“So, what's the answer?”
“We'll get the fuel another way. Out of the tanks of the ships they send to attack us.”
His eyes widened, and he replied, “Let me get this straight. You want to leak the information about Alamo's location to, well, all of the criminal elements on the station, in the hope that there will be enough surplus fuel in their tanks after a battle that we may or may not win to top up Alamo, Ausori and Daedalus?”
“That's the basic idea.”
“It...might work,” Scott said. “We're borderline, but some of those ships are pretty big.” She looked up at Salazar, shaking her head, “It's quite an idea.”
“It's ingenious,” Salazar said, a growing smile on his face.
“Try insane,” Scott added.
Chapter 14
The Neander cells were no different in design than any others Cooper had ever seen, though in far worse condition than most. Four cold, gray walls, the rungs of a ladder leading up to a ceiling hatch, and a dank, musty bed in the corner next to a stinking bucket. He'd spent hours going through every inch of his cage, trying to find a way out, but the designers had done their job well. Now all he could do was sit and wait.
Over and over in his mind, he ran through his list of suspects, trying to attack the problem. It had to be one of the senior command figures, there was no question about that. Morigna was certainly involved, one way or another, but didn't have the technical skills required to hack the systems. She could have rigged the search in an attempt to conceal the true culprit, but that didn't seem likely either. Knowledge in this culture, especially critical information like that, was tightly concentrated in the hands of a few. Security access certainly was.
Above him, the hatch rattled open, a bright beam of light shining down, designed to disconcert him. A figure dropped down the ladder, clattering down onto the deck, and the hatch closed again, locking the two of them inside.
“Aussketi?” he asked. “What are you doing here?”
“I thought we might both benefit from a quick conversation. What's going on, Ensign?”
“Morigna is working with the traitors, and is attempting to keep both sides off-balance. Framing my wife and I for the murder of two people ruins your relationship with Captain Orlova on Alamo, as well as playing to the mob.”
Nodding, she said, “Someone is feeding biased information to the people. The latest idea is that you are planning to lead an army of conquest to the Collective, though I believe a significant minority thinks that all of this is some sort of Xandari trick.” She paused, then ask, “Understand that I must ask this question.”
“I didn't do it, and neither did my wife, and neither did Segna.”
“That was my belief, but I wanted to hear it from you.” Gesturing at the ladder, she continued, “Do you want to go for a walk?”
“You're freeing me?” he asked.
“Under the circumstances, it seems a logical next step. I'll take you to Ghewon, and between the two of us we might be able to convince him that you are telling the truth. I've arranged for a lie detector test to be readied, if you're willing to subject yourself to it.”
“Will he believe the results?”
Aussketi sighed, and said, “I can understand why you might be reluctant to trust me, Ensign, but as it stands I'm not sure you have much of a choice. I don't think any of us do. We've still got a Xandari fleet on the way, and our ship is stranded here without the help of your engineers.”
“They've been recalled?” Cooper asked.
“At Ghewon's insistence, though the mob had more than a little to do with it as well. The Proctors are detaining anyone they suspect, and labeling them all as traitors and saboteurs. We've got to catch the traitor, and we've got to try and get our people back together again if we're going to have a chance to live through this nightmare.”
Nodding, Cooper said, “I don't have much to lose, do I?”
“Unless you're determined to make your date with a firing squad, no.”
Aussketi climbed the ladder, Cooper following behind, and the two emerged in an empty corridor, the guards absent from their posts. He looked down at the adjacent cell, knowing that his wife was down there, and made to open the hatch before the Neander stopped him.
“There's no time for that, not now, and if I free both of you someone will get suspicious. I told the guards that I was taking you in for enhanced interrogation.”
“Torture?”
“I'm not proud of some of the things my people do, Ensign. Maybe we can make things better, but Ghewon will be going back on duty in a matter of moments. If we're going to move, we have to go now.”
With a last regretful look, he followed the Neander down the corridor, stepping over the sealed hatches of a hundred cells. For a simple transport ship, this vessel was able to detain an awful lot of people. Aussketi noted his glance, and shook her head.
“In the old days, any crewmen from the Undercastes would be confined when off-duty.”
“You're joking,” he replied. “Your people kept their crewmen locked up?”
“This ship was built two centuries ago, Ensign. Times change, though I fear, attitudes don't. One day we're going to pay dearly for our arrogance. Maybe we already are. Unless things improve, we're going to lose the war, and no matter what our reactionary faction believes, I don't think the Xandari will simply allow us to carry on as before. We'll all be slaves together, crushed under the heel of our enemy.”
“I agree.”
“And then there is you,” she continued, turning around another corner. “Your Confederation and its ideas are going to spread. There's no way of stopping it now. Too many people have had contact with you, and no matter how much the protests may scream today, tomorrow those same people will ask why they don't have a say in the running of the government, why their children can't receive the same education, why they don't get to live in the nicer districts.”
Cooper paused, and said, “You don't want that?”
“We can stop it no more than we can stop the tide, Ensign, but is it wrong of me that I'm scared we might smash into the rapids?” There was a sound of footsteps ahead, rattling on the deck, and Cooper's heart skipped a beat as he saw a pair of uniformed guards walking in the other direction. For a moment, he thought that they were going to stop, a brief flash of recognition on their faces, but Aussketi stopped them with a glare, urging him past them.
“Kelot's people,” she said. “I don't know who's side he's on, but those troopers are scattered all over the ship at the moment, watching the Proctors, the protesters, and each other. Everyone's spending so much time plotting and scheming that they aren't spending any time worrying about the enemy.” Pointing down a side corridor, she added, “This way.”
He followed her down, looking around, trying to orient himself. They'd blindfolded him on his way to the cell, but if he could work out his location he might be able to run for it. Though a combination of the thought of his wife still back in a cell and the pistol at Aussketi's belt held him back.
She stopped at a door and pushed it open, a Neander technician standing behind a complicated assortment of machinery, electrodes connected to a life-system monitor, a chair tangled up in the twisted mess of cables. The technician stepped forward, gesturing for him to sit down, and with a reassuring glance from Aussketi, he gently lowered himself into position, careful to avoid sitting on any of the equipment. None of this looked dangerous, just useless. This form of lie detection had been rejected as useless decades ago, but if it might satisfy the Neander, he was willing to go along with the charade.
Aussketi turned to the door, and said, “He's only two doors up. I'll go and get him. Wolmar, get him ready.”
“Yes, ma'am,” he said, turning to Cooper and flashing a smile. “Don't worry, this won't hurt a bit.” He connected up the equipment, placing the monitors carefully in po
sition, watching the screen and frowning as he made a series of adjustments, compensating for the different baseline readings. “I think that's got it.”
“I hope so,” Cooper said, testing the level of restraints. He could still move freely, his movements unrestricted. “Have you done this before?”
“All the time. Now I need to ask you a couple of control questions to make sure this is calibrated. Tell me the truth the first time, then lie the next one. What is your name and rank?”
“Ensign Gabriel Cooper, of the Triplanetary Espatier Corps.”
“Hmm. Lie to me. What color are your eyes?”
“Turquoise.”
He smiled and said, “That should be sufficient. I might have to repeat that again if Ghewon asks, but it should be sufficient for now.”
“I'm surprised you're willing to be locked in here with me alone,” Cooper said.
With a shrug, the technician replied, “I don't think you did it, and even if you did, you don't have anywhere to go. You aren't going to kill me.” Raising an eyebrow, he asked, “Or are you?”
“Not today, no.”
The door slid open, and Aussketi stepped in, leading a disgusted Ghewon. When the old Neander saw Cooper in the room, he scowled at this subordinate and made for the door.
“I don't have time for this.”
“Sir, you must,” she said. “We've got resolve this, before you make a great mistake. If you're so convinced of his guilt, this will prove it to you.” She looked down at Cooper, a reassuring smile on her face, and said, “Though I think he is innocent.”
“You spent too much time with those people,” he replied. “It's contaminated you. Rest assured that I shall place that in your record when we return to our people.” With a deep sigh, he added, “Still, I'm here, so we might as well get this farce over with. What good you think it will do is a mystery to me. This antique equipment is inadmissible in court.”
Warning bells began to ring in Cooper's head. If this equipment was as useless to them as it was in the Confederation, why was Aussketi bothering with any of this?
“It's all we've got, sir, and I had to scavenge the parts from all over the ship. At least give it a chance.
“Very well.” Leaning over Cooper, he said, “Tell me the truth. What color is your hair?”
“Brown.”
“Now lie to me. How old are you?”
“Two hundred and twenty-two.”
“All the readings check out, sir,” the technician replied. “The responses are exactly as they should be.”
“Of course they are,” he replied. “You can tangle those readings to tell you anything you want.” Shaking his head, he added, “Very well. Cooper, did you kill Oktu?”
“No.”
“Did you kill Leuka?”
“No.”
“Responses?” Ghewon asked, turning back to the display.
“Consistent with the truth, sir. He's not lying.”
“Ensign, who did kill them? The rebels? That technician, Segna?”
“Morigna killed Oktu, leading a group of Proctors, and she stabbed by wife. Leuka was killed by one of the guards, but it was on her orders.”
“Sub-Lieutenant Bradley did have a partially-healed stab wound when we brought her in,” Aussketi said. “That much can be independently verified, if nothing else.”
“She received treatment?” Ghewon asked. “I don't want our prisoners to die before they can face trial tomorrow.”
“Of course,” she said.
“Ghewon, think about it,” Cooper pressed. “What reason would I have to kill two random Neander technicians, especially when one of them had saved my life? Don't play into the paranoia they're feeding you. There is a ring of traitors on board, and they are determined to turn you over into the hands of our enemies.”
“I don't need to hear this.”
Taking a deep breath, Cooper said, “Damn it, Ghewon, at least think for a moment! If I'm guilty, if Barbara is guilty, then we can't do you any more harm, not any more. Others can, and they will, and you're going to have to face up to that fact.”
“You've wasted my time, Aussketi,” Ghewon said, shaking his head as he turned to the door. “I want this man returned to his cell immediately, and if you refuse, I will have you placed in their with him! None of this so-called evidence is to be used in the trial, and I don't want it even mentioned. Do you understand.”
“Sir, I really think that you should reconsider.”
“For the last time...”
“Yes,” she replied. “It is.” She pulled out her pistol and shot Ghewon in the chest, blood gushing out and down his tunic as the Neander collapsed to the ground, wracked with spasms as he forced in his last breath. The technician, knowing what was to follow, dived to the floor, a bullet smashing over him, but another rang out from down the corridor. Aussketi turned, cursed, and sprinted away, as a familiar figure charged towards her.
“Corporal?” Cooper said, shaking his head. “What the hell?”
“Damn, she's gone,” Walpis said. “Captain Orlova sent me in to scout for a possible rescue. I didn't expect to turn up in the middle of an assassination attempt.
Ripping free of the worthless medical equipment, Cooper turned down to the technician, and asked, “Did she get you?”
“No,” he replied, looking up, dazed. “She killed him. Where he stood.”
“Wolmar, right now you are the most important person on the ship. You're the only witness to the death of Ghewon that anyone around here is going to trust.” Rising to his feet, he said, “Corporal, have you got a way out of here?”
“Maintenance shafts are like a maze, sir. We can get clear.”
“Good. First we need to get back to the cells and release the rest of the prisoners, and then….” He was interrupted by a loud wail, an alarm echoing through the corridors. “Tell me that isn't what I think it is.”
“Prisoner escape,” Wolmar said. “You, I guess.”
Peering around the corner, Walpis said, “No sign of anyone, but that isn't going to last for long. We've got to get out of here, sir. The first place they'll look is Sub-Lieutenant Bradley's cell.”
“She's my wife, damn it,” he replied. “I can't just leave her.”
“If they catch you, sir, she'll be your widow. They won't harm her, not and risk losing their last hostage, but if we're going to do any good, we've got to get on the move!”
He looked ruefully at the Neander, then raced out into the corridor, the others following. Walpis charged ahead of him, tugging open a maintenance hatch and climbing down, Wolmar following him after a dubious look into the inky blackness. Cooper followed, shouts echoing down the corridor as the guards finally arrived, just as he slammed the hatch shut.
The three of them descended into the gloom, swinging out into a side shaft that sent them to their hands and knees as they slowly crawled their way to safety. There was no sign of pursuit, just a brief flash of light as their pursuers peered after them, before the gloom returned with the closure of the hatch.
Wolmar collapsed to the dirty, smelly floor, and said, “Wait a minute. Just a minute.”
“We've got to move,” Walpis said.
“Where are we going?” the technician asked.
“Cargo decks. No guards down there, and we've got lots of places to run and to hide.”
“No,” Cooper replied. “We've got to either get to a communicator or a shuttle, and tell Captain Orlova what is happening over here.” Glancing back at the technician, he said, “And you need to tell your story, wherever it will do the most good.”
“I...I'm not sure I dare.”
“I doubt you have a choice,” the gruff Walpis said. “By now your name has been added to the list of traitors, and there will be a bullet with your name on it sitting in someone's gun out there. Only way to live t
hrough it is to make sure it's never fired. You're the only witness to the assassination of your commander.” He frowned, then said, “What I don't understand is why they let us go so easily.”
“Fits the narrative,” Cooper said, cursing under his breath. “By running away, they can tell any story they want, and be believed. As well as using our flight as an excuse to start another series of purges.”
“We'll never get to an airlock,” Walpis said. “They've got them all secured.” Reaching into his pocket, he said, “I do, however, have a secure communications link to Alamo.”
“Remind me to promote you, Corporal,” he said, taking the communicator.
“Just buy me a drink on our next leave, sir.”
“Cooper to Alamo,” he said, playing with the controls. “Cooper to Alamo. Come in, please. Urgent.”
“Cooper?” Weitzman's voice said. “Thank God! I'll get you...”
In the background, alarms sounded, and Cooper asked, “What's going on?”
“Threat warning!” the technician yelled. “Enemy ships incoming!”
Chapter 15
Orlova's eyes jerked open, the blare of the siren waking her, and she scrambled out of bed, tugging on her uniform as she made for the door, snatching her jacket from the back of her chair. She jogged down the corridor to the waiting elevator, technicians and troopers rushing around as they raced to their battle stations.
As soon as she passed through the doors, she tapped the control for the bridge and pulled out her datapad, calling up a tactical view. Two small contacts, smaller than the vessels they had fought earlier, on a direct intercept course. She cursed in frustration as a 'data unavailable' warning flashed up on her screen in response to her request for more information. If the Neander had a full tactical database, they had yet to share it with them.
The doors slid open, and she tugged her jacket on as she walked onto the bridge, Nelyubov glancing up from the holotable on her entrance. Foster was sliding into the helm, displacing a visibly annoyed Armstrong, and Cantrell was calling out instructions to Spinelli, harvesting data to obtain a firing solution.
Battlecruiser Alamo: Final Testament Page 13