Juggernaut: The Ixan Prophecies Trilogy Book 2 by Scott Bartlett

Author:Scott Bartlett [Bartlett, Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mirth Publishing
Published: 2017-02-21T18:30:00+00:00

Chapter 44

Revolution Gauge

Once Husher and the others left, Ralston had led Bernard and Simpson to a small study on the same floor as the living room. There, a lapcom sat on a desk whose wood veneer had begun to peel.

They uploaded Piper’s revolution gauge to the micronet, running into no technical problems, which Bernard gave thanks for. Without the Tumbran around to provide tech support, their plan might have sputtered out before it began.

Then she, Simpson, and Ralston stood around the cramped study and waited. For hours. She considered suggesting they move the lapcom to the living room, but she didn’t want to impose on their host any more than they already had.

At last, the AI finished analyzing news sites, social media, and historical data it pulled from archives. Then it presented them with its calculation for how close they were to toppling Hurst’s government:

Seven percent.

“Wow,” Simpson said. “We have a lot of work to do.”

“And fast.” Bernard crossed her arms in front of her, rubbing her elbows. “I thought we could start our work here on Zakros, but this makes me think we should head straight for Mars.” The red planet was considered humanity’s adopted homeworld, after the total degradation of Earth. “I don’t think we’ll have quite the impact we need to, here.”

The corporal nodded. “I think I can secure us discreet transport. I’ll need micronet access, though.”

“Ralston will need his lapcom to start contacting other veterans. Can you not get on the net with your com?”

“Nope. Military coms aren’t designed to access the civilian micronet.”

“Then use mine.” Bernard handed Simpson her own personal com.

Ralston leaned back in the study’s only chair. “Senator, before I get started, I have to ask you a question. If things don’t go your way on Mars, do you envision these veterans taking up arms against Hurst? Is a military coup among the options you’re considering? Because I’m not sure how I feel about that. Or that I’m up to it, physically.”

“Absolutely not,” Bernard said. “I will urge all protesters to remain peaceful, and I will make clear that any violent actors will be disowned by the movement. To turn violent would be to sink to the level of the government, and to give the media an excuse to vilify us. Not to mention that the police would gain an actual justification for cracking down as brutally as they have. They’d likely start brutalizing the defenders even more.”

“That’s what I needed to hear,” Ralston said, turning to his lapcom without another word.

As the others worked, Bernard sat on the hard laminate with her back against the study wall and thought about what she planned to say to the defenders once she reached one of their camps.

It wasn’t long before Ralston started muttering to himself. Bernard particularly enjoyed that, since she loved the man’s Scottish accent, though she didn’t want to risk embarrassing him by saying so.

“It’s gonna cost money, especially if I manage to get more veterans than just me. Better start a fundraiser.

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