The Fight for Peace (10 page)

“Odd for them to be on separate missions, isn’t it?” Danielle asked.

Chris smirked at her. “They aren’t joined at the hip, and it isn’t my job to wonder.”

She kissed him goodbye at the front door. “Look me up the next time you have a few hours free.”

His answer was one last heated look before he trotted down the front steps. She could see the military aspect in his brisk walk and in his information, of course. It wasn’t Chris’ job to wonder about the Guard’s leadership, perhaps, but after what Derrick had told her his news made Danielle very curious.

Chapter 11

LIEUTENANT DERRICK ELDRIDGE

TRAINING OFFICER

“The peace negotiations will fail,” Derrick told Jared.

“You put a lot of faith in your friend,” Jared said, humor nor crossed arms relaxing. “It might not.”

“Fine. Even if it doesn’t, where does that leave Argentina? I don’t think they will be included in our peace deal,” Derrick shot back, cutting himself off before he added to his statement with something not appropriate to say to a commanding officer, no matter that Jared treated him akin to an equal.

Jared frowned at that, his glance drifting out the front windows of the dactyl. He scratched at his forehead with a thumb. “Point taken. When the peace negotiations are over, Lieutenants Assad and Faronelli can come to help train the people here to protect themselves. The FLF is a long way away.”

“The main base is a long way away, but you heard Raoul. There is talk of construction near Rio. They might be expanding. Even if they aren’t, the workcamps most of these people escaped from are closer than that. And,” Derrick paused, hating to push the point but certain of it too, “if the peace negotiations do fail, you’ll need Farrak and Gabriella in Europe.”

Jared’s silent stare nearly made Derrick keep talking. Instead he took a deep breath and released it slowly. Out waiting Jared took patience or tactics.

“Dammit, Kieren is tied up training new recruits, but we could send over a few of the lower training officers,” Jared snapped. “Unless you have some other grand plan?”

“I’ll stay.”

Derrick had thought for sure Jared would have seen that coming, but the frozen expression on Jared’s face didn’t look fake. Now he was nervous.

“I’ve trained soldiers before. Working with Pyotr on the way to the Crystal City refreshed me on the basics. Heck, I trained you how to use a sword,” Derrick said in a rush.

“I have no doubt of your abilities, Lieutenant. That isn’t why I’m surprised.” Jared was more serious than Derrick remembered ever seeing him. This time Derrick had no urge to interrupt Jared’s silence or thoughts. “You ... don’t want to go back to Europe?”

The question sat Derrick upright in his chair. “Of course I do. This will take a few months to set up and if you can send over a few training officers, that would help. Or we could take a few with potential for training to Europe? From what you’ve said, I know you don’t like the workcamps either, Captain. Europe can’t afford to protect this colony, but we can help them protect themselves.”

Jared snorted. “I think Byran rubbed off on you.” Derrick ducked his glance, amused at praise he wasn’t sure he cared for. “You’re right, the workcamps and those first refugees do bother me. We can both stay.”

Derrick’s head shake halted Jared’s offer. What he had to say breached chain of command, but he believed in it enough to risk Jared’s ire. “I’ve been to Crystal City and lived with the FLF. The peace talks aren’t real. Which is why you need to go back and help Arinna.”

“Shit. I swear you and her prefer long distance relationships,” Jared said in frustration.

Derrick flinched. “I don’t, but ... it is complicated. Pretending like it isn’t won’t make it work.” The conversation had firmly skidded to territory best left unspoken. Derrick swore and leapt in with both feet. “The war isn’t over and I think things are going to get worse. I don’t need to be a distraction for her or make her second guess a decision. I’ll be ... useful and out of the way here.”

Jared glanced away after a second. “She’s mentioned some of that.” Derrick felt worse at the news. “Fine, you’ll set up the training program, and I like the idea of taking a few for cross training in Europe to join the new recruits. When I return, I’ll bring back a few training officers. But this assignment is temporary, possibly very temporary if the peace negotiations collapse. Don’t forget you are the Secretary of Defense. The Prime Minister will need you. So set this up as quickly as possible, Lieutenant.”

There were more reasons than Derrick mentioned to Jared that he wanted to stay, and some of them were more personal than even his not-quite relationship with Arinna. His father’s actions and death still rattled him. The letter David had left behind gave Derrick a glimpse of a man that he might have liked to have known. To know it was the same man who seduced Corianne, and goodness knows what other young women, and then given her as payment to an enemy soldier disgusted Derrick beyond anything he’d thought possible. If he could disinherit his name and family history, he’d do so gladly. Time away from Europe full of its complications and conflicting memories felt a relief. That he could throw himself into something useful at the same time made it that much better, and easier, to rationalize.

Jared made him tell Byran, but promised to handle Arinna. If the uncomfortable conversation with Jared had any side benefit it was of adding a buffer between him and Arinna as far as Command went. Jared made Derrick feel like his Lieutenant and he was comfortable with that.

“How are the peace negotiations going?” Derrick asked Byran.

It was afternoon his time, but the sun had set in the Ural Mountains where Byran sat in one of the dactyls. With Arinna gone, the conversations had become between only Byran and Derrick or Jared and the Lieutenant on duty, which was Farrak Assad at the moment.

Byran shrugged. “They argue every point, fight every concession requested of them, and only agree to a term when the talks hover on the edge of failure. I almost believe they really do want peace,” he said, adding an ironic smile.

“Sounds like they are better politicians than I thought they were. Byran,” Derrick hesitated, torn between asking his friend or requesting permission of the Prime Minister. “I’m going to stay in Argentina for a bit. A few months maybe, assuming the peace negotiations go well.”

Byran stared at him a moment, much like Jared had done. But Byran knew him better from many more years and experiences. “Why?” he asked.

“I ... just need more time away after everything.”

“Ok,” Byran said. Derrick nearly swore, which set Byran laughing. “I was going to say I’m not your boss, but I guess I am. Shit, this is completely frigged up. I’m sorry about your father. I’m more sorry that I didn’t say that after he was killed. We should have gone out drinking and punched a wall or something, thrown darts at his picture, and then had a good drunken cry. I never should have suckered you into being the Secretary of Defense. But I’m not letting you out of that now that you are.”

Derrick laughed what felt like the first surprised laughter he’d had in months, certainly before he left for Crystal City. “That sounds great. Maybe we can take a rain check on that? You’ve made up for the Secretary of Defense thing. I’m happy I got to join the Guard.”

“You completely happy about that?”

“Everyone likes to hint about my relationship, or lack of one,” Derrick said with a snort. “Seriously, I’m happy enough I don’t regret it. We’ll figure it out eventually.”

“All right,” Byran said with a deep chuckle. “I’m here if you need to talk.”

“Yeah and I might be on the other side of the planet just about, but if you need me we can talk. If you really need me, I can come running.”

Jared took off the next morning, refusing to say one way or the other if Arinna approved of Derrick volunteering to stay. Derrick didn’t ask. Jared took four citizens of Free Argentina with him who showed promise in leadership as well as military abilities. That left Derrick with ten Guard soldiers at his command and one dactyl, not the best statistics if they needed to pull out, since the dactyl only held seven besides himself, but they could make do. If it were an emergency in Europe, a few Guard could remain behind to continue work with the Argentinians.

With at least a week until Jared’s return and mindful of a temperamental timeline, Derrick set up the first training exercise the next day. There wasn’t enough time or resources to craft a full basic training regime. Plus the people he was meant to instruct also needed to tend crops and livestock, raise families, and take care of the sick. This was a settlement, not boot camp. They needed to be able to protect it in general and those truly skilled needed to learn offense as well as defense.

So the beginning exercises were meant to reveal those with potential in riflery, swordsmanship, or strategy. There were only a few guns in the city and little ammo. So the first instruction was simply the parts of a gun, how to clean it, hold it, aim it, and, just to keep their interest, shoot one of the guns the Guard had brought.

Swords too were difficult to scrounge. What Derrick had hoped would be a training exercise seemed to be quickly becoming a list of items needed. Making swords or finding a blacksmith rated as high as finding spare weapons and ammo. Until then, wooden practice swords could be manufactured and a few skilled villagers got to work on those after Derrick explained what was required.

To round up the few hours of time he had and to release frustrations, his and those who’d volunteered for the training, they played a ragtag game of capture the flag. The Guard split their numbers between the two teams. The locals had advantages in the terrain, so the activity ended up being the most successful part of the day.

“I wish you hadn’t blown up the bunker in Tashkent,” Derrick said to Jared when he called to check in that night. “There isn’t much here to launch a defense with.”

“I’ll see what I can do when I’m back in Europe,” Jared said, but he didn’t look overly hopeful.

“Yeah, I know we have a lot of new recruits and Europe is a priority. But they’ve got almost nothing. You in Africa?”

“Along the coast, about where we stayed on the way down,” Jared confirmed. “Everything is good there otherwise?”

“Yes, Captain,” Derrick replied, outlining the accomplishments that had been made. “We’ll have the practice swords in a few days at least, and I have enough ammo here that we can continue to train with Guard weapons if we are conservative. Tomorrow morning I plan on walking around the village with Raoul to see if we can strategize a defense.”

What had felt like a failed attempt to help on the first day became a moderately successful routine over a few days. The Argentinian soldiers were passionate about learning. Only a few had been born free in the village or on the way. Most had worked in, survived, and escaped the workcamps to walk hundreds of miles south through the remains of the once great rainforest, following the rumor of a haven. All had left behind friends and family, either in the camps or buried along the way.

Mornings remained a short rotation with the rifles. There simply weren’t enough weapons or bullets, especially considering Derrick needed to keep some in reserve in case the Guard needed them.

“Line up the sites. Keep your eyes open,” Derrick said, instructing a teenage girl who’d joined the training the day before, after her mother had seen the soldiers were earnest in the instruction. Derrick appreciate the signs they were earning trust.

He showed her again, demonstrating a shot so that she’d understand not to close her eyes after pulling the trigger. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of his soldiers bump another with his elbow and nod.

As they stored the guns away in their locker in his dactyl, Derrick tracked down the two soldiers. “Something interesting with the shooting?” he asked them.

“You always hit dead center, sir,” the first said. “Always.”

That wasn’t what he expected, not that he was sure what he’d thought. He hadn’t had any problems with the soldiers given into his command, but he also didn’t know them well yet. “I was a sharp shooter in the British Royal Army, before the Guard and the war,” he admitted.

“I’d heard the stories of you and Captain Vries in Voltzcrag,” the other soldier said. She smiled. “From what we’ve seen between the shooting and sword instruction, I would say your reputation is well earned, sir.”

He wanted to blush and knew he couldn’t. “Thank you, Emmens. That gives me an idea. Bring your swords down to training. I think they need to see more than practice moves.”

Practicing against his soldiers, and them against each other, filled two purposes. They got to know each other better and the Argentinian recruits got an idea of what they were learning was supposed to look like. The bouts also attracted attention around the settlement, leading to a few more trickling into the training grounds. Derrick was pleased as was Jared when he spoke to him.

“Europe is quiet. The peace negotiations are continuing, but you know that through the Prime Minister, I’m sure,” Jared said. Derrick nodded. “The Argentinian recruits for basic are settling in. They’ll be joining the same class as Corianne Heylor and Pyotr Grekov. They both enlisted. Did you know?”

“Pyotr wrote me that he was and thought Cori hadn’t changed her mind,” Derrick replied. “Good for her and better for the Guard. They’ve both shown amazing fortitude.”

“I’m arranging training officers and some weapons, and more ammo, to come back with. It’ll have to wait a week at least. Arinna is working on something that will require a few uninterrupted days and then my help to see if it is even possible. As soon as that is done, I’ll be on my way.”

Derrick hated to admit how curious Jared’s cryptic statement made him. He’d put an ocean between himself and Arinna so that he wouldn’t be a distraction. He was beginning to see the downside to that. Well, discover new downsides. Jared chuckled at Derrick’s bright eyed silence, which made Derrick smile ruefully. He rubbed a hand against the back of his head.