CHAPTER 13 - CROSSROADS
Planet: Keden
Location: Dunan City
Time: 1030 Hours Dunan Local
We leave the large, blue and grey metallic landing pad where our DAWGs sit idle and walk across an open-to-the-sky bridge. On my right is a small hangar with a few MAV’s being readied for action and to the left, is nothing. We are high above Dunan’s metropolitan core and from here, one can see the tops of every other Eversteel and glass building near and far, which, now that I am this close, are actually all a part of one very large complex. Connected at varying levels by way of enclosed passageways, they stand weather-beaten but proud. In every direction below, the buildings of steel, mostly stripped of their paint and painted symbols, reveal glints of their natural grey, giving the city an aged yet modern and otherworldly look.
The wind is gusty where I walk but not a problem. I hope Mirana is already on the inside. After we had left the battle site, our Booster Tank allies contacted their superiors and relayed my request to meet with their leaders; the urgency of this message was met with surprising willingness to co-operate and we and the Booster Tank had parted ways after flying into Dunan about ten minutes ago.
I look past the outer edges of the hazy city, and appearing as a blur on the horizon, is the edge of the Dune Desert. It is funny…as much as I hated it here, SysDef’s Base of Operations on Keden had unwittingly become my home and now, a sense of emptiness resides within, as though I have lost something dear to me.
Our armed escorts, five heavy Kedar Soldiers and a few light guards, lead us through an opening made up of three sliding doors. Two of these doors slip off to either side of the opening while the third disappears into the metal wall above. Our boots echo on the reflective floor and goose bumps ripple along my arms and neck as my combat suit filters the hot Kedenian air and cools my skin.
We enter the building. The outer world vanishes and we are now in a fairly large room with a very high, richly decorated ceiling. I remove my helmet now that we are away from the harsh, dusty air outside and hear the clicks of the rest of the team doing the same. It’s chilly and I take a deep breath of it…smells like winter air…tastes like it too…reminds me of my cabin back home on a crispy winter’s night.
We follow our escorts through another set of sliding doors where the ceiling is lower, and then into a wide, blue carpeted hallway. Along its white walls that are broken up by brown doors, paintings of Kedenian landscapes, dawns, daylights, sunsets and nights, hang.
The artist must be phenomenal, because these images look more like still-shots.
As we walk, it occurs to me that much thought had been put into the decorations here. The paintings, hanging near plants in large brown pots by every door, give the long passageway a welcoming and homey feel.
Ten doors later, at the end of the corridor, through the only set of double doors I have seen thus far, we enter a large semicircular room. The circular wall is made entirely of Everglass while the straight edge, behind us now, is all reflective metal. This gives the illusion of a larger space. The guards, along with our escorts remain outside and the doors close.
Unlike the rest of what I generally know when it comes to Kedenian Interior Design, this room is perfectly put together and reeks of high society and wealth. Thick, deep-red carpeting is wall to wall. Large and heavy drapes made of Kedenian Brocade hangs, pulled aside, at each end of the monstrous windows. Magnatech lamps hover several feet above the floor here-and-there and the massive semi-circular Earth Oak table sitting in the midst of all this, along with its million-Credit-a-piece, Oak chairs completes the portrait. I take another drag of the purified air. It’s a lot like the air in my suit.
“Gentlemen…Lady…”
I turn toward the rough but soft voice. A sleek, expensive looking woman in a black, full body pant suit and grey, high cut military boots is walking toward us. Her curvy hips and long legs move in unison. Her upper body bulges in the right places while her long, black-jeweled neck leads to a slender and hard face…Definitely not my type…with her short, cropped, dark-green hair that stays rigidly in place. We make eye contact, and like the hair, green, they stare into mine. There is great intelligence there, the gift of discernment. In them I see authority and the confidence of a good speaker.
“Lady…”
She acknowledges my response with a slight bow. It is a sign of great respect to refer to a woman here as “Lady” much like Ma’am back on Earth.
“Please have your seats. We will be with you shortly.”
Who is, we? But I simply acknowledge her words with a curt “Thank you.” And we all take our seats as she leaves the room.
Akita breaks the silence “Well, Alpha, what do you think?”
“She’s not my type…”
He smiles “You know what I mean…”
“I don’t know. We’re gonna have to play this by ear and see what happens.”
The doors open and we all turn in that direction. Mirana O’Canon enters the room. Her tangle of red hair is now combed into a ponytail and she’s changed into a fresh combat suit.
She eyes us all and just before sitting…
“Iron Five…” She finds Maria; I see the question forming in her eyes and remember Terrier. I have been ignoring them but the mixed emotions are now back.
“Commander…”
She looks to me and I answer the unasked question.
“Terrier is dead.” My own words sting and my stomach turns to knots but I keep it together as the expression on her face goes from questioning to understanding, to sorrow.
“I’m sorry…”
There is nothing more to say. Not now. I’ll explain it to her when the time is right.
“Gentlemen…Ladies…”
The streamlined woman is back and this time, there are two men with her. One of these men, a giant with a strong, chiseled face stands on her right. He is a fierce looking man with fierce looking eyes and bulging arms that might crush an Aircar. The other man, on her left, is more sophisticated and elegant. His eyes, even with his tranquil exterior, are deceptive. There’s an animalistic cunning in them. He is a calculator, no doubt the brain of the outfit. I take in the ensemble; the Muscle, the Ambassador and the Brain; this should be interesting.
“Please…”
The woman motions for us to sit again and as we do, the three strangers take their seats. The table is semi-circular, like the room. We sit along the straight edge of it while our hosts sit near the middle of the curve opposite us; the Brain, in the middle, is on the largest chair. These must be Keden’s royalty. It feels strange to be here with them but then again, under the current circumstances…
The man in the middle speaks
“SysDef Commander, Mirana O’Canon. Iron Five. Captain Richard Gant, Huski. Neil Valeno, the Akita. James McKee, Pitbull. Michael Reihgt, Dachshund. And. Miss Anna Maria Santina, what is your call-sign?”
It is impolite to speak to a Kedenian official if they have not directly interacted with or asked a question of you; one of the many iffy little rules and regulations that give me the unwavering resolve to never live here.
The man in the middle, with a flawless, full head of white hair hanging down his back, curves his thin lips into a smile and then Maria answers.
“Dane…Great Dane…”
He looks to me again “A shame what happened to Terrier?”
“He’s dead, there’s nothing more to say about it. May I ask with whom do we speak?”
They are a bit taken aback but not for long, and the man in the middle speaks again.
“I am King, Al-Raadein Asaud Kedeni and this is my sister, Princess, Al-Shari and my brother…he puts a hand on the broad shoulder next to him…General Al-Jair…”
“We are the Tri-rulers of Keden, direct descendants of Amir and Sharai Kedeni. Forgive us if we bypass the usual etiquette and get directly to business. As you know, at this moment, Raiku forces are at war with our defenses on the outer perimeter of our planet’s vacuum so time is of the essence…”
He just launches into it. I like that…straight to the point
“…Reinforcements are on their way but until then, we must hold off the invaders and prevent them from touching down planet side. After the events on Solace Five, you have proven yourselves friendly and willing to stand with us against our enemies. Along with recent intelligence reports we are now convinced that you are in no way allied with them, so I offer you a choice…”
“Wait a minute…” I cut him off “How do you know about Solace Five?”
“Mr. Gant…regardless of what you think you know…Sol is not the only system with a Galactic Spy Network. We know many things. Like the fact that Earth, just as Keden, is in danger of a hostile takeover. As a matter of fact, as we speak, Earth is now in full lock down and your esteemed brother-in-arms is at the helm of this treachery...”
“Brother…but how? Terri’s dead.”
“On the contrary Captain Gant, Terrier is alive…” He stops me from interrupting again with a raised palm and continues. “Hear us. Listen. You might learn something.”
My instincts tell me that I need to shut up. So with a slight bow, I remain silent.
“...Huski, you are here to rescue your people, and we are here to save ours…” The sleek woman cuts in “Normally, we would not have graced you with our presence…however…given the current state of affairs, there is little room for protocol...”
Appalling
It’s the only word I can think of. Like we needed or wanted more than anything else to be graced by their presence. But she continues without falter.
“…We need your help…”
I think carefully before answering because this situation is as real as it gets.
“Explain…”
“It is as I said. We need you to help us in this fight…”
“And how would the five of us make much of a difference?”
Their leader joins in again “You have had firsthand experience with the Cyclones and you are very familiar with Earthfront technology and how it works.”
What he is saying makes sense but it makes no difference either way. Iron Five has never set foot in a Cyclone and without Keden’s assistance, we might as well just kiss Earth goodbye.
“We no longer have ties to Earthfront, which means that free access to their system no longer exists…” I shift my focus to the lady of the three “…If we are to remain here…to help Kedenian forces, we will most certainly need to be paid.”
“Credits…Mr. Gant?” The Largest of them opens his mouth for the first time “…Surely you’ll need more than Credits to save your home world?”
His words are a punch to the gut but I hold my ground
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. But for now, it’s either we get paid or you to fight your war on your own…”
”And how, Captain Gant, are you going to leave without a ship?”
I give the muscle the best defiant look I can muster. It is obvious that he doesn’t think much of me but this is fine, because the feeling is mutual.
“Five Earthfront soldiers and a Galactic Nine pilot…acquiring a ship will be the least of our challenges.”
“We have strayed…gentlemen …” The Brain breaks the tension and activates a Holoscreen in the middle of the desk. General Hawk’s mean face appears.
“Welcome, General Madison…”
“Greetings, King Al-Raadein…Princess Al-Shari…General Al-Jair. Commander O’Canon, it’s good to see you alive and well. Iron Five...”
“General Hawk?”
“Huski…you and your team have caused me much trouble. Your flight from Rouna has made it very difficult for me to prove your innocence in all of this.”
“Our innocence..?” What the hell is he talking about?
“You and your team have been under surveillance for some time now. Terrier’s involvement with the Raiku made you all suspect. Were it not for our history Huski, I would not have given you the benefit of the doubt.”
“What are you talking about? Neither of us knew about Terri’s betrayal. All we knew was that we got set up and an Earthfront Cyclone tried to kill us. Then your assassins attacked us on Callican…”
“The assassins you speak of are not our own. Earthfront is as much a victim of the Raiku’s actions as you are. Some time ago, Kedenian spies discovered a plot, conceived by General Hj’igori of the Raiku Dynasty, and implemented by Terrier...”
A knife carves its way through me as the truth rears its ugly head.
“…A plot in which he would help the Raiku to overthrow Keden and take control of K-One’s resources, but in order to do this, they needed Earthfront out of the way…”
“The attack on us and the SysDef base of operations here…”
“No Captain Gant…” Al-Raadein rejoins us “…not an attack. The Raiku destroyed an Earthfront base on Venus and stole the Cyclone prototypes to make it appear as though we had attacked Earthfront, breaching the Intersystem Peace Accord and Deepcore, under the guise of pirates paid to move gold off world to Solace Five, were our way of determining the truth…but there’s more…Toros…”
“Toros..?” It no longer surprises me how vast Kedenian Intelligence is. That was what they had paid him for…fifty million Kays for services rendered…Hard gold. His words echo through me “Do me a favor my friend and leave this one alone…” He was warning me.
“Yes, Toros…Your contact did in fact arrange the delivery of the gold to Deepcore pirates. The same Pirates you were ordered to track and kill. At the time, your commander thought them to be responsible for the theft of the Cyclones. However, the gold operation was just a front. It would help to facilitate the lie, making Deepcore appear to be terrorists working with our enemies…Earthfront, we thought also at the time. After confirming that the people who had employed them were in fact an Elite group of Raiku mercenaries, Deepcore contacted us and along with Earth’s Intelligence Network, we were able to put the puzzle together.”
“So you’re saying…” I cut in again “…That after Deepcore, a known pirate organization, realized they were helping the Raiku to overthrow Keden’s leadership, they gave you a heads up? They were willing to smuggle your gold but not willing to help overthrow you?”
“No, they, with our authorization, carried out the smuggling run in order to maintain their guise. You see, we needed more Intel...”
“So you let them do as planned, knowing fully well that we were being set up for an ambush?”
“You were enemies of the state. You had come to Keden to carry out illegal activities under Earthfront command and your association with Terrier placed you on our watch list…”
I understand what he is saying but I still don’t like it.
“All I knew was that we were ordered to intercept and terminate a Deepcore fleet that had attacked an Earthfront base. Those were my orders and nothing more.”
General Hawk cuts in “At the time we sent you on your mission, we had believed Keden to be responsible for the Venus assault. However, new Intel revealed that it was your very own who had led that attack.”
“Hold on a minute…” I retaliate. “Terri might have been involved in all this but he was nowhere near the attack on Venus. How could he lead it? He was always…”
My words fail me. Embarrassment, betrayal, anger, sorrow…all play vicious games in my mind.
Hawk continues “Terrier was on leave to see his mother, was he not? At least that is what he was cleared for. Our investigations proved that he never set foot near her. Instead, Terrier led the assault, stole the Cyclones and made it appear to be the work of Deepcore. Even now, you fight to come to grips with his betrayal, but facts are facts. The Pirates you were sent to track were ordered to kill you when you found them, ordered by him. According to the plan, Deepcore was to take the gold to Solace Five and that would have been the end of their mission. But Terrier knew you well. He made sure that when you got there, assuming that you would have survived here, you’d meet the Cyclone and die by it.”
“Well we’re alive and kicking…there’s hope.”
“Captain Gant…” General Madison shifts his weight “…the leaders of every alliance on Earth are dead. Their assassinations were carried out simultaneously…” His look pierces me “…by Raiku assassins, defects from Earth who sell information to our enemies and that, my friend, is why there is a Raiku Battalion knocking at Keden’s doors and an all out siege happening right here on your home world.”
“This is why we need your help…” Al-Raadein speaks now, turning his attention to Mirana “…That Cyclone tracked you in the desert. You bore witness to what they did on your base. You were the only witness left who could have exposed the Raiku before their intended assault.”
“Excuse me..?” All eyes turn to Mirana “…there were two of us…”
“No Commander…you were the only witness. The woman you were with was a Dynasty spy. Didn’t it strike you as odd, that the Auto-cannons around your base did not engage the hostiles?”
I feel her distress. The look on Mirana’s face is easily readable.
“Sari..? But then why didn’t she kill me? She had more than enough opportunities to d…”
“Sari was not an assassin. She was put in place to relay sensitive information, shut down your defenses when the time came, and await further orders. Hers was with no doubt, to be the same fate as your base.”
“Where is she?”
“She is in a holding cell and will be contained there until this is all over and she can be tried before a court of law.”
I cut in. Sari’s fate is of no concern to me.
“If we help you, we’ll need our records cleared…” I make it obvious to Hawk that I’m addressing him also.
“Soldier…” He responds angrily “…you are still under Earthfront command and I urge you to remember that. Iron Five’s new orders are to provide the requested support to Keden’s forces and after Earthfront reinforcements arrive, get your asses to Earth ASAP. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yes Sir…”
Somehow, the highs and lows of this hand that I’ve been dealt aren’t working out, no matter how I play them.
Keden’s Leader stares into me and in his face I see my father’s. It’s the same way he would have looked at me when I was a child. A time so long ago that it sometimes is no more than a blur. Times when I thought I knew what was right, but he knew better.
“Captain Gant…your service to Keden will guarantee a new leaf in our relationship. Your records will be wiped and you will be honorary citizens of our world. I cannot however, speak for your superiors on Earth. Your fate with them is beyond our control.”
I gather my thoughts and pull myself together. This is bigger than any of us had imagined. Terrier has betrayed us and the Raiku are about to usher in the apocalypse.
“Al-Raadein…Iron five is at your command.”
The tension in the room lifts. It’s almost tangible. Beyond the Everglass wall behind Keden’s royalty, the sun hangs halfway through its afternoon curve. The sky is clear and thoughts of what’s happening beyond the haze out in vacuum fill my head with images of battleships and cruisers, some burning, others maneuvering and missiles tracking targets. We all know that the battle will eventually reach us here. We also know that the chances of victory against Dynasty forces are minimal but then again…
“Wait…” Everyone looks to me now “General. You said that reinforcements were on the way. How soon will they arrive?”
“Four Earthfront armadas are jumping to K1 and will be in your space in a little over sixteen hours.”
A loud crack, like the heavens have literally split in two, rocks the room and we are all shaken by a quake that moves us from our seats. Guards rush through the doors and begin shuffling their leaders to safety. Long lines snap and crackle diagonally across the large window-wall, cutting it into gnarled sections, and then the City’s air defenses come alive. Hundreds of fiery streaks trace lighted arcs across the desert and missiles leave vapor trails in their wakes.
Out and above the landscape beyond, a menacing Raiku Dreadnought peals away from the sky and descends to the dusty planet surface. Even from this distance the red and black Logo on its hull boldly stands out.
“They won’t bomb Dunan…too much to lose…they’ll need the place intact. The rest of the fleet won’t descend anywhere near the city’s air defense limits. That Dreadnaught is just testing your limitations. So prepare your troops Al-Raadein, this battle is going to be up close and personal.”
The King looks back to me as guards hustle the three leaders to the exit
“…Get to your armor and await orders…”
These are his last words before vanishing through the door. The Holoscreen image of Hawk flickers and sputters, drawing my attention. “Good luck Iron Five.” And then it is gone.
“Iron five…” I find Mirana “…Get to the gear and wait for me…”
“Aye Cap…”
Pitbull acknowledges the command and leads the rest of the team out of the conference room and into the hallway. Akita gives me a questioning look but keeps moving, and now I think carefully before I speak.
“Commander…” I walk toward her and there is a slight shift in her stance “…you need to get to safety…” I am close enough to smell the metallic odor of her flight suit.
“…let’s face it, we are about to go to war. We might not come back…”
“I won’t run and hide Huski. They killed everyone one on my base…”
“Commander…” The stubborn look on her face makes me refrain from continuing. I have no choice but to accept her decision “…How do you intend to fight?”
“I’m a qualified pilot with over ten thousand hours logged. I know my way around a MAV well enough.”
“Okay Commander, let’s go…”
“Huski, call me Mirana…”
There is a spark between us but it does not last long enough for me to do what my mind tells me to do, so I nod and turn away.
“And Alpha…” I turn to her again “…you have to come back…”
I wish this moment existed in another time, even if it was the same place. I want to kiss her but instead, I nod with a smile, it is the best that I can do with what little time we have left.