DusktoDust_Final3 (32 page)

The second task was far more daunting. The Federation lockdown had put a stop to most intercity travel within the Dusk Zone. This posed a problem for the Peacekeepers considering their mission required them to get to Windham and then the light side.

Boldack informed them that the only vehicles allowed to travel outside of the city limits were those with passes issued by the Feds. Gaining one of these passes was difficult and required the applicant to go through a thorough vetting process. Boldack had mused, though, that once these passes were issued they were much easier to come by. The task of acquiring one of these passes fell to Letsego, Carpenter, and Boldack.

For this reason, Letsego now found himself crouched in an alley in the slums of Haverford, clutching a pistol, and generally cursing the two criminal men he found himself in the company of.

“
You really think this is gonna work, Chief?
”
Carpenter asked Boldack again.

The man was further down the alley, peering out into the street.
“
I
’
ve watched how these guys operate, Carp. Shouldn
’
t have any problem getting the drop on them.
”
The streets were empty, it being the middle of the Dusk Zone
’
s night cycle.

“
But a Federation transport? Isn
’
t that gonna raise red flags?.
”

“
The Feds are still getting their act together. They won
’
t even miss the thing. And when they do we
’
ll be long gone. Plus this one has a pass for it to go to Windham City. Should make it easier for you on the other end.
”

Carpenter exhaled.
“
If you say so.
”
He looked at Letsego.
“
You ready?
”

“
As long as your friend isn
’
t as bad an actor as he is a host,
”
the Peacekeeper prodded. He didn
’
t like the plan. It hinged too much on this man Boldack, whom he did not trust. But he had lost that argument.

Boldack hushed them.
“
Shut up. Here it comes.
”
He was looking down at a tablet with a map of the city on it. The man had hacked into the Fed transponder network and was tracking the transport that was their prey. A few seconds passed and then he stuffed the tablet in his pocket.
“
Alright, here goes nothing.
”
He took a deep breath and then sprinted out into the street.

“
Help! Heeelp!
”
Boldack screamed as he entered the street. His face was smeared with blood and part of his shirt hung in tatters. The
“
blood
”
had come from various ingredients they had found in his refrigerator, and his shirt had been ripped by Carpenter
’
s combat knife. Letsego still didn
’
t know exactly what the man was going for but he hoped it would distract the Feds.

It did. Letsego and Carpenter crept down the alley towards the street. Suddenly, they saw a large cargo hover flare it
’
s reversing engines and slow to a halt, nearly running Boldack over. The man didn
’
t even flinch. He slammed his bloody hands against the hood of the truck.

“
Please help me!
”
His hands smeared red all over the gray paint. Then he recognized the occupants of the vehicle.
“
Soldiers! Yes, please protect me!
”
He ran around to the passenger side door and reached to open it. Before he could the door swung out at him, a Fed trooper behind it. He stepped out, rifle raised. Boldack backpedaled.

“
No! I
’
m not the one you want!
”
he cried with feigned terror.
“
He
’
s down there. Killing people!
”

The trooper clearly didn
’
t understand. He shouted words in Chinese, driving Boldack back with the muzzle of his rifle. The former navy chief continued to fake confusion.

The Feds were now right where they wanted them. One moving forward, in front of the truck, the other still in the driver
’
s seat, watching events unfold.

Letsego gave Carpenter a nod. Together they stood up and ran towards the truck. Letsego came up behind the standing trooper and placed the muzzle of his pistol in the man
’
s ear.
“
Drop it,
”
he said simply. Behind him, Carpenter was training Boldack
’
s shotgun on the driver.

“
Don
’
t even think about it.
”
Apparently, the Fed didn
’
t because Carpenter did not pull the trigger.

Boldack stepped forward and yanked the rifle from the trooper
’
s hands.
“
Find the transit pass.
”

Carpenter climbed up in the cab while Boldack and Letsego held the Fed troopers at bay. Suddenly, Boldack glanced right, towards the rear of the truck. Then his eyes went wide.
“
Get down!
”
In a swift movement that Letsego didn
’
t think possible for the larger man, he tackled the Peacekeeper. As Letsego crashed to the ground under the other man
’
s weight he saw a red streak engulf the Fed trooper whom he had been guarding.

With his weight still on Letsego, Boldack retrieved the pistol that he had dropped. Then he fired off two quick shots. There was a groan and then the sound of a body slumping to the ground. After that a shotgun blast came from the cab of the truck.

“
You okay, Carp?
”
Boldack said as he stood up.

Carpenter poked his head out of the cab.
“
The Fed tried to pull on me.
”
Blood splatter on his face told the outcome of the situation.
“
What happened out here?
”

Boldack dusted himself off.
“
There was a third guy in the back.
”
He looked down at the first Fed.
“
What the hell?
”

Letsego stood up. There were now two bodies lying in the street. At the rear of the truck a Fed lay dead, clearly killed by a well placed shot to the head. The other body was far more disturbing.

“
Are you seeing this, Carp?
”
Boldack was alarmed.
“
What the hell did this?
”

Letsego walked to the rear of the truck and pulled a Titan rifle out of the dead troopers hands.
“
Carpenter.
”

The smuggler looked at the body next to Boldack and then down at Letsego.
“
Shit. Looks like they
’
ve gotten those things out into circulation.
”

“
What things? What the hell is that?
”
Boldack said.

Letsego ignored him.
“
We need to get out of here.
”
Despite the hour, the lights in windows on the street were turning on as people heard the commotion.

Carpenter nodded and jumped down from the cab.
“
Chief, help me get these bodies into the truck.
”

The man didn
’
t move.
“
I
’
m not touching that.
”
He nodded to the skeletal like body of the Fed.
“
I don
’
t even know what it is. I want some answers.
”

“
Chief, I
’
ll tell you everything when we get back.
”
He grabbed the body by an arm and started dragging.

By the time they got back to the apartment Gnasher and the rest of his men were already there. In the interests of security the lieutenant had deemed it necessary to post sentries on the room.

They stashed the stolen truck in the large, privately owned garage under the apartment. They had to wait until the next day to depart because the transit pass they had stolen was not in effect for another twelve hours. Until then the Peacekeepers and David would dispose of the Fed bodies in the steam tunnels and recover from the exhaustion of the past day. Chief Boldack even provided much needed medical supplies for the wounded Divers.

As the ICARUs soldiers cleaned their weapons, licked their wounds, and raided Chief
’
s fridge, David and Chief escaped to the older man
’
s study. After securing the door and grabbing two ice cold lagers, Chief collapsed into a well worn recliner across from David.

“
You never told me that the Feds
’
secret weapon was a damn death ray.
”
He popped the cap off of his bottle and took a swig.
“
One
of those weapons took out a star cruiser?
”

David nodded, opening his own bottle.
“
And the Skylift.
”

Chief was baffled.
“
How the hell are we supposed to fight that?
”

David noticed the man
’
s use of the word we.
“
The Feds are using the hand held Titan weapons to instill fear,
”
David reasoned.
“
They don
’
t have that many to go around, so they probably just handed a few out to each trooper garrison. Once the civilians see what one of those does they won
’
t resist any more.
”
He hoped that was what was going on. If every Fed had one of those things they were in trouble.

“
And you really think the fleet is gonna come back and kick the Feds off this rock? Without a fight?
”

David knew there would be a fight.
“
They
’
ll come back. When I don
’
t know. But until then we have to do what we can, Chief. What did you used to say? Never trust a lesser man to do what you are perfectly capable of.
”

Chief laughed.
“
Carp, even with your badass warfighting skills, I think repelling a Fed invasion is a little outside of your wheelhouse.
”

David took a sip of his lager. Maybe he was biting off a little more than he could chew. But what other option did he have? Prospect was his second home and Windcorp and the Feds were going to use it to start their galactic conquest. They had killed countless thousands in the past two days and would continue to do so unless someone did something. And they had killed Alana.

As if he was reading his mind, Chief broke the silence.
“
You never did tell me what happened to Ramirez, man. You two were practically attached at the hip.
”

David
’
s face turned sullen.
“
She
’
s gone.
”

Chief nodded, expecting the answer.
“
I
’
m sorry man. She was a hell of a Marine.
”

David just nodded.

“
The Feds?
”

Images swirled through David
’
s head. He saw Castle
’
s face, laughing hysterically, and then Alana dropping to the deck, a bullet in her head. Castle laughed harder, and David felt helpless. The blood pooled beneath her, filling the room. Soon David
’
s mind was filled with it.

“
Hey, kid,
”
Chief said, snapping him back to reality.

David looked at him.
“
It was Castle.
”

“
Castle? That sick asshole
’
s still alive?
”

He nodded.
“
He works for Windcorp now. I almost killed him, but the snake slithered away. He
’
s not gonna get away with this.
”

“
He killed Alana? Carp, if this whole thing is about revenge, I
’
ll be the first one to tell you, it ain
’
t worth it.
”

David knew the man was speaking the truth. The former sailor had nearly found himself incarcerated for life for an act of revenge. It had only been David
’
s testimony that had kept him a free man.
“
It
’
s not revenge, chief. I
’
m not doing this
for
Alana, I
’
m doing it because it
’
s what she would have wanted me to do. Does that make any sense?
”

“
It
’
s a fine line. Revenge consumes you, trust me. Don
’
t let it take hold of you, kid. You
’
ll never be the same.
”

David told himself once again that Alana would want him to do the right thing, and bringing the Feds and Windcorp to their knees was the right thing in his mind.
“
Don
’
t worry, Chief. I
’
m in control. This isn
’
t some crazy vendetta.
”
He finished his lager in one long gulp.
“
I
’
m gonna get some sleep. We gotta be on the road in a few hours.
”

Chief finished his own drink.
“
Be careful out there, Carp. Those Fed weapons are no joke.
”
He picked up David
’
s empty bottle and headed out of the room.
“
But you were right before. The future of the galaxy may very well be on the table right now. If you need anything else don
’
t hesitate to ask.
”
With that, he left.

They left in the middle of the afternoon. Boldack had said it would be easier to blend in with rush hour traffic. Letsego, Carpenter, and twenty-one ICARUs soldiers loaded up in the stolen hover and made their way out of Haverford. To Letsego
’
s surprise, Boldack had offered to house the wounded until they were mission capable again. After seeing what the Titan weapons could do, the man had seemed much more in support of the Peacekeepers
’
cause. He had helped Field Sergeant Nobal move the five wounded soldiers into a back room of his apartment where there were ample medical supplies and rations for a few weeks. They would hunker down there, under Boldack
’
s protection until either they could rendezvous with the rest of the platoon or the fleet returned.

It didn
’
t take long to get out of Haverford. The normal traffic flow was dwindling because of the occupation. Citizens were choosing to lock their doors and wait for the worst of it to blow over.

While Carpenter and the rest of the soldiers sat uncomfortably in the cargo area of the hover, Letsego sat in the cab, wearing captured Federation armor. Next to him, also wearing Fed armor, was Private First Class Chu who was driving. He had been chosen for his ability to speak Chinese. If they got pulled over Letsego wanted someone who could speak the standard language of their enemy. Hopefully the young soldier could bluff his way out of a full inspection.

At the edge of Haverford they passed the first checkpoint. Chu gave the Federation trooper their stolen transit pass and said a few things in Chinese. The trooper paid little attention, swiped the pass, handed it back to Chu, and waved them out the gate.

They merged into one of the many hover lanes, which was practically devoid of traffic. Letsego was navigating. His work in Peacekeeper intelligence had made him relatively familiar with Prospect
’
s hoverways. Windham City was about a thousand kilometers away, which would take them just over five hours if they didn
’
t encounter any resistance.

The first three and a half hours were uneventful. The scenery of the Dusk Zone passed under the hover as it traveled southwest. Letsego stared out at the crimson sky, for an instant letting himself forget about the looming war. From here, overlooking the plains and forests of the Dusk Zone, Prospect was a planet of immense beauty. The red twilight touched everything the eye could see. Combined with the tinted, wild terrain, the exotic view rivaled any sunset Letsego had ever seen on Earth.

But then the picturesque scene was disrupted by white, flashing lights.
“
Ah, staff sergeant?
”
Chu said with concern.

Letsego checked the rearview camera. There were two Federation patrol craft approaching from the rear. Their loudspeakers started blaring in Chinese.

“
They
’
re telling us to land,
”
Chu translated.

Letsego nodded and pointed at a clearing.
“
Put us down there. And remember there
’
s nothing to worry about.
”

Chu set the hover down gently in the clearing and one of the patrol craft did the same. The other stayed aloft, ensuring the truck could not run. One of the Federation patrolmen dismounted and walked to the driver
’
s side window. He said something in Chinese. Chu responded and handed the man the tablet containing the transit pass. The Fed inspected it.

“
K
ā
it
à
.
”
He nodded towards the rear of the truck. He wanted to look at their cargo. Chu hesitated a second, then nodded and got out. Letsego did the same, slipping his pistol from its holster as he did so. If this didn
’
t work they would have to get out of here quickly.

Letsego met Chu and the patrolman at the rear of the truck. Chu was inputting the access code for the hatch. He hit enter and the double doors whooshed open.

“
What the hell?
”
the patrolman said in Chinese. Letsego understood that phrase.

Inside the cargo area were stacks of large, composite barrels. The intergalactic symbol for radioactive material was plastered on the side of each one. A sweaty and pungent odor came from them.

In Chinese, Chu began to explain. They were transporting spent fuel from Haverford
’
s power plant to the waste station in Windham City. Despite the invasion, the shipment still had to go through before the waste ate through the barrels. That last comment made the patrolman furrow his brow. He said another phrase and pointed at the barrels.

Chu started waving his arms frantically. The man apparently wanted him to open up one of the barrels and show him. Chu shook his head and pointed at one of the barrel labels.
“
DO NOT OPEN
”
was written in English in big block letters. The patrolman was clearly not happy with that. However, there wasn
’
t much he could do, unless he wanted to be exposed to harmful radiation.

Reluctantly, the patrolman nodded for Chu to close the hatch. As the ICARUs soldier did so, Letsego let his sidearm slide harmlessly back into its holster. Five minutes later, he and Chu were back in the air and there were no Feds in sight.

They pulled up in an alley about three blocks from the Windcorp freight terminal in Windham City. They had passed into the city with little resistance from the Windcorp Security Forces posted around the outskirts. The Windcorp employees had clearly been told that they were subordinate to any Federation forces they dealt with. A few empty threats from Letsego, in his Fed armor, and the cargo hover gained access to the city without a thorough inspection.

In the alley, Letsego and Chu dismounted and went to the rear of the truck. Once they were sure there were no prying eyes around, they opened the cargo area. Chu hopped up and opened the first barrel. Slowly, Lieutenant Gnasher
’
s head emerged from within.

“
We clear, Chu?
”

The PFC nodded.
“
Yes, sir. Welcome to Windham City.
”

Gnasher climbed out, and together the three of them opened the other barrels. Behind every lid was an ICARUs soldier in full combat gear. The disguise had been Letsego
’
s idea. He figured that if they were stopped there were a few types of cargo that the Feds would have no interest in inspecting, nuclear waste being one of them. It had been easy to follow through with. Boldack had dozens of empty barrels in his garage, used by him to transport contraband, and with a little work on his tablet creating false labels for the barrels, the scheme was complete.

Letsego had the privilege of opening Carpenter
’
s barrel.
“
We there yet?
”
the smuggler questioned as he stood up. Letsego nodded.
“
Good,
”
Carpenter said.
“
And for the record, next time you get to play the role of contortionist.
”

Once all of the men were free from their confines, they disposed of the barrels in the alley and climbed back into the truck. Their final destination was within the freight terminal, and Letsego hoped that the Federation authority that had worked on the Windcorp troops outside of the city would also work on the freight terminal guard.

Letsego and Chu climbed back in the cab, with the rest of the group still in the cargo area, poised to strike if the plan went south. Letsego was driving now. Windcorp troopers spoke English, and he would rather deal with the guards directly than leave it up to Chu.

He pulled up at the vehicle gate for the freight terminal. Two troopers stepped out of a guard hut and approached the hover, rifles at the ready.