The Token by Kevin Bird (the little red hen ebook .TXT) 📖

drooling face was making Clayton squirm in disgust.
“Co-ordinates have been sent to all vessels, and we have received confirmation from each saying they are ready for the shift. Waiting on your command, sir.” Clayton was too professional to show his true feelings, and in any case this would be the last time he’d have to see this poor excuse of a captain.
“Very well, let’s go.” He casually waved his arm in Clayton’s direction, and the tall, thin man took that as his order to shift for their long trip back. In an instant all the craft winked out of space and were gone.
In his pocket, Clayton could feel an insistent vibration from the small radio receiver. Never knowing when it might pick up a call, he always had with him, though muted and for that he was grateful now, as he was standing only a few feet from his captain. The problem was that his place was here until all vessels reported back that the shift had been successful, and all were heading to the correct location. There was no way he could return the call till that happened, and he couldn't rush the procedures without bringing suspicion onto himself. Whoever it was, presumably Marshall, would have to wait.

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“I’m not able to get hold of the one person who could help you. I’m sorry, but until I can reach my contact, Jacob and Sean are on their own. I’ve left a message for him should he be able to pick it up. Thanks to Drake’s insistence he’s expecting to be bringing out Bettine, so we’ll see what he does when he finds Sean and Jacob there instead.” Marshall was obviously saddened that he had not been able to reach Clayton in person.
Bella sank into a chair at Carlee’s dining table, “What now?” She felt defeated.
Blake was on the radio with Marshall relaying the information to the others. He asked the same question of the man on the other end of the line.
Marshall replied, “At this point, all we can do is wait and I can keep trying to reach him. I promise I’ll call back as soon as I have anything to tell you. I must go now. Please give my love to Carlee.”
The connection died and Blake passed the radio and the message to Carlee. She waived the radio off telling Blake to give it to Bella for now so she would have it close if any information came in. After surprising them all again by coming over and hugging Bella, she excused herself and went back to the bedroom to tend to Dale.
“Blake, we’ve some work to do on farm. Would you spend a little time to help Bettine and me?” Bella’s voice had taken on a tough edge. She knew there was nothing that could be done right now, and so life would have to go on. “We still have animals penned in raising and birthing barns; animals should be moved out to open air pens since now creatures gone. We have to take care of the stock left.” She walked off, the man and young girl following her.


Twenty Two


Jacob was sitting on a hard chair and feeling miserable. Once on board the Collector vessel he had been forced into a small room that he knew wasn’t reserved for esteemed guests. It had probably been used for some kind of living space in the past, but now it was just bare metal. He knew it was now basically a cell. He had lived the life of a peaceful farmer for many years but now his history as a warring man had come back to haunt him. He couldn’t stop thinking about the family he’d just left behind; maybe never to see them again.
There was nothing that he could do to change his situation. That was the irony. He felt he could use some of his experience and possibly escape, but he knew that as soon as he did his daughter would become forfeit to the Suppliers again. No, he would just have to go along for the ride and bear the consequences whatever they might be. He didn’t know if they would send him to the front lines to be slaughtered or try to enlist his help doing what he had done so well for them in the past. Either way he would be lost to his family and they to him.
He could feel the change in the rhythm of the ship’s engines when it shifted and knew with every passing second he was now moving farther away from his home at speeds beyond the comprehension of his non-tech colleagues. His heart grew heavy with the realization; but before he had time to dwell more on his situation, he heard an odd noise. It sounded like someone crying. He stood and walked the two steps from chair to metal door then looked through the heavy-duty mesh in the top half. Across the corridor he saw another door like his, and he called out over the whine of the ship’s engines.
“Who’s there? Can you hear me?” He strained his ears and was rewarded when the sobs came to a halt and a small face appeared at the mesh opposite him. He thought he recognized it. “You’re Hadley’s boy aren’t you?”
A small scared voice replied, “Yes, sir. I’m Sean. You’re Bettine’s dad, right? What are you going to do now?” His voice betrayed the fact that he had glimpsed some hope in improving his situation. His tone said that this was a grown up that he knew and surely he could expect some help from him.
Jacob picked up on this sense in the boy’s words and didn’t know whether to be honest or just try to make the boy feel better with some well-chosen words. He compromised, “I don’t know what to do yet, but let’s keep thinking and we’ll see if we can’t come up with something, OK?” It was weak but it was all he could think of.
Sean said, “Yes, sir.”
“Please, while we’re here can you try to call me Jacob?” The boy nodded in agreement.
A loud noise, a door opening and closing to his left, interrupted his thoughts and he craned his neck trying to see what was going on. A man apparently in his twenties appeared and came up to Jacob’s door. He was wearing a uniform showing he was an officer of middle rank belonging to some kind of security arm of the forces. So many things had changed since Jacob had been active, and this war was so much more expansive than those before that he wasn’t surprised he didn’t recognize the uniform, rank, or the insignia.
“Marel Steen?” The man’s voice was stern and curt. He looked down at a hand held device waiting for Jacob’s response. When it didn’t come he looked up. “Well?”
“Yes. And who are you?”
“That is none of your business, traitor!” He had raised his voice and Jacob was shocked at the man’s apparent anger.
“What do you mean, traitor?” Jacob was outraged and he felt he had to defend himself. “I was never a traitor nor am I now.”
The man continued, “The information I have clearly shows that you ignored your summons to return to active duty as all citizens with military experience were ordered to do. That makes you a traitor.” He sounded smug and satisfied with his rebuttal. “And, since you asked who I am, I’ll tell you. I am Adjudicator Maken, and I serve the Suppliers as legal council on military matters. I just happened to be on board travelling to my next case. Since you and I are both here at the same time and your crime is so egregious, I have taken a direct interest in making sure justice is served in your case. I have contacted the powers in this arena and they have given me jurisdiction over you. During the time of our shift I will prepare the case against you. It doesn’t seem like it will be very hard to prove the kind of man you are.”
Jacob didn’t want to let this officious little man rattle him, but neither could he allow him to slur his name. “Let me tell you something, young man.” He actually enjoyed seeing the other man’s obvious annoyance at having his authority flouted.
Before the officer could interrupt Jacob continued. “I became a non-tech, as many others did, and simply chose not to return to a position that had forced me to choose which soldiers should die and when and where it would happen. That doesn’t make me a traitor; that makes me sane and honorable. If I had tried to file for non-tech dispensation people like you would have turned it down and put me under lock and key to stop me leaving. I chose the only way I could in order to follow my conscience. For that I’m neither ashamed nor am I a traitor.” He was suddenly aware that the officer in front of him was staring and he realized he had just given an impromptu and impassioned speech. Clearly the younger man had only expected simple denials, and so now he seemed a little stumped.
“Regardless of your beliefs,” he seemed to find his focus again by looking down at the small screen in his hand, “you are still classified as a deserter. As such you are liable, if found guilty since this is wartime, to receive the only fair and just penalty for your crimes, death.” He looked expectantly up into Jacob’s face but seeing no apparent reaction went on. ”I’ll leave you for a short while to think about your position, and when I return maybe your attitude will have become more respectful. We’ll be seeing a lot of each other over the next few days.”


Twenty Three

Everything was in readiness. Drake’s ship had arrived at the agreed upon co-ordinates ahead of the Collector vessel by several hours as Marshall had predicted. During that time, the pirates had prepared everything so that the surprise would be complete. However, Drake realized that no matter how much preparation he and his crew had gone through, the success or failure of this raid was reliant on Marshall’s spy. If he failed to bring the ship to this spot there would be nothing to attack; if the vessel arrived but its escort of fighters also showed up, then Drake knew this would be his last day to be alive or free. Even if everything went well to that point, Drake was still relying heavily on the spy to reduce the defensive capabilities of the vessel from the inside. As tough as his own ship was, he knew that under normal circumstances it would not have the sustained fire-power to stop a fully secure Collector cargo vessel before it could send out a distress call for help and maybe even to receive that help.
Drake sat on the bridge of the Harpy feeling a little nervous and tried to hide it by being curt, “Taren, how’s it going?”
As the cargo bay door slid home and the seal was confirmed Taren responded to his captain over the intercom, “Everything has gone as you ordered thus far, captain. The men are in place and they’ll wait for further orders before moving. I think this’ll work well so long as the spy comes through