The Fight for Peace (7 page)

Cori and Pyotr denying that possibility set the three of them speaking at once, which resulted in laughter. There were too many real problems to worry over possible ones that hadn’t happened. Christophe interrupted with lunch and it was then that Corianne found the chance to ask the question needling her.

“My mother?”

“Understands. She isn’t fond of the idea and despite her extreme over-protectiveness, is very proud of you. Both of you,” Tatiana added with a glance at her brother. “But she didn’t think she could say goodbye without crying and such. So she let me come to tell you for her.”

Corianne couldn’t answer between sudden tears and a tight throat. She nodded, wiping her cheeks. “I’m sorry if we miss your wedding,” she managed to choke out after a moment.

“We’ve got months to see if there is a date you’ll be able to be there, otherwise when you graduate from basic. You do graduate from basic?” she asked. Pyotr glanced at Corianne. Corianne shrugged. “Oh well, Phillip will know. Even if we have to come to you, you will see me get married and be our best man and woman.”

“I think that was our first order,” Corianne teased Pyotr.

Chapter 8

CAPTAIN JARED VRIES

FREE ARGENTINA

“You are not going alone,”

“I’m taking Derrick,” Jared said, leaning against a desk in Command.

Arinna stared at him. “To Argentina? A new Lieutenant with how many hours in a dactyl?”

There really wasn’t much of a choice on who he could take. Kieren was prepping for the new recruits. Farrak and Gabriella were needed for the peace conference, as was Arinna. That left Derrick. But Jared suspected that Arinna’s dislike of the idea was for other reasons, especially since she’d been rather distant to their newest Lieutenant before leaving to spend two weeks with him and Byran. Jared hadn’t considered the possibility the vacation wouldn’t go well. Of course, there was also the possibility she was testing him. He decided to go with that one.

“Lieutenant Eldridge is new as a Lieutenant, not as an officer or to the Guard. I’ve seen him lead in the field. The soldiers would respect him for Voltzcrag much less playing spy in Crystal City and giving us the location of the bombs that took down Kiev. Shit. If he hadn’t left the Guard with his injury, he’d be the Lieutenant with the
most
field experience. Even more than you actually,” Jared said with a smirk her way. “You know very well his dactyl can be programmed to follow mine and sent back to Europe with a command. These aren’t the old style planes. Besides, he’s doing fine flying.”

Arinna sighed, tugging at her curls. “I know. I just wish I were going.”

Jared cocked a smile at her. “You gonna miss me or your boyfriend?”

She blushed, which turned the teasing look Jared wore into a grin. Things had gone well on vacation then.

“I won’t miss you,” she shot back, then hesitated. “Shit, I can’t let you leave having said that even if joking. Jared, just because you found a settlement in Argentina doesn’t mean they aren’t FLF or will be friendly. That is Godawful far from home. Two planes and a handful of soldiers? I’m nervous as hell for all of you.”

“Any more planes and soldiers and they’ll think we are invading. This is just recon. The aerials don’t show much in the way of organized military – no tanks, no planes, and no uniforms,” he answered. “But they have a lot of people and if the peace talks don’t work out, we could use their help.”

“Assuming they don’t shoot you before you have a chance to make friends,” Arinna argued.

“Do you think I like the idea of you going to a ‘peace conference’ with a contingent of FLF soldiers and politicians any better?”

“At least I’ll be closer to backup and I know they are the enemy,” Arinna tossed back with a grin.

Jared snorted a laugh. “It still won’t keep you out of trouble. We head out in the morning, in case you’d like to say goodbye to anyone.”

Arinna shook her head, the amusement fading. “Maybe it is a good thing you are taking Derrick. I won’t have to sort out what is or can’t be between him and I. Speaking of Derrick, have you run this by Byran yet? You haven’t forgotten he isn’t just our Lieutenant. He is the Secretary of Defense too.”

Jared swore. “Great, now I want a beer. Don’t suppose you’d ask Byran for me?”

There was a glint in Arinna’s eye when she replied. “You know, we are Co-Captains. You should have a relationship with our Prime Minister too.”

Jared groaned, but he kept it to himself. He did manage to track down Derrick before the appointment Kehm set up with Byran. Walking in with Derrick, Jared felt a twinge of the conflict that left Arinna at such a loss. Outside the Prime Minister’s office, Derrick was his Lieutenant. Sitting in a meeting with Byran, Derrick was the Secretary of Defense. Throw old friendships, new relationships, and a code of ethics in there and he was surprised Arinna wasn’t volunteering to go to Argentina, alone.

“You really think they aren’t FLF?” Byran asked as he looked at the aerial images.

“If they are, they are nothing like anything we’ve seen historically or those in Crystal City,” Derrick answered. “No armaments, no organization to the structures, no uniforms. It looks more like a refugee camp.”

“It was the people you met in South America who asked to be refugees that had you looking for this, Captain Vries?”

“They had to be going somewhere. If there is another free country, I would think you’d want to make contact with them,” Jared said.

“To see if they want to help fight the FLF if the peace talks fail?” Byran asked. “Would they do you much good if they aren’t soldiers?”

“They can be trained,” Derrick volunteered.

“I’m surprised you would realize that possibility,” Jared admitted.

“I just spent two weeks with Arinna and him,” Byran said with a nod toward Derrick. “At least one of them once a day would tell me the peace talks will fail and are most likely a ploy.” Derrick had the graciousness to look embarrassed. 

“Then why go through with them?” Jared asked.

“Because if there is the slightest chance it could be real, we have to try. I have to know we tried.”

Jared had never quite understood the feelings Arinna had for Byran. He was completely unlike Michael or Derrick, but with that statement Jared saw something deeper in Europe’s new Prime Minister, and it was something he respected.

“I want to take Derrick with me,” Jared said. Both Derrick and Byran glanced at him. “We are a little short on Lieutenants at the moment. O’Dell is organizing the new recruits, Assad and Faronelli, and overseeing arrangements at the peace negotiations. Arinna will be in charge of Europe, and I can’t go alone.”

“You can name someone as Acting Secretary of Defense,” Derrick said as Byran remained quiet.

“In other words, you want to go,” Byran said, squeezing the bridge of his nose. “I’d rather not name someone else. I asked you to do this because I trust you.”

“The Guard is handling the day-to-day security at the peace negotiations. If there is anything else you need Derrick for, we have video links. I know it isn’t the same, but I want to take him because I trust him too.”

“I could demand you swap one of the Lieutenants at the peace negotiations with Derrick,” Byran said. “But I know you and Arinna have reasons for every assignment. I don’t like it and had hoped to have your eye at the negotiations, but fine. As long as you are available if I need to talk to you.”

Derrick gave him a crooked smile. “I really don’t think my presence at the peace negotiations would help anyway. I doubt they really want to see me again.”

Jared choked on his laugh.

After that it was all prep for the mission and a quick trip home to his family before it was time to leave in the morning. Derrick was warming up his dactyl when Jared walked into the hangar in the morning. Seasoned soldiers, six for each dactyl, secured bags. Jared had chosen those with not only combat experience, but travel experience prior to the war which closed Europe off from the world. Most going spoke at least some Spanish. Three knew Portuguese. Two were trained field medics as well.

“I looked over the roster of who you’re taking. Hedging your bets again, Captain?” Arinna asked from behind. She lounged against the doorframe when he turned to answer.

“You look far less worried this morning.”

“That’s because I’ve been up all night making sure everything in Europe isn’t about to fall apart,” she said. “I’m too exhausted to worry at this point.”

“You make me feel guilty for leaving,” he admitted.

“I just had two weeks off. Don’t worry about it and don’t be gone too long. Either of you,” she said, glance flicking beyond him. Jared glanced to see Derrick waiting a few paces back.

“Everything is ready, sir,” Derrick said to Jared, but his gaze was on Arinna.

“I guess I can’t order you anymore, but report often,” Arinna said.

“You know I will, just cause I want to hear what is going on here.” If they’d been alone in Command, Jared would have hugged her. But standing in the hangar with twelve antsy soldiers and a half dozen mechanics, he saluted her instead. There was laughter in her eyes as she saluted him back.

Derrick hesitated, blue eyes dark. Then he saluted Arinna as well. “My Lady,” he said by way of leave-taking before turning on his heels and following Jared to the two planes waiting on their elevated platforms.

A few minutes of shuffling and protocols and Jared was airborne with Derrick behind. “We’re gonna fly south over Africa a bit. I don’t want to cross the Atlantic and have to cruise south over FLF workcamps,” Jared told Derrick.

They made it a two-day hop to reach South America, setting down along a quiet section of Africa. With two planes and a total of fourteen soldiers, arranging duties and guards wasn’t too difficult. Jared reported their status even though he knew Kehm could find them through the GPS in the dactyl.

The next day passed crossing the Atlantic and a fast flight south along what had been Brazil. Scrubland grew where there had once been jungle, but as they headed farther south the land greened. There was still no sign of civilization when they set down for the second night, but according to the satellite, they were only a couple of hours away.

As the sun set, he called Derrick into his dactyl. “So how are we going to make sure we don’t get shot on sight tomorrow?” Jared asked.

“Head back to Europe?” Derrick replied.

Jared laughed. “You’re about as helpful as Arinna. Which is why I was asking you for ideas, by the way.”

They spent an hour going over and rejecting plans. Walking into the community reminded Jared too much of the ambush he’d had in Central America over the summer. Derrick thought landing one of the dactyls in the scattered village was too much like something the FLF would do.

“These are war planes,” Derrick said. “There is no mistaking that. The US didn’t design things to look pretty. They made them look deadly. If they see a dark grey combat plane, they are going to assume it is the FLF and shoot.”

“I don’t want to get too far from the dactyls. We are obviously not part of their local community and not refugees from a workcamp,” Jared said with frustration. “I don’t want to end up in a hostage/rescue situation. It’ll lead back to shooting instead of talking.”

“So we have to take the dactyls?” Derrick asked. Jared grunted an affirmative. He wasn’t going to budge on that one. Between the shields, armament, and speed, the dactyls offered safety and an exit strategy. “Okay, got paint?”

The easiest way to answer that question was to ask Arinna. She laughed when she heard what they planned and reviewed the maintenance logs and specs to find equipment lists. Surprisingly, the answer was yes. 

“There isn’t much though. You couldn’t have thought of this while in Europe with actual supplies could you?” she asked. To add to their meager options, she recommended thick oils, additives, and anything else that could hold or create a color.

“Don’t suppose you know of any paint brushes?” Derrick asked.

“Sorry. I think you’re stuck with finger painting,” she said with a wicked grin. The banter between the three of them over Derrick’s idea had been easy and low key. Jared was happy to see it. “Take pictures, and good timing for this! I’ll be around tomorrow, so keep me and Command in the loop. The day after we leave for the peace negotiations.”

They had to wait until morning, but an hour after dawn both planes sported painted flags across their noses and wings. Jared had gone for French, since it was what he’d flown under when he first came to Europe. Derrick had, of course, painted his with the old British flag.

“I suppose we should have come up with a European one,” Jared said as he stood far enough away to gauge the effect. “But I like it. I might make it permanent when we get back.”

“I think it is safer to use a flag they’d recognize. Now let’s just hope it lasts until we get to the village,” Derrick replied.

They buzzed the village once, a slow flyover that, hopefully, displayed the colors the dactyls were displaying. After that, Jared ordered they set down in a patch of what looked like pasture on the outskirts, far enough away that they didn’t appear threatening. And far enough so that whoever lived there had to walk to meet them. It took almost an hour, but a group of cautious, and armed, men approached from the shrubby forest that protected and hid most of the houses.

Jared didn’t wait for questions. “I’m Captain Jared Vries of Europe’s Grey Guard. Who is the leader here?”

Glances among the men were exchanged. Just before Jared could ask one of the soldiers to translate, one man stepped forward. “I’m Raoul Caverra, the leader of Free Argentina.”

“Man, that is exactly what I was hoping you’d say,” Jared said.