Audacity (Warner's World Book 5)

by Dave O'Connor

  A hopper hovered lower to check out the crowd. The on board observer was only now calling in the formation of the crowd. It would take the security forces some time to amass the forces necessary to deal with the size of the crowd.

  “Ah… there you are Meelanda” said Bakun. One of Meelanda’s organising team had guided him through the mass of bodies to the area below the balcony where a collection of hand held lights denoted a semblance of activity.

  “We were getting worried about you” said Meelanda. “We couldn’t start without our opening speaker.”

  “Indeed but that will be you Meelanda. I am just the support act.”

  “No Bakun, we do this together.”

  “I don’t think that’s wise. I represent everything these people want to get rid of. No, you are the leader. Besides I am getting too old for all this excitement. I will help where I can and I will gladly stand beside you and be counted as a supporter.”

  One of her team who was to be the MC was urging Meelanda to come up to the balcony. “All right then Bakun. We’ll do it your way” said Meelanda. Erkum was shepherding them to the ladder and he climbed up first, followed by Meelanda, Bakun and Evie. Felis acted as guard down at the base of the ladder.

  There was a throng of conversations echoing through the large space around the Ripple building. There must have been over ten thousand gathered with more pouring in. Another of Meelanda’s organising team gave the signal to start.

  The lights came on and in brilliant fashion illuminated the balcony and in particular the big banner on which was emblazoned ‘24 no more’. The crowd erupted in a huge cheer. The MC took just a minute to welcome everyone and to introduce Meelanda. There wasn’t the time for long introductions. They knew they had only a limited amount of time before the security forces arrived en masse.

  “My fellow citizens” began Meelanda in a strong voice “I come here tonight to let you know that you are not alone. You are not alone in wanting an end to this rotten imperialist system. You are not alone in wanting a future in which all are treated fairly. You are not alone in wanting to bring an end to the murder of innocence in our name. You are not alone in seeking an equitable share of the wealth and resources of our great star systems.”

  “We the Resistance of Lewista are here for you. Join us. Stand together with us and we can change all of this. United we can shape a better future. Tonight I come here with Bakun Likta and Evie Plentun to pledge our service to the Resistance. Bakun will tell you how we are supporting the Resistance movements in the Extended Territories and Evie will tell you how through the support of our friends across this galaxy we can unite in common cause.”

  The shots were fired from high up across the open space. The sniper had his feet braced on the hatchway of the hopper. But it was not a stable platform and the shots missed their target.

  “Kill the lights” someone yelled and they went out. Erkum threw himself in front of Meelanda and almost threw her over the balcony. Felis had already scaled the ladder and heaved her over his shoulder while he descended as quickly as he could. The MC shouted “You are not alone. Remember 24 no more.” Another shot rang out and then two more in quick succession but without the light they too missed, slamming into the wall a good metre above where Meelanda had been. The hopper then turned on its lights and began to close in.

  Another shot hit someone on the ground below the balcony. Those around either screamed or scrambled to get out of the way. This started a general panic and the crowd began dispersing.

  Felis led the way followed by Meelanda and Bakun with Evie and Erkum in the rear. He knew where to go from their reconnaissance earlier in the day. But there were so many people impeding their way.

  Sirens could be heard coming towards them from the other side of the open space. More shots rang out from that direction accompanied by more screaming.

  Finally Felis reached the entrance to the building he had aimed for. He ushered the others past him. “Take the lead Evie” he directed as she came through.

  “Right” she said pulling out her pistol. She activated the torch on the pistol and used it to get her bearings. She wasted little time and began striding out along the corridor. “Follow me” she commanded.

  Felis closed the door behind him and locked it. By the sound of things he estimated there must be a whole column of vehicles and that would mean a large force of security troops.

  Evie came to the stairs and shone her light down. Satisfied, she descended the steps two at a time till she got to the bottom. Meelanda and Bakun took them one at a time. Felis had reached the stairwell while they were still descending. Erkum was still trying to hurry his aunt along.

  The entry by the security troops was violent and swift. They blew the door down with a grenade launcher, threw in a stun grenade and then charged in. But by this time Felis was at the base of the stairs and Evie had reached the elevator. She hit the control. She knew it only had one floor to drop. She beckoned Erkum to come forward. As he guided Meelanda and Bakun in, Evie ran down the end of the corridor, opened the exit to the underground walkways and raced back. She slipped in next to Felis and Erkum hit the control to ascend. She glanced down at the control box and shined her torch on it.

  “It’s all taken care of” said Erkum with a satisfied smile at his handiwork. There would be no tell-tale lights indicating the lift was in use.

  On the 23rd floor they alighted and moved briskly to the hopper bay. Oscren Mila was at the controls of Bakun’s hopper. The engines were already fired up. They piled in. Erkum sat next to Oscren “Let’s get out of here!”

  Chapter 10. Dyritka 0730, 21August

  “So it’s true” said Aras Leptude as he received the message from Ciantus Melnar. “You were always the bright spark Ciantus. But oh aren’t you so greedy!”

  Aras stood up and paced over to the window. He liked to pace when he needed to think about big decisions and this was a big decision. Originally they all had agreed that Istridium should be the target but now that there was the option to acquire such a game changing technology he was having second thoughts. He knew that a single fleet would not be enough to secure two star systems. He also knew that he could not raise the funds to pay Melnar’s asking price. Not even his good mate Bakun Likta could provide such funds at this short notice.

  “No…the only real option open is to take it from Melnar by force and that means striking at Cheklin, not Istridium.” He paused for a moment. “So how will I deal with those wretched politicians then?”

  He paced a few more rounds glancing out at the early morning sunlight but not focussing on anything external that he could see.

  “Of course, of course” he muttered. “Istridium will be the demonstration. Meeka you’re a genius!” A big grin swept over Aras’ face. “I never did like that place.”

  He went back to his desk, sat down and composed a message for his fellow conspirators outlining the need to change objectives. He knew that Julsian was ready and so too Barak but all depended on Admiral Haina Letnus and her 4th Fleet. ‘Can they make it in time?’ he asked himself and hit the send control.

  Chapter 11. Slidwon 0830, 21 August

  Raitah entered the first consul’s chambers. She was his first appointment but on looking at Emilius she thought he must have been here working for hours. He looked a wreck. His eyes looked like they hadn’t closed for days. He waved for her to take a seat on the other side of his huge desk.

  “So Raitah how do you think everything is going?” said Emilius with all the charm of an executioner.

  Raitah gulped. She hadn’t meant to but it happened nonetheless betraying her inner fear. “Not as good as we anticipated your excellency.”

  Emilius fixed his dark eyes on her. “That my dear is the biggest understatement I have ever heard. You’ve landed me in this cesspit and you are going to clean up this mess.”

  “Of course your excellency, but we are going to need fleet assets, substantial fleet assets to secure Qwantum.”

 
Emilius slammed his open hand down hard on the desk. “I am not talking about that wretched system. I am talking about this place.” Raitah looked flummoxed. “Are you really up to this?” questioned Emilius with scorn. “This hybrid system of government that we are sitting in, right here, right now, that is what I am referring to.”

  Raitah physically pulled back into her chair as she realised what he was asking her to do. She breathed deeply while she thought. Emilius kept a steady gaze on her like a lion waiting to pounce. “I see…There will have to be a cull you know?”

  Emilius nodded and he pushed an ePaper across the desk. “Start with these.” He pushed another ePaper across. “These you can rely on.”

  Raitah glanced through the lists without any further expression. “When?” she asked coolly.

  “How long do you need?”

  Raitah thought about the tasks involved, the need to recruit, the need to travel, the need to set things up. It had to be comprehensive, coordinated and swift in its execution. “Two months.”

  “That long?”

  Raitah nodded. “Will the fleet support you?”

  “What do you think?”

  “Most probably…some not.”

  “Well then make sure those that won’t are added to that list” said Emilius, his words dripping icy water as his finger pointed to the first ePaper he had passed across.

  “I notice that Director Slirinus is not on that list, nor her deputy.”

  “You don’t think highly of her?”

  “On the contrary. But she is not like us…not a pragmatist.” The last word was spoken with a sense of pride.

  Emilius smiled “All right then. Anything else?”

  “No. I’ll draw up a plan and flesh out these lists. Give me a week.”

  “A week then” and Emilius rose to indicate the meeting was over.

  Raitah nodded and headed for the door. As she reached it Emilius added “Oh and Raitah, don’t fail me on this.” Raitah gulped for the second time and left.

  Chapter 12. Kiev over Chelora 0910, 21 August

  Phil read the report from Aubrey with a sunken feeling. It reminded him of those monks who used to flagellate themselves in the name of some god. ‘She obviously fucked up’ he said to himself. He saw the comment from Pious and noted he had sent a personal message for his eyes only. He left Aubrey’s report half unread and checked his message inbox. Sure enough there it was. He opened it, read it with the speed of someone used to scanning masses of data and got to the recommendation ‘No further action recommended!’

  “Well that’s good enough for me” he said out loud in the empty office. He went back to the report and began reading about Evie’s contacts. His jaw dropped when he got to the bit about the mass exchanger being developed on Cheklin. It lit up with delight when he read about the new Resistance movement on Cheklin and he rubbed his hand when he read about the location of Sallusam.

  “Rihan, Alex, come in here straight away” he hailed.

  Things had been a little cool between Phil and Rihan these last couple of days. It wasn’t that Phil resented Rihan, quite the reverse. But he deemed it necessary to keep her in check lest she take too many liberties later.

  Once they had sat down he addressed them both. “Yesterday we discussed options concerning Qwantum. I said I would give it further consideration.” Inwardly Phil enjoyed the look of disappointment that was already creeping onto Rihan’s face. But outwardly he kept his serious demeanour. “Well I have done so and I have a new proposal to make.” Again he paused to gauge the reaction of his two senior staff officers. He was enjoying this.

  “Scrap all the plans that we currently have.” Alex looked across to Rihan to see if this was surprising her too. It was. “I want a new plan developed that will see us stage through Qwantum and secure the rogan home world of Cheklin.” Phil looked positively smug as he delivered that line.

  “You’ve received intel from Aubrey haven’t you?” asked Rihan. Her question robbed Phil of some of his enjoyment but he was gracious enough to admit that he had with a nod. Then he gave a broad smile. “Here check this out.”

  After going through the report they adjourned to the briefing room and brought in additional staff members and in particular Captain Jock MacFarlane responsible for all things logistic. Phil regarded Jock as the most important reinforcement he had received since arriving at Chelora. It was a typical flourish from Phil but Jock had made an impression on everyone in the short time he had been on staff.

  Unlike a lot of loggies Jock was not a whiner, complaining about the fact that he didn’t have enough resources. He had a real can do attitude. His hair was starting to turn grey so he had taken to keeping it cut real short. When it was longer, which must have been recently, he had developed the habit of brushing his fringe back. As he leaned over from one of the terminals to peer at the holo display he tried to brush it back but found nothing. He pulled his hand away.

  “So we warp into Q2 with the kitchen sink” he said matter-of-factly “dump half of our supplies with our new rogan chums, give them half of our transports, hive off one of our carrier groups to suck on the teat there, while the rest of the ships that go bang push onto Cheklin with a quarter of the transports loaded with troops. The remaining quarter will be used to ferry supplies between our new base on Q2 and Cheklin. Agreed?” Jock cast an eye to Rihan. She nodded.

  Turning to Phil he added “Well it’s a great plan except for one teeny problem. How do we resup Q2 from Polaris without any goddam transports.”

  “We don’t initially” said Phil “but as soon as we get new transports we commit these to that role.”

  “So you say Sir. I’m not worried about food, water or fuel. We’re getting all that from Q2 and that’s great. We can fly about from there for twelve months no problems. But missiles and replacement parts, droids and personnel, these all have to come from Polaris. I estimate we can fight no more than one major encounter with what we’ll have. Repair facilities are another big question mark. We have no idea what capacity they have on Q2 but I can tell you now they won’t be able to service 90% of our kit.”

  “Jock” said Phil “I thought you were our can do man.”

  Jock sighed. “Normally Sir I am but this may be several systems too far. It’s going to take a month to Chelora and another month to Qwantum for our slowmo transports. Now if they all had the new drives that go into the Resolute, well it would be another story.”

  “What if we could get some rogan fast transports?” asked Rihan.

  “Or rogan fast transports, yes” said Jock. “But where are you going to get those?”

  “Mr Likta?” asked Phil and Rihan nodded with a smile. “Good idea. Nothing better to test Mr Likta’ s commitment.”

  “So are we still thinking of departing on the 3rd (September)?” asked Jock.

  “Yes the 3rd looks good at the moment” said Rihan. “That will see the main body in Qwantum on the 29th and after a two day layover we should arrive at Cheklin on the 14thof October.”

  “Can we recall Task Force Suzuki?” asked Jock “I could use those transports and I’m sure you could use those frigates.”

  “The Raptor and Spectre are being tasked to warp direct to Q2” advised Rihan. “Sydney, Washington and the transports should arrive back here in time for the 3rd.”

  Phil turned to Alex. “Worked out how you are going to replace those Marines yet?”

  “The Resolute has priority right?” asked Alex. Phil nodded. “Then it’s simple. I’ll just pinch them from other ships like I did before.”

  “What about Sallusam?” asked Rihan. “We need to deal with him asap.”

  “Art’s on Q2 right?” asked Phil of Rihan.

  “Yes he is, with Sue Chalker” she replied.

  “He’s the go to man surely?”

  “It’s not going to be that easy Sir. Remember he’s human.”

  “Yes” said Phil, not appreciating her sarcasm. “Sue’s a qualified sniper correct?” he asked
Alex.

  “Yes Sir but they’re both too tall to pass for rogan” answered Alex in a concerned voice. “They will be picked up straight away.”

  Phil just nodded and pondered. Then he added “So we need to bring Sallusam to them. He wants that device. I bet he’ll go anywhere to get it.”

  “You can be quite devious Sir” commented Rihan.

  “Years of practice” said Phil with smile.

  “Sue’s supposed to be providing missile defence on Q2” added Rihan.

  “Those droids can do that automatically, right?” countered Phil.

  “Yeah but that’s not been really tested, not on that scale.”

  “Well I reckon it’s about time it was, don’t you? Anyway it will only be till the beginning of next month when Raptor and Spectre arrive there.”

  “It’s a big risk Sir” stated Rihan.

  “Not as big a risk as letting that snake-in-the-grass Sallusam work up some scheme to get his hands on that device. He’ll use it for sure. No… that’s the bigger risk.”

  Rihan surrendered the argument with a shrug of her shoulders.

  “Prepare a signal with instructions to Art and Sue” directed Phil. “Their mission is to apprehend or if need be eliminate Sallusam. They should be able to shanghai a commercial shuttle to this Dyritka. It’s an adjacent system, right?” Rihan nodded. “Have him ask the Resistance to help him.”

  “Oh” he added “Signal Evie. Tell her we will assist in securing Cheklin for the Resistance and that we will arrive in strength around the 14th of October. We would appreciate any fast transports they can provide to be despatched to Qwantum. Also any help they can provide in keeping the military on Cheklin preoccupied. Oh and see if they can get us the schematics to that space station.”

  Chapter 13. Rowisus 1000, 21 August