Gunship (55 page)

Ty flinched involuntarily. Everyone got quiet.

“It’d be nice to get out just once, so we can maybe catch dinner with family or something…” Marek trailed off as Reilly looked at him, then looked around the room. Duv sat quietly on a chair by Ty. Even though he hadn’t said anything, it was apparent he was disappointed that Holly hadn’t stopped by. Frustrated, Reilly tossed down her cards. They all needed a break, and she wanted to let them have it. But she didn’t want to put them at risk in the process. They were her responsibility, and if they died, it would be because of a decision she made. She didn’t want it to be a stupid one.

“Shit.” She sighed and leaned back in her chair, rubbing her eyes. “All right, here’s what we’re going to do. Tomorrow, you all go into town for three hours in the evening, grab some chow, visit with friends. But you all go together, in battle rattle. I want blasters and rifles with body armor, and no one goes anywhere by themselves, not even to the bathroom. One of you goes to take a leak, you all go. No drinking, especially not you”—she pointed at Duv, who turned red and looked down—“and everybody back here by twenty-one-hundred. Don’t bring any strangers back with you that I have to shoot. Duv, if you run into Holly, you can invite her to come back. Marek, the same goes for Lee Roy.”

Duv had looked up hopefully and was grinning by the time the Captain had finished. Marek was also smiling. He loved the new crew, but he still missed his father and working with him in the shipyard. Now he could spend some more time with him before they left again. Lee Roy would be thrilled. He loved to hear the stories that Marek shared, so he would really enjoy sitting around with them as they chatted over cards, or maybe a drink if the Captain approved. They all looked back as Reilly began to speak again.

“Now all of you get out of here. Before you head out tomorrow, I want this ship ready to fly, so you’d better get some sleep while you can. I’m going to go do a final walk and then turn in myself for a bit.” Reilly mentioned the last bit for Tiny’s benefit. The Gaiden wasn’t buying it and shot her a skeptical look before heading down towards the medical bay to get Ty situated. As the group thinned out, Chang stood and walked with her as she began her rounds. The gunny knew she was still hurting. She had been fighting the walk past Jeremy’s old bunk for a few days now, so he went with her, just to get her through. She smiled her thanks at him and they continued on in silence, listening to the sound of the gunship’s inner workings as it lulled the crew to sleep.

—————

The next day flew by as the crew worked to finish their tasks early. Reilly and Trace reviewed final flight plans and resupply manifests to make certain nothing had been missed. Trace had just checked off his last list when Nado appeared in the common room.

“Sir, uh, there are some people outside wanting to talk to you and Captain Campbell. They said you’d know what it was about?” Nado sounded nervous.

“What people?” Trace asked as he shuffled the manifests into a pile.

“Well, sir, I’m not quite sure. It looks like half the town out there.”

Trace raised his eyebrows in surprise and concern as Reilly returned from the bridge. She immediately paused, taking in their expressions.

“Something wrong?”

Trace glanced at Nado and then looked over to her. “Nado says that half the town is here to talk to us and that we know what it’s about.” He already had a sneaking suspicion that this was something she had not told him about.

“Oh. They’re earlier than I expected. Half the town, huh?” Reilly nodded absentmindedly, thinking to herself. “All right, we’re coming down, let them know.”

Nado looked confused, but nodded and left anyway. Trace folded his arms, looking at Reilly expectantly.

“So what am I missing?”

“Nothing. I just put out a call for volunteers who might want to join our cause.” Reilly spoke briskly as she drummed her fingers on the table.

“Our cause,” Trace mused. “So you are taking on the war yourself?”

Reilly grinned at that. “I guess I just like to be prepared. Besides, we can use all the help we can get, and what other planet along the way do you know of that has more active or retired ISU troops?”

She had a point. Trace looked at her thoughtfully. She was already thinking five steps ahead of all of them. This was a group of fighters who she would control, outside of Commander Zain’s influence and hopefully free of implants belonging to Welch or assassins from Alton. He was curious to see how she’d deal with those challenges.

“None that I know of. This would be the best place to recruit new troops, especially if you don’t particularly trust our Commander.”

“I don’t.” Reilly gazed back at him for a moment, then gestured for him to follow as she headed to the bay.

When they arrived, Reilly was surprised to see that Nado hadn’t been kidding. There were close to eight hundred people milling around outside the gunship security perimeter. She stopped short, taking in the view. When the crowd caught sight of both of them, they hushed, waiting for her to speak. Reilly stepped to the back of the ship after a glance towards the crates at the front of the bay. Ty and Tiny could just barely be seen from their cover positions, watching the crowd intently through their scopes in case of trouble. The rest of the crew sat on the ramp watching, curious to see what was going to happen next.

A man at the front of the crowd called out, “Captain Campbell, we’re hearing rumors lately, lots of them, about a war with aliens and planets getting blown up and such. We heard you can set the stories straight. Is that right?”

Reilly stepped forward. “It is. In fact, that’s why I put the word out. I don’t have time to sugarcoat what I’m going to tell you, and as most of you know me, you already know that I like to speak plainly.” She paused before launching into the truth. This wouldn’t be easy. She cleared her throat and began again. “We are standing at the edge of war again. We are already out of time. Events may overtake all of us within the next days or weeks that will result in difficult choices, life-or-death choices. There are those out there who will attempt to deceive you, tell you tales that aren’t true or are made of twisted truths, trying to trip you up, blind you to what is happening. Don’t let them do it. If you do, you’ll find yourself enslaved or hanging from the short end of a rope very quickly.”

The crowd murmured and shifted as Reilly paused, gazing out at the sea of faces. She could see concern, fear, and surprise flit through the crowd as she chose her next words with care.

“Our enemy has a name: Razam Welch. He is right this very minute preparing to take over the AOC, even though up until a few weeks ago we thought he was dead. Everything you see from this man will appeal to you. He will tell you that a new war with the aliens is underway, that Commander Alex Zain triggered it because he wants to take over the galaxy, and that we need to unite under a unified central government for our protection. You’ll want to believe him, but I am asking you all: don’t let yourselves be deceived. I had the dubious honor of being held captive by this man recently. I can tell you because I saw it with my own eyes: he is preparing for war, and not against some alien race, but against us. The news you heard of a recent alien attack? This attack was conducted by an army, an army of implants that Welch now has control over. The ships involved were ISU vessels that were holocloaked to look like alien ships as they rained down missiles on the planet. The death estimate for that attack alone was over two million lives. Welch will tell you that Commander Zain is the true threat here. He is using the Commander as a scapegoat for the attacks, claiming that he has gone rogue and is trying to take power for himself.”

“And is he?” someone asked from the crowd.

“No.” Reilly shook her head firmly. “Commander Zain was authorized by the last remaining un-implanted members of the Forum to take charge of an ISU wing in case Welch managed to gain control. He is currently leading the effort to stop Welch and regain the AOC. Captain Callum and I are fighting with him.” Trace nodded, confirming Reilly’s statement for the crowd.

“What about the aliens? I heard that they have been seen across the demilitarized zone running patrols again. Is it true?” another voice called out.

“I’m not sure about the patrols,” Reilly said. “But we have additional intelligence that indicates Welch has made alliances with our old enemies the Vhax and may have also established an alliance with another alien race outside of our galaxy, something that was deemed to be impossible. When he speaks, Welch will claim he is raising a military for your protection and the protection of our galaxy. But ask yourselves this question: if the man is truly in favor of our defense, then why did he implant the majority of the ISUs and most of the senior leadership? Are these the actions of a leader looking to protect us and unite us? Or are these the tools by which he will subjugate and enslave us? Up until a few weeks ago, there were no indications that the treaty with the Vhax was about to be violated, no reports of enemy ships massing and preparing for attacks. The people behind these attacks are part of his implant army.”

The crowd gave a collective hiss as they took this in, and a dull murmur ran throughout the docks. Reilly paused a moment to look around. An old soldier leaned forward from the front of the crowd. “So you’re saying we might be fighting our own?”

“Yes, that is exactly what I am saying. They are our friends, our family, and our fellow soldiers. But as implants, they don’t know that, and they will fight as hard as ever for whatever goals Welch has set for them. They will kill you without a second thought and not even remember they did it, unless you kill them first. There is only one way to stop this. We fight.”

The horror of this new war struck home for the first time as the docks filled with stunned silence. Aliens were hard enough to deal with. Killing people who were acting under someone else’s control was sickening, but to possibly know some of these people personally and to have to fight against them was unthinkable. Reilly tried to clear her mind of the faces that drifted before her and focus on the task at hand. She pushed on with her speech.

“Welch has a lot in his favor. He will control the government and the majority of the military in a matter of weeks, maybe less. He has access to alien technology that he will not hesitate to use against us. And he has at least one but possibly two alien races willing to join him in gaining control of the galaxy. That alone makes me wonder what he has promised them. This may be your only chance to join up with the fight directly. Once war breaks out, I have a feeling it will be fought on multiple fronts. Our best chance is to gather what fighters and ships we can now and try to work together. If Welch succeeds in his plan to divide us, it will be too late. He will simply eradicate any pockets of resistance and move on until he has brought the entire galaxy under his control.”

“Maybe there is still time to negotiate?” someone suggested hopefully.

Reilly sighed audibly. “Even if there were, Razam Welch is not a man you can negotiate with. Either you are with him, or he’ll implant you if you have skills he needs, or you’ll be dead. The war has already begun and Welch has struck the first blow. Two million civilians killed to justify his actions in the AOC, to spread fear, and to get you all to fall in line with his plan. If we retreat or seek peace from this man, it will only be given to us in the form of submission and slavery to his depraved whims. No, I will fight just like I have always done when our galaxy has come up against those who would take away our freedoms and our liberties. Know this, though. The war won’t be clean or short, and it will be fought in amongst the people we are trying to save…and sometimes against those who are already beyond saving. Make your choice, but if you choose to fight with us, there is no going back. Welch will not offer you a choice if he discovers you have been working with me to defeat him. He will kill you and your entire family and not even blink. There is a good chance that many of us will not survive this war. But I’d rather die trying to take Welch down than be forced to live under his rule.”

Reilly spoke fiercely, her resolve evident. Trace continued to stand silent by her side, taking in the crowd, his own expression solemn yet determined. Shep made his way up to where they stood, an electronic pad in hand. Reilly gave him a quick nod before addressing the crowd again.

“We are leaving Roen tomorrow. If you want to join us, you have until then to make up your minds. Shep has a list of ships that have captains who have agreed to join us and take volunteers on board. We need fighters, mechanics, medics, logistics folks, people from all backgrounds. If you have military experience, then get your records to Shep and he’ll find you a crew. If you don’t have military experience but you have a trade, he’ll find you a crew and we’ll get you training in an area that you show aptitude for. No minors,” Reilly said as she stared down a couple of eager-looking teenagers who had made their way to the front. “You may get your chance in the future, but we don’t have time to take on anyone without skills right now. When we leave Roen, we may find ourselves in the fray pretty quick.”

Reilly avoided saying that she had no desire to see a bunch of dead kids on the battlefield, but Trace shot her a relieved look that let her know he was thinking the same. There may come a time when they would be forced to fight with the people they had, but they weren’t to that point yet.

“That’s all I wanted to say,” Reilly noted. “Thanks for listening.”

A number of voices shouted out
hooahs
or Death Adder and Nightstalker slogans. A few people came up to talk with her or Trace and shake their hands or ask a few more fearful questions. Many more, however, formed a line in front of Shep and began walking by, waving their handhelds to transfer over their records. When Reilly had no more questions or people wanting to shake her hand, she walked over to look at Shep’s pad. The digital screen showed forty-three ships and their manifests. As each volunteer came forward and swiped their information, the computer matched them with a ship and sent their assignments back to their handhelds. Reilly was pleased to see that of the captains who had volunteered, twenty-five of them ran gunships, either actual or converted like her old ship had been. She clapped Shep on the shoulder and thanked him before turning to walk over to a smug-looking Chang, who stood by the bay doors.