Dark Horse

by Michelle Diener

  Vree Halimʼs quiet comm to let him know what was happening had sent him storming to the comm center to confront Hoke. Heʼd kept his voice low and his tone just the right side of civil with difficulty, and it was only Valuʼs astonishment at learning Dav hadnʼt been consulted and his clear disapproval of how Hoke had managed things that had kept Dav from ordering her off his ship.

  Not that that would have helped, given she outranked him.

  Hoke shifted uneasily. “Captain, may we speak in private?”

  He gave a stiff nod and indicated the small, glassed off room where the head comm tech could receive confidential messages for Dav from Battle Center.

  She made her way there, and Valu, although Hoke had not included him in her request, stood and followed her in.

  Lens feed from the room where Rose was kept was still up on the main comm center screen, as well as on the small screen in the tiny office, and Dav saw that most of the crew barely gave him, Valu and Hoke a glance as they closed themselves off.

  Rose had finished singing, but there was always the chance of a third song, and the crowd waited, riveted, for whatever she decided to do next.

  “It isnʼt my usual style to explain myself, Captain, but I can understand why there might be hard feelings on your part.” Hoke stood to attention, legs apart, shoulders back. “It was my professional judgment that you were not taking the possibility of Rose McKenzieʼs danger to this ship and to the Grih in general seriously enough, and so I decided to circumvent you.” Hoke paused, and tilted her head. “Can you honestly tell me youʼre unbiased?”

  Dav watched her for a long beat, but she hadnʼt become the heir-apparent to Battle Center by being easily intimidated, and she stared straight back. “You didnʼt discuss your ʽprofessional judgmentʼ with me in any way. And I donʼt think I gave any indication that I would have obstructed a debrief. Why would I? Iʼve followed the regulations to the letter with her, and thatʼs more than you can say in your handling of this matter.”

  Some of that was a lie, but there was no way Dav was giving ground now. No way.

  “I have to agree with Captain Jallan, Hoke. If you felt he was giving the orange an easy time, why didnʼt you ask him why? He might have been working a plan, for all you know. Have you forgotten how sacrosanct a captainʼs ship is? How would you have reacted to someone giving orders to your crew behind your back when you were running the Helivista?”

  Hoke sighed. “Iʼd have been as furious as you obviously are, Jallan. I apologize, but there are a lot of lives on the line. A lot at stake.” She was silent for a moment, but however genuine her apology seemed, Dav was still disinclined to make things easy.

  “Youʼre going to take a while to forgive me, and I canʼt say Iʼd have been any different.” Hoke shrugged. “But you need to get over it because weʼve got another problem. While I was trying to get Admiral Krale on the line, I received a comm from the United Council. Iʼve sent you a copy.”

  Dav slipped out his handheld, saw the comm and opened it. It was an order, poorly couched as a request, to send Rose to Councilor Fu-tamaʼs ship, which would take her to UC headquarters.

  He lifted his head, saw Hokeʼs gaze on him, intense and considering.

  “What do you think?”

  I think itʼs not going to happen. Dav tried not to let that thought show on his face. “Well, itʼs from UC Headquarters, Iʼll believe that because our comm system is good enough to pick up if it wasnʼt, but whoʼs taken responsibility for this order? I donʼt see a name.”

  Hoke gave a nod. “I noticed that, too.”

  “So, letʼs contact them and find out.” Although he didnʼt believe for a moment anyone would admit to sending it, and would even bet it would turn out to have been sent from a communal comm station.

  Hoke shook her head. “I received orders from Battle Center just before I spoke to Rose. Weʼre not to speak to the United Council. Battle Center will do our talking for us. Weʼve cooperated in letting the technicians from UC take the evidence they need against the Tecran, but there will be no more tours of the Class 5, no more allowing them access to Rose.”

  “Things are getting a little rocky.” Valu spoke quietly from his corner of the room.

  Hoke gave a nod. “This has everyone on edge. The UC could conceivably fracture, but right now itʼs looking like the Garmman, Fitali and Bukari will side with us, the Tecran canʼt convince any of them across because of their treatment of Rose.”

  “So the first step for the Tecran would be to get rid of Rose. Despite the lens feed, a walking, talking victim is much harder to explain away.” Dav hunched his shoulders to loosen them.

  “And are the Tecran really alone? Fu-tama is Garmman, and his ship arrived suspiciously soon after we picked up that mysterious signal. Not to mention, itʼs the ship they want us to put Rose on.”

  “But the Class 5 took aim at his vessel, didnʼt it? How does that fit in?” Valu frowned.

  “The Class 5 isnʼt being manned by Tecran anymore, there is no one to override anything. Perhaps it locked on because of the signal, but had Captain Gee been on board, heʼd have cancelled the response.” The only other explanation was the one Rose hinted at earlier. That the Class 5 was under someone elseʼs control, and given that someone had killed almost the entire Tecran crew, they were most definitely hostile to the Tecran and their allies. If the Garmman had secretly aligned themselves with the Tecran, locking weapons onto Fu-tamaʼs ship was completely logical.

  Valu nodded reluctantly. “Asking Captain Gee is obviously out of the question?”

  Hoke nodded. “We donʼt give him any information about the Class 5 at all. Do you think he would answer a question honestly anyway, Captain Jallan?”

  Dav shook his head. “Heʼs extremely hostile and would do anything he could to undermine our control of the Class 5.”

  Hoke inclined her head, as if that was no more than she expected.

  “So, when is Admiral Krale available for Roseʼs interrogation?” Dav looked across at the screen, and saw Rose was sitting quietly on her chair, feet up on the table, eyes closed.

  Hoke followed his gaze. “Four hours, minimum.”

  “You going to make her wait in there, or let her go back to her room?” Valu asked. Dav was glad about that, because he wasnʼt prepared to ask Admiral Hoke what order she was going to issue on his own ship.

  Hoke rubbed a hand through short, silver hair. Looked up at Dav again.

  She was caught, and she knew it. If she backed down and sent Rose to her room, it would be seen as a victory for Dav, and possibly for Rose, as well. If she didnʼt, if she forced Rose to wait in the room until the admiral was free, her reputation with his crew and with himself, would sink lower.

  “She can wait a little longer.”

  She had decided to hedge her bets.

  He was opening his mouth, about to utter one of the most career-inhibiting remarks of his life, when Appal came through on his comm.

  “Trouble.”

  He turned automatically away from Valu and Hoke, looked out into the comm room at the techs going about their business. “What?”

  “There is something coming at us. Something big. It light jumped in and then ducked behind Virmana. We got a brief reading before it disappeared.”

  “How big?”

  “Big enough. Not a Class 5, I can confirm that. Given we have one sitting right in front of us, we can be sure what we picked up didnʼt have the same readings.”

  Dav cut her off, tapped into the main system. “This is a ship-wide warning. Hostile craft approaching, all crew prepare to engage.”

  Behind him, he heard Valu grunt in surprise, and he turned back. “Most likely Tecran. But not a Class 5.”

  He needed to get in touch with the captains of the two battleships hanging on either side of the Barrist. He needed to make sure Dimitara stashed the UC councilors in a safe place on board if they werenʼt back on the fast transporter that had brought them from UC Headquarters, especially the Tecran and Garm
ann councilors. He needed to thank the fates it wasnʼt another Class 5.

  So why was he worrying about Rose?

  Because the thought of being taken by the Tecran again would surely shake her to her core.

  “What do you need us to do?” Hoke asked, and Dav decided she really meant it, she was offering to help, rather than trying to take over.

  Dav tapped back into the bridge. “Come with me.”

  27

  Roseʼs Grih handheld gave a merry little ting in the silence after Davʼs ship-wide announcement of possible enemy engagement.

  Rose looked down and saw it was a request for a comm link. She tapped the icon that most looked like accept to her, and wondered why there were four options. Accept, Decline, possibly Take a Message, but what would the fourth be? Block This Person Forever?

  “Hello?”

  “Rose. Itʼs Captain Jallan.”

  The way he spoke, formal and clipped, told her he had an audience.

  As she could hardly see him ducking around a corner for a little peace in order to call her while a hostile vessel bore down on the Barrist, she didnʼt take offense.

  “Good afternoon, Captain.”

  “Iʼm having Halim and Xaltro escort you back to your room. Do not leave it. Youʼll be safe there.”

  He had a million things to do, the lives of everyone on board in his hands, and he was taking the time to move her to more comfortable surroundings. Her safety was on his mind.

  His thoughtfulness pierced her, choked her, and she could not speak.

  “Rose.” His rough voice dipped a little lower. “Iʼm sorry about what happened today with Admiral Hoke. I——”

  He thought she wasnʼt answering him because she was angry, and now wasnʼt the time to set him right, so she cleared her throat, forced herself to speak.

  “Thank you, Captain. I appreciate your concern. I know youʼre busy, so Iʼll just wish you luck.”

  It was his turn to be quiet. “I canʼt tell whether youʼre being serious or sarcastic.” He blew out a breath. “And no time to find out. Stay safe, Rose. I wonʼt let anything happen to you.”

  He cut off the transmission before she could respond, and as he did, the door to the room opened, and Vree Halim and Jay Xaltro stepped in.

  They had an air of suppressed excitement about them.

  “You do understand the Barrist is under threat of imminent attack?” She scooped up her two handhelds.

  Vree Halim grinned at her. “Itʼs what weʼre trained for. Being on the Barrist is good, but Jay and I are soldiers and we donʼt get a lot of action on an exploration vessel.”

  She shook her head at him, and watched Jay disappear into the passageway, taking the lead. Vree indicated she should go next and when she stepped out, something slammed her into the wall.

  She had the brief impression of someone leaning across her to Vree, and then a strange sound, like the humming of a hundred bees.

  Something was shoved up under her chin, and she realized it was whatever had felled Vree. He had fallen back into the room, and Jay Xaltro lay in the passageway, angled across it with arms flung outward, as if in surrender.

  She lifted her gaze, and came eye to eye with someone she knew she should recognize.

  “Do as I say or Iʼll kill you here. It wonʼt be as good an outcome as getting you to Fu-tamaʼs ship, but if it looks like you might escape, thatʼs a set-back Iʼm willing to bear.”

  Now she remembered. Captain Jallanʼs aide.

  He must have seen the recognition in her eyes and he ground the shockgun barrel into her jaw, grazing her skin.

  “Do. You. Understand?”

  She looked back at him, with a fuck you in her eyes this time, and she could see him react like Admiral Hoke, see him visibly draw himself up for a challenge.

  She had done it a few times to Dav Jallan, now she thought about it, but he hadnʼt reacted this way. Either he didnʼt find her challenge threatening, or he was more controlled than his aide and the admiral.

  With a grunt, Davʼs aide grabbed the back of her shirt and dragged her a few steps to a door, opened it, and shoved her inside.

  It was pitch dark for a moment, and then a floor-level strip of blue light flickered on, illuminating a narrow corridor running in both directions, the walls covered with clear tubes, neatly running parallel to each other.

  “Heʼs taken you into the service tunnels.” Sazoʼs whisper in her ear made her start, then breathe out in relief.

  “Do you know whoʼs taken you?” Sazoʼs voice seemed a little distant. Colder than sheʼd heard it in a long time.

  “The captainʼs aide.” She couldnʼt remember if sheʼd ever been introduced to him, but she didnʼt know his name.

  He started when she spoke and gave a sharp jab with the barrel of the shockgun against the back of her neck. “Shut up. Not talking. It doesnʼt matter who I am.” He had to stand sideways to fit into the tunnel, and he pushed Rose forward with the gun.

  She raised a hand and tried to rub where heʼd hurt her, but he simply slammed the barrel into her fingers and she cried out and dropped her hand.

  She had no idea how long it took, but when at last they came to a halt outside a door, rather than pass it by like they had all the others, she wanted to cry with relief.

  She was slim enough to walk without having to turn sideways, but the conditions were too close for her to use what she thought of as her edge, the fact that she always felt she could jump higher than she would have been able to on Earth.

  “Weʼre stopping?” she asked, to let Sazo know.

  Davʼs aide didnʼt answer, he crowded her, leaned over her head and tapped a sensor near the top of the door.

  The door swung open and he shoved her forward. She stumbled and fell, and in a single stride he grabbed her upper arm and yanked her to her feet, wrenching her arm.

  She had no control over the cry of pain she made, and he hit her temple with the butt of his shockgun.

  “Quiet!”

  She was so dazed, she hung from his grip, half-conscious.

  He dragged her over to a gleaming capsule. The lid slid back silently and he pushed her inside. She felt hands on her, rough, hard hands patting her down as if searching for something. Then, with a low curse, she was left alone.

  “Rose. Rose.”

  She became aware Sazo was whispering in her ear. She didnʼt know for how long.

  “Yes?” Her voice was a croak.

  “Heʼs putting you into a maintenance capsule. The maintenance team use it to make minor repairs to the exterior of the ship. Heʼs busy routing it to Councilor Fu-tamaʼs vessel, but donʼt worry, Iʼll overwrite those instructions and route you to the Class 5.”

  She barely heard him, but she gathered he would keep her safe. Her eyes fluttered closed just as a sudden change in noise level made her realize sheʼd been closed in.

  She felt herself moving and she tried to force her eyes open again.

  Davʼs aide looked down at her, and she saw the whole front of the capsule was transparent, a sort of Snow White glass coffin.

  What surprised her was the look on the aideʼs face moments before he shot her through the gel wall and out into space.

  Cold, hard hatred.

  28

  The faint tap of a pending comm came through in Davʼs ear. He waited for the request, keeping his gaze fixed on the large screen which showed the reading the Barrist had got of the large vessel just before it ducked behind Virmana.

  Comms were down again. Nothing was coming through from Battle Center. Nothing was going out.

  He had Borji organizing the launch of an auto-lens to duck around the back of Virmana, find out what was hiding there, and then speed back to the Barrist if the comm block included short-range comms, or, preferably, signal back with the image.

  The tap came again, but still no comm.

  He frowned. Tapped his ear to open the communication anyway. “Yes?”

  “Down.” The whisper was barely audible. “Rose . .
.”

  A wave of ice engulfed him, as bone-chilling as being caught in one of the avalanches common on Calianthra.

  “Admiral, take the bridge. Appal!” He didnʼt wait for her, he just turned and ran full tilt out onto the main floor and down the wide stairs.

  Because they were in battle-ready mode, none of the tubes were operational, but he was down on the right level almost before he knew it, the sound of Appalʼs footsteps behind him.

  She didnʼt waste her breath asking him what was happening, but he needed to give her a heads-up.

  “Halim and Xaltro are down. Someone has attacked them and Rose.”

  The passageway split right and left. Without asking him, Appal went left, toward Roseʼs room and Dav ran right, to where Hoke had been holding her.

  There was no one on this floor now——it was only bedrooms, conference facilities and the officersʼ gym. Everyone was at their work stations in the current crisis. No one to notice what had happened. No one to help.

  He almost stood on Xaltro as he took the last corner.

  She was lying very still, arms spread wide.

  Halim had half-pulled himself up on his side but whatever strength he had managed to call on to contact Dav was gone.

  Dav fell to his knees beside Xaltro. “Dr. Havak. Emergency on Level B. Two officers down, shockgun attack.”

  He was surprised at how level his voice was. Jay Xaltroʼs pulse was thready but discernible, Vree Halimʼs was stronger, but he was just as unconscious.

  They wouldnʼt be able to tell him what had happened to Rose until Havak could bring them round.

  But one thing he knew, she was still on his ship, and he was prepared to search every corner of it.

  Appal ran around the corner as he stood from his crouch next to Halim, and skidded to a halt.

  “Rose?”

  “Gone.”

  “Heʼs got her. Whoever tried to kill her in the pool.”

  Dav nodded.

  “Who would betray us to the Tecran? I canʼt understand it.” She turned at the sound of movement behind her, lifting up the shockgun already in her hand, but it was Havak and his team, and she stepped out of the way to give them room to work.