Colonyside

by Michael Mammay

  “You think someone will come after you?”

  “Given how things tend to go for me, you think they won’t?”

  Mac laughed. “I’ll give it some thought.”

  “Ganos is here,” I said.

  “I’ll be right outside.”

  Ganos entered, grinning like an idiot, which warmed me inside. She must have found a hairstylist, because she sported her same short cut in a fresh shade of blue. “You look like shit, sir.”

  “Thanks. I only feel slightly worse than that. You look good. I like the hair.”

  “Thanks. I’ve heard that the meds for exposure are a bitch.”

  “How’d you do it?” I left the question open-ended. She’d tell me what she wanted to, and that was enough.

  “I faked our departure, which was pretty easy, and then I went after Caliber hard. I found evidence in their system of multiple facilities out in the jungle, and the captain took it from there.”

  “You know that Zentas will probably go free. Even if he doesn’t, the corporation will still be there. They might come looking for you.” I worried that I’d ruined her life. Again.

  She clenched one fist and smiled. “I won’t be hard to find. I’ll be in the new house Parker just bought for us with the money I got for this job. Let them come. I’ll be ready.”

  I believed her. “Ganos . . .” She met my eyes, and we held the look. “Thanks. You’re amazing.”

  She waved it off. “Come on, sir. Who are you talking to? Of course I am. By the way, I checked through your messages while you were detained to see if I could find any clues. There wasn’t anything important other than a note from General Serata. I didn’t read that one. You want me to forward them to you here?”

  I thought about it. “Nah. Delete them all.”

  I expected Fader next, but Oxendine came in first. She probably pulled rank. Or maybe she didn’t have to. Fader would have deferred and done what she thought was proper. Or maybe not. How well did I really know her? I’d expected her to honor her word and take the team off the planet, yet here we were.

  Thank the Mother.

  Oxendine had an unlit cigar in her mouth, which she removed before triggering the speaker.

  “You bring a cigar into a hospital?” I asked.

  “You’re all of a sudden a stickler for rules?” She had a point. “There’s a lot to figure out in this case.” Straight to the point, as always. We disagreed on how a lot of things should work, but we both appreciated directness. “The level of illegal activity . . . it’s unprecedented. I think there are seventeen charges against you right now, unless they’ve come up with more during my walk over here.”

  “I was trying to save lives. I have nothing else to say until I speak to my attorney. He’s on another planet, by the way. It may take a while.”

  “Can you let me finish, Carl? Just once can you shut your mouth and let someone else talk?”

  Well that hurt. It was a fair shot, though. I was feeling defensive, which made me chatty. “Sure.”

  “As I was saying, there are a bunch of charges against you, but I think we’ll be able to cut a deal, assuming you’ll give evidence against Zentas and Caliber.”

  “Gladly.”

  “I didn’t think that would be an issue. No promises, but once you’re done in quarantine, you are released on your own recognizance. Don’t leave this dome, and don’t leave the planet until I give you the go-ahead.”

  I gestured to the medical hookups in my arm. “If I have my way, I’m never leaving the dome again until I can leave forever. The planet . . . My job here is done.”

  “We’ll get you out of here as soon as possible. I can assure you, nothing would make me happier than putting you on a ship to somewhere else.”

  I laughed. “Fair enough.”

  “One more thing . . . I’m letting you know as a courtesy. I’ve made inquiries about Captain Fader.”

  “She was doing her job. Anything that happened is my fault,” I said.

  “And she was doing it well, despite it being your fault. I’m asking to have her put on my staff here.”

  I hadn’t expected that. “Ah. Well, that’s certainly your prerogative. I’m not sure who will make that decision, but it won’t be me.”

  “But you can certainly influence it.”

  “I’ll talk to her and see what she wants. I think she’s earned that.”

  “She has. But Carl . . . despite how she pulled this off, she’s not like you. You know that. She and I see the world the same way. You know how valuable it is to have a boss like that. Talk to her, but keep that in mind as you do.”

  “I will,” I promised. She had a point. They were a lot alike, and Fader could do worse than to model herself after Oxendine. She’d never be like me, and that was okay. There was more than one way to be an officer, even if I forgot that sometimes. “Do you think Zentas will be prosecuted?”

  “Honestly?” she asked. “I doubt it. He’ll take a public-relations hit when all this comes out—and it will come out. It always does. People have seen your report. Someone will leak it. But do I think he’ll ever see even a day in a cell? No. He’s rich. Who knows, though. Maybe we’ll get him. Stroud jumped up quickly to volunteer to testify, which will help.”

  “She’s not being charged?”

  “She claims she was in the dark.”

  “You believe her?”

  “Hard to say, but after talking to her, I think I do. Even if I didn’t, I’d cut a deal to get the bigger fish.”

  I agreed with that, considering I’d used that very rationale a few times since I’d come colonyside. “Being rich shouldn’t be a defense.”

  Oxendine gave me a sad smile. “But we both know it is. Still, we do our part, and we do it the best we can. It’s all we can do.”

  I nodded. I wished I had her attitude. It was so much healthier than mine. But I wasn’t wired that way. Then again, what could I do? Find Zentas and kick his ass? The idea did have some appeal, but it was a dream. “Where is he now?”

  “Already on a ship.”

  “His own?” I asked.

  “Nope. One of ours. I won that argument.”

  “Good. I hope he’s uncomfortable.” I could live with a little bit of pettiness.

  Oxendine laughed. “Seriously, Carl. Thanks.”

  “For what?”

  “For doing what I couldn’t do. Finding the illegal outposts. It was my job, but I didn’t do it.”

  I understood her being hard on herself, but I cut her some slack. She’d done better than I could have if our roles were switched. “They hamstrung you from the outset and it falls under the governor’s purview. It’s not your fault.”

  “I’m the commander. It’s always my fault.”

  I couldn’t argue against that, but her acknowledging it made it better. “Speaking of the governor, what came out of this with him?”

  “He’s in damage-control mode. He fired Davidson and blamed as much as he could on her, and he’s actively seeking maximum penalties for the violations we can prove.”

  I laughed. He’d taken my advice. “Is it working?”

  “Hard to say. The real judgment on that will come from Talca. It might be a few weeks until we can assess the political fallout.”

  “Sure.” I sat quiet for a moment, when something came to me. “Oh, one other thing. Your hacker, Trine. Eddleston told me that she got off planet. She probably used an alias and fake papers, but she hasn’t had time to get anywhere, so you can probably put out a call to search anything that left here in the past few days when it arrives wherever it’s going.”

  “I’ll do that. Thanks.”

  “Take care, Ox.” It still felt weird to call her that. “I wish I could say I was glad I came.”

  She laughed. “I wish I could say I was glad you came.”

  “Send Fader in, would you?” I asked.

  “Sure. Take care, Carl.”

  Fader entered as she left.

  “I heard you were
on the mission to take down Zentas’s facility. Did they put up a big fight? I know they had some soldiers there.”

  “A few shots, but we came in by air and took them by surprise. We also brought a ton of firepower. Surprisingly few people want to die for a paycheck.”

  “Eddleston—”

  “We got her, sir. Karlsson too.”

  “Tell me Eddleston resisted and you had to shoot her.”

  “No, sir.”

  “That’s too bad.”

  “How are you, sir? Everything okay?”

  “I think so. General Oxendine and I have come to something of an agreement.” I didn’t explain it. As well as Fader had done, my understanding with Oxendine was above her pay grade.

  “That’s good. You were doing the right thing.”

  “Maybe. I took things upon myself that I probably shouldn’t have. Don’t get me wrong . . . I’d likely do it again. But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t a better way.”

  “You got the job done, sir, just like you said.”

  “I didn’t. You got the job done. I charged in and got myself in trouble. You sat back, figured it out, and made it happen. Without you, I’m dead, and Zentas’s plan works.”

  She fidgeted, clearly uncomfortable with the praise. She’d have to get used to it. “I’m glad you’re okay, sir.”

  “Thanks. Of course, I thought I told you to get Mac and Ganos on a ship and leave.”

  “And I thought you showed me that you don’t always follow the rules.”

  I laughed. She was still a step ahead of me. “Oxendine wants you to come work for her.”

  “She mentioned that. I don’t know. I’ve got a good job.”

  “You’ve got a political job. Yes, it’s a good one, with a lot of visibility. But if you work for Oxendine, you’ll learn how things work at the level where things really happen. She’s a good officer.”

  “You think I should take it, sir?”

  “I do. You’ve got a big future. You need to prepare for it.” I smiled. “Just don’t let Oxendine get to you so much that you forget everything I taught you.”

  She laughed. “What are you going to do, sir? Are you hooked again?”

  “Not me. I’m going back to Ridia. Nice and quiet. I like it there. That’s assuming that the charges against me get dropped.”

  “Come on, sir. You don’t expect me to believe that. You liked this. The military needs you.”

  “They don’t need me,” I said. “They’ve got you.”

  Acknowledgments

  Colonyside was a much different experience for me as a writer than the previous two books. With Spaceside, I knew I was struggling at points, and the book didn’t come together until right near the end of the process. With Colonyside, I thought I had it in good shape and really didn’t figure out the issues until much later, at which point I rewrote about sixty percent of it. For this, I owe a debt to my editor, David Pomerico. David earned his money on this one, as he did some heavy lifting. His notes made this book what it is. As always, any faults that remain in the book are my own. To the rest of the Voyager team, thanks also, for always making things easy. Every time I deal with anyone at Voyager on anything it feels like they really want what I want, which is to put out the best book we can in every way. Special thanks go to Andrew Gibeley, who has moved on, but who I credit with getting Planetside and Spaceside in front of a lot of readers who wouldn’t have otherwise found them. Ellen Leach is an excellent copy editor, without whom this book would have many more mistakes than it does. Any remaining errors are mine, not hers.

  I’d like to thank my agent, Lisa Rodgers, without whom I wouldn’t be here. She continues to make things easy for me—all I have to do is write. She’s the best. I’d also like to thank Joshua Bilmes, who is a tireless champion of his authors, and the foreign rights team of Susan Velazquez and Karen Bourne, who keep selling my books in other countries.

  I’d like to thank Sebastien Hue for the outstanding cover art for both this and Planetside. I still believe a lot of people picked up the first book just because he made it look so good.

  In my writing process I rely a lot on beta readers, and for Colonyside, I’d like to specifically thank Ernie Chiara, my brother Patrick, and my sister-in-law Melissa for their frank comments that helped shape the bones of the book. Rebecca Enzor is a great author who has read all my books early on in the process and continues to be one of my most important writer friends. Jason Nelson provided great input both on the writing and on some of the technical aspects of computing. I’m pretty sure Ganos wouldn’t exist without him. I’d like to especially thank Dan Koboldt, who started out as my mentor and is now my staunchest ally in the author business.

  Thanks go to R. C. Bray, who narrates my books for audio, and who is responsible for a lot of people finding my books because they listen to anything he records. R. C. Bray has always been the voice of Butler in my head, even as I wrote the first draft of Planetside. His narration brings so much to the series, and I couldn’t ask for a better partner for audio.

  Most important, I’d like to thank the readers. To anyone who ever picked up a copy of one of my books and then said to someone else, “Hey, you really should try this.” Thank you. I really mean it. Without you—without people buying Planetside—Colonyside never happens.

  Finally, I’d like to thank my wife. Publishing is an inconsistent beast, and there are times when you’ve got to do a lot of work. When you throw a day job on top of that, it can be tough. It gets easier when you have the love and support of a great life partner. I love you, honey.

  About the Author

  MICHAEL MAMMAY is a retired army officer and a graduate of the United States Military Academy. He has a masters degree in military history and is a veteran of Desert Storm, Somalia, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He lives with his family in Georgia.

  Visit Michael at michaelmammay.com.

  Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.

  Praise

  Praise for Spaceside

  “Highly recommended for military sf lovers, who will savor his perspective and probably want to buy the man a drink.”

  —Library Journal (starred review)

  “Spaceside is a worthy sequel to Planetside and Mammay once again successfully delivered another highly entertaining page-turner. The cleverly mixed mystery and military sci-fi element made this relatively small book packed with a strong impact, and I highly recommend it to readers who are looking for a fast-paced mystery/sci-fi read.”

  —Novel Notions

  “This is another wonderfully addictive, fast-moving book from Michael Mammay. Corporate intrigue, interplanetary politics and military action are blended into a cohesive whole that is both satisfying and great fun.”

  —SFCrowsnest

  “Wow, just wow. This was another exceptional book from Mammay, who has once again produced a fantastic science fiction thriller hybrid with some amazing moments in it. [ . . . ] Spaceside is an incredible second outing from Michael Mammay, who has a truly bright future in the science fiction genre.”

  —Unseen Library

  Praise for Planetside

  “A tough, authentic-feeling story that starts out fast and accelerates from there.”

  —Jack Campbell, author of Ascendant

  “Not just for military SF fans—although military SF fans will love it—Planetside is an amazing debut novel, and I’m looking forward to what Mammay writes next.”

  —Tanya Huff, author of the Confederation and Peacekeeper series

  “Planetside is a smart and fast-paced blend of mystery and boots-in-the-dirt military SF that reads like a high-speed collision between Courage Under Fire and Heart of Darkness.”

  —Marko Kloos, bestselling author of the Frontline series

  “This was a brisk, entertaining novel . . . I was reminded a bit of some of John Scalzi’s Old Man’s War novels.”

  —SFFWorld

  “Mammay capably writes Butler’s g
ritty, old-school soldier’s voice, and the story delivers enough intrigue and action for fans of military SF.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “The book was an enjoyable read and would likely sit well with any fan of military SF looking for an action-thriller to browse while lying in the sun at the beach.”

  —Chris Kluwe for Lightspeed Magazine

  “In Planetside, Mammay mixes a brevity of prose with feeling of authenticity that would be remarkable in many experienced authors, let alone in a debut novel. Definitely the best military sci-fi debut I’ve come across in a while.”

  —Gavin Smith, author of Bastard Legion and Age of Scorpio

  “A fast-paced tale of military investigation that reads like a blend of Jerry Pournelle and NCIS. Michael Mammay brings an exciting and authentic voice of experience to military science fiction.”

  —Peter McLean, author of Priest of Bones

  “Planetside, the debut novel by Michael Mammay, is an easy book to love . . . a page-turner and an extremely satisfying read.”

  —Washington Independent Review of Books

  “If you like military SF you’ll love this or if you like SF mysteries or probably just SF in general. It’s a highly impressive first novel that left a real impact.”

  —SFCrowsnest

  By Michael Mammay

  Colonyside

  Planetside

  Spaceside

  Copyright

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  colonyside. Copyright © 2020 by Michael Mammay. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins Publishers. For information, address HarperCollins Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.