and cringed. When the Reliance was on this sort of witch-hunt you didn't have to do or say much to be hauled in.
"Yeah, so?" Bradley said. "You've never done or said anything that could possibly make them think you're a spy."
"They have a record of me talking to Barry when we were working down in the engine room. I was pitching a bitch, and I said something to the tune of how if I didn't get off shit detail I was going to hook up with the New Alliance and help them bring the Reliance down."
"Damn it, man!" Bradley exclaimed. "You can't say shit like that."
"I know that, man. I didn't mean it. I was just tired and hot and pissed off. Hell, I didn't even remember saying it till they showed me the recording. Can you help me?" Harker asked. There was fear in his eyes and in his voice. Bradley had never known his old friend to be afraid of anyone or anything, but he wasn't stupid, and he knew damn good and well that after the events of the afternoon they needed someone to blame. If Harker became that someone, they'd space him – no doubt.
"I . . . I don't have much clout, Harker. You know that. Besides which I have to go with the away team down to the surface." He thought for a minute. "I'll talk to Lieutenant Stratton. She seems like she's all right. She might be able to help, after all she is a security officer. Don't look so worried, man. You didn't do anything, and without proof they can't do anything to you. I have to go; I'm late as it is. You keep cool, and I'll see what I can do."
He reached through the bars and t
hey clasped hands. Harker caught his eyes and held them. "Good bye, Bradley."
Bradley laughed nervously as he withdrew his hand. "Cheer up, buddy, they can't convict you of something you didn't do."
"Bradley . . . you forget. This is the Reliance we're talking about."
Bradley unconsciously turned to look at the camera, and then he turned back to his friend and whispered, "Damn it, Harker! Watch your mouth. You're going to cause yourself even more trouble. I'll see you when I get back." He turned to leave.
"Thanks, Bradley," Harker said.
"No problem," Bradley said over his shoulder without turning. He took off at a run looking at his watch. If he ran all the way he'd only be a few minutes late.
* * *
Bradley threw on his flight suit and ran onto the flight deck of the skiff. He looked at Lieutenant Stratton who was waiting patiently at the controls. She indicated the seat next to her, and he sat down although he wondered why one of the Marines hadn't taken the co-pilot's position.
"I'm sorry I'm late, I had to . . ."
"It's all right, Bradley, don't sweat it." Stratton closed the hatches and started to power up the skiff. "Be a lot easier if we had a transporter planet side, but someone took care of that for us."
Bradley looked back at the others. There were only five of them going; that just didn't seem right. Five people alone with minimal armaments going to the surface of a planet full of obviously angry natives. A planet where there would be no other Reliance personnel, with natives who had not only gotten their hands on explosives but learned how to use them, and where communications were iffy at best
Stratton must have read his mind.
"Captain Briggs seemed to think that if we showed up in force the natives might become restless," she explained.
"Restless! Try armed and dangerous and just flat pissed off," Bradley said in shock. "What the hell does he expect us to do down there anyway?"
"Die," Stratton said in a whisper. "From what I understood talking to the others we've all said rather derogatory things of a personal nature about good ole Captain Briggs. Now while he can't court-martial us unless we say it to his face, try to incite a mutiny, or bad talk the Reliance, he can mark us highly expendable and send us on a near suicide mission."
"Great . . . and I thought Harker was in some trouble because he had been arrested," Bradley mumbled. "You'd think the bastard would have more to do with his time than sit around viewing surveillance tapes."
"Harker?" Stratton said in surprise.
"You know him?" Bradley asked.
"Heard of him is all," she said quickly. "I know his name is familiar. I'm the security chief, and he certainly wasn't on any of my lists of possible suspects. Makes me wonder who Briggs is talking to concerning security."
"Could you put in a good word for him with the Captain? I know you said you're on his shit list, too, but . . ."
"My saying something might actually hurt his case," she said. "Sorry . . . Cheer up. I don't think even Briggs is going to do something as stupid as starting to space people over a suspicion, and our mission isn't nearly as dangerous as he thinks it is. All we're supposed to do is talk with the King, find out if he knows what might have happened, and then get his permission to investigate. Look and see if there is a suitable place for a grounded base on the surface.
"There are no telecommunications on the planet. All news is spread by runners, so it can take days for news to get to and from the most remote villages. There is a good chance that the King has no idea what has happened. In fact, there is a good chance that we will be walking into nothing but a very confused monarch who has no idea what we are even talking about when we explain to him that his people have attacked our transporter and our space station, etc," Stratton said. "The King and his priests speak our language, but they won't understand what we're talking about unless we keep things simple . . ."
"And that would be where I come in, because I, of course, am a moron," Bradley said shaking his head.
Stratton laughed. "Actually I think it takes a pretty intelligent person to know how to convey a message to someone who has no concept of the words and machines that we take for granted. How do you explain a transporter sabotage to someone who worships a thermo electric plant?"
"How do you explain to a pompous ass like Briggs that if you poison these people's gods and they find out, they are going to be pissed?" Bradley asked with a shrug.
* * *
"RJ." Levits called out as he walked up behind her – you definitely didn't want to take the chance of sneaking up on her. You just might get yourself killed. He wrapped his arms around her. She placed her hands over his and leaned her head back onto his shoulder. "So . . . Are you going to try to get some sleep, or are you just going to stand out here and look at the moons?"
She laughed a little. "While I'd love to tell you that I was just looking at the moons, I was actually watching the sky. I really expected the Reliance to try a little harder than this."
"They would if they knew it was you," he said. "If they knew you were the cause of their problems they would have sent every shuttle on the station. They just think they have a primitive uprising, nothing to get too worked up about."
"Blowing up a big hunk of their station should have gotten their attention. Mickey should have made his transmission by now. That should have given them some clue," RJ said.
"Their minds don't work like yours. They're a little slow on the up take sometimes. Do you have to be so disappointed that we're not under siege already?" He moved her hair and gently kissed the side of her neck. "Can't you think about something besides fighting for a few moments?"
"I was thinking that the blue color of the smaller moon is most probably caused by gases enveloping it," RJ said.
"Oh! How very romantic," Levits groaned. "I had something else in mind."
RJ laughed and turned in his arms to face him. "Yes, but if it's only going to take a few moments, it hardly seems worth the effort."
Levits shrugged. "What can I say? I'm only a mere mortal, and there is that added twenty-five pounds of gravitational pull. I just can't promise anything."
She moved away from him then took hold of his hand and started pulling him towards the solar blanket he had laid out under the shuttle. "Tell you what. You just lay there, and I'll do all the work."
* * *
Taleed looked across Haldeed to where the one they called Poley was leaned against the frame of the open ship door. He was pretty sure that he was asleep. He shook Haldeed until he woke up. Haldeed glared at him, obviously upset about being awakened.
"I think you were right, Haldeed, we should not stay with these strangers. We should sneak out while they are asleep and otherwise occupied." A few minutes earlier strange sounds had started to echo from under the ship, and Taleed didn't have to wonder what the alien woman and her mate were up to. They were obviously too busy to notice them slipping away.
"Poley never sleeps," Topaz said in a whisper making both boys jump. "And no matter how busy his sister is, she's not likely to miss you two clumsy boys trying to sneak away."
Poley had brought Topaz back to camp about thirty minutes before, and he had just walked in, lain down, and Taleed thought, gone to sleep.
"Why can't we go if we want to go?" Taleed asked in an angry whisper.
"Because RJ said you can't." Topaz rolled from his side onto his back. "Do yourself a favor, boy, and don't cross RJ. She's a very good friend, but she's an even better enemy, and unless I'm mistaken – and I hardly ever am – you could use a friend, and you already have enough enemies."
Taleed nodded silently, lay down and tried to get comfortable. It wasn't easy, all of their gear was still damp and the strangers hadn't had anything extra. He looked over once more at the man who guarded the door. This time he looked at Taleed, and even in the darkness Taleed could see his smile.
He mocks me. I do not know what to feel. Haldeed, he already sleeps again. He is too tired to worry. He's mor
e tired than I am because he has to do everything for the both of us because the priests have made me a cripple. He forced his eyes to close. These people are so strange – so different. They know so much more than we do. Their technology is so superior to ours. I don't know whether to trust them or distrust them. I don't know whether I like them or despise them. I know that I don't like being told that I can't leave. That my decisions are not mine to make. If this is to be my new life, then it is no different from the life that I fled. I thought I didn't want to know what my life would be. I thought I wanted adventure and an unknown destiny, and now I cower like a child behind their parent and wish I knew what tomorrow was going to bring. I must stop sniveling, this is my chance, perhaps my only chance to break the palace bonds and make my own way in the world. I must not be afraid. My one true friend, Haldeed, is with me. I am not alone in this. I must be brave.
But he didn't feel like being brave. He felt wet and cold, and the floor of the ship was hard. His thoughts strayed to the palace and his life there, and he began to wonder what he had hated so badly.