SUED FOR PEACE (The Kurtherian Gambit Book 11) (24 page)

Todd turned slightly to look into Bethany Anne’s face, his eyes dark and angry, “We will follow you into hell and climb out the other side on the bones of our enemies, or be carried out on our shields.”

Bethany Anne smiled slightly then winked, “Yes ma’am would have worked, but I rather like your answer.”

She turned to see Peter smirking who replied, “Fuck yeah!”
 

Her eyes dimmed a little, “Men, prepare the Guardians, we go to war.”
 

Both saluted and stepped around her to leave the meeting.

She turned and walked back to the front of the room before turning back around to address those on the boats, “We will hit them in the water, in the air, on land, and in space, and cyberspace. They will feel the pain financially, diplomatically, and militarily. They will sue for peace, or they will be crushed.”

Her face went a shade darker, “I was asked by the President of the United States if I would consider peace? I told him China had two choices, they could kill me,” she smiled and lifted her arms out beside her, turning her hands up, “They tried.”
 

The grins around the room told her they knew what was coming next.

“Or they could sue for peace after they know deep in their collective psyche that if they fuck with me again, I’ll use the bricks of the Great Wall of China to erect the highest cairn in the world on top of the dead of their military.”

“Today, we are not on the side of Heaven, but the righteous side of Hell and you will deliver the retribution of the Queen Bitch.”

She looked around, “It’s time the world understands I avenge my people.” She paused, before adding, “Are there any questions before I give you your final orders?

In the back, Jean Dukes stood up, “Bethany Anne, we would like to give you something before you go.”

Bethany Anne cocked her head to the side, sensing that others in the room knew what was about to happen, “Yes?”

 
Jean turned to pick up a wooden box from next to her. Coming down the aisle between the chairs she made it to the front when John Grimes stood up and turned to hold out his hands. Jean placed the box in his hands and popped the two locks she had on it before turning to Bethany Anne.

“You lead us, not from the back, yet not always from the front. Where you are needed, you go. You trust us to do the necessary, to keep our guns clean, our powder dry. Whether that means real guns or metaphors for our jobs. The Bitches have been patient enough to explain the method to your madness, sorry, your fighting.” She grinned as others in the room chuckled.

Bethany Anne’s eyes flicked to John, but he was studiously not looking back at her.

I’ll get you for that too, Mr. Grimes,
she thought.

Jean continued, “With help from many on these two ships, we would be proud if you would consider accepting these,” she turned and opened the box. Inside, in red velvet, lay two pistols. They were gun metal gray, sleek and deadly with wood knurled grips. Additionally inside the box were four more magazines for the two pistols.

“Each magazine carries six hundred gravitic shots. Modified after the rifles, you can adjust the power. They are accurate to about eighty or a hundred meters.” She stepped back so that others in the room could see Bethany Anne. “They will be linked to the next person who holds them and flicks on the power by pulling back the hammer. The hammer isn’t necessary, I just happened to like how it worked.” She grinned.

Bethany Anne looked at the woman and smiled. John turned the box to show those in the room and then back to Bethany Anne and lowered it.
 

Bethany Anne pulled her two .45’s out of their holsters, made sure the safeties were on and handed them to Jean. Then she reached in and pulled out both pistols, and those in the audience watched as she moved them around and worked them from different locations.
 

She looked out over the audience, and lifted both, aimed up at the ceiling. Pausing just a second, she cocked the hammers back and held them tight.

Everyone in the room heard the small computer voice, “Ownership Biometrics Accepted.” A huge cheer went up from everyone in the room, and she had to smile at her people. Her smile turned wistful, she hoped she would be able to see these smiling faces in forty-eight to seventy-two hours.

Bethany Anne holstered the two pistols, pulled the small holster belts over them and locked the them. Finally, she adjusted the holsters to the heavier weight so they wouldn’t fit wrongly on her body.

Looking out allowed her eyes to touch everyone there, testing their determination and finally exhaling. “I need to see Captains Maximillian and Wagner. The rest of you, please get with your people and let them know we go to war. Dismissed.”

She smiled at everyone who passed her by, most of them giving her thumbs up or similar votes of support as they hurriedly left to get prepared.

She turned to her Captains, “Captain Bartholomew Thomas, you are at this moment relieved of the command of the Polarus to take over your next command.”

At first shocked, Captain Thomas caught on to the second part of her command and then smiled, “My turn?”

She nodded, “Captain Bartholomew Thomas, do you accept the responsibility of the QBS Defender, the first Puck Battle Destroyer and will you accept those responsibilities of commanding your crew in space, and the missions I so designate, on your honor?”

Captain Thomas snapped a salute, “Yes Ma’am, I will.”

She held out a hand, and he shook it, “Then Bart, I need you to take command of the ship. You will grab three Pods and take four members plus your XO to work with you. Most of the ship is automated at this time. However, I need you and your team to learn and figure out what you would change for the next version. The E.I. for the ship is waiting for you to name it.”

She turned towards Captain Wagner, “Captain Wagner, I hereby promote you to the Captain of the Polarus. Is your second in command ready to take over the Ad Aeternitatem?”

Max smiled, “Yes ma’am, she is.”
 

Bethany Anne grinned and held out a hand and spoke as they shook, “Tell her I apologize for the somewhat crazy promotion. Once this stuff with China settles down, we will do our best to have a more normal ceremony for everyone.”

Max smiled and replied happily, “I think Natalia would be fine with skipping the ceremony, most of us don’t enjoy standing up in the heat hearing an Admiral blather on about … uh, about…” his face flushed, Max Wagner started stammering and then just stopped talking.

Bethany Anne regarded Max like a scientist regarding a new lab helper. “No, keep going.” she put her finger facing down and twirled it in a circle, “I’m sure as the Admiral of our little group, I’d be happy to hear what you don’t want me blathering on about?”

Captain Thomas waited about eight seconds for Max to get a good sweat going before interrupting, “Bethany Anne, I need Captain Wagner here to grab Captain Jakowski to discuss personnel changes?”

Bethany Anne regarding Max one more time before surreptitiously winking to Captain Thomas, “Fine, maybe the most recent Captain of our group can advise her previous Captain how to not stick his foot in his mouth so eloquently?”

“I’m confident,” Captain Thomas started before cracking a smile and chuckling, “That Natalia will make an effort."

Bethany Anne smiled, nodded once to both men and stepped out of the meeting room.

“Could I have possibly stuck my foot further in?” Max whispered as the two men watched her leave.

“That wasn’t bad, she was pulling your chain a little. Hell, I should tell you about the time I thought I had called my XO who was over on the command ship and lit into him before realizing the person I was talking to was the Group Commander.” The two men started walking out of the room themselves. “He waited patiently for me to end my perhaps annoyed comments to let me know who was on the line. He waited two months before admitting to me that he thought it was the most hilarious thing ever, not telling me sooner, and it wasn’t a big deal to him.”

PLA Base, Inland China

“Major General, you called?” Colonel Jai saluted his commander. Once his team made it back, they had gone through after action report meetings individually to discuss what had happened on their bungled operation in India.

“Yes, Colonel, please close the door behind you and take a seat and we will discuss the findings.”

Jai turned and closed the office door then took the offered chair.

Major General Xue reviewed the paperwork on his desk, “We have gone through your team’s after-action interviews. It is unfortunate what happened on the operation, while we note issues related to not having cameras to see that the employee entered the building on the far side unexpectedly, we see that your team did not hesitate to implement the actions necessary to finish the mission. Sometimes, bad situations occur. This will, unfortunately, go into your jacket as a yellow offense. You will not be relieved of command at this time. Should this happen once more, no matter how unlikely the event, the next finding will require you to give up any hopes to furthering your career. Is this understood?”

Jai nodded his understanding.

“I suggest, in the future, that when you…” Xue was interrupted by the ringing of his phone. He leaned forward to pick it up, his face showing he was annoyed. “Xue here, why am I being interrupted?” He listened. Jai noticed that his eyes narrowed together, “They are sure? You want us to go on base alert on this?”
 

Jai sat closer to the edge of his chair, leaning on the balls of his feet.

“I understand,” Xue leaned forward to hang up the phone turning back. “Colonel, this base is going on alert. We have lost satellites that are above the mainland.”

“Not our satellites that look out over the U.S. or others?” Jai asked.

Xue shook his head, “No. We believe we are about to be attacked.”

“Who would attack China?” Jai questioned, confused.

Xue looked at his Colonel, trying to remember he didn’t have the updates those at his level did, “Who have we been attacking?”

Jai’s eyes opened in shock and Xue might think disbelief. However, he was personally aware that if there was a base inside of China that might be a target, it was probably his.

He had all of those who had done the operations underground with him right here, where else would they attack?

—

The darkness crept over China as Earth turned lazily about her axis. The sun’s rays left the east coast, the shadows chasing it across the middle of the country and finally started enveloping the western part of Russia as the fifty-four Pods looked down at the nighttime visage of China.

ADAM, take the necessary small pucks from the Black Wings, after telling their Captains, and implement step one.

>>Understood. <<

Bethany Anne and her forces stayed up in space, enjoying the quiet before the storm.

>>Bethany Anne, all tactical satellites over mainland China have been neutralized.<<

Thank you, ADAM. TOM, key the radios to the other Pods.

Bethany Anne spoke in a strong, determined voice, “People, our destination is a PLA Base damn near in the middle of China. It is remote, and we have taken out all of the necessary satellites used for communications and visual support for all of China. Further, we have pucks programmed to hit at twelve bases, some in more populated areas, as red herrings. The airfields on all bases will be destroyed. China has been building their bases, including air bases, underground and this is true for our base as well. You have the maps, as well as we could provide. However, this is a retaliatory strike. The base we are hitting is used for their black ops and other clandestine groups. These aren’t going to be regular hacks, people. I want them dead, I want you alive.”

She paused a moment, “Other than that, I want Maximum Carnage.”

TOM kept the mics open in all of the Pods as the Guardians…male, female, human and Wechselbalg roared in approval. They had been training together, bleeding together for so long it felt like half their life. Now, their Queen was releasing them to do what they did best.

Death and Mayhem.

PLA Base, Inland China

The lights started flashing in the deepest parts of the base. The men, already on alert grabbed their gear and cinched up their harnesses as they finished outfitting in their dorms.

Jai spoke, “Li, make sure you shoot the enemy and not Wu, alright?” He smiled at the men as he grabbed his pack.

Li smiled and checked his chambers one last time, “I told him I’d get back at him for ogling my sister last month on leave, I can’t help it if a completely random shot hits him in the back.”

Liang grinned and stepped between the men as he walked to his bunk to grab his helmet, “One shot is random, emptying your clip might be considered on purpose.”

“All I said was she was cute,” Wu admitted. “You didn’t tell me your family was meeting us at the train station.”

The men heard many thumps above them. Jai couldn’t count that many, that fast. You could feel the vibrations as the bombs hit above them. All of the men looked to the ceiling, although nothing could be seen.

There went the airfield, Jai guessed.

“Ok, same as before Wu, Li up front, Liang and I in back. Wu, Liang take left. We are stationed in the cafeteria.” The four men put on their helmets and walked out. Never suspecting they would have to defend their own base in the middle of the country.

—

“General, we have lost communications,” Comms specialist Gao reported.
 

General Xue nodded understanding and looked around, “All external doors are closed?” He received affirmatives.

Minutes later, multiple bombs hit their airfield. Through the dust and what moonlight was available, he could tell it was destroyed. The fastest method of anyone providing support was now going to be by helicopter.

Then, his external video cameras started turning off. Everyone in the command module noticed that it was a camera per second, as if whoever was coming for them, was playing with them.