by Eric Warren
He reached over and placed the tracking device on Greene’s desk. “Veena had this stashed on my ship without my knowledge. She was using it to monitor our conversations anytime I used my comm as well as track our progress. She’s been shadowing us this whole time.”
“How do you know it’s her and not one of her…underlings?” Greene asked.
“Her first lieutenant was down on the colony. In all the years I worked for her I never saw them apart. He doesn’t leave her side. Her ship is close somewhere. And we need to find her before she finds the Achlys.”
“I can’t disagree,” Greene said. “Any Coalition technology in the hands—”
“This isn’t just about Coalition technology,” Cas said. “This is about a weapon.”
“A weapon?” Greene asked. Evie finally moved, her eyes finding Cas.
“My mission, as outlined by Admiral Rutledge, is to find the Achlys. Not because of the missing crew or because the ship is sentimental to him. But because its mission was to develop a new type of weapon to combat the Sil.”
Greene leaned forward, but didn’t interrupt. Cas took a deep breath. It was now or never.
“Seven years ago, the Achlys wasn’t off-course in Sil space. It was there on purpose. We were looking for a civilian craft, something we could cannibalize and reverse engineer its weapon systems. Because the Sil weaponry is so much more advanced than ours, Rutledge and a few choice officers couldn’t stand the idea we were technologically inferior to them. But they didn’t want to send us up against one of their warships. We never would have made it. But even their civilian craft are shown to have powerful offensive systems. Our job was to capture one of them, eject the occupants into escape pods to be found later, then tow the ship back to Coalition space for study.”
“You were part of his mission?” Greene asked.
Cas didn’t bother looking at Evie. “I was. As first officer I was tasked with firing on the ship when we came into range. However when the time came I refused, instead disabling the weapons systems and funneling a coded message to the Sil warning them of our intentions.”
Greene watched him intently. “No wonder Rutledge hates you.”
“Yes, sir. The rest you know. Rutledge was promoted then put in charge of the project. I’m assuming the mission was a success and ever since they have been working on building the weapon directly onboard the Achlys.”
“Which is why it has its own dry dock floating out there.”
“Yes sir.”
Greene turned to Evie. “Commander, did you know about this?”
“No one knew, sir. I kept it under strict confidence. Rutledge even confirmed to me he never told Commander Diazal anything about why she was retrieving me,” Cas said before she could speak.
Greene turned back to him. “And now this…Veena, knows?”
“I’ve been discussing the mission at length with Box aboard my ship. He’s been aware of my unfortunate past for a long time. Obviously he’s not about to say anything. He knows if he does it would put me in an awkward situation, not to mention I’d disassemble him and incorporate the parts into my ship.” He took a breath. “I can only assume Veena’s overheard everything we’ve said.”
Greene ran his hand down his chin. “That’s very unsettling, Mr. Robeaux.” He took a deep breath and stood, turning to look out at the stars beyond, Car’pr itself coming into view. The window darkened automatically to shade their eyes from the intense light. “How close is the weapon to being finished?”
“From what I can infer, close. Rutledge seemed on edge about it, determined to find it as soon as possible. That tells me they were either close or already in the testing phase. He wouldn’t be so anxious otherwise.”
“Damn,” Greene whispered. “If the Sargans get their hands on that we’d have a major war on our plate.” He dropped his head for a moment, then turned back to them. “I haven’t been happy about this from the start. The subterfuge, the hiding in the shadows. I certainly don’t like being kept unaware on my own mission.” He took his seat again. “Why would Rutledge and others risk a possible war with the Sil for a weapon we don’t need? We haven’t been hostile with the Sil in almost a hundred years. We have a treaty for a reason.”
Cas leaned forward. “Sir, the longer I served under Captain Rutledge the more I began to see he’d do anything to protect the Coalition. Even against threats he only perceives. As time went on he became more open to the idea. I don’t know if he developed it independently or as part of a group within the Coalition, but he’s always been an integral part.”
“And now he’s risking the safety of a few trillion life forms because he can’t contain his paranoia. No wonder they didn’t want us to know.” Greene turned to Evie. “Commander, you’re being awfully quiet.”
“Captain, I must confess something,” Evie said. “Cas told me about the mission, but he left out the part about the weapon. Had I known I would have come to you immediately. I’ve known about the rest ever since before we landed on D’jattan.”
Cas couldn’t read Greene’s face. Evie was resolute, however.
“I see,” Greene said. “I appreciate your honesty.”
“Sir, there’s something else. I also informed Mr. Robeaux about his impending arrest. I believe it almost led to a confrontation that could have put this ship in danger.”
“How so?” Greene asked, his face unreadable.
“Because as soon as she told me I panicked,” Cas said. “I was going to try and run again, and I almost did.”
“Ah,” Greene said. “The prisoners. You found them on your way out.”
“Something like that.”
Greene turned back to Evie. “Commander. Given the circumstances, I can’t blame you for your actions. Arresting this man for attempting to preserve life is a perversion of our laws and I do not agree with it. You made a judgment call based on the available information. Though I do wish you’d come to me earlier.”
“There’s no proof,” Cas said. “It’s Rutledge’s word against my own.” Evie glanced at him.
“You were the only one who mutinied?” Greene asked. “Out of everyone else on the ship and the space dock?”
“After the…incident and we lost twenty-four of our crew…” Cas paused, trying not to see their faces in his memory. “Rutledge announced he’d be taking responsibility for what happened. He said it was his crew and he was responsible for all of us.”
“As any good captain is,” Greene said. “But that didn’t happen.”
Cas shook his head. “As soon as we were back he threw me in front of the ethics committee for mutiny and as being the person responsible for those twenty-four deaths. No one came to my defense. Probably because they didn’t want to share my fate. Anyone who spoke out against him would be court-martialed. But he also recruits loyal officers. Some no doubt agreed with his actions.”
“This is almost incredulous,” Greene said. “Coalition officers, conspiring to undermine our very principles.” He took a breath. “Does Rutledge want a war?”
“I’m not sure. I can’t speak to that point.”
Greene shook his head. “What a mess. It seems our goals are now two-fold. Find the Achlys—hopefully someone is still alive who can corroborate your story; and stop the Sargans from taking control of the ship.”
“Sir, assuming you’re not confining me to quarters for my decisions, I’d like to interview the prisoners,” Evie said. “They may have information about Veena’s location or plans. Anything they may have overheard.”
“Commander,” Greene said, his eyes softening. “I’m not going to punish you for making a moral decision. That’s counterproductive. There have been far too many bad decisions regarding this matter and we’re not going to add to the problem. Interview them as soon as you can.”
“Box and I may be able to use that,” Cas said, indicating the tracker on Greene’s desk. “To ping back on her location. It was sending a signal somewhere; if we can track that signal we can fin
d her.”
“What are the odds she’ll find the ship before we do?” Greene asked.
“She’s intelligent, capable, and resourceful. I don’t think we can assume she won’t find it first. Especially since she has a bevy of ships at her command. They can cover a lot more ground than we can.”
Greene stood. “Very well. Begin with your assignments. I want status updates on the hour.”
Cas and Evie stood in unison. “Yes, sir,” they said almost at once.
For once, it felt good to say.
28
“Why didn’t you tell me about the weapon?” Evie asked as they made their way across the bridge to the hypervator.
Cas glanced over to the bridge crew. Page seemed surprised to see them walking out together and produced a sneer of disgust in response. The only friendly face was Zaal’s holographic one. He also made a small motion with his hand Cas took as a wave. He waved back.
“I was under orders not to reveal it.” Cas shrugged.
Evie scoffed. “You’re telling me you didn’t say anything because you were ordered not to?” The doors opened and they entered.
He relented. “Okay. I didn’t want you to have to make the hard choice. I knew if I told you you’d have no choice but to go to Greene. And I didn’t want to put you in that position.”
“Uh huh. Mister altruistic. What you really mean is you didn’t want the captain to know you were involved in an illegal operation to procure military goods for the Coalition.”
He smiled sheepishly. “That too. Knowing about the mission comes with consequences. As you’ve seen first-hand.”
She shook her head. “I can’t believe Coalition officers did this. It’s just…wrong.”
“I agree.”
She turned to him. “And it cost you your career. Your freedom. Did you know when you disabled the weapons and sent the message? Did you know then what would happen?”
“It was in the back of my mind. I knew the most likely outcome. If the Sil didn’t find and destroy us first I’d have to face the consequences. Just like I knew when I commed you about those prisoners. When it’s just me, or me and Box things don’t matter as much. But when other people are involved—”
“But you were willing to sacrifice the crew of the Achlys…”
“To stop a war. Yes.”
She smiled. “You’re turning out to be more interesting than I first gave you credit for,” she said, her shoulders relaxing. “When you’re not drunk.”
He laughed. “Thanks. I think. I’ve managed to keep myself out of jail this long, and it looks like I’ve been given a stay of execution. But it won’t really matter in the end.”
“What do you mean?”
“Once we get back, Rutledge will have me arrested anyway. I hope he doesn’t decide you and the captain were conspiring with me. Greene might have hell to pay for not arresting me immediately.”
“The captain can hold his own, don’t worry about him. He’s also not going to let this injustice continue any longer than necessary. When we get back I’m sure he’ll push for a full inquiry.”
Cas shook his head. “I just don’t know. Without any evidence it still comes back down to my word against his.”
“Then we need to find some evidence,” she replied. The hypervator doors opened back on the sickbay level. Evie glanced at the tracker in his hand. “Get that down to engineering. They’ll help you to find the source.”
“When you talk to them,” Cas said, still looking at it. “Thank them for me. And talk to Setsemeh; he overheard something. Or…he indicated he did.”
“I’ll be thorough.” She stepped out, turning to look at him. “It was nice of you to try and protect me back there. But I don’t need your help. I can take responsibility for my own actions.”
“Noted.”
“Good luck, Cas.”
“You too.”
The hypervator doors closed.
***
“So will you be having sex now?” Box asked as they made their way to main engineering. Cas had swung back by Bay One and informed Box of their current plans, dragging him away from the ship repairs.
“No! Stop talking about sex so much,” Cas said. “I think all I’ve done is convince her I’m not a flight risk. That’s a long way from a relationship.”
“But it’s closer,” Box said, drawing out the last word. He broke into a tune.
“Back before she hated your face,
and now you’re a little closer.
Back before she hated your guts,
And now you’re a little closer,”
“Stop, please,” Cas said. “Why are you in such a good mood?”
“Because! We didn’t have to become fugitives. Again. I don’t like being on the run all the time. Plus when you get arrested I get the ship.”
“How many times do I have to tell you, robots can’t—”
“Excuse me.” Cas looked up to a young crewman who stood a few meters away, staring at them.
“Oh…did you hear all that?” he asked.
“How did I sound?” Box added.
“Um…I’m here to escort you to engineering to see Commander Sesster,” the crewman said.
“Right. Thanks, crewman…”
“Pearson,” the young man said.
“Lead the way,” Cas said, following him down the corridor with Box tagging behind.
“Have you ever met a Claxian before?” Pearson asked.
“A few. Back when I was in the service. Never been to the homeworld, though.”
Pearson nodded. He wasn’t being as antagonistic as some of the others. Was the crew warming to him or was Pearson just a one-off case? He couldn’t be sure. “I’d never met one until I started serving on Tempest. He’s a sight to behold.”
“Interesting choice of words,” Cas said. Pearson chuckled along.
The Claxians were an ancient race, already traveling among the stars by the time humans were inventing written language. They were the primary reason technology had advanced as quickly as it had; having developed most of what the Coalition themselves used today. They were the ones to discover the undercurrents and how to transverse them safely, and thus had a hand in developing every Coalition engine that used them. Unique among all the races of the Coalition, the Claxians had no eyes or optical sensors at all; instead navigating their environments through touch and mental speech. They weren’t even technically bipedal, being made up more like a starfish with five distinct tentacles that served as either hands or feet, depending on the need. But at the end of those tentacles-each ending in five smaller “fingers”—were highly sensitive receptors which, combined with their mental abilities, gave the Claxians great insight into how the universe and its underlying properties worked. They were genius engineers, a species Cas had always looked up to, despite knowing he would never be on their level.
“In here,” Pearson said, leading them through a large door that rolled to the side as if on an ancient pulley.
Before them stood the main engineering department.
Four giant conduits dominated the room, two starting at the top of the room and continuing down to the floor where they disappeared down two dark tunnels, and two more which started at the floor and extended to the ceiling where they likewise disappeared through two more identical tunnels. These were the power conduits for the emitters that kept the tunnels open during travel, each one ten times the size Cas had on the Reasonable Excuse. In the center of the room there was a three-sided master systems display with workstations flanking it to the left and the right. And there, in the back of the room, resting in a mold shaped perfectly for a Claxian, was the chief engineer, lying in the cradle as his tentacles worked different systems within the mold. A catwalk circled above the engineer himself with more workstations up there to monitor not only the ship, but the engineer’s status.
Cas was struck by the size of it all. Despite the ship being compact and stealth, main engineering had left nothing to the imagination.
“May I present, Lieutenant Commander Sesster,” Pearson said.
As he said the name, one of the tentacles rose, as if sensing something. Sesster pushed himself out of the cradle, then using his tentacles, cartwheeled over to Cas and Box.
Hello.
“Hello, Commander,” Cas said, staring up at the four-meter tall alien. “Nice ship you have here.”
Your jealousy does not become you, Caspian Robeaux.
Cas laughed.
“What’s so funny?” Box asked.
“The commander here just caught me in some self-indulgence,” Cas explained. “I forgot you were empathetic.”
Not everyone is receptive to my thoughts. Only a certain few. I have heard of your exploits. For what it is worth, I don’t believe all of them.
“Thank you,” Cas said. “I appreciate that. I’ll assume you’re the genius behind the undercurrent drive on this thing. They told me it’s almost twice as fast.”
My kindred developed the technology; I only implement it. I understand you’ve brought a tracking device for us; may I see it?
Cas held out the tracker and one of Sesster’s tentacles reached out, the fingers on the end gently picking up the device and rotating it over in his “hand”.
We can work with this. Please follow me.
Sesster rolled to one of the workstations, handing the tracker to the junior engineer manning that station. The engineer nodded at him, receiving all the guidance he would need and began hooking the device up to various diagnostic devices.
Lieutenant Page relayed information you were not to be trusted. But I sense your distrust has been excised. May we trust each other?
“We may,” Cas said.
Excellent. Ensign Tyler will assist you further. He is capable. If you have problems, return to me.
“Thank you for your help…sir,” Cas said. He didn’t want to get back into the habit of addressing Coalition officers with such formality, but he felt this was a special case. He hadn’t seen a Claxian in probably a decade. And he’d never met one he didn’t respect.