The Fringe Wars

4.20

Ghost Town Celebrations

Rebus Station, Terra

Critch had just lined up the shot when someone tapped his shoulder, throwing off his aim. He snarled. "Do that again, and you lose a kneecap."

"The war's over!" Mick said. "It's on all the channels. Parliament signed a treaty. The colonies are free!"

Critch frowned. "No shit?"

Mick held out his wrist comm. "See for yourself."

He watched the video play and read the closed captioning on the small screen. It was that DZ-Five News reporter, and he was standing next to some senators, and sure as shit, both Seda and Reyne were there. It looked like a political circus, but it also looked like the real thing.

"We're free! The droms are supposed to clear out of every colony immediately."

He turned back to the droms on the street below. The squad was moving toward their vehicle, firing haphazardly. A colonist was caught by a shot and fell. Critch lined up his shot once more and fired. The drom went down.

"Why'd you do that? The war's over," Mick said.

"He didn't get the message," Critch replied. He aimed at the squad again, but they were now safe in their vehicle.

He pushed himself into a seated position, set down his rifle, and looked at his wrist comm. He tapped out a note and broadcast it to everyone on his contact list who was currently on Terra. He wrote:

War is over. We won. Watch your backs until CUF leaves.

There. He didn't want to lose any torrents to thinking that just because a war was officially over, the bloodshed was over. The two rarely went hand in hand.

He pushed to his feet and turned to the torrent with him. "Let's head to the docks and make sure they leave with their tails between their legs."

Mick grinned. "You got it."

The pair made their way to the space docks, careful to avoid CUF vehicles and squads even though the gunfire had stopped. Colonists stood on the streets, cheering their newfound independence. Critch thought they were foolish to be outside so soon when blasters were still warm from firing. But he understood why they were there. This was a day they'd only dreamed of living to see. Hell, Critch even felt a bit choked up.

By the time they reached the docks, half of the CUF transports were already gone and the rest were being loaded. Terran conscripts were being left on the ramps with nothing but the clothes on their backs. But they didn't seem to mind. They ran onto the crowded walkways and cheered, along with thousands of intrepid colonists there to see the dromadiers leave their colony.

As soon as the transports were gone and the warship left Terra's airspace, Critch sent out teams to check tunnels and buildings for any droms who may have been left behind. Fortunately, the CUF had done a good job of taking their citizens home.

When daytime cheers morphed into nighttime celebrations, Critch grabbed a truck and made his way to the apartment building on the other side of town. He parked across the street and climbed the stairs. Doors were open, and people were smiling as they toasted one another with shots of Terran whiskey—likely home brewed. He stopped at a door and pulled out a new wrist comm. He knocked. When there was no answer, he stepped inside to find it empty. Not that he was surprised. The kid would be out celebrating independence day with his friends. He set the wrist comm on the counter. He left no note—Kassel would know whom it was from.

Critch returned to his truck and decided to make one final stop at the checkpoint he'd passed through earlier with Kassel to confirm the two conscripts had made it out okay. He slowed as he approached. A bombed-out CUF vehicle still smoked at the checkpoint, and he saw two slumped shapes on the ground.

He swallowed, stopped the truck, and climbed out with heavy steps. He recognized the conscripts through their burned hair and blackened faces. Their boots and gear were missing, likely scavenged within minutes of their deaths. The smoke meant they couldn't have been dead for more than several hours. They'd likely been killed after the war ended. What a waste.

He came down on a knee and placed a hand on each shoulder. "May you find peace in the Eversea."

He pushed to his feet with a sigh. He'd about turned to go when he saw another shape mostly hidden by the vehicle. He approached. Dread clenched his jaw shut. Like the women, Kassel had been killed by the explosion. His chest and face were bloody from shrapnel. And, like the women, Kassel's shoes were missing and the contents of his backpack were strewn on the stone road. It looked like anything valuable was gone, with only wrappers and trinkets left behind.

Critch grimaced as he picked up the small toy spaceship from the ground. Of course Kassel had kept the ship. He reminded Critch of himself at that age. Overconfident and determined to be the best pilot in the system. For the first time in years, he felt a tear on his cheek. He gently placed the ship in a pocket on his bag. He slung the bag over his shoulder and then bent down and scooped up the teenager's body in his arms.

He carried Kassel to the truck and drove out of the colony, where he gave the kid a proper Terran cremation.

Several hours later, fatigued and dirty, Critch returned to Rebus Station and tracked down Miko at the Last Drop Café. Someone held out a drink, and Critch ignored it.

He walked straight toward Miko's table, where the captain sat with his crew, enjoying a much-needed break.

Miko's grin fell as soon as he saw Critch's expression.

"We need to head out," Critch said.

Miko downed the rest of his drink in a single gulp. "Where to?"

"Nova Colony. I have some unfinished business."

***

Devil Town, Spate

"We're all set," Birk said. "Operation Devil's Playground launches in an hour."

Throttle grinned. "It's about time. I can't wait to see the look on their faces when we—"

"Throttle! Birk!" Garrett came running into the brothel room where they'd been holed up for nearly a week.

Throttle frowned. She'd never seen Garrett run before, at least not without being shot at. She reached for her blaster. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing! It's over! The war is over! The droms are pulling out as we speak."

She stiffened. "What do you mean it's over?"

Garrett rushed over to the wall screen and turned on the news channel. A news reporter was talking about the colonies being independent. In the background, she saw Reyne standing with Seda and a bunch of uppity-looking folks.

"He pulled it off," she said on an exhalation. Her smile morphed into a frown. "Aw, hell."

"What's wrong?" Birk asked.

She turned to him. "That means we can't carry out Operation Devil's Playground."

He laughed.

"It was going to be legendary," she said.

He kissed her. "Don't worry. I'm sure we'll get to fight droms again."

She scowled. "I kind of hope so."