by H. T. Kofruk
The last thought surprised him. He had made a vow and had never thought about marrying or having children. He had lived thirty-four Earth years but was still a virgin, something that his new friends from the Peace Alliance had found shocking and unnatural. Perhaps it was unnatural, but he had given up his life for God and he had never regretted that decision. Until now.
Admitting his feelings gave him new energy. He had to first find out if Elena was still alive. Everything else could wait. He finally managed to unbuckle the strap and put his bare feet on the floor of the moving vehicle. He stumbled but made it to the wall separating the driving compartment and the container module and banged his fist.
A holograph suddenly lit up the room and blinded Paul. He put up his hand and waited for his eyes to get used to the light. The dirty, bearded face of Sergeant Major Grimly hovered in mid-air. Paul could see that the old soldier had a nasty cut on his temple that he had been patched up haphazardly with a piece of cloth.
“Sir Paul, nice to see you up” said Grimly as he grinned. Despite their frequent disagreements, Paul sensed that Grimly was being honest. They went over a rough patch in the ground and Paul could tell that the former Celestial Guard was in the driving compartment by the way he swayed at the same time.
“What happened, sergeant major?” said Paul, surprising himself at how weak his voice felt.
“Death Beam, sir. We lost most of our troops.”
“What about civilians?” He supressed the urge to ask the whereabouts of Elena first.
Grimly shook his head. “We managed to get a few thousand in convoy vehicles.”
A few thousand? There had been millions of civilians under Paul’s protection.
“We number about four thousand soldiers now” continued Grimley. “Sir Elena is in another vehicle ahead.”
Paul exhaled heavily. He immediately regretted doing so; he didn’t want to be too obvious about his feelings towards Elena but he feared it was too late. “Is she hurt?”
“She’s probably the most able one among us.” Was he referring to his missing arm? “How are you feeling, sir?”
“A bit unbalanced, I must say. Lucky it wasn’t my right arm.” Grimly nodded sideways as if to say that he wasn’t really that lucky. “What’s the situation?”
“The aliens used the Death Beam on all our installations. They sure know how to use surface scanners now and their aim was perfect. We lost eighty per cent of our people in the first half hour. Those of us who survived knew what was coming next so Sir Elena ordered a convoy of pulse-gliders to go around all the installations and do a quick search for survivors. Your bunker was hit the worst and we only found a dozen survivors.”
Paul felt ashamed after silently thanking God for his blessed luck.
“Landing capsules were launched within ten minutes of the Death Beam attack. One thing that the aliens didn’t count on was the automated aerial defence system that hadn’t been knocked out over London. In fact, all of the automated systems were intact. Not one of the capsules of the first wave got through. But then they started using missiles and laser to take them out. That gave us enough time to gather any survivors and head out.”
“And how long have we been on the road?”
“Four days. We’ve been going around trying to keep clear of any Nikruk landings.”
With most energy transmission done through a separate network called Web-En, rerouting wireless transmission was the first task that the enemy would have accomplished if they had taken over the fusion generators around London. Paul guessed that they had another couple days before everything went out of juice and the unarmed, unarmoured civilians would be sitting ducks for the Nikruk.
The convoy halted near a heavily wooded area. Paul put on a thick coat that he found in the cargo module, hoping that it would hide his handicap. He got his first glimpse into the miserable state of the refugees. Most of them had lost friends and families. On top of that, they had to spend hours cooped up in cargo modules like cattle. Unlike the soldiers who had all undergone physical augmentations, the civilians looked exhausted after traveling for more than twelve hours at speeds of more than two hundred miles per hour. The stench was incredible; he was sure that many of them had relieved themselves inside the pulse-gliders. Some vomited as soon as they got off while others rushed to the woods to find sufficient cover presumably to answer the call of nature.
From the miserable crowd, a dark-skinned woman pushed through. Elena looked gaunt and her shiny skin was now dry and pasty. But she had never looked more beautiful to Paul. She rushed forward and buried herself in his chest.
“You are one mighty fool, Sir Paul” she said as she wiped away tears.
Paul smiled down at her. She looked at his empty left sleeve and then back at him with an expression seeking permission. He nodded and she opened his coat to reveal his left shoulder.
“I cut it off” she said. “When we found you, the veins in your left arm were blackening like some kind of disease. I think it’s how the Death Beam kills you. I had to act before it spread to the rest of your body.”
Paul nodded. “You did the right thing. I’m going to miss it but at least I get another chance unlike all those millions who died.”
Sergeant Major Grimly came to greet him. Paul saw that the weathered soldier limped though he was trying hard to conceal it. Instead of saluting him, the large man gave him a bear’s hug. Paul winced when he felt pressure on his swollen left shoulder.
“I’m sorry, sir. Just glad to see you.”
Paul was touched that Grimly, the former elite Celestial Guard and part of the One God Pope’s own military detachment, would show his respect and affection in such a way. It made him shudder to think that he had once planned to purge Earth of all One God followers.
“Where are we, sergeant major?” asked Paul in a tone suggesting that it was back to business.
“We’re in the northwest of England near a lake called Derwent. No notable human settlement for at least ten miles in any direction.”
“Any Nikruk sightings in the last forty-eight hours?”
“Twice, sir. And we found empty landing capsules once”
“How many did you see?”
“In both confirmed sightings, we saw bands of about a dozen. But when we found the capsules, we estimated about two hundred.”
He was sure that the noose was getting tighter around their necks. They were moving fast and the Nikruk were probably tracking them and landing where they thought they were heading. They had been lucky for the past few days but there was no telling how long they would last. But what could they do? If they attempted to take a ship, they’d be shot down immediately. Britain was getting saturated with Nikruk as time went by and they were bound to be found soon.
“Perhaps we should prepare a final stand, sir” said Grimly. “While we still can.”
Elena looked at him as if expecting some kind of miracle strategy. It pained him not to be able to provide any. He had finally found love in his heart and he had to prepare for a valiant death? The will to live was so strong in him right now. When he finally nodded his consent, he could see Elena was putting on a brave face.
“Get any artillery in defensive formation. Keep it tight since the bastards like to jump right in among us.”
Grimley nodded without expression. Paul couldn’t bear to see Elena’s disappointment and started to walk away to find something useful that a cripple could do.
“I love you” said Elena as he was about to brush past her.
He stopped abruptly but couldn’t find what to say. Saying ‘I love you’ back to her seemed such a sad thing to do with death imminent. Before he could say anything, she walked away and started to bark orders.
When he was trying awkward to put on his armour, Grimly came to him.
“Do you need a hand, sir?”
Paul nodded. He was embarrassed and angry at himself for not being able to perform such a simple, elementary task. The old sergeant major started to h
elp him into the deflated armoured suit.
“Did I ever tell you that I had a son, sir?” Grimly had never talked about his private life. “I lost him when he was just twenty years old.”
“How?” said Paul, sensing that the older man wanted to be asked.
“He was accused of subversive activities.” Paul knew what that meant; his son had been against the theocracy. “He was such a good lad at school and at church. Who knew he hated the regime so much?
“Well, he confessed without blinking. Three days later, he was taken into space and exposed to the vacuum. I had just made staff sergeant in the army. That should have finished my military career but I had mouths to feed; I had two daughters as well, you see. At forty-five, I was the oldest volunteer ever to attempt Celestial Guard training. That was the only way to stay in the military. If you don’t mind me saying so, sir, you remind me of him so much.” He finished with a tap on his good shoulder before leaving.
Grimly had lost all his children eventually. It was difficult for Paul to imagine what that was like. How would it feel to know that your child was going to die but were powerless to stop it? He suddenly remembered punching Grimly after the first Nikruk attack and regretted it. The formidable old soldier suddenly looked much less formidable and more like an old man with a heart full of pain.
He inflated his armour with a loud hiss and decided to take a walk in the nearby woods. No amount of tactical planning would save them so he wanted a nice calm place to set his mind in peace. The sun was getting low and the rays of light filtered down the canopy. The alien smell of moss and earth was thick in the damp air. He sighed as if releasing his anxiety to be dissolved in the bliss of nature.
The voice of an old man came from directly behind him. “You are a fool” said a small man in a grey wool cloak.
Paul was too surprised to react. Where had this strange old man come from? How did he get so close without making a sound? Even in his diminished state, Paul’s senses were much sharper than those of a normal man. The old man started to walk away before he could say anything.
“Wait” he cried out. Though it seemed as if the old man was walking slowly, he was suddenly far away and didn’t stop.
Paul ran after him. He had no idea what he was doing but was certain that the old man knew something. “Wait!” he shouted again.
The wood abruptly gave way to a large lake. Paul was not expecting the sudden change of scenery and was blinded by the abundant light. The old man was waiting for him at the edge of the water. The light exposed his hooded face and Paul could tell that he was in bad health. His skin was unnaturally pale with warts and deep wrinkles. He had white whiskers sticking out of his chin and cheeks. His exposed trembling hands had swollen knuckles and finger joints. A crude, wooden cross hung on his chest from a piece of leather string around his neck.
“Who are you?” he demanded to the old man.
“Foolish boy. You will be the damnation of everyone” said the old man and then inexplicably started to weep.
“How can I save them?” he asked, somehow thinking that the old hermit, if that was what he was, would have answers.
The old man stopped weeping and glared at Paul with intense, surprisingly sparkly brown eyes. “You know what to do, boy. Don’t fear” With that, he started walking into the water. Paul wanted to stop him but he knew that he wouldn’t be able to for some reason. When the water was up to his chin, the old man said again “Don’t fear” before ducking his head into the water.
The idea struck him. He ran back to the vehicles and saw that the people looked ready for combat yet demoralized. Before he could utter a word, two objects became visible in the cloudless sky. When they got closer, he saw that they were two landing capsules. Dozens followed.
Chapter 20: Defection
‘Education is key. How a child is infused with the ideals deemed desirable in society is of paramount importance in the future of that society. I reminisce about my own boyhood and realize how difficult it was to unshackle myself from indoctrination. If this can be used to nurture future generations of Rendens who will have known only a common Renden future, a common Renden goal, and a set of common Renden values…’ - Terry Southend,< United for Democracy>, year 2917
Qin was wary of being conspicuous among the spectators of the surrender and defection of the Chinese troops. Two hundred Chinese officers from all branches of the Imperial Forces had gathered on the landing deck of the Jibaru wormhole station. They represented a fighting force of ten thousand that had just defected to United Terra in two warships. The look of them disgusted Qin. With the cosmetic surgery that made him look Caucasian, the gathered officers didn’t know he understood them. Two of them who stood nearby started chatting in low voices. He had no problem hearing them with his augmented senses.
“Perhaps we will be able to get decent food now” said one of them who looked awkward with his lanky height and big head.
“Don’t be so sure. These guys don’t look so well-fed either” said the stocky, serious-looking other one.
The pair both glimpsed at him before looking away awkwardly when they found him staring at them. He had lost even more weight recently, leaving only rippling muscles and conspicuous veins. The anger and hatred still burned within him like a white hot blaze. He felt like going over and silently cutting the windpipes of the two young officers before they even noticed. They had abandoned the mighty New Han Empire for better food?
“That one looks nasty” said Lanky, still oblivious to the fact that Qin understood him perfectly.
“He looks a bit nuts. I hope people here aren’t as fucked up as they are on Diqiu Two.”
“It’s just good to know that there are no Shadows behind your back all the time.”
The two were shushed by a more senior-looking officer. Qin quickly scanned the defectors to see if he could identify any Shadows. Each Shadow had a marker that was only visible to other Shadows in the form of a dragon-shaped black patch on their right cheek; how it was done was beyond him. It was to ensure two Shadows would recognise each other in undercover situations so they could cooperate without overtly acknowledging one another. Even without the marker, Qin was confident that he could recognise another Shadow just from the way he observed or moved. It appeared that none of them had infiltrated the officer corps but there could be a few among the thousands of enlisted.
He hadn’t thought about how to confront another Shadow in the current situation; he was essentially absent without leave since he had notified no one of his departure or his secret personal mission. It was possible that he was considered a deserter and an execution order had been put on him. But Colonel Bo, the new leader of the Shadow organisation, had to know that killing Qin would be a monumental feat; even he had been afraid of the deadliest assassin in perhaps the entire history of the program. Qin despised the new leader for his blasphemous ambitions. Instead of serving and protecting the Imperial Family, he had wanted to become a member of it! He had somehow convinced or coerced the others to join in his silent coup. Qin knew that for many of his comrades, Bo had given them a sense of worthiness after the death of two emperors within less than a year of each other as well as that of Colonel Qin, their highly respected leader for more than three decades and his own father. The new organisation was keener on consolidating power around Bo than hunting down the treacherous Han Fann.
And that was why he was here. Han Fann had lost command of UTS Novelty after his foolish foray into the Carulio System and then been given the position of head of the Logistics Division where his hotheadedness wouldn’t cause any more problems. But the sudden appearance of two Chinese warships and the subsequent unconditional surrender of their crewmembers had necessitated a new function: U.T. Integrator.
He was scheduled to come here to welcome the newcomers to United Terra, formally accept their surrender, and disband them as a military unit. This was the first time since arriving in the Jibaru System that Qin had to see the traitor in person. He had luckily be
en accepted into the United Terra army as a security officer thanks to the help of Major Geraldine Schmitt and he could participate in the ceremony in that function. He would have to improvise getting nearer and finally delivering a killing blow.
Geraldine had not seemed interested in his obsession in Han Fann. Even after making love in her quarters, she had quietly accepted it. Something about the way she smiled reminded him of his ‘wife’ back in Boston. She didn’t just smile with her mouth but her whole face would beam into a single expression of happiness. Erika had been like that.
He shook her from his mind and was annoyed with himself for letting himself get distracted. A dozen armed U.T. soldiers surrounded the defectors and searched warily for any signs of aggressive behaviour. The defectors themselves were mostly wearing expressions of relief, nervousness and in some cases, mild shame.
The sound of an approaching pulse glider made everyone look up. Qin had heard a couple minutes before anyone else and instinctively knew that his father’s killer and traitor of the Chinese Empire was in it. Fann was wearing a khaki class-B uniform with the rank of lieutenant-colonel on his collar, his demotion a consequence of his brash actions in the Carulio System. Qin wondered how someone so seemingly courageous to the point of idiocy could carry out such a heinous, cowardly crime as treachery.
Despite his demotion, he carried himself with the confidence of a four-star general, as if he was aware of his influence. He had grown a scruffy beard around his chin that made him look older and wiser than his years. With purposeful steps, he walked onto a slightly elevated platform and started to speak.
“My brothers and sisters, welcome home” he said, more warmly than eloquently. Qin could immediately see the effect of the words; there was notable relief and alleviation among the defectors. Fann, a former member of the Imperial Family with substantial influence within United Terra, had welcomed them as comrades. The word ‘home’ had been used to good effect, especially when so many Rendens were homesick for Earth.