Echoes of War Box Set, page 56
part #1 of Echoes of War Series
Half stunned, he opened his eyes and saw almost everyone standing had been knocked down, and a cloud of dust was sweeping down the street toward them. “To the shuttles! Now! Move it!” Kaufman voice sounded over the commlink.
Pausing to pick up a civilian that couldn’t walk, David flung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and raced to the nearest shuttle; he returned for another, though the dust made it difficult to see. With the help of his helmet’s infrared sensors, he found another fallen civilian and helped the man stand. By the time he got the man to a shuttle and strapped in, he realized that the nuns had finished the job and were loading themselves up.
David took a seat, strapped in his harness, and spent the trip home trying to figure out what just went wrong.
21
Inside of the command operations tent, Sarno paced. She had been briefed by the strike team leader, Sister Kaufman, during the flight back, and now she was waiting for her senior staff to assemble. Kaufman, David, Amir, and Calvin were the first ones through the flap of the tent. “Greetings, Sister, Colonels.”
“Thank you, Mother Superior.” Kaufman kneeled and reached her right hand up, the index finger pointing toward heaven; the traditional salute of the Sisters.
David and Calvin brought themselves to attention but did not salute.
“Simply put, what happened?”
“We were able to rescue eighty-nine prisoners. However, we were exfiltrating the area…”
David’s face flushed red with anger. “Someone set off a massive improvised explosive device and brought down half a city block.”
“It’s possible the Monrovians engaged in a false flag exercise to give themselves cover and to sway public opinion against us,” Calvin interjected.
“Those people know no bounds of depravity,” David said.
General Monahan’s face appeared through the tent entrance as he walked in. “I apologize for being late. I was reviewing reports on damage to the government’s military infrastructure.”
“Thank you for joining us, General,” Sarno replied. “We have a bit of a situation here. While thanks to your intelligence, we were able to rescue many high-value prisoners, there was an attack with an explosive-laden hover-van that, in the words of Colonel Cohen, leveled half a city block. I assume the Monrovian government was behind it.”
Monahan, for a brief moment, looked squeamish. “Actually, Mother Superior, that was my network.”
“What?” David demanded, his jaw dropping open.
Sarno’s eyes widened. What have they done? “Explain yourself, General.”
“The building that we hit was the headquarters of Monrovia’s internal security agency. It’s quite secret; you won’t find it on a map, and most citizens have no idea it’s even a government office complex. You cleared the streets for us, and one of my teams moved in. The driver sacrificed himself to ensure the success of the operation, and to prevent the use of remote communication jammers from being effective.”
“Let me get this straight,” David said, his voice rising. “You gave us intel to enable an attack on a detention facility two blocks from a target you turned around and hit with a suicide bomber? Do you realize how many civilians are probably dead?”
“Oh, stow your sanctimonious bullshit, Colonel. You expect me to believe you’ve never killed a civilian, that the CDF has never bombed a school or a hospital from orbit. It’s called collateral damage. It happens. You’ve got to break a few eggs to make an omelet.”
“Sounds like something a Leaguer would say,” Calvin interjected.
“Gentlemen, please. General Monahan, I’m incredibly distressed that you’ve chosen this course. I’m not sure that we can continue to stay here on Monrovia. I will not be a party to the death of innocents through the actions of my order. It’s an affront to all we cherish and the ideals we try to uphold.”
A nun stuck her head into the tent. “Mother Superior, there’s something on the holonet you should see.” At Sarno’s nod, she stepped inside and tuned the holoprojector. A few moments later, it projected the office of Prime Minster Fitzroy.
“Citizens of Monrovia,” Fitzroy said. “Aggressors from the Terran Coalition have invaded our world; this we already know. They’ve staged a campaign across our planet, killing the brave members of our military and first responders, including our heroic police officers. I know you have seen the images they broadcast from the supposed internment camps, showing starving women and children. This could hardly be further from the truth.”
The holoprojector switched projections, showing the attack on the building earlier in the day. “This is what’s happening out there. Religious terrorists, working with these so-called Little Sisters of Divine Recompense, used a suicide attack to destroy a government building filled with office workers today. Over eight hundred people are dead, hundreds more wounded. This is why we voted to suppress religion; its practice brings nothing but hate, repression, and when those who would force the rest of us to believe like them can’t get their way, they start killing people! We must stand up to these murderers…”
“Turn it off!” David barked; Sarno nodded, and the young nun switched the projector off. “You stupid…freaking idiot,” David shouted right in Monahan’s face, his face red as a beet. “We were winning! Not just the war, but the hearts and minds of the people. Now you’ve played right into Fitzroy’s hands. She doesn’t even have to lie or spin it; we just killed hundreds of people with a suicide attack!”
“Again, Colonel, oppressed minorities have used tactics such as this throughout human history. Need I point you back to what happened on Earth before the Exodus?”
“There was a time when people of different religions would kill each other in God’s name,” Amir interjected. “My people used these tactics on Earth. They are abhorrent and detested by Allah. I for one will not fly another mission with this man running the resistance movement.”
We can’t just leave the civilians here to their fate. We have to stay, and we have to figure out how to overcome this misstep. Jehovah Jireh… God will provide. “General, you can no longer be involved with our actions if you wish us to stay.”
“My people are everywhere; you can’t win without us. You need us, Mother Superior.”
“Yes, we do need them. But they now take orders from me, or we’re pulling out first thing in the morning. The choice is yours… choose wisely.”
Monahan made a face. “I will not be blackmailed by the likes of any of you.”
“Are you daft?” David said, his voice still loud. “You’re out. The only hope this action has for continued success is for you to step to the sideline. Give a public statement taking responsibility and absolving the sisters.”
Sarno studied Monahan’s face as it turned an even brighter color of red; he resembled a cornered animal. “I want amnesty for myself and anyone involved in the bombing.”
Ah, he wants a way out. Good. “We’ve no courts to try you, General. You and those involved will face no retribution from us. However, I can make no such promise if the government of Monrovia gets its hands on you. If you stand aside, you will be confined to quarters on this installation until the end of the war.” As she spoke, Sarno noticed that David’s face contorted and seemed to redden even further, if that was possible. The young colonel needs to work on controlling his emotions, she thought.
“I’m not a monster. Simply doing what it takes to win. I’ll agree to your terms, but only if you promise not to surrender my fellows and me to the government.”
“Mother Superior,” David interjected. “Part of this… deal has to be a public statement. I believe the war for the hearts and minds is even more important than the actual armed conflict.”
“I concur, Colonel. Well, General Monahan, what do you say?”
“I’ll go along,” Monahan grated out, clearly upset. “But I don’t think we did anything wrong.”
“Mother Superior, with your permission, I’d like to go find Ms. Dinman and brief her before this gets out of hand further.”
“Granted, Colonel Cohen. The rest of you are dismissed. Sister Kaufman, please place the general under close escort.”
“Yes, Mother Superior,” Kaufman replied respectfully.
Everyone filed out, leaving Sarno alone in the command tent, staring at a large map of the planet’s surface. We’ve done much, but there’s so much left to do here, she thought. Deciding to take some time to pray and consult God, she walked out of the tent, her robes swishing behind her.
“Angie?” David called out as he walked into what he and Calvin had nicknamed “the Comm Shack,” another tent the sisters had set up with a wide array of high-tech communications gear. He paid attention to patterns, and Angie’s habit was to file a report every afternoon. Hopefully, this day won’t be different, and I get to her before she does.
“What do you want, Colonel?” Angie said.
David spotted her off to the side behind a terminal. “I wanted to discuss the situation with you.”
“Save it. I thought… I really thought that you were an honorable man.”
“What are you talking about?” David asked, perplexed at her anger.
“You set up a suicide bombing… I mean, are you stupid or something? You didn’t think the Monrovians would figure it out?”
“It wasn’t us,” David said, his voice tight, anger rising in him at being accused of such a heinous crime.
“Don’t take me for a fool, Colonel.”
“Angela…listen to me. General Monahan was behind the suicide bombing. Neither I, nor any CDF personnel, nor any of the nuns had advance warning. We were taken by surprise. That’s the truth, and I’d swear it on a Torah.”
“Then you’re an idiot for not realizing he was planning it.”
“Look, I never had a great feeling about the general, but I figured we could work with him. Call it the fog of war. That doesn’t change that this planet is engaged in horrific behavior, and we’ve still got a job to do here.”
“So the ends justify the means?” Angie asked pointedly.
“Never. General Monahan is currently under armed guard and has resigned as the leader of the Monrovian resistance movement. All members now report directly to Mother Superior Sarno.”
Angie looked down at her hands. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
“Since you arrived on my ship, have I lied to you?”
“You’ve refused to answer my questions on numerous occasions.”
David nodded his agreement. “Yes... but I did so directly, and I never lied. I’ve always tried to be honest with you. Even though quite frankly, I didn’t want you on my ship to begin with, I’ve grown to respect your abilities, and that you report the facts without calling balls and strikes.”
“Balls and strikes?” Angie asked with a confused look.
“Uh, it’s a sports metaphor.”
“Well, it’s lame.” Angie was still red-faced, arms crossed in front of her.
“I want to help these people. That’s why I’m here. The op we went on unfortunately enabled this horrific attack, but we didn’t kill a single person. The sisters are so adamant about saving lives that they re-engineered mines to stun people rather than kill or maim them for life. Incredibly inventive technology, I might add. They’d never do anything like what happened with the truck bomb. And if you don’t know by now that the CDF doesn’t do that…”
“No, David, I don’t think the CDF is in the business of suicide bombings. But could I see you guys realizing it was going down and not stopping it? Yeah, I could. Once you decide to take human life, I don’t think it’s that hard to break more moral boundaries.”
“That’s where you’re wrong,” David said, confidence filling his voice. “We hold tight to those moral boundaries, as you call them, because we know how tempting it is to bend the rules just a little to get something more done. I’d wager that happened on this planet. Someone decided that if they just had a little more power, they could make a bigger difference. As soon as you start down that road, it’s too late. You always need more power, and the rules always seem to hinder you. Before too long, people are being rounded up that don’t think like you, that you don’t like, the ones that are different. They become something less than human, and when they do, killing them isn’t a big deal because they’re sub-human after all. It’s just like putting down an animal. I’ve spent my career walking the line, refusing to give in to the desire to hate the League and kill as many of them as I could. It’s a daily battle that I fight within my spirit, and it’s one that I believe only God helps me win.”
Angie closed her eyes for a moment and looked back up at David. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have made that accusation.” She sighed, shaking her head. “All of that doesn’t change what happened. I have to file a report, and I’m not going to cover this up.”
“I don’t want you to.”
“Then what would you have me do?”
“Interview General Monahan. He’s prepared to take full responsibility for the atrocity. Include that in your report, and also interview the Mother Superior to provide some context to all this.”
Angie narrowed her eyes. “Sounds very close to creating a narrative to me, Colonel.”
“It’s not a narrative; it’s the truth.”
There was a long silence as she closed her eyes and looked upward. David found himself biting his lip, knowing that their hopes for winning over the people of Monrovia, and in some ways the galaxy, depended on her decision. Finally, she opened them back up and glanced at him. “Okay, Colonel. I’ll interview them both and put a story together. But… I will not editorialize. Viewers will have to judge for themselves.”
Breathing an inward sigh of relief, David nodded. “Thank you, Ms. Dinman.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I’ll let Mother Superior know.”
“What’s next for you guys?”
David shrugged. “I think we’ll hit more detention centers, free the prisoners, and keep exposing this government for what it is to the rest of the galaxy. Ultimately, how we do that is up to Mother Superior Sarno.”
“You know, of all the guys I’ve worked with, I figured a macho alpha male like you would have trouble taking orders from a woman.”
“I’m simply conforming myself to the chain of command.” Since when do I come off as overly macho?
“Uh huh. See you later, Colonel,” Angie replied, looking back down at the terminal she was on.
“Good afternoon, then,” David said, turning to go and wondering what the last interaction was all about.
22
Later that afternoon after David had cleaned his battle rifle and personally inspected his power armor, he wandered through the base. He had no interest in being alone with his thoughts in a cramped room. Walking down side streets, he realized that he was just as lonely and not escaping from anything.
“Hey, Colonel!” Calvin called out, leading David to glance around for a few seconds to determine where it came from.
“Head on a swivel, sir. You need more practice at determining where sounds are coming from.”
Locating Calvin, David walked back toward him; Amir appeared to be in tow as well. “What are you guys up to?” he asked.
“Rabbi Kravitz is putting on some big party thing at the God box. He asked us to find you, and I said we’d all attend. Something about the new year.”
It’s Rosh Hashanah, David realized with a start. I’m an Orthodox Jew, and I haven’t even prepared for the new year. His heart sank. “Rosh Hashanah.”
“Do you mind if we join you?” Amir asked. “After today, I could use some time to worship, and I can’t find any other Muslims to do it with.”
David grinned at that. “So the Jewish service is the runner up?”
“Well, I was hoping to avoid the sit, stand, kneel thing at the Catholic mass the sisters are celebrating,” Calvin quipped good-naturedly.
“Care to enlighten me as to what the God box is?” David asked.
“Little bit of TCMC humor. Our nickname for the chapel.”
David laughed. “I’ll see you guys at seven PM local, then.” That was traditionally when the service would start.
“Roger that, Colonel,” Calvin said.
David flashed a smile at them and walked off. He spent the next couple of hours trying to make himself feel useful and ended up moving cargo containers with a group of nuns that were stocking shuttles with emergency supplies to assist starving population centers. An hour before the evening service was to begin, he went back to his temporary quarters and bathed. Then he dressed in appropriate civilian clothing that consisted of a pair of black slacks and a white button-down shirt. He took his kippah, also known as a yarmulke, out of its protective case and put it on his head. The small, dome-like, brimless hat fulfilled the requirement held by Orthodox Jews to cover their heads in the sight of God.
The last item that David retrieved from his space bag was his tallit gadol, the Hebrew name for a prayer shawl. It was contained with a simple cloth carrying bag that his mother had given him many years before as a gift for his bar mitzvah. Clutching it to his side, he made his way the short distance to the administrative building that the old rabbi had designated a large conference room in as his temporary synagogue.
He marveled at how many Jews crammed into the room that they were using. When Calvin had reminded him of the Rosh Hashanah celebration for the new year, he had expected to see a handful of people at most. There were dozens of people, however; men, women, and children. The space had a Star of David set up on a table and two lecterns. A young man stood at one. David surmised he was the cantor.
Calvin and Amir walked into the room together, and David waved them over. Both stood to his right side.
Calvin picked up the Hebrew prayer book that had been left on the chair; every chair in the room had the same book. After flipping through it, he looked at David in bewilderment. “This thing is backward.”
