Reason For Vengeance (Dark Vengeance Book 1)

by Adrian D. Roberts

  The Colonel was continuing with his briefing. “The freighter will be going via its normal route with stops at Persia and Concordia, before heading to your target in Gomez.” Valerie raised her eyebrows. She almost expected the Colonel not to give the Company the target planet. Maybe he had heard how she ran her team.

  “As per our normal Modus Operandi, the crew will be unaware of the FOB Module. All they will know is it contains machine parts to be transhipped at Valhalla. The Wishart will be on hand in the system to bring you back to Olympus.”

  The Colonel activated the screen and an image of Gomez appeared. Valerie could tell he was moving on to the actual assault, so thought it best to interject with a clarification.

  “There will be two spooks on the Eric Blair’s crew, to ensure we make it to the target on time and they don’t go wandering off during the assault.” She could sense the Colonel bristle when she gave away the location of two of their undercover operatives. It was more important her people knew they could rely on their ride home, so he would have to live with it.

  Valerie sat back and Major Wilson took over to run through the assault itself. This was just an initial brief to give Shadow Company an overview, to allow them to make sure they had the most appropriate equipment when they headed out on the Helos the next day. It was a relatively simple operation and did not take long to go through. The Company asked questions, which the Major and Colonel answered without Valerie having to intervene.

  The briefing soon ran through to its conclusion and all the questions were answered. Valerie took to the floor again.

  “OK, Shadow Company, we reassemble at nine am tomorrow morning in bay fourteen. Have all your kit and be ready to go.” No matter how good they were, this was still the Legion. Like every military organisation in human history, they learned assumptions led to mistakes, and mistakes led to people dying.

  “The time is your own.” She smiled and nodded to them. “I’ll see you all in the morning. Dismissed.”

  As Shadow Company filed out, the three captains making up her command team came over to join her, Colonel Lieberman and Major Wilson. Joss Gibson was her second in command and currently ran the Command and Control unit. While Valerie was in the field, Captain Gibson would co-ordinate the five platoons and keep her updated on the tactical situation. It was not the way most units were run, the commanding officer would normally be in the C&C. Valerie found she was far more effective on the ground, leading Shadow Company from the front.

  Captain Shannon Forlani got admiring glances from Lieberman and Wilson as she walked over, this was perfectly normal for the rather busty blonde. While they might be admiring the view, they were very aware Captain Forlani was Shadow Company’s number two on the ground and earned her place the hard way. Lastly there was Hans Benz, the short and slender leader of the Company’s air assets. He flew First Platoons Helo as well as commanding the other pilots and air crews.

  “Shall we run through the last details before you depart?” Lieberman asked Valerie.

  “I’m afraid you’ll have to excuse me, Colonel. My Captains have my full confidence and should be able to handle any last minute details.”

  “That is most irregular,” he said carefully.

  “I appreciate that, Colonel, but I haven’t seen my children for three days and they won’t see me now for another two months. I’m going to put in a very long vid call to them.” She turned to her command team. “Captains, I will see you on deck tomorrow for embarkation to the Wishart.”

  Her three officers saluted her, and Shannon smiled as she added. “Give them my love.” Valerie smiled back as she returned their salutes smartly, and nodded to the Major and Colonel, before leaving the briefing room.

  She headed to one of the station personnel lifts that would take her to her quarters. It was early evening at her home on Olympus, she knew she would be able to spend some decent time talking to her husband and children. The lift arrived quickly and she got in next to the only other occupant, a Research and Development engineer Valerie was working with, Emily Valletta.

  “Major,” the tall blonde woman greeted her. “I’m glad I ran into you. We’ve got the updated results from the Spectre’s last test run.”

  Valletta tended to be very focused on her work. Valerie considered reminding her a lift was not an appropriate place to discuss a highly classified prototype, but decided, as they were alone and the Rosso section of Furioso was the Legion’s most secure facility, it wouldn’t do any harm. It also saved Valerie having to get an update before she departed the next day.

  “How did it go?”

  “Better even than we expected, the new super matt armour and the focused Electron Shielding worked marvellously.” Emily said in a rather dry tone. “The Spectre moved to within two kilometres of the Dante without detection. We’ve analysed the Dante’s sensor data a dozen times and we managed to find only a hint she was there. That hint was on the last two, after we entered the Spectre’s full specifications into the program.”

  Valerie was impressed, the PNS Dante was one of the most advanced battleships in the Legion Navy and that meant, in the entirety of known space. She couldn’t help tease the other woman a bit.

  “I see, so she is detectable.”

  “Only if we wide broadcast the designs.” Valletta replied, as usual not realising Valerie hadn’t seriously meant it.

  “True, but like any advantage in war, it’s only as good while your enemy doesn’t know about it.” Valerie warned a little more seriously. “Once a few ships have been lost they’ll want to know why and how. They’ll do everything they can to find it. You’d be surprised how much death motivates people.”

  “That’s the beauty of the shielding. It can be adapted as time goes on. If they find a way to detect the original spec’s, we can adjust the energy signature so it won’t do them any good.”

  “OK, Emily, please send me the full report to my secure Link tonight. Shadow Company is shipping out tomorrow. I’ll review it and give you my input when we return.”

  “Thank you, Major.” She hesitated for a moment. “I have to admit, I was not overly pleased to hear you would be assigned to oversee this project.” Valerie raised an eyebrow and Valletta hurriedly continued.

  “I mean, as a ground combat specialist, I didn’t expect you to be able to contribute effectively to a Stealth Space Fighter, but your insight and recommendations have been extremely helpful. The comments from your last flight in particular, clarified several points for us. Your feedback was actually better than our main Test Pilots.”

  “I’m glad I could be of assistance,” Valerie said with a smile. “The Spectre could well make a difference to combat. If we can use a few fighter bombers to take out enemy ships, rather than pounding them from a distance with our own, it will save a lot of lives. If the other Nations know that we can hit them anywhere without warning they’ll be even more wary of getting in the way of the Pantheons interests.” The lift came to a halt at Valerie’s stop and the door opened.

  Valerie paused as she stepped out and turned back to the engineer. “I didn’t start my career in the Legion Army, I flew Vectors for ten years. Including tours on Tau Ceti and Mars, among others.”

  Valletta’s eye’s widened. “Mars? You fought in the Dictator Wars?”

  Valerie frowned slightly. “I’m not sure if fight is the right word but yes.” Before the engineer could say anything more Valerie stepped back and let the lift doors close. She headed down the corridor to her quarters, her mind looking back to over eighty years before.

  The Dictator Wars. A mess those three words did not come close to explaining. Earth and its oldest colonies became heavily over populated with ever more scarce resources. Space travel gave the human race a vast wealth in chemical and mineral means, but it could not supply one of the most fundamental necessities, food. To manufacture food you needed land, but that land was being used for people to live on.

  People got more desperate, governments collapsed and desp
otic dictators stepped into the vacuum. Up until this point, the human tragedy of Earth and the surrounding space was of little concern to the Pantheon and the other newer human Nations. There was little they could do about the food shortage, it would be impossible to ship the massive volume required. What they could do is make huge profits selling what they could get there, even if they gave twenty percent of it as ‘aid’.

  When the Dictators came into power and started to build up their military forces, the leaders of the Pantheon knew they would be a threat. The various Dictators would fight amongst themselves, but they would also come after those who had the resources they needed so desperately. The Pantheon struck first, under the guise of protecting the populations from these brutal regimes, and sent the Legion in.

  Technology on Earth and the original colonies had stalled, and in many cases reduced, their capabilities to manufacture it falling into disrepair. It may have taken the Legion years to complete their mission, but the Dictators forces hadn’t stood a chance against the Pantheons superior training and equipment.

  Valerie remembered flying her Vector into combat against multiple enemies. Even discounting her personal advantages, they couldn’t stand against her. She’d destroyed enemy tanks and gun emplacements before they knew she was there. It hadn’t been a war, it was a slaughter. She lost friends and comrades, but the butcher’s bill for the Legion had been slight in comparison, to the millions of combatants on the other side. It hadn’t been reported in the Pantheon, the number of civilians who died ran into the billions. Many directly from the fighting, but most from the breakdown in infrastructure, causing disease and famine.

  Valerie shook her head to clear it as she entered her quarters. A holopic of Tom, Daphne and Bobbie sat on a shelf directly in front of the door. The three of them smiled back at her. She felt the same feeling of love for them she always experienced when she walked in.

  She activated the com on her VI screen and waited for Tom to answer. He didn’t take long. He was expecting her to call and his clear blue eyes soon showed on the screen.

  “Hi, Ell. I assume you’ve got another trip come through?”

  “Yeah sorry, Tom, it’s going to be a long one as well.”

  Tom paused and frowned. “Are you going to make it for Daphne’s cup final? Her team is really looking strong for going all the way this year.”

  “I hope so, love, but you know I’m not allowed to say anything more.”

  “I know. I know, love. Don’t worry, I signed up knowing the score. I’ll make sure she knows you’ll try your best.”

  “Thanks, Tom. Are they there?”

  “Of course they are, hang on.” Tom pulled back from the screen and called off to one side. “Daphne. Bobbie. Your Mother’s on the line!”

  It didn’t take long for Tom to be replaced by a bouncing, blond, six year old girl. “Mummy!”

  Daphne was quickly crowded on the screen by her four year old brown haired little brother. “Mama!”

  Valerie smiled broadly. “My babies.”

  “I’m not a baby, he is.” So saying, Daphne shoved her brother out of sight.

  “No I’m not.” He replied indignantly, bundling quite happily back into view. He was well used to being shoved about by his sister.

  “You’ll both always be my babies. How was school, Daphne?”

  “It was great, Mummy. Mrs Chopra told us about the Algae that make planets so we can live on them.”

  “Do they make planets, Daphne, or do they create air on the planets so we can live there?” Valerie questioned gently.

  “Oh yes, they make the air.” Daphne corrected. “They spray the whole planet with the algae. It eats sunlight and makes water and air!”

  “Yes, that’s right. What happens after they make the air?”

  “We plant seeds that grows into grass, flowers and trees, but I can’t remember how they plant the seeds,” Daphne frowned. “It would take forever to plant all the seeds. It took all afternoon to plant the flowers.” Valerie remembered fondly the afternoon she spent with her family in their garden. Both of the kids ended up covered in mud, which meant Tom and herself were also covered.

  “You’re right, it would take too long by hand or even by machine. They release the seeds for the plants high in the sky. The winds then send them all around the surface of the planet.”

  “Oh that’s right, Mrs Chopra said they’re sent down from the Space Stations in orbit. Once the plants are all grown up, they release birds, cows, horses, bees and even spiders. Bleh! Why would anyone have spiders?” she asked with a shudder.

  “Planets are very complex places. They need all kinds of creatures to work, even spiders.”

  “Mama. Mama. Ask me!” Bobbie looked thoroughly bored by this point.

  “Oi, Bobbie. I’m talking to Mummy!” Daphne exclaimed.

  “It’s OK, Daphne.” Valerie said and tried not to smile. “It’s your brother’s turn. What did you do today, Bobbie?”

  “We made ships.” Bobbie said and dashed off to one side out of sight. Presumably to get whatever he had made that day at nursery.

  Daphne rolled her eyes at her vastly younger brother. This time Valerie could not help smiling as her daughter continued matter of factly, as though her brother hadn’t interrupted her.

  “After the Herbies...”

  “Herbivores.”

  “Right Herbores.” It wasn’t worth correcting her a second time, she was after all, only six years old. “After the Herbores have grown up, they release the carnores and people go and live there.”

  “That’s right. How long does that all take?”

  “Two hundred years.” Daphne replied just in time, as her brother came barrelling back in. He proudly held out a blocky shape made out of glued together carbonfibre.

  “Look, Mama, it’s a Jester!”

  “Wow, Bobbie. It looks just like the PLN Rustler. I saw it this morning, so I know what I’m talking about.”

  “Thanks, Mama.” The three of them continued to talk for over an hour about all the things that they did and their friends, until Bobbie began to get quiet. Valerie could tell he was tired and Daphne seemed to be struggling as well, though she was doing everything she could not to show it.

  Tom stepped in from where he was sitting quietly to one side, watching the kids talk to their mother. “OK, I think it’s time to get ready for bed now. Come on.” Tom picked up Bobbie who grumbled, but didn’t really put up much of a fight.

  Daphne was made of sterner stuff though. “No, Daddy, I want to tell Mummy about the transport we saw!”

  “Come on, Daphne, you can tell her next time,” Tom said. “It’s past your bedtime as it is.”

  “Listen to your father, Daphne.” Valerie admonished. “Now come and give me a kiss and go get ready for bed.”

  “OK, Mummy. I love you.” The little blond girl leaned forward and kissed the screen.

  “I love you too, honey, and you, Bobbie.” Valerie said. “Give me a call when you’ve got them all sorted, Tom. I’ll be here.”

  “I will do, love. It shouldn’t be long.”

  Valerie switched off the com and picked up her datapad. There were numerous reports she needed to fill out and sign off before Shadow Company departed in the morning. A number of them she was able to pass on to Captains Gibson, Forlani and Benz. It still left her with plenty of work to be getting on with before Tom called her back.

  Over an hour and thirty-three reports later, her com screen beeped quietly. Valerie put down her datapad and gladly accepted the call. Tom’s face looked out of the screen at her.

  “The terrible two are now both fast asleep, though of course neither of them wanted to wash their faces. I think I’ve got more water on me than they did between them.”

  Valerie laughed softly. “I so miss them, Tom and I miss you.”

  He sighed. “I know you do love, I miss you too and so do the kids. What about that transfer to Olympus? Surely you can fly something other than diplomats aroun
d?”

  There was no chance of a transfer, the Legion had too much invested in her, and Shadow Company was too good, for her to be replaced. She couldn’t tell Tom that and he couldn’t understand why ‘Eleanor’ couldn’t get a transfer to a different assignment. Valerie’s cover story had her flying shuttles for over ten years and it was due to her lack of Family influence denying her advancement. Tom thought Valerie’s family had died and she used all of her inheritance to pay for a good university education, allowing her to join the Legion Officer Corp. Since then, with no patronage, she hadn’t been able to advance any further than Lieutenant.

  “I’ve tried, Tom, and I spoke to my Captain this morning but there is nothing available for me.” Valerie lied. “This is a job they need experienced pilots for, but isn’t a job that people want. Boring shuttle runs, with long trips across space in a tiny cubbyhole of a berth. All on a Diplomatic Courier that’s built for speed, with the only comfort available going to the Diplomats. Who’d want that?

  “Come on, there’s no point crying over something we can’t change.” It hurt Valerie to lie to her husband and she changed the subject. “How’s work going? Is that promotion in the offering?”

  “I think so, Ell. Aamir wants me to run the accounts for the regeneration project out at Sandy Shores.” Tom said. “If I can get the numbers how they want them, and we keep it within budget, it’ll be good news all round.”

  “That’s excellent...” The two of them chatted long into the night, each wishing they had more time.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Five Helos and the support shuttle sat on the deck of Bay Fourteen, men and women bustling around the six vehicles. The Helos were black, squat, sleek and lethal, with two engines that looked too big for them, strapped to either side of their short tails. Two powerful Plasma Cannons pointed out from the flat nose, with anti-personnel Blasters on short turrets to either side.

  The snub wings under the engines were currently bare. They could be fitted with a range of ordnance depending on the mission profile. The two flight wings at the top of the fuselage were swept back out of the way. Designed for orbital space flight, fast re-entry and ground support in an atmosphere, the Windsoar class Helo, was the best Assault Drop ship in the Legion.