Solstice 31: The Solstice 31 Saga, Books 1,2,3

by Martin Wilsey

  “I know, that’s why I need to contact them,” Barcus replied.

  “Is that Cook?” Po knew better than to even mention the word Memphis.

  “Yes.” Barcus stopped and leaned over to put his hands on his knees. He looked like he was going to through up.

  “Go for The Winton,” Station replied, using the new Ident for the Memphis.

  “Cook, this is Barcus. The Station has gotten too hot. You need to go with Charlie Delta.” Barcus said as he leaned on a wall.

  “Charlie Delta. Excellent.” Cook said with a smile in his voice. “Rendezvous as specified, we will be eating steak and drinking cold brews until you arrive, asswipe. Don’t be too long. I’m not sure I can hold Beary off much longer.” Barcus heard laughter in the background.

  “Save the best bourbon for me, dipshit,” Barcus said turning with his back to the wall, tears welling in his eyes. His hand covered his own mouth.

  “You should save that for Hagan. He has the short stick.” Cook said.

  “Stay sharp.” Barcus choked out. He slid down the wall.

  Po was kneeling before him. “What’s wrong?”

  “This is hell. What did I do to deserve this?” he said wiping his face with his sleeves. But he could not wipe away the knowing.

  Po knelt before him and could see his despair.

  “I did this. Wex warned me it would happened and I did it anyway. She said you’d…It’s all my fault…” Po didn’t even see him move. Suddenly she was off her feet and up against the wall. Barcus held her there by one hand gripping a handful of her flight suit.

  “Don’t you ever say that again,” Barcus growled into her face.

  Po was helpless. When she clutched at his wrist, it felt like iron. He was so much bigger than her. She had forgotten. There was no use struggling. He might as well have been made of stone.

  “I will say whatever I please.” She whispered. His grip had squeezed her lungs. “She told me something else you need to know.”

  Barcus was looking confused. Realization was dawning.

  “You are not the monster. You are the witness. I don’t know what it means,” She said as she let go of his wrist and placed her hand on the side of his face.

  In his mind, he watched her die. Over and over and over. He punished himself because now he knew that what he saw was not always the truth. He couldn’t stop any of it and deserved to be punished. No other image was as vivid in his memory. Fidelity increased with the pain of it.

  He watched her die. Again and again. He knew the day. The moment. The aguish amplified as he focused memory on a tear that would slide down her cheek after her last breath.

  She wrapped her legs around his torso and drew him toward her with her heels. Barcus allowed it. She wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him. She was the strong one. He knew.

  He watched her die. Again and again. And in his mind, the most terrible horror was yet to come. He saw it.

  Worst of all, he knew that he would learn to live without her.

  He also knew that she was the monster.

  ***

  “Echo, did you hear that? Delta Charlie.” Cook said as he set a course for Earth.

  “Affirmative,” Echo replied.

  Karen Beary waited until Cook was done setting the course before asking. “Okay, Cook. What the hell is a Delta Charlie?”

  “We head to Sri Lanka, but we time it for a night drop so Echo can land in Oklahoma. Wes has some contacts there.

  “We find a quiet hangar and rest tight on these data stores,” Cook said. “These will be all they need to prove that Chancellor Dalton was behind the destruction of the Ventura and god only knows how many other ships.”

  “Do not forget the Genome Project,” Echo added. “That alone will ruin him politically.”

  “Why the hell would he do that? What was to be gained. To be honest, I don’t give a shit about the politics of the whole thing.” Cook was saying, “I just don’t want to be looking over my shoulder the rest of my life while working as a shuttle pilot of some back water colony.”

  “I trust Worthington, but how is this going to play out?” Muir asked knowing that Cook was more clued in. He just did as ordered. He liked it that way.

  “Jimbo is a boy scout. He will follow regs, orders, and chain of command. You know it’s true.” Cook turned and looked at Beary and Wood in turn, “He will report to Admiral Kreiger and Kreiger will figure it out from there.”

  “What about us?” Shaw asked.

  “We can expect weeks of debriefing while Kreiger sorts through the data from Echo and Bowan,” Cook added.

  Beary held her hand up, “What about all these nukes, the Warmarks?”

  “That is why I am glad it’s a Delta Charlie. All that will be in the DS-Sariska when we drop her. A stealth night drop in the desert.”

  “The Pinnace class ship The Winton will land in the largest, busiest space port in the universe. Freshly salvaged from a yard on Mars with full Idents and back story.” Cook laughed, “Hell it even looks salvaged.”

  “We park and lay low. We order in food and pay in cash.” Cook said.

  “I think we should rent an apartment as an off-ship base and move the data store there,” Beary added.

  “That way if inspectors show up. Let them inspect.” Muir said.

  “I would like to add an extra item to this plan,” AI~Ben said. “We should remove my AI module and house it with the Data Store. I could be traced back to the EM on the Memphis.”

  “Excellent plan. I will even fly it into the Sri Lanka space port on manual. That feeds the Winton salvage story.” Cook sounded pleased.

  “I’m going with Echo.” Dr. Shaw said.

  “What?” Cook was surprised.

  “I’ll be useless watching you getting tans and trying to stay to stay drunk all the time.” She said, “You won’t need me. Jimbo and Barcus will need me, knowing them.” Shaw said.

  “It’s Barcus that will break this plan. We need to be ready for that.” Beary said.

  Cook looked at everyone nodding but not saying anything. When Echo spoke, her avatar appeared first.

  “Barcus is now a… Scarecrow. Just like Wex.”

  ***

  Po got to the airlock marked for The Latha before Barcus. The name appeared on the control panel. The new Ident was from a crashed STU that had been on Mars for a decade slowly being stripped for parts.

  Barcus marveled once again at her ease using the technology. Wasn’t she a starving, ignorant, girl just moments ago. That, in turn, made him think of Olias. It wasn’t just the future that cause me pain.

  Zimmerman was standing at the door to the med-bay holding a Frange carbine making himself look larger that he actually was. It was an attempt to distract anyone entering from the four tarps covering the Warmarks.

  “Jack, meet Barcus.” Kuss said as she stepped around him, “He only one on this station can kick your ass. No, shoot him with that. Make him angry. Not polite when angry.” Kuss gestured, “And this is Po. No, touch her. No med-bay exist that could fix you.”

  Barcus extended his right hand to shake, saying, “Officer Jacob Zimmerman. You’ve gone by Jack since you were a child. You were a decorated Ranger in the Expansion War but don’t like to talk about because you feel like you were on the wrong side. You’re smarter than you look and have an advanced degree in Theoretical Physics.” Their hands remained clasped. “You like people to underestimate you by your cultivated crass manner. You enjoy physics and engineering but prefer hands on peace keeping to theoretical physics. You are a faithful Vedic, but tell no one of this. You own nothing but tools and uniforms. You live a Spartan life.”

  “Who the fuck are you?” was his only reply.

  “I’m Barcus. Maintenance guy number 42.”

  “Am I supposed to be impressed by that little speech?”

  Barcus knew he was taken aback by the amount he knew of him but didn’t have time to explain. He released his hand.

  �
�No. If you had been, you would not be the man Captain Everett thought you were.”

  “I don’t know if anyone has noticed, but this is all shit escalating pretty fast. We need to move before they get organized and make us disappear.” Zimmerman said.

  “I agree.” Barcus said, “Stu, prep for departure.”

  Barcus walked into the med-bay and asked Kuss, “How is Hudson? We are going to need her.”

  Towanda Hudson was in the med-scanner sleeping. Kuss brought up the status display for Barcus.

  “I sedated her. She has many nanites fixing hip. Drive her crazy if awake.” Kuss said pointing at the real-time progress in the area on the scanner.

  “What about Worthington?” Po asked.

  “He has his own problems to solve. We are splitting up.” Barcus said.

  Po realized then that none of the people on board were part of Jimbo’s command crew.

  “Kuss we are going to drop you and Hudson off to hook up with Hagan and Shaw. The rest of us are going to meet with Kreiger.” He said moving toward the ladder to the bridge. “Jack you are going to arrange the meet in Mexico City.”

  “How did you know he was in Mexico City?” Zimmer asked sounding annoyed.

  “It’s where the second largest space catapult is located that is big enough to hold the military traffic he is required to manage. The one in New York is smaller and only handles passenger traffic. And only to Freedom Station.”

  “Departure in fourteen minutes,” Stu informed them.

  ***

  It was just after midnight Station time when Barcus contacted Worthington.

  “The girls are finally asleep. Bobbie had to lay down with them. They’re all asleep now. Are you sure they will be safe here?” Jimbo asked.

  “As safe as can be expected. We will be back tomorrow to get everyone.” Barcus said, “You have a long night ahead. Chancellor Dalton has hidden a nuke on FS. You need to find it and jettison the damn thing before he can decide to use it.”

  “How the hell am I supposed to do that? You know how big this place is.” Worthington said.

  “Get Pho Pete to help you. He knows how to smuggle undocumented containers onto Freedom Station.”

  “Pho Pete?”

  “Yes. Pete Morales, the soup guy. Why do you think his soup is so good?” Barcus said. “You have Rand and Hume. You got this. Station will help you.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE:

  The Chancellor

  “Dalton was recording his meetings so he could use them as blackmail later. He intended them to be leverage, not evidence.”

  --Solstice 31 Incident Investigation Testimony Transcript: General Patricia Chase, senior member of the Earth Defense Coalition.

  <<<>>>

  “Chancellor, retreating to the Isle of Calf at this time is politically unwise. The Senate and the United Council of Colonies are at each other’s throats. Any additional restrictions on people trying to immigrate to the colonies at this time will be met with harsher measures.” Said Senator Kendall.

  Chancellor Dalton sat at the head of the conference table in his private office suite. He was slightly elevated with a wraparound console before him. There were ten men around the table. All were looking grim.

  “Times have changed,” A man said with a North African accent, “I remember when we forced people off world to thin our populations. Prisoners and undesirables. To the Harvesters and the colonies. Separating the wheat from the chaff.”

  “The colonies no longer need Earth for anything.” Another man said. “Tourism is the only reason anyone comes here.”

  “Even the Sol Treaty has failed. We can’t even keep control of the colonies and outposts in our own goddam system in line.” The youngest looking man at the table was frustrated as well as angry.

  “Why are the space ports and catapults still in private hands?” Another man demanded to know.

  “These people are too full of self-interest to do the right things.” Senator Kendall almost yelled.

  “What do you recommend we do that we are not already?” Dalton asked. “The Harvester prison ships are already full of the petty violators we have created. Full of our political adversaries. We have more laws than lawyers. We have disarmed them. We have diluted and disbursed the military, so we have nothing to fear there.” Dalton replied. “We have even used more unorthodox means to clear the Senate floor of these fools that value the many less than the individual.”

  “How can we stop these bastards from taking their work and wealth and talent off to the colonies? We can’t continue without their taxes.”

  “Enough.” Chancellor Dalton slammed down his fist. “Everyone out except you, Kendall.”

  They all filed out, and the doors automatically closed behind them.

  “There was a time not long ago when we had the opposite problem.” Dalton fumed at Kendall, “All this petty bickering is to blame.”

  “Actually, your Excellency your policies are to blame. You do understand this, don’t you?” Kendall said, “The Earth has emptied as about as far as it can without collapsing in on itself. Sure there is 100% employment, and housing is plentiful. I’ve seen the vids. But the best and brightest have gone elsewhere before you could stop them, and now you can’t afford to buy them back. No one Needs the Earth. Not Even Freedom Station.”

  “I hate that name. That place.” Dalton spat.

  “Because it’s true,” Kendall replied.

  ***

  Dalton’s personal shuttle landed on the end of the old style runway. Most of the Isle of Man had been turned into the Chancellors Base when he took office forty one years before. As the gull wings opened he could see the only company of soldiers Atish had managed to breed, train and deliver running information their way.

  He stood and waited with Kendall and his personal security detail.

  A prefect formation of ten by ten came to a halt and stood at attention for inspection. They all wore black flight suits and tactical vests. Ninety percent of them were women. The men all had shaved heads and the women all had long hair that was French braided.

  Dalton walked to the center of their ranks and stopped. He inspected one of them closely.

  “Are you ready to DIE TODAY?” He called out.

  “Sir, yes, sir!” They said in unison.

  He walked to the front again and pointed at a random woman in the front row. “You. Front and center.” She complied without hesitation.

  “Strip. Now.” Dalton ordered. He didn’t smile until he looked at Kendall, his back to the troops.

  In moments, she was completely naked and standing at parade rest.

  “Put your arms over your head and don’t move, don’t lower them until I say you can lower them,” Dalton ordered. She obeyed.

  “Company! Knives out.” Dalton ordered.

  Dalton stood before the naked woman. She was short but ultra-fit. “You will not fall until I allow it.”

  “Sir, yes, sir.” She replied stoically.

  “When I say GO, each of you will stab her and return to formation. If she drops before the last of you returns to formation we will start again. Knives UP for inspection. Before and after.” All the knives were raised above their heads.

  Kendall’s face went pale as Dalton returned to his side.

  “GO!”

  ***

  “Sawyer, wake the fuck up.” There was pounding on the door. Dan was in bed under a big pile of blankets. The only light in the room came from the stars outside his meter square window.

  “Come in,” he called out to the door control. It opened.

  “Dan. What the hell? I’ve been trying to call you for an hour.” He stumbled on a half empty case of bourbon.

  “What do you want, Max,” Dan said pressing his forehead to the cool window that was adjacent to his mattress.

  “Jesus, Dan. What the hell are you doing in this coffin?” Max asked activating the light over the sink. The place was tiny. Three square meters of floor space, all covered with l
aundry and takeout containers.

  “Hey, it has a window,” Dan said placing a hand flat on it. “What do you want, Max?”

  “Do you know what the failure rate is on those? Only one layer from vacuum.” He moved a bit closer to the door. “Especially on these old spires.”

  “Max!” Sawyer barked “What?” Dan pushed off the pile of quilts and let his feet over the side of the bunk. He picked up a half empty beer and drank it.

  “I need you, man.” Max was fat and a bit greasy. Dn didn’t like him, but he worked in the commercial dispatchers office of Station Traffic Control.

  Dan had stepped directly out of bed and into the tiny bathroom and started taking a piss. He was still wearing an old style flight suit.

  Max never stopped talking, “I got this old Oarcart-91 mining vessel out there that needs to doc but the kid at the helm doesn’t trust himself or his old man to manually dock it. It’s one of the big factory hard-locks. Gotta be perfect or their fucked up the ass, and not in a good way.”

  Max laughed at his own joke as Dan washed his hands and face in the small sink. He pulled on his deck shoes and pushed Max out the door.

  The farther he got from the window, the louder he could hear his heart beat in his own ears.

  ***

  “GO!”

  Kendall was sure they had done this exercise before. The two center rows of ten ran by the naked woman, brutally stabbing her from either side. They started on her upraised arms and worked down. The first four groups stabbed in only non-vital areas. Even though they each plunged their knives in deep They avoided major arteries or veins. The last group stabbed her in the torso. Mostly in the abdomen but also in the chest.

  She was beginning to sway, bathed in blood. Only her face remain clean and fair. Only a few drops of blood had splashed her cheek.

  Dalton walked up to her and offered her, her own knife.

  “Only one soldier left.” He smiled.