Resist the Red Battlenaut (30 page)

 

Four
weeks later...

 

Scott marched down a dimly lit corridor with an M.P. at either shoulder, heading for the door at the end. He couldn't wait to walk through it and soak up the fresh air and freedom.

He hadn't had much of either one lately. After returning from Bellerophon Station, he'd gone straight into a detention center on Archibald--not exactly a prisoner, but not really a free man, either. The events of Redmageddon (that was what the media were calling it) had been so devastating and struck so deep into the Commonwealth's heart that Command had demanded interrogation of all the central figures.

Scott was about as central as they came, so he'd gotten the full treatment. For four weeks, he'd undergone a steady regimen of intense debriefings, questioning under truth serum, lie detection tests, and intimidation. The interrogators had come at him from every possible angle, stopping short of torture but just barely. The whole time, he'd never changed his story one iota. He'd clung to the truth like a shipwrecked mariner to a floating plank, and he'd ridden out the storm.

Now, finally, they seemed to be done with him. His release had come through, and he could get on with his life...whatever the hell it was going to be.

The M.P.s marched him to the end of the hall, and the one on the left smacked his hand against a glass panel on the wall. A bar of white light behind the panel flashed from top to bottom, then went dark. A loud buzzer rang out, and Scott heard the sound of heavy lock bolts unlatching.

Then, as he watched, the door slowly opened. Sunlight streamed in, making him squint--but he never looked away. He'd imagined this moment over and over for the past four weeks and had no intention of missing a bit of it.

When the door was all the way open, the M.P. at his right gestured for him to go. "Whenever you're ready, sir."

Scott nodded. "Okay." Heart pounding, he walked through the doorway with steady, measured steps.

He stopped on the other side, blinking as he adjusted to the brightness. A light breeze flowed over him, sweet with the fragrance of spring flowers, and he breathed deeply.

He was standing on a paved lot with walls on two sides and lush greenery up ahead. Thirty meters away, where the two walls ended, leafy green trees and long-stemmed pink and white flowers swayed in the breeze, beckoning him. It was the best thing he'd seen in four weeks.

At least until Donna darted around the corner.

The door slammed shut behind him, and he ran toward her. It was the first time he'd seen her since entering the detention center. She'd been interred and questioned there, too, though the interrogators had always kept them apart.

That had only made him think of her all the more. Knowing she was in the same facility but kept from seeing him had driven him crazy; he'd never longed for someone so intensely in his entire life.

Now, finally, there she was, leaping into his arms.

"Solomon!" She kissed him passionately, clutching at his face and shoulders.

He kissed her back with all that passion and more. His fingers roamed like wild animals over her back and through her blonde hair, which had started growing out in detention. They strained together like it was the end of the world and this would be the last time they'd ever see each other alive.

Scott lost himself in the blaze of it, gave himself over to the all-consuming fire. It felt even better than he had imagined during all the lonely hours in his cell...like something out of a perfect, impossible dream.

When the first frenzied rush finally faded, Donna leaned back and beamed at him. "Oh my God, Solomon! I missed you so
much
!"

"I missed you, too." It was the biggest understatement he'd ever made. "I couldn't stop thinking about you." He went in for another lingering, ravenous kiss.

Neither of them spoke until Donna pulled away. "Someone else is here to see you, Solomon. They insisted."

Scott frowned. "Who?"

Her reply was to stick two fingers in her mouth, turn her head, and let out the shrillest whistle ever over her left shoulder.

A moment later, Perseid and Rexis marched around the corner and headed straight for them.

"Corporal Scott!" barked Perseid. "We meet again!"

Donna tried to move away, but Scott wouldn't let her. Instinct made him want to salute, but he wouldn't let that happen, either. "I'm not a corporal anymore, remember?"

"Really?" Perseid reached for a handshake.

Scott returned it, though he had mixed emotions about seeing him. "I lost my commission, remember? Back when I disobeyed your order not to go to Bellerophon Station?"

Perseid's frown deepened. "I don't remember that."

"You called me a traitor. You said I was finished." Scott bobbed his head at Donna. "You said
her
career was over, too.

"Seriously?" Perseid scowled at Rexis. "Do you remember any of this, Captain?"

Rexis smirked. "Hell no, sir. Not a word of it."

"I guess it didn't happen, then." Perseid shrugged. "So you're ready to report for duty, Corporal Scott? Or do you need a few days' R&R to bounce back from detention?"

Just like that, Scott had a second chance. But he wondered if there was more to it than met the eye. "What's the catch?"

"Nothing happened, right?" said Perseid. "Ipso facto, no catch. You just pick up where you left off."

Scott narrowed his eyes. "You mean I just go right back to my old Marine unit and all is forgiven?"

"No, actually." Rexis shook her head. "You're not going back to your old unit."

"But I thought you said..."

Perseid interrupted. "You're not going back to your old unit because you're a
Diamondback
from now on."

Scott's eyes widened. Perseid's statement totally floored him. Of all the things he'd expected him to say, that hadn't been one of them. "A Diamondback?"

Perseid nodded. "You saved the Commonwealth, didn't you? And untold billions of lives." Reaching into a hip pocket, he pulled out a silver Diamondback insignia and held it out in the palm of his hand. "I'd say you've earned it, Sergeant Scott."

Sergeant
. So there was a promotion in it for him, too...and a pay bump, no doubt. Perseid was pulling out the stops when it came to rewards.

"Oh, and did I mention your
medal
?" Perseid reached into another hip pocket and fished out a gleaming gold medal with a sword and stars inlaid in silver. "The Order of Zedsemene, in recognition of extraordinary valor in the preservation of the Commonwealth and all it stands for."

Donna hugged Scott excitedly. The Order of Zedsemene was a huge deal, the highest honor a Marine could attain. They both knew full well how much it meant.

Why, then, wasn't Scott more excited himself? Why, instead of a rush of pride, did he just feel a wave of anxiety?

"Congratulations, Sergeant." Rexis grinned. "I guess it goes without saying that there'll be a hell of a blowout to celebrate all this."

"Right." Scott grinned back at her, but he wasn't feeling it. For some screwed-up reason, he wasn't feeling it even a little bit.

"Here." Perseid stepped closer and held up the medal. "Let me pin this on you."

Scott surprised even himself when he shot up a hand to stop him. "No."

Perseid looked startled. "Would you rather wait for a formal ceremony? There'll be one of those, too, but I thought you'd like to have this now if you could."

Without a word, Scott held out his hand. Perseid hesitated, then placed the medal in his palm.

As Scott gazed at the gleaming object, he knew he should be thrilled to receive it. It was more than he or any man or woman his age could realistically hope for--and it held the power to shape his future. Without fail, Zedsemene honorees went on to become generals, admirals, senators, even presidents. And commandants, too...just like Bern. She had been a member of the order herself, in fact, though her membership had been revoked when she was thrown into prison.

Was that why the medal and the perks that came with it made him anxious? Was he afraid he might somehow follow in her footsteps and make terrible errors in judgment that led to disaster?

Scott thought about it as he turned the medal over in his hand. It felt wrong, somehow...and the longer he held it, the more wrong it felt.

Was it because he didn't see the outcome at Bellerophon Station as a victory? Because hundreds of thousands of people had still died that day before he'd shut down the array? Because he'd still lost his beloved grandmother, seen her replaced by a delusional extremist in league with Larvis Vore? And then, in appreciation of his hard work, he'd been locked up for a month, interrogated like a terrorist?

Whatever the reason, the medal felt wrong to him; he didn't want it. But he realized there was something he
did
want, though he didn't understand exactly why.

In point of fact, it made no sense whatsoever. It seemed to contradict every logical, reasonable course he could take. It went against everything he'd been taught to aspire to.

But as soon as it came together in his mind, he felt sure of it. The anxious feelings faded away, replaced by confident certainty.

"No thanks." He handed the medal back to Perseid.

Perseid scowled. "You don't want the Order of Zedsemene?"

Scott shook his head. "I don't want any of it. The commission, the promotion, any of it."

"Solomon?" Donna looked up at him as if he were crazy.

Scott just kept shaking his head.

"Whoa." Perseid put his hands up in front of him, palms facing Scott. "Slow down there a minute, Sergeant."

"Not Sergeant," said Scott. "I'll settle for Solomon. Or Sol."

"You've just gone through a lot." Perseid lowered his hands. "Why don't you think it over for a while before giving us a flat-out 'no?'"

Scott shrugged. "Don't need to."

"But
we
need
you
," said Perseid. "We need all hands on deck to pick up the pieces from Redmageddon."

"And who knows when the Civil War will flare up again," added Rexis. "Our truce with the Rightfuls could go up in smoke at any time."

"You don't need me," said Scott.

"We
do
," said Perseid.

"You
don't
." Scott shook his head. "But
I
need
out
."

"Maybe it just
feels
that way right now," said Perseid. "Will you just please think it over? Consider it a favor to me. I'll keep these safe until then." Perseid slid the Zedsemene medal and the Diamondback insignia into one of his hip pockets.

"There's really no need, Major," said Scott.

"Call me Jack," said Perseid. "And just humor me, okay? The offers are open as long as you need them to be."

"I still don't understand," said Rexis. "Why would you turn down a promotion, a commission with the most elite fighting force in the quadrant, and the Order of Zedsemene? Are you fluxed in the
head
?"

"I don't know." The breeze picked up, and the swaying flowers caught Scott's eye. He watched them for a moment, bobbing in the morning sunlight, alive in a way he hadn't thought of for a very long time. "Maybe it's just time to move on. Time for a change."

"What about you?" Rexis asked Donna. "Are you buying into this?"

"We've got a medal and a promotion for you, too, you know," said Perseid.

Donna thought it over. "Can I take a rain check like Solomon?"

"Absolutely not," snapped Perseid. "It's now or never."

Donna looked stung. "Really?"

"Just kidding." Perseid laughed. "Take all the time you need."

Donna laughed, too. "In that case, I'm with Solomon."

"So what are the two of you going to do next?" asked Rexis.

"I don't know," said Scott. "Make it up as we go along, I guess."

Perseid nodded thoughtfully and rubbed the scar on his left cheek. "You said it's time for a change. A change of scenery, maybe?"

"Getting away from it all?" Scott grinned at Donna. "That sounds about right."

"Then maybe I can do something for you, after all." Perseid turned to Rexis. "I think these folks deserve a decent
ride
, don't you?"

Rexis pulled out her tablet and tapped away at the screen. "The
Sun Tzu
just got out of the shop."

"Maybe something a little smaller." Perseid laughed. "After all, there are only
two
of them."

Just then, the detention center door swung open, and Cairn stepped out, blinking and squinting.

"Make that
three
," said Scott.

"What do we have for
three
then?" asked Perseid.

"The
Sun Bin
's out of the shop, too," said Rexis.

"Now you're talking." Perseid rubbed the scar around his throat. "Would you say they did all right with it the
first
time they took it out?"

"I guess so." Rexis shrugged. "If stopping Redmageddon and saving the Commonwealth from complete destruction count as 'all right.'"

"Then yeah." Perseid grinned. "Their track record with that one doesn't
totally
suck."

"Great." Rexis kept tapping the tablet. "Then I'll transfer control and have it moved off the
Sun Tzu
."

"She's all yours." Perseid squeezed Scott's shoulder and Donna's, too. "Go find that change of scenery and figure out what you're going to do next."

"We will." Impulsively, Scott reached out and squeezed Perseid's shoulder, too. "Thanks for the ship."

"You have a ship?" said Cairn as he ambled over, shading his eyes against the sun. "How about giving a guy a lift?"

Scott grinned. He hadn't seen Cairn once in the four weeks of his detention, and he was damn glad to finally see him now. "Which guy? And where to?"

"Come on." Cairn walked past and kept going, waving for them to follow. "It's a surprise."

 

*****