Lauren was about to decline her invitation when Estella spoke up again. “Lauren, this is big. Your life has been irrevocably changed. This new revelation has altered your place in your world as you know it. Processing this is hard. But you don’t have to do this alone. Don’t do this alone. I’m trying to help you prevent problems in the future.”
“I’ll think about it. Thanks, Estella.”
CHAPTER 38
Roxal exited the grooming corner, dressed and ready to go to the meeting. Edo jumped down from his former single person sleeping unit, and they exited his former quarters together.
“I will be happy when we have quarters with a grooming corner in it for ourselves,” she bemoaned.
“I know. I will too. And we are on the list for family quarters. It will just take time. The Resistors have grown in number since they took over this compound,” Edo replied.
He took her hand and held it to his chest. He inhaled deeply and she only noticed a slight wince as he did. His wound was almost healed. By the time they left for the big raid, in four helios, he would be totally healed. She did not want him putting himself in jeopardy after already being hurt on their last mission, but she also knew there was no way he would allow her to go without him. And if she were honest with herself, she would admit the thought of not having him with her made her nervous. Because the success of their test mission had resulted in Roxal not only being told about the upcoming raid, but being given her own mission.
They arrived at the training meeting, entered, and took a seat near the front of the room. All the members of Edo’s team were there and several people Roxal had not met yet. Everyone in their immediate area greeted them, except for Pruda. She still treated Roxal as if she were the enemy. Even Rodan had stopped glaring at Roxal after Civort had given his report on the test mission. And though Roxal would never be friends with the woman, now she could at least work with Rodan without having Rodan continually second-guessing her and her motives.
This helio’s training session would start with the Edo’s raid team and the leaders of the other groups going over the detailed plan for the upcoming offensive. Then, once they were finished, she had an individual session planned with Tano and Nawad. They had agreed to train her on using one of the smaller weapons. With the limited time available to them to prepare, they reasoned it would be the best weapon for her to practice with. Also, she would not be expected to take part in the offensive so she should never be required to use her weapon. Her mission would be similar to their practice mission. The only material difference being she had been cleared by Rodan to know every detail.
“Through our intelligence channels inside of our newest members’ former compound,” Rodan said, nodding toward her and Edo, “we have learned that the sky-droid you encountered was able to capture your image, Roxal, and you were recognized. As a result, they have increased the intensity of their hunt for traitors within the compound again. We would like to get there in time to save as many as possible. To that end, here is the plan.”
Rodan turned her back to everyone in the room and looked at the diagram that was now projected on the wall in front of them. It included an aerial shot of the compound, which amazed Roxal. It was a large, cube-shaped building. Part of it was made of dark, reflective material, while another part was made of a see-through material. Within the see-through section, Roxal could see what looked like tiny structures dotting the surface.
She stared at it intently because she had never seen what her former home looked like. When she escaped, she had not taken the time to look back and examine her compound. She had been overwhelmed with actually being outside, and then she had been focused on not getting captured and killed. At least she had managed to not get killed.
“Based on the plans Roxal was able to smuggle out, we have determined that the best breach points will be here, here, and here.” Rodan motioned to the screen with something in her hand as she said each ‘here’, and an ‘X’ appeared on the diagram in three locations. “Though all of the compounds were built on a similar plan, it appears they have made alterations to the internal structure over the annums.”
All of the compounds? I will have to ask Edo how many more of these there are, Roxal noted silently.
“The first wave will attack each of these locations simultaneously. The second wave will be waiting nearby. Once the first wave gets inside, you will each have attack objectives. The group that breaches here”—Rodan motioned to the upper right corner of the diagram— “will be responsible for handling the bulk of the Security Force because their living section is located there.”
She turned and made eye contact with everyone in the room. Then she continued. “The group that breaches here”—Rodan motioned to the X in the lower right section—“you will enter and move in this direction, towards the group that breaches here.” She motioned towards the X in the lower left section. “The plan is that you will meet somewhere in the middle of your two entry points. You will have two objectives: one is to clear a path to this room”—a large circle around one of the rooms appeared—“and two is to put down any resistance that may come from this section of the compound.” She motioned towards the center of the diagram. “This is where the Reps live. We do not have much information about the security they may have, but we can assume it is formidable.
“Second wave, this is your target.” She indicated the room that was encircled. “Roxal, this is one of the two control rooms for the compound. The locations are redundant as far as we can tell, and this is the one closest to the outer section. You and the second wave will be responsible for breaching and holding this control room. Then you will also need to take command of the compound’s control system. Once we have it, we will control the compound. Questions?”
Roxal sat, taking in the enormity of the task before them. She tried her best to pay attention as questions were asked and answered, but at times, she got lost. Then a question began to form in her head. It was a question that seemed obvious, once she thought of it. In fact, it was so obvious, she was afraid to ask it for fear of appearing stupid. However, as more and more people asked more and more questions, she worked on building her courage.
“Excuse me, I have a question,” Roxal finally spoke up. As soon as she did, it felt as if all eyes turned towards her.
“What is it?” Rodan asked impatiently.
“Well, you have a plan for dealing with the Security Force. And a plan for dealing with The Reps. But what is your plan for dealing with everyone else? What will you do to the Helpers, Laborers, Medics, and others in the compound?”
“There is no plan for anyone who is not a member of the Resistors. As long as they do not engage us, we will not engage them. However, if they threaten the success of our mission, the teams will be instructed to remove the obstacles. Yes?” Rodan asked, moving on to the next person who had a question.
But Roxal could not allow her to move on because she was not finished. “Excuse me, Rodan, but I am not sure if that is an effective plan for dealing with the people who are not members of the Resistors. They will be scared and confused. And, if the Reps instruct them to attack you, they will. Even if they do not want to, they would because their gods have told them to do so.”
“We will give them the opportunity to stand down. If they do not, we will have to use appropriate force,” Rodan reiterated.
“I am sorry to belabor this point. But I am not sure you understand. We will need to spend time coming up with a better plan to handle the non-targeted individuals. Because…” Roxal paused and looked at Edo. He squeezed her hand and nodded for her to continue. “Those of you not raised in the compound under the Reps and The Keepers do not understand. Until you know the truth, you truly believe the Reps and The Keepers are gods. Whatever they instruct you to do, you do it. No questions asked. It does not matter how you feel about it. Your feelings do not matter. The only thing that matters is what The Keepers command.” Roxal’s confidence grew as she spoke. She was not an expert i
n fighting or living outside of the compound. But she was an expert on what those she had left behind were going through.
“This is why you need to have a better plan for dealing with the non-targeted. Neutralizing anyone who attacks you is an easy plan. But you will end up killing people who you could possibly recruit to your cause if you gave them the chance to find out the truth. It happened to me. If you had executed an attack like this before I was paired with Edo, I would have been one of those individuals sacrificing myself for my so-called gods. For the people who, like me, only need to be given the opportunity to learn the truth, I implore you to figure out a plan that spares as many people as possible.”
At some point during her speech, Roxal had stood. On her feet in front of everyone, now silent, she suddenly felt exposed. Without saying anything more, she returned to her seat, staring straight ahead.
“It appears you are quite passionate about the non-targeted. So, I will give you and Edo four people to work with. You will come up with a plan to present to me in two helios. If the plan does not put any of my people at risk, I will consider it. I am making no guarantees that I will agree to it. Do you understand?”
A large smile spread across her face. “Yes, thank you,” Roxal replied and squeezed Edo’s hand, which she was holding again.
CHAPTER 39
Roxal, Edo, and the other members of the second wave were standing behind trees and other covered positions as the first wave prepared to begin their assault. They had marched through the dark to get into position. Now, everyone was standing around in full combat gear, waiting for sol rise and the start of the attack. Full gear consisted of a suit made of impact resistant, dark-colored material. It contained holders and pockets for various weapons and other pieces of equipment. She had a few small pieces of equipment with her, and the only weapon she possessed was the small, black, handheld energy weapon on which she had been trained the past several helios.
Even though it did remind her of the handheld weapons the Security Force used back in her previous compound, it was small enough to fit in her hand, but possessed enough power that she could protect herself if needed. When the weapon was fired, it would send out a beam of energy that, depending on the distance, could just incapacitate a person or actually kill them.
The other members of the second wave, though, were fully fitted for battle, similar to how the first wave had been outfitted. They wore the same impact resistant, dark-colored material suits. However, many of the members carried at least two weapons. And of the weapons they did carry, practically all of them were larger than hers. Roxal did not mind that she had the smallest weapon, because she was not totally comfortable using one yet.
As they had gotten dressed to leave their new home, Roxal had asked Edo why the uniform they were wearing on this mission was different from what they had worn on her previous mission. He told her that on the previous mission they had worn clothing that only camouflaged them because there had been no expectation of battle. In fact, if they had been fully dressed for battle, the injury he had received to his right side would likely have only been a bad bruise and sore ribs instead of the laceration and broken rib he had actually suffered.
As Edo crossed her mind, Roxal looked over at him. He was standing talking to Civort, Tano, Nawad, Pruda, and Gerig. Though they were talking in hushed tones and she could not hear what they were saying, everyone seemed to have smiles on their faces. A bit of team camaraderie before the storm, Roxal assumed. Civort was not the leader of the second attack wave. But he was the leader of their small group. Since they had worked so well together before, it was decided that Edo’s raid team would be responsible for breaching the control room with Roxal.
Pruda had not been happy with the assignment; the look on her face when it was announced made that clear. However, she was a good soldier, and she would follow any order she was given. Even if she despised it.
Edo finished talking to his teammates and walked back over to Roxal. He leaned in close to her ear. “It will not be long now. The first wave is about to breach. We need to be ready to move out once we get the signal.”
Nerves had gotten the better of Roxal and she did not trust herself to speak. So instead, she just nodded. “You will be great. We will be great. Trust me,” Edo said and then pulled Roxal into an embrace. Over his shoulder, she could see Pruda staring at them. Roxal did not know why the woman hated her so much. But she had to trust the fact that she was professional enough to put aside their differences and work together.
Edo jerked his head away from her as if he had been called, though Roxal had not heard anyone say his name. After holding his head stationary for a few moments, he then looked at her and said, “The teams are about to breach. We will be leaving soon.”
That was when Roxal remembered the inner ear comm piece. Part of the battle gear also contained an inner ear comm piece that the fighters could use to communicate with one another. When she had been getting dressed for battle, she tried to wear it but found it distracting, hearing various voices talking in her ear, so she had removed it. But Edo and all of the other fighters still wore theirs. Someone must have told them the breach was about to take place.
All of the members of the second wave began standing and getting ready to move out. Civort and the rest of Edo’s team moved over to where Roxal and Edo were standing. It really was time to go. Roxal’s heart began beating faster. Her stomach began fluttering. Her hands began to feel cold and tingly. She shook them to wake them up.
Edo grabbed her hands and held them. He looked at her again. “Roxal, look at me. Just keep watching me and do not move until I tell you to. Understood.”
She nodded to let him know she understood. Then a loud explosion sounded. She felt herself make a sound. It was possibly a scream, but the loudness of the three simultaneous explosions drowned out whatever sound she made. Edo pulled on her hands, which allowed her to see she had closed her eyes also. “You can do this. And go!”
Roxal jumped a little as everyone around her all started moving at almost the same time. Edo tugged her arm and nudged her to start also. She began a slow jog with the latter part of the second wave. Since they were still in the woods surrounding the compound, it was difficult to pick up much speed, but once they broke through the tree line, everyone around her began to move faster. However, her team did not speed up. Rather, they seemed to keep pace with her.
Realizing she was slowing her team down, Roxal ran faster, catching up with the rest of the second wave. As they got closer to the compound, even without an inner ear comm piece, Roxal could hear the sounds of fighting coming from inside. They were approaching the opening that had been made in the lower left corner on the diagram from the briefing. From there, they would enter and go towards the lower right breach location. Before they made it to the other opening, they should reach the control room.
As the opening grew larger and larger, she realized that she was about to enter the place that had held her as a slave for all but the last few lunas of her life. The only difference was this time she had the power to do something for those who were still being held captive. They reached the opening, and Roxal could see the jagged edges, exposed wiring, and warped beams caused by the explosion. The fighters carefully entered, making sure not to injure themselves before they even got the chance to fight.
Ahead of them were the sounds of weapons fire, screams, and shouted commands unintelligible to Roxal’s ears. Her team had formed a pocket around her, and they moved forward. Other members of the second wave had run ahead to help with clearing out the Reps and any Security Force members they might have to protect them. As they moved through the hall, Roxal saw bodies wearing the clothes of the different castes on the floor. Some were cowering, trying to stay out of the way of the invading force, while others were not moving.
Roxal knelt beside a green-clad Helper’s body as it lay face down. She checked to see if the person was dead. Thankfully, he was not. But he did have a wound in his arm that was
seeping blood. Roxal rolled the man onto his side and leaned him against the nearby wall. She was happy to see that whoever had shot this man was at least trying to implement the plan her and her assigned team had created.
For anyone dressed as a Rep or Security Force member, the instructions were basically shoot to kill. A few Reps were to be spared for interrogation, but Roxal did not know the details of that plan. Since it did not involve her mission, she did not take part in the briefing. But for people not dressed as a Rep or a Security Force member, there were two courses of action. If they did not attack, they were to be left alone. However, if they did attack, they were to be shot with a weapon that would paralyze them but not kill.
Dispersed throughout the first wave were people with non-lethal weapons who would handle this. Someone would then come along and gather all of the paralyzed people. They would then be secured so that none of the Resistors could be injured. And, once this offensive was over, their fates would be determined. Of course, if a non-lethal weapon wielder was not available, each fighter would make the decision as to how to handle the attacker.
As soon as Roxal got back on her feet, her group started moving. There was smoke in the air that was making her cough as they moved further in. Edo reached over and pulled on something that was attached to her waist. It was a face mask. She looked at his face and saw he was already wearing his. Her hands were shaking, and her coughing was getting worse, so it took several moments before she could put it on. The group once again slowed while she did this. As soon as it was on, she started walking again, and everyone fell back into formation.
After several steps, she was able to breathe normally again. Not long after putting on her mask, her group stopped again. This time, though, it was not because of Roxal. Edo held her arm to keep her where she was standing. She looked around and saw they had reached an intersecting hallway. This was the hall where the control room was located. As Edo held her arm, Nawad, Tano, and Pruda separated from the group, and one-by-one they each took a quick peek into the hallway and then ran across. Once all three were on the other side, they pointed their weapons into the hall and signaled to Civort, Edo, and Gerig, who were still standing with her.
The Heaviness of Knowing Page 27