by A. K. DuBoff
“Oh, my stars…” Time seemed to stand still as a flood of memories flashed through Raena’s mind. Her first days in the TSS, with Tiff adopting her as a friend and teaching her about the Taran Empire. Training together. Late nights talking in their shared quarters about their dreams and aspirations. They’d been good friends, and Tiff had had such a promising future as an Agent that it was devastating to think of her life being cut short. But Raena’s loss of an old friend was nothing compared to what her brother must be going through right now. He’d never openly talked about the relationship, but she knew. “How’s Jason holding up?”
“As well as can be expected.”
“You know they were… close.”
Her father nodded. “Yeah, their relationship wasn’t as secret as they pretended. I was always fond of her. She was good for him.”
“Terrible about picking up after herself, but such a good heart… Gah!” Raena shook her head, her shoulders slumped. “I hate to think of how many good people like her were on the station.”
“One-thousand-three-hundred-twenty-seven.”
Raena closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The TSS hadn’t suffered a loss on that scale since the end of the Bakzen War—not even in the violence surrounding the Priesthood’s fall. It would be horrific enough on principle, but the personal connection made it even worse.
“I’m really trying not to freak out here.” Even as she voiced the words, her chest swelled with anxiety and her pulse quickened. The tension about the issues facing the Taran Empire flooded into her mind. It could all fall apart. We were so close to bringing everyone together, and now they’re more divided than ever.
“This is a challenge, but one we will overcome.”
How can he say that so calmly? The answer was clear, though. He needs to say that because we have no choice but to fight for our lives.
Breaking down wouldn’t save her, and it certainly wouldn’t help her people. She suppressed her anxiety and returned her attention to her father. “What are you planning to do?”
“Since we have been unable to open a line of communication with the perpetrators at this point we have no option but to declare them an enemy force and take any necessary military action to ensure the security of the Taran worlds.”
“I understand.” Raena barely felt herself say the words. Everything in her mind was fuzzy.
Still in the fog, it took her a moment to realize there had been a knock on the door.
“It’s me,” Ryan said in her mind, grounding her somewhat.
“Come in.”
Ryan took one look at her father’s image on the viewscreen and nodded gravely. “I saw your report about Alkeer. My condolences.”
“Thank you,” Wil said. “But I’m afraid the memorial for the fallen will need to wait. There’s another story that’s about to hit the media streams, and I wanted to give you advanced warning, though it’s not much.”
“That explosion at the Duronis spaceport?” Ryan asked.
Raena’s eyes widened. “What?”
“It’s been a bad day.” He added telepathically, “It looks like sabotage, or possibly a terrorism demonstration related to the protests going on planetside.”
“Was anyone hurt?”
“Two dead. Half a dozen injured. It could have been a lot worse.”
“Like the Alkeer Station…” Raena was glad it was said in her mind for fear of her voice cracking.
“I saw the TSS briefing come through while I was reading the report from the Duronis Stationmaster. Despite proximity, they aren’t connected. What happened on Alkeer was something else entirely.”
“I know. This is shaping up to be everything we feared.”
Ryan moved to stand behind her desk chair. “What’s the news?” he asked Wil.
“The TSS concurs with the Stationmaster’s findings that the explosion was due to an incendiary device on a pressure regulator. However, a leaked draft from the Colonial Herald media outlet is saying that the ‘accident’ was due to poor maintenance practices at the port. Those operations were regulated by DGE following the operations manual inherited from SiNavTech when the ship manufacturing arm branched off.”
Ryan paled. “Huh?”
“It’s not true, right? This wasn’t an accident!” Raena exclaimed. “They planted a freaking bomb.”
“That doesn’t matter,” her father replied. “It’s being presented as fact that this all happened due to shoddy maintenance protocols, and a good number of people are going to believe it.”
“The Herald is hardly the most reputable publication. They’re known to have a fair amount of slant,” Ryan said.
“But they are well known throughout the Outer Colonies, and even on some of the Middle Worlds. It carries more weight than a clip in the Sensationals.”
Raena’s brows drew together. “The ‘facts’ can easily be refuted, though. They’re just sowing disinformation.”
“The problem is that saying it is disinformation will make people believe it’s true even more fervently. History shows that time and time again. People will look for confirmation of their established beliefs and it’s very hard to change minds.”
“It doesn’t make sense! Say something once and then it becomes the immutable truth?” A hint of worry edged Ryan’s voice.
“Primacy effect, I guess,” Wil said. “If the source is perceived as trustworthy, then all others afterward will be seen as the opposition.”
“Except the Herald isn’t all that trustworthy,” Raena pointed out.
“Perhaps ‘trustworthy enough’ would have been better phrasing,” her father amended. “The point is, they are a known quantity, so there’s enough there for people to take notice.”
Ryan exchanged a concerned glance with Raena. “What are we supposed to do, then?”
Wil shrugged slightly. “Say nothing. Let it play out.”
Raena’s mouth dropped open. “No! It’s wrong. We have to release a statement or do something!”
Her father shook his head wearily. “But by taking that defensive stance, people will dig into their position harder that you’re trying to hide the truth.”
“Remaining silent will do the same.”
“Except, you won’t lose credibility that way. If you try to take a stand against what the masses believe to be true, you’ll paint yourself as an ‘outsider’. In other words, an enemy.”
“Silence leaves hope for redemption,” Ryan murmured.
Wil nodded. “Yes, it’s the only way to play this for now. Wait for the right time to make a statement, when people will be receptive to it. Because once you’re painted as ‘the other side’, there’s no going back. The best option is to remain neutral. At least then you are still part of the conversation.”
“Except for the fact that they are trying to get rid of us,” Raena muttered. Has he always been this perceptive about political positioning? I thought he hated this stuff! Regardless of her father’s dislike for politics, he did bring up a valid point.
“They have no power to actually unseat you, though. Who else would take your place, really? Play along, and eventually their case will unravel.”
Raena felt a flush in her cheeks. “It goes against everything in my nature to play along with such a farce.”
“What is true and what is right are not always the same thing. We must find a balance we can live with.”
The sage words carried even more weight coming from her father, knowing what he had been through and what kind of awful decisions he’d had to make as a leader. Nonetheless, Raena was surprised to hear him so willing to concede truth in the matter. We fought to free Tarans from the Priesthood’s corrupt messaging. And now it’s okay for others to make up stories? It didn’t sit right.
“Doesn’t VComm have a responsibility to make sure people are getting accurate news?” she asked. “I feel like we should cut into the news broadcasts and shut down the misinformation. The lies.”
Her father raised an eyebrow. “
And thereby wield the very power your accusers claim you have? Any action in your own defense will be viewed as confirmation of the claims. Especially if it’s saying what is or is not reliable information.”
Raena crossed her arms. “Well, that’s a frightening thought.”
“It is.”
“No, not that in and of itself.” She paused. “I was running with the thought. In this matter, silence is an option. The best option.”
“Yes.”
“But what if there were to be a situation where we couldn’t afford to remain silent? If inaction would be even worse than doing nothing and taking the beating.”
Wil leaned forward as he seemed to realize where she was going. “Then they would get the ‘confirmation’ they needed in order to get their soundbites proving we’re the enemy. But if we refuse to give them that, then we would be equally lambasted for not helping when we had the power to do so.”
“Yeah.”
“Shite.” Ryan breathed out through his teeth.
“The question is, what kind of scenario could be orchestrated that would meet that criteria?” Raena pondered.
“Any number of the civil unrest situations growing in the Outer Colonies,” Ryan offered.
Raena nodded. “Peaceful protest is well and good, until it turns violent. But that’s the Guard’s responsibility.”
“And who does the Guard report to? The High Council,” Wil continued. “Create a confusing enough situation, the Guard is going to take action, and that action is going to piss off one side or the other.”
Raena caught the lead. “And that will get run up the chain—”
“—until someone breaks a story that the High Council ordered it,” Ryan finished the thought. “And the public consciousness was already primed to trust that source, and have all naysayers be the opposition.”
“Leaving us…” Wil started.
“Completely screwed any way you look at it.” She sighed. “So, what do we do? If the endgame leaves us on the outside and powerless, should we try to take action now?”
“I believe buying time is still better than cutting off our arms and legs right out of the gate,” he replied.
“I agree, but…” Her face contorted, at a loss for words. She could see everything playing out, just the way the case had been presented. The specifics were vague, of course, but the logic tree was all there in plain sight. Take little, seemingly innocuous actions and layer them until a movement took on a life of its own. Whoever was behind it was brilliant. A plan beautiful in its simplicity.
She took a steadying breath. “I won’t give up. We haven’t lost yet. Far from it.”
“Nor will I. Having an inkling of the end game that’s in store for us will go a long way toward heading off the moves.”
“And, to that end, I’m left with a big question of ‘why’? What’s the goal to all of this?” Ryan asked.
“A very good question,” Raena mused. “ ‘To remove the High Council’ doesn’t tell the whole story. It’s always about money and power, right?”
Her father nodded. “Usually. Either those who have it are trying to keep it at any cost, or those who don’t are trying to claim what they deem to be rightfully theirs.”
Raena got down to business. “Okay, so prime suspects. Anyone currently on the High Council who doesn’t like to play nice with others?”
Ryan let out a dry chuckle. “Several.”
“Okay, so who has the most to gain?” she asked.
“Doing an exhaustive exploration of each High Dynasty and their network of contacts would take years,” her father cut in. “As would exploring the Lower Dynasties who might be looking to elevate their social standing. And then there are those who don’t believe in our governance structure at all and wish to upend it to let anarchy reign and take advantage of the power vacuum to rebuild society to their maximum benefit.”
Raena frowned. “You’re jumping ahead.”
“Yes, but only because it’s a pointless thought exercise. Trying to narrow it down by who has something to gain would yield infinite motivations and possibilities.”
“I’m just trying to do something productive,” she retorted. “I can’t sit back and watch the Empire crumble around me.”
Her father smiled. “I wasn’t suggesting that. Simply taking a different approach.”
“Please, enlighten me.”
“Rather than asking who has the most to gain, ask, ‘Who has the most to lose?’ ”
CHAPTER 14
The sensation of Jason’s heart being crushed in a vise had given way to a hollow ache that made him wonder if he would ever be whole again.
He’d managed to avoid interacting with anyone on his way back to his quarters the afternoon before. With the TSS-wide announcement made about the attack, the other Primus Elites from his cohort would no doubt want to have a memorial for Tiff. He had several unread messages in his inbox from some of them—probably questions or condolences—but he’d tried his best to stay offline and instead focus on coming to terms with his new reality.
Hypothetical thoughts kept creeping in about how he could have asked her to stay at Headquarters, so she never would have been on Alkeer. The guilt gnawed at him. Everything he could have done differently. Except, anything else wouldn’t have been right. I can’t wallow in regret.
Sitting around in his quarters wouldn’t do any good. He needed to push through.
He was scheduled for work with his flight students again, but the classroom side of their training rather than direct flight practice. Though the academic study wasn’t as fun as being in the simulators or out in a real fighter, he enjoyed spending time with the students and seeing their enthusiasm about learning new things. Most of the course involved going over combat tactics and maneuvers for novel situations, so they got to watch footage of pilots pulling off amazing feats. On the whole, there were far worse ways to spend a few hours.
Since he didn’t feel much like lecturing, Jason decided it would be a good day to play a pre-recorded analysis of three key engagements from the Bakzen War and then have a group discussion.
His hopes for a quiet, distracting class session evaporated as soon as the students entered the room, talking in low voices to each other and glancing at Jason.
Of course, they want to know the inside story about what happened. He’d noticed similar interactions when he’d gone to grab breakfast from the mess hall. The announcement from the High Commander about an attack and prospect of a new, large-scale conflict had put everyone on edge. He was a senior Agent—and a well-connected one, as they were always quick to point out—so naturally they’d be looking to him for more information.
He braced himself for the inevitable barrage of questions. I really should have taken the day off like Dad suggested.
Bret was the first to speak up. “Sir, are we at war?”
“A state of war would need to be declared by the High Council,” Jason replied. “Until such a time as that happens, the TSS is officially in a state of high alert.”
Samantha took her seat. “The whole thing is awful.”
“Some kind of new conflict was inevitable in our lifetimes,” Wes said.
“No, I mean what happened to the station,” she clarified. “I heard there wasn’t time to do anything.” Her look to Jason said it all—wanting him to share what he’d seen firsthand.
“Yes, it happened very quickly,” he said, not knowing how to say any more without breaking down.
With the knowledge of hindsight, they could have taken action sooner. They had almost six hours from the time the spatial distortion waves appeared to when the base was destroyed. Evacuating the station was logical based on the information available at the time, which was why the order hadn’t been given. Now, though, knowing what they did, it was difficult to not think about everything that could have been handled differently.
Before the students could dig in deeper and threaten his tenuous composure, he decided to pivot the conversation
into the lesson. “In battle, a lot happens quickly. As much as we try to look ahead at the possible paths stemming from each action, we are often forced to make decisions based on the information available in the moment. Sometimes, we will learn later that there was a better course, but we must remind ourselves that we’re not omniscient. So long as we make the best choice available to us at each juncture based on what we know, we can accept the outcome. Though you won’t always like it, it’s justified. We can’t dwell on what we can’t change. However, we can be informed by history and set ourselves up for the best chance of long-term success by learning from the outcomes of others’ decisions.”
Jason queued up the first video. “Let’s take this engagement, for example.”
He played the video and then led the students through discussion of the tactics at the individual and squad levels. He was happy to see the students picking up on the sublties and where he was going with the explanation of making informed choices.
They then went through another example. For a time, at least, the discussion offered the kind of distraction he had been hoping for. Now, he only wished he could believe his own statements about not dwelling on the path not taken.
It wasn’t like he could snap his fingers and have everything be okay. He’d lost his best friend and longtime lover. He could still hardly acknowledge that fact, let alone have had time to work his way to acceptance. Worse, he’d seen it happen—had actually been linked with her mind. And there hadn’t been any pain on her end… she was just gone. Somehow, that made it worse. Like she’d never existed. But she had, and he’d loved her.
Emotion unexpectedly swelled in his chest again, closing his throat and stinging his eyes. He wasn’t sure what they had even been talking about. Close-quarters engagements, maybe? He took a deep breath and tried to re-focus on what the students were saying, willing himself to hold it together. Breaking down in front of his dad was one thing, but not here with a group of Initiates who looked up to him as a mentor. He was stronger than that.