Free Soul at War by Martyn J. Pass Page A

to amplify the sermon to
nearly two hundred and sixty members of the congregation, as well
as any stood outside in the gardens.
    I didn't hear much of the sermon. I
was bored within a few minutes and it reminded me of all the times
my brother had attempted to convert me through his vid links and
books. Even after all this death I still wasn't ready to throw in
my lot with the JC crowd.
    Eric led from the front, giving me a
grin when he saw me, and had pointed out our arrival in Dothon and
the condition of my unit. Then I realised that something had been
missing from my belongings - the bag of dog tags. Eric ended the
service by reading out every last one, ARC and comrade alike, then
called for prayers for the fallen. I held back the tears a little;
the dead didn't need tears wasting on them. They were dead and that
was a much better place now. It was us that needed the sorrow - we
had more hardships ahead.
    When he'd finished we walked back out
into the sunlight, the late morning beginning to warm up as the sun
rose overhead. People began to make their way towards jobs or
homes, laughing and chatting away to each other. Not one of them
seemed to realise that the enemy was on their doorstep.
    "They don't know why we're here - do
they?" I asked Rebecca once we were far enough away.
    "We can't risk panic. We've known for
a long time the progress of ARC forces in Zion and the Commander
has kept it quiet so as not to startle them. Don't forget, they are
just humble people who don't know much about the enemy."
    "And how did you come to know about
them?" She laughed.
    "John, I'm the Commander's
daughter."
    *
    Had I not been told, the family
resemblance would have struck me first. Commander Frakes was a
strong oppressive figure, a poster boy for the recruitment ads on
Mars but under it all was still the gentle, loving eyes of his
daughter. They shared common facial geography, an open face, a kind
hearted face. The only difference here was that Commander Frakes
had been scarred beneath the surface by countless atrocities and
the poison of such memory was leaking into his flesh.
    The remaining members of the unit were
gathered in a large open plan briefing room encased in a dome of
safety glass. At the end of an oval table sat Frakes flanked by two
armoured bodyguards, to his left was Eric Titus and at the back of
the room were a line of armed troops. We sat around the table in no
particular order, except Lieutenant Burns and Sergeant Phillips who
sat nearest to Frakes. Burns took him through the events that
followed the attack on the Midian and he seemed to listen intently,
nodding when appropriate. He asked few questions while Titus
fidgeted every time ARC was mentioned.
    "Which brings me to thank you for your
help at the outpost," Burns began to finish. "It would have been
our last stand if you hadn't intervened." Frakes raised a hand and
shook his head. For some reason I was reminded of a Politician back
on Earth, playing down a baby kiss or a tax reduction. Frakes
seemed to be secretly priding himself.
    "No, it is I that thank you. Without
the valuable information your team provided, we would never have
known the strength of the enemy forces without risking the lives of
my scout teams. The way I see it, God has led you to this place for
reasons beyond our understanding, but reasons I am sure will be
revealed in good time."
    "Sir, I would like to examine the city
schematics if I may. I would like to begin preparations to defend
Dothon until the arrival of the Avalon. We must hurry, we have
little..." Eyes began to dart between eyes. "Is there a problem?"
Burns asked.
    "We received a distorted message from
one of our sub-space relays. The Avalon was destroyed over three
days ago," said Frakes. Burns looked to Phillips who could only
shrug.
    "How reliable is that relay? If Earth
has been receiving false messages for weeks, could this be
another?"
    "With respect, Lieutenant, in either
circumstance the Avalon will not be arriving on