Assassin's Orbit by John Appel

Author:John Appel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: sci-fi
Publisher: Rebellion Publishing Ltd

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Toiwa

Constabulary Headquarters, Ileri Station,

Forward Ring

A knock on the door of the tiny sleeping cubicle attached to her office roused Toiwa from her nap. Chijindu’s voice rumbled through the partition. “Commissioner? Wake up, please. Inspector Zinsou needs you.”

She rubbed her eyes and checked the time to find she’d been asleep for nearly a half-hour, then slid open the door. “What’s going on?”

“Someone’s attacked Government House.”

“Shit!” The space behind her eyeballs still felt grainy but her brain cleared rapidly. She popped open a window to Zinsou, audio only, as she shrugged into an old fatigue shirt. “Toiwa here. Situation report.” She tied in Chijindu and tried to loop Valverdes in as well, but her aide didn’t respond.

“Multiple reports of gunfire at Government House,” the third-shift watch commander reported. A row of side windows popped up displaying video feeds, some fixed, some from aerial bots. Armored figures fired into the complex as sporadic return fire lanced out. Wriggling into her pants, she watched as other armored figures swarmed the residence block across the street.

“Get Chakraborty on,” she ordered. Chakraborty was the Trailing Ring third-shift commander.

“I’ve tried. We’ve lost contact with the Trailing Ring precinct.”

“Open a call now with all the precincts and get Colonel Carmagio or Major Biya on the line too.” She slid open the partition of her sleeping cubby to find Constable Chijindu in full tactical armor busy laying out her own gear. He paused to set a bottle of water next to her as she pulled on her boots.

Zinsou’s voice was strained. “I’m trying, ma’am, but only North Ring HQ is responding.” He paused. “We’re pulling direct feeds from around the station. There’s fighting in the Hub that looks like Army units fighting each other.”

Toiwa’s body jerked as the adrenaline hit. Chijindu, spotting the motion, turned, concern written across his craggy face, but she waved him off. He studied her for a few seconds before nodding and ducking out to the outer office.

Army units fighting each other.

“Commissioner?” Zinsou asked, hesitantly.

“I’m here.” She took a deep breath. At that moment, her priority-message indicator lit; Miguna was calling her. “The Treasury Minister is calling me. I’m going to loop you in. But first…” She opened the contingency-plan file for the second time in two days and swiped through until she found the one she was looking for: Mutiny. “Initiate Red Tango Five immediately on my authorization.”

“Contingency Red Tango Five, confirmed,” Zinsou said.

Toiwa took another deep breath before answering Miguna’s call. She tried to tie Zinsou in, but the minister had privacy-locked it. She found her override but it only let her record the call. She gritted her teeth. “Toiwa here. Why are you calling, Minister Miguna?”

“That’s Prime Minister Miguna,” Miguna said, the smugness in his voice thick enough to cut with a knife.

Perhaps she’d been desensitized by the rapid succession of shocks, as Toiwa barely twitched at his pronouncement. “What’s happened to Prime Minister Dabiri?” In a side window, she messaged Zinsou to contact Constabulary headquarters and the High Commissioner.

“Dabiri’s pathetic

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