When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars) (79 page)

             
“What for? I doubt the
y’
ll lose sleep over a few politicians
.
”

             
“A few?
Eto pi
z‘
dets
, that was nearly all of the Centurial Council. Two Pillars wiped out at once, and plenty of the Delegation killed as well. This will end the government
.
”

             
Markov shrugged
.“
W
e’
re privately funded
.
”

             
“Would you stop? This affects us, whether or not you care to admit it
.”
Sasha threw his hands in the air
.“
New Eden is going to explode over this. The
y’
ll want to get in the fight even more now
.
”

             
“Let Eros fight its own battles
.
”

             
Sasha stormed up to the doctor, stopping inches from his face
.“
The military is
n’
t going to simply forget about us, Markov. They put a lot of money into the project. Helping in this fight is just a little important, do
n’
t you think
?
”

             
“We do
n’
t need the militar
y’
s support anymore. With the funds w
e’
ve already procured, this facility is self-sustaining. I can operate just fine without some general crawling inside my asshole every five minutes asking for an update. We can actually do some good, get the soldiers into situations that really need their expertise
.”
He put his hands on Sash
a’
s shoulders
.“
We wanted to be black-ops. This is as covert as it gets. W
e’
ll see where the soldiers can make the most impact on the battlefield and send them in. They turn the tide and are back before anyone knows what happened. I
t’
s what Josh and the others want
.
”

             
“They are
n’
t slaves, Markov. We have to treat them like soldiers
.
”

             
Markov scoffed
.“
They knew the risks when they signed up. They knew this was
n’
t a short-term contract. We own them. Ther
e’
s more classified material inside their bodies than normal organic matter. Basically, they are property
.
”

             
That stopped the sergeant cold. He stared at his friend with new eyes, unsure what to say. Was it even his old comrade inside that head? Markov had always been eccentric, prone to rash decisions. But this was madness. Sasha could
n’
t bring himself to speak.

             
“Look
,”
the doc said
.“
I know what yo
u’
re thinking, and this is
n’
t Phobos all over again.
I’
m fine. This is going to work. We wanted a black ops group, and this is as black as they can get. Crossed off the books by everyone. W
e’
ll operate with complete impunity
.
”

             
Sasha sat down, defeated
.“
And if they get caught? Or if one gets killed and their body recovered by the military
?
”

             
“The nanomachines will take care of that. I can write a program that will consume every shred of evidence. There wo
n’
t be a body to recover
.
”

             
There was no point in arguing. Sasha had seen this side of Markov before, back when the
y’
d first met. H
e’
d had to play it safe, let the doctor carry on, and find a way out later. He thought about the soldiers, what he would say to them. But there was nothing that would make a dent. He could
n’
t very well tell them what had happened. Sure, they would find out once they had access to a computer off world, but the
y’
d cross that bridge when it came. For now, he would continue their training and hope his friend came to his senses.

             
“Fine
,”
Sasha said finally
.“
Where do we go from here
?
”

             
Markov smiled, feeling h
e’
d won
.“
You are right about one thing. The war for New Eden is about to begin. If humanity loses there, they will be forced to come here. As that interferes with my work, we must not let it happen. I know exactly where to send the Archangels
.”
He held out his tablet, pointing to a map on the screen.

             
The sergeant rubbed at his scar
.“
Are they ready for something this big
?
”

             
“I
t’
s not the test run
I’
d have envisioned, but it will have to do. Are the Mark IIIs ready
?
”

             
“Yes, but Jos
h’
s team is
n’
t. They ca
n’
t control their descent well enough
.
”

             
Markov groaned
.“
Fine, w
e’
ll insert with the old gliders. Get the candidates prepped to move. I
t’
s time for some on-the-job training
.
”

-                           
IV                            -

              The entire Terran military held i
t’
s breath. All day long, the
y’
d received a play-by-play from the soldiers standing guard at the parlay tent, waiting to hear the fate of the human race. The alien
s’
demands had quickly spread throughout the ranks, stirring the soldiers into a frenzy. Some swore the
y’
d pay back the monsters for the genocide on Tallus. Others, the natives of New Eden, were eager to win back their homes. Not a one prayed for peace.

             
On General Case
y’
s orders, ground troops had begun preparing for the worst. Divisions took their positions around the Boxti fortress, weapon systems locking on and calibrating firing solutions. Shiva tanks took up battle positions behind berms and hillsides. Thor cannons, safely in the rear, locked onto scout signals and loaded high-explosive 300mm artillery rounds. Infantry reserves conducted pre-combat inspections and rehearsed their battle drills. Across the surface of the colonized planet, engines roared to life and vehicles began to move, preparing the massive evacuation Arks for launch. Fighters aboard the nearby stations were loaded and set on rails, pilots waiting in their ships for the go order.

             
The firecracker was set. It just needed a match.

*              *              *              *              *

              Ambassador Gutierrez wore her poker face well, but it was being tested. Sitting in the stifling tent with the Boxti warlord, she fought back the urge to lash out. Her mother had taught her that violence solved nothing, that any argument could be solved with the appropriate application of diplomacy and hard work. That sentiment had lasted until Mari
a’
s second term as a state Governor, when a Martian splinter group murdered her husband and son in a bus bombing.

             
Like most career politicians, Maria entered the Colonial Delegation with a sense of wonder. She wanted to make changes for her world, to mold New Eden into the perfect planet. Her optimism faded over time, replaced with the realization that politics, when left to its own devices, became as crooked a system as any other. Ideals could be compromised for the right price, principals were based on party alignment, and no one had the power to change anything on their own. But even with that knowledge, Maria had never given up on her dream.

             
However, all that was before an alien ship had landed on her front lawn and murdered hundreds of thousands of her citizens. Now, it was all she could do to resist pulling General Casey aside, grabbing his pistol and firing into the crowd of Boxti soldiers. Eruk, the four-armed leader of the invasion party, had allowed his translator to dictate the terms of the human surrender.

             
For everything they could be called, the Boxti were
n’
t greedy. They required no lands or money, only bodies. After a short study of the planet, thei
r“
Cleric
s”
had decided that the Terrans were barely worth the time it would take to conquer them. Rather than risk more lives in a prolonged conflict, the aliens would simply enslave a portion of the species to work off th
e“
blood debt
.”
After a period of hundred years, the humans would be allowed to compete for the honor of the Ruall, and be admitted as members of the Horde. If they served loyally for another three centuries, they could even petition for the honor of becoming a Cleric.

             
Maria had spent most of the da
y’
s negotiations trying to understand the structure of the alien society. It seemed to function like a caste system, all wrapped into a militant theocracy. At the top of the pile, a monarch called the Lord King reigned supreme. Underneath came the Enclave, a group of Boxti known a
s“
Clerics
.”
There were also Acolytes, and a group called th
e“
Paragons
.”
They made up the native Boxti, who had then gone on to enslave dozens of other planets. Most members of the Hord
e—
as the slave races were know
n—
were mere cannon-fodder. Some, like the warlord, could be elevated to a more dignified state.

             
The spindly creature, Shix, attempted to explain all of this in a way Maria could understand, but all it served to do was revolt her more. By the time the sun began to set, a monstrous migraine had developed between her eyes. She did
n’
t know what role she was supposed to have in these talks; it was
n’
t as if she had the authority to surrender the human race over to another civilization. Nor did she intend to let New Eden go so easily. She did the best thing she could: stall.

             
The warlord had just finished his speech when Mari
a’
s pocket began to buzz. At first, she was content to ignore it; plenty of people were calling her nowadays, trying to learn more about the parlay. But then her aid
e’
s phone rang. And the Genera
l’
s. And the rest of the entourage. The aliens ignored the sounds, packing up their gear and leaving the tent. The warlord rose to his towering height, leaning close to the Ambassador and wafting his musk over her.

             
“If that is your leader
,”
Eruk began in barely passable English
.“
Then he will decide now
.”
He crossed his arms and waited. If the look on his face was smug, the humans could not read it.

             
General Casey had frozen in place. He stared at his phone, white as a ghost
.“
Ambassador
,”
he stammered
.“
I think you need to see this
.
”

             
Maria checked her messages. Her hands shook as she read the text on her phone again and again, willing it not to be true. Then, as quickly as the shock had arrived, came anger. She stared at the stoic warlord, her poker face dissolving.

             
“My leade
r’
s decision will have to wait
,”
she said sweetly
.“
I am needed back at the rear. Planetary business. I promise, you will have our answer shortly
.
”

             
Eruk growled, angered by the sudden change in atmosphere. He barked at his translator, swatting the poor creature with one beefy hand.