“You’re not capturing the Duke, Laurel,” Harry said. “You’re going to get a sample of the outer covering of the fortress if you can, listen in to thoughts, determine if the war is conducted from the fortress and if the Duke is in residence. I forbid you to do anything else.”
“Oh, you do, do you?” Laurel’s blood was up and her face wrinkled in anger. “I’ll remind you, Commander, that I am a volunteer; that is unless you seek to reinstate my slave status?”
Marta bit her lip against a smile. She knew Laurel well enough not to “forbid” her, so she was surprised when, after a few seconds of angry eye contact with Harry, Laurel backed down.
“Okay,” Laurel said, knowing she’d got what she wanted, anyway. “If it makes you happy, I’ll shoot him.”
“Laurel,” Harry said, his voice level, “You’ve transformed this debate from a proposal for a fact-finding mission to an assassination. The only way in, as far as we can tell is underground, and it’s guarded. We have over a hundred grieving families to prove it.”
“Well, if Eli drops me on the fortress and I can sense where the Duke is, or his officials, and gather some of their knowledge, find out the reasons for this war, then he can pick me up again and we fly away into the sunset. If however, the fortress is loosely guarded, and we’ve seen overconfidence on their part already, and the opportunity presents itself for me to get in and access the Duke, I think I should. Then you have four days and…”
“I know, seven hours...”
“…to do some serious damage to their forces on Semevale 8. Without the Duke’s leadership, their invasion forces will fall into chaos.”
“It’s likely,” Asde said, “that information like that would be either delivered in person or transmitted closer to the nebula, to avoid League transmission blockers.”
“Even better,” Laurel smiled. “That will give us even more time.”
“Eli,” Harry reluctantly drew out Semevale 7’s ordnance web on the starchart. “The mines aren’t static; you need to predict their every move.” Despite his reservations, Harry recognised that if anyone could pull off a stunt like this, it would be an empath. The proposal had merit, an opportunity for intelligence that had never before presented itself, and wasn’t this why whole souls were brought here? To use their abilities in bringing about an end to the conflict? But Laurel? He tried not to think about the danger; he couldn’t let his personal feelings interfere with a sound strategic objective.
The group watched Harry expectantly. To them, it was an easy decision, and Laurel was by far the strongest in every area.
“And,” Laurel continued, her enthusiasm for the mission bubbling up, “what if the informant is on Semevale 7, in the fortress? That person obviously has inside knowledge?”
“The intelligence comes in the form of a bead,” Harry told her. “It’s carried on waves, cryptic, scarcely more than one or two words, to avoid detection.”
“You’ve never been able to communicate directly? Request information?”
“Never.”
“It’s a chance I know,” she said, “but I can evade a few half-souls no problem. At closer quarters, I should be able to identify the informant, and if he or she’s not there, I may be able to lift some intel from the guards. I believe I can at least get onto the fortress and out without them even realising. I think it’s worth a shot. If we can somehow get a sample of the outer shell of the fortress and enough intel to disrupt the Duke’s plans, we might be able to bring an end to the hostilities. And wouldn’t it be worth it to take out the Duke?”
Harry shook his head. “You can’t walk through walls, Laurel.”
“Yes, I can, at least, I can read minds through walls.”
It made sense, and Laurel was determined. She sensed the other whole soul’s concern but also their support, and to Eli, it sounded like a splendid idea.
“I’ll make sure she’s safe, Harry,” he promised. “Getting inside the mind of our enemy at a command level could make all the difference.”
“I certainly see the validity of this venture,” Harry conceded. “Canon Akkuh would say we continue with what we have, and in your first battle, you proved to be our most successful weapon.”
“What about Helen’s gas?” Laurel asked.
“You said you wouldn’t call it that.”
“Sorry, Helen.”
“And what if they discover you?” Harry said, insisting they consider this possibility.
“How? They’re not expecting us. I’ll get as close as I can and back to the ship in the seventeen minutes I have of stealth. We’ll have time. When we know what we’re dealing with regarding the substance protecting the fortress, we can start a full-scale offensive.” But the others caught her thought, “I won’t kill anyone unless the Duke is there.”
Harry had no alternative but to grant leave for the undertaking. It was a solid strategy, and they needed anything they could get. Conducting the war using Canon Akkuh’s directives was proving a costly waste of time and lives, and even though Harry realised he would be left to explain if this enterprise fell on its face, he had to admit it was worth the risk.
“Alright, the fortress is not too difficult to locate once you’re through the defence perimeter. You will only be able to link once when you need to leave; otherwise, they’ll track the signal, but I doubt you’ll be able to get a sample of the outer walls.”
Eli and Laurel grinned at each other.
“Understood.”
Harry pulled Laurel aside as soon as the briefing ended.
“You’re taking a huge risk, you know that?”
“What would you have me do, Harry?” Laurel said. “You’ve got enemy soldiers on this base who hate this war as much as we do, but they fear for their families. We may already be too late. It’s not just us; it’s them too. I guess the enemy believe no-one can get through their minefield. All I’m going to do is land on their fortress, get the info and leave. We’d have to be pretty damn unlucky for them to capture me.”
“Laurel they won’t capture you,” Harry hissed. “They’ll kill you.”
“Well, there are two of us,” Laurel pointed out, disregarding the warning. “If only one of us makes it out, you may have enough intelligence. Harry,” Laurel’s eyes shone with determination, “You took us from our lives to help you win this war. We’re helping. Now suck it up.”
Once again, Harry couldn’t argue with her logic.
Laurel convinced Harry there was no time like the present, so the mission was set for the following morning when twilight would be upon the fortress on Semevale 7. They all silently worried about the possibility of capture, but Xavier thought the plan innovative.
“Laurel, I have every faith in you,” he smiled from the VI.
“Thank you, Xavier. It would be nice if we could be together again soon.”
But Xavier only smiled.
Chapter 28
Later that evening Laurel found Harry sitting out at his favourite spot near the stream. She wanted to apologise for her earlier outburst, but he smiled when he saw her, and she knew he’d already forgiven her.
“Sorry, Harry.”
He didn’t say anything, just pointed to the grass beside him. She sat down, drawing up her knees and watched him.
“What?” he said, with a grin.
“You’re a good friend,” she smiled back. “I try to see myself as a soldier, but it doesn’t always work. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful in front of Asde. I just want an end to all this.”
“It’s fine. I sometimes forget your arrival here was not by choice and your involvement in the war foisted on you. I should respect that.”
“We don’t feel disrespected, Harry, and we all understand the importance of following orders. I have a temper at times, but it never lasts long, and I guess in the heat of the moment, I spoke out of turn. I could have put my proposal to you less emotionally.”
Harry quirked an eyebrow at her in agreement. Laurel knew she’d stepped out
of line but felt the time was right to leave that particular transgression be.
“Did you speak to Asde about the concerns he raised earlier?”
“I did,” Harry said. “I also gave a report of your mission to Commander Ven and Commander Emmit. They accept there are risks but also see the benefits; they believe it to be a bold and decisive plan and one that will give encouragement to the troops who feel the League is not transparent.”
“Have you told Canon Akkuh?”
“Not yet, but I don’t need his clearance to assign troops or individuals.”
Laurel nodded thoughtfully. Canon Akkuh knew that in battle, the enemy never took League soldiers captive, but if a single whole soul infiltrated the fortress, that might be another matter. She guessed he wouldn’t want to risk it; risk the possibility of a whole soul being forced to work for the enemy.
“What do you do when you’re not fighting a war, Harry?” Laurel asked, changing the subject to one she’d been wondering about; she realised she knew so little about him. “Apart from work, I mean. Are you married? Kids?”
Harry eased himself onto his side and propped on his elbow, so he could look at her directly. “No. I’ve never even had a long-term relationship. My dad would have loved grandkids, but once I hit forty, I think he gave up on the idea. What about you? You never speak about your childhood, your parents.”
Laurel fixed her gaze on Semevale 8, far distant in the night sky. She could tell him the truth, or she could lie. Here in this universe, so far from her own, he would never know if she fabricated a palatable story which wouldn’t hurt her in the retelling. But he was her friend, and that would be wrong.
“I grew up on the east coast of America,” she said. “I never knew my father, and it was likely my mother didn’t either.” She didn’t look to Harry for a response. “My mother had no self-control; drugs, alcohol, losers, that was her life.”
“Do you mean she altered her perspectives with substances meant for other uses?”
Laurel smiled at him. Of course, in a society like this, it was highly probable drugs and alcohol were either non-existent or thoroughly regulated. He made it sound neatly packaged, almost respectable.
“Every day,” Laurel continued, giving him an answer in her own way, “she snorted, swallowed or injected and every day, there would be different people in our apartment, taking any money she had, eating any food in the fridge, sharing her drugs and alcohol or often, when she was out of it, taking advantage of her unconsciousness to screw her in another way.”
“And you witnessed this?”
“Of course, I lived there. When there were no drugs, she hit the bottle, and my God; she was a mean drunk. She liked to grab my hair and cut chunks out of it, so I kept it short to hide where she’d cut it, then she’d ridicule me about it being so curly, or she’d get started on my alien eyes.”
“Your eyes are incredible,” Harry said. “I struggle to define the colour.”
He’d been struggling to define the colour? She grinned at him. “Amber, Harry, they’re amber. Amber is a gemstone. Some old Earth civilisations say it’s made from the sun’s rays.”
He nodded. Yes, beautiful and a perfect description. “Why didn’t someone rescue you? Was there no other family member to help? Or government aid?”
“I didn’t know of any family members, not then, but I knew that if the authorities became involved, I’d lose the only thing I had—her, for all her faults. The police often came to the apartment, but I had a hiding place, so they never found me.”
“It might have been better if they had.”
“Maybe, but I was only a child, and my mother hated the police. She called them, “enemies of freedom”, so I hated them too. Sometimes the police took her away, and I would be on my own with some loser boyfriend or other…”
Harry stopped her. “I’m not sure I should hear this.”
Laurel glanced at him. “Then I won’t tell you.”
“It was odd,” Laurel continued. “Mom had this thing where she cooked breakfast for me in the mornings. Ham, eggs,” she shrugged, “anything left in the fridge. She always walked me to the corner near my school. It was the only—loving I suppose—thing she did. She insisted I went to school, which I hated. I got bullied because of my chunky hair and general air of neglect. It’s easy to torment the child the doesn’t fit in, and I became target practice for the other kids’ bullying skills.”
“You received a good education though, became a professional?”
“Not at that time. I spent my days hiding or trying to get away from the bullies. Each day, I brought myself home from school, usually to find mom lying on the couch or the floor or the bed. One day when I was 11, I got home, and the door wouldn’t open. A neighbour who enjoyed the same lifestyle as my mother took me into her apartment. She told me mom had been kicked out by the landlord and was at the police precinct. The landlord had changed the locks. The neighbour had a phone number, and while I sat there, she dialled it. I thought she was calling the police, so I tried to climb out the window, but she slapped me—hard. She said someone was coming for me and I had to sit and wait. So I did.”
“A phone number?”
“A way of communicating. It was late, very late when a man and a woman arrived. The woman introduced herself as my Aunt Lucy, mom’s sister, and the man as her husband, Len.”
Laurel felt tears on her cheeks; she didn’t overthink too much on the first day she met Aunt Lucy and Uncle Len, mainly because of the other jumbled and messed up things in her life at the time.
“Your saviours?” Harry prompted gently, seeing the glint of tears in her eyes.
Laurel nodded. “They took me with them. My mother had often thought of calling them to take me, but she claimed a welfare payment which she didn’t want to give up—well, that’s what I heard later. Uncle Len had a dental practice, and he and Aunt Lucy lived in Brooklyn. They sent me to a good school; my hair grew,” Laurel laughed at the memory, “and the girls at school envied my ringlets! I changed from a sad, bullied little girl to a privileged, much-loved and confident child in a very short time.”
“Your aunt and uncle were good people then, not ‘losers’.”
“The best people. My Aunt Lucy was the one who called my eyes amber. They adopted me formally, and I never saw my mother again. She died in prison when I was sixteen.”
“What happened to your aunt and uncle?”
“Aunt Lucy was diagnosed with cancer. Medicine didn’t have the means to cure it, not like here anyway, but she kept going. Uncle Len had a heart attack a couple of years later. He was in his office after his staff left for the day, and Aunt Lucy wondered why he hadn’t come home. She went to find him when he didn’t answer her calls. I was away at college at the time. His death was a turning point for her, and she just gave in to her cancer.”
“I’m sorry. If this is difficult…”
“No, not difficult, I just never speak of it.” Laurel watched the moon’s reflection bobbing in the stream. “Aunt Lucy died just after I graduated. They made sure that after their deaths, I’d want for nothing. They owned property in the Hamptons as well as the house in Brooklyn, and I inherited everything. It was their way of showing their love after they were gone, but I wanted them, not the houses, so I sold up.” Laurel smiled sadly. “I travelled after that.”
Laurel’s story surprised and saddened him. Harry found it difficult to equate the strong, dynamic woman he’d come to know with the unfortunate child she described. Laurel once asked what Darlen saved her from; listening to her tragic tale, Harry believed the aunt and uncle saved her; Darlen merely took her to the next level. He reached out and gently tucked a stray ringlet behind her ear, all the while burying his fear that after tomorrow, she may be lost to him forever.
Chapter 29
Eli’s mind buzzed as they made the journey to Semevale 7.
“Do you have to think so loudly?” Laurel laughed. “You’re distracting me!”
Eli s
hot her a grin. “I feel like a man reborn. This is where I should be. I know they despise Darlen, but he’s my saviour. I had no life before. Now I have more than a life. I have purpose, dignity, friends.”
“Despite being in the midst of a war, you’ve found peace.”
He glanced across and smiled at her wise words. “Peace. Not a word I ever trusted. If I survive this war, I’ll pursue it, but I’m not there yet.”
Laurel remembered the first time she saw him, angry, belligerent, uncooperative. She’d gone from being uncertain of him, to trusting him now to have her back as they entered the enemy stronghold, and she knew she couldn’t be in better hands.
“Our sensors are picking up the ordnance,” Eli said. “They’re leaving a kind of filament trail, crawling over each other like a nest of rats. Harry’s right; it is random. I’ll pick one out and see if I can trace it.”
Laurel followed his thoughts. “I see it. The atmosphere below is exposed as the filament fades.”
“I don’t understand why the enemy has mined the atmosphere if the fortress is impenetrable,” Eli said, as he expertly navigated the network. That he could speak, pilot and avoid the mines all at once was a revelation to Laurel.
“Good point,” she agreed. “Maybe the fortress isn’t as impenetrable as the League believe, or perhaps they don’t want to risk troops landing here and reclaiming the rest of the planet. It may be that the attack by the League revealed to the Duke a weakness in the fortress’s defences.”
“Here we go,” Eli said as the scout slipped between the filaments. He smiled. “Easy.”
As Harry said, the fortress was simple enough to locate, but not knowing if sensors were employed on the ground put them at a disadvantage, allowing limited time to explore the exterior for weak points or accessways.
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