Veil of Shadows (Book 2 of The Empire of Bones Saga)

by Terry Mixon

  The computer spoke from the overheads and in her implants. Perhaps in all their implants. “Welcome aboard, Ensign Bell.”

  Bell spoke softly. “It’s good to be back, Courageous.”

  “Have you returned to take command?”

  Kelsey froze. She’d never considered that possibility. The man was a Fleet officer, lawfully assigned to this ship. He was part of her official chain of command. Would he take the ship away from them?

  “No, Courageous,” Bell said. “My day is done. The Empire of old is gone. You have a new Captain, and a damned good one from what I can see. I hereby affirm Jared Mertz’s status as a Fleet officer and endorse his command of this vessel. He’s your Captain now.”

  Bell turned to Jared. “If an old man might presume on your goodwill, though, I’d love to visit the bridge. I was never senior enough to go there when I served.”

  Jared gestured to the lift. “It’s under repair, but we can certainly stop in. Then we can go to the operations center while we break orbit.”

  Kelsey followed them with a smile on her face.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Once Jared had seen their guests to their quarters and assigned crew members to act as guides—and guards to a degree—he made his way to the bridge with a silent Kelsey at his side. Engineering technicians were replacing shattered consoles and the place smelled of fried circuitry and blood. Miraculously, his console was undamaged, though splattered with gore.

  He cleaned it up with supplies from the cubby in the attached head and sat down. The console lit when he interfaced his implants with it. The ship’s status was mostly green. The bridge showed red, but that would change before they flipped.

  Their combat status was green, though they were now critically short of missiles. There were several dozen missiles that had failed inspection that might be made ready, but he wasn’t going to count on it. If things hit the fan, it was going to get ugly.

  Kelsey cleaned off a seat near him, not bothering to hide her distaste. “If our mutineers intended to kick off an insurrection when they came through the flip point, then those plans must be advanced enough to succeed. It wouldn’t take long for the Pentagaran fleet to realize there had been a change in command. They’re going to want to speak to you as soon as we appear. How do we avoid kicking this off ourselves?”

  “The computer says no messages were sent back to Pentagar through the probes at the flip point. The mutineers only had a few dozen people aboard. Their patron couldn’t possibly be certain their attack on Courageous would succeed. So, it won’t be our arrival that triggers the coup.”

  He rubbed his face tiredly. “Not even this ship could survive a bombardment by the defensive orbitals on the Pentagaran side of the flip point, so Rawlins must’ve had a plan to get clear quickly. He could send a signal of some kind to his patron then.”

  She nodded. “Probably something innocuous. Why raise suspicions ahead of time? Have their quarters been searched?”

  “From top to bottom. We didn’t find anything suspicious. None of the personal communications devices would even interface with Courageous. I had them examined anyway. There’s no telling which contacts on them might lead to their patron. If any.”

  Jared slammed his palm against the console. “Dammit. We can’t just let this sonofabitch get away. He’ll just keep building his organization and strike when we leave.”

  “We have some information. When Rawlins identified himself as a Commander, it might have been a real rank. I met him once before on Best Deal. He told me his name was Jacob, but he looked enlisted. What name does the ship have on file for him?”

  He queried the computer. “Jacob Randal. An enlisted engineering technician. So, the first name might or might not be real. Let’s assume that it is. It would be damned awkward to fail to respond to your own name. The last name is similar enough to catch your attention. So, let’s assume he actually is Commander Jacob Rawlins of the Pentagaran fleet. They could probably confirm that with his remains. If we can find someone to ask who isn’t in on the plot.”

  Kelsey pursed her lips. “We can’t really be sure of anyone, except the King and Elise. Probably Elise. I find it difficult to believe Commodore Sanders is in on something like this, but can we trust him completely?”

  “We can’t doubt every friend we’ve made. Someone is going to need to take steps to see that the Pentagaran fleet doesn’t revolt.”

  He consulted the time and their ETA through his implants. That would take a lot of getting used to. They had a few hours remaining before they transitioned. “I think we start off pretending nothing is amiss.”

  “And then the patron knows his or her minion isn’t in command of Courageous,” she added. “If we never let on that anything is wrong, the patron will have to assume his team is still in place learning what they need to take over when more Pentagarans can be assigned to the ship.”

  “I think so, too. The question is, how do we track him down?”

  “Someone assigned Rawlins to this ship under a fake name. Or someone else’s name. A senior officer made that call. Besides, only someone in a significant position of authority could orchestrate a military coup. The person or persons will be highly placed, but one of a singular clique of people. Flag officers. If we can get back in one piece, the odds of individual ships going rogue go way down.”

  That agreed with his assessment. “I can’t make a call from here, so I’ll do it from my office once we flip. I’ll fill them in on our success and ask for an immediate conference with the Elise. She’ll bring some of her senior Fleet officers, but once we fill her in, she can take steps to take this apart without alarming the other senior commanders. If we control the communications, it won’t matter if one of them is with her. They won’t dare reveal themselves.”

  The lift doors opened and Talbot came out onto the bridge. He slowed as he surveyed the destruction. “Wow. They really put up a fight.”

  Jared sighed. “A completely needless one. They knew we were going to win. Once they lost their edge it was inevitable. What can I do for you, Senior Sergeant?”

  The marine held out a tablet. “I downloaded my combat suit’s vid files to this tablet. I found something in the transmitter building that you need to see. I was able to access the AI’s communications records before we ran. The data storage unit is down in the lab, so hopefully we can get more. Most of the transmissions were audio only, but some were video. That caught my attention.”

  Jared took the tablet and held it so Kelsey could see it as well. The vid player was already up, so he hit play.

  The console that Talbot had been using in the transmitter building was small and filthy, but it worked. Jared could make out a list of files. The marine selected one marked as video.

  The video showed a man on what was obviously the bridge of a spaceship. Old Empire from the layout. The man wore a Fleet uniform with Captain’s tabs.

  He inclined his head so steeply that they could momentarily see the top of his head. Then he looked straight into the screen and began speaking. “This man brings greetings from your brothers in the Empire, Lord. He apologizes for the lack of supplies last year. The freighter disappeared several worlds before yours. I’ve brought extra implant hardware to make good any shortages. Are there any other needs this man can fulfil for you?”

  The AI spoke in a toneless voice. “You may take the immature humans from this unit’s latest culling. This unit requires nothing more. It has the situation under control and its plan is almost ready to execute.”

  He heard Kelsey shouting in the recording about an incoming kinetic strike. Talbot killed the vid and began struggling to remove the data unit from the computer. That’s where the recording ended.

  Jared’s blood ran cold. “How long ago was this recorded?”

  “That vid was recorded about ten months ago, sir.”

  Kelsey leaned forward, shock written all over her face. “What? That can’t be right. The Empire fell. Look at the Pale Ones. How i
s this even possible?”

  Talbot retrieved his tablet. “The vid calls happen about once a year. There were some years that there weren’t any, but most happen once a year about two months from now. I think our understanding of what happened to the old Empire needs to be revised.”

  Jared nodded. “This just became high priority. Get some of Mister Bell’s people to help Doctor Leonard and Carl Owlet. We need to know who they are and what they were doing with the Pale Ones. Examine every vid on that data unit.”

  “Aye, sir.” Talbot nodded to Kelsey and left the bridge.

  She looked at Jared with her eyes wide. “What does it mean?”

  “It means something of the old Empire survived. That means we need to end the Pentagaran rebellion as quickly as possible. Our lives might depend on it.”

  * * * * *

  The crew was at battle stations when they flipped to Pentagar. The only concession Jared made to stealth was to keep his screens down. The main computer would raise them at the first sign of hostile action, faster than any human could react. Their missile and beam batteries were on hot standby, ready to fire at a moment’s notice. Zia would go from passive scanners to active at the first sign of trouble.

  Thankfully, there wasn’t any. They arrived without incident and coasted out of the defensive globe with only cheerful greetings sent their way.

  He sent an outline of their successes in the Erorsi system, and requested the Crown Princess and her staff meet him in Pentagaran orbit. There would be a significant Pentagaran Fleet presence there, so Courageous would remain on alert.

  A cutter asked for approach permission once they slipped into Pentagar orbit, indicating it had the Elise aboard. He gave them the green light and headed for the docking bay. Kelsey and Lieutenant Reese met him there. The marine wore unpowered combat armor. Kelsey had a nice dress on.

  Jared gave the marine officer his final instructions. “I want a squad of marines just around any corner we happen to be at. Stay out of sight, but come running if there’s trouble.”

  “I think I should be with you, sir. If someone attacks you or the Princess, I could react at once. The anti-boarding weapons aren’t designed to take down a single person.”

  “I’m armed. Better yet, Princess Kelsey is armed. If someone is stupid enough to cause trouble, we can hold them off until you arrive.”

  Reese frowned at Kelsey. “Where’s your weapon?”

  “Just you never mind,” she said tartly. “Somewhere I can get to it quickly if I have to. Besides, my hands are more than enough for anything but a gun. We don’t need to spook them. We’ve moved past the need for an armed escort. Your presence would make them suspicious.”

  The sound of the cutter docking sent Reese to join his men in an adjoining compartment.

  Kelsey pointedly glanced at the flechette pistol on Jared’s hip. “Can you use that thing?”

  “I went down to the range and practiced. I even got my implants to assist in aiming it. I shouldn’t need it, though.”

  “Let’s hope not.”

  The docking hatch slid open. Two Pentagaran Fleet sailors led the way out, with Elise right behind them. Lord Admiral Shrike and Commodore Sanders completed her party.

  She grinned widely as she came up to shake Jared’s hand. “I hear you’ve taken the Pale Ones down. That’s wonderful news! The incessant attacks are finally over!” She pulled Kelsey into a hug. “You and your people have saved us. Again. It’s getting to be quite the habit.”

  Jared shook the men’s hands. Sanders seemed elated. Shrike a little subdued.

  “We’ve got a presentation with video in the conference room. We also have some other news that you’ll be interested in. We found holdouts on Erorsi. A facility that survived the invasion with the descendants of the original staff still there.”

  Elise stared at him. “That’s amazing. What a story they must have to tell. Do they need anything that we can provide? Food, medicine, a ride out?”

  “They’ll need a lot of help. The Pale Ones dropped a massive kinetic strike on the planet. I watched it hit from orbit. The planet is in for a very rough time.”

  “Then they shall have whatever we can give. I’ll want to see the vid of the impact, too.”

  He sent a mental command to block all transmissions from the ship for the time being. Once he told them the truth, he couldn’t allow any of them to send any surreptitious messages.

  His implants showed the marines taking up positions outside the conference room once the hatch closed. He sat at the head of the table. Kelsey took the seat to his right with Commodore Sanders beside her. Elise sat on Jared’s left with Lord Admiral Shrike beside her.

  He clasped his hands in front of him on the table. “Before I begin, I need to make a confession. There is one other event that I haven’t mentioned. We had an attempted mutiny.”

  Elise’s eyes widened. “What! From our people?” She looked over at Shrike. “I thought the men sent on this mission were all military personnel.”

  “They were. Ones that went through an exhaustive background check. Might we question them?”

  Jared nodded. “You’re welcome to.” He touched the recessed console and an image of Rawlins popped up on the large screen. He’d decided to use the dead man to flush out any traitors. “Allow me to introduce you to Jacob Randall. I’m certain that isn’t his real name. When he briefly took control of the ship, he referred to himself as Commander Rawlins.

  “He didn’t believe that we’d regain the upper hand and told us that a coup in your Fleet was about to happen. I’m sorry to tell you this, Lord Admiral, but I believe that one or more of your senior military officers is about to seize power. If we can trace this man to his patron quietly, I believe we can unravel this coup in a very short period of time.”

  He could tell her the other reasons they needed to hurry once her people had this situation under control.

  Elise nodded. “I can send orders for people loyal to me to assume command of the ships in orbit with backup from the Royal Guards. Once we query the Royal Fleet databases, it won’t take long to track who he probably works for.”

  Jared started to respond, but Lord Admiral Shrike stood abruptly and stepped behind Elise. He had a knife to her throat before Kelsey and Sanders had finished standing. Jared stayed in his seat.

  “Sit back down, Princess Kelsey.” Shrike kept his eyes locked on Jared’s half-sister. “Allow me to save all of us some time. He’ll lead you right to me. That doesn’t matter, though. You’re too late.” He pulled a communications device from his waist and pressed a key. “My senior people are taking control of the Royal Fleet as we speak. Your ship might be powerful, but it cannot stand up to the might of Pentagar. This is over.”

  “Traitor,” Commodore Sanders spat. “You won’t get away with this.”

  “Really? How melodramatic. I’ve already gotten away with it. Sit down or I’ll slit her throat.”

  Jared was tempted to call for the marines, but he suspected the Lord Admiral was more than a bit mad. He’d probably kill Elise as soon as the door opened.

  “This won’t end well.” Jared eased his pistol from its holster. “I’ve already locked down all communications. You’re alone here.”

  Shrike laughed. “I don’t believe you. Prepare a cutter to take the former Crown Princess and myself to my flagship. Now. Delay or offer me any resistance and I’ll kill her.”

  “Don’t do it,” Elise said through clenched teeth. “He cannot be allowed to leave this ship, even if he kills me. Protect the Kingdom.”

  Kelsey hadn’t sat down, but it didn’t look like she could get to Shrike without going through Elise. She moved down the table away from Jared. “Let’s not get hasty. Perhaps we can make a deal.”

  As soon as Shrike turned to keep Elise between himself and Kelsey, Jared raised his pistol, used his implants to target it on Shrike’s head, and fired. The high velocity flechette blew Shrike’s head apart. He dropped the knife and collapsed in a bloo
dy heap.

  Jared’s hand shook as he stood and holstered his pistol. The marines burst in just as Jared pulled Elise away from the body. Despite her brave face, he could feel her trembling. He turned her away from the body. “It’s over now. You’re safe.”

  She came into his arms and buried her face against his shoulder. “Thank you.”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Kelsey sat on the balcony to her room at the Royal Palace sipping a beer and watching the stars. She wondered which of them was home. Probably none of them. Odds were Avalon wasn’t visible from here, even with her enhanced eyesight.

  Her keeper and constant companion, Senior Sargent Talbot, put his boots up on the railing and leaned back in his chair. “You think the Pentagarans really found all the conspirators?”

  “If not, they’ve found most of them. Every senior officer is getting close scrutiny and some traitors have given up others for lighter sentences. Treason here has the death penalty. If they’ve missed anyone, that person will be the model of good behavior going forward.”

  Events had preceded quickly once Commodore—now Admiral—Sanders had made a few innocuous calls to men he trusted to secure the ships in orbit. They’d even found the woman responsible for the attack at the Parliament building. Once the Pentagarans felt they had all they needed from her, the King would decide if she’d cooperated enough to earn a life sentence.

  The two of them drank in silence for a while before Talbot spoke again. “What do you think about the Captain and Crown Princess Elise?”

  She blinked at the unexpected question. “How do you mean?”

  He gave her a look. “Come on. Everyone can see that she’s sweet on him. All those private dinners and trips out into the capital.”

  Kelsey considered that with no small bit of surprise. Now that he’d pointed it out, she wondered how she’d missed it. Her half-brother was dating. She wondered if he knew yet. Elise could be very subtle.