by Ryk Brown
The red-haired woman in the middle of the group was the first to speak to Kata, rising from the circle of women around her and walking toward her. “You’re Kata Mun, aren’t you?” she asked, almost in disbelief. “I’ve seen you on the news feeds.” Her face suddenly became animated. “Then she was lying, we’re not on Earth. We must still be in the Tau Ceti system!”
“No, no,” Kata disagreed, “we’re not in the Tau Ceti system. They weren’t lying to you. We are on Earth. I’ve seen it, flown over it. I’ve even seen it from orbit.”
Kaya Allemahn’s face became crestfallen. “But…”
“I know, it’s impossible, but it’s true. We are on Earth. There is no denying it.”
“Then the Jung were lying?” another women asked.
“Yes, they were…about everything,” Kata replied.
“Then how… I mean, why are you here?” Kaya wondered. “Did the Jung take you as well?”
“How is a long story, why is simple… Wait… Did you just say take? As in ‘against your will’?”
“Yes,” Kaya replied. “We were all taken against our will, and sold to the Jung.”
“How…” Kata stumbled, nearly speechless. “How long have you been…uh…”
“A slave?” Kaya looked down again. “Three years. Three very long years.”
“Have all of these girls been slaves that long?”
“Some more, some less.”
“My God,” Kata muttered in disbelief. “We had no idea. Are you willing to talk about it on camera?” she asked Kaya. She looked out at the rest of them. “I can get messages to all your families. It may take some time, but I promise you, they will soon know that you are all alive and well, I swear it.” She looked at Kaya again. “These people, the Alliance, the people of Earth… They are not our enemies. They will not hurt you. I am sure of it. Would you like to record a message for your family?”
Kaya’s eyes began to tear up. “Yes, please,” she replied in a squeaky, almost inaudible voice. She swallowed hard, wiping away her tears. “We all would.”
Kata looked up, past Kaya Allemahn, at the rest of the women in the dormitory, as they all began to move toward her and her porta-cam operator.
* * *
Deliza and Yanni walked down the Mirai’s boarding ramp. Deliza stopped a few steps from the bottom, scanning the various faces on the tarmac, hoping to see someone she knew.
The airbase they had landed on once belonged to the Jung. Now, its various hangars were connected by a series of large railroad tracks, winding their way in and out of each hangar along the flight line. Most of the hangars were open, as the weather was generally quite mild on Tanna this time of year.
An open-air shuttle with four rows of seats and a small cargo deck on the back pulled up. There were two people in the front… A driver and a passenger whose face Deliza did recognize.
She waved excitedly at the passenger. “Abby!” she cried, still waving as she ran the last few steps to the woman she had so admired during her time on the Aurora.
Yanni also smiled, as it was the least ‘princess-like’ Deliza had been in weeks. It seemed the further away from the Pentaurus cluster they traveled, the less ‘princess’ remained in her. He hoped it was a good thing, as she had also become considerably stronger in the last few weeks. However, tragedy often required that of humans. It was something Yanni was quite familiar with.
Deliza threw her arms around Abby, wrapping her in a warm embrace. Abby reciprocated, a smile spread across her face. “I’m so happy to see you!”
Abby stepped back, looking the young woman over. The last time she had seen Deliza, she had been a skinny, seventeen year-old girl looking very uncomfortable adorned in noble Takaran fashions. Now, she looked every bit the mature young woman.
“Look at you, Deliza, you’ve become a stunning young woman, practically overnight.”
“Thank you,” Deliza replied, blushing. “To be honest, I can’t wait to get to the Karuzara, put on some overalls, and get my hands dirty again.”
“I’ll bet.” Abby shook her head. “I can’t believe how…well…” Abby suddenly looked uncomfortable.
“What is it?” Deliza wondered.
“Deliza, I’m so sorry about your family. I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am. I can’t imagine what you must be going through.”
“I’m fine, Abby. I mean…” She paused and took a deep breath. “Sometimes, it’s like it never happened. Other times…well, sometimes it’s all I can do to keep from crying.”
“That I do understand,” Abby said. “And you’re right, you do need to put on some coveralls and get dirty again. Having something to do helps, it really does.”
“That’s what I keep telling everyone,” Deliza exclaimed. “It seems like they all want me to sit around depressed, like it’s some kind of obligation, a way to show respect or something.”
“Well, don’t listen to them. You don’t have to. You’re a princess, remember?”
“That’s the one thing I don’t want to be,” she insisted. “I’m half considering changing my last name back to Tugwell, to be honest.”
“Don’t you dare,” Abby told her.
Deliza turned to introduce Yanni as he approached. “Abby, you remember Yanni, don’t you?”
“Of course,” Abby replied, reaching out to shake Yanni’s hand. “A pleasure to see you again.”
“A pleasure to be back,” Yanni smiled, “almost back, I should say. We still have another forty-seven light years to go.”
“Oh, that’s less than an hour’s journey.” Abby looked around at all the Takaran security guards disembarking from the combat shuttles that had landed with them. “That’s a lot of security.”
“Captain Navarro insisted. We’ve got the data cores with us. Besides, he wants to give the shuttles to the Alliance.”
“I’m sure the admiral will be happy about both, and about you.”
“Is this where you’re building the new gunships?” Deliza wondered.
“Yes, it is. Would you like to see it?”
“Are you joking?” Deliza turned to look at Yanni.
“Go ahead,” Yanni told her. “I’m going to check on the cores. I’m sure someone can help me catch up to you later.”
“How long were you two planning on staying?” Abby asked.
“We hadn’t really decided,” Deliza admitted.
“If you can stay the night, we’d love to have you both for dinner.”
Deliza looked at Yanni again.
“I’ll arrange it with the crew,” he told her. “I’m sure it won’t be a problem.”
“Will the cores be safe here?” Deliza asked Abby.
“This is probably the most heavily guarded place on all of Tanna, so, barring a Jung invasion, I’d say yes, they are quite safe. I can have additional guards brought in, if you’d like.”
“I’ll check with Lieutenant Chandler,” Yanni told her. “I’ll see you later.” Yanni leaned over and gave Deliza a small kiss on her cheek, which Deliza leaned into with acceptance.
Deliza turned her attention back to Abby.
“Really?” Abby said, both eyebrows raised. “Is it serious?”
Deliza glanced back over her shoulder, checking that Yanni was out of earshot. “I don’t know. How can one tell?”
“Trust me, you can tell,” she said, putting her arm around Deliza’s shoulder and leading her back toward the vehicle. “Come, let me show you what we’re doing here. I have a feeling you’re going to love it.”
* * *
“Admiral?” Mister Bryant called from the doorway.
“Come,” Admiral Dumar replied, his attention still on the large view screen on the office wall. He picked up his remote and muted the sound.
“Some of them are no older than Deliza.” The admiral sighed. “No woman, especially one so young, should have to experience the darker side of the human male.”
“Speaking of Deliza, we received word from Tanna. Her shuttle has landed at the gunship plant. She plans to stay the night and will be here tomorrow around midday.”
“Thank you.”
“Also, flight ops contacted me not long ago. They said that Miss Mun has requested to travel to some of the core worlds we have liberated. I spoke with Ensign Sheehan about it. He said she wanted to see how the people we have already liberated feel about the Alliance.”
Admiral Dumar leaned back in his chair, thinking. “Makes sense, I guess. Can you think of any way it might bite us in the ass if I give her permission?”
“I can think of at least a dozen, Admiral, the most obvious is the Weldonites. A lot of them are still unhappy with us shaking things up on their world.”
“Yeah, I can’t say that I blame them, really. I get the feeling a lot of those people didn’t mind giving up some of their freedoms in exchange for security.”
“I’ve heard that argument many times, sir.”
“As have I,” the admiral agreed. “Cases can be made either way, I suppose. She can go, but assign two combat shuttles full of Ghatazhak as escorts when they take her to Weldon. And have Commander Telles remind Miss Mun that she is not to discuss anything she knows about Earth, the Alliance, or anything about the current state of affairs in the Tau Ceti system with anyone while she is traveling outside of the Sol system.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And I want her recordings transmitted back to me after visiting each world.”
“Of course, sir.”
“And make sure she visits Tanna a few days after gunship production begins. I’m sure she’s going to want some footage of that, and it might inspire some confidence among the Cetians if they see us ramping up for defense.”
“Understood, sir,” Mister Bryant replied. “Is there anything else, Admiral?”
“I’m sure I’ll think of something after you leave,” the admiral jested.
“Oh, Lieutenant Commander Allison reported that the antimatter cores that arrived yesterday from Corinair checked out. They’ll start installing them in the Celestia tomorrow.”
“Wonderful,” the admiral said. “I can’t wait for that ship to be out of our dry docks. Her captain is driving me nuts, always requesting something else for her ship.”
“Yes, sir,” Mister Bryant replied.
* * *
Gerard switched on the light over the steep, narrow staircase leading down into the tiny cellar beneath the cabin. “Watch your step,” he told Naralena as he led the way down. He got to the bottom and turned on the next switch, illuminating the cramped space.
Naralena joined him at the bottom of the stairs and looked around the room. There was a rack on the wall containing additional weapons, most of which appeared to be more recreational than military, and boxes of emergency rations. There were also lots of blankets, pillows, and several fold-up cots.
On the shelves along the far wall were several unmarked boxes, along with various pieces of camping and wilderness gear that one might find stored away in such a cabin. To her eyes, there was nothing stored in the cellar that looked suspicious or out of place for such a setting.
Gerard pulled a box from the bottom of one of the shelves, then one from the top shelf, placing them both on the ground. From the first box, he pulled out what appeared to be a very nice emergency radio. It looked very similar to the one Naralena’s father had always kept at their home in case of a natural disaster. From the second box, he pulled out a large battery with a hand crank on one side.
He placed both items on the table and joined them together. “Please, if you could turn this crank for a few minutes, to build up a charge and get it going, it would be appreciated.”
Naralena followed Gerard’s instructions and began turning the crank on the battery. It offered quite a bit of resistance at first, but seemed to become easier once she got some momentum going.
As she continued to crank the device, Gerard opened up the back of the radio and pulled out two sets of wires. He stretched one across the room and plugged it into a power receptacle that looked like it had seen better days.
“If you have a power outlet down here, why do we need this battery?” Naralena wondered.
“It isn’t a power outlet,” Gerard explained. “It just looks like one. It connects one of the solar panels on the roof, only it isn’t a solar panel. It’s a transceiver array. Its angle gives it a perfect line of site to a portable comm-unit we have hidden in a cave near the ridge. My men should have the unit deployed by now. This will allow us to relay to the comm-unit on the ridge line, and then up into space with a focused comm-beam in whatever direction we choose.”
“How do we know which way to point it?” Naralena asked.
“You can stop cranking now,” he told her as he plugged the second set of wires into the battery. “It’s spinning on its own now.” He plugged the wire into the transceiver and turned it on. “It’s working. I’ve got the control signal from the comm-array on the ridge. Now all we have to do is point it to a standard orbital path and widen the beam enough so that a ship along that orbit will pick up our signal.”
“So only the ship in orbit will detect the signal, and only if they pass through the beam?” Naralena asked, seeming skeptical.
“The Alliance knows you were in the general area of Cetia, so they will assume an orbit that puts them directly over the area. Of course, there may still be some Jung communications or surveillance satellites in orbit, ones the Alliance may not have taken out. So there is a small chance that our signal could be detected by the wrong people.”
“Are you sure it’s a good idea to do this, then?”
“If we do not, you may be stuck here for some time,” Gerard explained. “Besides, our signal will be broadcast at random intervals, and on random sub frequencies within the assigned spectrum that I gave Commander Telles last I saw him.”
“If the Jung do detect the signal, surely they can determine the source?”
“Yes, but the signal will lead them to the comm-unit on the ridge. And the angle of the control dish could reach any of the cabins on this side of the lake. If the Jung go anywhere near that comm-unit, we’ll know. That will give us a chance to depart before they determine from which cabin the comm-unit is being controlled.”
Naralena shook her head. “How do you know all this? How do you remain so calm?”
“I was well trained,” Gerard assured her. “And I have been at this for a long time.”
“Why do you do it?”
“Someone has to.”
“I know, but why would anyone choose to leave their home, probably never to return?”
“I was young. I wanted to serve. I wanted to make a difference, to do something important.” He stopped fiddling with the transceiver, turning to look at Naralena. “It was all very exciting at the time…the idea of traveling to an alien world, blending into a completely foreign culture and society.”
“It was very dangerous,” she said. “And it’s still very dangerous. What did your parents think?”
“My mother died when I was a teenager. My father and I never got along well after that. I signed up as soon as I was of legal age. The system is all set up. All we have to do is wait and remain vigilant.”
“How long will it take?” Naralena wondered.
“To be honest, I don’t know,” Gerard admitted. “I was the last one to be inserted. This is the first time I have ever tried to est
ablish contact with a friendly ship overhead.”
“But it will work?”
“Yes, it will work.” His voice lacked confidence. He looked at her. “It should work… I hope it works.”
* * *
Admiral Dumar, Nathan, and Vladimir stood to the side of bay eight as the Mirai rolled in from the transfer airlock.
“Wow,” Nathan exclaimed. “That’s what a Takaran captain gets as a private shuttle?” He turned to the admiral. “Sir, I think we need to talk about some upgrades to my personal shuttle.”
“You don’t have a personal shuttle,” the admiral replied.
“That’s what we need to talk about.”
“Buy the Alliance a capital ship and we’ll talk.”
“I just want to get a peek at her propulsion systems,” Vladimir said as the massive shuttle pulled up next them and stopped.
The midship hatch cracked open and swung outward from a point deep within the ship’s hull and well below her main deck. It pivoted out as its built-in staircase extended outward, finally settling onto the deck and locking firmly into place. A young Takaran sergeant in crisp uniform came running down the stairs, immediately ducking underneath the ship and duck-walking aft as he inspected the underside of the ship.
At the top of the stairs, an older man wearing a well-fitted uniform waited patiently. A minute later, he turned and opened the inner hatch behind him and stepped aside, allowing the passenger waiting just inside to disembark.
Deliza appeared in the hatchway, pausing only long enough to spot her welcoming party of three and wave enthusiastically in their direction.
The three of them waved back.
“Are you sure that is her?” Vladimir wondered as he waved. “She looks older.”
“She is older,” Nathan replied.
“Da,” Vladimir agreed lasciviously.
“Gentlemen—particularly you, Lieutenant Commander—as I am the child’s godfather, as well as your commanding officer, it would behoove you to be on your best behavior.”