Read Online The God Mars Book Two: Lost Worlds by Michael Rizzo - Free Book Online

expressed great concern with your withholding of
this information, as well as your reported complacency with the
ETE. There are, frankly, many here that would doubt your fitness to
command, Colonel Ram, but we cannot adequately appreciate your
situation and have few options. I can only hope that you will trust
us and be completely forthcoming from this point on. I would
suggest this is in all of your best interests.”
    “Fuckers…” I hear Matthew growl under his breath,
with that same edge that tells me the old scars are aching again.
So are mine.
    “Decisions made have been made, for good or ill,”
Richards continues. “We can only move forward from here. We need to
trust each other, Colonel. I’m taking your last report as a sign
that you have dedicated to that, so I’m going to put my faith in
you. You have been thrust into an unimaginable situation, and have
maintained the survival of your personnel commendably.
    “I will give you one directive, Colonel: We
need you to find out as much as you can about the survivor
factions: Census, structure, resources, technology, placement. I
appreciate that this will entail risk, but the more we know, the
better we can respond with support, and frankly, the more willing
we will be to do so. There are many doubts and fears back here,
Colonel. We need to dispel them—to let the people of Earth
know what’s going on up there, to let them know what we’d be going
back to.
    “As for the ETE, you are being encouraged to maintain
reasonable diplomatic relations with them in order to ensure
continued environmental supports. Know that this decision is not
based on any apparent trust you have fostered with them, but simply
because we cannot expect you to intervene in the situation
effectively with your limited resources. We insist that you not
provide them any kind of military support or advisement from this
point on. We also insist that—should the opportunity arise—you
provide us with more intelligence regarding their technology.”
    He looks down, then to the left and right as if
needing to consider what he will say in terms of whoever is
monitoring and scripting him.
    “In this last point, I will tell you that you are not
our only source of intelligence.”
    An image appears behind him: A thirty-something pale
oriental male in a black robe, seated in front of a Shinkyo
banner.
    “We were contacted after your last transmission by
someone identifying himself as Hatsumi Oda, governor-in-exile of
the Shinkyo Colony. The signal came from inside Ius Chasma to your
west. He knew that Dr. Halley’s sampling of ETE biotech would be
uselessly inert for analysis, and claims to have several viable
samples that he is willing to offer data on. His preliminary
reports made quite an unpleasant stir, Colonel. Further, he offered
to serve as an onsite source of intelligence gathering and—if
necessary—military operations. Given your reports of his people’s
apparently questionable motives, we are considering his offers with
caution. However, I fully expect Command may consider utilizing
them in the foreseeable future.”
    He signs off with almost mechanical officiousness. I
close my eyes and breathe into my hands. When I look up, Matthew is
shaking his head like he’s seething.
    “The little hilltop tent-show makes more sense now,”
I allow numbly.
    “You know, I’ve always thought your average God-Wad
type came across as at least a little stupid, if not a lot stupid,”
Matthew bleeds off a bit of his built-up venom. “Now we’ve got them
running the whole planet. We’re fucked.”
    “No hurry to go home, then?” I try to get his humor
back.
    “I fully get now why you weren’t gung-ho to get the
call out,” he gives me, kneading his brow with his fingers.
    “Amen,” I hear Rick chime in bitterly over the Link
from Candor.
    I suddenly need very much to get up and get out of
there.
     
    I get back to my quarters at 1800, without bothering
to get myself dinner. I’m