Never Surrender (The Empire's Corps Book 10) (6 page)

“Oh,” Kailee said.  “How did you handle it?”

“You get used to it,” Jasmine said.  “You learn to sort out your uniform before you go to bed, then you can just get dressed very quickly when the whistle blows in the morning.  And then you learn to get your weapon ready for use, and then ...”

She shrugged.  “By the time you leave Boot Camp,” she added, “all of these little things are second nature to you.”

“Or you get your head torn off until they are,” Stewart said.  “Do you know how long it took me to learn to field-strip my rifle?”

“I read your file,” Jasmine said.  “You won the shooting award for your class.”

“But I still took days to learn how to strip and clean it properly,” Stewart said.  “The Drill Instructor practically stood over me and glared until I had it down pat.”

“They treated you like that?”  Kailee asked.  “Is that allowed?”

“We all signed up for it,” Jasmine said.  Part of the reason Earth had so many problems was that no one was actually permitted to discipline children, who rapidly grew into unruly and unemployable teens.  She wondered, absently, just how many Marines had come from Earth, before it fell into chaos.  Colonel Stalker had been born on Earth, she knew, but she couldn't think of any others.  “And if we really couldn't take it, we could just quit.”

She looked up as another rumble of thunder echoed out in the distance.  “There were times when I thought about just ringing the bell and leaving,” she admitted, softly.  “But I kept going.”

“It doesn’t seem fair,” Kailee said.  “Don’t you have altered standards?”

“The universe isn't fair,” Stewart pointed out.  He nodded to Watson.  “I am more experienced than Carl, but Carl is stronger and faster.  I’d be wise to take that into account if I had to spar with him, rather than moaning about fairness.”

Kailee looked at Jasmine, who nodded.  “I’m faster than both of them,” Jasmine said, although she wasn’t sure if that were still true.  “But I dare not try to grapple with them at close quarters.  They’d break my neck.”

“The enemy doesn't give a damn about any concept of fairness,” Stewart said.  “If we hamper our own forces, out of a misguided attempt to make the universe fair, we only make it easier for them to hurt us.”

Jasmine smiled.  “Keep walking,” she ordered, as another peal of thunder split the air.  “How often does it rain here?”

“Every two hours or thereabouts,” Kailee said.  “Austin used to say the planet was too close to the sun and there was more water entering the atmosphere, but I wasn't paying close attention.”

Jasmine frowned.  Did that make sense?  She struggled to recall what she knew of how rain was produced, then shook her head.  The world wouldn't have been settled if there had been a long-term threat to the colony’s survival.  Given how intent the Empire had been on saving money, they wouldn't have risked having to evacuate the planet at a later date.  Unless there had been corruption involved ... she made a mental note to check on it at a later date, then put it out of her mind.  There was no point in worrying about it now.

“I think we should keep going for another hour, then take a break,” she said.  They could have travelled further, without Kailee, but she didn't want to risk exhausting themselves.  “And then ...”

She froze as something changed.  Instincts honed at the Slaughterhouse, then strengthened on a dozen different worlds, were screaming, warning her that they were no longer alone.  Stewart and Watson were glancing around, their fists balled and ready to fight, while Kailee was staring at her in confusion.  Jasmine heard something - or someone - moving behind them, coming up the trail.  She cursed mentally, then motioned for Kailee to get down on the ground.  The foliage was making it hard for her to see who was coming.  Guards?  Or someone else who’d make a daring escape?  Or ...

Stewart slipped to one side, using hand signals to indicate that he was going to try to flank the newcomer.  Jasmine nodded back, ordering Watson to accompany him.  If there were guards following them, their only hope was to fight, rather than surrender.  The guards wouldn't be so careless a second time.  Their superiors would be furious with them for allowing even one escape from the camp.

“Quiet,” she hissed at Kailee.  It was unlikely the Earth-born girl could escape, even if she had spent the past six years of her life on Meridian.  But she had to try.  “Stay as low as you can and get ready to run ...”

The figure stepped into view, holding his hands in the air.  Jasmine tensed, bracing herself for fight or flight.  He was young, the same age as Kailee, wearing what was clearly intended as jungle camouflage of some kind.  There was a nasty scar on his right cheek. 

Kailee gasped.  “Darrin?”

The newcomer stared.  “Kailee?”

Chapter Six

Therefore, all sides benefited, to some extent, from treating POWs reasonably well.

- Professor Leo Caesius. 
The Empire and its Prisoners of War.

Meridian, Year 5 (PE)

Darrin wasn't quite sure he believed his eyes.

It had taken them some time to realise that the entire show in the POW camp was a diversion - and if he was forced to be honest, he would have to admit that it had been Austin who had realised the truth.  They’d hastily scanned the rest of the camp, just in time to see a pair of figures slip under the fence and make their muddy way into the jungle.  And then they’d given chase, watching carefully for any signs the guards had also noticed ...

And then they’d caught up with the escapees and realised that they
knew
one of them.

“Kailee,” he said.  “It’s good to see you again.”

Kailee looked paler than he remembered from when she’d been seen as an unattainable ice princess, her naked body alarmingly thin.  She’d never put any real weight on, even after growing accustomed to the idea that she didn't have to be thin to be pretty, but now she was thinner than ever.  He looked at her companion and found himself staring, despite the presence of two other men.  Kailee’s companion looked thoroughly odd, even by local standards.

“Darrin,” Kailee said.  “I ...”

She clutched at her companion and tried to hide herself.  Darrin looked away, embarrassed and ashamed.  Life on Meridian had taught him that some of Earth’s social mores were not only disgusting, but wrong ... and actively dangerous, when every teenage girl carried a gun.

“My name is Jasmine,” the companion said.  Her accent was impossible to place; it wasn't Earth’s slurred speech or Meridian’s clipped precise tones.  “We made it out of the camp.”

“We saw,” Austin said.  “I don’t think they noticed you were gone, but it’s impossible to be sure.”

“They’re friends,” Kailee said, from where she was still hiding her face. 
That
was odd, Darrin considered, although he had no idea what had happened to her since she’d been taken hostage.  “We can trust them.”

“We’re part of the resistance,” Austin said, as he stepped into view.  “And yourselves?”

Jasmine exchanged glances with one of her male companions.  “We’re former prisoners of war,” she said.  “Can you escort us somewhere safe?”

“Yes,” Austin said.  “There’s a hidden settlement not too far from here.”

He strode past Jasmine, then started to walk onwards.  One of the men followed him, showing no difficulty in matching his pace, while the other hung back, watching Darrin without ever quite seeming to look at his face.  Darrin couldn't help feeling a little intimidated, remembering Yates and some of the other ex-military personnel he’d met on Meridian.  For what was universally regarded, at least on Earth, as a pool for losers, the military seemed to have a habit of turning out competent and dangerous men.  But then, Earth had been safe until the crunch came.  Meridian forced people to rely on themselves, rather than help from an all-powerful government.

But the government wasn't all-powerful
, he thought, as he walked after Jasmine and Kailee, trying to keep his eyes firmly fixed to the ground. 
If it had been, Earth would never have fallen
.

“Tell me,” Jasmine said, without looking round.  “What’s the situation in Sabre City?”

It was Austin who answered.  “The Wolves don’t have many people on the surface, at least not in the city,” he said.  “But they have us under firm control.”

“They must not consider you to be very important,” Jasmine said, slowly.  “Have they been taking more people hostage?”

“A handful of people from various families,” Austin said.  “They asked for volunteers for work on the orbital station, but rejected all the applicants we tried to send them.”

“Interesting,” Jasmine said.  “Why did you pick them?”

It was nearly an hour before they approached the hidden settlement, concealed within the jungle.  Darrin had been there when the colonial militia had cleared the bandits out, either killing the bastards or sending them to a labour camp; now, the resistance had turned it into a base for their operations.  The settlement had already been very well hidden, but the resistance had brought in camouflage netting and hundreds of other surprises, just to keep it safe and secure.  A handful of scouts, male and female, were charged with gathering food for the settlement, without leaving any trace of their presence.  Darrin had never quite stopped envying the children who’d been
born
on Meridian ...

“Into here,” Austin said.  “I’m afraid we are going to have to ask a doctor to look at you.”

“I quite understand,” Jasmine said, as they stepped into a large building.  “I think you should check Kailee first, though.”

“Of course,” Austin said. 

Darrin smiled as he saw the interior of the building.  The scouts had laid blankets on the floor and turned it into a sleeping cabin, then installed a table at one end of the room.  A stove sat at the other end, where a young man was cooking stew; there was no point in risking a fire when orbital sensors might pick up on it and wonder why someone was using a fire, hundreds of miles from any known settlement.  Austin motioned for Jasmine to put Kailee down on the blankets, then headed over to the cook.  They exchanged a few brief words, then the cook passed Austin the spoon and headed out of the building at speed.

“We should be safe here, for the moment,” Austin said.  “Kailee can have one of the blankets, if she wishes to cover herself.  We may also have some clothes for you all to wear ...”

“Never mind that now,” Jasmine said.  She was pacing around the interior of the building, like a caged tiger.  “We need to plan our next move.”

“Food first,” Austin said, firmly.  “Darrin, can you get some bread and cheese from the storehouse?  And tell the doctor and Scoutmaster Clarence that we need them.”

“Of course,” Darrin said.

He headed out the door and down towards the storehouse, passing a handful of scouts on the way.  It shamed him to realise that the young men and women - the oldest was fourteen, he thought - knew more about survival than he did, even now.  Earth hadn't had a Boy Scout Chapter for centuries, ever since the drive for more and more safety had forced the scouts to cut back on their activities until there was nothing left.  He couldn't help feeling that it had been a dreadful mistake.  Earth wrapped its children in cotton wool - or at least tried to - while Meridian gave them adult responsibilities from a very early age.  And Earth’s crime rate had been appallingly high, while crime was almost unknown on Meridian.  It hadn't taken him long to realise that there was definitely a connection there.

Scoutmaster Clarence looked up at him as he entered the storehouse.  He was a tall man, wearing a pair of spectacles and a uniform that couldn't disguise his heavyset bulk.  On Earth, he might have been considered overweight, if he’d felt like claiming disability benefits for himself; on Meridian, it was clear that most of his size was muscle.  Darrin had wondered, at first, why he led the scouts.  It hadn't taken him long to realise that Clarence was respected as well as liked by his followers.

“Darrin,” Clarence said.

“We need bread and cheese, then you and the doctor have to come meet our guests,” Darrin said.  “They made it out of the camp.”

Clarence’s eyes narrowed.  “You’re sure they actually escaped?”

“I believe so,” Darrin said, and explained what they’d seen.  “It would be a great deal of effort to fake such an escape, if they were intended to infiltrate us.”

“True,” Clarence said.  “Still, we must be careful.”

***

The stew smelled very good, but tasted better.  Jasmine practically inhaled the first bowl, then took a second and ate it more carefully.  Beside her, Stewart and Watson ate their own stew, while keeping a wary eye on their new friends.  There was no doubt that the resistance was inclined to be friendly, but they knew to be careful.  The Wolves might threaten an entire city if the former POWs were not returned to the camp, which would force the resistance to surrender their guests at once.  And that would be the end of any hope of escape.

She looked up as an older woman, carrying a medical kit in one hand, stepped into the building and smiled at them.  “I’m Doctor Cavendish,” she said, as she placed the kit on the ground and snapped it open.  “I need to give you all a brief check, I'm afraid.”

“Treat Kailee first,” Jasmine said.  It wasn’t just kindness; it would let her get a sense of the doctor’s competence before she started to inspect the marines.  “She’s had a rough time.”

“The entire planet has had a rough time,” the doctor said.  She knelt next to Kailee, then started to wave a scanner over her body.  “How are you feeling, my dear?”

“Tired,” Kailee said.  “Do you
have
to poke and prod me?”

“I need to check everything,” the doctor said.  She pushed a scanner against Kailee’s forearm, then frowned at the datapad in her hand.  “You’ve not been eating very well, have you?  I’m surprised you managed to walk this far without falling apart.”

“I did fall apart,” Kailee protested.

The doctor ignored her.  “You’ll need to take supplements every day for the next two months,” she said, firmly.  “I’ll write you a prescription, then send someone down to the city to get it filled.  Make sure you eat three full meals a day, even if you don’t feel particularly hungry.  You really need to rebuild your strength.”

Jasmine concealed her amusement at Kailee’s expression with an effort.  Someone born on Earth would have been conditioned, from a very early age, to eat as little as possible, all in the name of saving the environment.  The schools would have fed the bare minimum, perhaps not even that, while the parents might not have been able to obtain enough food to compensate.  To eat three full meals a day would seem an impossible dream.

“Do as she says,” she advised.  “You are really in a mess.”

Kailee sighed, but nodded.

Jasmine allowed the doctor to poke and prod at her, then the other two marines.  The doctor didn't have much to say, beyond a concern that Jasmine might be incapable of having children in the future.  Jasmine had honestly not thought about the prospect; like other female marines, she’d had eggs removed from her body and held in stasis when she’d made it through Boot Camp, but those eggs had been on the Slaughterhouse.  God alone knew what had happened to the training world. 

“You should really take better care of yourself,” the doctor reproved her, afterwards.  “A woman’s duty is to produce children to populate the world.”

“Depends on where you sit, I suppose,” Jasmine said, waspishly. 
Her
mother had had seven children; her older sister had had five.   A woman on Meridian would probably be expected to have as many children as possible, but a woman on Earth would be actively encouraged to sterilise herself.  “And my duty is to get back home.”

“I suppose,” the doctor said.  She looked down at the scanner for a long moment, then smiled at them.  “You’re healthy, but make sure you eat plenty over the next couple of weeks too.  I hate to imagine what the crap they were feeding you was doing to your insides.”

“Producing poison gas,” Watson said, with a wink.  “We had beans for breakfast, beans for lunch and beans for tea.  I’m sure that violates some convention on the use of torture on prisoners.”

Jasmine shrugged.  Under the circumstances, Wolfbane had treated its POWs remarkably well.  The Marine Corps had built up the determination never to let someone remain in enemy hands through a grim awareness that any prisoner was likely to be brutally tortured, then murdered.  Insurgents throughout the Empire had known, after all, what was likely to happen to any of
them
who fell into enemy hands and they’d been happy to return the favour.

And Admiral Singh tortured you
, her own thoughts reminded her. 
You’ve been very lucky this time around
.