Never Surrender (The Empire's Corps Book 10) (9 page)

High overhead, she heard the sound of thunder.  Darkness descended rapidly, followed by a pouring shower that rapidly drenched all of them.  Jasmine took Kailee’s arm as she started to slip and slide as the ground turned to mud, then helped her along the way as the rainfall grew heavier.  Small animals appeared from nowhere, running around their feet, then vanishing back into the undergrowth as the rain finally came to an end.  She glanced up and saw chinks of sunlight peeking through the canopy.

“They should call this world Rainfall,” Stewart muttered.  “Or simply Wet.”

“Wetter Than Thou,” Watson offered.

“There are supposed to be places where it doesn’t rain,” Darrin said.  He looked to be coping with the walk better than Jasmine had expected, for someone from Earth.  “But most settlements were built in the tropical zone.”

Stewart glanced back at him.  “Do you know why?”

“Some of the earlier settlers preferred to use boats and fish rather than farm,” Austin said, “or so I was told.  There was definitely some confusion over the best place to set up farms and settlements.  But we actually have two harvests in a year and plenty of other advantages, living here.  There’s just an awful lot of rainfall.”

They stopped long enough to eat ration bars and take a drink of water, then resumed the hike as water splashed down around them.  Jasmine found herself almost enjoying the march, despite the weight on her shoulders and the need to keep a constant eye on Kailee, who seemed to have withdrawn completely into herself.  It was surprisingly like her homeworld, apart from the ever-pouring rain.  She felt a touch of homesickness, which she pushed away savagely.  She’d known she might never see her home and family again even before she was sent to Avalon.

“We’re approaching the first campsite,” Austin said.  “Do you want to set up here for the night or carry on for another hour?”

Jasmine glanced at Kailee.  “Stay here, I think,” she said.  The Marines could have gone on for several hours, but Kailee was not in a good state and Darrin didn't look much better.  “We can press on tomorrow.”

“No campfire, of course,” Darrin said.  He gave Austin a tired smile.  “Do we at least get to sing songs?”

“Yep,” Stewart said.  He threw back his head and started to bellow.  “Oh, up in the north, there lived a great ...”

“I think they’re not old enough to hear that song,” Jasmine interrupted, quickly.  It started out as rude and went downhill from there.  “And besides, you can't sing.”

“Of course I can,” Stewart objected.  “I’ll have you know the Drill Instructors wanted to turn  my singing into a training tool.  They were going to play it to young recruits who weren’t showing enough enthusiasm.”

“And there I was thinking it was going to be played to prisoners,” Watson said, as they entered the clearing.  “A few hours of hearing your caterwauling and they’d be begging us to let them confess.”

Jasmine concealed her amusement as she unslung her pack, then started to dig out the tent while Kailee collapsed to the ground.  She’d have very sore feet in the morning, Jasmine suspected, remembering her first week at Boot Camp.  There had been odd bruises popping up all over her body until she’d grown used to pushing herself to the limits.  And Kailee hadn't had a chance to walk for nearly five years.

“We can’t set up a fire,” Austin said, once the two tents were erected.  “There’s too great a risk of attracting attention.  But I suppose we could sing, if you wanted.”

A loud peal of thunder split the sky.  “I think God is saying no,” Watson said, with a rude snicker.  “And some of us should really get some sleep.”

“True,” Jasmine agreed.  She dug more ration bars out of her bag and ate one, then practically force-fed a second bar to Kailee.  The younger girl looked unhappy, but reluctantly ate and then took a swig of water and a handful of pills.  “I’ll put Kailee to bed, then get some sleep myself.  Carl, if you take watch, wake me up in four hours and I’ll take over from you.”

“Understood,” Watson said.  He hefted his rifle, then sat down outside the larger tent.  “Do you think we’re in any danger?”

“There used to be quite a bandit camp up here,” Austin said.  He picked up a shovel, obviously intent on finding somewhere to answer the call of nature.  “There may still be stragglers, if they escaped the sweep afterwards.”

Jasmine leaned forward.  “What happened to them?”

Austin shrugged.  “Most of them were indentured prisoners who fled rather than work off their debts,” he said.  “I have a feeling that any survivors would have tried to hide, rather than attack the newer settlements.  But I honestly don’t know for sure.”

“Keep a sharp eye out,” Jasmine ordered, as the rain started to fall once again.  She urged Kailee into the tent, then sighed.  They were going to have a damp night.  “And wake me in four hours.”

The following morning, after eating a brief breakfast, they started on their way again.

Chapter Nine

And when this happened, civilians died.  They were shot down by advancing troops, who believed them to be insurgents or terrorists. 

- Professor Leo Caesius. 
The Empire and its Prisoners of War.

Meridian, Year 5 (PE)

There were few times in Gary’s life that he could honestly say he’d lived without fear.

Maybe he had felt no fear as a newborn baby, when he’d been too young to realise the dangers of growing up on Earth, but that time had passed too quickly.  No one had defended him at school, no one had stood up for him ... not when it was safer to side with the bullies, instead of the unpopular loner.  He’d never gone a day without someone doing something to him and he had known, one day, that eventually they would kill him.  And he’d worked hard to escape, only to find himself on Meridian.

There had been a time when he’d felt safe, after Barry’s death.  But it hadn't lasted.  The Wolves had taken Kailee from him, using her as a hostage to force him to work for them, which had made him a collaborator with an occupying force.  It wouldn't be long before someone put a bullet in him, thinking they were striking back against the Wolves.  The looks of hatred he received every time he went to the city were quite bad enough.

He looked around the spaceport control room, feeling bitter hatred as he stared at the equipment.  None of it was remotely modern; Meridian had never bothered to invest in a large spaceport, not when there was only a small stream of colonists coming down from the Empire.  They’d even thought they would be completely isolated once the Empire had collapsed, leaving them alone.  But the Wolves had had other ideas.  Meridian could work for them ... or it could be bombarded into ruins.  And then they’d taken hostages to force people to collaborate.

There had been times when he’d considered destroying the equipment and killing himself, but he’d known he wouldn't be able to do that to Kailee.  She’d been the only girl to show any real interest in him, after they’d arrived on Meridian.  And he’d been happy in her arms, even when she cried at night, until she’d been taken away.  He couldn't condemn her to death by refusing to follow orders ...

He pulled himself to his feet and glared out of the window.  There was really nothing to the spaceport, apart from a pair of wooden hangers, a tank of shuttlecraft fuel and a tiny control tower.  One man could handle most of the spaceport’s operations by himself, if he was prepared to work hard; Gary had found it quite satisfying, before the Wolves had arrived and forced him to work for them.  Now, he was effectively their slave. 

Shaking his head, he walked to the door and clambered down the ladder to the ground floor.  The building had always struck him as incomplete - there were arrival halls that were nothing more than bare rooms, not even painted to welcome newcomers - but it wasn't as if anyone was interested in finishing the job of preparing the spaceport.  Meridian didn’t want new settlers and had been trying to discourage them, before the Empire had fallen into ruins and their final links to Earth had been severed.  At least the Wolves hadn't done more than set up POW camps and insist the prisoners be fed regularly.  They hadn't dumped more settlers on Meridian.

That will come
, he thought, morbidly.  Meridian had excellent long-term prospects, once the current unpleasantness - whatever it was - settled down.  Wolfbane could dump a few hundred thousand settlers on the planet and to hell with what the prior settlers wanted.  There would be resistance, of course, but what would it matter?  Wolfbane could just hammer the planet from orbit until the battered survivors surrendered and begged for mercy.

He peered into the empty hanger, then started the walk to his cabin, on the edge of the spaceport.  He’d moved in shortly after Kailee had been taken, both to be closer to the spaceport and to be well away from the city.  Darrin and Austin visited, from time to time, but no one else did, not when they distrusted him on principle.  Even if he hadn't been
evil
, they knew he had someone held hostage for his good behaviour.  How could they know how he would react to finding someone in his house?

A gust of warm air blew into his face, followed by a scattering of raindrops.  The sky was clouding over rapidly, once again.  He hoped, sadistically, that one of the Wolves was flying a shuttle through the planet’s atmosphere, even if the odds of a crash were very low.  There would be some turbulence, he was sure, which would make the flight unpleasant.  But then, the flying doctor might have to fly to a medical emergency ... and that would be very far from pleasant.

He paused at the gate, then peered inside.  Darrin was standing by the doorway to the cabin, waiting for him.  Gary hesitated - part of him would always be scared of Darrin, even though he’d never been the worst of Gary’s tormentors - and then pushed the gate open, striding into his garden.  There had actually been next to no time to actually take care of the garden; he was mildly surprised that anything grew, given his lack of attention.

“Gary,” Darrin called.  “I have a surprise for you inside.”

Gary blinked.  The settlers believed, firmly, that a man’s home was his castle.  No one, but no one, stepped inside without permission.  He would have been quite within his legal rights to shoot anyone who entered, even if they had only come to beg for a cup of sugar.  For Darrin to put something inside his house without permission ... Darrin might have been born on Earth, like Gary himself, but it was still odd.  He should have learned better even before Barry had met his final end.

“You put something inside my house?”  He asked.  “What?”

“Come and see,” Darrin said.  “I think you’ll like it.”

Gary eyed him suspiciously - the last time he’d been told anything like that, it hadn't been remotely pleasant - then stepped through the door and into the house.  It was a tiny cabin; the living room and the kitchen were combined, while the bedroom was tiny and the bathroom was barely large enough for a shower.  But it was large enough for him ... he looked at the sofa, then stopped dead.  Kailee was sitting there, staring back at him.

“Kailee,” he said.  “I ...”

He ran across the room and enfolded her in his arms.  For a moment, she didn't respond, then she hugged him coolly, almost robotically.  Gary hesitated, unable to avoid thinking that she had fallen out of love with him, then held her gently.  Her entire body was quivering slightly, as if she were terrified.

“I brought another guest,” Darrin said.  “She’s waiting around the back.”

Gary wanted to talk to Kailee, but he suspected Darrin wasn't going to wait.  “Show her in,” he said, as he slowly let go of his lover.  “I’ll put the kettle on.”

Darrin nodded and slipped out of the door.  Moments later, he returned with another newcomer, a dark-skinned woman with very unfeminine features.  If Gary hadn't known better, if Darrin hadn't told him, he would have taken the newcomer for an oddly-shaped man, rather than a woman.  Her face wasn't conventionally pretty and her body was surprisingly masculine.  And her arms, what little he could see of them, were heavily muscular.

“My name is Jasmine,” she said.  Her accent clearly wasn't local - or Earther.  It didn't sound like anything he’d heard from the Wolves either.  “I think we need to talk.”

“Dear God,” Gary said.  It all made sense now.  “You’re from one of the camps!”

“I told you he was smart,” Darrin said, mischievously. 

Gary shot him a sharp look, then busied himself making a pot of hot tea.  Real tea was rare on Earth, but it was surprisingly common on Meridian and everyone drank it throughout the day.  Even making tea had become a ritual, something that gave him time to think.  He picked up a packet of biscuits, then looked around for cups.  Luckily, he had a handful of mugs he’d taken from his old home, enough for all four of them.  He poured the water into the teapot, then placed it on the table in front of the sofa.

“I would have preferred not to drop in on you like this,” Jasmine said.  “However, given your position, we need your help.”

Gary nodded, then started to pour the tea.  He had a feeling he knew what was coming.

“I have sugar as well as milk,” he said.  “What would you like in yours?”

“Just milk,” Jasmine said.  She gave him a soft smile.  “My mother was always very fond of tea too.”

Darrin cleared his throat.  “When do you have to be back at the spaceport?”

Gary shrugged.  “There’s supposed to be another supply shuttle in a week,” he said.  “Before then ... me being there is more of a formality than anything else.  There's nothing to do, but study manuals and tinker with the computers.”

Jasmine sipped her tea thoughtfully.  “And can you do much with the computers?”

“Not enough,” Gary admitted.  “They might have been designed for bad weather, but there are limits.  I think we will start losing them within a couple of years.”

Darrin scowled.  “You can't fix them?”

“No,” Gary said, flatly.  “I have neither the tools nor the expertise to fix the computers, should they suffer any physical problems.”

He shook his head.  What was the point of explaining, to Darrin, just what it took to build a computer?  Meridian’s industrial base was laughable; it produced farm tools, a handful of primitive vehicles and little else.  Even the dump of HE3 would have to be resupplied, eventually, from off-world.  When - if - the fusion plant near the city failed, that would be the end, unless it could be replaced.  It wasn't designed to allow someone to repair it in place.

“I thought you were good with computers,” Darrin said. 

“Not
that
good,” Gary admitted.  “I can do basic programming, which is more than I could do on Earth, but I certainly can't replace missing components.”

Jasmine held up a hand.  “Let me be blunt,” she said.  “We need to know everything you know about the enemy, then we can start making plans.”

Gary looked her in the eye.  “And if I don’t help you, Kailee suffers?”

“No,” Jasmine said.  Oddly, Gary believed her.  “But there will come a time when they realise she’s not in the camp.”

“I see,” Gary said. 

He swallowed, nervously.  The idea of risking Kailee was anathema to him, but now ... he might succeed in doing nothing more than implicating them both in resistance activities.  If they were caught, the best they could hope for would be immediate execution ... if, of course, the Wolves didn't decide to make an example out of a small farming village or two.

“You said you could read their traffic,” Darrin said.  “Do they know she’s escaped?”

“I don’t think there was any reference to escaped prisoners,” Gary said, after a moment.  “But they don’t
have
to route their messages through the ground-based transmitter.”

“We can, but hope,” Jasmine said.  “Tell me about the enemy.”

Gary took a breath.  “They have seven POW camps scattered over the continent,” he said.  “Each of them has around thirty to forty guards, none of whom seem very happy to be living there.  There’s almost no contact between the guards and the local settlers, apart from food shipments.  They’re searched thoroughly before being allowed into the camp.”

Jasmine nodded, impatiently.  She’d probably heard it already from Darrin.

“They have the orbital station under their complete control,” Gary continued.  “The station was actually powered down and left in a stable orbit shortly after the Fall of Earth - I believe the original crew went elsewhere.  They powered it up again, attached a bombardment module to the underside and turned it into a base.  I believe there are forty or so crew stationed there, along with a handful of ... slaves.”

“Sex slaves,” Jasmine said.

“I think so,” Gary admitted.  The thought of Kailee being added to someone’s harem had horrified him.  Barry had gloated, openly, about his long-term plans.  They had been completely impractical, Gary knew now, but they would still have been brutally unpleasant for both Gary and Kailee.  “They took a number of girls from the planet when they first arrived.”

“Don’t they always do that,” Jasmine muttered.  “What about the other technical experts?”