“Incoming message from PKHQ,” says Hanai.
“Put it up,” says Reid.
Deputy Director Price appears on the screen. Stress shows in the creases on his face and in his normally press-perfect uniform.
“Captain,” he begins, weariness apparent in even his tone. “Captain, you must go to Mars. A protest there has gotten out of control and is now a full-blown riot. Director Wu is trapped. Outsystem rebel agitators have arrived on the scene. Horus and Leviathan have their hands full with rebel ships in orbit and aren’t able to provide desperately needed ground support.”
“Understood,” says Reid, a pit forming rapidly in his stomach. “We are on our way.”
“Good,” says Price. “I am dispatching Heimdallr along with you. Vulcan, Ngai and Djinn are also on their way, but it could be a while. Price out.”
“Val, set course for Mars. Mister Nakamatsu, ready shields and weapons. Rahim, I want a lay of the land as soon as we’re out of FTL. Lieutenant Thomas, join First Mate Kosmenko and me in the situation center immediately.”
Two hours later, Phoenix drops out of FTL into orbit around Mars and total chaos. Flashes of weapons fire light up the blackness of space.
“Captain,” Hanai says, “message coming from Horus.”
“Put Captain Eliopoulos on,” Reid replies.
“Thank God you’ve arrived,” Eliopoulos’s voice comes over the speakers as her image resolves in one quadrant of the viewscreen. Smoke from an electrical fire on Horus’ bridge creates a haze around her. Captains Hart and Sato resolve into two other quadrants, while the view of space shrinks into the fourth.
“Captain Reid, I need you and Captain Hart to go down to the planet and back up the garrison there. Director Wu is trapped along with them, surrounded by rioters. We need you and your PKs to punch a hole in the rabble and create an exit route for the director. Captain Sato, you and Heimdallr will remain here in orbit and assist in fending off these clunkers the rebels are using for ships.”
“Yes, ma’am,” comes the reply from Reid, Hart and Sato.
“Rahim, ship-to-ship with Leviathan,” Reid orders, and the image of Captain Hart fills the screen as the sensor officer adjusts the channel.
“How do you want to play this?” asks Hart, deferring to Reid’s seniority.
“Phoenix will take point,” Reid replies, “and land on the surface. Leviathan will stay aloft to provide air support. Send over your PKs in shuttles right now and we’ll get underway.”
“Yes, sir!” says the younger captain.
“And Conrad,” Reid continues. “Be careful.”
Scant moments later, Leviathan’s shuttles have docked with Phoenix. Reid and Thomas are on hand to greet the disembarking PKs. Unexpectedly, Captain Hart steps out of the hatch.
“Permission to come aboard,” he requests.
“Granted,” says Reid. “Explain yourself.”
“I left my first mate in command so that I can lend a hand on the ground. You can’t tell me you can’t use me down there,” Hart answers.
“Alright,” growls Reid, “no sense leaving you aboard Phoenix. I guess you’re coming with us.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” he continues, addressing the assembled Leviathan PKs, “this is Lieutenant Oliver Thomas. He will be taking point on this mission. You will all—we will all—answer to him and follow his orders for this op, is that clear?”
“Yes, sir!” shout the troops.
Reid activates the companel on the wall and keys it for the bridge.
“Val, take us down,” he orders. “Rahim, transmit our landing site to Leviathan and advise them to take station above it. Mister Nakamatsu, Mister Kosmenko, join the PKs and me in the cargo hold immediately.”
Five minutes later, Phoenix touches down on the Red Planet. The external doors to the cargo hold open and 36 men and women rapidly disembark and take up defensive positions just outside the ship. They are several hundred yards away from the depot where the garrison—along with Director Wu—are trapped, and several of the rebels who have up to this point been focused on the depot now turn their attention to the fresh troops from Phoenix and Leviathan. Lieutenant Thomas splits his force into three parts, assigning one each to himself, Kosmenko and Nakamatsu.
As they approach the mob, various projectiles lobbed in their direction impact on helmets and body armor but don’t cause any serious harm. Suddenly, several shots ring out—the rioters, some of them at least, are armed. Next to Reid, Captain Hart grunts and falls to the ground.
“Conrad!” Reid shouts, dropping to his knees as Thomas orders everyone to take cover.
Leviathan’s captain is bleeding from multiple wounds in his chest and left leg. His face is contorted in pain. Reid drags him behind a large rock as the fire continues.
“Leviathan!” Reid hollers, “Locate the shooters, now!”
“Working on it, sir,” comes the immediate reply. A moment later, “Got it! It looks like a handful of the rioters in the crowd have small arms, but they shouldn’t be much of an issue. The bigger problem is the rifle positions on the high ground at your two and eleven o’clock.”
“Understood, mister. Take them out. Now,” orders Reid.
“Aye, sir,” comes the reply, as dual shots lance out from Leviathan’s bow, destroying hilltops to the northwest and northeast.
Thomas orders the footmen forward toward the crowd. They throw tear gas and smoke grenades and fire pellets into the mass of humanity before them. Taking this as a cue, the harried garrison PKs surge out of the depot, creating another front for the rioters to have to engage. This is all it takes to put a majority of the rioters to flight. Numerous though they are, they do not have any other advantage, and the discipline and implacability of the oncoming footmen unnerves them in the extreme.
Nakamatsu has taken his group in pursuit of the retreating rebels. The rest of the footmen, along with Kosmenko, are arresting the rebels too injured, stunned or overwhelmed to flee with the rest. Director Wu emerges from the depot and demands to speak with Captain Reid.
Kosmenko calls over the radio: “Win, are you there? The director wants to talk to you.”
“I’m here, Jed. Stall her for me.”
Kosmenko knows Reid would not make such a request without very good reason, and the tone in his friend’s voice is obviously strained.
“I’ll do what I can,” he answers.
Behind the rock, Reid has patched Hart’s wounds as best he can and is holding the other man as close as he can. Both are soaked in blood. Reid is doing his best to console and encourage Hart to hang on, that he’ll be okay, but they both recognize the hollowness of the words.
“Medic!” he screams. “Medic!”
The area now secure, Doc Monte has led her medical team off the ship and out into the field. Hearing Reid’s cries, she hurries over with one of her nurses, directing the others to keep moving forward. Arriving on the scene, she gasps not only at the devastation to Captain Hart’s body but in shock at the tears standing in her own captain’s eyes. She pulls him away from the fallen officer so she and the nurse can get to work, and notes that Reid has quietly taken Hart’s hand in his and is just sitting alongside. Finally, he nods to Monte, forces himself to stand and walks off toward the depot.
As he draws nearer to the knot of PK personnel, he can hear Director Wu giving orders to have all available footmen pursue the running rebels and for Leviathan to provide targeting and pursuit support.
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