When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars) (78 page)

             
The hour approached quickly. Alexander Burton would die, and the Hammer would rise as the true power of the Terran people.

Chapter Eight

On the Job Training

“
All stations, Castle. I say again, Ca
s—
(static, end of transmission
)
”

                                                        General Burton Casey

             
                                          Supreme Commander

             
                                          New Eden

             
                                          2237

-
                           
I                            -

February 22, 2237

              Cameron set his flight plan and walked out into the passenger area. Jerry lay against the seats, floating in and out of consciousness. He held Ca
m’
s jacket against his stomach, the blood soaking clear through the thick wool. Adeline had passed out in a chair at the back of the shuttle. Out the window, the spinning blue tunnel cast haunting shadows. The pilot stared in wonder. That was a question his professors at the academy could never answer. Why did the light flicker inside that impossible spiral?

             
“Where is he
?”
Jerry spoke in a whisper. His eyes stayed shut as pain wracked his body.

             
Cameron knelt down, checking the wound. Black fluid mixed with dark red.
Live
r’
s hit,
he thought
.“
Someone put him in the emergency pod. I did
n’
t catch his face
.
”

             
“Arthur
,”
Jerry croaked
.“
His top aide. He shot me
.
”

             
The pilot nodded
.“
You need to keep up your strength. W
e’
re headed toward Eros.
I’
m trying to raise someone, but the transmitte
r’
s out
.
”

             
“It does
n’
t matter. Most of the Council is dead. The High Chancellor is kidnapped, and
I’
d bet my life it was Jonah. Ther
e’
s nothing we can do
.
”

             
Cameron sat down on the floor, opening a bottle of water h
e’
d found in the refrigerator. The ambassador, whoever he had been, had loved a well stocked shuttle
.“
Who takes over now? Wh
o’
s in charge of the government
?
”

             
“I
t’
ll be a power grab. Counsellor Doyle maybe, or one of the higher ranked Ambassadors. The Colonial Pillar has always been the weakest; the
y’
ll rush at the chance to take over
.”
He coughed, his chest heaving
.“
The military will use this as an excuse to start fighting on New Eden. The Hammer will start whatever they have planned for Earth, if they have
n’
t already. Face it son, this is the beginning of the end
.
”             

             
Cameron spat
.“
How can you give up? This is bad, but i
t’
s not over. We just need to find the right people and get control of the situation
.
”

             
Jerr
y’
s eyes opened and he smiled weakly
.“
Semper Fidelis
,”
he said.

             
“Tha
t’
s Marines
,”
Cameron laughed
.“I’
m Fleet
.
”

             
The chief of staf
f’
s eyes went to the ceiling as he tried to remember the motto
.“
We stand the line
?
”

             
Cameron shook his head
.“
Imperial Guards. I thought you were well-read, chief
.
”

             
Jerry coughed, a wet hacking sound
.“
Never served. Still, I should know this
.
”

             
“Well, you know the leatherneck
s’
at least. Army has
n’
t changed in four hundred years either
.‘
This, w
e’
ll defend
.’
Fleet has always been tricky
.”
He took a sip from the water bottle and settled down against the benches
.“
People think i
t’s‘
send the rain
,’
but tha
t’
s just from the movie
.
”

             
“Movie
?”
Jerry asked.

             
Cameron nodded
.“
Came out about ten years ago, right after the Colonial Delegation renamed the Navy. Had that actor from the Net show about marrying a robot
.”
He suppressed a snort
.“
Terrible show, but put him on the map. Anyway, he says that line about a hundred times. Now everyone thinks tha
t’
s what we say
.
”

             
“And what do you actually say
?
”

             
“Until the stars fade
.
”

             
Jerry managed a weary smirk
.“
You certainly have spirit, son. The military does finds the best and brightest. But this is politics. Whoever is willing to crawl through the mud wins
.
”

             
“So what should we do
?”
Cameron handed the water to the Chief of Staff, helping him drink.

             
“We wait to see what happens next. And we pray
.
”

-                           
II                            -

              Mar
a’
s hearts pounded in rapid succession, the beats coming and going so quickly they almost melded together. She paced the small room, her footsteps echoing against the bare walls. Things were going as well as sh
e’
d expected, which was to say abysmally. Ray had
n’
t released any information through his channels, at least to her knowledge, but she could
n’
t simply hold back from asking questions.

             
Sh
e’
d gone to her superiors, the Magistrate, aboard the golden Capital Cruiser
Xenogas
and asked point blank whether or not they knew of the deception their leaders had orchestrated. There was
n’
t much point in beating around the bush, not this late in the game. The
y’
d played dumb, but she could tell the information was anything but news. The Royal Magister cried out in his booming voice that a full investigation would follow, although the rest of the elders were strangely absent. Hours later, Mara had been woken in her chambers and dragged off to a holding cell. The guards had
n’
t told her why she was being taken, just that the order had come from high above. Someone in the Imperial court had noticed her inquiries and moved to silence them. That she was still alive meant nothing. She could be quieted permanently with little thought.

             
She had
n’
t been surprised. Back in the refugee fleet, outspoken critics of the government often vanished without a trace. Sh
e’
d never given it any thought, figuring that there must be a reason to remove such troublemakers. As long as she played by the rules the
y’
d never have a reason to take her as well. Now, sitting in the tiny cell waiting for death, all she could think about was Ray. Would the humans treat him the same? Would killing him keep the peace any longer? As she waited, she played the scenarios over and over in her mind.

             
The Boxti would take New Eden, probably costing the Terrans a few billion more lives. Even if that prompted all-out war, would it matter? She was a student of history, and the cards played out the same again and again. Civilizations in the sights of the alien menace did
n’
t stand a chance. No matter how much strength they brought against this threat, they would fall in the end. Even the Pharsamin, with their doomsday weapon, had perished. Anduin knew this. He had seen more than his share of species succumb to the same fate. Maybe, in his eyes, the loss of another race was acceptable if it meant the survival of the Nangolani.

             
Mara rubbed her temples, summoning her knowledge of the enem
y’
s war plan. After New Eden, the Boxti would search for Earth. Home planets were always the last to fall. Without a world to call their own, the humans would dissolve until nothing remained. It was a cycle she knew all too well. And there was nothing to stop them. They were apex predators, unrelenting in the attack. It would take the might of a hundred fleets to end their reign of terror. The Emperor would simply continue to run.

             
Her wrist pinged as the small chip inside came to life. She pushed a thumb into the soft flesh by her palm, feeling the resistance from the electronic device. Mara had planned ahead, sending out a message to those she felt she could still trust. It would
n’
t matter. Who would stand against the court? Who would risk their own lives for the truth?

             
In her tiny room, Mara waited for death. She knew it could
n’
t be far away.

-                           
III                            -

              “Dead
?
”

             
Markov grinned at his dumbfounded second-in-command. H
e’
d waited until the
y’
d checked the room for bugs before announcing his big news. He did
n’
t want this secret to be leaked to the troops just yet
.“
The majority of the Centurial Council, and more than a few members of the Colonial Delegation. All eyes are focused out there, and not on us. As of right now, the candidates are off the grid
.
”             

             
Sasha scowled, pacing the office. It was
n’
t a large room and there was too much furniture for him to cover much ground
.“
This is bad, Markov. If this was the Boxti, they could just as easily come here next
.
”

             
“They wo
n’
t
,”
the doctor said
.“I’
ve been monitoring the traffic overhead. There was a single alien band broadcasting last night, and it was
n’
t them
.”
He seemed practically giddy.

             
“Then who was it
?
”

             
Markov laughed
.“
Our silver-skinned allies
.
”

             
Sasha stopped and placed his face in his hands, sighing loudly
.“
Should we tell the soldiers
?
”