Read Online Stand Against The Storm (The Maxwell Saga Book 4) by Peter Grant - Free Book Online
Authors: Peter Grant
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killed already. Only the hardest of the hard core have survived this long. They don’t know we snuck away from the hills with so many fighters. The others will hold out as long as they can, to give us a chance t’ hit back an’ avenge their deaths.”
“How?” The questioner’s voice was bitter. “There’s damn all we can do to hurt them now, ’cept kill a few more of them before they kill us.”
“Wrong, Orhan. I called Miller in Surush. Guess what he told me? The Colonial Guard’s all out here, trying to pin us down. They’ve left Surush almost unprotected.”
“What about those Lancastrian Marines and engineers?” the older woman wanted to know. “There are more than enough of them in Surush to make up for the Guards in the interior.”
“Don’t forget, Meriam, they ain’t supposed t’ get involved in the fighting,” the leader pointed out. “Sure, they’re mounting security patrols in and around Surush, but that’s to stop lootin’ an’ control unrest, not look for us. Meanwhile their engineers are fixin’ the sewage and water plants, not buildin’ or repairin’ guard posts. Th’ Governor asked ’em t’ do that, but their boss in orbit refused. Miller told me he said they can’t be seen t’ be takin’ sides. I reckon that means if we don’t attack them, they won’t attack us. This ain’t their fight, after all. Why should Lancastrians die for a planet that’s not even a member of their Commonwealth?”
“What if they’re guarding something we need, like the supplies at the spaceport?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. If we have to hit ’em, we will, but why buy trouble if their orders only allow ’em to defend themselves?”
“So they won’t stop us if we attack Eskishi troops?”
“I don’t think so. What’s more, the Administration must think we’re broken reeds right now, otherwise they wouldn’t’ve sent so many Colonial Guards inland. They’ve let down their guard in Surush. If we can sneak into the city, bypassin’ the Marine patrols, we can hit ’em real hard where they least expect it.”
There was a sudden feral stillness around the table as they absorbed the thought. Meriam asked, “D’you think we can get past the Marines? They’ve got all sorts of high-tech gear that the Colonial Guard doesn’t have.”
The leader rubbed his chin. “I dunno about their gear, but they’re spread real thin. I reckon we can probably sneak through in the gaps between their patrols. All our survivors are battle-hardened an’ know their way around. If we get into Surush, we may find a way to get to the Governor. If we kill him it’ll cause chaos, so why not go for broke?” A growl of agreement rose from his audience.
“I say we do it!” Métin slapped the table hard with the palm of his hand. “We can’t hide from them forever. They’ll have vid surveillance showing our faces, an’ DNA and fingerprints they can match to our prison records. Sooner or later they’ll identify us; so if we can’t escape, let’s die fightin’, takin’ as many of them with us as we can.”
“That’s the way I see it,” Bairam agreed.
“What about Ridvan?” The speaker indicated the man on the stretcher. As if to echo his question, the wounded insurgent moaned softly in his restless, pain-filled sleep.
“How is he?”
“Bad. We gave him our last ampoule of painkiller a couple of hours ago. It’s already wearing off. He’ll be screamin’ again soon. His wounds are startin’ t’ smell, too. The nearest medical supplies are in Surush, but I don’t think he’ll live long enough f’r us t’ carry him there.”
Bairam nodded. “And we ain’t got any transport, so carryin’ him would slow us down; and the noise he won’t be able to help makin’ might – no, it would bring enemy patrols down on us.” He stood and walked over to their unconscious comrade, drawing a pulser from beneath his coat. “Sorry, Ridvan. Don’t hold this against
“How?” The questioner’s voice was bitter. “There’s damn all we can do to hurt them now, ’cept kill a few more of them before they kill us.”
“Wrong, Orhan. I called Miller in Surush. Guess what he told me? The Colonial Guard’s all out here, trying to pin us down. They’ve left Surush almost unprotected.”
“What about those Lancastrian Marines and engineers?” the older woman wanted to know. “There are more than enough of them in Surush to make up for the Guards in the interior.”
“Don’t forget, Meriam, they ain’t supposed t’ get involved in the fighting,” the leader pointed out. “Sure, they’re mounting security patrols in and around Surush, but that’s to stop lootin’ an’ control unrest, not look for us. Meanwhile their engineers are fixin’ the sewage and water plants, not buildin’ or repairin’ guard posts. Th’ Governor asked ’em t’ do that, but their boss in orbit refused. Miller told me he said they can’t be seen t’ be takin’ sides. I reckon that means if we don’t attack them, they won’t attack us. This ain’t their fight, after all. Why should Lancastrians die for a planet that’s not even a member of their Commonwealth?”
“What if they’re guarding something we need, like the supplies at the spaceport?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. If we have to hit ’em, we will, but why buy trouble if their orders only allow ’em to defend themselves?”
“So they won’t stop us if we attack Eskishi troops?”
“I don’t think so. What’s more, the Administration must think we’re broken reeds right now, otherwise they wouldn’t’ve sent so many Colonial Guards inland. They’ve let down their guard in Surush. If we can sneak into the city, bypassin’ the Marine patrols, we can hit ’em real hard where they least expect it.”
There was a sudden feral stillness around the table as they absorbed the thought. Meriam asked, “D’you think we can get past the Marines? They’ve got all sorts of high-tech gear that the Colonial Guard doesn’t have.”
The leader rubbed his chin. “I dunno about their gear, but they’re spread real thin. I reckon we can probably sneak through in the gaps between their patrols. All our survivors are battle-hardened an’ know their way around. If we get into Surush, we may find a way to get to the Governor. If we kill him it’ll cause chaos, so why not go for broke?” A growl of agreement rose from his audience.
“I say we do it!” Métin slapped the table hard with the palm of his hand. “We can’t hide from them forever. They’ll have vid surveillance showing our faces, an’ DNA and fingerprints they can match to our prison records. Sooner or later they’ll identify us; so if we can’t escape, let’s die fightin’, takin’ as many of them with us as we can.”
“That’s the way I see it,” Bairam agreed.
“What about Ridvan?” The speaker indicated the man on the stretcher. As if to echo his question, the wounded insurgent moaned softly in his restless, pain-filled sleep.
“How is he?”
“Bad. We gave him our last ampoule of painkiller a couple of hours ago. It’s already wearing off. He’ll be screamin’ again soon. His wounds are startin’ t’ smell, too. The nearest medical supplies are in Surush, but I don’t think he’ll live long enough f’r us t’ carry him there.”
Bairam nodded. “And we ain’t got any transport, so carryin’ him would slow us down; and the noise he won’t be able to help makin’ might – no, it would bring enemy patrols down on us.” He stood and walked over to their unconscious comrade, drawing a pulser from beneath his coat. “Sorry, Ridvan. Don’t hold this against
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