Chapter seven

Alex woke more rested than he had anticipated. The bed he slept on was of a higher quality than he was used to and it cradled him as he slept through the night. Paige was awake, lying on her back on the bed next to his. They exchanged their good mornings as Alex went to the bathroom to wash his face. The morning sun shone into their room with blinding brilliance, enhancing the color of the red carpeting. Alex's eyes were crusted with sleep and his lines on his face we far harsher than he remembered. You're getting old, he thought to himself and dried his face. He walked back into the room. Paige was still looking at the ceiling.

"You shaved," she said without looking at him. Alex smiled.

"Yup figured I didn't need a scraggly beard gettin in the way of things," Alex said. He noticed he was letting his draw out a little bit, something he tried to avoid.

"You look younger," she said and smiled. Alex smiled back and walked to the window. He liked the busyness of the city. Mar Sara was anything but exciting, and this was a nice change of pace. It reminded him of his youth. Alex stretched and sat back on the bed.

"So where'd you go last night?" Alex said. Paige looked over at him.

"I debriefed them on some Confederate movements and tactics, as well as any plans I knew of while under Admiral King," She said. Alex didn't respond. He sat there staring at the floor, his eyes flicking back in fourth and his bottom lip quivering a bit from him biting away the skin inside his mouth.

"Alex?" Paige said. Alex's head jerked up and looked at Paige. She looked concerned, her brow furrowed. Alex shook his head slightly and smiled quickly.

"Sorry, lost in thought, continue," he said. Paige still looked worried.

"Alright, well, they want to meet with both of us today at 0900," she said. Alex nodded. A knock on the door startled both of them. Before Alex could get up, Ian burst into the room with a large smile on his face.

"Well good mornin to ya!" he said, his energy already exhausting Alex. Paige rolled her eyes and greeted him. "I hear ya got a meetin this mornin, so I've been charged with takin care of ya," he said. He leaned up against the threshold and smiled. Alex could feel Paige's frustration from here. She rolled her eyes and sighed. Ian didn't seem to notice. The two of them slowly got ready for the day. Sometime in the night, a fresh change of clothes had been left for them at their bedsides. It was casual wear, with slacks and a white t-shirt. Alex welcomed the feeling of clean clothes after he had been blood-soaked for three days. They showered and changed as Ian patiently waited for them. They made their way back up to Redford's office and waited in the lobby. The secretary he noticed was the same model of adjutant as the one in records he had encountered yesterday. A guard also stood next to his door, wearing an ornate military uniform. Ian was leaning on the secretary's desk, looking at the adjutant as it worked silently. The door opened and a man Alex didn't recognize walked out. He strode past them and didn't look at them. He had a thick brown beard with flecks of grey through it and wavy hair. His clothes were old and ragged, a relic of an old military uniform. On his sleeve, a red logo was visible, an arm holding a whip. Alex recognized it as the Sons of Korhal insignia. Behind him, Redford stepped out of his office.

"My nine o'clock, perfect," he said and waved for them to follow. Ian went to walk in but Redford stopped him. "These two only Ian." Ian sighed and puffed, shooting the general an angry look. Alex and Paige walked into the office past the fuming Ian and sat down. Redford closed the door and sat down behind his large desk. A window behind him shown out into the city. They were high enough up that there were no vehicles whizzing by, just the vast expanse of the white city. Alex turned his attention to the general. He looked tired. Dark circles hung under his eyes, and he noticed that one of his eyes was very bloodshot. Alex also noticed a small cut on his lip that wasn't there before. Alex quickly looked around the office. Papers lay scattered across his desk and a small blinking light on his computer reflected on the polished wooden desk. On a piece of paper, Alex noticed the word King and felt a tinge of worry in the back of his mind.

"I had just spoken with my contacts with the Sons of Korhal, and they've agreed to bring you aboard as an operator," Redford said. Paige's face broke into a huge smile.

"Awesome!" she exclaimed. Her enthusiasm wasn't matched by the rest of the room. Alex laughed slightly at the young upstart. Redford didn't express any emotion. He sat there staring at Paige until her smile faltered. Alex sat up slightly.

"I have a question, sir," he said. Redford shifted his gaze to Alex. "The refugees you mentioned, they aren't in the system, and I checked records last night and..."Redford cut him off.

"That is why I brought you both here," he said. Alex raised his eyebrows. "The refugee ships were attacked by a Confederate force while they were in route and were forced down on a planet called Atticus Minor, a mining world," Redford explained.

"Are they okay, are you in contact with them?!" Alex said. He stood slightly in his excitement and leaned over the desk. Redford sat back slightly and placed his hand on his leg close to his sidearm. Alex noticed and sat back down quickly.

"Calm yourself, man!" Redford said. Paige placed her hand on Alex's shoulder. "We've gotten broken communications with them, enough to determine their position but nothing further," he said. Redford reached over to a pile of folders and grabbed two and handed one to each of them. On the front of the folders were pictures of the planet and the name at the top. Inside was information about the cities there and military presence reports, as well as the terrain and ecosystem of the planet. Paige flipped through it quickly as Alex studied each page. It was a Confederate mining planet with few major cities. The Confederation held a small military base there to keep the peace but nothing to deny a full-scale invasion.

"We plan on attacking the planet soon, those mines could prove extremely valuable to the rebellion," Redford said. Paige closed her folder and looked at the general. "I'm sending you as a rescue mission for those colonists, bring them to safety, then join back with our main force to eradicate the Confederates from the planet." Alex finally closed his folder as well.

"Do we have a plan for that?" Alex said. Redford nodded.

"You'll be debriefed on the way there, and outfitted soon" he replied. Alex felt uneasy. It all seemed so rushed. He didn't like walking into situations he didn't know anything about.

"We won't let you down," Paige said. Redford stood and held out his hand. Alex and Paige rose and shook his hand.

"I'm sure you won't," he said calmly. Paige turned and began walking out the door but Alex didn't move.

"I'll be a minute," Alex said. Paige nodded and walked out of the office and closed the door. Alex turned back to the general. "One more thing general." Redford peered at him.

"And what would that be," he said suspiciously. Alex looked at the man in eyes, the cool blue piercing through his furrowed brow.

"When I get my colonists to safety, I'm leaving," Alex said firmly. "I have no interest in your war." Redford rubbed his chin and snarled. He snorted hard and glanced at the door. Alex turned and walked out the door. Paige was waiting with Ian in the lobby. Alex walked past them and into the elevator. Paige and Ian shot each other confused looks and followed him. They rode the elevator in silence before Ian's high voice broke the calm.

"So it went well then?" he said. Ian looked at both of them with a big smile.

"Absolutely," Alex said. No one said anything for the rest of the ride.

They reached the first floor and Ian walked out first. The lobby of the building was ornate and clean, with thick marble columns reaching to the ceiling. Red carpeting stretched from the elevator to the front door, which was made of a purple-hued glass. A desk was positioned to their right that was flanked by some strange foliage in stone planters. Behind it was two large water fountains with lights underneath. The water danced in the reflected light as it was shot into the air and fell back into the pool with soft splashing. A woman was sitting at the desk, another adjutant, Alex recognized. It seems there wasn't much need for humans. The thought made Alex laugh. Irony is subtle at times. They walked out into the streets and for the first time Alex felt the grandeur of the city. Each of the buildings was made of a white metal that reflected the sun upwards. The buildings themselves were built with a wider base and spired upwards, becoming progressively thinner towards the top. It reminded Alex of a picture he saw that was supposedly from Earth of a place called the Washington Monument from hundreds of years ago. He had seen it on an old propaganda poster for the United Earth Directorate back when they were helping the Confederation government spread to more worlds. Ian had a car parked next to the curb. He held the door open for Paige and closed it for her. Alex opened his own door. Ian climbed into the driver's seat and adjusted his mirror so he could see Paige in the back seat.

"Where are we going, Ian?" Paige asked. Ian looked back at her in the mirror.

"The base of operations sweetie," Ian said. A mixture of both excitement and absolute disgust washed over Paige's face. Ian started the car and hovered it slightly before taking off with a hard lurch forwards, throwing Alex and Paige back in their seats. Ian sped and weaved through the traffic leaving behind a wake of honks and curses. Alex gripped the side of his seat until his hand hurt. The arrived at the base quickly. Both Paige and Alex's hearts were beating fast. Ian stepped out of the car and opened the door for Paige again. She got out taking deep breathes and shooting Ian angry looks. He gave her a wide smile and walked down the road. Alex and Paige followed closely behind him. The building they were at was an old Confederate Command center, probably from the initial colonization. It looks extremely out of place from the rest of the city. It had rounded metal beams surrounding it and its dark grey sheen contrasted with the pristine white city surrounding it. Two guards stood outside it in a small hut just next to the entrance. As they approached, one stepped out and ordered them to halt. Ian flashed a small insignia to the guard. He nodded and let them pass. The inside of the command center was a stark contrast to the building they were in before. Metal flooring and cramped ceilings reminded Alex of his military days. People walked to and fro around them, many in civilian clothes. The Sons of Korhal insignias were plastered over every wall, and monitors were haphazardly bolted into the walls, displaying various news reports and information channels. It felt like the center of a stock exchange more than a military rebellion. The group waded through the darting ocean of people until they reached a staircase at the end of the room. They walked up to the second floor to a much quieter scene. Around them were lockers upon lockers of equipment, from guns to armor to computers. Desks lined the outer walls and were manned by people typing away urgently with headsets on. Many of them had a sort eyepiece on that had numbers scrolling over it. At the back end of the room was a lone woman at a desk. She was reading something on the screen that Alex couldn't see. She glanced up and saw the group approaching and smiled.

"Ian!" the woman exclaimed. Ian walked quickly over to her and hugged her. The woman was much larger than Ian and towered over him. Alex thought she might crush him if they embraced for much longer. The woman held Ian by the shoulders and slapped his arm.

"Everyone, this is my sister, Emily," Ian said proudly. Alex was amazed. The woman didn't resemble Ian at all and had to be 150 pounds heavier than him. She was built like a tank, with large arms and thick legs. Her hair was a kept back in a short ponytail underneath a backward hat. Alex shook her hand and felt the immense strength of the woman. Alex wasn't a short man but she was at least 5 inches taller than he was. Paige grasped Emily's hand and shook it firmly. She looked tiny compared to Emily.

"It's quite the pleasure to meet you, I heard you were comin," Emily said. The Highlander accent was apparent and finally, Alex saw the family resemblance. The same color eyes and brow marked them as siblings. Ian stood next to his sister proudly and looked back at Alex and Paige.

"I hear ya are needing some equipment and plan," she said.

Inside his office, Redford tapped his fingers on his desk and stared at his blank monitor. The light still blinked on his computer, its red hue gave Redford a headache. A face popped up on his computer.

"Admiral," Redford said. Admiral King looked sternly at Redford.

"I trust everything went smoothly?" King said, his voice hoarse. Redford nodded.

"Yes, yes, it's all according to plan, but I have a question," Redford said. He could see a vein begin to pop on King's forehead.

"What?" he snarled. Redford had to stop himself from laughing. He had little respect for the man, and annoying him was always a pleasure.

"The girl, Paige Scott, she's an ideal candidate, but why her?" Redford said. "Why waste such a specimen?"

"It's unimportant, she left on her own volition and we'll keep letting her think that," King snapped. King's face disappeared from the monitor. Redford sat there for a long time, lost in his thoughts.

"I do wonder, what's your story girl?" Redford thought to himself.