Hero of the Confederacy

Five days in this place it had been that long since we left the manor. I couldn’t believe how easy it was for us to get to the city and pass through security without even a whisper or a raised eyebrow. Every minute I expected to be arrested. It had been too easy to get into London and that worried me. Camelia had left the ground car at what she said was a secure location and we had used local transport to get to the safe house. Spending the last couple of days skimming through the news channels had left me a little tired and grouchy. There hadn’t been a mention of the dead security agents. I’d left one wounded and then there was the baron. They had still been alive when we departed. Both of these people could have easily identified me. As to Camelia and Ellie the baron knew the both of them and yet there was no news. Surely the security squad superiors would have sent out an investigation team. The thought of it made my head spin. Another thing that worried me was that Camelia was so certain about the Resistance. I on the other hand was unsure about their existence but someone had shot three of the five-man security team. I’m not that good. Settling into a comfy armchair I kept one eye on the front door the other on the images on the vid screen. Time passed.

Feeling bored I was looking out the window although window wasn’t the word to describe what I was looking at. The scene I was watching was five hundred meters above my head on the surface of what was known as Old London. Here we were below in New London a warren of tunnels beneath the old city. The Terrans had built down to accommodate their expanding population. The sound of a door opening had me turning. The apartment we were in had three bedrooms. It was from Camelia’s bedroom that the sound had come from. Ellie exited from her mother’s room her face like thunder she strode across the living room and entered her bedroom. Camelia stepped out of her room and glanced across to Ellie’s. From the expression on Ellie’s face she wanted to slam a door an impossible task. The door slid open and closed gently behind her. She could have easily done it at the Rosewood Academy. The thought of that place made me melancholy wishing that this was over and I could return home.

“We’ll talk again later when you’ve calmed down,” Camelia called across to the door then re-entered her room.

They had been arguing ever since they arrived. With a quick glance to Camelia’s door I went into Ellie’s bedroom. She was sat on her bed fury still burning in her eyes.

“Want to talk about it?” I asked her kindly.

It was a moment before she looked in my direction. “Not really.” tears glinted in her eyes, “mother explained it all.”

I saw she was wearing one of her mother’s rings the gaudy one she always wore. A horrible to my eyes bulky ring the type you ordered from a low market custom jewellery store.

“Mother can be very practical when she wants to be. I wish I could tell you,” she clutched the medallion around her neck, “but the Rhosani could leach the thoughts from your mind.”

I didn’t want to be reminded of the Rhosani it was because of them that I was in this mess in the first place. There wasn’t any more I could do so I left Ellie to her thoughts. Camelia was in the living room as I stepped out of Ellie’s room.

“Don’t ask not yet,” she told me, “and don’t ask Ellie she won’t tell you despite her anger with me.”

I took the hint. “How much longer have we to wait?”

“Not too long there are a few more people I need to contact,” Camelia replied. The front door chimed. “I’ll answer that it’s someone I’m expecting,” she told me waving me back. I stood ready in case of trouble.

She opened the door to let in a hooded and cloaked elderly man. I could see from his stance and bearing, a military man if my guess was correct. Quickly she shut it behind him.

“Thank you for coming Admiral Jones.”

The man gave me a nod as he removed his hood. He was older than I first thought with stubby grey hair and a well-lined face. Beneath his cloak I glimpsed a Terran uniform an admiral’s insignia on his collar.

“Major Locke,” Camelia waved her hand in my direction.

I could see him scrutinise my clothes. Dressed in a grey suit, the colour the closest I could get to Confederacy grey. It looked almost like a uniform, which was exactly what I’d been aiming for. With a holster strapped to my hip I was prepared for action. His eyebrows raised at the mention of my name and stole a quick glance back to Camelia as if to confirm something.

“Ellie!” Camelia called, “stop sulking I need you we have a visitor.

The door to Ellie’s room slid open and she stepped into the living room her face as pale as snow.

“You going to be ok?” I asked her.

Ellie straightened up and sighed. “I’ll have to be, too much is riding on this.” She was going to say more but a snap gesture from her mother cut her short.

“This way admiral,” Camelia said to the newcomer.

He pulled off his cloak and laid it over the back of the couch in the centre of the room. I watched them enter Camelia’s room. An hour passed and I began to get restless. Suddenly the door opened and the admiral exited a stoic expression on his face. He turned to face me.

“You where there?” he said, “on Anwa Padak where my daughter died?”

I wasn’t going to lie. “Yes,” I said simply, “I got there too late to save her. I killed the scum that killed her.”

“Good,” he said, adding to Camelia who had followed him out, “we’ll be ready give me a few days. I need to eliminate the idiot that replaced me.”

“You believe what I’ve said,” Camelia replied.

“I didn’t at first but now I see the truth. I can’t believe how we’ve been played for fools. That stops here and now.” Abruptly he turned and gathered up his cloak.

I worried about the Terrans efforts against the Commonwealth things were going badly for them. I wasn’t betraying the Confederacy in giving them advice for fighting the Commonwealth. That’s how I justified it hoping I was right.

“Admiral, Sir,” I saluted Confederacy style, “one word of advice.”

“That is?”

“Stop attacking the Commonwealth. Just hold position and let them come to you. The more you attack the more clans will join the fight. Don’t just attack, pick your targets peel the enemy off one clan at a time. If you fight them wholesale then you will fight all the clans. By fighting a clan at a time there is a good chance their rivals will not bother and just wait until the clan is destroyed,” I paused he seemed to be waiting for me to say more, “the Orsini only understand strength. To win you must demonstrate that you are stronger than they are.”

“And negotiation?”

“That will show you are weak. My father learned that the hard way. Negotiation is weak and the weak must be destroyed,” I drew a ragged breath it still hurt despite the Guardians stealing my nightmares.

“I’ll take you advice under consideration,” he said to me with a nod. He bowed to Camelia. “We’ll be ready. Just do your part and God willing we can end this.” With that he was gone.

Moments after the admiral had left to door buzzed again this time it sounded urgent and there seemed to be a rhythm in the buzzes.

“Are we expecting anyone?” I asked Camelia.

“No?” she replied and opened the door before I could stop her.

A man stood there, unshaven with his clothes ragged and grubby. “Leave,” he said, “security will be here in about four minutes.”

“Grab only what is essential,” Camelia ordered.

“Who was that?” I was wary that it could be a trap.”

“Someone I’d been expecting days ago. Looks like the Resistance have decided we are to be trusted.”

I immediately picked up the purloined AR 32 I had hidden behind an armchair. “I’m ready.”

Ellie hurried out of her room clutching a small bag. Quickly we exited the apartment stepping out into a dirt-strewn corridor. The man had gone.

“Which way?” I said to Camelia.

“This way follow me.”

Down several corridors we walked our pace quickening. Through a maze of garbage-strewn corridors and dimly lit passages we travelled. Breathless we halted. To our dismay we could hear the tramp of heavy boots. I knew it was too good to be true.

“Get out of here!” I ordered Camelia and Ellie, “I can slow them down and give you a chance to escape.”

“No!” Camelia replied, “we need you. Only you can stop the Rhosani.”

I quickly surveyed our surroundings there wasn’t much cover here in the narrow corridor at least it would bottleneck our pursuers.

“Round the corner," I said waving at an intersection ahead.

Camelia and Ellie hurried in the direction I pointed. Backing up I aimed my weapon down the corridor in the direction of the sounds. Turning the corner I halted my luck had run out. Several armed civilians confronted me. The leader of the group was face to face with Camelia. The others had their weapons trained on me.

“Thank God we found you first my lady,” the leader exclaimed.

I managed to get a good look at him. Although grubbily dressed he had a military stance and about as tall as I. He had a beard and a balding head.

“This way quickly,” he motioned to Camelia.

Several of his men brushed past me taking up positions either side of the intersection. “My men will hold them off.”

Camelia was smiling. “Show us the way,” she seemed pleased to see him, “I did wonder if you got my message.”

“Aye my lady, we would have been here earlier but you made it so damn hard to decode.”

“Well at least you got it. I’d thought they might have got you.”

The man smiled. “I’m not called the ‘Eel’ for nothing my lady.”

Following the man we headed deeper into the web of passageways.

We were led to room somewhere in tunnels under the city. I was surprised by the amount of people crowded into the room although they were dressed in civilian garb. There was the air of a military base about the place, with its neat rows of desks and terminals and the screens on the wall showing images of places I wouldn’t be able to identify.

“Welcome to Resistance HQ,” the leader announced as he showed us into the room.

I marvelled at the size of room much larger than I expected almost as big as the shuttle bay on the Havok. Several doors lead off from walls on three sides. The thought of Marsha and my squad chilled me to the bone I hoped they had been rescued.

“Introductions?” I asked.

“In a moment,” Camelia interrupted, “ehat’s the current situation?”

“Bad,” the man replied, “all bad. Augustus has been ridding himself of any other claimants to the Imperial throne. There have been murders and disappearances it looks as if he’s trying to thin out the imperial bloodline. He dissolved the Senate and removed the High Court of Law. In all turning his rule into a dictatorship.”

“And the palace?”

“Most nobles are avoiding the place like the plague. It’s nearly deserted most of the servants have left. Augustus and his so-called advisor are secluded in the throne room nearly all day every day. All anyone sees are his cronies and they’ll only appear when he’s issuing orders. We have been unable to get anyone close. He had several admirals ‘retired’ citing lack of progress on both fronts of the war,” he glanced at Ellie and me, “should I go on?”

“No that’s enough for now.”

“You must be tired my lady I got a room prepared. You’ll be safe here.” I noted he was looking at my weapon. “Hey Jane!” He shouted to angular faced woman with short-cropped hair adding. “We’re all called John or Jane here no proper names in case we are captured.”

I could understand the logic of that.

“Yes?” Jane answered I caught the ghost of a salute confirming my suspicions that more was going on than I could see.

“The lady and her companions need a place to rest,” he nodded to Camelia, “I’m afraid you’ll have to bunk together.”

The room was small with enough room for three beds and some storage just a bit larger than the room I had on the Sovran but not by much. There were communal showers just down the hall from the bedroom and I amused myself thinking of the discomfort Camelia had bathing like us commoners.

Days passed without anything happening I was beginning to get irritable. All Camelia said was. “Be patient.”

All I had for company was Ellie and that didn’t count for much. She had buried herself in her work studying the data from the Archives while Camelia was closeted with Eel. I was pacing the narrow confines of the room we had been assigned to when the door opened and Camelia stepped through the door Eel close on her heels.

“Good news,” she announced, “the fleets are regaining territory lost to the Commonwealth.”

I breathed a sigh of relief even Ellie looked up from her work.

“Looks to me someone suddenly decided to use ‘Confed’ tactics,” Eel said. I noted he was looking directly at me, “I do wonder who suggested that?” We both knew the answer to that.

“The home fleet has left orbit,” Camelia said to me, “I was hoping Adrian Jones would support our attack on the palace but he pulled the fleet out. Earth is exposed.”

“I have on good authority the ‘Usurper’ was furious. Sent his Elite commandos to take back control,” Eel remarked as if it wasn’t important.

A figure appeared behind him one of his ‘Janes’. “Sir we’ve found them.”

“Good,” he replied.

I was curious about whom they had found and when they left I followed behind. It was something to do other than wear a hole in the carpet. Waiting in the mess hall was a dishevelled looking woman with bedraggled blonde hair. Clutched to her skirts was a small blonde haired girl. Like the woman the child was dressed in what once would have been fine clothes but were now torn and stained.

The woman kept repeating. “They are all dead, little David, little Peter, my dear Bryan.”

I could see from her eyes she was broken, traumatised I’d seen the same look in the eyes of soldiers after a battle before they shipped out on a section 192. A 192 was the data input for a soldier with post traumatic stress disorder. I nearly ended up with one of those so I understood better than most.

Camelia spoke her voice echoing across the hall. “Lady De Winter snap out of it!”

Lady De Winter looked at Camelia a glimmer of recognition in her eyes. She straightened her skirts and brushed her straggly hair from out of her eyes. “Lady Broaden,” she made another attempt to tidy herself up, “apologies my lady I appear to be in a state of undress. I’ll ask one of the servants to show you into the parlour while I dress appropriately.”

I knew her mind had gone, slowly I shook my head seeing Camelia nod in my direction.

“Come Amanda,” she said taking Lady De Winter’s hand, “we’re all friends here no need to dress up for me. Come we’ll retire to the parlour and then we can have a nice long talk.” She gently took Amanda’s hand almost tenderly. I was forced to reassess my opinion of Camelia yet again.

“My daughter?” Amanda stammered.

“Oh my dear, Lady Sandra can look after her.”

The look I shot Camelia as pure venom. I had no idea how to treat a young child. The students at the academy where almost adults, even Gena and her companions were much older. Briefly I wondered how they were. I felt responsible for them even this far away.

“Come with me,” I said to the girl, “you look like you could do with a hot meal,” and held out my hand. It took a while for her to gather the courage to take my hand I guess the thought of food had won her over. As I took hold of her hand I could feel her trembling.

“You’ll make a good mother some day,” Eel sniggered behind me.

“Just shut up!” I growled back.

I was relieved when one of the ‘Janes’ took over from me and from the sound of it the woman had daughters the same age as the girl. Although I had tried my best I couldn’t get a name out of her. Deep in thought I headed back to our room.

Ellie glanced up from her work as I walked in.

“Do you know a Lady De Winter?” I asked her.

“Yes distant cousin to Constantine too distant to be in line for the throne. Why?”

I told her what had happened and my thoughts on Amanda’s state of mind.

Ellie looked pale and drawn. “God help us Bryan was harmless, he never cared for the politics of the palace he was no threat to anyone all he was interested in was his stamps.”

“Stamps?”

“An old Earth system of posting paper and envelopes,” she paused and sighed, “you’re getting that glazed look again. “Here!” she said handing me one of her datapads, “it’s listed in here best you read about it.”

I woke the room was dark I heard the sounds of sleep around me. Both Ellie and Camelia were fast asleep. Quietly I climbed down from my bunk and dropped to the floor my bare feet making no noise on the carpeted surface of the room we had been given. The door slid open to my touch. I stepped out into the narrow dimly lit corridor looking first one way than another. There was no one around. Here in the depths on this secure bunker there was no way to tell night from day. Eel was in what I considered as the operations room. He was sat at a terminal and glanced up as I walked in. Several other Johns and Janes worked on similar terminals dotted around the room.

“Can I help you with anything Lady Sandra?”

I wasn’t sure if he was mocking me or it was something else. He and Camelia had been as thick as thieves the last couple of days. “I need information.”

He straightened looking at me directly. “There are some things I can’t tell you for operational purposes.”

At least I understood that. “I just want to know what happened to Baron Thompson and the wounded security agent we left behind at that manor house?”

“Manor house?”

My eyes narrowed he was mocking me. “Don’t lie!” I hissed.

“ Lady Camelia thought unnecessary for you to be troubled by such a trivial incident.”

“Trivial!” I could feel myself heat up getting angry, “we could have been killed!”

“You were never in that much danger. My people followed you to the manor.”

I was shocked. “You followed us?”

“Yes, you don’t think we would not keep Baron Thompson under surveillance?” Eel scowled, “we lost a lot of good people because of him.”

“So why didn’t you contact us it could have saved us so much trouble.”

“The local team were unsure who you were at first. They weren’t going to act without orders. They saw the emperor’s secret police turn up and awaited further orders but you started a firefight. They only cleaned up the mess you caused.”

“I had things in hand!” I retorted. I resented the fact that he was implying I couldn’t handle the situation.

“So much in hand that you were pinned down. Had one got outside he would have called for backup. We’re not ready for a full confrontation with the Usurper yet.”

“What happened to the wounded man and the baron?”

“Nothing to concern you.”

“I’m making it my concern!”

“Lady Sandra you are not!” he hadn’t raised his voice but we had drawn an audience. He glanced behind me. “Apologies Lady Camelia for disturbing you.”

“Take no notice of it,” Camelia smiled at him making light of our argument, “Lady Sandra has come a long way and she is tired. She can be grouchy when she is tired.”

“So?” I wasn’t in the mood for her antics.

“Ellie was asking for you,” Camelia knew my weak spot.

I hated the way she had exploited it. “I’ll go and see what she wants."

An hour passed and then another I sat on my bed watching Ellie work. I felt tense while Ellie seemed content. I was itching to get things over with. The door slid open and Camelia entered. “You two,” she announced, “come with me.”

She led us back into the room full of terminals the place seemingly deserted unlike my earlier confrontation with Eel.

“Sit please,” Camelia said indicating a set of chairs in one corner.

“What’s this about?” I asked her.

“As soon as Eel gets here we can go through with the plan.”

“Plan,” my impatience must have shown, “we’ve done nothing for the last few days I’ve been ready to act for ages.”

“Peace Sandra, peace,” Camelia frowned at me.

I sat down hard with my arms crossed I know I was acting like a child but time was wasting. I opened my mouth to say more when a voice broke my train of thoughts.

“We’re all here,” the Eel said. He seemed to be making light of my angry rant earlier or was it yesterday I wasn’t sure there was no sense of time in the bunker, “Admiral Jones is in position. He has twelve warships hidden behind the moon ready to cover our assault. Once you’re in the palace we’ll make our move.”

“Excellent,” Camelia replied with a smile, “you’ve managed to get us on a flight to San Diego?”

“All arranged my lady one of my agents will meet you on the other side.”

“So what is the plan?” No body had briefed me on the details I was worried that they didn’t have the experience to plan a military operation properly.

Camelia turned to Eel. “Will you leave us for the moment?”

“Of course my lady.” He bowed and left.

Camelia waited until he was gone to speak. “From what we’ve learned of the Rhosani,” she glanced to Ellie when she said that, “is that they can pick the minds of anyone without protection. Eel hasn’t been able to get any agents into the palace. All those he’s sent are dead.”

“That’s why Eel refers to his people as Jane or John?” Ellie surmised, “very clever mother, very clever.”

I thought about Ellie’s meaning it explained why we were confined to our room for long periods at a time the less people knew we were there the better for all concerned.

“The three of us will enter the palace through a secret entrance and confront the Usurper and his Rhosani counsellor.”

“What!” I cried out, “just us and why the hell are you sending Ellie into danger?”

“Just hear me out,” Camelia barely raised her voice but I couldn’t mistake the command in it.

“I have to be there,” Ellie added looking pale.

“As I said Ellie must be with us but for why I cannot tell you.”

“Why?”

“Just in case I’m mistaken and I hope to God I’m not, they may pick out the reason from our minds,” Camelia touched her medallion, “we have protection but others do not. We need every advantage we can. Eel and Adrian’s forces will assault the environs of the palace and draw away what remains of the Usurper’s troops. Giving us a chance to reach the throne room undetected.”

“Why the throne room? I would have thought an operations room would have been better. The palace is shielded."

“I can’t tell you yet,” Camelia replied, “so don’t ask.”

I could see too many faults in her plan but the look she was giving told me she wasn’t going to give way. I sighed. “Very well. Have your way.”

“Good!” She called Eel back and began to brief him on her plan.

I was surprised that Eel agreed without question. Without back up it was a suicide mission but I was under orders. Com Ops had made it clear I was to follow Camelia and Ellie. With serious doubts in my mind we left the city behind and travelled to our destination.