When Leo and Kendrix woke up in the previous chapter it was seven 'o clock in the morning. This chapter takes place seven hours before at midnight.

This chapter is only going to be feature Mike as he has been underused so far in the story.

Enjoy

CHAPTER TEN

Mike left the Command Tower with his throat threatening to overflow with bile. Stannon had called him and informed him of a "rebel camp" being located by one of the scouts. The images that were displayed showed fifteen small huts and tents, obviously slapped together recently. The people consisted mainly of women and children but that did not in any way mean that they were undefended. Mike had seen firsthand what Mirinoian could do. Their martial culture, unlike Earth's, was able to see women as people of equal value to men.

But, they were clearly not doing well. According to Stannon they had only set up the camp for two days as they had been fleeing the military and had not been carrying enough food or water or other necessities. They were not living in poverty, but that could change easily. Oh that could change so easily.

"Why are you showing me this, sir?" Mike had asked.

"What I want you to do, Corbett," Stannon replied, "Is, on the day after tomorrow, take ten squads and destroy the camp. No prisoners."

"Excuse me, Sir?"

"You heard me Mr Corbett. Such an attack will send the rebels a message. It will tell them that unless they surrender to justice, they will all die. Nowhere is safe: Not their main nest, their military outposts nor their pathetic little refugee camps. Is that understood?" Mike numbly nodded and saluted.

"Ye-es sir," he answered with as much of a straight face he could muster.

What was happening to him? Even though he did not like the orders-

No, wait, that was the biggest understatement of the century.

He hated the orders with every fibre of his being.

But what was he to do?

Leo and the others needed him to act as a spy and he couldn't do that if he had been executed as a traitor who refused to follow orders.

He needed to warn them somehow.

It was midnight and the darkness added to the blackness engulfing his soul.

Okay, think! I can't go and warn them myself because if I'm seen I'll get shot as a spy. Anyway, even if I could get there, the natives, they'd never believe me and they'll kill me for being a settler. So I need a way to warn them without going there myself. Brilliant! My train of thought has brought me absolutely no where!

He broke himself out of his reverie and realised that he had paced around to the other side of the tower and about ten metres away from him were the two shackled Mirinoian prisoners. They still hadn't been adequately fed and it was really starting to show. The boy barely moving and the girl had obviously given whatever scraps she had to him as her bones were visible through her skin.

His dilemma had made him need to show some form of defiance against this new, twisted regime even if he was the only one to see it.

"No more," he declared softly, "No more!"

Purposefully and deliberately, he strode over to the chained captives and the boy looked at him through terrified eyes and the girl, glaring daggers at Mike, moved as much as the chains allowed and placed herself between him and the boy.

Stopping a metre in front of them, he tossed them his canteen and ration bars.

Uncomprehending, she just stared at him this time in bewilderment.

"Eat, drink," he said kindly. The boy quickly grabbed a bar, stripped the wrapper from it and quite literally stuffed the food down his throat. He then proceeded to do the same to a second bar. And a third, utterly devouring it.

The girl, still eyeing him with suspicious brown eyed, slowly reached for a remaining bar, she sniffed it and proceeded to take a small nibble. Satisfied that all was well, she began to eat with the same gusto as her small fellow prisoner only stopping to take occasional swigs from the flask as did the boy.

Mike didn't say a word until they were finished but he did take another step forward and crouched down so he was at their eye level. He looked at the remains of his food and said wryly, "That's a week's worth of rations gone in under five minutes, that's quite an accomplishment."

He then reached into his belt and withdrew a GSA skeleton key and in under ten seconds, the lock was unlocked. The girl reached for her wrists, which were covered in red welts from the chains, and she began to rub them in an effort to restore circulation.

"I'm Mike," he said as way of introduction.

"Sherran," she replied softly, "This is my little brother Jak. Why are you doing this?" she asked, her brown eyes searching his face. Beneath the dirt, Mike noticed, she was beautiful. But there was steel to her as well and she was not going to do anything without an explanation no matter how kind her saviour appeared to be. The soldiers who had captured her had burned the innocent naivety from her.

"To the north-west from here," he began, "There is a camp owned by your people. Now I've been ordered to lead an attack and massacre the inhabitants, so you have to get there first and warn them before the army gets there. Do you understand?"

She nodded.

"Are you and your brother strong enough to get there?"

She nodded again.

"Alright," he said, "Go on. Get started."

"Wait," she said, "Why are you doing this? Why do you want to warn my people? You're an invader."

Mike winced at the description.

"I'm not here by choice," he said, "And not all of us want to see the Mirinoians destroyed." He fumbled for the right words before finally saying, "I am not your enemy. Now run."

With one final look, Sherran and her brother fled into the night.

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