Space Station Acheron by F Stephan

Author:F Stephan [Stephan, F]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-03-19T22:00:00+00:00

Josh

To Last Caliphate, Istanbul, September to October 2140

Josh had been badly bruised after his escape. His ruse had fooled the Marines, who didn’t have time for deep analysis. The CPC wasn’t fooled, though. It launched a hunt across the whole continent. He had reached Mangochi on the Swamp Malawi by that time, in time to see police forces setting up an ambush at the home of his contact, an arms dealer with whom he had often worked in the past. He hadn’t expected such a quick reaction.

He continued onward without stopping, without money or weapons. That night, he found an old settlement, and pretended to have been robbed and left for dead on the main road. They were brave people who shared the little they had and took him in for the night. He left the next morning before dawn, after hearing an old copter overhead. Only police could afford those. The village wouldn’t talk. They had long ago learned to distrust authorities.

Later, Josh found a group of swamp peddlers and was hired as a simple crewman, pushing their barge. His coughing fits worsened, and he knew he had to hurry to headquarters. Yet, crossing the Malawi took five long days, isolated from all networks and communications. In Karonga, he discovered the CPC had decided to check all mercenaries in the whole continent. You don’t believe in small measures, don’t you Chief Iakoubi? But if you’re doing that, it means you don’t have a clear description of me, do you?

He continued onward with a caravan heading north, passing off as an Afrikaner en route to see his exiled family in Malakal. He carried no weapons, posing as a simple tourist traveling the old road. It was a classic trek for many, a well-traveled road. He went through many checkpoints, nodding respectfully at the police forces. They checked him several times, but his false identity held up to their scrutiny.

Yes, I am scared, officer. I went into the border wars with my dad when I turned twenty. Now, I am a simple nurse at the bush hospital of Komani.

Can I shoot a rocket launcher? No, I was recon infantry, sir. Nothing heavy for me. Not with my body, sir.

What am I doing now? I got bad radiation poisoning, sir. I am dying. This is my last trip to my family.

The sickness and dying were true and they looked sad. They knew all too well how slow and painful radiation poisoning was. And their medical scanners confirmed what he was saying. It got him up to South Sudan.

But, there, the CPC had set up a large checkpoint around the already fortified dirigible compound. There was no other quick way to cross the great northern desert. The trains had stopped after the attacks of the desert nomads. He was trapped. He couldn’t make the trip around the desert – it would be too slow.

He continued north. Five hours north of Malakal, he found a camp occupied by desert robbers – lazy fellows living at the edge of the desert, feeding on the desperate who attempted the crossing.

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