She Bleeds for Us: The Galactic Consortium 3

Chapter 44

Gabriel crossed the border with no problem. There was so much attention, so many men, just a few miles away at the refugee camp. But here the border was just a line on a map.

The pack was heavy but well packed and balanced. Gabriel would grow some muscles lugging it all the way south. He could almost imagine the look on everyone's face when he arrived home with all these supplies.

Up ahead there was a clearing where he was supposed to meet Captain Seesay. Should he go? Should he just duck around it and head home on another route? It was tempting.

But something the man said kept coming back to Gabriel. Trust was a two-way street. And the man had proved his own words by trusting Gabriel. It would be bad for Gabriel to fail his side of the bargain.

So he squared his shoulders and went towards the clearing. He had no sooner sat the pack down then he heard the Rangerover approaching again.

"Like you said, sir," he said when Captain Sesay stepped out. "We got to trust each other, don't we?"

"That's right," Captain Sesay as he hefted the bag and took it to the Rangerover. Another man opened the back and cleared a place for the bag. "But there is one more person I need to trust. Whoever packed this bag."

"Yes, sir," Gabriel agreed.

Captain Sessay began to unload the bag, talking to Gabriel as he did it.

Gabriel saw no reason to lie at this point and answered the questions the best he could. "From Freetown," he said. "Part of town? Our ghetto ain't officially part of town, sir."

Captain Sesay paused in asking about Gabriel's life to hold up a handful of syringes filled with greenish liquid.

"You squirt them into gunshots, sir," Gabriel said. "You'll still need to go to a hospital, but it will help keep you alive. And they," Gabriel was still trying to be careful to not give away his contact's name. "Said if they start shooting protestors the others, you guys, will intervene. Stop that from happening again. But it will still have happened the once."

"And you should be prepared," Captain Sesay said, sticking the syringes aside. "I see."

"Emergency rations," the other man joked as he hefted several boxes of the ration bars. "Are we helping them or punishing them?"

"They are starving," Captain Sesay growled.

The man looked abashed. "Of course, sir."

"I like them," Gabriel said.

"Mycobactim powder. Sittamanu seeds. Water purification units. Emergency ration bars. It's like the worst survival drill you ever did," Captain Sesay said to the other man. "And it's better than these people have had in their life."

He looked over at Gabriel. "Well, it's all in order. Banak, repack it." He came over to Gabriel while the other man repacked the bag. "Not Banak, don't use that name," he told Gabriel. "Corporeal Barowo, okay. He's taking some messages south. You are going with. He'll drop you at Kuper. You got tokens for the ferry?"

"Yes, Sir," Gabriel said. Kuper, that was practically home, closer even then Pepel. He'd take the ferry across the bay and be there.

Captain Sesay held out a small communication device. "And no more cross country treks. Notify me when the next drop is due. We'll see you to the border and back. Safer for everyone."

Gabriel took the device, wondering how far to trust the man. "Yes sir, and thank you, sir."

"Thank me by keeping yourself safe."

The other man, Corporeal Barowo, had cleared a space in the back of the Rangerover, next to the bag. He patted it, "In with you," he said. "We can't have you sitting upfront and visible when we go through the camp, can we?"

"I guess not," Gabriel said as he scrambled into the back and made himself comfortable.

"Since you are such a fan of the ration bars," the corporeal said, holding out a candy bar, "I'm guessing it's because you haven't tried one of these."

"I know what candy is," Gabriel groused, but he took the bar. The corporeal chuckled as he placed a water bottle and another snack next to Gabriel.

This is a more comfortable way to travel, Gabriel thought as the Rangerover headed back towards the camp.