Rebellion (Rebel Wars Book 1) Page 6

  Fiora’s buxom frame and luscious backside caught a lot of attention, and she loved it. At first she didn’t, but the feeling of being every man’s fantasy was something she found quite useful in recent years. The men that fell for her curvaceous charm were all fools. She had no interest in them. The only man she’d ever felt close to was the powerful Paladin Captain, Cal. She’d made several attempts to bed him, met with rejection every time. Cal had liked her, but he was in the war too deep. He had too much emotion running through that big heart of his and not enough room to add love for her into the mix. Maybe he did love her, she often wondered. She was happy when she learned that Hero would take up his position and attempt to rebuild their Paladin group, but she didn’t think she’d ever see Hero the same way she saw Cal. Hero had spunk and heart, but he didn’t have this voracious appetite for life and love like Cal did.

  Milly’s eyes watched Fiora’s hips sway and her backside swept the narrow hall, in fact nobody tried to walk beside her for fear of accidentally touching it or making her feel uncomfortable. Except for Alice, Alice took the lead because she needed to. That was her new post, and she was expected to lead the pack. Milly looked up and away, her own face turning bright red as she fully admitted her jealousy to herself. It was enough of this stupid game, she’d talk to Hero tonight at the Birthplace forge, but they were here on real serious business and her little crush would have to wait.

  They entered through the door and down another hallway, this hallway had decorum depicting battles from Earth and other historic accomplishments. This was a constant reminder to those that walked through it that they were capable of great and wondrous things as a race, and it was important to Tate that they had this fresh in mind. His subordinates were all wearing the mask of humility that hid the strong pride he’d built into his people. They were not ones who would be subdued without a tremendous fight. The hallway opened up into a squared meeting hall, a large desk occupying the middle of the room where Tate stood, awaiting them. Chairs with soft cushions were provided for them, the proper number of chairs arranged around the center of the table adjacent from where his own awaited. He was a tall and slender man, one who not engaged in the excess of food or drink. His warm smile told them that he had found a sense of joy and happiness despite the lifetime of war he’d waged. He gestured for them to sit.

  “Alice, my dear. It has been such a long time since we last spoke. What, ten years since the nastiness with your late husband? May he rest in peace.” He said, his speech formal and welcoming. The warmth in his tone was almost too much and unsettled Alice just a bit. She nodded, not ready to engage him just yet.

  “What you did was impressive. You were able to take down a leader and rescue hostages that you hadn’t planned to rescue yet. Your ability to improvise and come out on top is one the Corporation has been underestimating for far too long. We’ve placed your ship into our garage and began the operations you have requested. Why do you wish to modify it so? I can get you a warship that would be better suited for your endeavors.” He said.

  “I appreciate your welcome and your praise, Councilor but that’s not why I’m here. The warship is a tempting offer, but if you go through the modifications that I’ve requested you will see that what I’m trying to build isn’t meant for space fighting, that isn’t my style. If you outfit the transport with drop vehicles I can properly engage the Corporation with my particular style of up-close-and personal. I don’t really care for dogfighting.” She said.

  “As you wish. But tell me, why do you even need a ship? I’d hate to see you out on the field when we can use you here. There is a lot of good your crew can do here, to prepare us for when Corporation forces finally decide to mass up against me. I may have them stalled for now yet I have a feeling that it won’t last long. Making me a martyr will frustrate them, but they’re too short lived to try and wait it out much longer. The first event of the Calamity will be happening in the next year or so, and it’s making them anxious.” He paused to get a sip of water, giving her an opening.

  “I agree, but I’m not going to sit and wait. I need to take the fight to them, and I have a plan. The intelligence we gained from their ill-prepared transport ship will allow me to do something they do not expect. Are you aware of the Ceremony?” She said.

  Of course he was, everyone was aware. The Ceremony was a galaxy wide event that took place every year, an honor-guard salute to all of the armed forces and the preparations being made for the Calamity. In their sect, a station would be committed entirely to the celebration. More so than a celebration, the event also ushered in the new wave of leaders for the Corporation. They found by quickly promoting or reassigning their current leaders it kept excitement alive and well, and they needed morale more than ever.

  “I’m not certain what you’re getting at.” He said.

  “The ceremony takes place in two weeks, and I plan to interrupt the ceremony with a celebration of my own. My intel shows the Corporation Commander identifying as The Demon will be present at this ceremony. I wish to crash their party and celebrate the execution of the Commander in front of his men.” She said while smirking her chaotic little grin.

  “That’s a bold move, and an open act of war. Which I suppose at this point we’ve been meandering about open warfare anyways. What does that even mean….I guess what I’m saying is that there hasn’t really been a direct and open display of murdering a Corporation Commander. I’m sure a few have died in our skirmishes, but if you do this you will open up the flood gates of war!” He said.

  “That’s my point. Do you not remember what they did to my husb-to Alex? Do you not remember the torture, the execution, the brutality? You escaped it, but he did not. And of all the people in that room he deserved it the least. You sit back here and fight your war the subtle way and forget the insane brutality these bastards can unleash on us civilians!” She yelled.

  Her group and the guards in the room shifted with discomfort. They weren’t sure what to do, they couldn’t interfere with the conversation but yelling usually begat violence and they weren’t prepared for that to happen, especially from a senior rebellion officer towards the Councilor. Her posture had become less relaxed and demonstrated less control, but Hero didn’t think she was going to strike the Councilor though he was certain he could see her considering it. Open War! That was a ridiculous concept, what else did they call this? The Corporation called them children, but as a way to demean them. They couldn’t’ truly see them as harmless kids playing at war while the grown-ups fended off the big, bad boogeyman in the Calamity! Maybe they did, and Hero just hadn’t spent enough time fighting to realize that yet.

  “Alice…you…know I didn’t mean that. I loved Alex, maybe not like you did; but he was like a son to me. I escaped because of him, and he was never meant to be left behind. But we weren’t ready then like we are now to carry out operations like we are. If we risk open war and expose our asses we’re going to be hit harder than you’d ever see coming.” The Councilor said.

  “You’re ready for it! This place is a fortress. With the Birthplace Forge constantly firing out new toys and advances we should be well above those goddamn Corporation thugs by now!” She said.

  “The Birthplace forge is most certainly helping our cause. But that doesn’t mean-“ He was cut off without mercy.

  “Councilor do I have your support or not?” She said with a flat tone.

  “Fine. You’re going to do it anyways, and I’m not going to let you go without backing you. It’s just…I need a favor before you execute the Demon.” He said

  “And what would that be?”

  “The Demon is more than a Commander. He is a historian of great clout. Few Corporation men devote themselves to knowledge, and none that I know of like The Demon. He has the largest library in the entire Corporation and curates the knowledge within with his Inquisitors. They hold the key to information we can only dream about. Technology, customs, and societies that we will never meet. No doubt all obtained fro
m their past conquests. Alien worlds we will never be able to set foot on have been crushed by their military complex, and all of that information is in their hands. I have no doubt his Inquisitors constantly pour over the information looking for more ways to better their society, but they do not possess the same outlook and ingenuity that humankind possesses. If we had access to his library we could accomplish even greater feats than we are currently capable. Even more so, we can learn everything that we’ve ever wanted about them. We know their customs and their way of thinking, but we know little of their history and even less of the Calamity. Within their vaults of knowledge is everything that drives them forward and everything that could drive them back. If you’re going to execute him, then I request you obtain his library first.”

  Milly’s eyes grew three times their normal size when he talked of the library, even Andreya showed surprise. Two of the best scientific minds the rebellion had within its ranks were now put to task thinking of all of the unique things they could learn. Andreya’s face returned to its stoic state within seconds, but Milly’s did not. She could not contain her excitement and for once her mind left the physique of the busty beauty to her left. She couldn’t be bothered with thoughts of the physical realm any more, not when she could surpass everything her and her sisters have learned in their short lives. The possibilities could not be greater, and the future could not have been brighter in her mind. She was about to transcend human thought with true alien history and technology. The forge would burn with power humans had never known, and this thought excited her more than the kiss she had been considering giving Hero.

  Hero shifted with discomfort and kept his gaze at the Councilor. The man was old, the wrinkled and white hair of age were worn well on his clean-shaven face. The white suit was a careful choice Hero imagined, one that would appear on the body of anyone who wanted to distinguish themselves from their blood-soaked counterparts. The leaders of the Corporation all dressed in blue, but still brought images of bloodshed to Hero’s fatigued mind. He caught a quick glance at Milly, who was still grinning like a madwoman obsessed with whatever goodies she’d been promised. He wondered what it would be like to kiss those plump lips and stare into those dark eyes of hers. He barely noticed that Fiora was busy staring at him.

  Fiora was bored. She had no interest in the politics, when or where they would engage the next enemy. She was ready to fight, and though she’d missed out on the battle in space due to an unfortunate bout of space-sickness she was more than ready now. She was one of the few colony born members that had never set foot into space so it was acceptable for her to gain a little bit of the sickness that sudden changes in gravity wanted to give her. She was hardly the first or the last warrior to be taken from a perch on the ground and tossed into the black. Her gaze moved from person to person and settled on Hero. When he turned to her she realized that she had been staring though she had not meant to. She looked away with sudden grace and hoped that he would not read too much into it. He wasn’t the type to jump to conclusions so it should play out in her favor. Besides, she was certain that he was interested in the Milly girl. She was sweet and by far the most intellectually intimidating woman (next to Andreya) that Fiora had ever had the privilege of meeting. Fiora was still rather bored, she wanted to meet with the Tower’s Paladin’s and get the proper outfitting for Hero and his recruits. Maybe, just maybe they’d have some armor that would work for her form, but her hope wasn’t high.

  “So, where is his library located?” This was a simple request she supposed, and it would be impossible for her to try to deny him this request. He was right in a lot of ways, all hell would break loose as soon as she ripped apart the Demon in front of his men and they would need all the help they could possibly get. In this era like every era before it, the one who knew the most would conquer the most. Genghis Khan, an ancient conqueror, knew more than his opponents in how to keep his men motivated and healthy and thus he was able to win more battles than anyone before him. The counterpoint to this was that Napoleon, another great conqueror, didn’t know enough about his opponents or their barbaric winters and suffered a great defeat. Knowledge was the weapon that sundered worlds and the tool that shaped history. She wasn’t going to come this far only to be beaten by superior understanding of the universe at large. Alice’s heart should be beating a thousand miles per hour right now, but it retained its slow and plodding pace.

  “The library is not a location. Rather, it’s a collection of data as you might expect. It’s simply a program on a system that should be fairly easy to get. But that’s about as much as I know. You’ll need to get access to an Inquisitor or The Demon himself to figure out exactly how to access it. Once you have access, you are free to commit your public execution and you will have full support of the Rebellion. I hate to authorize an assassination, but I see no other way to accomplish your goals. If you truly wish to bring them down and end their grip, you probably assume death to all of them is the only way. I had hoped for peace, but in the end I think you’re right. Only by violence can they be dismissed. If we accept the idea of this great Calamity approaching we will subjugate ourselves to their delusion and fall in line. With that, we’ll lose our freedoms and I can never permit this.” The Councilor said.

  It was decided. Alice dismissed her companions to explore the Tower and take care of whatever it is they wanted to do. She even proposed that they take some time to relax and prepare for their new assignment, she would take care of the details. When they had all left the room and only Alice and the Councilor remained, she allowed a tear to drop from her eyes.

  “For Alex?” The Councilor said

  “No. For me. The me that Alex once loved will be all but gone after this.” Alice said, gathering her thoughts. An old song that she’d heard a long time ago drifted from her memories. She would never hear the original version, but ever since the art of music had been created the greatest of songs were always passed down through time. This one held a religious vibe and came up around the ancient holiday of Christmas and yet its words were never really far from her when she thought of Alex.

  “Love is not a victory march, it’s a cold…and it’s a broken…halleluiah”

  That summed up her feelings, and it summed them up well. But another verse struck like hot fire in the deepest places of her psyche, one with even less joy in its words.

  “The only thing…I ever learned from love…is how to shoot someone who outdrew ya.” Alex’s draw had been much faster than hers in every situation they’d been in together. He had his sights on her before she’d known he was there, and he’d known he was going to die before she’d realized he was even in danger. The very last moment, the last second of his existence he had known that she had betrayed him and he would go into death with that on his mind. Even knowing this, she knew that he hadn’t cursed her name as he died and he would never. She blinked the tears away. He had outdrawn her, and she had still shot him dead; even if she hadn’t been the one to pull the trigger.

  “That’s the true cost of war my dear. The blood of the innocent spilt doesn’t compare to the tragedy of when a pure heart turns black.” The Councilor said.

  Chapter 8

  Councilor Robert Tate watched with no satisfaction as Alice left his meeting room to return to her comrades. He wondered what had brought them all together and why she’d chosen the ones she did to bring to him today. The women were possessed of great intellect he thought, except for maybe the warrior-looking girl who couldn’t be bothered to put a proper top on to cover her bust. He shook his head and looked down at the glass of whisky in his hands, taking a sip but not savoring the flavor. He hated whisky, but it was the easiest alcohol to fabricate in his little paradise in space. He set the glass down and rose from his seat, his muscles and joints aching and cracking with age. Every little popping sound reminded him of the truth- he was getting older. There wasn’t going to be much of a rebellion to leave behind if he didn’t do something to alter its course.

 
He wasn’t keen on Alice’s plan but what else could they do? They’ve been running raids and minor nuisance missions for the ten years he’d been hiding here and none of it was doing a damn bit of good. The estimations put the expenditure of life at 20 rebels per 1 corporation man. This wasn’t going well at all. Alice’s plan would blow the thing wide open, but maybe it could inspire the other rebellion leaders and planets to action. If the corporation was pushed to begin whole-sale slaughter of Earthlings then the Rebellion would have received permission to do the same thing. Armed conflicts had never been his strong-suit, he was after all a military commander in a time of peace. By the time the Corporation had appeared and he had set-up to attack, his superiors had given them everything. He had wanted to give the orders to finish what his team had prepared, but he couldn’t.

  And then there was Alex. Tate would never forget the man that had save his life and had died for him. He remembered standing on the balcony, struggling with his guards as they publically stripped Alex of both armor and flesh, rendering him down in a painful fashion. His screams finally came out as they ripped strip after strip of muscle from bone, and Tate had been pulled away. The sound of Alex’s screams would be the lullaby to his restless nights and the theme to his planning. He’d remembered Alex’s expertise at guerrilla warfare and used the man’s playbook to create one of his own. They’d strike here and there, taking out what supply lines they could and stealing others for themselves. While Robert controlled the Forge, he controlled the most powerful creative tool in the entire universe. The artifact would be his only saving grace through this.

  The counselor made his way over to the video panel on the wall and hit a few of the corresponding controls. In a flash of light the video found the record he’d requested and began to play it. This wasn’t the best way to spend his time, but something about Alice had unsettled him to the core. She was really talking about executing a man in cold blood before all of his friends and family. Like it or not, the Corporation bastards showed enough qualities in common with humanity that it was unlikely he would ever learn to see them as different. They lived shorter lives and slept a lot less, but they were still subject to hopes and fears and dreams. They did what they did out of fear, and Robert understood that better than anyone. The oppression was just something he’d never be able to get behind. They didn’t want to work with humanity, they wanted to control humanity like some sort of fatted calf for the execution. This so cold Calamity could easily be nothing more than a lie to scare children and a reason to take control. Robert stopped thinking about them as soon as he heard the voice.