The Conscripts: Fight or Die (Blood War Book 3) (2 page)

You could almost forget just how much of a threat the Xotoli were, Sand thought. Almost, but he knew their power and ruthlessness firsthand. This all would be destroyed if they were not defeated.

He was in an armored government limo flying silently through the night. Across from him in the luxury of the limo sat Usiche Raurk, the admiral of the Confederation Navy. She controlled the Navy and Marines as well as all of the corporation military forces. She was the single most important military commander of the human race. She was brilliant, tough, and cunning and had shown herself to be a top-notch combat commander at Rift. Had she not been in command, Dasan did not think they could have defeated the Xotoli. Beautiful with the classic features of a pure-bred Sol, tall and blonde with the grace of a model mixed with the bearing of the best military commander, she was a striking figure. On her dress white uniform, all of her medals and the circle of stars with a star in the middle that signified her rank only increased her impact. She was watching Dasan’s reaction to New York with an amused look on her face.

“Is this the first time you have seen New York from the air?”

“Yes, it is… Well. I’m at a loss for words.”

“Everyone is the first time they see it. I never tire of this view, and I grew up here.”

“I thought I had seen some sights during my career. I never thought anything manmade would overwhelm me, but I stand corrected,” Dasan said.

Admiral Raurk chuckled and exchanged a glance with the woman sitting next to her. Istas sat to Usiche’s right, her bodyguard and lover. She was the polar opposite of the admiral. Small and extraordinarily beautiful, Istas was as striking as Raurk in her own way. Her short hair was infused with real gold and slicked straight back from her face. She wore a florescent green jacket unbuttoned, showing that she wore nothing underneath. When she moved she revealed her perfect breasts, each nipple covered with diamonds, emeralds, and gold. If you didn’t know better you would take her for a fashionable Sol out for the night, not the trained assassin she was. Dasan didn’t think he had ever seen her smile. Her eyes were always taking in the surroundings, looking for possible threats. She was one of the most dangerous people alive, a trained and experienced Anjin assassin now working with the Confederation. Dasan liked her focused professionalism, and he was glad she was on their side.

“Yes, it is very beautiful. I always enjoy seeing it as much as Usiche,” Istas said quietly.

The limo banked and began its final approach to the Von Fleet Tower. The covering Special Operations craft that were their escort banked in perfect unison. Each was filled with a squad of Marine Raiders fully armored up and armed to the teeth. The admiral of the Confederation Navy and the general of the 1st Marine Division were prime targets for the Xotoli and their hybrids. Neither traveled without a security contingent. After the latest attempt on the admiral’s life, the secretary general had ordered an increased security presence even on Earth. The Xotoli had embedded human hybrids on Earth for years before the war, and not all of them had been discovered. The threat of assassination hung over both the admiral and Sand. They went everywhere with armored and armed Marines.

As the limo approached the tower, a landing pad slid out of the side of the building, its red landing lights blinking in the darkness. It was at least two thousand feet above the ground and was a private landing pad meant only for the owner of the apartment. The cost of such a pad alone staggered Sand, much less the power it took to get all of the requisite clearances from various government agencies. But it was a Von Fleet building after all.

The Von Fleet Tower was naturally the tallest building on the planet, soaring a graceful mile into the air. Lights were blinking in a pattern up and down its enormous length in a sophisticated display of color and patterns. Dasan had to pull himself from the sight to ask the admiral something he had been meaning to ask now that they were in a secure environment.

“Admiral, have you gotten any closer to finding the 703 leak?”

The Xotolis had been tipped off to the raid on Von Fleet Planet 703, and it had almost led to a disaster. Sand had been lucky to extract most of the Raiders before a Xotoli force sent to intercept them had arrived, but it had cost Sand and his Raiders dearly. He had lost Aijuba when she stayed behind to cover the last units to be extracted. Aijuba had left a huge hole in his professional and personal life. He was not over her loss yet, and he doubted he would ever be. The only way he could feel better about her death was to know whoever had tipped off the Xotoli was dead.

“Yes, we have. Not much but some. We are close, but there are missing pieces. Once found, these hybrids or human collaborators will be dealt with using extreme prejudice. The secretary general has ordered the formation of a small, very secret unit whose sole purpose will be to root out the embedded hybrids and take them down. Istas will be heading that unit. I can’t tell you any more, but I will be taking some of your best people for the unit.”

“Admiral, with all due respect I don’t have them to spare. I need every veteran I can find to stand up the new divisions.”

Usiche looked at him. Her face had changed subtly. It was the face Sand had seen many times on duty. It was her command face.

“I understand, but this is more important. They will have a larger impact than they ever could as part of a new division.”

“I lost so many on 703, it's hard to replace them.”

Usiche’s face softened before she said, “Dasan, I understand how devastating your losses were, especially Aijuba, but this is that important. I can assure you. She will be avenged.”

Sand’s eyes met the admiral’s. She was sincere. She had known and respected Aijuba and knew what she had meant to Dasan. Her eyes had softened and were that of an old friend.

“By the way, the information you brought back from 703 is proving invaluable to our understanding of the Xotoli. We have had nothing like it before. The medicines and samples from the children have given our scientists a real leg up on understanding hybrid physiology. The data and the server you brought back are still being analyzed, but my IT types are very excited. And the DNA samples and the video of a real Xotoli have our xenobiologists cumming in their pants. Your losses were not in vain. They are making a true difference in our war effort.”

The admiral was trying to soften the blow of losing Aijuba, but Dasan was not sure anything was worth Aijuba’s life. Dasan said nothing. He turned back to watching the spectacle outside the limo’s window. He decided to change the subject.

“Admiral, I am not very good at these things. I feel much more comfortable in less…expensive surroundings. Are you sure this is as important as you've said?” Dasan asked.

“Tonight you may call me Usiche. Dasan, you are going to have to fight some of the most important battles of the war here in this city. Not immediately but soon. You must begin to gain allies if you are going to win. I can’t fight all of the battles myself. I’ll need others to help. You will be one of them.”

“Wars are not only won on the battlefield, you need allies among the people who will be at this party tonight,” Istas added. As an Anjin assassin she had been trained to blend in no matter the environment. She would be as comfortable among these people as she was in a fight to the death.

“Who's giving this party that it's so important?” Dasan asked.

Usiche allowed herself a small smile.

“Her name is Kat Von Fleet. She is the most important hostess in the capital. There will be some of the most important people in the city here tonight. Her husbands and wives might be here too. She is poly, and the last time I counted she had two wives and three husbands. Every one of them is almost as important as she is, so they make up one of the unofficial power centers in the capital.”

Dasan could not hide his surprise.

“THE Von Fleets?”

“Yes, she is a great-granddaughter of one of the founders. I’ve known her since we were children—our families were close friends. She has nothing to do with the corporation. All she does, as she puts it, is collect checks and spend money. But don’t let that fool you. She is a shrewd and powerful woman in the capital, not just in political circles but also in business circles. She carved out her own career with little help from the family. If anything, Kat is her own woman.”

He was about to be one of the guests of honor of one of the most powerful women in the capital, accompanied by the admiral of the Confederation Navy and her assassin bodyguard and girlfriend. He had come a long way from his days as a young term Legion lieutenant out on the edge of the Confederation running patrols. Dasan wished that Aijuba could be here to see it. She would laugh that wonderful laugh of hers.

“Dasan, are your Notes working? You will meet a lot of people, and they will help you keep things straight,” the admiral said.

Dasan touched the small golden plug that had been inserted into the I/O port behind his right ear. When he touched it, the admiral’s name, rank, contact number, and other information floated next to her face. He knew politicians and business types used the program, but this was the first time he had ever used it. In the past he had flown ships and fought in his armor using the port, but this was a completely new experience for Dasan. He was still getting used to it—the insert used the nano wiring they had added to his brain to fly the old Legion ships for an entirely new application.

“Yes, it is.”

“One minute, Admiral,” the pilot announced as the limo made its final approach to the townhouse’s landing pad.

“Thank you.”

Dasan watched as the pilot made his approach to the building. The limo flared and touched down with a gentle bump. A clear canopy slid out of the building to the door of the limo. Two Marines riding in jump seats in front of the admiral’s compartment jumped out and opened the door to the limo. They stood at rigid attention as Admiral Raurk helped Istas out then followed her. Dasan stepped out after them.

When they had re-formed the Marine Corps, they had reached back into history to find a uniform for the new service. Since it was based on the old Marine Corps of centuries ago, it seemed fitting that they pattern the new uniform after the storied organization whose history they were continuing. So Dasan wore the officers’ dress blue uniform of the old Marine Corps with the high collar and a gold-and-silver eagle, globe, and anchor emblem on each collar. He wore the single star of his rank on the epaulettes on his shoulders. A gleaming, wide, black leather belt with a strap over one shoulder with white pants finished off his uniform. For the first time he wore all of his newly awarded medals and badges. Naturally he wore the old wings he’d earned as a Legionnaire over his right breast pocket. Over his left breast pocket he wore the medals he had won for Rift. Above the two rows was the small replica of an armored helmet he’d earned for qualifying as armored infantry. Above that he wore the small replicas of crossed retros he had earned as a drop-qualified Marine. Finally in the middle of his left breast pocket he wore the close-combat badge only awarded to Marines who had killed an enemy in hand-to-hand fighting. If you knew how to read the badges and emblems, you could almost read Dasan’s military career.

As he stood he ran a finger under the collar. It was tight. His eyes met the eyes of one of the Marines holding the door. She was doing everything she could to suppress a smile at his discomfort. It was Kifle Elias. He had known her since the early days of the newly formed armored infantry in the Legion.

“Sergeant, have I busted you to private lately?” Dasan said.

She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, still at rigid attention. But her face was fighting a smile.

“No, sir. It’s been some time since you busted me and sent me to the brig.”

She had fought at his side many times over the years, and it was good to see a trusted and friendly face. She was part of his and the admiral’s handpicked bodyguard.

“Remind me to bust you tomorrow,” Dasan said rolling his eyes.

“Certainly, sir.”

They exchanged a smile and Dasan strode into the huge penthouse of Kat Von Fleet. When he stepped through the doors it was almost as overwhelming as the city itself. The wall across the huge room from him was covered with floor to ceiling windows. The city stretched to the horizon in all its glory, as if it were part of the decoration of the penthouse. The room was filled with men and women, in couples and small groups. He recognized the faces of many of those in the room. With the Notes plug in, looking out over the crowd was not that much different than looking through his heads-up on the battlefield. The names of the guests floated above them, as well as their political or corporate titles. For many of the young women, their contact information floated above their heads. The only problem, Dasan thought, was he could not tell friend from foe the way he could in his armor’s heads-up. He decided he might treat them all as enemy until they were proven as a friend. This was a battlefield with which he was not familiar and did not feel comfortable.

The room was filled with politicians, entertainers, and corporate executives. It looked as if the richest, most famous, and powerful in the Confederation had been gathered together in one room. Cameras hovered over some of the guests, recording their every move for their life show or news program. Lights hovered over some of the couples and groups illuminating them perfectly. The women wore the latest in dresses that barely covered their perfect figures, of various colors and hues. Some were completely nude except for bejeweled gauze of varying lengths. The men exuded the confidence of those with money and power. They were more conservatively dressed in suits that must have cost as much as Dasan made in a year. Every man in the room seemed to have one or two women with him. The women’s ages varied greatly, but they had one thing in common: they were all beautiful. He and Admiral Raurk were the only ones in uniform, and even in Usiche’s dress whites and his dress blues they were the least colorfully dressed.