Hades- the Revolution, page 13
part #2 of Hadesjan Cycle Series
“The Organization cares a lot about this job. Good luck,” he ended the transmission.
The screen disappeared. Ingrid deleted it from her database.
“Aren’t you scared?” I asked her.
“Fear is against the General Directive,” she said.
“Love too?”
She didn’t respond to that.
“I’m not sure,” she hesitated. “Maybe this is the remains of the original program? I was created on the basis of a love doll. Something must have remained, don’t you think?”
“After you beat the shit out of those who were trying to take advantage of you, I’m not sure about anything. The doll would have done it with them without hesitation. You make your own choices. I have never heard about such capabilities of artificial intelligence.”
“What do you want to do now?” she asked looking directly into my eyes. She was so close I could touch her. In that dress she looked especially attractive. The smell of her body worked like the strongest aphrodisiac.
“I’ll fly a bit,” I managed to make a reasonable decision. “Pop in the flight simulator.”
I found myself in a crammed cockpit of an assault shuttle. In the instructor pilot seat there was Ingrid, wearing her lovely dress. Rather than focus on the joystick and control panel, I was still staring at her nipples which stretched the fabric of her dress.
“There you go,” my stubborn female AI didn’t let it go.
“As you wish.”
A moment later in her place an old gray instructor appeared.
“What the fuck are you doing, dimwit!” he screamed. “Hold on to your joystick, just like you do with your prick.”
At the last minute I managed to avoid hitting the wall next to the entrance of a hangar on a space carrier. Landing was not my forte.
“Didn’t they teach you anything at school, cadet?”
There was no point explaining that I didn’t go to any school.
“Turn around and we’ll try again,” the sergeant ordered. “Why did I get to teach such a dunce in my old age? Treat it like foreplay. Have you been with a woman already?” he added. I didn’t know whether the question was part of the program or whether it was Ingrid messing up with it.
It wasn’t worth talking back. I had to increase my distance and enter the approach path again. I focused completely on the task at hand.
For the next few virtual hours I went through the arcana of piloting. It was all the more difficult because I didn’t have access to beginner programs. I learnt everything from scratch. I found out about the right procedures the moment the geezer sitting next to me told me off for breaking them. The programmers did their job really well. I rarely heard the same epithets. Finally, I managed to land safely.
That was not the end of the lesson. The most important part was yet to come: a single-handed flight with take off, flying through an asteroid field and landing on the carrier. Child’s play. I had learnt all the maneuvers well enough. I knew practically every kilometer of space and every rock. I had repeatedly crashed against them.
When I remained alone in the cockpit I felt strange. I knew that the instructor was a virtual creation but I clearly felt his absence. I was really flying alone!
I carefully placed my feet on the pedals.
“Flight control, I request permission to take off,” I said formally.
“Tower here, permission granted.”
And I flew. I was great, just like in an air show. I didn’t get off an ideal path further than to a 5 percent error. I was overcome with euphoria. After I docked, the AI brought me back to the stream. The sun was going down.
Ingrid popped the cork of a bottle of champagne. She handed me a glass. I drained it in one go. I took her in my arms and lifted her up. I kept jumping with joy. We laughed like children. I tripped on uneven ground and we fell onto warm grass. Fluffy clouds moved above.
“Pavel, what is wrong with me?” she asked seriously. “I can change for you if you wish. Just say it. Do you prefer blondes?”
I turned onto my belly. I looked at her hair color changing.
“Or maybe you prefer anorectics?” she made her body slimmer.
“No,” I said. “I like you just the way you are,” I assured her.
“Really?”
What was I supposed to do? I just kissed her. This was a good enough answer. Our first real kiss. How delicate it was! I got really turned on. The desire I had been holding back broke the barrier. I drew her close to me. I was ready like never before.
Cold water cooled me down. I tore off the set of sensors. Over my head I saw Sunshine, leaning and smirking at me. She was holding an empty bucket. You can’t fool your own body. I wondered how long she had been standing there waiting for my erection. Theodore can’t have done his job well enough. Bitch.
Chapter X
The second planet of Hades System.
Sergeant Andy Gall left the office and walked outside the building. He looked at the blue sky. It was a long time since he stayed on a planet where breathing was possible. He forgot what a pleasure it was with the limitless space above his head. From a distant airfield he could hear the engines of a transport shuttle landing. It was another supply of people or equipment. The airport was out of sight because of huge 30-yard tall trees, which totally covered the horizon. They grew all over the planet, engaging people and equipment in constant grubbing.
The office building stood on a small hill, overlooking the whole camp of the Eighth Battalion. In the middle of the central square, there was a mast with a flapping flag of Uroboros with the symbol of a circle arrow against a green background. Gall didn’t know much about symbolism. Ever since he became a soldier he saluted so many different standards that he totally lost interest in them, at least as long as his employers paid the wages on time. But this flag was different from the norm in that it had an embroidered crown, which the arrow was circling. Over the last couple of weeks first sergeants of all companies asked him to explain the crown. But he knew as much as they did, so he sent them away saying that they would find out everything in their own time.
In a few places of the parade ground, platoons practiced their drills supervised by two sergeants. From the shooting range regular machine gunfire could be heard. It was an ordinary day. The norm. A group of slaves was operating a machine which poured tarmac on a new road between the barracks. It must have been hard for them. Once they finished with it, they’d have to widen the lane leading to the nearest town. The one now was too narrow and vehicles were forced to move in columns only one way.
From the nearest barrack, First Sergeant of Company B, Mark Stevens, was walking up the hill. Not long ago he used to be a corporal. But faithful service brought profits to the new masters.
They greeted each other without the unnecessary formalities.
“You have quite a view from here, Andy,” Stevens started.
“Too bad I have so little time to admire it.”
“You should come visit us in our barracks. We could talk and have a drink,” he suggested.
“I’d love to, but as you can see the officers are few and far between. We only have half of the posts filled, and those extra trainings… I haven’t seen the battalion commander in a week,” Gall complained. “And somebody has to do the paper work. Looks like it’s me.”
They were silent for a while, admiring the figures bustling about below, just like in an anthill.
“I never thought I would be doing service in such a huge unit,” Mark Stevens sighed with contentment. “Rumor has it you were offered a job in a special unit.”
“Was that a question or a statement?” Gall kept looking at the square where a new soldier was doing push-ups.
“A question.”
“Yes, they did.”
“And you refused? You?”
“I can see that being promoted to a higher rank doesn’t make you any wiser,” The sergeant major was clearly disappointed. “You’ve got eyes, Steve, and yet you can’t see anything. Look down there. What can you see?”
“The military camp of the 8th Battalion,” he answered.
“I’m asking about a wider context,” Gall wasn’t satisfied with the answer. “Why does Uroboros spend so much money on armaments? We’re not the only unit on the planet. There are at least a dozen on the main continent.”
“Somebody has to watch over the settlers. Lots of scum has come,” the sergeant of Company B thought he knew the answer. “We’re surrounded by farming settlements. Without us they will sprawl all over the planet.”
“You’re talking bullshit, Steve. The farmers were placed in a few large latifundia. If this were a typical settlement, they would divide the area into plots and that would be it. Every family would get the essential equipment and wishes of good luck. Twice a year a tax collector would come to get ten percent of the harvest. Nobody would have to stand guard. And it would be very economical. Not like here.”
“I can see that you’re an expert, Andy,” Mark Stevens had known his supervisor for many years but he didn’t know him well.
“That’s what I ran away from to join the army. I come from a farming planet. Everything there is planned, simple and obvious. It makes you sick. When I turned sixteen, I found out that the daughter of my closest neighbors was going to become my wife. I grew up with the girl. Come on, going to bed with her would be like sleeping with your own sister! I got my chance during an annual country fair where I enlisted in a recruiting station.” This was the first time Gall revealed his background.
“What were your conclusions?” the question hung in the air.
The sergeant major glanced behind. No staff were anywhere near. In the place where they were standing, the risk of being tapped was minimal.
“Around the nearest town, accessed by this road,” he pointed to the one lane road, “Uroboros has put farmers in four latifundia. The fifth one is being built. These people are under constant supervision with meager police forces stationed in the town. But these are more than enough to keep order. In case of riots or a rebellion, one battalion wound be enough even for the whole planet, as the towns only have connection by air. Even if there were some unrest, it would be small scale, and Uroboros is capable of transporting a force which would extinguish the fire. Why then such a waste of resources and equipment? Because the threat is not within this system. It may come from the outside.”
“Shit, Andy, you’re talking like an officer. I understand what you’re saying but I don’t understand what you’re getting at.”
“I’m talking about a rebellion, idiot. About a well prepared revolt, at a scale we have never seen.”
“What?” Mark Stevens couldn’t believe it.
“Uroboros is only a cover up. Somebody had planned it really well,” Gall continued conspiratorially.
“We have to evacuate,” Stevens panicked. “They’ll send the Marines and drive us into the ground.”
“Easy,” Gall calmed him down. “Did you take part in fights with the separatists or pacification of the planet?”
“Yes, once,” the first sergeant immediately composed himself.
“I did three times. Every time the Earth sent a squadron of cruisers. And it was always enough: a few volleys from high orbit, a sortie and that was it. Mind you, serious combat was never employed in space. Even fighting the separatists, in which the Marine Corps is engaged, is a safety valve. In every society you’ll find people like us, rejecting the traditional norms. The government of Earth is not stupid. It doesn’t call for a mobilization. It prefers the conflict to burn out slowly, as this means only a little bloodletting. Totally insignificant.”
“Once the blue boys land on your head, you’ll change your tune,” Stevens was still doubtful.
“First they have to come here. I guarantee that whatever they find in this system is going to be enough for defense.”
“Are you suggesting the Fleet is going to switch to our side?”
“It’s been on our side for a long time now! How could Bloody Steward play his dirty games without this support?”
“But this is treason!” Even given the obvious facts, Mark still couldn’t believe it.
“There is one mitigating circumstance,” major Gall remarked.
“What is it?”
“Victory. The fact that nobody had succeeded before doesn’t mean it’s impossible,” he observed sensibly.
“Are we going to win?”
“I don’t know,” he answered frankly. “If the Earth calls for mobilization and strikes with all its might, we don’t stand a chance, but this needs time. Whole years. In the meantime a lot may happen. Many systems fancy a change. Any other news?”
“Yes. The boys from the third platoon couldn’t control themselves and raped one chick around town. Her father went berserk,” Mark Stevens reported a problem.
“Did Pickers have his hand in it?”
“Yes,” the first sergeant confirmed. “Making him a corporal was not a good idea.”
“Send them here. I’ll talk to them myself. Explain to the others that the good times are gone. If I get an official notification, you’ll shoot them yourself. They’ll set a good example for the rest of the battalion.”
“Andy,” the sergeant pleaded.
“Don’t Andy me. The orders are clear cut: no courts, just a bullet in the head,” for a while sergeant thought deeply. Mark Stevens wasn’t leaving and was counting on help. “You’re lucky there are no officers. Take a few boys and talk sense into the father’s head. Try to bribe him, but don’t give him any firearms. The quartermaster already has a lot on his plate – stock quantities are out of hand and he runs to and fro like crazy. I know the settlers want nothing but guns. They’re afraid to walk into the fields and there are lots of predators around. I know it’s hard.”
“Andy,” Stevens pleaded again.
“No weapons! Well, maybe a pistol – they don’t check personal guns so much,” Gall moderated his position a bit. “If he keeps acting up, do him in and hide the body, but it must look like another victim of the local fauna. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Sir!” First Sergeant of Company B, Mark Stevens, saluted contentedly and walked away. He appreciated the fact that an old hand, a man who knew the local customs, became sergeant major. Not like in the Third Battalion, where they had a colt, thanks to whom a few old soldiers were executed.
☼ ☼ ☼
Hades. The Moon Mountains.
In the mine shafts dug in the heart of the Moon Mountains there was an unusual buzz. Not a long time ago only a few members of the Organization lived there. But organizational changes, the fact that Uroboros Industrial took control over the whole system, and the chaos and confusion connected with this fact made the smuggling of change supporters from other systems possible. Groups of unionists wearing red armbands worked towards the objectives they had been assigned. The passed one another with smiles on their faces, and all the earlier apathy was gone. Unawares, they all felt that a breakthrough was approaching with big steps.
The area where this base was established was, for Hadesian standards, devoid of any rich ores and minerals. As if the planet itself gathered in one place everything that never aroused anyone’s interests. The only way of getting to the base led though a barren valley. It was spread over thirty kilometers, in which observation posts and perfectly camouflaged bunkers were situated.
For many years the complex was enlarged, by hollowing more and more rooms. The money for the functioning of the Organization came from donations collected all around the human world. Just as huge corporations developed by restricting the rights of the workers, informal trade unions grew in strength. Most of them aimed to improve the life of an ordinary man by peaceful means, relying on democratic systems. Those who were more militant and could no longer accept illusions and promises of corrupt politicians joined the Organization.
The creation of Uroboros changed the stance of union headquarters. It was like a cold shower, a harbinger of further regress. In a general meeting more financial support for the Organization was agreed upon. It was also officially established as the military wing of the working people. Its main objective was to destabilize the system of Hades, cause the biggest damage possible to Uroboros, and get the government of Earth out of its lethargy.
At the same time an advertising campaign was launched in other worlds. Propaganda movies were made with the use of materials shot during the defense of Bio&Sonic. They showed the cruelty and mercilessness of the Uroboros concern. The cutters used footage of the pirate attack, in which scenes of rape, assault and shooting at unarmed civilians was shown. The films also showed miners in heroic combat using marker launchers. None of the narrators mentioned that they were pirates officially. The comments were unambiguous. Uroboros does on their terrain whatever they want, and law and order are fiction. Each honest citizen should join the fight. In the final scene massive tanks were shown firing at the revolutionaries.
The materials were repeatedly copied and circulated in the network, from which the government administration removed them to no avail. Even more popular were the materials which were smuggled between the worlds, in their cruelest uncensored versions, where executions were shown. Other corporations, including InCorp, were also criticized. Reaction to the movies exceeded the most optimistic projections. Credits were streaming in, and there was an influx of volunteer miners ready for anything.
“Not enough people, not enough resources,” Bill O’Connor complained.
“We’re able to smuggle more,” Rob Villa, the base commander of the Organization, was trying to calm him down. “The risk of being detected is too great.”
“We need to have more people,” Fat Bill tried to win him over. “Look at what Uroboros is doing on the other planet. They’re creating an army and they’ll squash us like a bug. We need to send extra commandos.”
They were discussing the strategic situation in a small room in the heart of the mountain. They had been preparing the revolution for years; and the closer the moment got, the more mounting difficulties they saw. A representative of the headquarters was sitting in the corner and listening to their conversation. He didn’t interrupt or join the conversation. He sat there and listened, taking some notes on his pad.
