Earth Awakens (The First Formic War) (10 page)

“The MOPs must have learned that Mazer and I were in your custody,” said Wit. “They did what they thought was necessary to ensure our safety.”

“Your safety was never threatened.”

“My men didn’t know that,” said Wit. “All they knew was that their commanding officer and fellow soldier had been arrested. By giving you the credit and painting us as allies, they made it impossible for you to harm us.”

Sima grit his teeth. “They lied to the world and made me look like a fool in front of my men, all of whom know perfectly well that I had nothing to do with the destruction of the lander.”

“If you’re displeased with the communiqué, sir,” said Wit, “all you need do is deny it. Go on record with the press that it’s false. Call it what it is. A lie. Tell the world you had nothing to do with the lander’s destruction. In fact, were it up to you, the lander would still be standing because you would have arrested every MOP at the border who dared to stick his nose in your country’s business.”

Sima glared at him but said nothing.

“But before you make such an announcement,” said Wit, “consider what will happen if you corroborate their story. You will be an international hero, sir. The world would forever remember you as the commander who struck the first blow against the Formics.”

“The world would remember a lie,” said Sima.

“The world will remember what it
needs
to remember, sir. We are losing this war. Global morale could not be lower. Earth needed this victory if for no other reason than to reestablish confidence in the human race. By taking responsibility, you would be doing your country and the people of Earth a great service. If you are worried about saving face with your men, tell them you had to keep the op a secret. Tell them even your closest senior officers were unaware of your plans. Tell them you
had
to conduct the op this way. You knew the use of nukes was illegal, you knew it would take your government far too long to approve such a strategy. Yet you couldn’t stand idly by while your own people suffered. You did what you knew you must. You worked with us privately and told us your plan. You couldn’t supply your own men to conduct the op—doing so would make them complicit in your plans, which you knew were illegal. And you refused to order your men to do anything that might lead to their imprisonment.

“But MOPs … well MOPs were another matter. They were already here illegally. They were already taking great risk and demonstrating tactical expertise. Them you could use. They could execute your master plan.”

Sima glanced at Shenzu, as if taking note that Shenzu was hearing all of this as well. “You’re suggesting I tell my men I blatantly disregarded my superiors and committed a treasonous act?” said Sima. He scoffed. “Yes, what a brilliant way to teach them discipline.”

“You’re teaching them what you value, sir,” said Wit. “You’re placing the lives of your people far above your career. Your men will love you for it.”

“I do not need to curry allegiance from my men, Captain O’Toole. Nor do I need leadership advice from you. You seem to forget that I had you both arrested. How am I to explain that in this elaborate farce of yours?”

“Say you staged our arrest because you were unsure how the Politburo or CMC would react to the nuclear blast. By publicly arresting us, you were able to take us under your protection without arousing suspicion. Had you openly harbored us, it could have been seen as an act of defiance. Arresting us is precisely what a brilliant commander who had orchestrated this whole operation
would
do, sir. It allows the government to calmly consider the situation and believe you are still their man.”

“I
am
still their man,” said Sima.

“Of course you are, sir. That’s my point. They now see the wisdom of your actions.” He gestured to the holofield. “One of those vids is your own state news site. The Politburo is already getting behind this. This is the event they have been waiting for. It sends a message to the world: China is still strong. China can win. They are making you a national hero. I suspect you have already received e-mails from Beijing praising you for your actions.”

General Sima pursed his lips and considered, a gesture that seemed to confirm Wit’s suspicion.

Shenzu stepped forward, bowed slightly, and directed his eyes at the floor. “General Sima, your humble servant requests permission to speak freely, sir.”

General Sima sighed and regarded Shenzu with a tired expression. “Say what you will, Captain.”

Shenzu stood erect. “General, you are more than justified in feeling wronged, sir. The lie the MOPs have broadcast is deceptive and unconscionable. It makes a mockery of our military and our dedication to integrity and personal ethics. I might also add, sir, that your devotion to the laws of our country is a great inspiration to this your humble servant and all those under your command who—”

“Get to the point, Captain,” said Sima.

Shenzu nodded. “Sir, what these men propose sounds wise to me. This gives China the victory we need. The militaries of the world regard us as weak and disorganized. Unless we prove them otherwise, their disregard for us will increase and morale will continue to decline. Taking this recognition is not a selfish act, sir. It would be the opposite. You would be doing it for the glory of China. It would be the greatest service you have rendered in a lifetime of selfless acts and accomplishments.”

“My greatest act would be something I had no part in?” said Sima. “Your flattery falls flat, Captain.”

Shenzu bowed, eyeing the floor again. “If I may also add, General, I would be happy to corroborate your story. If asked, you can claim I was your liaison to the MOPs. That would add credibility to the account. The idea that you contacted the MOPs and coordinated with them without any assistance strains believability, sir, not because you are incapable, but because your movements and communications are so closely watched. You would need help within the military to pull this off, sir. An accomplice. Preferably someone of my rank. As a captain I am high enough in rank to go where I please, yet low enough in rank that my movements would largely go unnoticed. Your more senior officers do not have that luxury.”

“You would lie under oath?” said Sima. “You would perjure yourself? Is that how little you regard your own honor?”

“My honor is my most valued possession, sir,” said Shenzu. “Greater even than my life. By validating your story, sir, I am protecting China. Is that dishonor? To preserve one’s homeland? To aid one’s general? I think not. I would consider it my highest honor to stand with you and protect your good name.”

General Sima rubbed at his chin and was quiet a moment. “And why would I choose you as my liaison?”

Shenzu kept his eyes down. “I have worked closely with the drill-sledge teams for over a year, sir. I know the tech. I also have a history with Captain Mazer Rackham, whom I brought from New Zealand to train our HERC pilots. Mine is a face he trusts. You of course knew all of these details, and thus called me into your office and gave me this top-secret assignment.”

Shenzu bowed again and took a step back.

General Sima turned to the vids still hovering above the table. After a long moment he turned back to Wit. “What of the traitors who gave you the nuke? They will obviously know I’m lying. They could come forward and contradict my story.”

“They won’t,” said Wit. “They were never going to come forward in the first place, but they certainly can’t do so now. MOPs have given you the credit. This is your victory to claim.”

General Sima studied each of their faces then came to a decision. “Very well. MOPs have been under my command for five days now. Captain Shenzu has been serving as my liaison.” He turned to Shenzu. “You will prepare a full report of the activity of those five days, Captain, with minutes from our meetings and details of my plans to destroy the lander.”

“Yes, sir,” said Shenzu.

“Make sure those meetings do not contradict my actual itinerary. I don’t want our fiction to have historical inaccuracies.” He turned to Wit and Mazer. “In the meantime, we need to find a place for you and your men in my army. How many men are in your unit?”

“Eighteen when we left them, sir,” said Wit. “Plus we have an eight-year-old boy in our company. An orphan. He sort of attached himself to our unit. We’d like to find him safe passage to a secure location away from the fighting if possible.”

Sima raised a disapproving eyebrow. “You’ve been fighting Formics with an eight-year-old child?”

“He’s safer with us than he would be on his own, sir,” said Mazer. “We don’t involve him in the fighting directly. We’ve done our best to protect him.”

“My army is not a daycare,” said Sima. “He has no place here. Nor can I afford to send a transport. The best I can do is find a place for him at Dragon’s Den, which may be safer than going north anyway.”

“Dragon’s Den?” asked Mazer.

“An underground facility a hundred klicks from here. It was originally designed as a safe house for senior Party officials and their families in the event of a global war. Several thousand refugees have already gathered there. Local villagers mostly. The facility is well beyond capacity, but we’ll find your orphan boy a cot to sleep on and food to eat.”

Mazer nodded. A wave of relief swelled inside him. They were going to get Bingwen to a safe place. “Thank you, sir,” he said.

“I’m sending you there as well,” said Sima. “Both of you.” He looked to Wit and then back to Mazer. “If you’re truly under my command now, as you say, you will follow my orders to the letter. Is that clear?”

“Yes, sir.”

“We have a team of bioengineers here in Lianzhou developing a counteragent for the Formic gas. The CMC is of the opinion that the team is too exposed here. Their lab isn’t designed to withstand a direct attack. If the Formics learned of their intentions and swarmed the facility, Beijing doubts we could adequately defend them. I have therefore been ordered to move our bioengineers, their equipment, and all hazardous material to a lab at Dragon’s Den. The bioengineers will continue their work there, underground.”

“You said there were civilians there,” said Wit. “Is it wise to bring a lethal substance inside an enclosed space where civilians are being housed?”

“The tunnels are vast,” said General Sima. “Civilians are kept in an area apart from the military and far from the lab. In the event of an emergency, the various wings can be sealed off from one another. It’s not an ideal situation, I agree, but this is hardly an ideal existence we’re living. You and Captain Rackham will join the armed escort taking the bioengineers to Dragon’s Den. The convoy leaves tomorrow morning at 0600. You will rendezvous with the other MOPs at Dragon’s Den and await further orders. Captain Shenzu, you will accompany the escort as well. Isn’t that what a MOPs liaison would do?”

“Yes, sir,” said Shenzu.

“In the meantime, escort these men to the hotel where the other officers are staying. Give them each a vacant room and a fresh uniform.” General Sima turned to Mazer and Wit. “The hotel has hot water. It’s fresh and uncontaminated. I suspect you haven’t had a shower and a good night’s sleep in quite some time. I suggest you take advantage.”

He crossed to the glass window and stood there, hands clasped behind him, looking west toward the river and the camp beyond it. Mazer was beginning to think they had been dismissed when Sima said, “Have you ever lost soldiers under your command, Captain O’Toole?”

“Yes, sir,” said Wit. “More than I care to admit.”

“And what about you, Captain Rackham?” asked Sima. “You’re young. Perhaps fate has been kinder to you.”

Mazer’s thoughts went to Patu, Fatani, and Reinhardt. Somehow he got the words out. “I have lost soldiers as well, sir.”

Sima nodded. “To lose a soldier is a type of death. A lesser death than the one that will take us all, but a death nonetheless. If we did not feel so, I suppose we would be unfit for command.” He turned and faced them. “I have lost upwards of ten thousand since this war began. All of them sons and daughters to me. If we do not stop this gas, this weapon of the enemy, I will lose them all. See to it that I don’t.”

CHAPTER 6

Reinforcements

When Victor awoke in the cargo bay he was weightless again, his arms floating out beside him in the air, his feet anchored firmly to the wall.

“Victor, can you hear me?”

A voice in his ear, over the radio. He blinked again, his mind still in a fog. “Imala?”

“You blacked out. Are you hurt?”

She was out in the shuttle. He remembered now. He had fallen from the cart, and his boot magnets had saved him. He had initiated them as he was falling, and he had kicked out frantically toward the wall until one of the boot soles had snapped against the surface and held. Gravity had swung the rest of his body downward like a pendulum, and he had slammed into the side of the wall with such force that he was certain he had broken something.

“Answer me, Vico. Are you hurt?”

“My ankle,” he said. “I think I sprained it.” The pain was throbbing and hot.

“Yes, it’s starting to swell,” said Imala. “I have your biometrics here in front of me. I’ll inflate and cool the area.”

Victor winced as the suit around his ankle filled with air and dropped in temperature.

“You’re in the open, Vico. You need to move. There’s a shaft near you. Can you reach it?”

Victor reoriented himself and took in his surroundings. The shaft was fifteen meters to his right. “Yes. I can make it.”

“Then move,” said Imala. “You’re near the debris, and one of the Formics may have survived the fall.”

Victor turned and looked in the direction he had fallen, shocked to see how close he had come to death. The wreckage from the human ships had scrunched together into a giant mangled heap, only ten meters from his current position. Had he fallen any farther, he would have impaled himself on a jagged piece of metal protruding from the pile.

Imala was wrong, though. If there were Formics in that heap, none of them could have survived.

Even so, he needed to get out of the open. He bent forward, attached his glove magnets to the wall, and began to climb, wincing in pain whenever he pushed off with his left foot. He reached the shaft, climbed inside, and concealed himself in the shadows.