by Cheryl Angst
Shaken by the intensity of his outburst, Rebeccah jumped when his hands released her and he went limp. She nodded to the medics to take him away, pulling the senior medic aside as he moved past. “I need the captain awake and coherent in five minutes.”
“Sir? He’s in terrible shape. God only knows what he’s been through to get here, but I can tell you the last thing he needs is to be awake.” The medic held his ground as he stared at her. “In fact, I’d wager he needs to be in a drug-induced coma for at least several days.”
She knew he was right, but she didn’t have a choice. “Listen carefully. The lives of billions of people depend on him speaking in the next five minutes. If you can’t help him communicate, there’ll be no point trying to save his life because we’ll all be dead.”
“Aye, sir.” He scowled as he moved off.
Chapter 54
Rebeccah turned to face the ground crew gathered around the raptor. They either stood or paced with varying attitudes of tension. One young man bounced on the balls of his feet, another engineer stared at the craft with her arms across her chest, two more slowly patrolled the perimeter, and a group of three huddled together whispering and pointing at various design elements. The single, unifying factor within the group was the look of intense, almost fanatical desire written on their faces.
She approached the officer in charge and said, “I want you and your crew to go over every inch of this vessel. I don’t want a single bolt unexamined, or a program untested. I want to know everything this craft is capable of. Its strengths, its weaknesses, where the avians put their coffee cups.”
“Aye, sir!” the ensign replied.
“I know you’ve all read the texts and studied the sims, but do try not to sound like the standard textbooks on raptors in your report.” She smiled. “Try and find me something new.”
The young ensign practically beamed as she replied, “That won’t be a problem, sir. This is a prototype. The avian military doesn’t even have this model yet.” She turned her gaze back on the raptor and added, “I have no idea how the captain got his hands on this, but I’m extremely glad he did.”
A prototype?
Rebeccah watched as the ensign dispatched her crew to work. They began crawling all over the ship with equal parts professionalism and awe. She turned and made her way out of the hangar, leaving them to their excited whispers and exclamations.
* * * *
Medics moved between the captain’s bed and various monitors and pieces of equipment. The temperature and noise level in the room dropped as Rebeccah entered. The crew were ecstatic to have their captain back, but she’d given an order that endangered his life and right now they hated her.
She didn’t blame them.
She squared her shoulders and ignored the accusing stares. Rebeccah moved to John’s side and waited for the doctor to wake him. They’d managed to clean him up somewhat since his arrival. Dressed in a standard UESF medical gown, someone had taken the time to wipe away the worst of the grime and odor. The IV drip of fluids and nutrients had a positive effect; his skin showed a slightly pink tint--far better than the deathly blue she’d seen in the raptor’s cockpit.
The doctor injected a pharmaceutical concoction into John’s IV and nodded curtly at her. He remained long enough to check his patient’s vital signs, then left.
John’s eyelids fluttered as he returned to full awareness. Her heart almost broke as she took in the depth of exhaustion and stress in his gaze. She berated herself for torturing him.
He’s been back for ten minutes, can’t you cope another day or two without him?
The answer was no. The Brown Wren posed a threat to the ship and only the captain knew why.
“Commander?” he whispered, his voice hoarse from lack of oxygen.
“Sir,” she replied. “I need to know where the danger with the Wren lies.”
“Did you establish visual communications with her captain?”
“No, sir. He said the relay was damaged in the explosion,” she replied.
John shook his head. “He’s the only crew on board.”
“But we detected life signs.”
“Prisoners from penal colonies in the holds.”
Rebeccah tugged her ponytail. “He never mentioned being a prison transport. Still, we shouldn’t refuse to help because--”
“The rest of the ship is packed with corpses. Enough to look like a full complement of civilian travelers.” John closed his eyes as he spoke. “The bodies are evidence to make the attack look more convincing when the military arrives.”
“Military? The Wren’s signal is so weak they’ll never reach another ship, sir.”
The captain sighed. “They contacted the military as soon as you entered sensor range. The Wren is a shreeback lizard,” he said.
“A what, sir?”
“A small reptile native to the avian homeworld that lays its eggs in the nests of various birds.” John yawned. “The unsuspecting birds incubate the eggs, and upon hatching, the lizards eat the young or un-hatched offspring of the birds.” He paused then added, “A Trojan horse.”
“Their whole distress call was a trap?”
He nodded. “The engine coupling is packed with highly concentrated explosives--enough to destroy both ships.”
Sickly fingers traced cold tracks down her back. They’d been seconds away from cutting into the coupling.
“With both ships destroyed…” her voice trailed off as the ramifications slid into place.
“Each side would blame the other, the peace treaty would be scrapped, and we’d be prepping for war.”
“Who would do such a thing?” she wondered out loud.
John’s awareness was beginning to fade. His head lolled to one side and she had to strain to hear him. “Corporate conspiracy.”
A flash of understanding ripped through her. The prototype. No wonder the avian government hadn’t spoken publicly about the debacle. They didn’t know about it!
“And their military is on its way here, guns blazing, expecting to see a UESF warship attacking an unarmed civilian vessel?” she asked in horror. “They’ll shoot first and ask questions later, won’t they?”
John nodded.
“Dear God,” she said, shuddering, “what are we going to do?”
Chapter 55
Rebeccah held her breath, waiting for the explosion.
“That’s suicide,” Targersson exclaimed as he walked away from the front of his cell to throw himself on his cot. “I’d rather take my chances with a court martial.”
“Right,” she said. “You’re facing nine counts of murder. Even if you walk--and you won’t--you’ll be dishonorably discharged and a veil of suspicion will follow you wherever you go.” She crossed her arms and stared at his sullen expression. “What kind of work do you think someone kicked out of the UESF on suspicion of multiple murders will get? Your life, your reputation, and your future are ruined when your actions get reported.”
A sudden, cunning gleam entered his eyes and he sat up straighter. “When?” he asked. “You mean to tell me you haven’t reported anything to HQ yet?”
Rebeccah shook her head.
“Why not?”
“Because I haven’t had time,” she lied. He looked doubtful. “Don’t be so egotistical, Konrad. Your predicament was of a far lower priority than stopping an interstellar war and getting the captain back.”
He nodded, apparently accepting her reasoning.
“So,” she hated herself for doing this; she wasn’t asking him to risk his life, she was badgering him to accept a death sentence, “do you want to die a decorated UESF hero, or live serving multiple life sentences in a hard labor camp?”
“The plan won’t work,” Targersson replied. “Even if I do get away, they’ll pick up the flyer’s energy signature.”
“Not if you’re piloting a raptor.” His eyes widened at that piece of information.
“Meanwhile you guys will be hightailing it out of here a
t trans-light speed,” he said bitterly.
“You’re the only other crewmember fluent in the avian language.”
“So? The guy speaks English.”
“For this plan to work we need someone who understands their dialect.”
Targersson grew silent. Rebeccah tugged on her ponytail as she waited.
“The O-two tanks won’t get me back to home turf, will they?” he asked.
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “No.”
“And I can’t let them capture me either, can I?”
“No. We need you to trigger the raptor’s auto-destruct as soon as you’re out of sensor range.”
* * * *
“You’re playing a dangerous game with thousands of lives here, Commander,” said Quarl.
Far more dangerous than you think, she thought. “It’s not our intent to gamble with your people’s lives.”
“What about your captain? What does he think of your actions?” Quarl asked scornfully, “or is he still ‘indisposed’?”
“Actually,” she replied, glad to be able to throw the buzzard off-balance, “my captain is the one who ordered the flyers to return to the ship. He was concerned for their safety, and thinks we have another possible course of action.”
“What other options do we have? My ship might blow up any second!”
“We are aware of that, sir. Trust me, we’re doing everything we can to remedy the situation. Firestorm out.” She cut the transmission as Lt. Monroe looked up from her console.
“Sir, the raptor is ready to launch.”
Rebeccah closed her eyes and offered a silent prayer before replying. “Proceed.”
“Aye, sir.”
“Helm,” Rebeccah’s soul crumbled as she gave the order, “engage the quantum drive and make the jump to trans-light as soon as the raptor is a thousand meters out.”
“Aye, sir.”
The bridge crew was silent and subdued as they watched the tiny craft grow smaller on the screen.
“Engaging quantum drive now, sir.”
May God have mercy on all our souls.
Chapter 56
Konrad gagged and covered his mouth with his sleeve as he walked through the empty corridors of the avian transport.
The place smelled like a charnel house.
The trip from the emergency airlock to the bridge proved to be far more unpleasant than he’d imagined. Everywhere he looked, in cabins, and stacked in the cargo holds, he found avian corpses. They were in varying states of decay; from some being a week or so dead, to others that must have died months ago.
“ Evidence ” the vicious humans slaughtered a ship full of innocent civilians, he thought bitterly.
After dry heaving at the door to the second cargo hold, he stopped investigating the ship and headed directly for the bridge.
The short flight from the Firestorm to the Wren went smoothly. Either the ship’s sensors were truly damaged, or Quarl wasn’t worried about a small craft approaching without permission. Regardless, Konrad had no trouble locating an emergency airlock, landing the raptor inside, and triggering the compression mechanism that granted him access to the ship.
Armed and armored, he followed the path programmed into his HUD. Based on the limited schematics available to the UESF, Konrad was impressed with the accuracy of the map.
He approached the main entrance to the bridge and paused long enough to double check his weapons before triggering the door’s mechanism. The door slid into the wall with an almost silent hiss. Still, the sound startled the ship’s captain, causing him to jump and let out a terrified chirp.
“Don’t move,” Konrad ordered as he stepped onto the bridge.
He pointed his rifle squarely at the avian’s chest as he quickly took in his surroundings. Corpses dressed in the transport company’s uniform slumped over the control panels of every station save the captain’s. Like the rest of the ship, these corpses had seen better days.
He shuddered, imagining sitting alone on the bridge surrounded by rotting bodies.
“Sit down,” he said, gesturing at the captain’s chair with his rifle. He closed in on the terrified avian and leaned against the command console, casually resting the weapon across his body. He let the muzzle drift so the gun pointed at Quarl’s vulnerable gut.
“Who are you?” Quarl asked.
“That doesn’t matter,” Konrad replied. “All you need to know is I’m here to witness your confession.”
“Confession?” Quarl laughed. “What confession?”
“The one you’re about to broadcast on all civilian and military frequencies available to this ship.”
“What am I confessing?”
Konrad laughed. “I don’t care, so long as you say your claims of humans in avian space were a lie and you concocted the whole scheme to make money, find a mate, frame your boss, whatever.”
“Are you kidding? I’ll be imprisoned for life.”
“Your life won’t be long if you don’t,” he replied, shifting his rifle slightly. “If I have to leave here without a confession, I’m going to deposit several hollow point bullets in your abdomen before I go. You won’t die quickly, and you won’t die painlessly, but you will die.” He looked around the room. “Rather fitting, don’t you think?”
“I think you’re bluffing,” said Quarl.
Without taking his eyes off the avian Konrad swung the rifle down and pulled the trigger. Quarl shrieked and fell out of his chair, writhing on the deck.
“That’s just a toe,” Konrad stated. “I’m told a bullet in the stomach is exponentially worse.” He kicked Quarl in the thigh and said, “Get back up here. Now.”
Eyes wide with pain and terror, Quarl slowly climbed back into his chair. He sat with his eyes closed, panting.
“Still think I’m bluffing?” Konrad asked.
“No,” Quarl whispered as he shook his head.
“Good. Let’s get back to the plan then, shall we?”
Konrad listed off the points he expected Quarl to cover in his broadcast, pausing to make sure the avian still focused.
“Do you need me to take care of another toe?” he asked when Quarl closed his eyes again.
The avian sat bolt upright in his chair and squawked, “No.”
“All right. Open up your communications channels and start chirping.”
“This is shell-cracked,” Quarl whined. “I never should have taken this assignment.”
“I don’t care,” Konrad replied.
“My boss is going to kill me.”
“Depends.”
“Depends on what?” Quarl asked.
“Depends on how you choose to word your confession. Now I may be wrong, but I’m assuming you’ve got some pretty powerful figures funding this charade.”
Quarl nodded.
“You could name names and try to bring them all down with you.”
Quarl’s green markings faded to a jaundiced yellow.
“But I suspect they’ll never see justice, and they’ll ensure you and any other evidence disappear before word of this reaches the law or the media.”
Quarl nodded miserably. “You’re right.”
“That leaves you with the option of taking the full blame yourself and hoping your patrons decide to use their deep pockets to prevent you from being punished for your crime. After all, you could blow the whistle on them if they don’t help you out.”
A hopeful gleam entered Quarl’s eyes. “Or,” he said, “you could confess to an equally wild human plot to start a war and I could remain free of all blame.”
Konrad chuckled. “That’s not going to happen.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m the one with the gun,” he replied.
“You’re not getting out of this alive, you know,” Quarl said. “They’re gone. Your ship took off and left you here.”
He winced and tried to hide his discomfort from the avian. “I know. I made the choice to accept this assignment knowing the outcom
e.”
“No, you didn’t,” Quarl replied. “You don’t want to die.” Konrad’s grip on the rifle tightened reflexively.
“They’re gone,” Quarl spoke in a soothing, almost hypnotic voice. “They’ll never know what you did or didn’t do here. If I don’t confess, they’ll simply assume the mission went wrong somehow.” He leaned forward slightly. “You don’t have to die.”
“What would happen to me?” he asked.
Quarl smiled. “Well, I’m sure our military intelligence department would want to have several chats with you about the UESF, its strengths, weaknesses, and deployment plans.” He leaned in closer, his chest almost brushing the end of the rifle. “I’m sure we could find you a nice nest somewhere. Someplace quiet where you could live out the rest of your life, free from fear of reprisals from your government.”
He’d be alive, but the price would be…treason. But he’d be alive.
Konrad shook his head. “Make your recording and I’ll think about your offer. We can always delete the message.”
Quarl grinned. “All right.”
Konrad watched as Quarl almost gleefully confessed to masterminding the entire plot. He listened as Quarl explained how he’d collected the bodies of deceased avians from morgues across several systems, and how he’d bribed prison guards to sell him a few prisoners so the human sensors would pick up more than one life form on board. He described in detail how he’d packed the engine coupling with high explosives, and how he’d paid a flight of raptors to use his ship as target practice. Konrad found the whole speech remarkably convincing.
Quarl made no mention of the avians backing his mission. He claimed he acted alone out of bitterness, citing the expropriation of his family’s nesting grounds during the war as his reason.
Quarl leaned back and grinned at Konrad. He reached out a slender hand toward the delete key and said, “So now that you’ve had time to think, how about we get rid of this piece of guano and discuss how we’ll present your case to the military when they arrive.”
Konrad shook his head and pressed the transmit button instead. “I don’t think so.”
“You shell-cracked fuzz-brain!” Quarl screamed. “You just scrambled us both.”