by Kal Spriggs
“There are more?” Colonel Proscia asked.
“They’ll have a base. We need to move now.” She turned back to Lucius, “Get back aboard your ship. Ready your weapons. I’ll relay a target for you soon.”
***
“Lucius, this is Colonel Proscia. The psychic woman wants you to fire at the coordinates we’ve highlighted.”
“What’s there?” Lucius asked.
He heard a muffled conversation, and what sounded like shouting.
“She, uh, says to fire as soon as possible, using your main weapons. Apparently, there’s a Balor base hidden inside the abandoned hospital.” Colonel Proscia sounded discomfited. “She believes there’s an enemy ship hidden beneath the building.”
“Are you clear of the area?” Lucius asked.
“My men are clear. There may be civilians in the area.” Colonel Proscia paused, “Kandergain says that the Balor are about to send some kind of message. She says to fire now.”
Lucius looked over at Doko. “Do it.”
“Firing.” The deck plates vibrated.
The ship lay close enough to the planet that they could see the results. A shockwave of compressed air blasted out from the target and smashed buildings in the vicinity. Lucius winced at the collateral damage.
Something inside the building or beneath it detonated. The flash temporarily blinded their visual sensors.
“What was that?” Lucius demanded.
“Looks like a one kiloton explosion, Baron. If there was something under the building, it just blew up.”
Lucius nodded. He thought of the number of dead civilians now on his conscience. “Colonel Proscia, are you still there?”
“Yes sir. Kandergain says you hit the ship, that was the secondary.”
“Threat neutralized?” Lucius asked.
“Roger, sir.”
“Thank you,” Lucius cut the connection. He turned sad eyes to Anthony Doko. “I’ll be in my quarters. I don’t want to be disturbed. Get some assets down there to help out the civilians.”
***
“So. Where do we stand?” Lucius asked. His eyes roamed the council room. The government center used by the Chxor occupiers had too much damage, and too many bad memories for use. Today, they met in a board room for a defunct corporation.
“We still don’t have a full picture of civilian casualties from the occupation.” Kate Bueller said. “I honestly don’t think we ever will. There are just under fourteen million people, that we can track, anyway.” She shook her head, “Best estimates are something over five million dead between the occupation and liberation.”
Lucius knew the estimates on the deaths from his attack on the Balor base to be upwards of three thousand.
“Civilian infrastructure damage will be nominally repaired in many areas in two weeks.” Mathew Nogita said. “Power and water supplies didn’t take much damage, we’ve found enough people to keep those systems up in the major cities. Garbage collection is going to be an issue. Between the riots, damage from the Chxor, and just normal use… there’s a lot of trash that needs removal. Issues also exist with body removal and disposal. The Chxor overwhelmed even their mass burial sites. They’ve got thousands of bodies stacked in trenches. “
“Disease prevention issues with so many corpses will rapidly become a problem.” The Iodan spoke through his translator. “We recommend incineration of remains to prevent outbreaks of serious levels of pestilence.”
“Have we identified…” Lucius sighed, “Can we identify the dead?”
No one wanted to speak, finally, Kate did, “Baron, I’ve spoken with a lot of the people here. Many of them… they just want to put this in the past. They know anyone missing, anyone taken by the Chxor... they went to the death camps.” She looked up, “Over one quarter of the population is dead, Baron. If they held services for them all, they’d never have time to do anything else.”
Lucius nodded. “Very well, start collection of the bodies. We can use our Chxor prisoners for that.” Lucius gritted his teeth as he thought of the culpability of those same Chxor in the massacres of the Faraday populace.
“What about restoring order?” He asked, turning to Colonel Proscia, “I know we don’t have enough Marines, and I know Marines aren’t a police force. What’s the best way to do this?”
“I’ve contacted some of the rebel leaders who our insertion team worked with. They’ve begun a neighborhood watch program. It’s got some bad sides, there’s a lot of familial favoritism and patronage, but it’s getting the job done.” He shrugged, “Once the system is in place, I think things will calm down a lot.” He shrugged, “The riots ended, the remaining violence, some of that is leftovers from the Chxor occupation, I think a lot of it originates from the previous government, both under the Shareholders and even under the Contractor. There are a lot of people who never qualified for citizenship getting even.”
Lucius nodded, “That brings us to the structure of the new government here.” His eyes ranged the table. “I did not liberate this planet for it to return to the status quo.” He paused. “I personally think the previous Contract of the colony became abusive and distorted, especially by the wealthy of the colony. It had a number of laws drawn up in its basic premise that allowed such favoritism. The new Contract will not contain such flaws, is that understood?”
The civilians nodded their agreement, and Lucius sat back. “What is the plan for drawing up a new system of laws?”
Max Nyguyen spoke, “It’s something a few of us did back at Alpha Seven, Baron. We drew up several plans, most of them based on a democratic republic.” He paused. “Something the entire thing depended on, sir, was whether or not you’d remain in charge.”
“Excuse me?” Lucius asked.
“Baron, I think I speak for all of the refugees, and a good portion of Faraday when I say that we’d prefer to leave you in charge.” Kate said. “You’re an outsider, you have none of the contamination of the old government. You saved the planet from the Chxor. You’ve got a significant military force, which will only grow larger with the Dreyfus Fleet. Our only other option, as I see it, is to petition to join the Republic, or to bow down to the Nova Roma Empire.”
Lucius frowned, “I’m… I’m not in this to make my own kingdom.”
“Baron, that’s probably one of the best reasons to make you our leader, permanently.” Kate laughed. “God, I’m a politician and I know, the people who want power shouldn’t have it!”
Lucius shook his head, “I have no experience with civilian power. Order of law and civilian bureaucracy… I think I’d be worse for this place than the Chxor!”
“Just… just think on it.” Max Nyguyen said.
“I will. In the meantime, draw up your drafts. I’m not sure even what kind of means of ratification we can get from the populace. Work on that as well. Let me know what you need.” Lucius stretched and stood, “Do we have anything else?”
“No, Baron, I think that’s it.”
He nodded, “I’ll see you tomorrow, pending any crises.”
They’d only begun to file out when Kandergain stepped in. She wore her normal rugged civilian clothing, her blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail. Strapped to her leg she carried a stub-barreled riot gun.
He waited for the others to clear the room before he spoke. Lucius stared at her with haunted eyes, “Now explain to me why I killed three thousand civilians yesterday.”
“You fired on that building because I told you to,” Kandergain said, her own voice sad. She sat in the nearest chair, putting her feet up. “We had a Balor infiltrator cell.”
“Which means what?”
She took a deep breath, “Think of the Balor… like a virus. You know how a virus works? It invades a normal cell, scrambles its DNA, and produces a bunch of viruses out of the corrupted cell.” Lucius nodded and waved a hand for her to continue. “The Balor infiltrators, they work like that. They… convert a local. They use him to turn others. They use those infiltrators to gat
her information on new worlds, and to sow confusion and discord among their enemies. “
“So… why were they here?” Lucius asked.
“Balor love Chxor worlds. They can subvert the top Chxor, and take over entire worlds, no Chxor will question the commands of his superior. The ones here probably came with the occupation forces.”
“How?” Lucius asked. “How could one of those purple-skinned aliens hide? They don’t look remotely like Chxor, much less Humans.”
Kandergain set her feet on the floor looking out the window for a moment. “We’re getting near things I can’t talk about.”
“Seventeen of my Marines are dead and over three thousand civilians, and you won’t tell me what I need to know?”
“Not won’t, I can’t.” She shook her head. “There’s some things, I simply can’t tell you, and there’s others you won’t understand.” She took a deep breath, “Part of why the Balor are so dangerous is that they are all psychics.”
“All of them?” Lucius asked, startled. “I thought that was intrinsically rare.”
“Among humans, yes.” Kandergain said, “But other races are different. The Chxor have none, at all. The Balor are all psychics.” She shrugged, uncomfortably, “The… powers of individuals is determined solely by birth, though. The abilities of each are useful in their jobs. The workers can communicate and cooperate more effectively, their soldiers are faster and stronger.”
Lucius frowned, “What you’re describing sounds like an ant hill, or a hive of bees.”
“That’s a close enough approximation. I’m giving you an approximation, only,” Kandergain said. “Don’t make too many assumptions on that analogy.”
“Okay… more information would—”
“Make things more confused at this time.” Kandergain said. “Some of what I know, you can’t understand. Some other things… some things you won’t want to know.”
“I may need to know them to make an educated decision.”
“Trust me, some things you just, really don’t want to know.” Kandergain said and she finally met his eyes. “A lot of things about the Balor make the Chxor’s actions here seem… civil.”
“Fine, then,” Lucius said, “What do we do about the Balor here?”
“This infestation was recent. They probably came with the Chxor.” Kandergain said, “The warriors who ambushed you were young and inexperienced. It meant we had a cell here, and we needed to neutralize that cell before they reported.”
“Why, what would the Balor care that the Chxor lost this world?”
“The Balor are psychic, remember?” She said, standing. “They’ll be able to take secrets out of any normal human’s mind. They knew about the Dreyfus Fleet. They’re having their way with the Republic right now. They will not allow you to get a strong power base here, not when they can prevent it.”
“What do we do?” Lucius asked.
“I’m not sure.” She sighed. “They were sending a message.”
Lucius nodded, “How long do we have?”
“I’m not sure. You destroyed their ship, so you might have stopped the message.”
“Their ship?” Lucius asked.
“They secondary explosion, I’m pretty certain. Their Patriarch—” she cut off. “Their leader will always have a means to escape.”
“I see. Will we need to prepare for a battle in space?”
She shook her head, “I don’t know if they’ll attack directly.”
Lucius frowned, “I don’t like being kept in the dark about this. I understand what you’re saying, but, I think I’ve earned the right to know what I’m killing people for.”
She sighed, “You have nightmares, Lucius?”
“Yes.”
“Have you ever had a nightmare where you woke, screaming? Have you ever had a nightmare so real, you clawed at your face to wake yourself?” Kandergain’s eyes were dark. “This is that kind of horror, Lucius. These are thoughts and ideas that you don’t want to pollute yourself with.”
Lucius sighed, “Kandergain, I’ve seen terrible things. I’ve done terrible things.” He paused, “The only nightmares I ever have are when I see the faces of the people I’ve lost. The only dreams that haunt me are the ghosts of the dead, and I can’t face them without knowing that I sent them to their deaths for good reason.”
Kandergain nodded, “Think on this then, Lucius, and tell me if it’s a good enough reason.” She swallowed slightly, “Those Balor who ambushed you incubated in a Human host. Somewhere, some poor bastard screamed and twitched while those things ate their way to the outside when they hatched. Then they fed on what was left. Is that a good enough reason to want to kill the Balor?”
***
Lucius returned to his office to find Reese waiting. “I see you returned, Lucius, though I don’t know why you’d fight for this world and not for our home.”
“Reese, you don’t know how glad I was to hear you’re still alive,” Lucius began.
“What, you forget so quickly why I left?” Reese snarled, “You left my wife to die on Nova Roma. I saw what happened here, Lucius. I saw what Chxor rule is like. If we’d gone back—”
“Can I get a word in—”
“No!” Reese snarled, “You left Alanis to die!” Lucius typed something into his keyboard as Reese rounded the desk, “I don’t know why you—“
He broke off as the door opened. His head snapped around, an angry expression on his face that vanished into shock at the person who had arrived. “Alanis?” he asked.
“You idiot!” She shouted. “I told you to stay with Lucius, and when I catch up to him, what do I hear? You decided to stay and fight the Chxor? Are you insane!?”
“Alanis?” Reese asked again, totally confused.
Lucius shook his head, “I’ll let you two be alone for this joyous occasion.”
“What in God’s name possessed you to get off the War Shrike! I told you to stay with Lucius, no matter what, I told you—”
Lucius firmly shut the door behind him, shook his head and decided he would finish his work the office down the hall. The building had many unoccupied offices, thankfully.
He heard the muted sound as something glass broke. He thought he heard a couple of thumps. He shook his head again, “I don’t want to know.”
***
A few hours later, a bewildered looking Colonel Proscia found him. “Your office...” He shook his head, “Was that your sister?”
“I don’t want to know,” Lucius said.
“There were clothes on the floor and Commander Leone...“
“I don’t want to know,” Lucius said, more firmly.
“And—”
“There are things I don’t want to know.” Lucius asked, “This is one of those things. I love my sister dearly, and Reese is—was—a friend. I don’t want to know.”
Colonel Proscia shook his head, “It certainly was… confusing. I take it you relocated?”
“Yes.” Lucius let out a breath, “Why’d you come looking for me?”
“I wanted to ask you about earlier, when you fired on the building.” The Marine Colonel looked tired, almost haggard.
Lucius sighed, “What do you want to know?”
“Did it have to be done?” Colonel Proscia asked, his voice calm. Lucius could see the other man’s ghosts bothered him.
He thought back to Kandergain’s descriptions and of the terrifying battle between her and the psychic Balor. “Yes.” He sighed, “I wish there was another way. But yes, it had to be done.”
The other man nodded. “Thank you.”
Then he left Lucius to face his own ghosts
***
Chapter IX
February 19, 2403 Earth Standard Time
Faraday System
(status unknown)
“Lucius, darling, so glad you could take the time to see me.” Lucretta Mannetti said, either with total sincerity or total sarcasm.
Lucius bowed slightly and decided some sarcasm of h
is own in order, “Lady Kale, looking as splendid as ever.”
She smiled, “What do I need to do to get out, Lucius?”
Lucius cocked his head, “That… might take a lot on your part.” He shrugged, “Something about an attempted coup d’etat, piracy, and several counts of murder.”
“Surely you can put a good word in for me?”
“Let’s see…” Lucius looked to the ceiling, as if for inspiration. “I could put in a word about how you… stabbed me. Or… there’s also the fact that you betrayed me a second time.”
“You wouldn’t hold that against me, would you Lucius?” she pouted.
“Lucretta, you tried to kill me. Twice.” Lucius snapped, finally sick of the pretense. “I respect your ability, I respect your persistence.” He let out a deep breath, “You’re an attractive woman and you’ve got some amazing attributes. That doesn’t mean you’re not a traitorous snake.”
“Well, if we want to get down to it, Lucius, you betrayed me first.” A gust of wind off a glacier held more warmth than her voice. “You foiled a plan ten years in the making when you betrayed me and you didn’t even get rewarded for it. How long was it before you finally received command of the War Shrike?”
Lucius looked away, “Ten years.”
“Ah, yes, ten years shackled to a series of bungling captains. I might have fled in exile, but I heard.” She laughed darkly, “Oh, I heard about brave Captain Stravatti, who received a rapid promotion from his ship’s valiant actions at Resev Beta. And there was Duke Penn, who amazingly cornered the Privateers of Saratoga. What happened to him after his promotion? Ah, yes, he led five thousand men to their deaths in a vain attack against the Chxor.”
“I stayed loyal to a belief,” Lucius said.
“A belief that you still follow, apparently, if you serve the puppy-Emperor who wants me hung for treason.” The pirate admiral seated herself, treating the prison stool as a throne, “Did you ever ask yourself what rewards you could have held with me? Did you ever wonder whose orders I followed in my bid for power? Did you ever think I had loyalties beyond my own ambitions?”