The three of them went to the cryo-stasis chamber, a feature the captain apparently never used, and led Cyrus to three of the pods. He opened one of the pods, revealing a massive man in body armor who, aside from a different crew cut, looked exactly like Commander Jax.
“The other two look identical,” Kendrick stated. “They’re vat grown super soldiers, Cyrus. They’ve got the same programming hardware that Heather had and I’m betting that Jax has it too.”
“Where did you get them?”
“Lorgen had a whole platoon of them,” Kendrick explained. “Lena took out a bunch of them when they tried to board the Selene and brought back these three. Their necks are broken, so no, they’re not sleeping.”
“And Jax is like Heather,” Fiona explained. “He has no idea what he is or the potential threat he poses.”
“If an Escort-7 can handle one such soldier,” Cyrus remarked, “just how dangerous can Jax be?”
“Lena was running in a different platform at that time,” Kendrick explained. “That platform, the G.A.I.S.F, was substantially stronger than even the strongest human and highly resilient. Lena’s Escort-7 platform is about as strong as Fiona. Jax, on the other hand, is stronger than any of us, likely even you, and I get the impression that he’s highly trained.”
“He’s also been in the field for a long time,” Fiona noted. “He has a level of experience that Lena’s earlier opponents did not have.”
“Nor is he at the disadvantage of being in a vacuum during the fight,” Kendrick noted. “Needless to say, he’s dangerous as hell even without a weapon.”
“So we have a potential ticking time bomb aboard,” Cyrus observed. “Just what we needed on a one-year voyage with no stops.”
“Yeah, that just about sums it up,” Kendrick confirmed. “In about an hour, I’m planning on summoning the good colonel and that Captain Gifford’s so that we can discuss our current circumstances.”
“I’d like to be there for this if you don’t mind,” Cyrus offered. “There are things I might pick up that you might miss, not being military.”
“I was planning to have you there just in case Tracht proved troublesome, so by all means,” Kendrick said gratefully.
“What do you want me to do?” Fiona looked at Kendrick expectantly.
“Find a way to examine Jax,” Kendrick replied. “Use any means within reason; concoct whatever explanation you can come up with, but get as much first hand detail on him as possible.”
“Believe me,” she said resolutely, “I plan to.”
“We’ve got our mission, then,” Kendrick said. “Let’s get started and see what we’re dealing with.”
Colonel Tracht and Captain Gifford’s sat across from Captain Royce and Cyrus in one of Pod Beta’s conference rooms. Gifford’s could not help but appreciate the irony of it all. Royce, the man who they had been chasing and some freelance merc, were questioning two U.S. Starfleet officers as though they were the subordinates. Apparently, whatever arrangement Royce had agreed to did not include being subservient to Tracht while aboard the Selene, at least for the duration of this voyage.
“So, let’s have it, Colonel,” Kendrick said, getting right to business. “How did Lorgen get his hands on another stealth warship after the Enigma was destroyed?”
“He took the enigma shuttles and made for Venus, still pursuing you,” Tracht replied. “Lorgen apparently destroyed the facility and hijacked the Ness Frigate Ramos when she docked.”
“We were going to help you,” Kendrick announced, “But the A.M.S. Icarus showed up and was locking onto us, so we bugged out. Thankfully, they didn’t’ pursue; my Ai is still down and so is Lena, so we don’t have anything near my normal cruising speed.”
“It’s better than what we had a few hours ago,” Gifford’s replied.
“Then, there’s something more you should know.” Kendrick turned back to Tracht. “We intercepted transmissions between the Icarus and the Phantasm. General Martins of the U.P.A. electronically hijacked the Phantasm’s systems and ventilated the entire ship. Lorgen and his men are dead and Martins has your cutter.”
“Another potential adversary who can use our own ships against us,” Tracht sighed. “Hopefully, he’s taken his prize back to base, leaving us to head home with no further complications.”
“Captain Gifford’s,” Royce said, now looking directly at her. “I’m sorry for the loss of your crew. I’m sure some were friends. If there’s anything we can do …”
“Your rescue was more than generous enough,” she replied, thankful for the friendly tone the meeting had taken. “But, I would like to know if you intend to take actions against my XO.”
“I would’ve taken his sidearm if I had planned to,” Kendrick assured. “You and the colonel really need to talk; I’d just tell you right now, but I don’t need to deal with your chain of command communication issues. Just suffice it to say that I know what he is.” Then he turned to Tracht. “And I know the potential threat he represents. You might want to share this information with Captain Gifford’s, as he is her XO.” He then turned back to her and added, “This is a perfect illustration of why I stayed the hell away from the military. I don’t like being used, or treated like property, or some link in the chain; and it’s only under duress that I agreed to anything at all with your boss. If you care about your XO, you should know that the man sitting to your left considers Commander Jax to be nothing more than an implement to be used.”
“That is hardly fair,” Tracht objected.
“To the contrary,” Cyrus corrected, “it is entirely fair. The fact that you have withheld this information from Captain Gifford’s only serves to underscore Captain Royce’s words.” He then folded his arms, which made the large merc look even more imposing. “And do not for one-minute think that I don’t know your role in Heather Dalrymple’s subversion.”
“Look,” Royce said before Tracht could respond. “I agreed to your terms, Colonel, and I’m a man of my word. You say you’re a man of your word, so I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. You walk your talk and I can be professional with you.” Kendrick then looked at both Gifford’s and Tracht together. “You and yours have full access to the Pod Beta amenities. That includes the gymnasium, whirlpools, lounge and restaurant, though at present, I don’t have the staff to fully man them. I’ve given you all first class accommodations, so you should be more than comfortable. If you need anything, let us know and I’ll see what I can do.”
“That’s very generous of you,” Gifford’s said graciously. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” Royce replied. “I think we’re done for now; but there’s one matter that needs addressing: Lena. I want her restored. It happens now, or the deal’s off.”
“Of course,” the colonel said. “Let me get settled in and eat something, and I’ll get right to it.”
“I have no further questions of you,” Gifford’s said. She then gave Tracht the most displeased look she could muster. “You, on the other hand, I have plenty of questions to ask.”
Before Tracht could respond to her comment, Royce said, “Good, then we’re done here. I’ve got to get back to it. In the meantime, I suggest y’all figure out your lines of communication; I ain’t plannin’ on coddlin’ y’all much longer on this.”
“Don’t keep us waiting,” Cyrus warned.
Royce stood and left, Cyrus right behind him, without another word, leaving Gifford’s alone with Tracht.
Once she was sure that they were gone, she turned to the colonel. “I don’t suppose you’re ready to brief me on Jax, sir?”
“Not yet, Carol. I need authorization from …”
“Goddammit, Siegfried! Royce and his civilian crew all know! For Christ’s sake, why don’t you just tell me? You heard him; he’s not going to hide it for you for much longer. Wouldn’t you rather be the one to tell me? At least you’d have some control over how it’s presented.”
Tracht chuckled. “I always did like your forthrig
htness, Carol. It’s why I always stand up for you. Look, I can’t control what Royce and his crew says to you, but I am still bound by protocol. I have damn good reasons for not sharing any of this with you. When you finally do get the whole story, I think you’ll understand why.”
“I have no choice but to defer to you on this,” she sighed. “But I think you’re wrong, and when the shit hits the fan, I think you’ll understand why.”
“You may be right, Carol. You may be right.”
Martins’ hunch had paid off. After barely two days, the Selene had arrived, dutifully rescuing the Liberty survivors. Now that the Selene had returned to the wreck of the Liberty, Martins had to act fast. Martins knew exactly where they were going, a major strategic advantage. He called the commander; it was time to act.
“Commander Williams, I’m sending you coordinates. Get us there at top speed.”
“But the Selene is right here,” Williams replied. “Shouldn’t we move on them now?”
“No, Williams; there’s a com buoy within range of the Selene. We’ll get ahead of them while they’re limited to Mach 15 and wait in a hole in the com buoy network, where they can’t signal High Command, or anyone else.”
“Aye, sir.”
Moments later, the ship surged ahead, speeding to her destination, which would put them roughly three days ahead of the rock and roll captain, placing him in the enviable position of being able to intercept the insanely fast liner. It still bothered him that A.I.I. agent Amanda Keyes had thrown in with Royce and he took the blame for that himself. Had it not been for the order of her own and Terri’s termination, Keyes could have easily convinced Kendrick to join them. It was the price that Ness had demanded, but it had proven far costlier than any of them had anticipated and Tracht had secured the deal instead. Then, there was the freelancer, Cyrus Freeman, and the priest. Both men were formidable in a firefight and thanks to their defeat of Martins and his team, the Selene’s crew had obtained a cache of automatic weapons. Between that and Tracht’s remaining marines, any boarding attempt would be met with more resistance than Martins would have preferred.
With the Phantasm making good time, he hoped that their trap would be enough to contain the currently hampered and delayed Selene. After sending the Icarus back to port, he would only have one ship to do it with, but he was certain that it would be sufficient.
Colonel Tracht sat at the desk in the cabin provided to him by Royce. He had to admit that he was impressed with the ship. It was well appointed without being overly plush or soft. It was like a military vessel with commercial sector appointments. A good business class ship, he mused. The ship’s passenger accommodations could have held the entire Liberty crew and then some. He clenched his fists in frustration at the thought. Caught with my pants down while gloating over my success with Royce. Been out of the field way too long.
At that moment, his door chime sounded. “Enter,” he said, signaling the door to open, revealing Captain Royce, who wore an expression of extreme annoyance on his face. Tracht greeted him as if he had not noticed, hoping to turn the exchange in a more pleasant direction.
“Ah, Captain; good to see you. I wanted to thank you again for your timely arrival. We would probably have died in space if it weren’t for you.”
“Had I not gone back for you, Colonel,” Royce reminded him, “I wouldn’t be able to collect on a matter of unfinished business.”
“Lena,” Tracht said. “Let’s get her taken care of straight away.”
“Apart from being a valued friend and crewmember,” Kendrick said, “your little sabotage has erased Selene’s Ai and burned out the server; without Lena and with my port damaged, we’re flying at half speed, making this a two-year voyage and easy pickings for General Martins. If you can’t deliver on this, the deal’s off!”
“Of course,” Tracht said amiably. “It does me no good to leave a valued member of your crew incapacitated, especially when I can remedy the situation.”
Now that it was just the two of them, he noticed that Royce was far less cordial. Tracht admired that the captain could maintain the cordial façade in front of Gifford’s and the rest of the Liberty survivors, but being one on one with a man, who had every reason at this point to hate him was uncomfortable. Truth be told, the colonel was grateful for the interruption. Brooding had never been his style and without a station to run or mission to complete, he had been going crazy. Royce remained silent as they walked to the lift, in spite of the colonel’s attempts at small talk. When they were right in front of the lift, instead of pressing the button to summon the car, the captain spun on him, taking what Tracht recognized as a thinly veiled fighting stance.
“We ain’t friends, Colonel, and don’t get it in your head that we are; I trust you as far as I can throw you, which is on the floor about three feet in front of me.” Then he added through gritted teeth, “I’d lock you in cryo if I didn’t think I’d need you for anything.”
“Captain, I was only trying …”
“Colonel, I can forgive, but I never forget. Maybe we can establish a cordial working relationship, but right now is too soon.”
Royce had put on a lot of miles since Tracht had seen him in action at the O.S.P. The once nimble captain walked with a slight limp and seemed to have some range of motion issues with his right arm; and looked every second of his almost forty-two years. Gone was the calm friendliness, touched with sadness; an intense fire burned in his eyes, a renewed energy. Whatever had happened to Royce over the past year and a half had changed him … a lot. Lorgen had been a big part of that and that was Tracht’s own fault.
“Would it help if I said I regret the way things went down? I do regret it, you know; Lorgen was never supposed to go after you personally and I should have approached you sooner. I can’t change the way things went down, Captain Royce. I can’t even change some of the things I’ve thrust upon you; without that leverage, and I do admit, it is leverage in my favor, your wife and your gynoid would be as good as dead. You have to know that.”
“Yeah, I know that.” Royce resumed a more neutral stance as the lift doors opened. “Let’s just get this over with; you repair whatever it is you did to Lena and I’ll be a whole lot more willing to listen to you.”
The two men stepped into the car and Tracht decided to test the waters on a different topic.
“Fair’s fair, Captain. Though, if I may, I would like to speak with your engineer, seeing as she is one of mine.”
“Not until you fix Lena,” Kendrick growled. “You wouldn’t mind fixing Heather too, while you’re at it? It would make it much easier to work with her.”
“Fix her?” Tracht was puzzled. “Is she broken?”
“Yeah, she’s broken! Fix her; meaning, she’s Heather and not whatever the fuck it is you put into her head, and whatever interface was used to subvert her gets removed.”
“I can’t; there’s nothing to fix,” Tracht explained. “She isn’t broken. She’s a deep cover operative, programmed specifically to facilitate my getting to you and to get me intel on you.”
Kendrick’s ire returned, pointing a finger right at Tracht as he spoke.
“You know, I agreed to work with you. I even turned around and plucked you and yours from the dead of space, but don’t ever think that we’re friends. And before you ask, things like Heather are one of the reasons why we aren’t friends.”
“Captain Royce,” said Tracht with a laugh, “I know you consider Heather to be your loyal crewmate and friend, and I suppose up to now, that’s what she’s been. But there’s a lot more at stake than you know. I didn’t expect to be your friend, Royce, but I am not your enemy.”
“There’s always a lot at stake,” said Royce. “But how we deal with it is just as important as our goals. Taking a teenaged girl and messing with her personality just to get a mole into my ship crosses more lines than I’d care to count.”
Tracht stopped, shocked at Kendrick’s idea of what Heather was. “Is that really what you think
? She was never subverted, Captain; I’d never leave anything this important to brainwashing or any of that other psychological claptrap.”
“What do you mean?” Royce was wary and his request was hesitant, as though he was not sure he wanted the answer.
“Heather, at least as you know her, never existed. She’s as much an invention as Fiona Kinsale; more so, truth be told. And she never really had a personality of her own; she was grown in a vat with the machinery in place to program her as we saw fit. You were her first mission and with you on board with the project, you’ll be her mission for the foreseeable future.”
“What? You mean she … she never had a childhood? All those memories …”
“Were all fabricated,” Tracht explained. “We could subvert people through brainwashing, but why bother? It’s cheaper to just grow a ready-made agent; we’ve got blanks in reserve that can be prepped a lot faster than the time it would take to reprogram the human brain through pharmaceuticals and psychological conditioning. Material costs of a human body are laughably low; we can churn one out for less than the cost of a litre of the fuel this vessel uses and have it programed the way we want it with no labor costs whatsoever. It’s why we moved away from the G.A.I.S.F. program; no chances of such an expensive piece of hardware becoming ‘self-aware’ and refusing orders. Operatives like Heather are cheap to manufacture and are already programmed with an override personality to insure their commitment. Self-aware androids, on the other hand, are just money down the drain; they’re deactivated and go directly to the incinerator, though an exceptional one is usually taken to the labs and disassembled to see what made them tick.”
Captain Royce looked at him aghast. “How can you say something like that? Ain’t you got no conscience? I’ve seen self-aware androids, held one, loved one. They think and feel, just as we do! And to grow … people … that’s …”
No Safe Harbor: The Silver Liner Page 24