Sullivan Saga 1: Sullivan's War (25 page)

Sullivan pulled her into an embrace. “Thank you, Kate. With these ships, we’ll be able to transport hundreds of men to Edaline within a month’s time. If we do it right, we’ll have enough men on the ground to rally support for the cause before Edaline’s government knows what’s happening.”

“I’ll contact the pilots that my father used in the tests and have them fly the ships to Faris within the next few days. I’ll send one of my father’s private passenger ships to pick them up, and they’ll all return home aboard it.”

Hammond looked at his watch. “Our launch window is coming up.”

Sullivan and Kate kissed and held each other one last time. Sullivan broke off the embrace and turned to Allen. “Are you sure you won’t come with me? I could use a good man like you.”

Allen shook his head. “I’ve had enough adventure. Kate’s asked me to stay on as her personal bodyguard, and I’ve accepted.”

Sullivan put out his hand. Allen stepped past it and pulled Sullivan into a hug. “Be careful, my friend.”

Sullivan nodded. “And you take good care of Kate.” He hugged Kate again and followed them to the ship’s exterior hatch. He waited as they moved away from the ship, beyond the yellow markings on the tarmac and to a safe distance. He waved one last time then pulled the hatch closed. A few minutes later, Kate and Allen watched as the ship lifted effortlessly from the ground, turned its nose skyward and disappeared into the heavens.

AFTER SEVERAL DAYS, Allen began to feel restless. He’d made several sweeps of the penthouse, making sure it was clear of surveillance devices, and had replaced the standard locks with a dual mechanical and electronic locking mechanism. To break in, one would now have to defeat the physical lock as well as enter a code on a display screen next to the door. It could still be disabled, but it would take twice as long and trigger an alarm.

Despite his vigilance, Allen felt confident that with Harvey on his way to Faris in Sullivan’s care, Kate Alexander was no longer in any danger. He’d accompanied her as she went about town, reconnecting with old friends and tending to her father’s business. She’d also been working with a designer to redecorate the penthouse. The curtains, the furniture, the wall color; nearly all of it was to be changed. The only exception was Benjamin Alexander’s study. Her father had loved his study. As far as she was concerned, it was sacred ground, and she intended to preserve it exactly as he had left it.

When a week had passed, Allen rapped gently on the door to Kate’s suite. She opened it and let him in to the sitting room.

“Kate,” said Allen, sitting on her sofa, “when does the last of the ships leave for Faris?”

“They’ve all left except one. One of the pilots is unavailable until tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“Yes. Why?”

Allen licked his lips. “I thought I was ready for peace, for quiet. But I’ve been on the move for the past year and a half. To stay here in one spot for so long… it feels unnatural. I don’t know what to do with myself.”

Kate smiled. “I know. I’ve seen how restless you are.”

“If I didn’t think you were safe now, I’d stay. But as it is, there’s really nothing you need me for now.”

“Except friendship.”

Allen nodded. “Right. Except that. But I owe my friendship to Rick, too. And right now, he needs me more than you do.”

“I understand, Frank. If you want to go, please do. Don’t worry about me. My father had several good men on his security detail, and I know a couple of them fairly well. I’ll be in good hands.”

“Thank you, Kate.”

“I am curious about one thing, though.”

“What’s that?”

“Are you only doing this because of your friendship with Rick?”

“Why else would I do it?”

“What I mean is, do you believe in the cause?”

Allen hesitated. “I believe… yes, I believe that people should live free of tyranny.”

“But you wouldn’t have gotten involved in the freedom fighters’ cause without Rick.”

“No, I suppose I wouldn’t have.”

Kate put her hand on his arm. “The restlessness you feel, the wanderlust… when this is all over, what will you do then? When the people of Edaline are free, what then?”

“I don’t know. Why do you ask?”

Kate lowered her eyes. “Because Rick has that same restlessness. I worry about the future. Will he really be happy once this is all over, once he has to settle down?”

Allen smiled. “But there’s a difference between him and me. He has a reason to settle down. He has you.”

“I suppose so.”

Allen rubbed her arm reassuringly. “He’s crazy about you, Kate. He’ll come back to you. And if he doesn’t, I’ll bring him back.”

Kate laughed. “Because you’ve had so much luck bringing him in up to now.”

Allen grinned. “I suppose you have a point.”

“And what about you, Frank? You don’t have a reason to settle down. Do you think you’ll ever want a reason?”

“You mean do I think I’ll ever want to be in a relationship again?”

“Yes.”

Allen swallowed. “I don’t like to rule anything out, but Liz… she was the one, Kate. She was the one I was meant to be with.”

Kate pulled him into a hug. “Well, if it’s meant to be, you’ll find someone else like that. You’re a good man, Frank.”

He nodded. “I’ve had my doubts about that, but maybe you’re right.”

“I know I’m right.”

“It all depends on what I’m willing to justify.”

“Hmm?”

“Nothing. Just something Rick and I talked about.” He got up from the couch. “If I’m going to be on that ship tomorrow, I’d better pack.”

“I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you, too.” He hugged her again then went to prepare for his departure.

20

FRANK ALLEN DISEMBARKED from the ship and smiled at Sullivan, who stood waiting at the edge of the tarmac.

Allen walked up to him and shook the man’s hand. “Hello, Rick.”

“I have to say, I was surprised to receive the message that you’d arrived in the system and were en route.”

“I needed to do something more. Kate’s out of danger now. I was just idling back on Silvanus.”

“Well, we’re certainly glad to have you here, Frank.”

Sullivan began walking toward the heart of the mining complex, Allen at his side.

“How’s Harvey doing?” asked Allen.

“Bitching and moaning, but I think he’s starting to get used to the idea that he’s not going anywhere until I’m satisfied he’s no longer a threat. But I haven’t had time to think about him. I’ve been busy trying to shore up the compound’s security. They’ve left a lot to be desired. Say, last time you were here you didn’t get to see much. Granted, there’s not a lot to see, but let me show you around.”

They arrived at the center of the complex, and Sullivan stopped next to a large tower. “This was the administrative building for the mining operation. Now it’s our headquarters.” He pointed down the main thoroughfare of the complex. “Down there is the residential area. There’s one large apartment building that housed the majority of the workers and a few smaller buildings as well. There are only about four thousand of us, and the complex originally housed over five, so we have plenty of room to spread out.” He turned to face the other direction. “Down this way is where they had the workshops and stored the equipment. Beyond it,” he said, gesturing up at the rocky outcropping, “was the mine shaft. It’s currently serving as our ammo depot.”

Allen nodded. “The government of Faris has set you up nicely.”

“They have.”

“All of the experimental ships are here now, right?”

“Yes. We’ve set a date to begin ferrying men and arms to Edaline. The first wave will be dropped off in the jungle and try to evade Edaline’s troops until the second wave arrives.”

“How do you plan on getting past Edaline’s perimeter defenses?”

“Faris has helped us with that, too. They’ve agreed to forge flight manifests for our ships. With luck, Edaline’s port authority will just think we’re carrying cargo. Once the ships are within the atmosphere, they’ll briefly hover over the jungle near Agrona, the men will rappel down into the jungle and the ships will land at the spaceport. We have the name of a warehouse owner who is sympathetic to the cause. He’ll upload the appropriate forms indicating that the ships delivered cargo to his warehouses. They’ll leave Edaline a few hours later and be on their way back here.”

Allen nodded. “A lot can go wrong with a plan like that.”

“It can. And if it does, we’ll have to hope that the first wave can hold out long enough for help to arrive or for the people to rise up against the government.”

“I’m guessing you’ll be in that first wave?”

“I will.”

“Then so will I.”

Sullivan smiled. “It’ll be an honor to have you at my side.”

“A year and a half ago, who would have thought we’d find ourselves forming an alliance?”

Sullivan laughed. “Certainly not me. If I were a betting man, I would have….” Sullivan stopped talking and narrowed his eyes. He stepped into the shadow of the administration building and pulled Allen along with him.

“What it is?” asked Allen, lowering his voice.

“I thought I just saw… no.”

“What?”

“I thought I just saw Lieutenant Price. He was in command of my unit when I was in the special forces.”

“Could he have joined the cause?”

“If he did, he did so under a false name. I scoured the list of volunteers when I arrived, looking for anyone I knew. Come on.”

Sullivan began walking briskly back toward the spaceport. Allen followed behind. When they came within sight of the ship Allen had arrived on, Sullivan pressed Allen up against the side of one of the warehouses. “That’s him, all right.”

“What’s he doing?”

“Shit! He’s planting a bomb on the ship!” Sullivan drew his gun from his holster and turned to Allen. “Go back to HQ, tell them that we’ve been infiltrated and that there may be bombs set around the compound.”

Allen turned without hesitation and ran back toward the administrative building. Sullivan waited for a moment for Price to turn his back and then stepped out from the shadow of the warehouse and trained his gun on the man. “Price!” he yelled. The other man froze. “Disarm that bomb now!”

Price slowly turned around. A smile crossed his lips. “Richard Sullivan.”

“I said disarm it, Price, or I’ll kill you.”

Before Sullivan could react, Price dove to the ground and drew a weapon of his own. He managed to fire off two rounds as he moved, but the erratic shots came nowhere near Sullivan. Price pulled a detonator from his pocket, but Sullivan stood his ground and carefully aimed his gun. Just as he was about to squeeze the trigger, an explosion from behind him sent him reeling. His shot missed Price, who kept moving and disappeared behind the ship.

Sullivan looked back up the street and saw the administrative building in flames. Several bodies, some of them still burning, littered the street in front of the building. Sullivan hoped one of those bodies wasn’t Frank Allen, but he didn’t linger on that thought for long. The ship in front of him exploded, sending heat and shrapnel his way. Sullivan dove to the ground and covered his head as debris rained down on him. From other parts of the complex, more bombs detonated, filling the air with the sound of screams and the smell of smoke.

Sullivan shook off the shock and ran toward the flaming wreckage of the ship. Down the tarmac, he could see Price near another ship, at work beneath the hull. Sullivan slowed his breathing, took aim and squeezed the trigger. The shot met its mark and Price fell, landing on the detonator switch. The ship exploded into a fireball, engulfing the prone figure of Price.

Sullivan turned, leaned over with his hands on his knees and looked back up the street. Men were scurrying around the administration building, moving the dead and injured. Several others were unrolling a large hose while another group attached the end of it to a nearby fire hydrant. After catching his breath, Sullivan ran up the street to help with the effort. As he came nearer he slowed to a jog, then a walk and finally stopped. Sullivan dropped to his knees and cried out in rage. Lying in the street in front of him was a body. Lying in front of him was the crumpled form of Frank Allen. He reached down and shook Allen as the sound of the commotion around him faded away. He shook his friend, trying to wake him up, hoping that it wasn’t already too late.

BOOK THREE
EDALINE’S DAWN

I:
RETALIATION

1

RICHARD SULLIVAN STUDIED the ruins of the mining complex’s administration building. Due to the flame-resistant material used in its construction, the fire had burned but for a short time. Most of the damage had been caused by the initial explosion. But that explosion had taken untold lives.

He stepped into the gaping hole that was once the south wall of the structure. This was where the bomb had been set. The goal of the explosion was most likely to bring the building down, but it had failed; the superstructure had held.

Sullivan kneeled down and studied the floor, brushing aside dust and debris. The explosion had torn away the tile on the floor and scarred the concrete beneath it but had not penetrated to the basement below. He crossed the ruined lobby and took the stairwell down to the basement. Using the small flashlight he always kept on his person, he made his way into the server room that was the brains of the mining complex’s computer network. A steady hum filled the air, indicating that the servers hadn’t been damaged. Sullivan walked over to one of the consoles and accessed the database. He pulled up the personnel files that the rebellion had kept. Every person who’d joined the rebellion or even just visited the compound had been logged into this database. Price—the man who had set the bombs at the spaceport before Sullivan had taken him down—wouldn’t have used his real name. Sullivan would have spotted it if he had. Still, there were over four thousand names on that list, along with scans of the identification cards each person had displayed upon arrival.

Edaline to Faris was a fairly short trip, as far as those things went: a little over a month. Sullivan went back a month and began going through the records, this time pulling up the scans of the ID cards in addition to checking the names. After fifteen minutes, he had found his man. Price had come in under an assumed name. But there were three others who had arrived the same day, each individually but within a few hours of one another. He didn’t recognize them, but they looked like Edaline special forces; Sullivan knew the look well. He plugged his tablet into the computer and downloaded the information then made his way back up and out of the building.