Previously:
New Byzantium, Milky Way Galaxy, April 2199
"You'll be interested to see this," she replied, swiping her fingers over the virtual keyboard.
The display changed to Evelyn's hotel room. Mary and Matthew were standing next to him and a growing display of charts, numbers and text was floating in front of them.
'Whatever estimates you're working with, they're wrong,' Mary advised.
Kemal smiled. "Clever girl."
"What do you want us to do to him?" the operator asked.
"Wipe the memory of this visit," he ordered. "Send the rest of the data to my office and give him a full treatment. I'll go in and get him after the pedicure."
"Yes, Minister," the operator confirmed.
Kemal took one last look at the display. One screen showed Evelyn sleeping peacefully, an attendant rubbing down his shoulders. A pleasant smile was on his face as he dozed. On another monitor, Mary was now bent over with her hands tied behind her back, moaning from her lover's thrusts.
"That's it, Evelyn. Have at her. Fuck her raw. You've got all night," he laughed before leaving the room.
Chapter 12:
Commemoration Hall, New Byzantium, Milky Way Galaxy, April 2199
'…a new era in the glorious history of New Byzantium, where we will announce to the galaxy that we are reaffirming our ties to our home planet…'
Alex took a deep breath and once again glanced around at the crowd seated around him, His fingers shifted across to Anna's thigh and lightly smoothed over her skirt.
"Behave yourself," she whispered, stilling his hand while her eyes kept looking up to the long stage where another dignitary was making a speech about the accord reached between New Byzantium and Britain.
"I am well-behaved," he growled back. "I'm simply bored, that's all."
She smirked but did not look at him. "Yes, I know you hate these things, but we need to endure it for appearances. You're an officer. Act like one."
"For how much longer?" he asked through gritted teeth. "This is the fifth speech we've heard already."
"I understand that 28 is a lucky number here," she answered, smiling when he groaned in response.
"You must be joking," he grumbled.
"Maybe. You'll just have to behave and see," she replied, turning and giving him a mischievous glance before looking back up the stage.
He sighed and shook his head before following along once again to the speaker. His hand remained on his wife's thigh, their fingers now laced together.
"Alex is dying over there," Tom whispered gleefully, his eyes bright as he glanced over at his friend's disgruntled expression. "He hates speeches and what not."
"And you love them, do you?" Sybil smirked, elbowing her husband in the side lightly. "Did you not just ask me how much longer this was going on for? For the tenth time?"
"It could not have been more than the fifth," he shrugged. "Anyway, my mood is much better now that I know I'm not the only one suffering."
She rolled her eyes in the trademark Crawley manner. "Considering what's at stake, it's hardly asking too much to sit through a few speeches and what not. This was our mission, you know, to help broker a deal."
"We're the escort," he replied. "Evelyn and his team are the ones who did the deal. I have to say I'm impressed. I didn't expect him to be able to pull it off on this visit. I thought it would be months before anything was agreed to, and that they would want to speak to the Canadians and Americans first."
"He must have done something to truly impress them," she noted, looking up at the stage where Evelyn was seated in the front row next to the New Byzantium Minister, Kemal Pamuk.
"Whatever he did, it means we get to leave this place finally, so for that I am grateful," he nodded.
"I suppose," she sighed. "I shall miss the bath houses, though."
He frowned and looked at her in confusion. "Bath houses? Since when did you visit any of them?"
"I went to a few of them, actually," she answered. "They were all quite good, but I discovered Jordan at one of the smaller ones. His hands…my goodness. Just thinking of what he did to me gives me chills."
His mouth fell open as he stared at his wife in shock.
A slow smile spread across her lips as she kept her eyes on the speaker.
"You are in so much trouble when we get back to the ship," he murmured, crossing his arms over his chest and looking back up at the stage. "Jordan, hey? I got something to give you the chills."
It was all she could do to not burst out laughing as she reached over and squeezed her husband's hand.
Matthew applauded politely as the speaker wrapped up his remarks and waved to the crowd. He glanced around the hall, the soaring pillars around the perimeter majestic and imposing, drawing his eyes up to the large coloured glass dome that topped the chamber. It was a building seemingly made for grand occasions, and in the history of the colony, perhaps there was no grander event than this one – solidifying a formal alliance with the British Empire.
He took a deep breath and lowered his gaze back down to the stage. Dignitaries and officials were seated all around he and Mary, their row and seat position directly related to their political status, it seemed. Ministers and diplomats who wanted the most face time and to take the most credit were in the first two rows. The junior officers and those who were important enough to not have to sit in the audience were behind them.
If he had his choice, he would rather have been way in the back, standing even so as to make a quick exit. Representing Britain was part of his duty as Captain, as was wearing the stuffy dress uniform he had on now, but it was one of the more annoying duties that came with his position.
He glanced to this right where Mary was seated elegantly with perfect posture as always. Of course, she had eschewed the standard Captain's uniform for a much more comfortable blue dress that complimented her figure while allowing her to breathe far easier. Unlike him, she had the luxury of pinning her rank stripes to any outfit and making it instantly a uniform.
"You're staring," she whispered, her eyes on the dais to the left of them.
"I am not," he objected, keeping his eyes on her.
"Don't look at me like that," she scolded him quietly.
"Like what?" he questioned, his eyes bright with mischief now.
"Like you want to do something entirely improper right here on this stage," she retorted.
He brought his hand up to rub his face, effectively covering his mouth as he leaned towards her ever so slightly.
"Control yourself, won't you?" he snapped with mock disapproval. "We're representing all of Britain. Keep your dirty thoughts to yourself."
She suppressed an eye roll, but only just.
"That's the last speech."
"Teams report in."
"Alpha team in position."
"Bravo team in position."
"Delta team standing by."
"Sight lines?"
"Clear."
"You have authorization to fire on sight. The procession will come out towards the street. Allow them all to get outside and pose for photos first. We want the power players to make it outside of the building before we move."
"Copy."
"Copy that."
"Understood."
"Expected arrival in ten minutes."
Alex frowned as he looked out across the street to the surrounding buildings. The sun shone brightly overhead in a cloudless sky and there was a calm silence over the area. The surrounding busy downtown blocks had been cordoned off and security drones were posted at various street corners.
Taking out a pair of sunglasses from his inside coat pocket, he brought them up over his eyes, the heads-up display immediately initializing once they detected his retinas.
"Take those off!" Anna ordered. "We're posing for photos."
"It will take close to an hour to set up these photos," he replied, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the tall office tower before them. "Standard procedure, my love."
She rolled her eyes before pressing her earpiece.
"We're outside. Patrols report in," she called.
"Falcon 7, here. The street is clear, Commander."
"Falcon 5, reporting. We have the usual crowds gathered at the barriers and onlookers in the office windows. Nothing out of the ordinary."
"Falcon 4, Commander Smith. The exit route is secured and roads are empty."
"Hold position and keep watch," Alex commanded. "We should be leaving within the hour."
"Copy that, Lieutenant Commander. We can't set down in the streets with all these buildings around. We have eyes on you."
"Understood," Alex nodded before switching off his communication link. He pressed a small button on the side of his glasses and looked up at the top floor of the office tower. "Magnify."
"You aren't going to scan every floor of that thing," she grumbled, touching his arm. "We're almost done here. Just focus."
"I am focusing," he answered, his glasses zooming up to the roof and giving him a thermal image as well. "I'm focused on making sure this all goes smoothly."
She could only shake her head and glance back to see if Mary and Matthew had emerged yet.
"How many of these politicians and diplomats do you think would be useful in a fight?" Sybil asked, walking down the steps to take up position several rows behind the dignitaries.
"Not many," Tom shrugged. "Hardly any of them have military service experience. That's why they have security drones."
"Yes, that's true. I'm only asking because none of them seem to be armed," she continued.
"They're politicians, love, not soldiers," he replied. "I'd be shocked if anyone here is even trained in combat beyond the six of us."
"Well, I don't like those odds," she frowned. "Having to protect everyone in case of an emergency with just us six is not a fun prospect."
"Security is everywhere. We wouldn't have to do a thing," he shook his head. "Besides, the insurgents have been beat down from what we were told. Who is going to care about some boring photo op?"
"Congratulations, Minister," Matthew nodded, giving Kemal a polite smile as they came out into the sun.
"Thank you, Captain," Kemal smiled. "It is a fine day, a day of history and accomplishment. I'm proud to have seen it."
"You played no small part in it," Matthew noted. "You and Evelyn worked well together from what I saw."
"We do, yes," Kemal agreed. "We both understand the value of having a mutually beneficial relationship, where both sides win."
Matthew quirked his eyebrow in amusement. "Both sides winning? That's rather unlikely, isn't it?"
Kemal chuckled. "You're a cynic, are you, Captain? You don't believe that it's possible for both sides to benefit in an accord?"
"It's possible," Matthew acknowledged. "However, in my experience, each side is focused on getting what they want, often at the expense of the other."
"Ah, well perhaps in more adversarial situations, yes," Kemal noted. "However, if both sides are genuine in wanting to reach a deal, rather than looking out for themselves only, both sides can emerge far to the good."
"And you believe that's what you and Evelyn have made happen here?" Matthew asked lightly. "A mutually beneficial partnership?"
"My world and my people are much better off, yes," Kemal replied. "I trust that yours are, as well."
"We are always looking to expand," Matthew said. "Evelyn seems in favour of the deal, so it must be good for us."
"Precisely," Kemal nodded. "And yes, it most certainly is. Excuse me, Captain."
"Minister," Matthew nodded and watched as Kemal went around to the front and shook hands with various politicians. He had an easy manner and was able to smile and laugh in a way that drew out similar reactions from those around him. When he reached Evelyn, the two of them hugged as old comrades before Kemal greeted each one of Evelyn's staff with a pat on the back and firm handshake, congratulating them on a job well done.
"Did you have a pleasant chat with the Minister?" Mary asked, coming to Matthew's side.
He looked over at her teasing smile and gave her a wry laugh. "Just keeping up appearances, darling. How are you?"
"Tired. Hungry," she shrugged. "Thank God it's just the photos left and we can be back to the ship."
"Lady Mary Crawley desperately wanting to leave a function early?" he gasped with mock surprise. "It is a new era, after all."
"Hush, you," she scolded him, arching her eyebrow sharply. "No one need remind me of what duty requires, however, I have other plans."
"Other plans, you say?" he smiled, looking at her knowingly.
She arched her eyebrow and leaned towards him. "Yes, other plans. Keep having a go at me and they won't include you."
He snorted. "As though you could exclude me from that sort of thing."
She laughed and shook her head. "I was without you for eight months, darling. I believe I'm quite experienced at making do without you."
He rolled his eyes before lowering his voice to a deep almost growl that never ceased to affect her.
"Exactly. You had to make do before, but I'm here now, and you will never be alone ever again, Lady Mary. So do make room for me in your plans, because I assure you that you are entirely ensconced in mine," he informed her.
She swallowed and bit her bottom lip briefly. "Plans for this evening, you mean?"
He grinned. "Plans for forever, my darling."
She blushed slightly and looked away, trying to hide the smile blooming across her face as they stepped down towards their assigned positions for the photo.
"How's the lighting?"
"Lighting is fine. Glare from the sun is minimal."
"Do we have a wide enough angle to get everyone?"
"Back rows need to squeeze a bit."
"I'll send Ari over to tell them. Ari!"
He smirked and watched as his boss barked orders at the young underling. The boy jumped and went running to comply, nervously beckoning those standing in the back row to move closer so they could all fit in the shot. He shook his head at the boy's antics. What was he scared of? No one in the back row was important anyway. There was no need to be intimidated. They were all a bunch of lackies for the big fish standing in front and grabbing all the attention.
He looked back down at his tablet and scanned across the group, pretending to be doing something productive as he waited for the photographer to be satisfied with the shot so they could get started. These assignments were usually pretty easy, almost point-and-shoot when they had decent weather like today. He preferred weddings, himself. More females.
Smiling to himself, he panned over to a cute blonde standing a few rows in. She was short, but her perky face and bright eyes still shone through. Her hair was up in a tight bun. Mmm, he would love to get his hands in there and mess her up proper. He sighed when she turned to the tall bloke next to her wearing sunglasses and laughed, her hand moving to slap his chest lightly. Figured. All the cute ones were always taken by those tall bastards.
He frowned when his screen flickered. He tapped it several times, wondering what was amiss. The display froze for a second and he pressed the power button in confusion. He charged the damn thing just this morning. It couldn't be low on battery already.
"All right, all right!" his boss called, drawing his gaze. "Eyes here, please! We're going to squeeze off a series now. Look up, yes! Look up and smile everyone!"
He looked back down at his tablet to make sure everyone was framed properly in the shot. As he watched, the screen suddenly went black.
"What the hell?" he muttered.
A shrill, piercing screech filled his ears, making him drop the tablet to the ground.
He fell next to it a second later.
"Stop it! We're about to take the photo!" Anna snarled beneath her breath.
Alex frowned and removed his sunglasses, looking at them curiously.
"What?" she asked.
"The zoom isn't working. It cut out," he mumbled.
"Well, good. Then you can put them away and not ruin the photo," she nodded.
He squinted and looked back up at the roof of the building across the street.
"Do you see that thing on the top of the building over there?" he asked. "It looks like a metal box of some kind?"
She raised her head and looked for a moment. "I can make out something, yeah. Probably for the ventilation system."
"They don't have ventilation systems routed to the roof here," he noted. "They move them along the sides of the building and vent below ground. Whatever that thing is, it shouldn't be there."
She rolled her eyes. "Alex, you don't know that. It could be nothing."
"Or, it could be something," he replied. He tried the sunglasses again but the heads-up display was still blank. "Damn."
She shook her head at her husband's antics and looked around. Truly, her feet were killing her. She was wearing high heels so she wouldn't be lost in the mass of taller bodies and her toes were beginning to rebel.
"That's strange," she said slowly, blinking for a moment.
"What's strange?" he asked, looking over at her.
"That drone across the street, there," she nodded her head towards one of the security guards posted on the pavement. "See how the light on its shoulder is yellow?"
"Yes," he nodded. "Shouldn't it be green?"
"It should be, yeah," she replied.
He frowned then looked back up at the roof of the building across the street. His eyes widened and he turned and grabbed Anna by the shoulders.
"Down! Down! Down!" he yelled before hugging her tight and dropping to the concrete below them.
"Down! Down! Down!"
Every politician on New Byzantium and every diplomat and person associated with the Royal Star Navy were trained in emergency protocols. The politicians generally attended seminars every year that lasted all of an hour and consisted more of gossiping over coffee and donuts than learning anything. Most assumed that in the event of a real emergency, someone would be there to tell them what to do – first responders, security, the military – there would be someone available to deal with whatever had to be done.
When Alex's shout rang out loud and clear, all conversation stopped and they all turned around to see what was going on. For a few, the remnants of those seminars triggered a response. They fell to the ground immediately, not even bothering to wonder why. Most just stood there in a daze, perplexed as to what was happening.
Their slow reactions led to them being rocked off their feet and thrown in all directions when the blasts came.
"Down! Down! Down!"
Tom turned to reach for Sybil only to find her already crouched and yanking him to the ground with her.
"Oof!" he wheezed, hitting the stairs hard. As a cacophony of shouts and sounds exploded around them, he crawled over his wife and pulled her head down, stopping her from gawking about so he could move her into a defensive position.
"Stay down!" he ordered.
For once, Sybil did what he said.
"Down! Down! Down!"
Mary blinked for a split second before turning to Matthew. Neither of them said a word as their arms wound around each other and she tucked her head into his shoulder. During drills at the Academy and later on the Andromeda, they were often paired together to practice manoeuvres in the event of an attack. When they were younger it was just a necessary procedure. She didn't want to work with another girl, figuring she needed to learn how to move with a taller and heavier partner in emergency situations. When they assumed command of the flagship, they made a point to attend every training session, which was onerous since they had to go to every department of the ship and not just do the executive officer session that the rest of their staff did. Each time they were paired together to show the crew how seriously they took it, but also as a bit of a tease for each other. It was a shared secret between them, lunging for each other and rolling around on the floor in front of everyone when their relationship was unknown to most.
All of that practice made them able to move on instinct now. She curled into him, holding on as he lowered them to the ground swiftly. His hand cradled her head for protection and they took the impact on their sides, sharing the blow together. They rolled in unison so that her back was against the stair and his body was shielding her as much as possible. She always detested this part of the move, arguing that he shouldn't be the one fully exposed. Sadly, the training manuals were on his side. The bigger partner was designated to be the one on top.
She opened her eyes and peered out over his shoulder, keeping herself prone against him and holding him as tight as she could. The scrambling bodies and their new position on the ground threw her bearings off, but she thought she could make out a puff of smoke from somewhere high above them.
"Brace," she told him.
He pulled her into his body even closer just before the ground shook all around them.
"Missiles," Alex spat, pulling Anna to her feet and moving as fast as he could in a low crouch. They stumbled and pushed past people running and even crawling every which way before he pulled her to him and dove behind a large concrete planter at street level. They both sat up slightly, their backs to the planter, looking around to assess the situation.
"Falcon Squadron, come in," she called, pressing her ear piece. "Fuck! Nothing."
"Pulse weapon disabling all signals in the area," he stated, craning his neck left and right to get a view of the building across the street. "That's why the drone was disabled and that's why my sunglasses didn't work. They took down communications and electronics."
"What are they using, then?" she asked, reaching down and pulling her gun from the hidden holster around her ankle.
"Rocket launchers of some kind, old configuration that doesn't use electronics. They could set the targeting sights manually and just pull the trigger," he said, taking out his own weapon. "The chargers won't work. One clip is all we have. How many shots have you got?"
She checked the energy clip on her small gun. "Ten. You?"
"Twelve. We'll have to make them count," he nodded. "Matthew and Tom will see to trying to get everyone to safety. We need to find out who we're dealing with."
She nodded and raised her gun. "I love you."
"Love you more," he answered before they both turned and pointed their weapons over the planter, each of them staring at the building across the street looking for some sign of their assailants.
"Inside! Inside!" Matthew yelled, almost shoving some of the terrified politicians towards the doors.
Two of the stone columns holding up the front entrance of the hall had crumbled, leaving dust and debris everywhere. Everyone who passed by was covered in scrapes and cuts, most were bleeding and some were hobbling. It didn't matter. He needed to get them out of the open and inside. There were other entrances to the building that they could use to escape.
"Go! Go!" Mary shouted. She kept looking around, her gun poised, wondering when the next attack would hit.
"Get in," Matthew beckoned, nodding his head towards the door.
She scoffed. "Like hell, I will."
"Mary, that's an order," he threatened.
"You don't outrank me, Matthew, so you can fuck off," she countered, seizing a shaking underling by the shoulders and pushing her on. "I'm staying."
"Stubborn," he mumbled, glowering as he continued the evacuation.
"Chauvinist," she shot back.
"I am not a chauvinist!" he objected, glaring at her. "I'm trying to protect you!"
"My place is out here, by your side," she fired back, not even looking at him as she ushered more people along. "Did you want Anna and Sybil inside as well?"
"Ideally, yes," he acknowledged.
"Well, that's not happening. We're staying," she warned, pushing the last of the stragglers towards the doors.
"Fine," he conceded, checking his gun. "Stay close to me."
"You stay close to me," she replied, coming over to him and crouching behind a column.
He shook his head before raising his gun and looking out to the street, ignoring the bodies lining the stairs as he searched for where the next attack would come from.
"Anything?" Anna asked, her voice tight.
"Nothing on the roof," Alex replied, keeping his head low and behind cover. "They could have used a remote to launch the rockets."
"That building is full of people," she remarked, seeing people staring and pointing from the windows. "If they spill out on to the street, we'll have absolute chaos."
"Hopefully, they're being evacuated out the back or being locked down," he answered, frowning as he looked over to an alleyway next to the building and across to the empty lobby.
"Our attackers could easily slip in with the evacuees," she shook her head. "We would have no way of identifying them from the pack."
"At this point, I don't care," he grumbled. "So long as there are no more missiles to contend with. We're easy pickings out here."
She stared wide-eyed over at the entrance to Commemoration Hall. Sybil was assisting medical staff to clear some of the victims away from the stairs and also treat the wounded. Tom stood by, gun at the ready. Mary and Matthew were coming forward, urging Sybil to hurry while keeping watch themselves.
A whine from overhead had them both look up. The Falcon Squadron drone fighters circled around and zeroed in on the roof, hovering in position.
"Does your earpiece work yet?" he asked.
She tried to raise the fighters but received nothing but static. "Still nothing."
"They're on reserve fuel now. They can only give us nominal support down here without risking hitting innocents," he said. "Let's help Sybil and Tom get the injured inside. We're not going to catch our assailants today with just two handguns."
They rose to rejoin the others when they heard a rumble from down the street.
"Contact!" Alex called, grabbing Anna's hand and sprinting from cover up the stairs towards one of the stone columns.
"Get them out of here! Now, Sybil!" Mary yelled, flattening herself against the column and taking a quick glance around it.
"It's a tank," Matthew grunted, looking out from his position. "We're horribly outmatched."
"Now, darling, where's your sense of adventure?" she teased, arching her eyebrow at him. "Positive mindset, remember?"
"Very well, I'm positive that we're horribly outmatched," he shook his head. "Our guns won't even scratch that thing. Let's hope the fighters can get a clean shot at it before it gets here, though they won't be able to do much better if it has any kind of armour."
The thump of laser fire rang out from above them.
"I'd say they've got the range," she noted as the tank came to a shuddering halt, the initial blasts damaging its treads and singeing the heavy armour plating.
"We've got to get in behind it," Alex said, coming over to their side. "There are no rear-facing weapons. They'll need to deploy whichever troops are inside if they want to charge the building and take any captives."
"Capacity of that thing is a dozen troops or more," Matthew replied. "You want to face that?"
"If we don't draw them out, that canon will level this entire building and the other ones around," Anna added. "If they don't want hostages, they could cause huge casualties."
They all crouched down as the boom of the tank canon rang out. The emergency staff scrambled to bring the remaining bodies inside, Sybil and Tom pulled back along with them as more debris rained down over everyone.
"What's the play?" Tom asked, panting heavily as he reached their position.
"You wouldn't happen to have an anti-tank weapon handy, would you?" Matthew asked, smiling at Sybil.
"Sorry, darling. I left it in my other dress, I'm afraid," Sybil replied wryly.
"Our weapon clips," Mary suggested, looking over at Matthew. "We can detonate them."
"From the outside, it'll barely make a dent in that thing," Matthew shook his head.
"But from the inside, it could be lethal," Alex nodded.
The bombardment from Falcon squadron continued, keeping the tank pinned down but doing little to damage it. The heavier weapons carried by the fighters were useless as the blast radius was too large for such an enclosed area. Any blast would take out the tank and most of the surrounding buildings and people along with it.
"I don't like a plan based on one shot," Matthew told Alex grimly. "What if you miss?"
"It's me," Alex shrugged. "But I hear you. Any other suggestions?"
"The security guards," Anna said, blinking in thought. "They're all still posted along the street."
"But they're not receiving signals," Tom pointed out.
Anna shook her head. "They have internal power, just like our guns. Their link back to central control may be down, but they can still function as individual units."
"If we manually switch them over," Alex nodded. "That could work. Gives us something a bit stronger to throw at the tank than our guns."
Matthew glanced at Mary before they all ducked with another wave of debris raining around them from the shaky beams overhead.
"We'll draw their fire," Mary nodded. "You go and get us some reinforcements."
"Basic protocol only, just get them on that tank," Matthew added. "If they can draw the troops out, six on twelve isn't nearly as bad odds as us against that tank."
"Let's do it," Sybil declared.
Matthew looked over at the tank. "Go now!"
Matthew and Mary fired at the tank to draw its attention. Alex and Anna took off along the side of the building. Sybil and Tom joined in the cover fire when they saw Alex and Anna had moved a fair distance away.
The tank canon whirred as it turned towards them.
"Go!" Mary yelled, getting up and running.
The canon boomed and the column that she had been crouched behind splintered into dust. The roof above the entrance shuddered but held.
Mary and Matthew ran down the steps, continuing to fire at the tank, while Sybil and Tom took up position further back, giving the tank multiple targets to consider. Choosing to follow Mary and Matthew, the canon tracked them before barely missing them as they dove past a planter that was obliterated in their wake.
"That was too close," Mary huffed.
"Come now, darling, where's your sense of adventure?" Matthew chided her. "Positive mindset, remember?"
"I'm positive that if we make it out of here alive, you are going to regret having a go at me," she snapped, drawing her gun and firing at the tank again.
"Mary, this is no time for foreplay, come on!" he rasped, picking her up and urging her on as the tank continued to fire in vain after them.
Once they cleared the building, the street was eerily calm. People weren't allowed anywhere near the building, which made the empty street bizarrely serene. Anna rushed to the nearest drone and snapped open the access panel on its side.
"Can you get it up and running?" Alex asked, pointing his gun at the tank down the street while she worked.
"It's going to be rudimentary at best, but yeah, I've got it," she answered. "These are older models than what we're used to. Very basic interface."
With a loud hum, the security drone snapped to attention. Taking a large step forward, it locked in on the tank and began plodding down the street towards it.
"There's one. Let's get some more," she said, racing across the street to the next silent guard.
"Keep moving! Keep moving! The transports are at the back!" Kemal shouted, waving for the crowd of wounded to push on to the back of the building.
"Minister, we have everyone accounted for except for the crew of the Andromeda. They're still outside," an aide said, coming over to him.
"Casualties?" Kemal asked.
The aide shook her head. "Twenty so far."
"Damn," Kemal spat. "Go. Get on the transport."
"Yes, Minister," the aide nodded and left to join the others.
Kemal looked at the line and took a deep breath before turning and heading in the opposite direction. When he neared the front lobby, he ducked into a side corridor and opened the maintenance closet. Pressing his thumb to the pad on a large case, he tried to control his breathing. The case opened with a hiss, revealing a large energy rifle inside together with multiple clips.
Hefting the weapon and checking the targeting scope, he activated the rifle and it purred to life. Grabbing several clips and tucking them into his jacket pocket, he closed the case and closed the closet.
"Time to be a hero," he smirked, running down the corridor towards a side exit.
Matthew got off another shot at the tank before he rose to his feet and sprinted out across the street. The planter that he and Mary had been hiding behind was obliterated in a hail of concrete seconds later.
"The City works department is going to be incensed with us," he shook his head. "We've destroyed most of their planters."
She laughed and rolled her eyes at him. Here they were, covered in dust, scratches and bruises all over, running and dodging a bloody battle tank while firing back with nothing more than handguns that were doing no damage at all.
She was loving every second of it.
They both glanced up at the sound of explosions from down the street. Looking out from their cover, they saw six security drones advancing on the back of the tank, blasters firing. They were barely doing any damage, but they were also unopposed as they closed in.
"They did it," he smiled. "Let's circle around. Keep low."
She followed behind him as they ran back across the street, the tank momentarily distracted and unable to focus on them.
Anna and Alex stayed off to the side, watching on as the security guards attacked. The tank was stuck, its treads destroyed by the bombardment from Falcon Squadron and its canon only able to fire forwards. It was hardly an ideal standoff, but if they could isolate the threat here while the politicians were evacuated, it would be a success.
With a creaking groan, the bay doors at the back of the tank opened like a giant maw, the shadows and darkness inside revealing nothing.
"Get ready," she muttered.
A storm of blaster fire leapt out from the opening. The security drones, programmed to simply march forward while firing, were hit squarely and pummelled. Their armour and programming had them continuing the advance, but the six guards were quickly being chipped away piece-by-piece.
Alex and Anna crept along the pavement and took up position on the flank. Their only chance was to hit the troops as they came out of the tank. The superior firepower of the enemy would make a direct fight impossible.
From the other side of the street, Mary and Matthew took up a similar flanking position, guns at the ready.
"Make your shots count," Tom said, coming around to Alex's side.
"They'll have armour," Alex replied. "Aim for their legs if you can't get a clear head shot."
The troops came forward, yelling and screaming as they continued to fire on the security drones. They were a motley group, dressed in old battle gear that didn't seem to fit any particular uniform. They could be part of the insurgent group that took Mary, Alex and Anna hostage months ago, but there was no time to evaluate that.
"Fire!" Alex snapped.
His first shot hit the lead gunner in the side of the head, dropping him to the ground instantly. More blasts came from Anna, Sybil and Tom, as well as Mary and Matthew from the other side. The troops bunched up, tripping and stumbling over the fallen soldiers in the front. They dove for cover and pointed their guns haphazardly at the new threat.
"Down!" Matthew yelled, hitting the ground just as a stream of blaster fire sailed past.
The remaining soldiers ran out of the tank, sweeping past the last security drones and firing indiscriminately at whatever moved around them. While their aim was terrible, their superior weaponry kept everyone pinned down, and no one dared to try to fire back.
"We've got to draw their fire!" Matthew shouted. "I'll move down. When they fire at me, hit them!"
Mary nodded, taking a deep breath and readying her gun.
Matthew spun and fired a shot at the soldiers before moving to cover. The soldiers followed him with their blasters as expected.
Mary rose up just enough to get the targets in her sights. She emptied her full clip, taking down three of them.
The remaining two turned their guns towards her.
She tried to duck down before they fired and shut her eyes.
Blaster fire rang out.
She slowly opened her eyes, her heart hammering in her chest. She looked around and realized she hadn't been hit. What was more, there was no sound of gunfire anymore.
"All clear! All clear!"
She raised her head and looked as several military guards came running up the street to secure the area. The enemy soldiers were all either dead on the ground or being taken prisoner. Overseeing everything, with a large rifle in his hands, was none other than Kemal Pamuk.
"Minister," she called, coming over to him. "Kemal…"
"Mary," Kemal nodded. "Are you all right?"
"Yes, yes, I believe so," she nodded. "What happened?"
"I took them by surprise, thanks to you and your crew keeping them occupied. A very brave thing you all did. I will make sure that the government is well aware of your efforts on our behalf," Kemal nodded, looking up as Matthew came over with Alex and Anna.
"Captain," Kemal smiled.
"Minister," Matthew replied. "That was some impressive shooting."
"It's all in the equipment, really," Kemal smiled, patting his rifle. "It practically shoots itself."
Matthew looked at the rifle curiously for a moment, trying to understand what he had just seen.
"We should get back to the ship," Alex recommended, looking at Anna.
"We'll need to see how everyone is," she agreed. "Probably just some scrapes and nothing more, but adrenaline tends to mask the true extent of injuries."
"Yes, please," Kemal nodded. "My men will deal with these terrorists and the politicians have been evacuated thanks to your intervention."
"And the casualties?" Matthew asked.
"At least twenty," Kemal shook his head gravely. "I'm afraid that Evelyn didn't make it."
Mary gasped in shock. "What?"
Kemal sighed in despair. "He was standing right next to me when the attacks came. I got up and tried to rouse him but he wasn't moving. He had shrapnel through his chest. There was so much blood, I…"
He stopped and swallowed. "The medics advised me once they got him inside and tried to revive him that he didn't make it."
"Oh God," Mary whispered.
"We'll need to make arrangements to get him and our delegation back to the Andromeda. Sybil…" Matthew mumbled.
"I'm on it, Captain," Sybil answered before turning and heading back to Commemoration Hall with Tom.
"We'll go and see if communications are back up and get a transport here," Alex advised.
Matthew nodded and he and Anna left.
"I need to speak to the police officers," Kemal announced. "I am sorry for your loss. Evelyn was a dear friend to me."
He reached out and touched Mary's shoulder. She looked at him and nodded, clasping his hand briefly before he let go.
"Captain," Kemal nodded.
"Minister," Matthew replied. "Thank you, again."
"Of course," Kemal said. "Thank you."
He left them and headed off to speak to the guards gathered around.
"Evelyn…" Mary whispered.
"Come on," Matthew said, putting his arm around her shoulders. "Let's go and see him."
HMS Andromeda, Mothership Class Spacecraft, New Byzantium, Milky Way Galaxy, April 2199
Mary sat at her desk, rubbing her temples as the stirrings of a massive headache continued to grow. She took deep breaths before reaching for her glass of water, her vision blurry as she looked out to the blinking lights of evening New Byzantium through her window.
The doors of her office slid open and Anna came through, walking over and taking her usual seat on the other side of Mary's desk.
"How is everyone?" Mary asked blandly.
"Tom has a separated shoulder," Anna replied. "Sybil was incensed with him for not saying anything before. He'll be fine by tomorrow but I think he's in for a few days of grief at home."
Mary couldn't even muster a smile at that. She only nodded.
"Everyone else is fine. How's your ankle?" Anna asked.
"I'll live," Mary sighed, not looking at her.
"How was your call with the Admiral?" Anna continued.
Mary shook her head. "Not good. Papa and Viscount Branksome have been friends since they were children. He feels responsible for placing Evelyn under our care. I can relate."
"You know that there was nothing we could have done," Anna said softly.
"That's what everyone says, yes," Mary nodded. "I doubt that will ease his family's pain, though."
"What about you?" Anna questioned. "How are you feeling about Evelyn's death?"
"I'm sad," Mary nodded. "Probably not as sad as I should be, which makes me even more sad. I was quite a horrible friend to him, you know, if you can even call me that."
"I don't agree with that," Anna objected.
Mary shrugged. "I should have kept our relationship entirely professional, told him that we couldn't be friends when it was obvious what his feelings were for me. I let him flirt with me and be in my presence when there was never any hope that we would ever be together the way he wanted us to be. I was quite cruel to him, I think."
"I think he would disagree," Anna countered. "I think if given the choice of being your friend and never getting to be anything more, or being nothing but acquaintances, I think he would have chosen to be your friend every time."
Mary smiled wanly. "You're probably right. That still doesn't change the fact that I played with his feelings far too often. You know how much we corresponded while Matthew was in stasis. Evelyn was always a safe outlet for me, someone who wasn't nearly as threatening as Tony, for example. I liked having his attention, knowing that he was besotted with me. I used him to feed my petty ego, and now he's dead."
"What does Matthew say about all of this?" Anna asked.
Mary shook her head. "The same thing everyone else says – that there was nothing we could have done more to protect him. I'm not talking about the rockets, though. I'm talking about what I could have done long before."
"Ambassador Napier died doing the job he loved, and he achieved a magnificent feat just beforehand," Anna stated. "The alliance that he brokered will be a fitting legacy for him."
Mary sighed. "If it goes through. There are rumblings that some of the moderates in the New Byzantium government may not vote in favour of the agreement now that this has happened. The hardliners are suggesting that associating with Britain is why they were attacked."
Anna frowned. "That's preposterous."
"The attackers were a splinter group of the same insurgents we encountered before," Mary noted. "It's a stark reminder that not everyone wants us here. The government can't be pleased. It won't look good at all to the public. We'll be characterized as warmongers, rather than partners, particularly since everyone knows that our military presence here will increase dramatically."
"What happens next?" Anna asked.
"Papa wants us to remain here while the aftermath is sorted," Mary replied. "Kemal says that there will need to be a strong push to temper the protests within the government. He wants us to present a united front, show that we are still interested in working together."
"Without Evelyn, that means the duty to represent us falls to…" Anna began.
"Matthew and I, yes," Mary confirmed. "He won't be pleased. He hates being put on show."
"And you don't?" Anna commented.
"I do what I must," Mary nodded. "If it's to save Evelyn's legacy, as you call it, I'll lobby, charm, threaten and compel every politician in the parliament if I have to. We can't have this deal die, not now."
Anna nodded. "You should try and get some sleep."
"You, too," Mary answered, finally turning and looking at her best friend with tired eyes. "You're dismissed, Commander. Good job down there today."
"Thank you," Anna nodded. She rose from her chair but paused at the door.
"I'm going, promise," Mary told her.
Anna nodded and left her office.
Mary sipped her water and looked back out to the window. She sat there quietly, eventually frowning to herself when no tears seemed to come.
Private Residence of Kemal Pamuk, New Byzantium, Milky Way Galaxy, April 2199
"The latest poll numbers, Minister," the aide said, coming into the living room and passing Kemal a tablet.
Kemal scrolled over the information on the screen and smiled. "Down ten points. Lovely. That's more than I expected."
"There is talk already of needing support from the other parties to prop up the government through the vote on the agreement with the British," the aide continued, unbuttoning her shirt and letting her hair down. "Our contacts have been instructed to ensure that it is known you were the one to broker these side deals."
"Make sure the information isn't leaked right away," he replied. "We want a bit of a panic before we begin to fix everything, or make it look as though we're fixing everything."
"Yes, sir," she nodded, smiling at him as she walked over to him. She removed her shirt and lowered herself to her knees. "Will there be anything else, Minister, or should I say, President-elect?"
He grinned and tossed the tablet aside.
She undid his trousers and eased them down to his feet together with his pants. Shuffling forward, she dutifully took him into her mouth and began attending to him vigorously.
He fisted his hands in her hair and made her choke on him, delighting in the sound of her gagging around him again and again.
"That's it," he hissed, his eyes dark and menacing. "Take it all, Mary."
Author's Note: Many apologies for the extreme delay in posting this chapter. Life has been a bit less kind as of late, but it's nothing that can't be fixed. Normal publishing will hopefully resume shortly. A heartfelt thank you to my readers who have reached out to me and checked up on me. Your support is greatly appreciated and I hope that you enjoy this chapter.