Osdal (Harmony War Series Book 3) (10 page)

There were leaders, but they were all puppets. No one knew who the real leaders were, or where they were.

Then they got to the EMF head.

“Right now, we have four hundred thousand people joining Earth’s Military Forces every month. In four months, we will have 35 million personnel in transit to Housapel.” The head of the EMF looked proud of her numbers.

Nivad knew them already, and he knew the plan. It wasn’t elegant but it was simple, something that he’d learned from the military texts. It was better to have a simple goal than a complex one.

Forty five limbo carriers had been awoken, trained on new gear and told of the situation on Fernix. To them, upon waking up, they had only just finished fighting battles across Earth and Her Colonies, from pirates to rogue colonies and everything in between. They would fly outside of Fernix’s sensors and patrols, and would send in their own operatives like the forces at Osdal were doing, then they would secure Fernix system, installation by installation, clearing out Harmony.

Fifteen Carriers close to Sol had been recalled to make up training staff for the new Troopers. Nivad had created incentives for people to start up ship yards and given the industry a huge push; two hundred and ninety Earth Military Force Carriers were to be built over twenty years. As soon as the carriers were finished and crewed, they were to be sent hurtling off towards Housapel. In four months, the last carrier would leave on the 51 year journey to Housapel.

By that time Osdal would either be back under Earth’s control, or Earth and Her Colonies were in for a world of troubles.

Nivad was already talking to the Osdal partnership about getting colony ships together to reseed the planet with working colonists. He was doing the same with the Fernix and Housapel partnerships, because when the EMF cleared the planets there wouldn’t be enough people to keep the systems productive. They needed workers, so another colonist drive was in order.

It was Nivad’s plan to group the carriers outside the systems, then rush in, fresh and ready for battle. They would clear out the systems, then as soon as they were clear, the colonists that had been shipped from Earth would move in and start getting the system back to work for Earth and Her Colonies.

Dalia was last to go. She dealt primarily with activities within Sol and whatever else Nivad wanted someone he trusted to look over.

“While people are angry with the war, they’re angrier with Harmony. They’ve seen the videos and they want to destroy Harmony. They’re willing to put up with a few hardships to get through the current conflict. Our ability to move items throughout Earth and Her Colonies is becoming pronounced. Fernix is the biggest ship builder in the EHC and it’s hitting us hard. Earth is the only other system that makes system to system ships. All of our production was focused on carriers and we have all of our freighters running full out, but Harmony has over sixty percent of our freighting ships. We’re reclaiming them slowly with carriers spread out along the main routes between systems. It’s slow, and to get all of those carriers back, it’s going to take decades.”

Nivad saw that fact was sinking into people’s minds. They needed to think beyond this war. It had taken a massive chunk out of the economy already, and if they didn’t plan it out then they could be stuck in a depression like after Earth’s World Wars.

“People are quickly looking to change to freighters, and the large companies are being slow, probably looking for more incentives from the EHC government. I believe it’s best that we give them some incentives, but also take a cut of the profits they make on the carriers. We’re going to need money later to keep the economy up as the impact of Harmony’s systems not supplying materials and goods hits us.” Dalia took a breath, not liking what she had to say next. Nivad knew what was coming, and carefully kept his features calm and relaxed.

“It will be another 24 years until the real impacts of Harmony’s uprising is felt. With the distances between systems, a lot of freight is moving while this is going on. Our deliveries for the next couple of decades are already underway, but after that it’s a mess,” she admitted.

“Start up a committee to look into past recessions and depressions. I want us ready to face that when it comes to it,” Nivad said. “We will have to keep people’s minds off of the woes back home and focused on our battles across the stars. Wallace has made a recommendation, and I agree with him.” Nivad looked to the man and nodded his head.

Wallace bowed his head at the praise.

Nivad continued. “The EMF will start giving out medals for actions in the Harmony War, as well as pieces for valor and injuries. Medals grab people’s attention and show that our Troopers are doing something. That said, I don’t want them to be handed out to just anyone. Wallace, I want you to look into medals and form another committee that will look into awarding them. Make sure that you have people that have been in real combat on the committee. I want those awards given to those who are not only seen as role models by the people, but by the EMF.”

“I’ll get it done,” Wallace said, looking to Nivad and then the head of the EMF. They nodded to one another; they’d talk later.

“Very well, let’s go win a war,” Nivad said, standing.

Chapter 11

Mining City Twenty-One

Osdal Actual, Osdal System

7/3266

Caroline woke to the sound of gunfire
again.
The Diggers had showed up twice in as many months since the first attack.

She felt the others in her lean-to shuffling around nervously.

“Just a runner,” someone said, the words passing around as people went back to sleep.

Just a runner,
she thought, wondering why she didn’t care more.

She’d seen so many people die over the months that it barely registered. Someone was running in the daytime, just so that the Chosen could end their lives.

They’d finally given up hope, and believed that dying was better than living.

Caroline hoped that they found peace, and settled back onto the hard Osdal ground. But something kept her from trying to sleep; something was missing, something was wrong.

Where’s Ellie?
She immediately she knew who the runner was.

“Oh no, Ellie,” Her weary body pushed up and out of the lean-to, and people grumbled as she opened the cloth coverings to look outside.

She saw the chosen sitting in their air car, and she could hear their laughing.

One fired at Ellie, who was only a few hundred meters away, and the laughing told her everything. They were
toying
with Ellie.

Caroline wanted to run over there and beat their heads in, make them dance as rounds flew beside their heads or at their feet.

She collapsed onto her knees whimpering to herself, angry at Ellie for leaving her, angry at herself for being angry at Ellie. But most of all she was sad, knowing that she was totally alone, that one of the pricks would hit her and then Ellie would be no more.

Caroline wanted to crawl back into the lean-to and curl up into a ball, pushing the world away, but she couldn’t move from watching Ellie walk away and jump as another round hit the ground near her feet.

She wished that there was something she could do to get Ellie to come back, to make this all a bad memory, to go shopping, to laugh and talk about which boys they liked and what they wanted to do with their lives, as if they had a real plan.

Another air car came down and someone stepped out, and the laughing slowly died and then stopped suddenly as the new arrival started barking orders. The shooters got into the air car and took off, heading for Ellie, and hit her with the front of the car. She collapsed on the ground. The air car continued on, guards getting out and walking back, Ellie was still moving.

No, just let her die, please!
Caroline might not agree with Ellie’s decision to get herself killed, but it was her decision to make. A bullet would be simple and easy, but instead they were beating and kicking her.

Caroline could only imagine the pain they were inflicting on the frail girl with their vicious kicks and punches.

Then they stopped, grabbed Ellie, and dumped her in the back of the air car, then turned around and headed for the lean-tos.

They dumped Ellie out on the ground in front of the confused group; they never brought the runners back, they just shot them.

“No more runners! You run we’ll get you over to the educators, and they’ll take
weeks
letting you die!” Caroline heard one of the Chosen said to the residents of the shacks. Caroline scrambled to her feet and headed towards Ellie.

“Fucking Earthers,” the man said, kicking Ellie again.

The air car took off and people continued on with their lives, no one caring about Ellie’s broken form. They had their own worries.

Caroline looked over Ellie’s body; her arm and ribs looked to be broken. Her face was swelling badly.

“Kill me, please just kill me,” Ellie said, her voice filled with pain, her body too broken to do it herself. She pulled a knife from her clothes, pushing it into Caroline’s hands.

She stole one of the Chosen’s blades!
Caroline thought, the blade trembling in her hand.

“Please, Caroline, please, I can’t do this any more,” Ellie cried, choking on blood and broken teeth.

The blade shook in Caroline’s hands.

It’s her choice, what can she expect? She can’t go back to work like this, they’ll never give her medical aid…
Caroline’s mind was a mess of emotions and cold reality.

“Come on Ellie, I need you,” Caroline said, her voice barely a whisper.

“No, you don’t. You’re stronger than me. I’m just holding you down.”

“No! No, you’re not!”

“Please,” Ellie coughed, spitting blood and teeth out on the ground, but her broken jaw didn’t allow most of it out.

“I can’t…”

“Do it, fucking
do
it you coward!” Ellie urged, fire in her eyes as they locked on Caroline.

The fire died and Ellie reached for the knife with her unbroken arm, fingers broken and bent in ways that made Caroline wince.

“Either you do it, or I choke on my blood and teeth.”

Caroline couldn’t imagine letting her friend die like that, and she saw Ellie’s finality. Either Caroline did it, or Ellie would find a way.

“I’ll do it.”

“Thank you.” The relief was palpable in Ellie’s voice.

Caroline wanted to yell at her for saying
thank you
at such a thing, but there was little fight left in her. “How do I do it?”

“Hit me in the temple, or the kidneys, or a main artery, just make it look like they killed me. Thank you Caroline, you were my best friend,” Ellie sounded peaceful.

Caroline couldn’t take it any more, and she drove her hand forward, the blade sinking into Ellie’s temple. The broken woman’s body tensed and then went slack, her arm falling and her chest ceasing to move.

“Goodbye Ellie,” Caroline said, tears running tracks through the metal dust on her face. She kissed Ellie’s head, pulling the blade out and wiping it on Ellie’s clothes. She tucked it into her sleeve and looked at her friend. After a few moments it was too much, she turned and left for her lean-to, remembering the times they’d hung out at one another’s living units, their parents also close friends.

Sure, they’d had their problems with school and parental authority, but looking back it had been perfect.

Now they were all gone, Ellie’s parents, Caroline’s and now Ellie too.

The shift siren went up, and Caroline turned from her lean-to to the parking lot of trucks. For the next 22 hours she’d be running ore from the mines to the processors.

The work never ended on Osdal Actual.

Chapter 12

Bandit Two

Entering Oort cloud

11/3266

It had been two months since they’d left Reclaimer, and even with their imparted velocity they were still heading towards the system at a decent speed.

For the last couple of weeks Bandit Two had been bleeding speed, approaching velocities that the freighter was actually meant to work at, not really suited to a system to system transport.

Everyone was thoroughly bored with one another; they worked out, practiced fighting, played cards, read and did whatever they could to keep themselves from being bored.

Thankfully, they had all gone through the training course with Combat Shuttle pilots so they were also working on their Shuttle qualifications.

It was easy enough putting the freighter into simulator mode and running them through the various tests. In return, the Combat Shuttle crew learned how to fight with everything from their fists to an AMR.

Hell, they’d even got bored enough to join in on the Vibra-Blade sparring.

Doing anything was better than nothing.

Thankfully, no one had decided to pack their bags with explosive spicy food, and instead they’d brought as much fresh food from the cafeteria that they could beg, borrow or steal. It gave them something to enjoy other than the bland food bars.