Alien Redemption [Clans of Kalquor 06] (28 page)

The Dramok’s head was bowed. Conyod watched him, waiting for him to start. After a few moments of what looked like heavy contemplation, Erybet looked up at him. “There’s been another Matara murdered. Her body was left on the beach near our home.”

Of all the things Conyod thought his clanmate might have said, this was not on the list. “By the ancestors! This is horrible. Wait,
another
Matara? There have been others? Oh, the one that was found in the marketplace.”

Erybet nodded. “There have been more than two. Many of the Mataras Kalquor was told were abducted have been actually murdered. Including Matara Maria. I’ve learned it was her body left in the marketplace.”

Conyod could only stare at him, his mouth open but speechless. Guilt stabbed at him, as if it had been his reluctance to clan with Maria that had gotten her killed. Silly, but utterly understandable, he decided.

“We were warned by those Global Security officers who visited us to tell no one, so you need to keep that to yourself,” Erybet told him.

Conyod nodded. He still couldn’t think of anything to say.

Erybet took another long moment to consider. “My concern is for Sletran. The last time this happened, he became very upset and had one of his wandering off episodes.”

“Is he with Ray-Ray now?”

Erybet shook his head. “I sent him to the Mentoring Center. I want him to start training Imdikos in self-defense, like he used to before we left. He needs something to fill his time. I took Ray-Ray to the Matara complex so you and I could have this talk.”

“I can understand you not wanting her to hear any of this.” Conyod swallowed. It bothered him a little that Rachel wasn’t in the company of a member of the clan. What if the killer went after her?

“That’s not the main thing I wanted to discuss with you.” Erybet took a deep breath. Held it for a moment. Blew it back out in a rush. His gaze met Conyod’s. “What I have to tell you must remain between us. I’ve never disobeyed an order from my commander, much less the Imperial Commander himself.”

Conyod felt the weight of Erybet’s disobedience. His Dramok was a dedicated leader, and the military had been his home for a long time. Guilt flared in the Imdiko’s chest. He’d tried for almost a year to get Erybet to tell him what had happened, not fully appreciating what it would cost his Dramok to do so. If his clanmates’ emotional wellbeing hadn’t hung so clearly in the balance, he’d never allow Erybet to do this.

“You know you can trust me, my Dramok.”

The sincerity in his tone allowed Erybet to give him a hint of a smile. “I know. I’ve put in for an appointment to speak to Emperor Bevau. I had hoped to get his permission to bring you into our confidences before discussing this with you, but he is very busy. I don’t think this can wait any longer. I would rather lose my freedom and commission than my Nobek.”

“Of course.”

“We were on New Bethlehem.”

Conyod’s eyes went wide. That hellhole, where so many Earthers and Kalquorians alike had lost their lives? Where the Slaughter of Innocents had taken place? If Sletran had been anywhere near that site of horrendous bloodshed—

Conyod knew that was exactly what had happened. It explained everything. “You two were there during the massacre? And with Sletran as protective as he is … no wonder he’s having so many problems!”

Erybet’s gaze caught his and held it. “It’s more than that. I was at a command post, but Sletran…”

He visibly gathered himself. In a low voice, he said, “Our Nobek wasn’t just a witness, Conyod. After I cleared it, he gave the order to attack.”

Conyod stared, not believing his ears.
Not my Nobek. Not Sletran. He would never do such
a terrible thing. Never!

He opened his mouth to deny Erybet’s allegation, but nothing would come out. He wanted to scream at the other man to shut up, to say not another word, but the words stuck in his throat.

Conyod suddenly had full appreciation of the torment Rachel had gone through.

Erybet’s mouth moved, and his words told the story that Conyod no longer wanted to hear.

He sat frozen as Erybet took him back to that terrible day, to the day that ended the lives of the clanmates he’d loved and replaced them with men he didn’t recognize.

* * * *

He smiled with no humor. This was it. This was ‘for all the marbles’, as he’d once heard an Earther commander yell as his troops attacked Erybet’s. Apparently marbles, whatever they were, were a very valuable commodity on Earth.

A slight wash of static came through the com link. Erybet frowned. Communication relays almost never became distorted, not unless someone was purposely jamming the frequencies. It cleared up immediately, replaced by Sletran’s voice.

“Team A in position, Company Commander. Team B, report.”

High Commander Akrij sounded as if he was in the room. “Team B is in position and awaits your signal, Group Commander Sletran.”

Erybet smiled with real feeling this time. As usual, Akrij was in the thick of things, fighting side by side with his men. Probably right at the front of the line, too. Just as typical, he’d left Sletran in charge of the attack, refusing to take deserving leadership away despite his higher rank.

Erybet responded. “Company Commander acknowledges Group Commander Sletran’s men are in position.”

Sletran’s smooth voice carried no sign of the excitement he undoubtedly felt. He was utterly focused on his mission. “I confirm activity within target location. We see movement within the building, but cannot make out exactly who is inside. Commence routine confirmation of target.

We have surrounded the building at coordinates one-one-seven-two-point-eight-four-six.”

Ridna doublechecked his computer. “Coordinates confirmed.”

“Coordinates confirmed,” Tas echoed.

Erybet scanned the vid before him three times before adding, “Coordinates confirmed, Group Commander.”

“Confirmations received. Request routine confirmation of intelligence.”

The three men in the command post brought their attention to their individual readouts.

Ridna reported, “Informant to High Commander Akrij, designated EM-729, reports Earther insurgents gathering in building located at coordinates one-one-seven-two-point-eight-four-six.

Intelligence gathered confirms a number of no less than forty-three Earther soldiers, having ignored orders for surrender, have commandeered the location to carry out attacks against the Kalquorian forces and peacemakers. Informant also reports, and said reports have been confirmed, the identities of these Earthers are those who have led attacks against Kalquorian peacemakers engaged in aid to Earther refugees.”

Tas repeated the exact same thing, reading from his separate station. Then Erybet repeated it again.

Another wash of static preceded Sletran’s next relay and distorted his message. “Con …

cation and intelli … received.”

Erybet’s eyes narrowed and he peered into the darkness beyond the vid displays, as if he could will second sight to show him his Nobek. “Repeat, Group Commander. I’m getting a lot of interference from your com.”

Another burst of static, then Sletran’s voice came through loud and clear. “Confirmation of enemy location and intelligence received.”

“Check for willful interference of communications from enemy. I’m getting intermittent interruption of signal.” If this mission was compromised, Erybet had no problem pulling his men out, though the Nobeks would kick and scream about it. Fuck the attack and the Nobek need for face-to-face confrontation; he’d set up a security cordon and starve the insurgents out if he had to.

Sletran spoke after a few moments. “No interference detected, Company Commander. If it’s intermittent, it could be a random jamming device coming from the target.”

“Your assessment is to continue the mission?”

“Absolutely.” Sletran let a little growl into his voice. His predatory instincts were at full force despite the cool command he exercised.

That was good enough for Erybet.
Time to end this damned rebellion and go home to our
Imdiko.
“Company Commander Erybet assigns full authority to Group Commander Sletran to carry out the mission. All confirmations verified. My order is to destroy the insurgent threat.

Good luck and be careful, Sletran.”

“We’ll all see you soon, Commander Erybet. Teams A and B, commence planting of explosives.”

Minutes of com silence ticked by. Erybet hated these long moments of waiting and worrying in the dark. Akrij definitely had it right, jumping into the fray rather than holding down the command center and feeling useless.

Erybet’s aides felt the strain too, especially the Nobek. Too well trained to show impatience, tension nevertheless flowed from Tas in waves. He growled, “I’ll be glad when we’ve taken care of the last of these holdouts, Commander.”

Erybet nodded his agreement. “This is supposed to be the last large group of insurgents here on New Bethlehem. With any luck, we’ll be heading home in a few weeks.”

Home. And Conyod. By the ancestors, all he and Sletran talked about in their off time was their Imdiko and how much they missed him. Because New Bethlehem was such a hotbed of trouble, they’d not been allowed communications to home. No one had, as casualties on the small colony and once-secret military base continued to mount for Earther and Kalquorian alike despite the ending of the war. The only sense of contact with Conyod came through the occasional visits from his Nobek father. Vel had been cleared to come to the ravaged colony to make deals with the peaceful colonists for kestarsh. The Earthers had lost nearly all their livestock to the war and rebellion.

The identities of those trying to quell the uprising on New Bethlehem were kept quiet. Even Vel’s activities had been deemed a security issue, and he’d been sworn to secrecy just like any member of the military. Having been a foot soldier himself in the past, Vel’s loyalty was never questioned. He’d cleared the security measures without a problem, and as far as Erybet knew, he’d never told his clan or Conyod he’d been on the colony.

The only way loved ones discovered a clanmate, son, brother, or father had gone to New Bethlehem was if the dead body was shipped home. While the terrible truth of the colony could not be hidden from the public, at least those who served there and lived could be protected.

Erybet had watched many men, several under his own command, die in this terrible place.

He had no doubt he was a changed man, seeing all he had. But eventually the nightmares would stop once he was out of here. Having Sletran with him helped him cope with the unrelenting fighting in the meantime. That, and the eventuality of going home to Conyod. Anticipation of relaxing on the balcony with drinks, looking out over the green ocean and pink-sanded beach, of sharing stories and laughter again was the light at the end of this dark tunnel.

Today’s mission might very well signal the achievement of that goal. One last bloody hit on those who refused to bow to the inevitable, who killed for no other reason but blind retribution, and it would be done.

A loud blast of static came over the com, interrupting Erybet’s hopeful thoughts. Between the buzzing hiss of interference, Sletran’s now-desperate voice faded in and out.

“… not activate … I repeat …. Mataras and children … do not … now!”

Erybet went on full alert. Even under attack, his Nobek had never sounded that frantic.

“Sletran? What’s wrong?”

An eternity of long, silent seconds passed as he waited for an answer. When it came, Sletran sounded like he was screaming the words, though it was barely discernable through the badly distorted connection.

“… get in … search … survivors … Erybet … bad intel—”

He was suddenly cut off, and cold terror blasted through Erybet’s guts. Not caring how desperate he sounded, Erybet yelled, “Sletran, talk to me! High Commander Akrij, respond.”

Akrij’s cool voice came through clearly. “The target has been successfully destroyed, Company Commander, despite Team A not carrying out execute orders. I am making my way to Sletran to find out what has happened to Team A.”

More silence, leaving Erybet to listen to his heart thunder.
Akrij is there. Sletran is alive.

It’s going to be okay
. Too bad he didn’t truly believe that.

Finally, with gorgeous clarity, Sletran spoke. “Group Commander Sletran to Company Commander Erybet.”

Erybet’s eyes closed in relief. His Nobek sounded perfectly fine. Steeling his voice to not betray the depth of emotion he felt, he answered, “Sletran, you’re coming in clear now. What happened?”

“The intelligence was bad, or the insurgents knew we were coming and planted civilians in their place. We have killed an unknown number of Earther Mataras and children.” Sletran’s voice lost its composure then, trembling over the frequency. “Erybet, there are bodies all over.

Women and little ones—”

Erybet exchanged horrified looks with his aides. Then he looked at the vid suspended in the air in front of him. He couldn’t help but stare at the intelligence on its invisible surface, the information that said the building had been filled with insurgent soldiers plotting murder and mayhem. No women and children were mentioned. No innocents were supposed to be there.

The vid mocked him with its falsehoods. How had they gotten this so wrong?

I told him to go ahead with the attack. I gave the order. My Nobek carried it out and now
there is blood of Mataras and babies on our hands.

His lips numb, Erybet whispered, “Sletran.” The word was nearly silent to his own ears.

Erybet forced volume into his strengthless voice. “Sletran.”

The shaken voice answered him. “My Dram – Commander?”

“Commence search for survivors if you haven’t already. I’m on my way.”