by M. D. Cooper
And then Simone and Deb dropped their bombshell onto the rest of Phantom Blade.
Terrance sat across from Jason and suppressed a flare of amusement as his executive officer stared, dumbfounded, at the seal of Lysander’s office hovering before them on the ready room’s holo.
“What the—? How—?” The Proxan native glanced from Simone to Deb and then over to Shannon.
The ship’s AI shook her head, then glanced pointedly at the twins. Landon had nothing to offer, but Logan leant forward, looking intrigued.
Before he had a chance to speak, Jonesy did.
“What do you want to bet the prime minister sent data on our task force to allies in nearby star systems?” the engineer said slowly, his tone thoughtful.
Tobias nodded. “Aye, lad, I see where you’re going with this, I think. To establish bona fides, in case Phantom Blade ever found itself in need of assistance.” His tone lifted in the end, turning the statement into a question as he raised a brow at Simone.
The AI’s nod gave the Weapon Born—and the rest of the team—the confirmation they sought.
“Huh.” Jason sat back, eyes narrowed, then nodded once. “Sounds like something the Old Man would do.”
“ ‘Old Man’?”
Terrance felt Khela’s breath on the back of his neck as she leant forward to quietly murmur the question into his ear.
“Lysander was embedded with Jason’s dad when he was a kid,” Terrance explained in an equally low tone, leaning back into her shoulder. “Probably the only reason he’s not feral, given Tobias’s influence.”
“Heard that,” two voices spoke at once, one with an accent and one without.
“Ahh, that explains it,” Khela replied, a thread of mirth in her tone as she sat back.
Terrance suppressed a brief grin, then straightened. “Okay, I’ll buy that. It’s exactly the kind of thing he’d do. I can assure you, though, that our mission parameters have been met.” He gestured to Lysander’s seal. “We entered this system just to set up trade with Epsilon Eridani—excuse me, Little River—nothing more. So, we’re square on that count?”
The commissioner nodded firmly. “We believe you. But given what has transpired with your captain, and given our own missing person, we thought we might be able to help each other out.”
Jason’s expression darkened, and Simone hastened to put up a forestalling hand. “We’ll do what we can to help you recover Captain Rhinehart, regardless. We won’t place contingencies upon that; it’s not our way.”
Silence descended upon the ready room as those seated around the table processed what had just been said. Then Tobias stirred.
“What do you want from Phantom Blade, lass?”
“You’re an outside agency. No chance that you’ve been compromised. It’s obvious that Barat has managed to insinuate its people into our agencies, as yesterday’s setup of your captain will attest.”
Jason and Terrance exchanged glances.
“Lass, Phantom Blade isn’t for hire,” Tobias admonished, his tone mild.
“I don’t believe the people in Tau Ceti would agree with you on that,” Simone countered.
Terrance swept a glance around the table and over to where Shannon’s avatar stood, her arms crossed and a doubtful look on her face. He caught her eye, and she nodded reluctantly.
Turning back to their guests, he sat back, elbows resting on the arms of his chair, hands folded across his abdomen. “We’re listening.”
Before they could begin, Hailey, who had the ship’s conn, pinged them over the shipnet.
* * * * *
“It’s in the queue,” Hailey called tersely, her fingers flying once more across the board at her station on comm. “From the Barat Consulate on the station.”
Jason drummed his fingers on the side of the captain’s chair. Calista’s chair. Technically, as executive officer and acting captain, the chair was his until such time as Calista returned.
He glanced sharply at Hailey. “Live, I assume?” As she sent her assent, he moved away from the chair and motioned Tobias over. “Might be better if I weren’t the one to deal with them, given the circumstances.” Glancing over at the people who had spilled out of the ready room, and then back at Hailey, he added, “Make sure the pickup on our end is narrow enough so that only Tobias is shown in the feed.”
“Aye, sir. Woman says she’s Citizen Consul Brentano.”
As Tobias settled into the captain’s seat, the AI nodded once to Hailey. “Let’s see what they have to say, lass.”
The image of a woman resolved on the bridge’s forward holo, her face long, lean and spare, her expression severe.
“Counselor Brentano,” Tobias greeted, and Jason saw the woman’s face tighten in displeasure—although he couldn’t yet tell what had spawned it. Maybe it was because Tobias had dropped the ‘citizen’ from his greeting. Hell, perhaps it was because Tobias was clearly an AI.
“Avon Vale, we regret to inform you that your captain has been caught stealing from one of our merchants and is being held for her crimes, pending her trial.”
Woman doesn’t mince words, Jason noted.
“Where we come from, lass, an individual is innocent until proven guilty,” Tobias stated mildly, and Jason saw the woman’s lips compress into a thin line.
Definitely not an AI lover.
“Calista Rhinehart was found in possession of stolen merchandise, and the merchants have identified her as the perpetrator.” She spread her hands in a slight, disdainful shrug. “Really, it’s only a formality at this point.”
“And you’re telling us this why, again?”
“Your people are new to Little River, and the Humans’ Republic of Barat—” Yes, there it is, a subtle emphasis on the word ‘humans’, Jason thought, “—can appreciate that your people might not be familiar with our ways.”
The woman leant toward the holo pickups on her end. “It’s possible we might be able to convince the court to be lenient with this first offense. But we would, of course, require some show of good faith in return.”
Tobias placed an elbow on the arm of the captain’s chair, resting his chin in his hand, and let the silence over the connection build. The woman stared back at him implacably.
When finally, he spoke, the Weapon Born’s tone was mild, his enunciation precise and his brogue almost nonexistent.
“And what, might I ask, would the Humans’ Republic consider a show of good faith?”
Stars, Tobias is pissed.
Surprisingly, that thought cleared the veil of red that had threatened to obscure Jason’s own vision. His eyes narrowed as he studied the woman on the holo. Her expression had just subtly altered. He suspected the emotion behind it was one of satisfaction and knew it was because the people on the Vale were playing right to her script.
She gestured casually. “Oh, surely someone from a star system more than a dozen light years away has progressed with their skills, knowledge, and science in ways different from our own. Perhaps,” she suggested in an offhanded manner, “we could arrange for a technology exchange. I hear your stasis tech is a bit different than ours?” She smiled, but it was a cold thing, not reaching her eyes. “Such a benefit to society could offset the dangerous influence a criminal might have on its citizens….”
Jason reached for Tobias over their private Link connection.
The pretense was so threadbare that to call it a veiled threat was a real travesty. He could feel the AI seething, his ire barely contained.
But Tobias merely nodded, then paused as if to gather his thoughts. Jason figured it was more to rein in his temper before he spoke.
“You understand this is not within my authority to grant,” Tobias began, and Jason saw the woman’s lip curl ever so slightly. “I will need to run this past
my employer, the owner of the company.”
The woman’s cold smile grew broader, her expression now one of a predator locked onto its prey. “Please tell him it is best if he did not delay his decision. Your shipmate has petitioned her case be heard by a higher court than any we have here on the duty station.” She sat back, eyes glinting in triumph. “We have no choice but to accommodate her wishes, you understand, as the citizens of the Republic pride ourselves on extending the courtesies of the State even to those incarcerated. We would hate for this to happen, of course, to someone less familiar with our laws. Especially if there are other…more amicable…ways we might resolve this.”
Fuck.
The AI’s thoughts were heavy in Jason’s head.
With a jerk of her head, the woman cut the connection.
BIG GAME
STELLAR DATE: 03.09.3272 (Adjusted Gregorian)
LOCATION: New Pejeta Game Preserve, equatorial region
REGION: Barat, Little River
Giovanni stood respectfully beside his premier as Rachelle Feretti leant against the railing of the hovercraft that was skimming slowly over the equatorial veldt. He could feel sweat beading on his brow and upper lip, but restrained himself from wiping at it.
Feretti, in contrast, was the only one on the skimmer who looked comfortable. Giovanni had suspected that Feretti had mods no one knew about; this confirmed it. No one, other than someone able to regulate their body’s temperature, could manage to look so fresh in the wilting heat and high humidity of the New Pejeta Preserve.
They were observing a lioness as she crept up on a herd of unsuspecting gazelle. The predator would soon spring, bringing down the animal unlucky enough to be on the outside of the group, while those surrounding the inner core remained protected.
Reminds me of our political structure. Those inside the premier’s political sphere, the ones who successfully curry her favor, are the ones that survive the longest, he thought as they watched the sleek, golden form of the big cat.
Moments later, powerful muscles bunched, then arced through the air. A massive paw slapped at the animal’s rear, knocking it down. Adamantine jaws fastened onto the creature’s neck, quickly draining it of life.
Feretti made a pleased sound as she observed the lioness’s kill then turned and slanted a look toward Giovanni. Tilting her head to indicate the tableau, she murmured, “A successful kill requires forethought, cunning, and skill, does it not, Councilman?”
He nodded. “Indeed, Madam Premier.” He paused, searching for the correct response. “Had she been stalking the doe upwind, the herd would have scented her and scattered. I rather suspect a predator learns such things early in life, or it will starve.”
“Ah, but you’re wrong.” She turned to him, leaning against the railing, the slight breeze created by the movement of the craft stirring her cap of dark hair. “Lions don’t take wind direction into account. Instead, they stay out of sight—and then they ambush. And when they do, the attack is swift, overwhelming, and decisive.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I want there to be no misunderstanding between the two of us. It is good to stalk your prey, necessary even. But it would be most unfortunate should the prey scent the predator.” She turned back to the lioness. The creature’s head raised, one oversized paw on the haunch of the dead doe, muzzle red with her kill’s blood. “Don’t wait too long before committing to the Verdant acquisition, Giovanni. Councilmember Savin and General Jones have assured me that the Guard is ready to enact a swift and decisive takeover.”
The threat could scarcely be considered veiled or implied—if Giovanni didn’t act soon, they would.
The premier confirmed it with her last words on the subject.
“Let me be perfectly clear: that crystal will be ours.”
“Yes, Madam Premier.” Giovanni held himself stiffly, his tone stilted and constrained.
Feretti ignored it, turning back to the hunter and her prey.
“And what of this Enfield, from Alpha Centauri?” she murmured. “Your report this morning indicated his company has new tech to trade with Little River.”
“They do. A new stasis tech,” Giovanni confirmed, casting a glance across the vessel’s deck to ensure there were no interested listeners nearby. “And possible military advances, too.”
Feretti smiled in satisfaction, and Giovanni couldn’t help but compare her to the leonine figure crouching in the tall savannah grasses.
“Excellent. And you have plans to acquire those as well?”
Her words hung between them, an expectation of compliance.
“Of course,” he assured her, and his gaze slid from her penetrating gaze back to the carcass of the gazelle, where the lioness had buried her muzzle as she rent strips of flesh from its hide. “We have their captain in custody, on charges of theft. We will make an exchange.”
Feretti nodded perfunctorily and motioned to the hovercraft’s pilot. Immediately, the vessel picked up speed, its track curving back toward the Republic pinnace at the nearby spaceport, standing by to return them to the Presidium.
She turned her attention back to him, spearing him with an intense gaze. “How confident are you that Enfield will trade for his captain?” Her tone was sharp.
“Every bit of information we have on these people—although, granted, we don’t have much—” Giovanni said carefully, his voice neutral, “leads us to believe that they are close-knit, and will do whatever is required to get her back.”
Feretti’s brows rose in frank disbelief. “Don’t dissemble with me, Giovanni.” Her reprimand stung, as she had intended it to. “If this doesn’t work, then by what other means do you intend to acquire the tech?”
Giovanni hastened to reassure her. “They are a civilian ship, Madam Premier. They have no defenses against us and would be easily overtaken, should they, for some reason, decide to abandon their captain rather than trade for her.”
She turned her face into the wind as the craft began its deceleration on approach to the pinnace. As it drew to a stop, she cut one final glance his way.
“Come to the mews tomorrow at seven. I wish to fly Tigan,” she said, referring to the Harris’s hawk that Giovanni had gifted her two years before when he had learned of her growing interest in the sport of falconry. “You can apprise me of the progress of our acquisitions—on both fronts—at that time.”
He bowed his head slightly in acknowledgement of her order and then followed in her wake, surreptitiously wiping the sweat from both brow and lip as she disembarked and strode toward the craft waiting to return them to the governmental seat of the Humans’ Republic.
PART THREE: INFILTRATION
THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES
STELLAR DATE: 03.10.3272 (Adjusted Gregorian), 0100 hours, local
LOCATION: ESS Avon Vale, Slip 512, Godel Trade Marina
REGION: Phaethon Duty Station, Epsilon Eridani
“Give me one good reason why we shouldn’t trade the stasis tech for our captain.”
Jason’s words sounded sharply into the lull that had fallen after the Baratian woman cut the connection. They caused a ripple of reaction around the bridge.
Deb looked alarmed, and Simone looked—well, Logan still couldn’t get a good read on the AI, which was a bit disconcerting, given that it was his job to profile others. But it also intrigued him.
Before things progressed, Terrance held up a hand. “Let’s take this into the ready room, shall we?” He looked over at Landon in inquiry, and Logan’s brother nodded then turned and headed for the captain’s chair. Settling into it, he began to quietly issue orders to those that would remain behind.
The team and their guests drifted around the table as Terrance ordered coffee and tea f
rom the room’s servitor. Shannon placed her avatar into a chair near Jason, and Logan saw Tobi’s sinewy length settle at the XO’s feet.
Logan settled back, content to observe. The more data points he could gather, the more easily a situation resolved inside his own mind. Patterns exposed, motives revealed.
For a while, the servitor’s quiet hum was the only sound that could be heard as it circled the table, delivering beverages.
After a moment, the Godel AI spoke.
“Your ship, Mister Enfield, and your crew, have just been drawn into a highly volatile situation. Barat intends to hold your captain hostage for whatever tech you came to Little River to sell. They will settle for nothing less.” She glanced over at Deb. “Historically, though, we’ve had very little luck negotiating with them for the release of prisoners.”
Deb nodded, one finger circling the rim of her coffee cup as she looked down into its depths. “Your chances of retrieving your captain are far better using the resources of Phantom Blade,” she said, looking up at them intently, “than they are negotiating through Enfield Holdings.”
Terrance sat back at that. “Why do you say that?” he asked, eyes tracking from one to the other.
Before either could respond, Shannon broke in, her avatar’s silver eyes slitted in thought as her hair shifted restlessly behind her.
“I wonder,” she mused. “Little River’s an awfully young colony to be so polarized. Didn’t the Generation Ship Service screen applicants for such things when they filled the colony ships’ rosters, so this kind of situation wouldn’t happen?”
Simone glanced over at Deb and then back at Shannon with a wry smile. “Under normal circumstances, you’d be right about that,” the Godel AI admitted. “But this system was settled by two colony ships, backed by two different corporations, instead of just one.”