Sullivan Saga 1: Sullivan's War (33 page)

“He’s not going? He’s the leader of this rebellion.”

“As he puts it, he’s a ‘political leader,’ not a military leader. And he’s right. He’s a good organizer, a good ambassador for what they hope to accomplish. But his real job begins once the planet is secure.”

HAMMOND AND ALLEN’S ship dropped out of hyperspace at the edge of Edaline’s star system. Shortly thereafter, the other three ships joined them. The trip had been short but tense. Hammond pulled up the magnified view of Edaline on his screen. He opened a channel to the other three ships.

“Like we planned,” he said into his microphone. “Stay in formation so we don’t run into one another. There’s a chance we’ll be going in hot, so stay low, and don’t slow down until we’re at the edge of the city.”

In unison, the four ships accelerated and disappeared in flashes of blue light. Seconds later, Hammond powered down his ship’s hyperspace energy field, and a canopy of leaves filled the bottom half of his view screen. Ahead, he and Allen could see the smoking skyline of Agrona.

“Looks like the battle’s still going on,” said Allen.

Hammond nodded. “Better get back to your men. You need to be ready to jump out as soon as I bring her down.”

Before Allen could step out of the cockpit, an explosion tossed him to the floor, and the ship began to veer starboard. Numerous red lights began flashing as an emergency siren filled the cockpit.

“Hang on!” yelled Hammond, trying to stabilize the ship as it descended.

In front of them, Allen spotted a fighter jet circling around for another pass. One of the other freighters, still travelling at speed, swept past them on the right. As Allen watched, the fighter zeroed in on the freighter and fired two missiles. The ship exploded in front of them.

Allen didn’t have time to reflect on this image for long. The bottom of the ship began scraping the tops of the trees. Ahead, he could see the kilometer of open ground separating the jungle from the city. With fighters overhead, he didn’t know if it’d be better to crash there or in the trees.

Hammond managed to keep the ship aloft long enough to clear the edge of the trees and brought the ship down hard in the open. It skidded noisily along the ground, digging a deep furrow into the earth. The ship began listing to the left and shaking violently.

“Hang on, she feels like she’s going to flip!” yelled Hammond.

The metal groaned and shuddered as the bulk of the freighter strained against the leading edge of the ship. After a few tense seconds, the ship slowed, rocked back onto its hull then came to a rest.

Allen squinted through the dirt covering the cockpit window and saw a cluster of buildings just ahead. “Let’s go, Hammond! We’re almost there!” he yelled.

The two men sprinted down to the cargo hold to retrieve the other men but stopped short. The missile hit had taken out the side of the cargo bay. If any men had survived the explosion, they must have fallen through the gaping hole as the ship crashed.

Allen slapped Hammond on the shoulder. “Grab that rifle. Let’s get to cover.”

A fighter jet sped overhead as they climbed through the hole in the side of the freighter’s hull. They sprinted across the remainder of the open ground as the jet turned and came around to strafe them.

At this end of the city, there were a few scattered buildings. Allen spotted a block of apartments and made a beeline for the cover of the structures. On instinct, he brought himself to a halt and dived to the side. Seconds later, the concrete was torn up as the jet fired its twin machineguns. Allen glanced behind him and saw that Hammond had shadowed his movements.

The jet was making another sweeping arc. Allen got up and sprinted the rest of the way to the nearest apartment building and slammed through the doors into the stairwell leading up to the higher floors. He threw himself down against the wall and sat catching his breath as Hammond came through the doors, breathing hard.

Allen glanced over at Hammond and grinned. “Welcome to Edaline,” he said.

Hammond let out a short laugh then closed his eyes as his breathing slowed.

FROM THE THIRD-STORY window of the apartment block, Allen watched the tree line. None of the other freighters were in sight; he realized that they must have all been shot down over the jungle. He brought the binoculars up to his eyes for what must have been the fortieth or fiftieth time.

“We’ve waited long enough,” said Hammond. “If anyone survived, they would have made it out of the trees by now.”

“They could be waiting for nightfall before running across the open ground.”

“Look, Frank. I know I’m not a soldier, but I do know these ships. The odds of surviving a crash in jungle that thick….”

Allen nodded. “You’re right. We’ll try to join up with Sullivan or another rebel group. Based on the commotion coming from the northwest, I’d say that’s where we’re most likely to find Sullivan.”

“There are jets still patrolling overhead. How are we going to get across town without being picked off?”

“The city has a subway system, and pedestrian tunnels connect most of the stations. I’m guessing a lot of the rebels are using the tunnels to maneuver. That way they don’t have to face the planes or the tanks, just other infantry.”

Hammond studied his rifle. “It’s been years since I’ve fired a gun.”

“You’ll do fine. Just stay close to me, and keep your eyes open.”

OVER THE PAST few days, the fighting had been intense. The rebels had made significant progress, but now they were at a standstill. Colonel Miller’s forces had managed to break Geary’s defensive line and move past the greenbelt, into the administrative district of Agrona. It was here that many of the city’s civilians—particularly the loyalists—had fled when the fighting broke out.

Geary had ordered his troops to abandon them and retreat back to Fort Hendricks. The rebels now controlled the city. Fighter jets were still taking off from the base and strafing the rebels, but now that their targets were amongst civilians, they were being much more cautious before opening fire, in spite of General Geary’s orders.

Miller had been able to interpret all of this by watching the movements of the planes. The pilots were reluctant. Their friends and families were on the ground. And those friends and families, the civilians that Miller spoke to, even some members of parliament that his men had captured, wanted it to end.

Geary’s arrest of Prime Minister Dean and subsequent seizure of power had not sat well with many once-loyal citizens. Dean had not been heard from since she was arrested and Geary, despite frequent announcements over the planet’s communications network, was unable to reassure them that a fair trial would be held once the uprising was over.

Sullivan had stayed close to Miller, helping him direct troop movements. But there was another reason he wanted to be seen with Miller. The people of Edaline were witnessing one of the most reviled men on the planet working closely with a well-respected military leader. Sullivan wanted to send the message that the rebellion was unified and that anyone was welcome, anyone who shared a vision for a free and prosperous society.

Miller and Sullivan were going over the ground plan of Fort Hendricks when one of Miller’s company commanders interrupted them.

“Sir, there’s a man who insists on seeing Mr. Sullivan. Says his name is Frank Allen.”

Sullivan smiled broadly. “He’s here with the second wave from Faris.”

“No, sir. He’s here with just one other man.”

“Just one?”

Allen and Hammond were escorted into the room by half a dozen soldiers.

“Frank,” said Sullivan, getting up and embracing his friend. “Hello, Dale,” he said, shaking the other man’s hand. “This is Colonel James Miller. He brought his regiment into the fight on our side. If it wasn’t for him, this would all be over by now. Colonel, Frank Allen and Dale Hammond.”

Allen and Hammond shook Miller’s hand.

“I know several ships were destroyed before they could get off-planet. How many made it back to Faris?” asked Sullivan.

“Just four,” said Allen.

“So you should have brought eighty more men.”

Allen nodded and lowered his eyes. “I did. As soon as we arrived, the fighters were on top of us. They must have been patrolling in the area when we dropped out of hyperspace. All the ships were shot down, including ours. The cargo bay was hit. Hammond and I survived because we were in the cockpit.”

Sullivan exhaled slowly. “All right.” He turned to Miller. “Allen is a good tactician. Mind if he has a look at the base?”

Miller gestured Allen over. “This is our position here. Here’s the base. It covers about two square kilometers. This building at the center is base headquarters, and within it is the command center. These are barracks. This building over here is the prison. The hangars and runway are at the western edge. The base is surrounded by a five-meter-high wall all the way around, with towers every one hundred and fifty meters.”

“There are other bases around the planet, though,” said Allen. “Any chance reinforcements will arrive before we can take Fort Hendricks?”

“Most of the major cities have regiments stationed at them. The smaller cities and towns, nothing. From the reports we’ve been receiving, Edaline’s other troops are busy dealing with uprisings in their own areas.”

Allen nodded. “So what’s the plan?”

“We’ve captured a couple of tanks. We’ve covered them in debris to make the jets think they’re inoperable. Now, there are probably another dozen tanks inside, so we’ll have to try to take several of them out with missile launchers.”

“And how many infantry inside?”

“Based on the casualties they’ve sustained, I estimate about eight hundred.”

“Such a small force,” said Allen.

“Edaline isn’t a populous planet,” said Sullivan. “We haven’t had a war with another planet in two hundred years, and they never needed a large military to keep civilians under control.”

“And,” said Miller, “unlike the Stellar Assembly planets you’re used to, Edaline doesn’t send peace-keeping forces out into the galaxy. So ten thousand men, planet-wide, is usually more than enough.”

“Well, we can use that to our advantage,” said Allen. “How many men do we have?”

“About the same number as them, seven to eight hundred.”

“Good. I think I know how we can use those two tanks.”

Sullivan smiled. “We’ve been working on a plan of our own, Frank. But we’ll hear yours.”

“We don’t enter the base with the tanks, but rather shell the wall from a distance. This’ll bring out the fighter jets, and we’ll use the missile launchers to try and take them down. The tanks will be lost, but we don’t need them. Meanwhile, troops will be entering the base through the gaps blasted by the tanks. Two teams. One goes north to tie up the men in the barracks, and the other makes a beeline for the command center.”

“What’d I tell you?” said Sullivan, grinning at Miller. “That’s exactly our plan.”

Miller nodded. “You ex-military?”

“No, I was a Bureau agent.”

“Good to have you aboard,” said Miller, reaching out to shake Allen’s hand once again.

IV:
EDALINE’S DAWN

15

IT WAS THE first time Geary had been away from the command center for more than an hour ever since the uprising began. But the rebels had stopped their attack once they came upon the walls of Fort Hendricks. Without heavy artillery at their disposal, they’d never make it through the perimeter. Still, Geary had no doubt they were planning something, but he would just have to wait to find out what it was.

He got up from his bed and paced his quarters. He’d been dozing on a cot in the command center for the past few days. He knew he needed a proper night’s rest, but inaction didn’t suit him. Every few minutes, he would check his tablet, which was linked up with the command center computers. After half an hour of pacing, he forced himself to sit down. He opened the small refrigerator beside the table and took out a bottle of Dacian whiskey and a small vial of liquid. From the freezer, he took out a chilled glass and three ice cubes and dropped them into the glass one at a time.

He poured three fingers of whiskey into the glass then opened the vial and poured a few drops of its contents into the drink. He lifted the glass, swirled the ice around for a moment then took a long drink.

The numbing properties of the extract from the Cuspis plant, so named for its long, pointy leaves, quickly took effect. His lips began to tingle, then his fingers and toes. After a few more sips, his entire body was relaxed. There was no feeling, no pain. Even his mind felt numb. He supposed he’d added more of the Cuspis extract than usual.

Geary had been making his Dacian whiskeys stronger the past couple of years, but never this strong. But what he’d lacked in potency, he’d more than made up for in volume. A bottle lasted two days, at the most. He knew that biologists and toxicologists would argue otherwise, but it helped him think, helped him to focus his mind. But this particular drink was having the opposite effect. His eyes were closing involuntarily. He stumbled to his bed and fell down heavily onto his pillow.

GEARY WOKE UP an hour later. He still felt slightly numb but significantly more rested than he had been in days. Despite a slight headache, he felt as though the drink had done him some good. He decided he liked his Dacian whiskey at that potency and made a mental note to increase the amount of Cuspis extract by twenty percent from now on.

Geary straightened his uniform, smoothed down his hair and left his quarters. He briefly checked in at the command center then made his way across the base to the prison and down to the underground holding cells.

Susan Dean didn’t get up when he stepped into her cell. Unlike the more dangerous criminals being held in the facility, she wasn’t shackled to the wall. Geary closed the door behind him and stood with his hands clasped behind his back, waiting for her to speak. When she didn’t, he cleared his throat.

“Madame Prime Minister….”

Dean turned away. “Don’t get officious with me, General.”