“No. It wasn’t right of me. I shouldn’t ‘bull in a china shop’ my way through your life and everything you’ve built, but I get frustrated when I feel helpless. Doesn’t everyone appreciate how you will burn down the world to protect them? How no one could ever do a more extraordinary job of protecting them than you?”
“Now you’re just flattering me.”
“Is it working?”
“Did you miss the part about where I said you were my weakness?”
They moved at the same time, their mouths meeting with a flood of passion driven by fear, desperation and resurgent hope. His fingers wound into her hair, and she smiled against his lips. “The truth is, I need you. I let Alex go, because I had to—because Caleb needs her and she needs him—but I’m not ready to believe I can do this alone.”
“You will never be alone.”
Her heart swelled, pushing aside any last remnants of anger. All these years, and her renowned good sense still abandoned her entirely beneath the tsunami of his touch. “I hope not.” Her lips danced over his cheek and across his forehead. “But you are not Richard’s Achilles’ Heel, so you might want to buff up your apology a bit before trying it out on him.”
“Trust me, I know it.” He chuckled throatily, his chest rumbling delightfully against hers. “Any chance you could put in a good word for me?”
“Don’t push it.”
“Of course, nastoyatel’.”
CONCORD HQ
For the first time since she’d woken up in a regenesis lab, Miriam didn’t experience a crippling tightness in her chest and throat when she stepped through the Caeles Prism onto Concord HQ.
She wasn’t normal quite yet; perhaps when the nightmares finally stopped, she would begin to feel like her old self. Perhaps she never would. But existing in this world no longer felt akin to stumbling through a dream—or on occasion a nightmare itself.
People bustled purposefully around her, several of them stopping long enough to salute her, and today all the activity brought her comfort instead of a burgeoning panic attack.
David had said it was merely going to take time, and maybe this was all there was to it. Time to settle into this new skin of hers, time for thought and bones to get used to one another.
She glanced down the hallway toward the levtram leading to CINT before turning in the other direction to head to her office. Despite her mild rebuke to David, she actually did intend to talk to Richard about what had happened. Not to excuse David’s actions, but to talk through them with a friend, because…she checked herself…yes. She was anxious, and possibly a little excited, to wrest back control of her life for herself. But first, she had an appointment—one that would hopefully confirm she was in fact ready to do so.
Dr. Canivon roved a scanning device over Miriam’s chest, pausing several times, then brought it up to circle her head. Next, she attached a module to Miriam’s eVi ports for several long, silent and judgmental seconds before removing it. Finally she set aside her tools, took a seat opposite Miriam’s desk and crossed one leg elegantly over the other.
“You continue to exhibit moderate signs of physiological stress, but I suspect you already knew this. And it’s possible you have always exhibited those signs, given your line of work. Otherwise, you are…” the woman shrugged faintly “…fine. Do you feel fine?”
“More so today than yesterday, which was better than the day before.”
“But not fine.”
“Not yet. Almost. I think I’ve spotted ‘fine’ on the horizon. However, I do want to recommend that our regenesis protocols include psychological counseling for those who undergo it. I fear we are not sufficiently anticipating the mental and social disruption returning from the dead elicits.”
“I’ll file the recommendation. Do you want to schedule an appointment with a therapist?”
“Oh, no. It won’t be necessary—not for me. I’m…I have David to talk to when things get challenging, and since he’s been through something similar, he understands most of my hysterical rantings. I suspect you might understand as well, though I don’t recall you experiencing any obvious difficulties when you returned to the world.”
Dr. Canivon pressed her fingertips together at her lips, an uncommon shadow flitting across her normally poised features. “Like you, I prefer to keep my challenges to myself. This does not mean I didn’t experience them.”
“Forgive me for assuming.” Miriam sighed. “The time gap is in some ways the worst of it. It’s almost as if…I got yanked out of my own timeline and dropped into someone else’s.”
“The gap being years in my case made this part easier, I think. I’d been gone for so long, and the universe literally changed both location and composition while I was gone, so I had no choice but to accept my rebirth as a new beginning. For you, I imagine you’ve been expected to simply…continue.”
“Yes. And it’s all I want to do—continue. The actual doing of it has proved more problematic than I’d hoped, but I’m grateful that nearly everyone is willing to let me try.”
“You’ve met resistance from some people? In a world steeped in frequent Anaden regenesis, I must say I’m surprised.”
“We haven’t lived here in Amaranthe long enough to internalize what regenesis truly means for individuals, for our society and for our beliefs. Many people aren’t ready to accept it. And I honestly don’t blame them. It’s going to change us all more than we anticipate. But as one of the first to venture forward on this new journey, I need to show people how it’s also going to save us. Show them I’m still the same person on the other side of regenesis.”
Dr. Canivon’s gaze drifted off. “I confess I often ask myself the same question, even twelve years later. Do you believe you are the same person?”
“That’s what I intend to find out.”
47
* * *
CONCORD HQ
Command
Miriam greeted newly minted Fleet Admiral Bastian, the Tokahe Naataan and Pointe-Amiral Thisiame with the individualized salutes traditional in their militaries. “We’ll join the Command Operations staff in the briefing room momentarily, but first I need to share with you some classified information, and an assignment.
“A Ghost squad has identified the locations of two additional Savrakath antimatter development facilities—one in a rural region on Savrak and one on its satellite. Fleet Admiral Bastian, please prepare a mission plan to destroy both facilities. Stealth-heavy, precise strikes are preferable, as I do not intend to turn Savrak territory into a full-scale warzone. I want the mission completed by 0800 CST tomorrow.”
Bastian didn’t argue. “Understood, Commandant. I’ll see it done.”
She pushed aside the whispering insecurity that came with the knowledge David had pressured the man to accept her continued leadership. For now, it was more important that he did accept it. “Thank you, Fleet Admiral. While we can’t say how many antimatter missiles are in the field, we can ensure the number will go no higher.
“In additional good news, Connova Interstellar, working closely with Special Projects, has replicated the technology behind the double-shielding on the Machim Imperiums. Within the week, we should be able to adapt it for installation on all command vessels. If field tests confirm its viability on those ships, we’ll begin gradually rolling out the shields to all vessels in our fleets capable of supporting the hardware.”
“We’ve never been able to crack the secret of their shielding. How did we suddenly replicate the technology now?”
She met Bastian’s hard stare without flinching. “We stole it. Is that a problem?”
The beginnings of a frown tugged the Fleet Admiral’s mouth down, but he shook his head. “No. We need it.”
Pinchu puffed out his chest. “This will prevent the Rasu from boarding our ships, yes?”
She smiled, keeping it professional and measured. “Yes, it will. What happened to too many ships at Namino will not happen a second time.” She gestured toward the door
. “Now, if you will accompany me.”
All two hundred ten employees of Command Operations were gathered in Briefing Room A. They included representatives from every Concord member species, including forty-eight Anadens. She’d be lying if she said she was one hundred percent comfortable with their continued presence, but none of them had betrayed Concord yet. If they had chosen to follow her rather than a motley assortment of elassons, then she would make it work.
As Miriam approached the podium, Bastian, Pinchu and Thisiame following behind her, she noted David sitting way in the back, in the far right corner.
Doesn’t everyone appreciate how you will burn down the world to protect them? How no one could ever do a more extraordinary job of protecting them than you?
She resolved then and there to find a way to be worthy of his boundless belief in her. She lifted her chin minutely, and the chatter in the room quieted down. “Thank you all for coming today. The last several weeks have tested our mettle and our resolve, but we—you—have persevered in the face of many daunting challenges. I am proud of the work Command has done. I am proud of you.
“First, let me review the status of the current conflicts we are managing. The Savrakaths remain under a red-flag designation. The procedures for dealing with a red-flagged species are well established, and our forces will continue to obey them. After the Savrakath military callously bombed an AEGIS R&R vessel on a humanitarian mission, we have implemented alternative methods for evacuating Godjan refugees from Savrak, and this work continues apace.
“Regarding the ongoing dispute with the Anaden Senator and certain other Anaden elassons: the Senate has opened a recall proceeding to strip Ferdinand elasson-Kyvern of his position on the Concord Senate. Criminal charges have been filed against him commensurate with his actions, which include the suspected kidnapping of Navarchos Casmir elasson-Machim and the orchestration of the recent attack on Concord HQ. If other Concord personnel are discovered to have participated in Senator Ferdinand’s crimes, they will be dealt with accordingly.”
The door to the briefing room opened, and Richard and Will quietly slipped inside. Shortly before her meeting with the fleet commanders, she’d gotten word they had identified and arrested Ferdinand’s CINT mole this morning, a Kyvern ela who worked as a shift supervisor in network security. One more obstacle overcome; one more path cleared. One more way she owed them both a greater debt than she could ever repay.
“But the actions of a few rogue elassons are not the actions of the Anaden people. Every Anaden in this room today has reaffirmed their commitment and dedication to the cause and mission of Command, and I take each of you at your word. Know that you are welcome here.
“However, we need to acknowledge the reality that a good portion of the Machim fleet is under the control of Ferdinand elasson-Kyvern and those who support his revolt. Therefore, any Machim warship approaching Concord HQ will be quarantined and detained while its captain is interviewed and the purpose for its presence determined. We will not fire first on any Anaden vessel, but we will defend our stations, our worlds and our people from aggression.
“In addition, heightened travel restrictions are in effect for Anaden civilians. No one will be prevented from accessing Concord property, but anyone not previously cleared will be watched. I regret the need to take these actions, but the blame for their necessity lies at Ferdinand elasson-Kyvern’s feet.”
She worked to soften her countenance just a touch. Everyone here now knew she was not invincible, and to pretend otherwise would only serve to alienate them further.
“Finally, and most importantly, we need to discuss the elephant haunting the corners of our rooms: the Rasu. Our first battle against this enemy took a heavy toll on us all. It took a heavy toll on me personally, and I am grateful to be standing here before you once again. Thank you for your continued trust. I will endeavor above all to never let you or the great people of Concord down.
“All servicepeople who lost their lives in the Battle of Namino will be receiving posthumous Concord Stars, in recognition of their heroic sacrifice.” She gazed to her left, then her right. “Tokahe Naataan, Pointe-Amiral, your ships and your people bore the brunt of the Rasu’s savagery. Please, accept my heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathies, on behalf of everyone at Command.”
After their acknowledgments, she returned her attention to the room. “The fight against the Rasu is just beginning. They are unlike any species we have ever encountered, but this will not keep us from defeating them. Doing so will require much of us. But as my friend Aristide Vranas once said at a crucial moment in humanity’s history, we did not come this far by being afraid. So we must not be afraid now—instead we must be clever and stalwart, ingenious and resolute. We must transform our concept of what it means to engage in warfare. We must develop new weapons, new defenses and new tactics and use them to defeat this new enemy.
“The first steps on the road to accomplishing such feats have already been taken. A lot of hard work yet lies ahead of us, but know that we will accomplish our goals. We will match the Rasu on the field of battle and emerge victorious, however many times it takes to vanquish the enemy and protect our citizens.” She nodded sharply. “So let’s get to work.”
48
* * *
IMPERIUM ALPHA
Savrak Stellar System
Casmir strode down the Imperium’s bridge to the overlook, a bounce almost livening his steps. The bridge of a warship had always been his true home, but now it offered added benefits as well. He was relieved to escape from the alternating isolation of his confinement and the relentless bombardment of sniping and bickering among the other elassons.
For the first time in many days, he felt a taste of…freedom. If he wanted to, he could take the Imperium and run. Leave all this madness behind.
His ingrained, genetic sense of duty compelled him to remain, however. He was lucky, for unlike the other elassons, he’d received that which he most craved: orders from a superior officer. Ferdinand would wreck a room upon hearing it, but Casmir viewed Commandant Solovy as the supreme military leader in this corner of the universe. Standing on his own against Ferdinand, against Otto and Hannah and the other elassons, had been exhausting, but having the commandant’s implicit if secret blessing gave him the strength to endure it.
Still, it was exhausting, and it pleased him to leave it behind for the familiar embrace of the Imperium bridge and the purpose of a new mission. The Savrakaths had overstayed their welcome by a fair amount and proved themselves unworthy of civilized society; they were nothing more than a failed Kat experiment foolishly let out of the lab, and they needed to be brought in line or, if necessary, annihilated.
He’d start by wiping out their unearned technology and weaponry, then destroying their remaining military capability. Finally, if it proved helpful, he’d send in ground troops. He found himself almost missing the Ch’mshak, as they were uniquely suited for such cleanup operations, but Machim soldiers were fully capable of handling the job.
He doubted it was going to be necessary to send them in, though. The Savrakaths were paper tigers, all snarl and spittle and no backbone. They tossed about their new antimatter weapons with no appreciation for what it meant to wield weapons of such destructive power. And without those weapons, they were nothing but backwater lizards only half-crawled out of the swamp.
As he studied the tactical profile he’d developed for the mission, he found himself wishing he knew the locations of all their antimatter labs, for they needed to be his first targets. Then again, if he eliminated every military installation on the planet and in space, he’d surely take them out along the way.
The yellow-and-green silhouette of Savrak came into view as they decelerated, but his attention quickly shifted to the barren satellite orbiting the planet. “Target all structures on the lunar surface, starting with the location marked Target A1 on the tactical map. Fire when ready.”
Six hours later, all Savrak lunar facilities lay in
broken ruins, naught but debris floating off into the void. So, too, did the military headquarters on the northern outskirts of Savradin and the three shipyards situated a hundred kilometers into the swamp.
Only the headquarters had put up more than the most token of resistances, and it involved a few dozen conventional missiles and a handful of hastily launched fighter jets. All were disposed of without fanfare. No antimatter missiles had been directed their way yet, which likely meant the entire supply was loaded on warships—warships sure to now be frantically speeding home from patrols. This should not present a problem, for Casmir had some ideas on how to negate the antimatter advantage as well.
But next up on the target list was a facility outside one of the smaller Savrak cities. It had been labeled ‘military training’ by Command analysts, though whether the Savrakaths provided the name or this had been Command’s reasoned judgment, he couldn’t say. But it was a trivial matter to destroy it. A single laser fired from the Imperium would suffice.
“Prepare to fire on Target C3 on my—”
A roiling plume of flame rocked the low, sprawling structure in the distance. Had the weapons officer jumped the gun? No. Did one of the other ships in his fleet take it upon themselves to fire? A quick check of their constantly updating status negated this possibility as well.
Had the Savrakaths blown up their own facility rather than allow it to be destroyed? Absurd and pointless. “Report!”
His XO studied three separate screens. “We’re picking up multiple small fighter-type vessels in the vicinity.”
“Savrakath in origin?” Was it possible they had blown up their own facility?
“Checking, sir.” He leaned over to study the XO’s visuals, which displayed three fighters crisscrossing above the structure as they fired upon it a second time. He squinted to make certain…AEGIS fighters?
Inversion (Riven Worlds Book Two) Page 29