The Brotherhood of Battle
Chapter Nineteen – The Blurred Line
"We are preaching hope, standing on the bones of the past."
John Rucyahana, Bishop of Rwanda
VIIIIIV
The eight days of warp-jumping had finally come to a close. After following the co-ordinates to the Freeport system, the three Militia capital ships dropped out of sub-space and were greeted by an all-too-welcome sight for their weary eyes. All around the Leonidas, Beowulf and Grendel, dozens of Militia ships of all sizes and classes floated in the orbit of the green and blue surface of Harmony. Many bore scorch marks, and almost every ship was a re-purposed civilian carrier or freighter, outfitted with rudimentary point-defence weapons, as well as missile pods and cannons for an offensive option. There were at least twenty stolen IMC vessels, re-painted to sport Militia colours.
As the trio of battered ships drew closer, from his position on the bridge of the Leonidas, Vlad could see even more ships docked at several of Harmony's orbital stations, undoubtedly being refuelled or repaired to the best of their ability for the battles to come. His helmsman, Kylar, directed his ship toward a waiting bay of one such orbital station. Vlad looked out of a port-side view hole to see the stations name – 'ATHENS'. Vlad sighed as he leant over his terminal and spoke clearly into the communications microphone that one of the bridge crew had already set up to contact the orbital platform.
"Athens Actual, this is Captain Vladimir Zuyev of the MCS Leonidas. Requesting docking permission for repairs and refuelling. Copy?"
There was a pause as the transmission went through. Vladimir fought back the urge to yawn as his eyes flicked towards the steadily approaching form of the Athens. By his rough estimate, they were less than seven hundred metres from the bay that Vlad wanted to dock at.
"Confirmed, Captain. Please proceed to Docking Bay Four. We'll need to scan your ship for damages. It'll take a couple of hours so make sure your men get comfortable. But it's good to see you in one piece." A reply eventually came over the crackly communication terminal.
"Thank you, Athens. I'm only sorry I didn't bring more ships home."
"You're only human, Captain. Athens, over and out."
Vlad nodded solemnly as he withdrew from the terminal, returning to his prior position near Kylar. The younger man had an intense look of concentration on his face, almost as if he were eye-balling the whole process. In reality the procedure of docking a ship like the Leonidas was mostly automated by Lenin, but Kylar was the one responsible for getting the ship to the correct entry angle. As soon as he was within a couple hundred metres of the station, Vlad's AI would take over entirely, directing the ship into a text-book dock.
"Kylar, you have the bridge. Make sure we get to the Athens safe and sound."
Kylar nodded once, eyes still glued to the approaching form of the Athens. "Yes, sir."
"Lenin?"
"Yes, Captain?" The AI replied almost immediately. One of the Operating Systems many sub-routines would always be dedicated to Vlad and his commands.
"Make sure she isn't scratched on the way in."
"Of course, Captain."
Vlad smirked as he left the bridge and started the journey to his private quarters. He knew the AI wouldn't damage the ship. It was quite literally against its programming. Besides, Lenin could calculate several million quadratic equations with a fraction of its processing power, using another to recite Shakespeare whilst it slingshot the ship around a star and decided the best firing solution on pursing IMC dreadnoughts – all at the same time. Therefore, Vlad knew that docking the ship would be little challenge to Lenin.
Regardless, after Leviathan, the Leonidas' hull was already damaged to high hell. A few more scratches on approach to the Athens wouldn't make a difference.
As soon as Vlad crossed the threshold of his room, he sealed the door shut and locked it. It wouldn't do to have an intruder. As he sat down at his desk, Vlad opened a table drawer, finding a half empty bottle of Symkorian vodka sloshing within. A smile tugged at his tired lips, and he hummed a Russian song as he poured himself a glass. Then another. And another.
He sighed as the burning liquor drained down his throat for the third time, settling in his stomach with that tender familiar ache he was so used to. Damn him if this stuff ever failed to hit to spot. He always stopped at three though. Never more than three. Never. A Captain has to keep his senses. Three was his threshold. In a few minutes, there would that pleasant, gentle dizziness that accompanied the three shots of his favourite cheap liquor.
He pulled his tac-pad from another drawer placing it on the desk as he cleared away his shot glass and vodka back into its home. He pulled up his last message chain to an anonymous address, so deeply encrypted by an ever-changing firewall of protection that Lenin had no hope of cracking, even if he had a month to decipher it. It was the kind of encryption that Bish likely fantasised about. Vlad smirked at the idea of his pudgy Asian friend sweating like a hooker in church because of it. Then he pictured Bish as a hooker. Then it got worse.
Vlad blinked. He chuckled.
The vodka was hitting him earlier than usual.
Shaking his head as if to clear the thought, he opened a message dropbox linked to the encryption. The Advocate, whatever or whoever it was, had given him a direct link to contact them this way. He was only allowed five messages per day, and he had to keep them short. Otherwise, they wouldn't respond. So he had to use them wisely.
Thinking on his opening message, Vlad eventually put his fingers to the screen.
/ I have questions /
The response was almost immediate.
'7h3n a5k'
Vlad blew out a breath. He had so many to ask, but only four messages to use. He thought long and hard before he finally began to type. Again, the Advocate's response was alarmingly fast, as if they had been waiting.
/ How do I know you will tell the truth? /
'W3 d0 n07 l1e'
Vlad grimaced. This was beyond unsettling.
/ Who are you, really? /
'D0es i7 m4tt3r? W3 0ff3r a1d 4nd an5w3r5. Y0u do n07 n33d 4ny7hing el5e.'
/ Will we win at Demeter? /
'1mp055ible to kn0w. Y0u mu57 r3m0ve 7he 5n4ke5 fr0m 7h3 G4rd3n fir57. 0r el5e y0u w1ll l053 3v3ryth1ng.'
Vlad's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. What 'snakes'? What 'garden'? It -must be a metaphor. Were there other threats to the Militia besides the IMC? Was there a traitor in the Militia, ready to strike? Questions, only questions. And there were only more welling up within him. Vlad grit his teeth and growled in anger. Damn this Advocate, speaking in riddles and answering with tangled logic. Vlad was only left with more questions than when he had started.
But now he only had one message left.
/ Who can I trust? /
And suddenly, there was no answer. The seconds ticked by without any reply from the mysterious contact, and Vlad began to worry. Had he sent too many messages? Was this his sixth? Had he miscounted? He counted the messages he had sent. No, he was right. That was the fifth.
So why only silence?
He was about to switch off his tac-pad and try again tomorrow when the reply pinged onto his screen. Vlad read it once. Then again. And again, just to be sure. It didn't make sense.
'N07 5arah Br1gg5, 0nly y0ur B4nd175.'
Not the Commander? Not Sarah? Just Bandit.
Vlad was at a loss for words Then suddenly he made up his mind. This 'Advocate' whoever they were, was a liar. There was no way Sarah was a traitor. She had almost died for the sake of the Militia countless times since she took up the cause. There was a reason people looked to her for leadership and guidance in the dark times that didn't seem to end. No. Vlad knew. Sarah was no traitor.
Another ping on his tac-pad.
'W3 kn0w y0u w1ll n07 bel13v3 us. 50 w3 w1ll sh0w y0u, Vlad. 7he blurr3d l1n3 0f m0r4li7y i5 0n3 w3 4ll w4lk, 4nd 3v3ry0n3 f4ll5 70 7h31r 0wn hu8ri5, 5oon3r 0r l4t3r.'
There was a file, attached to the final message.
Suddenly he wasn't so sure.
Vlad felt sick, and not because of the vodka. He was Russian, he could handle his drink. What he couldn't handle was the possibility that Briggs was a traitor. He had no reason to believe the word of the Advocate, and he would sooner forget about his involvement with this mysterious contact. But he'd gone too far down the rabbit hole to climb out now. Not without answers, at least.
He took a deep breath. And he opened the file. As soon as he started reading, his hands went back to his shot glass and liquor. Maybe today was finally the day he would break his rule of three.
Damn you, Advocate.
VIIIIIV
A wave of nausea rolled over Jake like a tidal wave as he awoke from his slumber. For a moment, all he could hear was dull roaring, like a cascading waterfall somewhere in the distance. Almost as if the crowd from the boxing match were still around him, bellowing their applause and baying for a stellar knockout finale. Jake grinned at the memory, despite himself. He remembered the beating he'd received from Captain Lastimosa, accompanied by a fresh wave of the loss in his mind. It left a bad taste in his mouth. Jake sighed as he stared at the ceiling.
He decided to have a shower to make himself feel better.
Jake sniffed and attempted to sit up, groaning at the feeling of having his sore muscles tense and stretch to what felt like their breaking point.
"Ow..." Jake muttered.
Taking a moment to adjust himself to a more comfortable position, he looked around. It was dark, but Jake felt better to feel the stiff comfort of his military mattress beneath him. He reached for the table-top lamp that sat within a few feet from his bed. The light seemed so bright against his sensitive eyes, making him reflexively seethe and cover his eyes with a palm until he could slowly acclimatise. His senses finally returned to him, and Jake realised that what he had thought to be the dull roar of rushing water was actually the blood rushing to his ears. He paused, smirking as he recalled how Lastimosa and him had done their utmost to beat the seven bells out of each other.
There was a soft knock on the door to his quarters, and Jake considered turning the visitor away. He really wanted that shower...
He stood slowly from the bunk, every fibre of his being screaming in protest at the movement. But he embraced the pain and walked towards the door, itching his rough stubble as he did so. Jake was less than a foot away when the knocking came again, more insistent this time.
"Yeah, yeah. Alright, gimme a second." He called out to whoever was on the other side.
Jake rubbed a tired eye as he punched the unlock code into his door's security pad. The door slid away to reveal Vodnik. Jake was perturbed at the sight of him. The Captain's face was haggard and sunken. His eyes were cloudy and the bags underneath them were sagging with exhaustion.
"Vlad?" Jake said. "Are you alright?"
"We need to talk." He spoke, matter of factly, as if he hadn't even heard Jake's remark. "Now."
"Uh, okay." Lincoln replied. "Come in then, I guess."
Vlad nodded his thanks, and shuffled into the room as Jake stepped aside. The door automatically slid shut behind him with a barely audible hissing sound. Without a word, Vodnik walked over to the only chair in the room and sat down slowly, easing his considerable mass into the frame. There was no way anyone would call Vlad overweight, but the man was built like a brick shit-house. His uniform always seemed a couple of sizes too small for him. Jake almost chuckled at the idea of him flexing to tear the fabric.
Jake followed Vlad's lead, and sat on his bed, facing the large man. Vlad hummed, and reached into his inner breast pocket for a cigarette. It was probably a muscle memory habit, but Vlad realised where he was and looked over to Jake for approval.
"Do you mind if I smoke?" He asked.
"It's your ship." Jake said.
"It's your room."
Jake smirked, but waved his hand away. It was fine in his book. "Go ahead."
"Thanks." Vlad murmured, his lips already around the butt of a cheap hand-rolled cigarette.
"Spades?" Jake asked the room.
"I am here."
"Lock the room, and make sure no one can hear us. Okay?"
Rather than responding the his command, Jake simply listened for the small sound of the sliding door engaging its bolt locks with a satisfying click.
"Thanks." Vlad told him, taking a few drags of nicotine. The room already smelled of burning tobacco. Jake nodded. "So, there's something I need to talk to you about."
"Sure. You can trust me, Vlad. But why not gather all of Bandit? And what's with all the secrecy?"
The Russian just waved away the questions. "One thing at a time, my friend. First, I need you to understand that everything I'm about to tell you must not leave this room. You can't repeat any of this conversation, even to the rest of Bandit."
"I don't unders-"
"There's nothing to 'understand', Jake. There just the two of us. Only I know about this, to my knowledge. But I haven't told you anything yet, so if you don't want any part of this just tell me."
Vlad's stare was firm, his jaw set in what Jake thought was either resolve or worry. This was already suspicious enough, with all the pomp and circumstance. But if Vlad was playing his cards this close to his chest, then Jake knew it was something he had to lend his support to.
"Whatever it is, you can tell me. And I won't breathe a word of anything you tell me, if that's what you want."
Vlad just stared at Jake, his gaze cutting through him like a laser. The seconds of silence dragged out until they felt like minutes going by. And still, Vlad stared, boring into Jake's very soul with his piercing blue eyes.
"Thank you."
Jake nodded.
"So? What is it?"
Vlad finished his cigarette, and sighed. The residual smoke floated out of his mouth like the galaxy's most pathetic dragon.
"It's about the Commander."
"Briggs?"
Vlad nodded, his face steadily becoming more and more grim. "She's a war criminal."
Jake narrowed his eyes. He didn't understand. Despite being freedom fighters, making war on the IMC for the liberation and independence of the Andromeda, the authorities of the home systems had skewed public perception of the Militia so that much of the governing bodies of Earth regarded them as terrorists. In their eyes, every soldier fighting for the Frontier's future was a war criminal.
"She murdered an entire colony, in cold blood, a few years ago. It was a massacre." Vlad rubbed his eyes, as if that would change what he knew about her. "All so she could flush out a single IMC operative in possession of a WMD. Four hundred and thirty two people, killed by the teams she was providing intel to, because she didn't know where the target was and didn't want to wait until they were safely away from civilians to engage the target. The human cost, for one guy?"
Jake couldn't believe what he was hearing. He'd heard of 'doing what was necessary' for the good of the Frontier, or that 'the ends justified the means', but this was wrong.
"How do you know all of this? It could be the IMC feeding you misinformation." Jake suggested, but the look of Vlad's face said it all.
"It's not a trick, it's the truth. The IMC have nothing to do with how I know about this."
"Then who?"
"I don't know if they're even a 'who'. They could be a 'what' for all I know!" Vlad grimaced. "Look, there's this group... or something, called 'the Advocate'. They've been steadily supplying the Militia with resources for months. Solid intel, those three dreadnoughts that saved our asses on Leviathan, and much more besides."
"How can you know they're not anything to do with the IMC?"
"Because they gave us information about Demeter, and they're supplying us with knowledge that the IMC wouldn't give us in a million years. I don't know what their agenda is with the Militia, but they sure as hell don't want the IMC to win this war."
Jake held up his hands in front of him, trying to placate the obviously bubbling anger of his friend.
"Look, I believe you. I'm just being careful."
Vlad scratched his chin, calming himself down. "Hm. Well, I guess I can understand that. That's why I wanted to give you something."
"Hooray." Jake said flatly. "Isn't the gift of the knowledge that our Commander is guilty of war crimes enough? It's not even my birthday."
"Get over yourself. I gave you the option to say 'no', but you declined, so this is where things stand."
Jake shrugged knowing that Vlad was right. The Russian pressed a finger to his ear-piece, connecting to the ships Operating System.
"Lenin. Send Jake the file."
Jake's tac-pad pinged from an incoming message on cue. Vlad stood, and turned to the door. Spades unlocked the bolts as he approached.
"It's all there. The evidence that the Advocate sent me. Look, whether we like it or not - this is a conspiracy now. Nobody's gonna get hurt if I get a say in anything, but we need answers. I hope I can trust you, Jake."
Lincoln stared as Vlad left the room, leaving the young Pilot alone with his thoughts. He stayed like that for a long time. He couldn't explain it, but he felt oddly numb. Without realising how it got there, Jake was suddenly aware that he was holding his tac-pad in hands, finger hovering open the 'Open Message' prompt on the screen.
He pressed it, and a new file automatically opened up. It contained a few different files, all time-stamped and marked with authenticated communiqué labels between an 'S. Briggs' and someone marked only as 'General Anderson'. The name rang a bell somewhere in Jake's mind. He had been on the IMC's high-priority hit-list. To his knowledge, the man had been the Ship Captain of the Red-Eye, the Militia First Fleet's flagship that was shot down in the refuelling raid on Victor.
/
POST-MISSION DEBRIEF; , 1st Lieutenant
MISSION CODENAME: UNDER THE RUG
MISSION PARAMETERS: Find and eliminate IMC Operative(s) hiding in civilian population of the Romulus colony. Target believed to have possession of a WMD. EXTREME CAUTION ADVISED
UNITS DEPLOYED:Alpha (Staff Sergeant S. Jones, PFC J. Dalton, PFC A. McNamara), Bravo (Warrant Officer Z. Basette, PFC A. Truman, AT2 D. Barkow) Charlie (Major R. Rhodes, PFC M. Barrieta, PFC J. Jessups)
Mission Report:
All teams (Alpha/Bravo/Charlie) made aware of the target's possession of a (HIGH-YIELD DEXTRO) nuclear weapon, able to be detonated at any time. After seeking new orders from ranking officer, S. Briggs, all teams were advised to eliminate entire civilian population of Romulus to engage target and retrieve stolen nuclear technology. Acting on the orders of Briggs, Alpha/Bravo opened fire on civilian targets, while Charlie waited for target to be flushed out for seizure. After approximately eighty-eight percent civilian fatalities, target was found and eliminated and the primary objective was recovered. IMC reinforcements were detected in-system and all Militia teams were extracted safely.
/
The report was horrifying. Jake tried to read it over and over again, but kept getting snagged on one word. The word that David had burned into his brain since his message aboard the Argonaut when it was boarded and liberated.
'Romulus'.
David's home. The source of all of his anger. The place where his family had been murdered, and Jake had believed the Militia wasn't involved, despite David insisting otherwise. But this whole time, Jake had been wrong. It had been Sarah's fault. Jake sagged as the reality came crashing down on him. David was orphaned by the woman that led the Militia.
VIIIIIV
Two hours later...
VIIIIIV
"Welcome to Harmony." MacAllan beamed as Vlad left the airlock connecting the Leonidas to the Athens space port.
The two ex-Pilots embraced for a moment, shaking hands and exchanging greetings. A host of other crew members from the Leonidas stepped through the entry, scattering in different directions as they went their separate ways. Jake, having arrived with Vlad and the rest of his team, presumed they'd probably be heading to the mess hall or the first shuttle to the surface of Harmony. Jake gathered the four other members of Bandit and told them to enjoy their shore leave.
"It's probably not gonna last more than a few days, so enjoy yourselves while you're here. We don't know when we'll get another chance to relax like this." Jake said, smirking.
They all gave him various murmurs of acknowledgement before following the flowing crowd of ship crew and soldiers to their personal destinations. Jake watched them go before searching for Vlad, who was still conversing with MacAllan. Striding over, he nodded his respect to both men before joining their conversation.
"Good news." Mac said. "You guys got what we needed from the tower on Leviathan."
"Damn right." Jake said. "We worked our butts off for that information, and nearly got eaten by all kind of beasties while doing it."
"But at great cost, also." Vodnik sighed, looking down in shame. Jake looked over to his friend, wondering if he was reflecting on the lives lost when the Grendel's Mother was lost with all hands.
MacAllan placed a comforting hand on Vlad's shoulder. "We'll make their sacrifice worth it, you have my word."
"So what's next?" Jake asked, voicing the question he'd had lingering in the back of his mind since they'd left Leviathan's orbit. "Are we ready to strike at Demeter yet?"
"Not quite. But we're close. There's only one obstacle left in the way. Only one thing remains between us and Demeter. If any attack on Demeter's to have a chance of success, we're going to have to draw away at least some of the fleets surrounding her."
"But wouldn't that split our forces?" Jake asked. "We've gotta have all hands on deck for Demeter, we can't spare anyone for a distraction."
"I thought the same, until we found out about Airbase Sierra."
Jake put a hand to his chin in thought. He'd never been assigned to Sierra when he was with the IMC, being with a recon squad like Goblin meant he was out on the frontline, scouting for Militia strongholds. But Sierra Airbase was a refit and refuel outpost in Demeter's back-yard. Any out-going fleets from the fortress world had to make a stop there to load up on resources before making their trip.
"So, what, we take over the airbase? Lure away the defending fleets?"
"Christ, kid, just let me explain the plan." Mac smiled, only a hint annoyance creeping into his voice.
Jake offered a crummy half-smile, trying not to show his embarrassment.
"No, we're not taking it over, we're destroying the place."
"We are? What about our massing forces here?" Vlad asked. "Why send only a few when we could destroy it with an orbital bombardment?"
"Because that would be quick, and the IMC wouldn't make a move to repair any damages. They'd just consolidate resources and shore up their defences on Demeter, which would make our assault much harder than it already will be."
"So what's the alternative?" Vlad pressed, his patience clearly running thin.
"We create an ongoing situation that the IMC could realistically solve if they devote the appropriate man-power to it." Mac crossed his arms and smiled. "There's a bunch of nasty wildlife on that planet, surrounding it at all times. They're a lot like those massive lumbering giants you must've seen on Leviathan. They'd stomp the airbase if they could get close enough, but there's more of those sound-emitter towers like the one on Leviathan. If we can shut those down, the beasts will do our work for us."
"Let me guess, a small Pilot team goes in nice and quiet and shuts down the towers one by one, leaving no trace they were there except for a trail of bodies, and escape amongst the ensuing chaos. Typical black ops shit, right?"
Mac nodded. "Pretty much, except we'll be providing a detachment of marines, as well as Pilots – reinforced by their Titans – to create enough of a distraction for the IMC ground forces there."
"It's risky, but if we can pull it off, the IMC might blame the attack on a rogue group of pirates or bandits who were looking for something to steal." Mac told them.
"Begs the question, who's going down there on such a risky mission? And which Pilot team will be doing the black-ops?"
"Well, much to my surprise, Sarah volunteered to lead the team going to shut down the Towers, and she'll be backed up by the operative you were sent to extract on Leviathan."
"You mean Rhian?" Jake asked, incredulous. He used Ashley's alias, just in case Mac wasn't aware of her true name. "She asked me if she could borrow a couple of my men for a mission she had coming up. I guess this was what she meant."
"Thanks for giving her permission, by the way. She can be persuasive when she wants to be." Mac smirked.
"She is a spy, after all." Jake laughed.
"I think she prefers the term 'undercover operative', but spy works just as well." Mac agreed. "The distracting team of marines and Pilots will be volunteers. This is a dangerous mission, and the odds will be against them – anyone who goes down there will have to fend off hundreds, if not thousands, of IMC personnel."
"I'm afraid Bandit will have to sit this one out, Mac." Jake apologised. "I'll be giving half my men to Rhian, and Golsan's still unfit for duty on account of his injuries. I'd pretty much be all alone down there."
MacAllan nodded. "I understand. A lot of Pilot squads are down by a few men these days."
Vlad gave Jake a withering look. "My friend, you are a talented soldier, and a gifted Pilot. I'm sure you could assemble a few of these lonely Pilots to fight beside you while the others of Bandit help Rhian on her mission."
Jake scratched his chin in thought. On the one hand, he knew he'd feel guilty if he just sat out of the fighting in the relative safety of the orbiting ship. Getting his boots on the ground, fighting in the addictively bustling battlefield as a nimble Pilot was a rush unlike any other. Skirting the line of instant death at any moment was something many thrill-seekers would think of as a bit 'too much' for their tastes. On the other hand, he'd served with Bandit for more than half a year now in the ongoing campaign against the IMC. And in that time, he'd become intimately familiar with the tactics and strategies of his men. Could he really put himself past all that and group up with other Pilots, strangers to him, and complete a mission to Bandits usual success rates?
"I'll need some time to think about it." Jake surmised, crossing his arms decisively. "If you get a chance, I'd appreciate it if you could forward me any dossiers you have available on the other Pilots I'd group with for the assignment. The more I know about the people I'll be fighting with, the better I can plan a worthwhile plan of attack."
"You got it." Mac replied, then looked over his shoulder as someone beckoned his name at the far end of the corridor. "Duty calls, gents. I'll see you around."
Jake gave Mac a mock salute as the older man turned and left the pair of Pilots. As soon as Mac was out of earshot, Vlad turned to Jake, a quizzical eyebrow raised in an obvious question.
"Did you read the files I sent to you?" Vlad enunciated. "If not, I'd appreciate it if you deleted them from your pad and we didn't speak of it again."
Jake's face became grave, and he looked to the floor. "Honestly, I wasn't sure what to do with them. But after some consideration, I read them."
"So you know the truth." Vlad said. "About Sarah."
"It could a forgery." Jake countered, some small part of him unwilling to believe the Commander could have any part in a massacre like the one on Romulos.
Like the one where Blisk had murdered women and children. She couldn't be anything like that monster, surely? The Militia were the good guys in this war.
"It's not a fake. Lenin verified in every way he knew how. It's the real thing."
"But it doesn't make any sense. Sarah wouldn't command her men to open fire on hundreds of civilians, just to flush out one IMC agent."
Jake's belief in the Militia's leadership was dwindling by the second at this point. Vlad wasn't a man to make assumptions. If he was certain of the Commander's guilt, then Jake already knew that the Russian's mind would not be easily dissuaded.
"In war, things are not always so easy to define. And no one is without a guilty conscience. We are all at fault."
"But not everyone has murdered children to get what they wanted." Jake was surprised at the anger in his own voice.
"I'm going to talk to Sarah about this." Vlad told him.
"Are you sure that's a good idea. There's no telling what she'll do if word gets out. It'll shake the Militia to its core." Jake said.
Vlad considered for a moment, then made up his mind.
"I must confront her. If I have to request a private meeting with her to do so, so be it." Vlad sighed. "The truth is all that matters now. I believe she respects me enough to tell me that much at least."
"What will you do if-"
"I don't know. If it somehow turns out to be one big lie to turn us on one another, then I will repair the damage I have one. But if it is true, and Sarah tells me herself, then I will take my ship and crew - and leave."
Jake said nothing. His face said it all. Vlad went on.
"I cannot continue to support a woman with no moral boundaries. Either she abdicates her command, or I leave. For good. And I would like for you to come with me if that happens."
Jake was stunned, but he managed to form enough words to string together a comprehensible question.
"What about the cause? What about Bandit?"
Vlad considered it for a moment.
"The Militia are not the only ones fighting for the freedom of the Frontier. There are others, so many others, fighting for the same thing. I would join with them, or form a group of our own. The Militia are only the loudest voice crying out for independence, but they are not the only one."
Jake had to admit, he made a good point. For the most part, the Militia were made up of homesteaders, bandits, pirates and others who either wanted to prosper without the IMC's rules, or wanted to forge their own way in life without the iron fist of 'corporate interests' crushing the life out of them.
All of them wanted freedom for one reason or another.
"And Bandit? They're our friends, and they deserve to know the truth."
"I know, Jake. But right now, not even we know the entire truth, we have only evidence. After I confront Briggs, we will decide what to do."
Vlad stepped closer to Jake, so close that he could smell the cigarettes on his breath.
"Remember, tell no one. Not until we know the truth. Agreed?" Vlad stuck out a hand.
Jake was hesitant, looking down at the calloused palm. A thousand thoughts tumbled through his head, threatening to bubble over and pour out into a hundred questions that no one had the answers to yet. But he shook Vlad's hand before he voiced any of them.
"Agreed."
There were footsteps to their right, and Ashley rounded the corner, seeing the two men so close almost made her burst out into laughter.
"Whoa, fellas, don't let me interrupt." She chuckled.
Jake looked at her, then back to Vlad. They fumbled as they distanced themselves from each other.
"Rhian! Uh, it's not what it looks like." Jake internally cringed, even as he said it. What a friggin' cliché.
"You sure? Because it looks like you two were about to kiss-and-tell." She poked fun.
Vlad managed to keep his cool as Jake felt his face getting hot from embarrassment. The Russian simply strode over to the petite woman and leered at her. She continued giggling anyway.
"Relax, malen'kiy, he is not my type." Vlad chuckled, looking over at Jake with a critical eye. "Too skinny. I like my women like I like my Titans - the bigger, the better."
The pair laughed heartily together for a moment. Then Vlad was gone, around the corner to board to deeper areas of the Athens. How the man was able to go from talking about something as serious as conspiracy to something resembling humour was beyond Jake's comprehension.
Suddenly, the two of them were alone.
"You're hilarious. Really." Jake said sarcastically, defusing the last of the lingering tension.
"And you're looking better, considering how badly Lastimosa beat your ass in that fight." She said, walking a little closer and poking one of the welts on his face. The aching had gone down since he'd been woken by Vlad, but the bruises would be there for at least another week. Having Ashley poking them wasn't exactly helping him heal.
"I'm a quick healer." He winced, pushing away her hand from his cheek. "But that doesn't help any."
"Tough." She said. "Listen, I just wanted to thank you again for letting me borrow your guys. The mission's coming up soon, and I wanted to get some information on them."
"Why, wanna date any of them? I wouldn't if I were you. Desmond's got baggage; John's got anger issues, and Castillo? Well, he's just fucking crazy."
Ashley laughed again. Jake really didn't like how much he enjoyed hearing it.
"No. I'm really a 'dating' kind of gal." She said, she turned and walked away, ushering Jake to follow.
Lincoln huffed and picked up his duffel bag of personal belongings. Just a few spare changes of clothes, a couple hundred credits, as well as some other possessions.
"Oh, yeah? Let me guess, you're more of a 'use, abuse, lose' kind of girl?"
She feigned offense. "Well, I never!"
"Sure you are. Knew a few of your type back home." Jake grinned.
"Oh, so you lecture me on my one-night stands, but I'm sure you've had your fair share of flings." Ashley berated him, and Jake couldn't be sure if she was being serious or not. Until he saw the small smirk on her face, then he knew she wasn't being anything close to serious.
"Oh, definitely. Hundreds."
"Thousands." She countered.
Jake just laughed. Actually laughed. It felt strange to do, like he didn't deserve to have anything that should bring him joy. He killed people, and others had died for him. He stopped suddenly, his face falling as he looked at Rhian, or Ashley, or whatever. She turned, a hint of worry creasing her brow.
"Something wrong?" She asked.
No, not at all. Commander Briggs is a war criminal, my Captain's sworn me to secrecy, and I'm contemplating abandoning the Militia. Oh, yeah, and my men have almost died a dozen times since I got put in charge of them. And did I tell you about the time I got a hole blown through my chest in a sewer, or the time I nearly got eaten by the local wildlife on a desert planet? Or did you already hear the one about how I deserted my mentor and betrayed everything he stood for, just because I had too much of a conscience? You don't understand me at all.
Jake shrugged. "I'm just tired."
Ashley stared at him, frowning. Jake felt like smacking himself in the face. Of course she'd know when he's lying. She's a spy, she lied for a living.
"Hey." She said, regaining his attention. He was surprised to see the compassion on her face. "I'm 'just tired' too. All the time."
Jake smiled half-heartedly. Maybe she understood him, just a little bit, after all. "Thanks. I've just got a lot on my mind. It's not your fault."
"Never said it was." She shrugged, turning away and beckoning him onward. "But a load shared is a load halved, right?"
Jake nodded.
"Wanna tell me a bit of it over some food? There's this really great diner I know from an assignment I had here once. We can get there from the landing zone within about twenty minutes. You game?" She asked.
Jake wasn't sure. He didn't know if he deserved that kind of joy in his life, however tiny the shred of it was. But at the end of the day, he supposed everyone was just trying to get by on whatever happiness they could get. And for better or worse, Ashley was a source of that happiness. He smiled as they neared the transport bay, embarking a packed shuttle bound for the surface of Harmony.
"You know, for someone who isn't a dating kind of gal, this sure sounds like you're asking me out to dinner." He smirked as they found a seat. The ion engines rumbled to life seconds later as the shuttle left the hangar and zipped toward the planet.
"You should be so lucky." She grinned, punching him lightly on the arm.
Reviews:
Mac Gustah
"Why do you have to make it sound so gay?" Oh my god I'm fucking dying XD.
Nice to have you back in action! Looking forward to see where this whole Advocate thing is gonna go, and I'm glad to see Vlad hasn't been separated from his Titan :)
I liked the boxing tournament a lot, the action was very well written. Looking forward to the next chapter!
Thanks for the feedback, the boxing scenes were a lot of fun to write. I hadn't written any action in a while, but that was a nice excuse to have fun with a fight scene or two. As for the Advocate, what do you think of this new revelation? I always thought Sarah Briggs was always a little too squeaky clean, so having this kind of rumour circling might make her just a bit more interesting. Enjoy the chapter.
Hunter Dracon
I'm just waiting for Jackie Roe to pop back up.
She'll return soon, most likely after the Battle of Demeter. It's not far off now!
Swampus
Hey, this is pretty good, keep it up - PV2 David Willis U.S. Army
Thanks. I'll do my best to make updates more often. But it can be difficult to write for more than about twenty minutes before something comes up sometimes XD
