Starcaster Complete Series Boxed Set

by J. N. Chaney

  “Alright,” Urbanek said, turning back to the stunned Nyctus. “Now that that unpleasantness is out of the way, shall we begin?”

  16

  “I don’t know, Thorn,” Kira said. “What do you think? I’d just as soon leave Morgan well away from all this.”

  Thorn stared at the viewscreen mounted on the wall of the quarters he’d been assigned aboard the Memphis. Actual viewports, physical openings in the hull of a ship, had finally been phased out by the ON in its newer ships. They were an anachronism, a hangover from the distant days of wet navies, when there were good reasons to have ways for the crew to look directly out of the ship. They were no longer necessary and just made weak spots in the hull. High-res view screens, switchable between sensors across the EM spectrum, were far more efficient anyway.

  As fancy as it was, though, the viewscreen didn’t show much. Thorn had selected a view into deep space because he’d seen more than enough of warships and military hardware.

  He sighed and turned back to Kira. “I don’t know either. On the one hand, I want to keep her as far away from the Nyctus as possible. But on the other, Urbanek and Densmore have a point. If anyone can tell asshole Nyctus like Falunis from ones we can actually work with, it would be her.”

  “What are you guys talking about? Me?”

  They both jumped. Morgan sat on—actually, a few centimeters above—Thorn’s bed. She was dressed in scruffy overalls, spattered with grease and oil, and had her hair pulled back in a ponytail.

  “You’re filthy, kid,” Kira said, trying to look severe. The smile kind of killed the menace, though.

  “Yeah, I’m helping Asher fix the little tractor. Check out my hands!”

  She held them up, revealing palms stained midnight black.

  “Gross,” Thorn said, then raised an eyebrow. “You call him Asher, now?”

  She shrugged. “It was their idea. They said that mom and dad and words like that should belong to you guys.”

  Thorn smiled fondly. Again, he was thankful for such fine foster parents. His daughter was in excellent hands.

  “What made you decide to project yourself right now, Morgan?” Kira asked.

  “I could tell you guys were thinking about me pretty hard. Like you were worried about me. I just wanted to say I’m fine, everything’s fine.”

  “That’s great to hear, kid, but we’re not really worried about you where you are,” Thorn said, then went on to explain what Urbanek and Densmore had proposed.

  “But we’re really worried about bringing you back into contact with the Nyctus,” Kira put in. “That’s probably what you were sensing.” She glanced at Thorn. “By the way, remind me that if we ever want to do anything without the kid knowing about it, I’ll need to Shade us.”

  Thorn lifted his eyebrows suggestively. “Oh, there are a few things I’d prefer she not know about, alright. Like . . . kis—"

  Morgan groaned. “Gross! Get a room!”

  They shared a laugh, but all fell serious again. “So they want me to come there and tell them who’s a Monster and who’s a Radiant?”

  “That’s right.”

  “I’ll do it.”

  Kira gave Thorn an uneasy glance. “Morgan, you’d be facing some of the Nyctus you call Monsters. That includes the one you named—”

  “Falunis. Yeah. I especially want to see her,” Morgan said, her face darkening.

  “Uh, Morgan, I get that you hate her, and I don’t blame you one bit,” Thorn said. “We both hate her, too. But hurting or killing her isn’t going to help end this war.”

  “Oh, I know. I’m not going to do anything to her. But she won’t know that.”

  Kira actually laughed. “That’s evil, kid. Sounds like something I’d do. I love it.”

  Thorn raised a hand. “Nice to see mother and daughter bonding over the idea of psychologically torturing an alien, but you need to think about this really hard, Morgan. You need to give a lot of thought to what it’s going to be like to face—”

  “Geez, I said I’d do it,” Morgan said, rolling her eyes. “When do I leave?”

  As much as it worried Thorn to have Morgan come aboard the Memphis, he took comfort in the fact that Mol was the one bringing her here. He wouldn’t trust the safety of his daughter to many people, but Mol was definitely one of them.

  The Gyrfalcon settled onto the Memphis’s hangar deck with a clunk. Thorn watched on the viewscreen as the big doors rolled shut and the deck began to pressurize. The carrier had her hangar compartmentalized, so only small parts of it had to be exposed to space, but her hangar crews were trained to work in vacuum, too. On a split screen, he saw the Marines’ two assault shuttles settle into a separate bay. Major Fenton had apparently insisted on remaining Morgan’s security detail. He’d cited her critical importance to the ON, but Thorn knew the real reason—he and his company of tough, trained killers had been utterly charmed by their twelve-year-old charge.

  When the airlock into the hangar deck finally cycled open, Morgan flew out, straight into Kira’s arms.

  “Woah! We haven’t been apart that long,” Kira said, laughing.

  “I know. I just miss you guys.” She let go of Kira and hugged Thorn. “Hey, Dad.”

  “Hey, kid.”

  Boots clomped across the deck. Fenton and his Gunnery Sergeant strode into view, a full squad of Marines in full battle rattle right behind them.

  “Hey there, Major. Expecting trouble?” Thorn asked.

  Fenton stopped and nodded. “Always. And doubly so when there are squids involved. So, if you don’t mind, we’re going to keep a close eye on Miss Bossy Boots here, a full squad at all times.”

  “Miss Bossy Boots?”

  The Gunnery Sergeant leaned forward. “She’s the one who really commands this company, sir. Major Fenton here just follows orders.”

  “He’s not wrong,” Fenton said.

  Thorn grinned, mentally adding Fenton and his Marines to the list of people he’d definitely keep trusting with his daughter’s safety.

  He turned his grin on Morgan. “Okay, let’s get you settled in, Miss Bossy Boots, and then we’ll put you to work.”

  “You’re going to call me that from now on, aren’t you, Dad?” she asked Thorn as they started along the corridor.

  “Only until you’re married, should we find someone to take that task on. Then you’ll be Missus Bossy Boots.”

  The door opened, admitting the first of the Nyctus. Thorn and Kira stayed close to Morgan, flanking her in a protective bubble of wary readiness. It struck him that, between the three of them, they could probably deliver as much destructive effect as the entire ON fleet, and, if pressed, much, much more. Still, it felt good to have such dedicated and competent people watching over her.

  Urbanek sat at the head of the table once again, Densmore by his side. Tanner had returned to the Hecate, keeping station nearby, to deal with some staff problems. He kept himself plugged in over the comm, though. Damien stood at the other end of the table, switching his attention between the Nyctus, as they filed in, and Morgan.

  She watched each of the Nyctus carefully, in turn, as they entered. She either gave a nod or shook her head to identify each as a Monster or a Radiant—her terminology, but Urbanek had decided to adopt it for ON use. When Falunis entered, she stood and stepped forward.

  “Hi, there, Falunis. Are you having fun yet?” she asked.

  The humans all smirked and grinned, expressions that suddenly switched to surprise and alarm as Fenton suddenly flung himself forward and bowled over a Nyctus, bludgeoning it with his sidearm, which he then trained on the alien’s head. Thorn immediately drew magic to him, a ready reservoir poised to defend or attack.

  “What the hell was that?” Fenton snapped.

  The Nyctus, bleeding and obviously dazed, luminesced its confusion and anger. “I was merely greeting the child!”

  Fenton’s aim didn’t waver a millimeter. “By waving your tentacles around?”

  “It is part
of how we greet others.”

  “But it’s also how you do magic, right?”

  “It is, but—”

  “Then use your voice from now on, or the next time I hit you, it’s gonna be fatal.”

  The Nyctus staggered to its feet. Morgan shrugged.

  “He’s a Monster anyway,” she said, waving a dismissive hand.

  “I object to the presence of his child,” Falunis spat.

  Fenton, who’d just holstered his weapon, planted his hand on it again. “Oh, please, say that again, but wave your tentacles around while you do.”

  Falunis’s dermis rippled with contempt, and a forced, but unconvincing, display of anger. “And you humans call us the Monsters,” she snapped. “You are only too ready to kill.”

  Thorn strode forward. “First of all, we only call some of you Monsters. Morgan’s helping us sort out exactly which ones of you deserve the title. Second, yeah, we take a dim view of anyone who tortures our children. Kind of irritates us. It also convinces us that you deserve to be called a Monster, Falunis. But, by all means, continue objecting.”

  Fenton grinned. “Oh, please continue objecting.”

  Falunis turned to Urbanek. “Is this how you conduct negotiations? By allowing your underlings to make threats and attempting to intimidate us?”

  Urbanek, who sat casually, one ankle crossed on his other knee, fingers steepled in front of him, shrugged. “Seems to be working. And who am I to argue with success?”

  “What amuses me is that you think these are negotiations,” Densmore quipped, looking even more relaxed than Urbanek.

  Urbanek nodded. “Yes, about that. These are negotiations in the sense that we’re going to tell you what we want you to do, and you’re going to do it.” He leaned forward, his casual attitude suddenly replaced by alloy-hard resolve. “That’s what happens when you start a war and then lose it.”

  Falunis started to speak again, but Winuk cut her off. “Falunis, that is enough—” he started, but she just stood.

  “We haven’t lost this war yet,” she snapped, then turned and stormed out of the room.

  Urbanek glanced at Fenton. “Major, make sure she has an escort back to her quarters.”

  “No problem, sir. Should she stumble into a faulty airlock along the way? Suffer a tragic accident?”

  “Don’t tempt me, Major.”

  Fenton smiled and left, and Urbanek turned to the remaining Nyctus. Before he could speak, though, Winuk stood.

  “Admiral Urbanek, please allow me to apologize for Falunis. She is among those who are having difficulty accepting the reality of the situation,” he said.

  “It’s not me you need to apologize to,” Urbanek replied and gestured toward Morgan, Thorn, and Kira.

  Winuk turned to face them. “Of course. I have actually been waiting for this moment.” Thorn tensed as the old Nyctus came around the table and stopped in front of Morgan. Fenton, who’d returned from making sure Falunis was properly overseen, reached for his sidearm again.

  But Morgan just smiled. “You’re not a Monster. I’d share a current with you.”

  “I am very pleased to hear that, child, even if I don’t believe I deserve it.” He raised his tentacles and placed one on each of Morgan’s shoulders, then a third on her head. Another wave of tension swept through the room, but Morgan just crossed her arms and placed her own hands on the tentacles resting on her shoulders.

  “On behalf of my people, I am so sorry about what we did to you, child. It is a shame we shall carry into the deeps with us.” Winuk looked at Kira and Thorn. “I offer the same apology to you, her parents. I understand your anger toward us. We have earned it. Now, we have to earn your forgiveness and your trust.”

  “That’s going to take a while,” Thorn said.

  “Of course it will. I am sure I won’t be alive to see that day.”

  But Thorn shook his head. “Don’t be so certain. You’ve just taken a huge step on the right road.” He locked his gaze on Winuk’s. “Thank you.”

  The old Nyctus turned back to Urbanek. “Now then, it’s time for you to tell us those things you want us to do, and for us to commit to doing them. Let us begin with two clear hearts, shall we?”

  As the discussion went on, Morgan bit her lip and studied the Nyctus. Some of their leanings were obvious, such as the case of Falunis and Winuk, the first clearly a Monster, the second, a Radiant. She muttered to Thorn and Kira as she considered the others.

  “That one, just speaking, I’d share a current with him.”

  “Okay, that one, she flashes too quick, and too red when she does. I don’t trust her.”

  “That one, he’s definitely a Radiant. I can tell from the way his gills move.”

  By the time she was done, Morgan had identified four other Nyctus, besides Winuk, who she considered Radiants, and therefore trustworthy. She was unsure about four more but leaned toward not trusting them. The remaining three, which included Falunis, were definitely Monsters.

  “So do you want the ones Morgan has named as Monsters ejected from the proceedings?” Densmore asked once the discussions had finished for the day.

  “Or an airlock?” Thorn put in.

  “Again, don’t tempt me,” Urbanek replied. “But it’s no to both. I don’t want to encourage this factionism among the squids any more than I have to.”

  Tanner’s voice spoke out of the comm. “Best to keep them close anyway, so you can keep an eye on them.”

  “I don’t want to give them too much airtime, though,” Urbanek replied. “We run the risk of these talks becoming about them and their grievances.” He turned to the comm. “Galen, what progress have we made on that little project the Nyctus asked us about?”

  “On schedule. A little ahead, in fact.”

  Thorn exchanged a confused look with Kira. “Sir, is this something we don’t need to know about? Because if so, we can leave—”

  “No, not at all. In fact, getting you and Wixcombe read into this was pretty much next on my to-do list. Galen, I’m going to send Stellers, Wixcombe, and their daughter over to the Hecate. You can take them to visit the project.”

  “Roger that. As soon as they’re aboard, we’ll be on our way,” Tanner replied.

  Kira looked at Urbanek, then at Thorn, then at Urbanek again. “The project?”

  Thorn shrugged. “Beats me.”

  Densmore laughed. “I don’t know why, but this restores some of my faith in the way the world’s supposed to work.”

  Thorn glanced at her. “Ma’am?”

  She laughed again. “There’s finally something going on in the ON that you don’t know about, Stellers, but I do. You know, the way it’s supposed to be?”

  Thorn just stared at the massive ship hanging in space over Code Gauntlet. “A colony ship?”

  Tanner, his eyes fixed on the tactical display in the Hecate’s new CIC, nodded. “The squids, or at least the ones your daughter calls Radiants, secretly contacted the ON a few months ago. At the time, it was the Monsters that were running the show over there. But these good-guy squid knew the writing was on the bulkhead. They were losing ground to us and trying to hold off the Bilau. They figured they had to make peace with one of us and decided we were the better bet.”

  “But what’s that got to do with colony ships, sir?” Kira asked.

  “The Nyctus are well aware they’re balanced on a knife edge here. The Bilau aren’t going to stop driving into their territory, and there aren’t that many hydro-planets to begin with. They’re looking for our help in, ah, what amounts to relocating their entire civilization,” Tanner replied.

  Thorn crossed his arms. “Holy shit. How did we keep this under wraps so long, sir?”

  “It was easy, at least until these colony ships got big enough that we couldn’t really hide them anymore.”

  “Colony ships? There are more than one?” Kira asked.

  “Seven, in fact. They’re based on an experimental water hauler, designed to harvest water from comets
and bring it to outposts and installations that need it. We’ve worked with some Nyctus engineers to modify them, which wasn’t hard, since they were designed to actually haul water. We’ve got six under construction, and the Imbrogul are building the seventh.”

  “So, wait. What was all that noise Winuk made about restoring the Nyctus empire and all that?” Thorn asked.

  “Good question. Based on what you said, sir, this has been going on for months, long before that delegation arrived on the Memphis,” Kira added, gesturing at the image of the nearly completed colony ship.

  “Oh, that was for the benefit of the bad-guy Nyctus, the Monsters. Winuk’s been trying to keep them in line, while also keeping them in the dark about this little joint project we’ve got going on with them. And that’s why you two didn’t know about this, either. We’ve kept the circle of knowledge as small as possible—just Admiral Urbanek, myself, about a hundred ON staff officers, and a few thousand construction personnel.”

  “Wow. We’re way better at keeping secrets than I thought we were,” Thorn said.

  “Yes, well, to be blunt, we particularly wanted to keep you two out of the picture, along with the rest of the Starcaster Corps. If anyone was likely to go, uh, mind-to-mind with the Nyctus, it would be you.” He gave a thin smile. “But now that these ships are getting to be the size of small moons, there wasn’t much point keeping up the secrecy.”

  “It was Alys Densmore’s idea, all the subterfuge and circle-of-knowledge stuff, wasn’t it?” Kira asked.

  “I can neither confirm nor deny that,” Tanner said, nodding vigorously. “In any case, Winuk will be arriving shortly for a tour of their new colony ship. He’d like you two to accompany him, along with your daughter, if possible.”

  “All due respect, sir, but I think we’d rather leave Morgan here, aboard the Hecate,” Kira said. “I know she’s good with it, but I still get nervous having her around the squids.”

  “Yeah, I agree,” Thorn said.

  “Fair enough. The crew’s already fallen in love with her, so there’ll be no shortage of people willing to keep her entertained.”