Strong and Courageous Read online

  “Somebody got the rent-a-cops battle rifles. They should have invested in better armor,” he said with a cocky grin. “The next round, on the other hand, will be a bit more difficult. The base’s rapid reaction force should take a couple of minutes to get here, but they’ll know what they’re doing.”

  Ericksen looked up from her attempts to access the communication network. “Is anyone else coming to help us?”

  Fuller shook his head. “I was supposed to have three more operators with me, but our prime minister’s finest arrested them two days ago.”

  “Do you think they knew we were planning this?” Ericksen asked hesitantly.

  “I doubt it. Otherwise, there would have been an army here. No, they got lucky… but I’ll tell you this. It’ll take a lot more than Fitzroy’s goons to get my guys to talk. They’d die first. Now, how is it coming?”

  “I’m getting there. There’s a new security protocol for using the transmitter. I’ve got to remember how to do real work,” Ericksen said with a forced grin.

  “Keep pushing. I’ll deal with the hostiles,” Fuller said as he stepped back out into the corridor that lay beyond the security door, battle rifle up and at the ready.

  As Ericksen worked, there were bursts of gunfire, jolting her from her task, but after the first couple of interruptions, she realized that from somewhere deep inside, nerves of steel had taken over. Breaking past the first lockout, she glanced up as Fuller thrust the door open. He quickly stepped through, then turned around long enough to fire a long burst that felled the soldier pursuing him.

  “Well, that was fun,” he said, panting and quickly reloading his rifle. “Good news… they’re down four shooters. Bad news… they’ve got eight more out there. How close are you?”

  “I’ll be ready to open a channel momentarily.”

  “Okay, I’ll hold them off as long as I can. Are you armed?”

  Ericksen nodded, reaching behind and drawing the sidearm she had in a holster in the small of her back. “Standard issue 10mm sidearm. I shoot marksman every year,” she said with pride.

  “Yeah, you’ll get a chance to try that out against real people that shoot back. Not as easy as it looks.”

  The door swinging open interrupted the back and forth; a soldier in full combat gear loomed in the entryway, but Fuller was quick. Before Ericksen could even send the command to her hand to raise the sidearm she held, he had shot the man three times in center mass. The soldier crumpled to the floor in a heap, but there were more beyond. He stepped to one side, braced the battle rifle to his shoulder, and leaned out, firing short bursts that killed several more of the advancing team.

  Ericksen screamed as bullets slapped the wall behind her and one grazed her shoulder. Trying to drown out the battle, she focused on sending the last command to the system that would initiate a communications link with the Coalition Defense Force ship in orbit above.

  David was in the middle of reviewing an engineering readiness report on the bridge of the Lion of Judah, when Taylor interrupted his thoughts. “Conn, communications. I’m receiving a transmission from the surface, sir. It appears to be from a member of the Monrovian National Guard. It’s garbled, but definitely directed at us.”

  “Well, that’s a bit peculiar,” David said toward Aibek, who nodded his large Saurian head. “Lieutenant, put it through to my viewer.”

  The flat-paneled monitor above David’s chair snapped on, the picture showing a blonde woman holding a sidearm in a classic shooter’s stance. “This is Major Jacqueline Ericksen calling the CDF ship in orbit, come in!”

  “Major, this is Colonel David Cohen, CSV Lion of Judah. How can we be of assistance?”

  Shouts, screams, and gunfire sounded in the background of the transmission as Ericksen looked down into the camera. “Colonel, I don’t have a lot of time. I’m transmitting you a message that contains evidence of what’s happening on Monrovia. The important part is you can’t believe what the government tells you.”

  “I don’t follow, Major. What’s going on?”

  “Some time ago, the government decided on a plan that was approved by a planet-wide referendum to join the League of Sol. As I’m sure you know, the League requires that all citizens pledge allegiance only to the government and to renounce any belief in a higher power. Those of us that wouldn’t comply have been systematically rounded up and imprisoned.”

  As David began to form the words to reply, a burst of gunfire was heard through the commlink. A male voice shouted, “I can’t hold them back much longer!”

  “There’s not much time left, Colonel. We need the Terran Coalition’s help. Our resistance movement formed too late and has been largely ineffective. They’ve rounded up everyone: Christian, Jew, Buddhist, Muslim… hell, they arrested agnostics for a while if they wouldn’t pledge loyalty. It’s all in the data file. They’re supposedly reeducating those that they rounded up, but any who refuse to give in will be executed. Please, Colonel, save us. The Terran Coalition is our last hope.”

  “Major, if you’ll give me your position, I can get a shuttle of Marines down there in fifteen minutes,” David said, his face a mask of anger. Not on my watch.

  “It’s no use, Colonel. We’re in the middle of one of the most heavily protected military installations on the planet. This was a one-way trip. We’ve just got to hold out for another…” Ericksen’s voice cut off as a series of shouts, and an explosion occurred off camera; gunshots rang out from close to the microphone, which David assumed was her sidearm yet again. A second later, he heard a woman’s scream, followed by a final gunshot. Moments later, the feed cut off.

  “Did that just happen?” David asked, staring at Taylor. “Can we confirm the transmission was legitimate?”

  “Well, sir, it came from a military installation on Monrovia. I can’t confirm the veracity of the information, of course.”

  “It looked real to me, sir,” Aibek said with what looked like a concerned look for a Saurian on his face, at least in David’s brief knowledge of Saurian expressions.

  “Did we get the information transmission she was talking about?” David asked.

  “It was cut off mid-transmission, sir. I’ll try to put it back together.”

  “You do that, Lieutenant. XO, assemble the senior staff, including Doctor Hayworth and Major Merriweather, in the conference room in thirty minutes. I want to discuss our options.”

  “Sir, should we contact the government and ask them what’s going on?” Aibek asked.

  “No, not until we’ve had a chance to review what Lieutenant Taylor puts together and discuss the situation among ourselves.”

  “Yes, sir. I’ll get everyone together.”

  “Thank you, XO,” David said, closing his eyes for a moment before standing. “XO has the conn,” David walked off the bridge, pulling his cover off as he passed the threshold to the passageway beyond. There’s no way in God’s green universe I’m going to allow a planet to round up and execute millions of believers; we pledged a long time ago that it would never happen again. Whatever it takes, we will stop this, so help me God.

  7

  Thirty minutes later, David sat at the head of the conference table, surrounded by the senior officers of the Lion of Judah. Aibek, Hanson, Doctor Tural, and Ruth all sat to his right, while Taylor, Amir, and Major Elizabeth Merriweather sat to the left. He glanced at his watch, then at Merriweather. “Major, does Doctor Hayworth not understand the meaning of being on time?”

  Merriweather grimaced. “I apologize, sir. I’ll go get him.”

  Her move to stand was abruptly cut off by the hatch swinging open and Hayworth walking into the room. “I apologize, a test I was observing ran long.”

  “Have a seat, Doctor,” David said icily. After the doctor had complied, he continued. “Approximately thirty minutes ago, we received a transmission from the surface of Monrovia. A person who identified herself as a major in the Monrovian National Guard claimed that the government is rounding up people of faith,
forcing them into re-education camps, and executing them if they refuse to renounce their beliefs. I don’t think I need to tell each and every one of you that I won’t let that go unanswered if it’s true.”

  Shocked looks filled the faces of all those who hadn’t been on the bridge, opened mouths and gasps. “It’s the 25th century…” Hanson said. “Monrovia’s a neutral planet made up of people that escaped Earth and fled with our ancestors. How could they possibly do this?”

  David shook his head. “We don’t know if they did or not, Major. But I aim to find out conclusively, one way or another. This could be a false flag operation designed to get us to lose our heads and hastily intervene. It could be a legitimate request for help. We need to determine which it is and quickly.”

  “Along those lines, sir, I’ve been able to piece together the information we received from the data burst from the planet. Unfortunately, most of it was corrupted and lost during transmission,” Taylor said. “Including the location of these camps.”

  Aibek snorted. “Somewhat convenient.”

  “Lieutenant Goldberg, I’m aware of the limitations of our tactical sensor suite in pinpointing locations on a planetary body. Can you think of a way for us to quickly survey the planet?” David asked.

  Before Ruth could answer, Hayworth spoke. “Tactical sensors aren’t capable of searching for what amounts to a concentration camp while in orbit, Colonel. What you need is imaging data from the entire planet and to run it through an algorithm to look for specific oddities in the data. It stands to reason that these camps would have unique features, such as rows of similar buildings, fencing, and guard towers.”

  Ruth’s face flushed. “I’d have to agree with the doctor, sir. We lack the facilities for that on the Lion.”

  “Actually, Lieutenant,” Hayworth said, again interrupting. “We do have the capability. At my repeated insistence, this ship has a full suite of scientific sensors and imaging equipment. We can use that to capture information on the entire planet and run it in real time through the Lion’s supercomputer. I’ll write an algorithm to search for anomalies, and we can assemble a team to review hits. I’ll be happy to lead this effort, in case you were looking for someone to do that,” he finished, flashing a confident smile in David’s direction.

  Well, that was different., David was completely surprised by Hayworth’s tone and seemingly sincere desire to help. “Thank you, Doctor. I’d be glad to have your assistance. Is three hours enough time to scan the planet’s surface?”

  “I’m honestly not sure, Colonel. It will depend on how long it takes me to create an effective algorithm. Could you settle for an update in three hours?”

  “Yes, that’ll work. Anything else, people?” Met with silence, David stood. “Okay, let’s get back to work and sort this out. Dismissed.” As they all jumped up, David added, “Doctor Hayworth, please stay behind for a moment. I want a word.”

  The rest of the team filed out, leaving David alone with Hayworth. Both men eyed each other, but Hayworth spoke first. “Keeping me behind to chide me for my attitude, Colonel?” he asked.

  “No, Doctor. I’ve accepted that you’re an arrogant prick that delights in insulting others,” David said, his voice taut. “I just want to know why you’re so eager to help sort this out.”

  “My ego doesn’t write checks that it can’t cash, Colonel,” Hayworth said smugly. “I want to know what’s going on because I abhor tactics that go against basic human dignity. As I’ve told you before, regardless of my lack of religious beliefs, I want the Terran Coalition to win, and more importantly, if I see a group of people being oppressed and I can do something to help… I will.”

  David furrowed his brow. “That sentiment is something I didn’t expect to hear from you.”

  “Why? Because to be good, you need to be religious?”

  David shrugged. “I won’t lie; I tend to believe that if you believe in God or a higher power of some sort, you’re more inclined to be a decent person if for no other reason than the fear of what might happen to you in the next life.”

  “In other words, you’re scared of being punished, so you do good things?”

  “I’m not, personally. Though I consider it to be a maxim that the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.”

  “Proverbs. You like quoting that book, don’t you?”

  David smiled. “I suppose I do, Doctor.”

  Hayworth’s expression softened. “Colonel, I realize you don’t like me very much. Eliza tells me regularly that I bring most of the dislike directed at me on myself, and I won’t deny that. To use your colorful words, I’m an arrogant prick. But this arrogant prick has invented a technology that very well may win the war, and I hate the League of Sol. Isn’t that enough?”

  David paused, realizing that Hayworth was offering as much of an olive branch as he was likely ever to see. “We’re both direct men, Doctor. I appreciate that about you. Honestly, I was happy you’re willing to step forward and help with this problem. But may I offer you the advice that you’d catch more flies with honey than with vinegar?”

  “I’m not interested in making friends, nor in what others think of me, Colonel. I have one goal: the advancement of science. Along the way, I wouldn’t mind convincing someone that science governs all we see around us, and the beauty of being the one in a trillion random chance.”

  “Again, Doctor, I may not agree with you, but I respect your right to believe whatever it is you will. All I ask is that you further the goals of the Terran Coalition while you’re on my ship, and keep the condescension to a minimum,” David said with a trace of a thin smile.

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” Hayworth looked toward the door. “If you don’t mind, Colonel, I’ve got an algorithm to write and a concentration camp to find.”

  David nodded. “Carry on, Doctor Hayworth.”

  Martin Attwood stood outside of the prime minister’s office in the centralized government capital complex on Monrovia. As the deputy prime minister, he had served in this government for several years, through good times and bad. Now it seemed if the rumors he had heard on his way over to an emergency meeting were correct, things were about to go from bad to worse.

  “The prime minister will see you now, Mr. Attwood,” the ever-debonair assistant to Prime Minister Fitzroy said.

  “Thank you, Sefton.”

  Attwood strode through the ornate doors to the office that lay beyond. Colleen Fitzroy sat behind the lone desk in the room, staring at an electronic tablet. “Come in, Marty.”

  I so detest that nickname; I think that’s why she uses it. “How bad is it?” Attwood asked without preamble.

  “Pretty bad,” Fitzroy said as she stood up from the desk and walked around to a chair next to the couch. “A couple of traitors in the military used their access to send a message to the Lion of Judah. Intelligence isn’t sure how much information made it up there, but it’s bad. Worst case, the Terran Coalition knows of our re-education program.”

  “Colleen… I’ve been giving this a lot of thought.”

  “And you think we should stop the program and let everyone go?”

  “Yes! I agree, it made sense six months ago to join the League. But now the League’s being pushed back. We both know we’d get a better deal living under the Terran Coalition.”

  Fitzroy looked out the window wistfully. “Maybe. But we’re too far in now. If they ever find out what we’ve done, they’ll invade our planet and convert us all.”

  “If we stop now, it won’t be too bad.”

  “Right, because we haven’t executed everyone yet? Marty, you’ve got a kind soul. I like that about you, and you won me a couple of seats I needed. But you’ve got cotton balls between your ears if you think we can walk away and say, ‘Oops, sorry; everyone’s free to go.’ You don’t think that, do you?”

  How did this all begin? The first step seemed so innocuous… then the restrictions started, and it got worse and worse until each step blended together. “Then we
resign. Allow a new government to come in and clean up the mess.”

  “You can’t be serious,” she said, her jaw dropping open.

  “Do you have a better idea?”

  “As a matter of fact, I do. The Terran Coalition is hesitant to involve itself in the actions of neutral planets. So we stay neutral and continue to deal with our religious citizenry problem. As long as they didn’t get the location of the camps, we’ll be fine. And even if they did, I doubt their government would authorize anything that hurts us. Sanctions maybe? But who cares about that… we already get most of our trade in with the League. In time, the League will shift more forces over to this side of the arm and beat the CDF and RSN back. Then we’ll join them for good.”

  “I don’t think that’s the right thing to do,” Attwood said forcefully.

  “And what is? We resign, apologize, and beg for forgiveness? I don’t think so. You’re welcome to do that if you’d like, but if I were you, I’d consider what we do to traitors.”

  She owns me, lock, stock, and barrel. And I don’t have what it takes to stand up to her or any of them. I’ve gotten this far by just going along with the majority, even though I know it’s wrong, I’ll do now to save my skin. “No, that won’t be necessary.”

  “Good. Then get over to the intelligence bureau and make sure they’re pulling out all the stops. We must find the rest of these traitors in our midst. This has gone on long enough. I want every member of the military put through a lie detector test if that’s what it takes.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Attwood stood. “I’ll update you later once I’ve met with the director in internal intelligence and security.”

  “Thank you, Marty. Just remember, someday we’ll go down in history as the leaders that saved our planet. I’m looking forward to being remembered like that.”

  This science lab is large, cluttered, and full of equipment, David thought, looking around Doctor Hayworth’s lab as he walked through the hatch into the space labeled “Science Lab A” on the door. Large towers of computer servers all interconnected to one another via cabling, and what looked like some sort of laser beam emitter was strapped onto a table. Hayworth, Taylor, and Merriweather sat at computer terminals in the back of the lab and didn’t notice David until he was halfway across the room.