Hero of the Confederacy
Chapter 14

Lieutenant Ross was prepping the shuttle as I entered the shuttle bay. I could hear his curses as they echoed around the bay. From the sound of it Marsha must have told him about my plan.

“Ross?” I shouted.

He jerked around and glared at me his face sour. “Oh it’s you. I’m ready, I hope to God the shuttle is!” He scowled at me. “Pure madness”

“I’ve studied the shuttle capabilities it can be done,” I replied.

“It’s suicidal plain and simple.”

“So is flying into an AS battery.”

Ross just growled and shook his head.

“I didn’t think Rosewood turned out quitters.” I was gambling on the fact that I had been principal of the Rosewood Academy the same academy he had graduated from.

“If I get killed because of this I’ll find your spirit in the afterlife and kick your butt.”

“Noted Ross.”

He turned back to his work while I waited for my squad.

“LT,” I said to Tutor as the squad arrived in the shuttle bay. I pleased to see Sarah with them although I wasn’t sure if she’d be here considering her problems. I could see she wasn’t in armour.

“Sarah?”

She started at the sound of my voice but recovered quickly and saluted. “Major Locke.”

“Miriam ok?” it seemed the appropriate thing to ask.

“Getting better.” She stared at me. “I’m sorry major I can’t stay. I just wanted to wish you luck.” She glanced at Shawna. “Shawna thought it a good idea to get some air.”

I nodded to Shawna she gave me a smile. “Get back you patient Sarah and keep her safe.”

“Thank you major.” Then she was gone.

“Right!” I spoke loud in the stillness of Sarah’s departure, “LT equipment and weapons check.”

“Harms issue the equipment.”

Shawna handed around our weapons and equipment. “Here you are major,” she said to me handing me an AR 32.

I noticed the naked woman on the stock. “Shawna you’ve made a mistake you’ve given me Betsy.”

“I have a feeling you’ll need her major,” She frowned, “God knows why I’m thinking this but I just have a feeling.”

“Ok Shawna I keep her close,” my voice almost a whisper, then louder. “Equipment check I’ll call it out!” It went quicker than the last time we had less to carry. I found familiarity in the routine. Finally we had finished Shawna packed the equipment aboard the shuttle.

“Shuttle prepped and ready to go major,” Ross said all traces of his earlier anger gone.

I glanced at a digital chronometer on the wall of the shuttle bay. “Exit from hyperspace in fifteen minutes.” A buzz behind my ear diverted my attention. I pressed my fingers behind my ear and to the collar of my skinnies under my armour aware of Vorra’s eyes on me. “Lottie?”

“Sandra, Marsha wants you on the bridge.”

“Ok Lottie.” I glanced to Tutor. “Apologies LT, Captain Yanik wants me on the bridge.”

“Ok everyone take five.”

Marsha was waiting for me Ellie by her side. The blast shutters were closed and the images of hyperspace had been transferred to the screens that had replaced the view from the windows.

“Just in time,” Marsha said as I stood beside her. “Activate the freighter ID codes,” she said to her comms officer.

“Aye captain. ID activated.”

The lights flickered and we transitioned to normal space.

“Helm nice and slow.”

“Steady and slow captain.”

The minutes ticked by I longed to be aboard the shuttle but Marsha needed me here.

“System penetrated.” The helm called out.

“Captain picking up at least eight heavy cruisers on long range sensors,” the T’Arni at the sensor console called out.

“What do you mean eight heavy cruisers?” Marsha demanded. “We supposed to be facing frigates.

“I hope that ID holds out,” I added.

“Any ships on an intercept course?” Marsha asked.

“Negative captain all holding to patrol patterns most covering the Hyperspace Gate.”

“Acknowledged sensors.” Marsha turned to me. “Get yourself down to the shuttle bay.”

“We’ll find your mother,” I said to Ellie, she had remained silent I found it unsettling.

“Mother’s there Sandra, she knows you are coming.”

I saw her clutching her medallion. “That may be the case but I need to get past the cruisers first.”

“You will, I’m certain you will.”

Shaking my head I had my doubts as I hurried to the shuttle bay.

We were all tense I knew the feeling all too well seeing it mirrored on the faces of my squad. Shawna sat beside me her hands opening and closing. The throb of the shuttle’s engines wasn’t helping the situation.

“Everything strapped down,” I asked her.

“Yes major as per your instruction.”

“We’re going to do an Anoxi drop,” Bacare surmised.

“Anoxi drop?” Shawna asked.

“Once was enough for me,” he told her.

“OK,” she drew a deep breath, “I’ll not ask further.”

“It will be a rough ride and will only get rougher once we hit the atmosphere.” I warned the squad. “Ross!” I shouted.

“Ma’am?”

“Any indication of movement from the Terran ships?”

“Havok reports none, all ships are holding station.”

“Thank you Ross. Comms silence from now on.”

“Aye ma’am. We’ll be entering the atmosphere in fifteen minutes. ”

“Start the manoeuvre in five Ross.”

“Aye ma’am.”

“Manoeuvre? This is the Anoxi drop you are referring to?” Tutor remarked with a scowl.

“I’d rather not be shot down. I’ve been in that position before.” I said.

“I do not doubt your wisdom major,” Bacare said slowly, “I wish there was another way?”

“I ran out of options and we’ve run out of time.”

“Harms pass me a puke sack will you?” Bacare said to Shawna.

Shawna gave me a look. “That bad?”

“Extremely and pass me one as well,” I said to her.

The shuttle jerked throwing us about in our harnesses.

“Starting now!” Ross shouted.

“Acknowledged Ross.” I felt a moment of giddiness as the shuttle jerked again and then violently twitched. “Hold on this is going to get rough!” I felt the bile rise in my throat. I fought hard to keep it down. I hadn’t made it public but it was reason I had joined the GF instead of the Marines. I suffer from motion sickness not bad but bad enough to exclude me from flight training all Marines had to go through to qualify.

“Hey major you look a little green,” Tutor laughed, clearly he was enjoying my discomfort.

Shawna patted my leg. “You’ll be ok,” she said trying hard to be cheerful but failing miserably.

“This is the easy bit,” I replied through clenched teeth.

The shuttle twitched again as the inertial dampeners struggled with the change of position. I had trouble keeping my stomach out of my mouth.

“Hitting the atmosphere now!” Ross called out.

The buffeting grew worse and the interior of the shuttle began to heat up. The shuttle kept twitching and jerking, as the interior of the shuttle grew hotter. It jerked and lurched again the taste of bile was in my mouth and this I time couldn’t stop it. I grabbed the bag to my mouth and heaved out my guts secretly glad I wasn’t the only one.

“Thought the troposphere major.” Despite his earlier objections Ross sounded as if he was enjoying the ride which wasn’t what my beleaguered gut was telling me.

I‘m sure he knew I had been sick and was laughing at my discomfort or that’s what I was telling myself. I felt the shuttle tilt, the inertial dampeners struggled with gravity and lost I slid forward in my seat restraints and the shuttle pulled into a steep dive.

“You going to be ok?” Shawna asked.

“Yeah,” I mumbled my mouth tasting the foul bitter aftertaste of bile.

“Here drink this. Flush out of your mouth and spit it into the sack. I’ll put it in disposal.”

“Thanks you’re a good friend,” I said as I swilled out the worse of the taste from my mouth and spat it out into the bag.

“For you almost anything,” she winked at Tutor.

I guessed he was still trying to win his wager that Shawna would get me to bed her. “I doubt that reaches to carrying around a sack of my sick.”

“That’s true, I did say almost anything.”

The scream of the shuttle’s engines as we pulled out of the dive jerked me back into myself. “Time?” I shouted to Ross.

“Five minutes major.”

I released my restraints and grabbed my helmet from the rack and put it on still with the taste of bile in my mouth. The rest of the squad followed suit.

“I can see the LZ want me to circle?”

“Negative Ross. Once down button up and be ready to take off.”

“Acknowledged ma’am.”

I stood and released my weapon from its straps. Still feeling queasy I had to stay focused. “By the numbers LT,” I said hearing the engines throttle down, “standard spread once we’re out. Alpha flank left, Beta flank right we’ll take up the centre.”

“Aye major,” Tutor replied taking up position by the shuttle door.

The shuttle landed with a jarring thud and the door opened I was first out followed by Vorra. The shuttle was still hot from its hair-raising decent. The ground under it scorched black. I could see two other shuttles on the landing pad neither looked ready to launch. One was a plain grey colour the other white, a lightening bolt logo on its flanks and a purple edged green stripe was across the door. Slowly I panned around checking for hostiles. The only thing of note was to the two MAR launcher turrets guarding the pad. Currently the weapons were facing the red tingled cloudless sky.

The landing pad was large enough to house at least a dozen shuttles. Besides the three the shuttles there was little else. A refuelling station stood at the far end of the pad. Surrounding the pad on three sides were stands of tall green triangular brushlike trees. In front of me was a set of steps that led to a gravel path. In the distance I judged to be about five hundred metres was a large multistoried house with a peaked tiled roof. The rail that ran around the edge of the landing pad provided hardly any cover.

“I don’t like it,” Tutor said to me.

“Yeah I know no movement. We’ll take it slow,” I indicated a waist height white washed wall that surrounded gravel path, “we’ll use the walls for cover.” The walls divided the grounds into lots running between paths that radiated off the main path. Immaculate manicured lawns and flowerbeds made it look almost an idyllic scene.

“Beta take point,” Tutor waved over Shawna and Bacare.

“We’ll follow you. Take the rear major.”

“Then let’s go.”

“Move out!”

I hurried down the steps Vorra following close on my heels. “Keep your eyes open Vorra,” I was tempted to call Lottie but decided against it I didn’t want her distracting me at critical moment.

“Yes major.”

Ducking behind a wall I watched as Shawna and Bacare moved forward watching their flanks they halted letting us catch up before heading on. Out of the shuttle and on solid ground the churning in my gut eased off. We leapfrogged from wall to wall as we continued towards the large house opposite the landing pad. Suddenly Shawna raised her hand and we all dived for cover. I peered over the wall Shawna was talking to a man who was dressed in black. He seemed to be waving towards the house. Tutor signalled for me to come on.

“Stay here,” I said to Vorra, “watch my back.”

“Aye major.”

I hurried over to Shawna and Tutor.

“Major,” Tutor said as I neared, “I can’t understand what he is saying.”

“You are?” I asked the man in Terran my weapon pointed at him.

I could see him clearer now. He dressed in black pants and tunic combination with a white collar and sleeves. His skin was dark and the shiny top of his domed head poked out of a mass of black curly hair.

“That won’t be necessary,” he said looking at my gun.

“My lady is waiting for you in her study. This way please.” He gave a bow and strode toward the house.

“Major?” Tutor asked.

“It seems we are expected he wants us to follow him,” I signalled for caution.

The man had gone a few yards then stopped waiting for us to follow. As we closed on the house I got a better look at it. I could see it had at least four floors above ground level. The windows started on the second floor giving a commanding view of the landing ground. The building itself was dressed in a white stone I didn’t recognise. A set of steps led up to a porticoed and columned entrance. For a moment he looked as if he was going in that direction then as he reached the edge of the steps he turned following a path the skirted the edges of the building.

“Hey!” I called out, “where are you taking us?”

“Her ladyship had the entrance blocked off. We need to go around to the servant’s entrance. Frankly I feel it is an insult to one as enlightened as my lady to use a common door like that.” He gave us a look. “Even worse when her guests have to use it. This way if you please?”

I signalled to the squad to keep an eye out as we trailed behind him weapons at the ready. Turning the corner of the building I signed for Alpha to move up to the next corner. The man walked on at totally unconcerned about our actions.

“What do you reckon?” I asked Lottie.

“He sounds genuine I could detect no untruths in his voice. Then again he might be I very good actor.”

“Thanks Lottie as helpful as ever.”

“Any time Sandra. I will continue to monitor the situation.”

Bacare signalled it was safe to move out. We rounded the corner and halted stretched out in front of us was a huge lawn that must have been at least a kilometre long a low wall edged it. I could see another wall in the distance interspersed with turrets someone had gone in for security in a big way. Nothing said ‘go away’ more effectively than the defence turrets I could see.

“This way please,” the man motioned to us, “don’t mind the guards they have been ordered to step aside once we’re in.”

A set of steps led up to a door. Cautiously we ascended the stairs to the unremarkable looking door at the top of the stairs. The door opened up into a large modern kitchen. Two armoured guards stood at the other end either side of the only noticeable exit. Their Terran styled armour was a pale green with a darker green and purple edged stripe on their shoulder pads. Despite their relaxed stances they seemed to be hardened professionals. Giving us the briefest of nods we swept past them and into the larger room. A long table ran down the centre surrounded by ornate chairs. A pristine white cloth stretched down the middle of the table a number of silver ornaments decorated the top. The man hurried across the room and flung open a set of double doors.

“This way,” he said and exited the room. Outside the dining room he waited. “Not far now.”

This was the grand hallway I guessed. At one end two sets of wide stairs swept up to the next level while the walls of the hall seemed to carry on as far as the roof of the building. Several doors dotted the far wall.

“I see why we couldn’t use the front door. Me, I thought it was an insult,” Tutor remarked as he pointed to the main doors out of the house.

Or where the doors should have been. A huge steel shutter blocked the way out I could see that it had been welded into place. No one was ever going to use that exit without levelling the rest of the house.

The man knocked on a set of double doors nearest the shutter. “My lady is waiting inside,” he opened the doors and bowed.

We entered the room weapons at the ready. The room larger than I expected with high ceilings and panelled walls. On the far side of the room was a large desk I was sure was real wood. A terminal sat in its surface and behind them was a bookcase that stretched from floor to roof. Real books and not the fake ones like in my study at the academy. Heavy drapes hung either side of tall windows. Slowly I lowered my weapon motioning for the others to do the same. An older looking woman stood at the window a hand on the windowsill. She wore a long shimmering turquoise dress with puffed sleeves. Her sandy-brown hair was done up in a bun and rings glittered on her fingers. She turned to face us I could see her resemblance to Ellie and around her neck was a medallion the same as Ellie’s.

I stepped forward. “Major Locke 43rd Division Confederacy Ground Forces,” I said in Terran and took off my helmet to show her my face.

“I know who you are Sandra,” she said speaking in Galactic her voice echoing her daughter’s.

“Lady Camelia Broaden I presume?” I stuttered.

She smiled. “The uniform suits you Sandra,” she nodded to the squad, “the one you should have always worn.” From the tone of her voice she wasn’t talking about the Confederacy.

I struggled to regain the track of my thoughts. “We’re here to get you out of here.”

“I know you have Ellie with you. I’m packed and ready to go.”

Her bold statement surprised me. “What?”

“You wouldn’t be here if Ellie hadn’t told you,” she walked to the desk, “I can stop this senseless war. Ellie would have told you this.”

“She did say that,” I had to admit it.

“I take it as read that she is safe and well on your ship?” she paced back to the window and glanced out.

“As safe as anyone after your own Terrans tried to kill her.”

“And failed that much I can guess. I see the Usurper’s arm grows longer.” Lady Broaden pressed a button on her desk. The same man that guided us here answered her summons.

“My lady?”

“Have my luggage placed aboard Lady Sandra’s shuttle.”

I held my tongue at correcting her. I wanted to get her aboard the Havok before I could relax.

“Will you and your companions take lunch with us?”

“We really don’t have the time. Our presence here could be discovered at any time.”

“Your ship was detected the moment it breached the system.

That worried me. “How?”

“Those ID codes I gave Combined Operations. So I knew a Confederacy ship was in the system,” she smiled at me, “it was an added bonus to find it was you. I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for a very long time.”

Suddenly there was a distant sound of an explosion. I looked from Lady Broaden to my squad questions I wanted to ask fading from my mind.

“What the hell was that?” Tutor exclaimed. He suddenly raised his weapon.

Instinct made me do the same. A guard with a broad green stripe and two gold stars on his shoulder pauldron rushed in.

“My lady enemy drop ships are landing on the back lawn!” he shouted.

Lady Broaden looked at me. “I see.”

“Not ours!” I told her.

“The ‘Usurper’” she hissed, “impossible the alarms would have sounded.” She hurried over to the terminal and tapped on the keyboard. “Some traitor has disabled the defence system. I’m locked out of the security protocols,” She growled her eyes flashed angrily, “I’ve been betrayed.”

“Vorra see if you can get the system back online.” I put my helmet back on.

“Aye major.”

“Alpha, Beta escort Lady Broaden to the shuttle don’t let anyone stop you. If you have to LT pick her up and carry her.”

Lady Broaden gave me the eye. “And you?”

“Backing up Vorra while she gets the system online.”

“Best get going LT, Lady Broaden.”

“Captain,” Lady Broaden said to her guard, “your company is under command of Lady Sandra Locke. Treat her commands as if they were mine.”

“Yes my lady,” the guard snapped to attention with a smart Terran salute, “I’ll inform the men.”

I shook my head I was no lady, not in the way she meant I was no titled noble. I turned on my comms on. I could hear static in the background. The enemy was trying to block all comms signals.

“Ross can you hear me?”

“Yes major, signal strength not good. What’s going on?”

“We’re under attack, get the shuttle prepped your priority is to get Lady Broaden out!”

“Clear major.”

“Good luck Major Locke,” Tutor said I was surprised to hear emotion in his voice. The others echoed his comments only Shawna’s ended with a mournful sigh. Tutor left taking Lady Broaden with him.

I pressed my fingers behind my ear realising it wasn’t necessary. “Lottie I need your help.”

“Ready Sandra,” Lottie sounded tense I wondered if she had been listening. She definitely had a personality.

“Vorra’s already hacking the system. Give her a hand I need to get the defences back online.”

Minutes ticked by as Vorra’s fingers flew over the keyboard.

“Sorry major I can’t get it on online.” Vorra growled.

“Lottie?”

“Same here Sandra I cannot comply it seems the defences have been severed at source you will have to set up each system one at a time manually. Whoever did this was a long time in planning.”

“Damn we don’t have the time. Vorra get your butt out of here. Tell Ross to get airborne and don’t wait for me.”

“Ma’am?” Vorra sounded frustrated.

“That’s an order specialist!”

“Good luck major,” she said as she hurried out.

I waited a minute longer before exiting the study. I jumped down from the kitchen door seeing Lady Broaden’s guards battling Terran Marines in white armour with purple stripes on their arms. I could see several drop ships in the background. They looked familiar to me and seemed to be the same as Confederacy drop ships. I had been in enough of them to tell the difference. From what I could see there were none. Squat box like shapes with protuberances on the sides that contained the under jets and thrust engines on the rear. The front of the drop ship was a hinged door that dropped down on landing.

The low wall I had noted earlier was sheltering the guards from the advancing enemy soldiers. I could hear the spiteful buzz of coil gun rounds as both sides exchanged fire. The guards with the cover were cutting down the enemy advancing over exposed ground. Even with that advantage I knew the guards couldn’t win there were just too many for them to cope with. I sought out Lady Broaden’s captain. Ducking down beside him my weapon at the ready I took shelter behind the wall.

“Sit rep captain?” I asked him in Terran.

“We’re holding I’ve lost more men than I’d like,” he waved his gun to the dead and wounded guards lying scattered between the wall and the side of the house. He raised himself and fired then ducked down. “Your orders?”

“I’m surprised you’re taking orders from a Confederacy officer?”

“My lady, if Lady Camelia says you’re in charge it matters not to me from where you hail.”

I raised myself took aim fired and dropped back down. “Captain start a withdrawal to the shuttles. By the numbers captain.”

“Yes sir!”

I wasn’t going to correct him on his error. I glanced across to see several enemy soldiers move away from the main body. I guessed they were trying to flank us. The space between the wall and the house was flat, empty and devoid of cover a prefect kill zone. Rapidly I turned to the three nearest guards.

“You, you and you follow me. The enemy are trying to flank us on the left.”

“You follow Lady Sandra,” the captain ordered his men.

I couched low and scrabbled across the gravelled surface to the side furthest away from the kitchen door the three guards followed. We reached the end of the wall in time to intercept the enemy soldiers, exposed they had no chance against us. As the last enemy dropped to the ground I changed magazine regretting that I opted to travel light. A roar of sound had me looking up seeing the black shape of Ross’s shuttle rising into the sky. They had got away I watched the shape disappear into the sky. I turned again to see more drop ships descending. It was time to get out of here. With that many drop ships there must be a carrier somewhere overhead.

“Fall back!” I ordered. We ran down the side of the house coil gun rounds following in our wake. I pulled around the far corner of the house and halted waving the guards with me on. “Take cover!” I ordered. Taking a deep breath I stepped out weapon at the ready and fired. The Terran Marines had no chance to take cover I mowed them down. Unlike the ruins I had no qualms about taking their lives these were professionals a total opposite to Gena and her high school friends. A second squad rounded the corner and took cover. I stepped back hoping I had given the guards time to regroup and recover. I raced to the nearest wall and vaulted over it. “Get going!” I yelled taking a firing position behind the wall. Once the guards with me were clear I moved back the landing pad my goal. We dodged from wall to wall as more Terran soldiers poured from around the side of the house. Coil gun rounds screamed all around me. I dived over a wall as first one then another guard with me died.

The last guard fell and I was tantalisingly close to the landing pad and the two remaining shuttles. I saw one lift off, hover for a moment, waver and head off only to explode above the house showering the ground with fragments. It gave me precious breathing space. The second shuttle lifted off and headed away. I was trapped pinned down by the advancing Terran soldiers. I fired again aware how little ammunition I had left and attempted to vault over the last wall before the shuttle pad. A sudden burning sensation in my leg had crashing down in mid vault. I found myself on the wrong side of the wall. I tried to rise but fell back as my wounded leg collapsed under me. I scrambled to my knees using my good leg to lever me up. Pain rushed up my leg in waves. I could see the Terran soldiers closing in. I wasn’t about to let them get me without a fight. My wounded leg pulsed and I felt blood trickle down my leg and fill my boot. The situation was hopeless. I wasn’t about to let the feeling overwhelm me I was still alive and that was all that mattered.

“Right!” I muttered to myself, “I’ll show them how I earned two Confederacy Stars!”

Grunting in pain I stood my vision wavered for a moment. Then it went dark. For brief second I thought I was going to pass out. The sound of firing died down. I could see the Terran soldiers had stopped firing and were looking up some of them pointing. I glanced in the direction the Terrans were staring in. Above me was the black outline of a ship. I would have recognised that blunt wedge shape anywhere. It was the Havok. Boy was I glad to see her. Suddenly the ground around the Terrans erupted tearing soldiers to pieces. The Havok was using its point defence railguns normally used against incoming missiles. The explosive rounds being used to lethal effect blasting what was once fresh and blood out of existence. I hurriedly ducked behind the wall well aware how frail my shelter was. The noise was so deafening that I never heard a shuttle landing. The next thing I knew were hands grabbing me from behind and hauling me bodily back to the shuttle. Rescue and I was more than glad to see Lady Broaden’s guard. I was safe. As the door to the shuttle closed I could feel myself slip into unconsciousness.

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