Depraved by Trent Evans
Chapter 38
Yulia had never been more frightened in her life, and yet, at that moment, it was never more important that she not let anyone have any idea of the fear gripping her.
The air hummed with hundreds of murmurs, whispered conjectures, and mystified questions. As she surveyed the gathered men and women clustered together, the crowd stretching the length and breadth of the vehicle bay, a very different emotion welled up within her.
It was pride.
Ready to address the throng, she stood at the top of the stairs, flanked by both Anson, and—surreal though it was—Beckett Carter.
War did make very strange bedfellows after all.
The waiting soldiers didn’t have to know that immediately following this assembly—and what they were about to announce—the great, infamous Beckett Carter would be escorted back to his cell in the brig.
And there he would stay.
Tom and Lyssa were there as well, and their moral support helped give her the courage to do what she must.
Even Grif was there with her, too.
The man she needed most though at that moment, Jon, wasn’t there. He was still talking with Norton, back in the command suite.
But that was the way it had to be.
“You’re all wondering what we’re doing here.” Yulia tried her best to steady her voice, to project the strength she felt utterly without. “So, I won’t waste time. Harling Fuller has been arrested for treason against the rebellion. On my authority.”
A rumble of surprise rippled through the crowd.
“In his place, Major Nichols has been appointed as base Gamma commander, effective immediately.” She waited for the crowd to quiet a bit before continuing. “First, the most important: as of this moment, hostilities between the Awakening, and the Carter Faction are no more. In fact, those two entities themselves are no more. The Schism… is over. We are now, simply, the Rebellion. What we’ve always been. With the agreement of Beckett Carter, I, Yulia Wyndham, am now leader of the combined rebellion, the armed forces of which are now under the overall operational command of General Anson Merriwether.”
The noise from the crowd was even louder now, but she saw many more smiles than scowls on the faces in the throng. Many, many more.
“But our battle is not won, the war rages on, and we find ourselves at the most dangerous precipice we’ve ever faced in our struggle against the TSS.”
She nodded to Beckett, who stepped forward.
“As of an hour ago, all former Carter Faction and Awakening forces have been ordered to fully mobilize, and be ready to move within the next few days. We’ve learned that TSS is planning a massive offensive against all the rebellion in the coming weeks.” Beckett paused a heartbeat. “One we cannot hope to defend against.”
The crowd grew quite silent indeed.
Yulia looked out over the gathered soldiers. “But rather than sit here and wait to die, we’re doing something else. We’re going to attack them first.”
The soldiers cheered and clapped at that.
She glanced at Grif. “Base Gamma will attack as well with all available military forces, this attack force being led by Captain Griffin Hughes.” Yulia lowered her voice, staring out at the men. “You loved my father. You followed my father.” She laid a hand on her chest. “Now, follow me.”
An even louder cheer, the sound of the soldiers filling her with confidence and pride, even as she knew the odds were stacked completely against them all.
“I’m not Benton Wyndham. But my father is in me.” She swept a hand out over them. “And he’s within all of you, too. He was a man of peace, and compassion. Of vision, and wisdom. But he was also, most of all, a warrior. And if he were here right now, he’d tell you the same thing. We must fight! Now, it’s time to do our duty, and make him proud.” She raised her voice, gripping the railing at the top of the stairs. “It’s time to show our enemies that as long as there’s breath in our lungs, steel in our resolve, and faith in our hearts, we’ll never—ever—bow to The Sixth Society!”
The bay filled with a deafening roar then, the cheers of the soldiers seeming to shake the very walls with the power of them.
And at that moment, for the first time…Yulia dared to hope.