The Extraterritorial by John Morressy

Author:John Morressy [Morressy, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 0373720521
Publisher: Laser Books (Harlequin Enterprises)
Published: 1977-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 12

Selkirk spent the following days familiarizing himself with Counterforce. His arrival had been anticipated, and he was accepted without question. He spoke with every member he met and found that Harry’s estimate of them had been no exaggeration. Most were young; all were bitter and aching for action. As Harry had said, they had nothing to lose.

Their stories were almost identical. For one reason or another, they had elected not to join the Association when first approached. They soon found themselves being passed over for promotions; advancement was given to Association members, regardless of ability. Those who protested were fired at once; those who remained silent were dismissed at the first opportunity and replaced by Association members. When they sought assistance, they found that their records were misplaced or necessary information was missing. Work was hard to find, and what work was available was temporary and poorly paid. Association members held the good jobs. One by one they drifted into sector three, where a penniless family could live cheaply, and anyone willing to take chances could earn enough to keep alive.

For years they contented themselves with dreams of revenge and distant visions of deliverance while they endured daily degradation at the hands of the Association. There were those who could not endure the hardships; they returned to the Association and were accepted as penitents. But the rest stayed on, defiant. They were abused, humiliated, sometimes severely beaten in the random sweeps of the sector made by security patrols. Some of them spoke of friends who had been maimed, even killed, by the men in the green helmets. They were ready to fight back.

The more he saw, the more Selkirk’s professional respect for Counterforce grew. These outcasts and fugitives had built up, trained and equipped a force of several hundred, and maintained tight security over a long period of time. It was an incredible accomplishment, but Selkirk knew that such things had been done before. He wasted no time in marveling. Here was a machine more powerful than its creators suspected; now was the time to set it in motion, and Selkirk knew he was the man to do it.

On his sixth day with Counterforce, Selkirk attended a conference of the leadership. He hoped he might hear a call to action; instead, he listened to a dreary agenda of reports and a disappointing amount of petty bickering.

He remained silent until all had had their say and then requested the floor. Recognized, he stood and looked at the little assembly one by one before addressing them.

“Some of you won’t like what I’m going to say. That’s all the more reason to say it. I’ve learned all I could about Counterforce in the last five days, and I’m a hell of a lot more impressed with it than you seem to be. You’ve got a strong force here, and it’s well trained. I’m told you’ve managed to keep your existence a secret from the Association. I doubt that,” he began, but paused at an anxious gesture from Ridley.

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