A New Frontier

Chapter Two

"We gave you a chance." The woman who had kicked her a few hours earlier said. At least Violet was pretty sure it had been a few hours. "You could have left us alone and gone back to your comfortable life."

There was no one else around.

"After what you've done?" Violet asked. "You were foolish to expect that. "Peace isn't an option. We can't allow terrorists to run around doing whatever they want."

"You're the terrorists." The woman said. "Before we came here Titan was uninhabited, unclaimed. You have no right to take it from us. You're not the Empire. We just wanted to live quietly far away from you goons and build something better. But you hate the idea of anyone anywhere being free to live as they please. You made us resort to violence."

"We're better than the Empire." Violet said. "If you truly wanted something better you would have joined us. Helped us establish law and order. Only in our territories will you find that. You've seen how much worse everywhere else is. Why resist?"

"Because we'd rather die free than live as slaves." The woman replied. "And spare me your empty rhetoric. I've seen what you call law and order and I don't want it. And you should really reconsider you're tone. The Council are currently meeting to discuss your fate. Some of them will still ask for mercy on your behalf. They still think that diplomacy is an option. Snivelling bunch of cowards. But others know better. And we're winning over more people every day."

"You won't be around for much longer." Violet said. "Did you think that you could capture me and no one would know? There won't be anywhere that you can hide now."

"Maybe but you won't be around to see it."

A door opened and someone walked in. A man with short red hair and dark green eyes that regarded them with cold scorn. He was wearing the same war gear as the others but it was cleaner, better maintained.

"That's enough Sadie." He said. "A decision hasn't been made yet. Don't be so sure that your side will win."

"Oren Price." The man said to Violet. "We're not all the violent savages that you think we are. I would appreciate it if you could remember that."

"Don't bother." Sadie said. "They won't treat cowards like you differently from the rest of us. And she won't be going back to tell them how much of a good boy you are. Kneeling before them won't save you."

"If you had a functioning brain you wouldn't be so eager to kill her." Oren said.

"Do whatever you want with me." Violet said, pretending to be a lot calmer than she actually was. War was war and even among The Rising Phoenix with all the advantages they had soldiers died. She hadn't been ignorant of what she had been singing up for. And she would not show weakness to her enemies. "It makes no difference now."

"You don't care about what happens to you?" Oren asked. "You don't value your own life. And you don't understand why we fight against the values that made you this way? You don't value life, that's why it's so easy for you to butcher us."

Violet was about to respond when a group of insurgents rushed in looking absolutely terrified.

"Told you so." Violet said.

The sound of an explosion came from somewhere in the distance. Reinforcements had arrived. It was soon followed by another louder explosion.

"What do we do?" One of the insurgents asked. "How did they find us so fast?"

"They must have followed the tracker." Violet said. "I didn't expect them to get it back online so soon."

"What are we dealing with?" Sadie asked.

"Bombs raining down from above." An insurgent said. "They must have a ship above us."

"If we had scanners we could know for certain." Sadie said and glared at Violet as if it was her fault that they didn't have access to such technology.

Bombs continued to rain down.

"We need to leave." Oren said. "Now."

"What about her?" Sadie said and pointed at Violet.

"Obviously we can't take her with us." Oren said. "And we really need to leave right now."

The insurgents marched out without any further words. Soon Violet could hear drop pods start to pummel the ground. And then soldiers with much bulkier battlesuits than hers entered the house and untied Violet.

"Did any escape?" Violet asked.

"No miss Walker." One of them replied. "We got them all."

"Good." Violet said. "Where's my suit?"

Inside the enormous warship that had come to pick her up Violet entered the shower and turned it on. Hot water splashed against her skin. Washing away Titan's dirt. Another mission completed. Another group of insurgents eliminated from the galaxy. And soon Titan would be territory of The Rising Phoenix. The first colony ships would already be on their way. They had made great progress in recent years. That insurgent from before had been right.

Violet would likely soon forget this group and this mission. There had been so many others and their work was far from complete. In her mind the faces of their enemies all blended together. They were pretty much the same. They all spouted pretty much the same rhetoric. It was hard to remember them all. And there was no reason to.

Violet turned the sower off and got dressed in blue jeans, a simple white shirt and white sneakers. Simple casual off duty clothes. She had a few days off after this mission. The Commander had insisted on it. It wasn't like she hated suit but it was a relief to be out of it for a while and wearing something more comfortable.

Violet went to grab a quick lunch before heading to her debriefing in the communication room. Everything inside the ship was build for efficiency. Nothing had been made for decorative or leisure purposes. Everything was grey and metallic or white. Their ships were very different from the ancient tourist ships that had been very popular during the reign of the Empire. Naturally such ships no longer existed. There was no reason to make them and no one could afford to spend so many resources on something that wasn't needed.

Violet entered the communication room and a holographic image of Commander Venator appeared before her.