by TS Hottle
"You're not the acting president."
"I am his instrument!"
Hiller grabbed her forearm. With a speed that amazed Suicide, Salamacis spun and grabbed the captain by the throat. His grip loosened enough to shove the gun into his gut. The XG-752 squealed once, and Hiller's eyes went wide. She made no reaction whatsoever. When he backed away from her, Suicide could see his belly smoked, not even scraps of uniform remaining where the plasma bolt burned it away. The captain fell dead at Salamacis's feet.
Salamacis gave the body a nudge with her foot. "So much for that little myth about taking hostages with an energy pistol."
Suicide raised her palm toward her face, fingering her wrist chip. "Run protocol Suicide CY-001."
Before Salamacis could react, an alarm blared, filling the CNC with a loud, buzzing tone.
"CNC, Reactor." The voice sounded young and male. Suicide could hear the panic in the man's voice. Or was he a boy? He could not have been much older than JT. Still, he covered that panic well.
The XO, a short Tianese woman with her hair pulled back in a bun so severe it almost screamed, pulled a p-com off her shoulder. "Reactor, XO. Go."
"Commander Chen, the safety latches on the reactor just released."
Chen's eyes went to Suicide. "Commander Yun?"
"You can either surrender Ms. Salamacis to me for crimes against the Metisian Republic." Suicide turned her attention to Salamacis. "Or you can lock this bitch up for the traitor she is." She looked down at the captain, now lying dead on the deck. "You can even start with murder. It should be on the surveillance logs."
"And I suppose we ship you back to the Bova like nothing happened," said Chen. "My captain just died defending you."
"Shoot her." Salamacis sounded like she was being stabbed.
Chen brought up her own sidearm, a slug thrower, and pointed it at Salamacis's head. "Shut up. I am the captain of this vessel now, and your interference with its operation is…"
Salamacis spun and pointed the XG-752 at Chen. A red spout exploded from her forearm, and the energy pistol clattered to the floor. Davra Andraste stood in a three-point stance with the KR-7 pistol she'd taken from Suicide.
"Threat neutralized, Commander."
Another crew member spun in his chair. "Commander, there is a Zaran ship with Amargosan Planetary Guard markings. It's labeled Arcanum, but its transponder reads Goldeneye. A Navy Special Forces commander is demanding to board."
"Is that how it is, Cui?"
Salamacis seemed to not hear either the crew member or Chen. "Your careers are all over."
"Lieutenant Kamboto, escort this piece of shit to the brig." To Suicide, she said, "Well?"
"Let them aboard, Commander," said Suicide. "They're here for her. You can do with me what you will."
A medic rushed in as the security officer took Salamacis by her bad arm. "I'll take her to Medbay, medic. Tend to the captain."
The medic gasped when she spotted the late Captain Hiller.
The Navy had really stepped up its game on brigs. This one had a transparent sliding wall that could turn opaque from either outside or in. Naturally, those outside had the ability to override the setting. The cell had a thin mattress on a narrow ledge to one side and a discreet toilet to offer some privacy, just in case someone outside rendered the sliding wall transparent at the wrong moment.
Suicide sat in the lotus position on the mattress, her tunic on the floor. She closed her eyes and imagined a sunrise in the west on Amargosa, Atlas making a black spot on the sun. Her mind created the sound of water lapping on the shore of that reservoir near her old shack. In this vision, she sat nude on the shore, a gentle breeze caressing her skin, her clothes neatly folded at her side. As the vision filled her mind to the point of reality, everything else in her mind emptied. Soon, she found herself dissolving. She no longer sat in that spot along the lake in the foothills.
She was the spot along the lake.
A faint buzzing noise interrupted the exercise, telling her someone had rendered the panel transparent. Suicide opened her eyes and slowly turned her head. "Captain."
Chen stood outside, arms folded. The gold clusters of a lieutenant commander still adorned her collars. "Commander Cui."
She stared at the ship's new captain in silence. This would be Chen's conversation. Nothing Suicide could say would change anything.
"You present me with a problem," said Chen. "You boarded my ship without permission, took a crew member hostage, and disrupted my bridge. My captain is dead, and the Acting President's Chief of Staff is in another part of this brig. I have half a mind to Section 11 you out the nearest airlock."
Suicide noted how Chen phrased everything. Only at the end did Chen mention any kind of penalty for her, and then only in frustration. "What is Jez Salamacis charged with?"
"Murder, for starters. There is no justification for shooting Captain Hiller. Disrupting the operation of a ship of the line, a capital ship, no less. I can't charge her with violating the sovereignty of an independent world because Captain Hiller sided with the Acting President on Thule's status." The right corner of her mouth turned up. "I can, however, charge her with reckless endangerment of a military vessel on a civilian mission. I have to repeat that stupid wormhole stunt and hope the crack in the universe that was the Yaphit Pass goes both ways." Her face became hard again. "And then there is you, Commander Cui. What am I to do with you?"
Suicide stood, not caring that she wore only her sleeveless undertunic. Chen had not averted her eyes or made any mention of coming back while she dressed. To her, Suicide inferred, she was just another service person on downtime. And anyway, she'd only taken off her tunic. "I'll put this in perspective for you. The crew of the Goldeneye will be happy to give their version. I think you'll find they square up with what I'm about to say."
Chen gave her a faint nod.
Suicide began pacing, like she had done on the Hancock when briefing her fighter wing or briefed locals on Aphrodite. Or when she lectured JT Austin. "When I began this, someone had left a baby on my doorstep. That child and her sister are now safely out of Compact reach. Nonetheless, their mother had gone missing. I and Lieutenant Austin had been tasked by Amargosa's government to find the mother, Jayne Best." She gave a thin smile. "If you go aboard the Goldeneye, you will find two shards of the portable railgun charges used to attack the Thulian Colony on Amargosa and a human village in lycanth territory, both bearing the markings of an organization called Juno."
"Go on."
"So, this started as a Compact mission sanctioned by the provisional government of Amargosa. From the first day, Jez Salamacis used her authority, or her perceived authority, to interfere with that."
Chen's hands went to her hips. "There are those who would say that Amargosa is disputed territory, and not really Compact anymore."
"Disputed with Hanar," said Suicide. "But their First Citizen pledged any and all assistance in the matter. She believes Amargosa has to decide for itself what it is. Until then, it is the official position of the Compact that Amargosa is a protectorate of Metis. Therefore, I and my crew worked for the Compact."
"Worked. Past tense. As of right now, you are an officer in the military of the Metisian Republic. While no state of war exists with the Compact, the means by which you boarded this ship makes you an enemy combatant."
She spread her hands. "And this ship is illegally in orbit of Thule. The Thulians sent me because you had a civilian of high rank aboard using the ship to violate its sovereignty." She pressed her lips together as she watched Chen digest that. "And, Captain, since you are, for all intents and purposes, a captain now, let me explain something. In hostile space, firing on one's own people, and using perceived authority to have the crew commit an act of war is a Section 11 offense. You are well in your rights to send her out the airlock."
"That would complicate things even more." Chen fingered her wrist chip, and the transparent wall slid aside. She gestured for Suicide to step out. "You've
made no move to reset the reactor safeties, but you also made no move to jettison the core. Can I take that to mean you have an outcome in mind for all this?"
Suicide stepped out and faced Chen finally, officer to officer instead of as a prisoner. "I have several I'd like to see. My personal freedom is not a condition of any of them. The removal of Jez Salamacis from this vessel is."
"Already, I see how this can work." Chen led her through the brig, past several other cells. Suicide noticed Salamacis occupied none of them. "The fact is she endangered the ship and its crew and nearly started a war with a branch of humanity we understand less and less. It would not surprise me if they could swat the Anna Khirovsky and the Bova out of the sky with one strike and leave little evidence of their existence."
Suicide followed her out of the brig and into a corridor, heading forward. "Thule is not the Compact's enemy. It is Juno's. And Madam Salamacis is most definitely Juno. Do me a favor."
Chen stopped and spun to face her. "I've done enough favors for you, Commander. Seems to me you owe my late captain a few. Quite a few."
"I don't dispute that." She stepped in closer to whisper in Chen's ear. "Everything I've given you needs to go to Cybercommand. Straight to G-5 Zhong if you can get it to him." She stepped back and held up her left wrist. "I did a data dump of everything we have so far. Lieutenant Andraste has it. The Goldeneye can do the rest."
Chen sighed. "Ah, yes. Goldeneye. You have a squad of Bonapartan Sappers on that ship. Those are still Citizens of the Compact. What do we do about them?"
Suicide permitted a slight smile, one she was sure looked like Acting President Leitman's whenever he bullshitted the public about something. "Ask King Yanuhito or his Court. The squad commander can introduce you. After all, she's his grandniece."
Chen sighed and turned back down the corridor. "You do nothing simple, Cui, do you?"
"They don't call me Suicide for nothing."
They emerged in the hangar bay, which Suicide found impressive. The entire forward section of the Anna Khirovsky could have passed for a section of the carrier Hancock. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw five Crossfield fighters, the diamond-shaped craft designed to fight in orbit and inside a planet's atmosphere. She once saw a squadron do battle in the upper reaches of a gas giant.
The Goldeneye sat at the center of the hangar bay, looking like it had just landed. Its position suggested it would take off again, and in minutes. JT stood with Mitsuko and Partlow at the base of the ramp, Boolay standing behind them.
"Are the Zarans involved?" asked Chen.
"The craft is Zaran," said Suicide. "My engineer is actually from of Amargosa. Has been for about a decade."
As they reached the ramp to the Goldeneye's lower bay, JT said, "She's in the forward airlock, if that's what you're going to ask."
Suicide looked him up and down. "You were on bed rest. How do you feel?"
He rubbed his side where nanites still rebuilt the interior of his bullet wound. "Sore. Itchy. At least I'll have a nice scar to show off."
"You put the chief of staff to the President in an airlock?" asked Chen.
"The one with the fewest safeties," said Mitsuko. "In case she gets any ideas."
"That's illegal in the Compact."
"I'll just have to have the Heir spank me when I get home." She waited, clearly enjoying making Chen squirm.
Suicide decided that too much of JT had rubbed off on her.
"Anyway, we're over Thule," Mitsuko continued, "and this ship belongs to the Amargosa, so… When in Rome?"
Suicide gestured toward Partlow. "They're not functioning as Compact Marines or Navy Spec Force. They are strictly acting on behalf of the King of Bonaparte, who supports Metis and Amargosa's right to secede." She now faced Chen completely. "If Salamacis is aboard that ship, then you knew it would end like this."
Chen shook her head. "Lady Yamato made a persuasive case. The main reason I'm here with you is that I want you off my ship. Captain Hiller may have called you friend, but you cost him his life. And you provoked that treasonous bitch in your airlock."
Suicide closed her eyes. "So be it, Commander. I had hoped when I came aboard that Captain Hiller would have brought this to a close." She opened them again. "You may not believe this, Captain…"
"Commander."
"You are now the master of this vessel, so you are now captain. And you may not believe this, but I know the Khirovsky is in good hands."
"Perhaps." Chen looked like she wanted to say more, but she did not. Without even a salute, she turned on her heel and walked away.
Suicide watched her go before heading up the ramp to the Goldeneye. "Is she behaving herself? And why are you on board?"
JT shrugged. "I sit down to fly. The doc said only not to stand for extended periods."
"You're standing now," said Mitsuko.
He shrugged. "As for our prisoner, she's in the airlock, minding her own business. I put a comm dampener in one of the lockers just in case she's feeling frisky."
She strolled by him and punched him in the arm. "Knew there was hope for you, Austin." She raised her palm near her face. "Computer, terminate protocol Suicide CY-001 and reset reactor safeties."
The happy little chirp that came back through her palm told her the crew of the Khirovsky had control of their reactor back.
The brig aboard the Bova had the same design as that of the Anna Khirovsky. The ship might have been Metisian, but this confirmed its origins as a Compact Navy warship. There, the similarities stopped. Metis painted its bulkheads with cool blues and aqua greens, giving the ship a calmer feel. Builders also blunted most of the sharp edges.
Security placed Jez Salamacis in the back of the brig. Normally, Naval security teams filled their brigs from the forward cells aft. Salamacis, however, needed a crowd. She loved her theatrics, and the forward cells gave her a captive audience. The aft-most cell amounted to solitary confinement.
Nonetheless, she stood practically on the balls of her feet when Suicide arrived. "Commander Cui, I had so hoped you'd come see me."
Suicide had her hands on her hips. "Do you know what's to become of you?"
"I suspect President Leitman will have me debrief him." She gave a crooked smile. "Or whatever he wants me to do. He is my God."
"Tell me, what will you do when President ibn-Aziz recovers from his illness and resumes his duties?"
Salamacis laughed. "That will not happen, I assure you. It's unfortunate, but there is no cure for what ails Baker ibn-Aziz. I'm afraid it's slow-acting and fatal." She gave Suicide a pout that looked rehearsed. "Marcus really does feel bad for his friend, you know. They were close, ibn-Aziz and Marcus."
"Well, that's too bad. Because, you see, the Thulians recognize you violated the sovereignty of three worlds. And you illegally used a Compact Navy vessel to do it. Captain Hiller? You'll have to stand trial in the Compact for that. But first, you have to answer to Metis. And Amargosa."
"You can prove nothing."
"Captain Chen has the evidence of your clone on Walton. That Juno tattoo on your left hip… Yes, we examined you while you were asleep. It's the same symbol as on the needle shards we found on Amargosa. Then you opened fire on Thule. All with an authority that does not extend to you. The chief of staff is not the President, and the President, like the Secretary-General before him, has to respect his own chain of command."
"I am his instrument."
Suicide allowed a smile that mimicked Leitman's strange little smile, a tell that the Acting President was either lying or manipulating a situation. "You're his plaything when you're not committing acts of terror for Juno. I have friends in high places, too."
Salamacis scowled. "Is that so?"
Suicide began pacing. "The Anna Khirovsky is on its way back to Etrusca. I assume Commander Chen will brief the regional commander there or be summoned to Tian to speak with Admiral Burke in person. What she shows either admiral will most certainly make it to Cybercommand, then the other branches
of the military. And it definitely will cause a schism within the ranks. Meanwhile, we will go to Hanar. From there, we will proceed to Metis, where you will be detained and tried on acts of terrorism, kidnapping, and violation of sovereignty. If the Jovann sisters are feeling magnanimous, they might turn you over to the Compact for Captain Hiller's murder. I hope they do. Killing a captain in his own CNC while on active duty is a clear-cut Section 11 offense if I've ever seen one."
Salamacis's cold smile made an appearance. "You know what the saddest part of this whole affair is?" She began fingering her wrist chip. "I won't remember anything after the Khirovsky left Thule." She began tapping out something on her left palm.
It took a moment for Suicide to realize what she was doing. "Computer, lock down wrist chip on prisoner in the forward airlock."
"Too late," Salamacis breathed. She swayed as though some phantom lover caressed her whole body. "Oh, I love this part. If coming back didn't take so long, I'd do it every night. I'd let Marcus trigger it for me whenever he finishes…" She stopped as she began to glow orange from within. The glow overtook her whole body.
Suicide froze as she watched Jez Salamacis dissolve into ash, her clothes crumpling to the floor with her body's collapse.
Retroact: 420 IE
Sanctuary, Aphrodite
"So, this is supposed to get the Kolkats and Penqu to quit fighting. Shouldn't we find a way to cool the climate first?"
Suicide had been to tropical climates before. Earth had plenty of them, as did Tian. And Goshen, in summer months, could feel like a warm, wet blanket one could not throw off. Aphrodite's heat and humidity, however, would not yield to most types of air conditioning. Sanctuary might have been a Dasarius Interstellar project, but even the cooling units supplied for the first few buildings out of the printer struggled to make the air breathable.
Kurz chuckled at her. "If life were less abundant on this planet, we might consider it. But the main terraforming technique for that is to burn a lot of coal without filters and pump soot into the upper atmosphere. Here, it'd just convert to CO2, and we'd have Venus inside of a century."