“Screw you, Sergeant.” With that, Travis stepped back and pointed at the wounded man. Two Chosen guards unfurled their whips and before anyone could move, they took turns whipping the man until the flesh on his body was torn open and blood flowed like a river on the ground.
Tarina stood there helpless as the sergeant died right before her eyes. She turned her head away so she wouldn’t have to look at the body.
“Oh no you don’t, sister,” said Travis as he strode at Tarina. He put a calloused hand on her and yanked her head around. “Take a good look at him. That could be you. I could think of more pleasurable things to do to you, but don’t think for on second that I won’t have you killed for being lazy and insolent like Sergeant Lowe was.”
Anger and hate burnt in Tarina’s heart. She had never hated someone so much in her entire life. For a brief moment, she wished she could break free and kill her tormentor with her bare hands. Travis let go of her head and spat on the ground before pushing her back in line with the others.
“Work, damn you!” yelled Travis at the prisoners.
Angela was the first to move. She picked up a rock and started to walk to the train. One by one, the rest of the people followed her lead and got back to work.
Out of the corner of her eye, Tarina could see Travis standing there staring at her. The maniacal look in his eyes made her cringe. It was obvious that the man was insane. She lowered her head and focused all of her attention on her feet. If she was going to survive the day, it was going to be by putting all other thoughts out of her mind and acting like an automaton following in the steps of the person in front of her.
The march back to the quarters turned out to be just as horrible as the day’s toil. Exhausted and weak with hunger, the prisoners shambled up the steady incline, dragging their feet on the rocks and the sand. Two people had been whipped to death by the guards during the hellish competition. One more, a woman with a bad leg, fell back from the group. No one stopped to help her. The only thought in all of their minds was getting to their cell block alive.
The sound of a whip striking flesh echoed up the long tunnel. Tarina pretended not to hear the pitiful cries of the woman as she was mercilessly flogged to death. She hated herself for not turning around to help the woman; it ran contrary to everything she believed in. However, she knew that there was nothing she could do. It was taking all of her willpower just to keep moving.
When their makeshift quarters came into view, the group began to move a little bit quicker as if there was safety to be found on their uncomfortable, wooden beds. Tarina collapsed down on her bunk, gasping for air. The hardest day of basic training had never even come close to the physical and mental anguish she had just gone through. She rolled over and looked over at Wendy in the next bed. Her friend’s hands were shaking. She looked like she was on the edge of a nervous breakdown.
“Hey, there. A penny for your thoughts,” said Tarina.
“I’d kill for a beer right now. It doesn’t even have to be cold,” Wendy replied.
Tarina chuckled. She hadn’t been expecting that. “Me too. Or perhaps a strawberry margarita by the pool.”
“Sounds delicious.”
“You’ll have to settle for water,” said Angela as she sat down on the edge of Tarina’s bed and handed over two cups of water.
“Thank you,” said Tarina. She took the water and gulped it down in seconds, as did Wendy.
“I’ll get you both some more.”
Wendy sat up and looked over at Tarina. “How does she do it? She looks as if she barely broke a sweat today.”
“I was just thinking the same thing as well. I’ve got to be honest. After they had killed the sergeant, I kept my head down until we got back here.”
“Me too.” Wendy took a quick look about for Angela and saw her standing in line to get more water. “Tarina, can I tell you something?”
“Sure,” she replied, reaching out for her friend’s hands.
“I know this is going to sound terrible, but I was happy when the other group began to fall behind and the guards paid more attention to them and not us. God, this place makes me feel and act like an awful person.”
Tarina saw the sadness etched on Wendy’s dirty face. “I’m not proud to admit that I felt the same way as you. We need to find a way out of here before we lose our humanity.”
“How well did you know Angela at the Academy? I don’t seem to recall seeing her around.”
“We did boot camp together. She was also in some of my third and fourth-year classes. If I remember right, she was as quiet as a mouse. She most assuredly was not like the person you see here today.”
Angela returned and took a seat. All three women sat there quietly drinking their water. It was Tarina who spoke first. “Angela, don’t take it the wrong way but how have you managed to survive down here for so long? Wendy and I are near dead and you look as if nothing seems to bother you. What gives?”
“I was wondering when you were going to ask me that. When I arrived here, I was taken under the wing of a Chosen woman who had been here for months. You see, before the Kurgs turned this prison into a death camp for us, the inmates here used to be Chosen civilians who had committed heinous crimes. My guardian angel, for the lack of a better title, was a Kurgan woman. She had been imprisoned here for the rest of her natural life for killing her husband. According to her, he deserved it, but I could never tell if she was being honest with me or not.”
“Are there any other Chosen prisoners still here?” asked Wendy.
Angela shook her head. “Those that did not die under the lash were moved to the ore processing plant out in the desert to finish serving their sentences. The last one left about a month ago. This wonderful little camp is now just for us human POWs.”
Tarina asked, “What happened to this woman?”
“Travis killed her one night after he’d been drinking with the guards. The man is a psychopath. He feels nothing for the people he has killed. He used to be a lance corporal, now he lords over us as if he were a king.”
“Yes. He’s a monster all right.”
“Before she died she taught me how to act, how to survive in this hellhole. More than that, she showed me a way out of the mines.”
Tarina’s eyes widened. She moved close to Angela and lowered her voice. “Are you telling me that you know a way out?”
Angela nodded.
“Why haven’t you tried to escape?” asked Wendy.
“Because until a short while ago, I didn’t have the right people here with me to try an escape with. I’m not a pilot and I’m most definitely not a navigator. I’m a logistician. I need you two with your unique skill sets to get off this planet and back home.”
Tarina glanced around to make sure that no one was paying any attention to them. “What are you proposing?”
“In a couple of days’ time, when everyone is asleep, I’ll take Tarina with me and show her the way out.”
“Why not tonight?”
“I doubt that you could make the climb after what you’ve been through today. Besides, there’s no need to hurry; the general in charge of the Kurgan penal system won’t be here for another ten days. He comes at the end of every month for an inspection of the facilities. It’s his ship that I propose we steal.”
“What about me?” asked Wendy. “How come I have to remain behind?”
“I think it’s better if we do this one at a time. We can’t risk drawing the guards’ attention.”
“It makes sense,” added Tarina. “Don’t worry, we won’t leave you behind.”
Wendy pretended to pout. “You’d better not.”
“Supper’s here,” announced Angela as the food cart arrived. With their muscles aching all over their bodies, Tarina and Wendy grimaced as they hauled themselves off their bunks and up onto their tired feet. As fast as they could, they made their way over to the food lineup.
There’s a light at the end of the tunnel, thought Tarina. Still, something nagged a
t her subconscious telling her to be careful. She could hear her father’s words in her head telling her that if something appeared too good to be true, then perhaps it was.
Chapter 13
“Officer on deck,” belted out a young sergeant as Sheridan and Cole walked into the room. The ten Marines with him came to attention.
“There’s no need for that. At least not while I’m leading this mission,” said Sheridan. “Everyone, please take a seat so we can proceed with the introduction.” He looked at the faces of the men and women who had volunteered to come with him to Klatt. Aside from the fire effects and the aerospace control officer, all of the enlisted Marines looked barely out of their teens.
“All right, my name is Captain Michael Sheridan and the man to my right is Master Sergeant Alan Cole. I’ll learn your names over the next couple of days. So when you talk, please state your name and hopefully it’ll sink into my thick skull. What I need to know right now is if you people were told the purpose of the mission that you’ve all volunteered for.”
The fire effects officer, a young female first lieutenant, stood up. “Sir, my name is First Lieutenant Helen Toscano, I can’t speak for anyone else, but I was told by my commanding officer that this is a deep reconnaissance mission. I missed the fight on Illum Prime and jumped at the opportunity to do something other than sit around and wait for the war to come to us.”
“I was told the same thing,” said the sergeant. “Oh, sorry, I almost forgot. My name is Sergeant Patrick Urban.”
“How many of you have seen combat?” Cole asked.
Only four of the ten Marines raised a hand.
Cole looked over at Sheridan and shook his head. “I thought the total would be higher.”
Sheridan pointed to an open door. “Marines, before I tell you what the true nature of this mission is, I’m going to give each and every one of you the opportunity to leave this room. No one will fault you if you leave now.”
None of them moved an inch.
Cole walked over and closed the door so no one could eavesdrop on the conversation.
Sheridan grabbed a chair and took a seat. “Okay then, welcome to Operation Trident Fury. Our part in this mission will be to fly ahead of a fleet task force to scout out a POW camp deep in Kurgan space on a planet called Klatt.”
“Sir, Second Lieutenant Viktor Skylar, did you say that we’re going inside Kurgan territory?” asked the aerospace control officer.
“Yes, I did. After chatting with Captain Killam, the fleet’s operations officer, we should expect to be on our own for approximately forty-eight hours. In that time, we must recce the prison and determine suitable landing sites for the ground forces who will be coming to secure and then evacuate over five thousand people.”
“Good Lord, has anyone ever tried anything like this before?” asked Sergeant Urban.
“Yeah, but not in our lifetime. It’s an ambitious and highly risky operation that could easily end in disaster. I don’t know about any of you, but Master Sergeant Cole and I know people who are prisoners of the Kurgans, and we’re going to do all we can to get them home alive.”
Urban said, “Sir, I honestly don’t know if any of my friends are on that planet. But you can count on me.”
“You can count on all of us,” stressed Toscano.
Urban raised a hand. “Sir, what is our call sign for the mission?”
“Ghost One.”
Urban grinned. “I like the sound of that.”
“So do I,” added Toscano.
“Okay then, consider yourselves confined to this ship until we leave,” said Sheridan. “As this mission is deemed to be top secret, you will avoid talking to anyone about why you are here on board the Colossus. In fact, you will not discuss this assignment outside of this room, even with each other. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes, sir,” replied the Marines as one.
“While Master Sergeant Cole checks your gear and sees what you might need, I’m going to speak to our flight crew.” With that, Sheridan exited the room and made his way to the landing bay where Admiral Sheridan’s private shuttlecraft was housed. He found the crew tinkering with the engine modifications that had been installed only hours ago. The flight crew consisted of only two men. Captain Parata, the pilot, was a short, muscle-bound Maori, who had recently grown a thick, black goatee. His co-pilot and navigator was Captain Mercier, who had a thin face and gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose.
“Ah, there you are,” said Parata when he spotted Sheridan. “You’ve got to tell whoever is running this farce that we need the mechanics back here right away.”
“Why’s that?”
“The mods they made to the jump engine aren’t going to be enough. We can get to Klatt, but we won’t have enough fuel left in the perlinium rods to make another jump back to the fleet once we drop you and your team off.”
Sheridan looked at the pilot with a stone-faced visage.
“Oh, crap! You knew that, didn’t you. So, when were you going to tell us?”
“I only found out myself this morning. The problem is that your ship’s engine is just too small to make any more modifications to it. I’m sorry, but you’re both going to have to come along for the ride. We’ll only be on our own for a couple of days. After that the fleet will arrive and we can all go home together.”
Parata looked over at Mercier, his co-pilot and friend. “Aren’t you going to say anything?”
“No. If this is the way it must be, then so be it.”
“Great. I’m glad you can roll over and accept your fate without batting an eye. But I won’t. Is there anyone we can talk to about this?”
“Yes, me,” replied Sheridan.
“Okay then, Captain Sheridan, son of Admiral Sheridan, I hereby lodge a verbal complaint against the assignment that we have been given.”
“And I acknowledge your complaint and plan to do nothing about it.”
“Well, that settles that. I’m done bitching. I just wanted to get that off my chest. I take it Sergeant Cole will be visiting the quartermaster to procure us the necessary weapons, supplies, and equipment?”
“Yes, he will. I expect that he’ll swing by sometime this afternoon to get you two to sign for the equipment.”
“I take it that you’d like to do some practice runs somewhere out of sight on Illum Prime before we deploy?” asked Mercier.
“Yes, I do. Can you be ready to go first thing tomorrow morning?”
Mercier nodded.
“Good. I’ll see you both at eight o’clock sharp to begin training. If there’s nothing else we need to discuss, I’ll leave you two to get on with your work.” Sheridan turned and left the hangar. He knew that Parata was just pushing his buttons to see if he could get a rise out of him. Parata could be a pain in the ass when he wanted to be, but he was also the best pilot in the Sixth Fleet. Sheridan felt himself lucky to have Parata and Mercier along as part of the team. It was one less thing among dozens of others floating around in his mind to worry about.
Light-years away, half the way to the prison planet, Colonel Wright gently applied power to his ship’s thrusters and flew his craft out of the open hangar doors into space. For as far as he could see, an asteroid field composed of tens of millions of rocks and boulders, some as tiny as a pebble and some kilometers in width, filled the heavens. The transport ship had come out of her jump behind a small moon and was using it to hide behind. They waited an hour to make sure that they had not been spotted before launching the two deep reconnaissance vessels.
Wright looked down at his instrument panel and made sure that everything was working as it should. “Okay, Miss Eskola, how are things back there?”
“Sir, my nav computer is fully operational. I can confirm that my calculations are correct and we are ready to make our jump.”
“Sounds good.” Wright looked out the glass window in his cockpit at the other ship about to make the jump. He saw the pilot wave over that he was also good to go. As they were in ene
my space, both ships were operating on comms silence.
“I’m ready when you are, sir,” said Eskola.
Wright took one last look up at their support ship. He had made dozens of combat jumps since the war had begun. Yet none of them had seemed as important as the one he was about to make. He reached over and set a hand on a picture of his girlfriend back home on Earth. It was a good luck ritual that he had done on every mission. It hadn’t always worked perfectly, but he figured the odds were still on his side. He knew that while they were gone their support ship would be deploying another satellite to act as a relay station for the information that would be streaming back from Klatt once the two satellites there went operational. Wright keyed his mic. “Okay, Miss Eskola, we’re in your hands now.”
“Roger that, sir.” She began her countdown. “Five-four-three-two-one.”
Impenetrable darkness engulfed the two ships the moment they jumped beyond the speed of light and began their twenty-four-hour flight to Klatt.
Crap, thought Wright as his bladder reminded him that he shouldn’t have had three cups of coffee before climbing into his cockpit. He tried to get comfortable in his seat. The only consolation he could think of was that he hadn’t forgotten to put on his diaper. He shook his head. It was going to be a long couple of days.
Chapter 14
Sheridan and Cole grabbed some food before making their way to the back of the dining room. They took a seat at a table far away from anyone else so they could talk.
“Anything new from Captain Killam?” Cole asked.
Sheridan shook his head. “Not since the last mission brief this morning. Looks like the task force will be built of a slimmed down carrier battle group with a couple of battalions of Marines to act as security and to help evacuate the POWs as fast as humanly possible. The longer we spend in Kurgan space, the greater the chance of them counterattacking.”
Trident Fury (The Kurgan War Book 3) Page 9