Incursion: Merkiaari Wars Book 5

by Mark E. Cooper

  Ellie snapped awake, angry and ready for mayhem. How long had they kept her under this time? It felt like days but it could’ve been weeks for all she knew. Doctor Michaels leaned into view. He ignored her glare and performed his examination in silence.

  “I want to know what’s happening out there. Where’s the king? Why won’t you let me see him?”

  “He’s a busy man.”

  “Does he even know I’m awake?”

  “As I said, he’s busy. I won’t distract him from the war.”

  They hadn’t told him then, and why should they? The war was more important than an injured bodyguard. Only Nicky knew they were more than that, and she’d rejected him when he’d wanted to defy his father. Would he even want to see her now? King Richard had died and all his machinations with him. Nicky was free to choose whomever he wanted. Her lack of support might be the only thing keeping them apart. How horribly ironic that her wish to save him pain had caused so much of it.

  “I insist you stop drugging me insensible,” Ellie said. “I want to see the king.”

  “Many people do,” Michaels said. “As for your medication we can talk about it.”

  “I’m not interested in talk. You’re required to heed me, or step aside as my physician.”

  Michaels sighed. He stepped out of view. He returned with a chair a few moments later and sat beside the bed out of her sight like last time.

  “I know you’re frustrated. How many surgeons do you think we have here? I’m your only choice. There’s a war on.”

  “I know that!”

  “Do you? Do you really? Let me bring you up to date. The Merkiaari destroyed everything in orbit. All of our ships and stations are gone. Everyone serving up there is dead. No one knows how many died, but two-hundred thousand killed doesn’t seem beyond reason.”

  Ellie sucked in a breath to comment, but Michaels didn’t give her a chance.

  “The capital was destroyed around that time. A city of eight million souls. Gone.”

  “The rescue squad told me before the crash. Did they live?”

  “No.”

  She was sorry to hear that. They’d done their duty and saved Nicky. For that she owed them more than she could ever repay.

  “The tether fell when the Merki destroyed Terminus Station.”

  “It self-destructed,” Ellie corrected.

  Michaels ignored her. “The climbers were full of evacuees from the station. Children mostly. That was before the landings. Let’s just call that the prologue, shall we? Our cities have been bombed multiple times since then followed by incursions of Merkiaari ground troops. Did I leave anything out?”

  “Family?” she whispered.

  “I lived in the capital. I called home to tell my wife I’d be leaving early from the conference, but we were cut off. The emergency broadcast was quite specific about how she died.”

  “I’m sorry,” Ellie said. She wished she could see his face.

  “Can I tell you anything else about how everyone I care about died? Did I mention my brother and his children were in town at the end? How about that?”

  Michaels stood abruptly and his chair flew back. Ellie heard it crash into something. Before she could apologise or say she was sorry for his loss, he stormed out. On the plus side he forgot to turn her brain to mush with his drugs. On the minus side she couldn’t get his story out of her head. She stared at the ceiling trying not to think and prayed he’d come back before she started yelling.

  Michaels did return but he wasn’t alone this time. She could hear him discussing her condition. With a group of doctors maybe. He did say he’d been attending a conference, so he couldn’t be the only medic stuck here. Maybe he’d decided to hand her case to someone else.

  “She’s in this one, Your Majesty,” Michaels said.

  Ellie’s heart leapt. Nicky had come to see her! She heard a pair of feet approaching. He sucked in a shocked breath, she heard it clearly, and wished Michaels had covered her injuries before he’d left. She knew how terrible she looked.

  “Come closer. I need to see your face,” Ellie said.

  King William, fifth of the name and Lord Protector of Faragut, stepped into view and stared down at her in horrified silence. He was pale and worn and grief had aged him. He was barely twenty. He should be in school not standing here looking like a man three times his age.

  Ellie stared up at William and realisation dawned. She hadn’t saved Nicky. She’d killed him. Her eyes grew hot and she cried silently. Michaels had known. He must have. She’d killed her king. She should have knocked Nicky unconscious and dragged him down the mountain before letting him near that HLV. She’d known she couldn’t protect him in the air.

  Nicky’s little brother was the only witness to the light going out of her eyes.

  * * *

  17 ~ Options

  Silver Bay, Duchy of Longthorpe, Faragut

  Ellie cried herself into exhaustion and drowsed for a time. She awoke to find William had covered her with a sheet and taken a seat nearby. She didn’t know how long she’d been asleep.

  “Thanks for waiting,” Ellie said. “I’m sorry I lost it.” Lost him, she didn’t have the heart to add. “They didn’t tell me.”

  William rose and stepped to her bedside. “Doctor Michaels told me he’d kept it from you. I didn’t agree, but he insisted.”

  “He’s been through a lot.”

  “He’s a tyrant,” William said. “But he’s the best we have left. Did you know Nicholas came to see me at college?”

  She tried to shake her head. Couldn’t. “No. When was this?”

  “The day after you returned to Faragut. You went home to visit your parents, remember? Nicholas used the opportunity to ditch his detail. Father...” William’s voice turned grim. “Father was really angry about that.”

  “I bet. I would be too, only there’s no point now.” No point to anything. She just wanted to sleep forever without dreams.

  William sighed. “Nicholas wanted to warn me about his decision to step aside in my favour. I told him I would hate him forever if he did that to me, but I didn’t mean it. I... I didn’t... I loved him. I could never...”

  “I know,” Ellie said. “He did too. Did he tell you why?”

  “Yes, but I already knew. We’d spoken about you before.”

  “You knew?”

  “I knew before you left Faragut that last time. He never spoke about girlfriends to me, but suddenly he couldn’t stop talking about you. What you’d said or done that week. Things that made him laugh. He loved you very much.”

  Tears scolded her eyes again. William rose and stepped away. He returned with a towel. It was humiliating, having the king wait on her. The king. Not really her king, though he was that officially. Nicky would always be hers.

  “Thanks,” Ellie said as he dried her eyes. “I told him I’d step aside. I didn’t want him to fight with his father. Lady Charlotte was a good match.”

  William snorted. “A proper match you mean. She would have made Nicholas miserable.”

  “Not her fault.”

  William shrugged. “I never said it was, Major.”

  “Ellie, please.”

  “Ellie then. Charlotte and Nicholas had no say in the decision. Charlotte still doesn’t and neither do I really.”

  Ellie scowled. “You’re the king. Take charge and fuck people’s opinions. I saw how miserable they made your father. He didn’t want to force Nicky into a loveless marriage.”

  “I realise that. Charlotte is Lady Peckforton now. Her father is dead.”

  “Lucky her,” she muttered.

  “There’s a lot of luck like that going around,” William said sharply. “I doubt most would agree with your interpretation.”

  “I didn’t mean your father. He was a good man at heart, but court made him harsh. Don’t let it do the same to you.”

  “Court is the least of my concerns right now.”

  “The war is going badly?”

&nb
sp; “The war was lost five minutes after the first Merkiaari troops landed. We’ve been reduced to guerrilla raids.”

  Ellie frowned. “How’s that going?”

  “Okay. We win when we fight but only because we choose our battles. Small raids where we have the advantage won’t win this war.”

  “Fighting when we have the advantage only makes sense.”

  “True, but they own the greater system and have air superiority down here. All we can do is delay.”

  Ellie supposed she should care. She should question him and offer advice, but she was beyond helping anyone. Broken in body and broken in spirit. That’s what she was. There was no fight left in her.

  William took his seat again. “Is there anything I can do for you before I go?”

  “You could order Michaels to euthanase me, but he won’t.”

  William’s jaw dropped. “Of course he won’t. You’re in the core not the Border Zone.”

  “Might as well be the Border Zone. He says he can’t fix me, and he can’t put me into stasis. Let’s face it, I’m screwed.”

  “I’ll have a word with him. He should be able to sedate you at least.”

  “No!” Ellie snapped. “I mean, thank you, but no. I don’t want to sleep.”

  “You have to sleep some time.”

  “I prefer to delay the necessity.”

  “You too?” William said quietly. “I’ve been having nightmares since this started.”

  “Then you know why I don’t want to be drugged insensible.”

  “I’ll talk to Michaels for you. There must be something he can do.”

  Ellie changed the subject. “What about you? Where’s your detail?”

  “You’re the last survivor of the Royal Guard.”

  Ellie didn’t let her dismay show. “Who is looking out for you?”

  “Harry Longthorpe is CGS again. He assigned me some men. I left them outside.”

  “The general survived then. That’s good news.”

  “Not even the Merkiaari can kill Sir Longthorpe. They’ve been trying.”

  “I bet.”

  The Earl of Longthorpe was a legend on Faragut. He’d retired from the top job only a few years ago, which meant he was still current on their forces. He’d been Chief of the General Staff for King Richard, and again now for King William.

  They’d lucked out.

  With Sir Harry as CGS they had a chance. General Carter had been put in place to oversee things at the ministry, not lead their forces in battle. Sir Harry though, he was a real fighting man.

  “Who did he choose for you?”

  William shrugged. “A couple of old friends.”

  “Old friends?”

  “That’s what Sir Harry said.”

  “Old friends could mean anything. Spec Ops I bet.”

  “Don’t worry about me,” William said, rising and stowing his chair against the wall. “I’ll talk to Doctor Michaels for you.”

  “Be careful,” Ellie called to his back. “Your Majesty?”

  “You need something?”

  “Nicky loved you very much. I don’t think he would have followed through with his threat.”

  “I know he did, Ellie, but he loved you just as much. I did agree to help him and take his place as heir, but I never thought I’d have to follow through.”

  Ellie’s jaw dropped. Before she could say more, he was gone. William had agreed with Nicky? That was madness, but it was Nicky’s kind of madness. It was love. William had loved his brother enough to sacrifice his own future happiness. All to help Nicky marry her.

  Her eyes burned but the tears didn’t escape.

  William deserved better. He was king but not free. He was just as trapped in his way as she was in hers. The bed and machines were her prison, the people’s opinions and expectations were his. She wished she could help him, but she couldn’t even help herself.

  Hours passed without anyone entering the room. Ellie heard people moving about, but saw no one. Her only company, her memories and the low hum of the machines. She embraced both, zoning out and losing herself in the past.

  “Major Hutton?” Doctor Michaels said.

  Ellie came back to herself to find the doctor leaning over her. “What do you want? No drugs, dammit. You hear me? No drugs!”

  “There’s nothing wrong with my hearing, I assure you. The king spoke to me about your case. I pointed out all the legal options to him, and we agreed they aren’t any use to you.”

  “And then?”

  Michaels shrugged. “I pointed out the illegal options.”

  “Illegal?”

  “Breaking any of the provisions of the Bethany Convention isn’t something I take lightly.”

  She tried to see where he was heading with this. The Convention prohibited the use of things like neural tech, but that wasn’t its ultimate purpose. Neural interfaces were just one component of a larger threat.

  Trans-humanism.

  The Hacker Rebellion ended the dangerous practice of enhancing humans with cybernetics, and in doing so made trans-humans extinct. The horror of the rebellion would never be repeated as long as the Bethany Convention stood inviolate.

  “You want to enhance me with cybernetics?”

  “Want to? No I don’t want to, and don’t think of it as an enhancement. Let’s call it a temporary repair shall we? After the war I’ll strip all the cybernetics out of you, and replace the prosthetics with cloned limbs based upon your own genetic material.”

  “Buuut?” Ellie said. She could feel one coming.

  “But you’ve lost all four limbs, your left eye, and you’re paralysed below the neck. It means the cybernetics need to be farther reaching than prosthetic limbs alone. You’ll need a neural bridge. I don’t need to tell you why cranial implants are high on the list of banned tech. If we do this I’ll be lucky to practise medicine again.”

  “Ask the king for a pardon.”

  “He gave me a blanket amnesty. If we win the war and if William is still king, he’ll stand between me and prosecution.”

  “Then you’re covered. What’s your issue?”

  Michaels snorted. “Little things like my reputation, my oath, and my ethics. If we do this my reputation will be trashed.”

  “You’ll have the king’s pardon.”

  “My colleagues won’t care.”

  “Then just euthanase me,” Ellie said crossly. She could feel hope ebbing. “I asked about that earlier.”

  “The king mentioned it. That’s why I’m going to make you this offer.”

  Michaels showed her a compad.

  Her eyes widened. “You want to turn me into that thing?”

  “You can stay here instead.”

  “I’m not saying no, but why a Reaper?”

  Michaels shrugged. “Why not? If I’m going to break laws I might as well break all of them. They can only shoot me once.”

  Ellie smiled. “Good point, but you aren’t just breaking a few laws Doc, you’re shattering them to bits.”

  “Few people bother studying Earth history anymore. I’m one of the few who does. I doubt most will recognise the design even though the Corporate Wars were a pivotal point in Human history. That won’t stop them condemning me.”

  Ellie agreed with that. Colonisation of the Human Sector was still in its infancy back then, but the Corporate Wars accelerated the expansion. Colonies like Forestal, Faragut, and Garnet among others, owed their existence to warring corporations intent upon founding colonies to tap their resources. Those wars had been fought by Reapers and bigger nastier things.

  “Why are you really doing this? You don’t like me and you certainly don’t owe me anything.”

  Michaels frowned. “That’s easy. The Merkiaari killed everyone I care about and you’re my way to hurt them. I’ll make you into my weapon. Something even the Merki will run from. You can say no.”

  Ellie snorted. “Good one.”

  “This won’t be like wearing power armour you realise? The armou
r will be you. Once installed you’ll be trapped inside until I can dismantle you after the war.”

  “Ah... what about… ah, personal needs?”

  “Not an issue. You’ll eat and drink in the normal manner but elimination of wastes will be handled by the cybernetics.”

  “I’ve trained in power armour. The skinsuits we wore did the same thing.”

  Michaels shook his head. “This won’t be like that. I’ll use internal connections.”

  Ellie grimaced. “Catheters?”

  “Worse.”

  What could be worse? Did she want to know? Probably not she decided. She already had a lot of wires and plumbing invading her body. She couldn’t feel any of it. She wouldn’t be any worse off than she was now, and regaining mobility was worth a lot.

  “It’s all reversible,” Michaels assured her. “After the war I mean. In a good hospital.”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  Michaels frowned.

  She didn’t tell him she had no intention of surviving the war. All she wanted to do was kill Merkiaari and then join Nicky. She didn’t really believe in the afterlife, but he had. If he was right she would join him there soon. If not, then oblivion. Either one worked for her.

  “How long will it take?”

  “Not long. It will seem miraculous. In less than a week you’ll be on your feet again. How long you take to acclimatise to your new reality is up to you.”

  “I’ve lived and trained in powered armour.”

  “As I said, this will be different.”

  “Do we know that?”

  Michaels frowned. “No, but it seems logical to assume.”

  “We’ll see,” Ellie said.

  “We will,” Michaels agreed and turned to leave. “I’ll be back.”

  “I’m counting on it.”

  * * *

  18 ~ Reaper

  Silver Bay, Duchy of Longthorpe, Faragut

  Ellie stood patiently in the middle of the room surrounded by busy technicians. That wasn’t strictly true. She wasn’t standing. She was hanging. The crane and harness supported her weight, so although her new feet were on the floor, she wasn’t technically standing on them.