Week 48
Day 1
To be exact nine thousand eight hundred and five only of which five hundred are my replacements for military personnels plus another load of fifty scientist who were the first to step out of the shuttles. I had them placed in the city of Poseidon, and we still occupy only half the place. The extra personnels are transferred to my command and my rank has been promoted to Senior Commander. Major Feeley has been promoted to Commander, and so is the new Captain Bashir. There are seven new senior officers but they are still adapting to the new place.
More supplies came down but the city has sections now able to produce our daily needs now. But the crucial one are the ten Bubbles and ten ATV2 for our use. They did give us fifty twin mounted cannons but we kept that in the crates.
But my immediate task was not the new colonists which is assigned to Commander Feeley now, but my long delayed reconciliation with Vickie. Since reunited as a family, she has been on the sideline with the New People and then the conflict with Advant. She is occupying my unit but she sleeps with Junior while I take the floor.
That night, I walked up to her and she looked at me.
‘Scott, I need time to work out the feelings. Give me that. You have a more important task; find Pedro. He is your friend and out there alone.’
I nodded my understanding and left the discussion open.
Day 2
‘Senior Commander Bent, frag your rank. How can you leave for a solo mission now that I have a population to take care of?’ I looked at the new Commander and smiled. Then I took in the Bubble to look for my good friend, Pedro. ALPHA said she cannot track a single person but a group may be possible. So it up to me to track my good friend. And I think he will go back to one place we all would if lost.
The Plateau.
I saw him there at the previous Main Village.
‘Pedro, can we talk?’
I walked towards him upon landing at the yard. He is standing there by himself with his back towards me while holding the PH900 in his right hand. His uniform looked ragged and torn at some places. He turned to face and I see that man I know as a friend for many years again. His left cheek is scarred and part of his google is cracked. He has got bandages on his chest under the jacket. More to it, he is not smiling at me.
‘Commander Bent, you have betrayed your cause. You have joined forces with the enemies of the Empire. You do not deserved to be my Commander.’ He raised the PH900 to his waist and armed the rifle.
‘No, Pedro. Stand down. I order you to stand down. The war is over. The Empire and Federations has called it off. Earth is dying and they are working together to evacuate the people. I just got a load of nearly ten thousand colonist. Please don’t do this.’ I seen the look in that man for too many times. He is not convinced of my explanation.
‘Not only did you frag with the enemy, you invited her into your trust not once but twice. You are a traitor to the cause. The Federations killed my family and my friends for years, and you invited them in to our stronghold. You never thought of the number of times she has betrayed you. What about it that you did not understand. You are our fragging Commander. We live and fight with you and for you. But you left us to die for a woman.’ He pulled the trigger and shot the rifle but he missed me by purpose.
‘Commander Bent, as an officer of the Empire; I find you guilty of treason. I will now execute the trial. It will be a trial of combat. He who wins shall be the one to say the truth.’ Pedro unslung his rifle and threw it aside. He reached for his PH350 and threw that too. Next he reached for the K2 and held it firm in his right hand; hammer grip.
‘No, Pedro. We don’t have to do this. You can still go home. With me to the new city.’ But the man lunged at me with the blade. I had to stepped back to avoid his slash, and he did slashed me on the left arm. He swung his blade on me again and almost cut me on the chest.
‘Soldier! Stand down!’ but he came at me for another slash, but I blocked his arm with my left hand and I punched him with my right hand. He staggered back and lashed out his right leg at my chest. The boot of his caught me on my chin and I fell back on the ground. I crawled back on my back to get a clear distance. Pedro has overstepped his boundary and he has to be stopped. The K2 blade is a formidable weapon which can cut through any surface, so fighting him with a stick or iron pole. So I got up and withdrew my K2 blade. I will fight him to stop his madness. I gripped mine like his as he was my mentor in this art. I went around him like in a circle. We did this many times before learning the art of using the blade. And most times, I ended up on the ground with a blade near my throat.
I shuffle my feet as I moved. He is watching my moves; he knows them form the previous bouts we had. But this time I cheated. I did not lunge at him, but I threw the stone I had in my other hand. It hit him on his jaw and he reacted to the pain by reaching for his jaw. It was then I kicked out with my leg at his blade hand, and causing him to drop the blade.
I moved in with the K2 hilt to knock on his head but he moved it faster than I thought. I got him on the upper back and he staggered down. But he also reach for my waist and pushed me back. We went tumbling down and he had his left hand on my right wrist. He has trapped my blade hand and trying to twist the blade off. I punched out with my left hand fist which he blocked with his right palm. Then he reached down for my throat with the right hand. I had to grip his right hand from choking me but his grip is strong.
I am losing it. Again like in the practice bouts.
Then the shot came. It hit Pedro on the head. He fell down on the ground next to me, with his head wound bleeding. He is dead, my one time good friend.
I looked up to see who could had done it. Who had followed me here.
Its Nixon.
‘I followed you. On orders of Commander Feeley. I had to shot or he would kill you.’ I looked back at the dead Corporal. Nixon did what any other soldier would had done.
‘You did well, Nix. Corporal Pedro was uncontrollable. It was him or me. And I guess I won.’
We both walked back to our transport. Nixon came in the Lightning.
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