Echo Rift

by G. S. Jennsen

  Felzeor gasped dramatically. “Marlee, are you in the habit of attracting bad people who want to injure you?”

  She huffed in mock indignation. “No…. But I do seem to be in the habit of wandering into the middle of them? Only to help others!”

  “It’s a family curse. Now close your eyes again. This time, try to deflect my attacks and Felzeor’s.”

  “Uh-huh. Piece of cake.” She shook out her arms and flexed her knees. “Come at me—”

  The sound of the Caeles Prism activating drew their attention toward the landing complex. A simple but expensive civilian craft emerged through the Prism and settled onto one of the landing pads.

  Felzeor clucked at Caleb’s ear. “Who is that?”

  “Let’s go find out. Marlee, you get a brief break.”

  The three of them strode across the meadow toward the landing complex. It was finally drying out after Akeso’s deluge, and the dirt felt firm beneath Caleb’s bare feet.

  They were still thirty meters away when a ramp extended from the side of the ship and Malcolm Jenner emerged. He was dressed in what military officers always seemed to think were casual civilian clothes, but in reality were substitute military attire without the insignia.

  Caleb sighed softly. Well, this was going to be awkward. He wished Alex were here to intervene, but she was at HQ helping her mother review the new work coming out of the Concord Special Projects/Dominion Conceptual Research partnership.

  He nudged Felzeor off his shoulder and went to greet their visitor. “Malcolm. It’s good to see you walking around among us again.”

  “Yeah.” He glanced behind Caleb at the others. “I heard you and Marlee had an ordeal yourselves. I’m glad you all made it home in one piece.”

  “Thanks. So, what can I do for you today? Alex isn’t here….”

  “I didn’t come by to see her. Actually, I need to talk to you.”

  “All right. Do you want to go inside and have a drink, or something to eat?”

  “No, that’s, um, not necessary. I’m interrupting, so I won’t stay long.” Malcolm dragged a hand down his face. “Do you know where Mia is? If you do, I’m asking you—no, I’m begging you—to tell me.”

  “I’m sorry. I wish I did, because I’m worried about her, too, but I haven’t any idea.” Deception had always been one of the easier facets of his job with Division, and the lie rolled effortlessly off his tongue.

  “I’ve scoured Romane from pole to pole.” Malcolm took up pacing in agitation along the border of the landing pad. “I’ve tried to scour Pandora, but they apparently don’t have so much as an official registry of property ownership, so I don’t know how or where to start. I’ve wandered around the streets of New Orient and—”

  “She would never return to New Orient.”

  “I don’t think so, either. I realize it holds only terrible memories for her. But if she were hoping to lie low?”

  “She would never return to New Orient.” Caleb stilled his tongue before he said anything further. By omission, he’d given the man the answer he was searching for, though he doubted Malcolm was thinking clearly enough to realize it.

  “Then where would she go? There are hundreds of human worlds and thousands of alien ones and I…” Malcolm pinched the bridge of his nose, deepening the wrinkles spreading out like cobwebs from the corners of his bloodshot eyes “…I don’t know how to find her. Please, if you know anything, tell me. If you care anything at all about her, tell me.”

  Caleb bristled at the challenge, his composure slipping the tiniest bit. “I’ve known Mia since you were squirming under the boot of your first drill sergeant. Never question how much I care about her.”

  Malcolm’s hand slipped down to clutch at his jaw. “I’m sorry. It’s just…I’m at the end of my rope here. I can’t think of where else to look, or even how to look. But I refuse to stop.”

  Marlee cleared her throat a tad awkwardly. “She’s always loved Atlantis. Have you checked there?”

  Malcolm forced a weak smile. “She does love Atlantis, and I’ve checked every hotel and rental residence on the planet. I’ve checked them for her name, her middle name and a dozen variations thereof. I’ve shown her image to every beach bum and bartender at twenty resorts. Nothing.” He inhaled, drew himself up, and stepped closer to Caleb. “If you find out anything, any hint of where she might have gone, will you contact me? I only want to see her, to make sure she’s safe. To try to explain, to apologize, to…you’ll tell me, won’t you?”

  The man was so blatantly suffering that Caleb came within a breath of spilling the truth, and only the vow Mia had adamantly extracted from him choked the words off in his throat. “I will.”

  “I appreciate it. I need to…I don’t know. Start over. Search everywhere again. Try harder. Check outside the main thoroughfares, in more secluded spots. Thank you for your time.” He pivoted and climbed the ramp back into his ship.

  They watched the ramp retract. Seconds later the ship lifted off and vanished through the Caeles Prism.

  Caleb exhaled carefully and rubbed at his temples. Malcolm would never be a friend, but he hadn’t enjoyed deceiving the man in the slightest. It couldn’t have been easy for the Marine to bury his pride and come begging Caleb for help, either, and sending him away empty-handed felt callous.

  He glanced over at Marlee without quite meeting her gaze. “I’m famished. Why don’t we take a real break and get a snack? Then we’ll pick back up where we left off.”

  Marlee studied him in blatant suspicion. “You lied to him. You do know where she is, don’t you?”

  “What makes you think so?”

  “The little muscle in the crease of your left eye, next to your nose, twitched every time you spoke—exactly like Mom’s does when she’s keeping something from me.”

  He sighed and glared at the sky. “You are entirely too good at this. I should stop teaching you things while I can still keep a few tricks for myself.”

  Felzeor landed on his shoulder and leaned in close to inspect him; the Volucri’s beak reached out and tapped the skin between his left eye and the bridge of his nose. “Does she mean right here?”

  He groaned. “Felzeor, get out of my face!”

  “Oh, dear. I forgot that was rude. Apologies.” Felzeor climbed up onto his head to ruffle his hair.

  Marlee refused to be distracted by the Volucri’s antics. “So you did lie. Why? I mean, I understand Mia must be terribly upset after everything that’s happened, but hiding out there all alone can’t be good for her. Don’t you want her to be happy?”

  He whipped toward Marlee fast enough to send Felzeor flapping into the sky. “More than anything. But who am I to say if he’s the one to make her happy? His return to the world of the living hasn’t brought her joy so far.”

  “But she loves him.”

  “And to her mind, he betrayed her love by not telling her about the ‘no regenesis’ clause in his will. The truth is, if it were up to me, I would have pointed him in the proper direction. Poor guy’s looking rather pathetic, and you’re right, he has made her happy for a long time. But she demanded that I keep her secret. And she means a hell of a lot more to me than Malcolm Jenner does, so I will honor my oath to her, no matter what.”

  Marlee scowled, but her lips quirked around as she debated how to respond. Finally she blew out a breath and dropped her chin. “I guess this means you’re not going to tell me where she is, either. Not that I’d go see her, necessarily—I was just her employee, after all. But it would be nice to know she’s okay.”

  Since he’d found Mia, he’d cajoled Alex into using sidespace to check in on her and the shop once a day; it wasn’t much, but it was what he could do to assuage his own concerns. “She’s as okay as she can be right now. If she needs my help, I’ll be there for her in a second. But Mia has always chosen her own path to walk, and she’s got to forge a new one now.”

  19

  * * *

  CONCORD HQ

  “T
he Rectifier is a total game-changer for ground combat. Trust me on this.”

  Miriam eyed Alex ruefully. She wouldn’t change anything about her daughter, but she’d also never stop worrying when Alex willingly threw herself into peril. Yes, as a Prevo, should the worst happen then Alex’s return was all but guaranteed, but Miriam also wasn’t ready to wish the ordeal of regenesis on anyone lightly.

  “I’ve already ordered the weapon into general production, and I’ll sign off on licensing the IP to the Asterions.”

  “Good.” Alex made a face and glanced toward the door. “Sorry, but I need to go. I promised Kennedy I’d meet her for lunch.”

  “Actually, I do as well. I hope your afternoon is more enjoyable than mine is shaping up to be.”

  Alex frowned at the scrolling military status feed, then at the growing stack of quantum cubes on Miriam’s desk. “I can pretty much guarantee it will be. Don’t let the bureaucrats beat you down.”

  “When have I ever?” She accepted Alex’s quick hug and saw her out the door.

  Once her daughter had departed, Miriam checked the time. She was running ahead of schedule, and she had no desire to loiter at her next appointment, so she slipped her jacket on and headed toward the CINT offices.

  Richard’s door was open, but she knocked on the frame instead of barging in. At the noise, Richard looked away from a double aural above his desk. His countenance, tight with concentration and worry, brightened a touch, and he waved her inside.

  “We missed you at Alex’s for breakfast last week.”

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t make it. I had a prior engagement.”

  “That’s what Alex said.” Her lips pursed. “Richard, listen. I’m not here as David’s envoy, and I won’t try to excuse his actions. But as your friend, I will say one thing: this cold-shoulder treatment of him you insist on maintaining seems to be making you as miserable as it’s making David. This means that, despite each of your best efforts, together the two of you are making me miserable. What can I do to help resolve this conflict?”

  He grimaced, then shook his head. “You can talk to me about the Savrakaths and the Anadens.”

  Inwardly, she sighed, but she knew better than to push him when he was being this stubborn. “Why don’t you talk to me about them, instead? You currently know more than I do, and I genuinely do need to know what intelligence you’ve gathered.”

  “All right. Let’s see. Ghost patrols report an even greater percentage of Savradin is in ruins than it was when Malcolm escaped. Someone laid waste to large swaths of it yesterday.”

  “Torval? Again?”

  “We weren’t able to get eyes on the attackers, but it’s a reasonable assumption.”

  “Is it? I have trouble believing Corradeo Praesidis would authorize such indiscriminate slaughter. Once upon a time, maybe, but not the man he is today.”

  “According to my informant, Torval has yet to be seen on Epithero. There’s no reason to think Corradeo has Torval under his control.” He paused and checked one of the aurals. “But there is reason to think the situation will soon change.”

  “Oh? What do you know?”

  “Eren Savitas has joined Corradeo on Epithero.”

  “Interesting. I’m glad to hear that Eren’s re-engaging, but how does his presence there change things?”

  “Per Drae Shonen’s report, after Eren kidnapped Torval from Detention, he delivered the man to the Savrakaths for them to abuse as they wished. When General Jhountar arranged to trade Torval for a cease-fire, Eren bombed the meeting location. To say he wishes Torval ill would be a colossal understatement.”

  She mentally connected the dots. Up until now, details had been scarce surrounding the bombing that killed much of the Savrakath military leadership and played a role in freeing Malcolm. “How did Eren know about the trade?”

  “Because Mia intercepted a communication from my informant on Epithero and forwarded it to Eren.” He rubbed at his jaw. “The Savrakaths have caused a great deal of pain and heartache for a lot of people. But this vigilante justice—on all sides—has got to stop.”

  She couldn’t agree more. As a military leader and one of the architects of Concord’s infrastructure, the notion of government and military agents running around bombing each other on enemy planets, without oversight, orders or sanction, was not ideal. But the full consequences of the Anaden leadership’s rebellion were going to take a while longer to shake out, it seemed.

  “You’ve removed Mia from the equation. I know it wasn’t easy for you—it wasn’t easy for any of us—but given her actions, it was the right thing to do. On the other side, as much as it pains me to say, I think we need to give Corradeo a little time. I believe if there’s any way for him to do it, he’ll come through for us.”

  Richard nodded tightly. “Noted. So what are we going to do about the Savrakaths?”

  “They’re Red-Flagged. The only threat they can wield against us is a rapidly dwindling supply of antimatter, and with the flag controls in place, they will not get within a parsec of Concord property carrying any of it.” She shrugged. “They’re crippled, to a greater extent than I ever wanted. If they try to retaliate against Concord in any way, we’ll respond appropriately. But to cripple them further now would be…cruel.”

  EARTH

  Earth Alliance Headquarters

  The shouts of protesters beyond the tall fence greeted Miriam as she departed the heavily guarded transportation building and strode across the lawn flanked by two security escorts. The cacophony of overlapping shouts and over-bright signs meant it was difficult to make out much regarding the protestors’ complaints, but neon flashes of ‘No Regenesis,’ ‘No Zombie Humans’ and similar colorful phrases gave her the gist.

  She kept her chin high and her stride purposeful; it was hardly the first time she’d run a gauntlet of citizens expressing their displeasure at her decisions. Still, the angry, agitated nature of the crowd reminded her too much of the OTS protests of old. Those protests had soon graduated to riots, spurred the creation of an entirely new interplanetary alliance in the IDCC, and ultimately forced Miriam into a revolution against her own government.

  She didn’t work for the Earth Alliance any longer, but she had faith that the government was on top of any burgeoning unrest. Well, not faith as such, but she’d assume it had the matter in hand until she was provided a reason to believe otherwise.

  They reached the side entrance to the main building, and the shouts faded away in favor of the warm halls and quiet murmurs of government business being done. Her escorts delivered her to the waiting area outside the Prime Minister’s office and returned to their duties.

  With a term now stretching past fifteen years, Charles Gagnon’s tenure was getting a bit long in the tooth. But he’d shepherded the Earth Alliance through The Displacement, the expansion of AEGIS and the formation of Concord with a minimum of bloodshed and a surfeit of handshakes, so if the history of his tenure in office were written today, historians would treat him favorably.

  Miriam’s relationship with the man had always been cordial. Friendly when they were able to work closely together on matters of import, and a tad frosty when public opinion and politics chafed against the decisions of the military or Concord. On balance, their dynamic had worked more often than it failed.

  Today might veer toward the frosty side, Miriam thought as she was shown into Gagnon’s office and shook his hand in greeting. His gaze bore studiously through her, as if he had a mind to dissect her and ruminate on whether the copy’s organs measured up to those of the original. It was an unnerving stare, if one she was getting used to enduring. But his administration had signed off on the results of the Regenesis Extension Project and authorized the legalization of regenesis (albeit with an accompanying mountain of regulations), so she hoped his morbid curiosity was personal rather than official.

  “Prime Minister, it is good to see you, as always.”

  “And you, Commandant. You left us for a little while t
here.”

  “For a few days, yes. I’m glad to be back.”

  “Of course. I’m sure you’ve been forced to share your harrowing tale a thousand times, so I won’t torture you by asking you to do it again today. I understand you wish to discuss this Rasu threat.”

  “I do.” She sat opposite his large, consequential desk as he settled into his chair behind it. “Are those people outside protesting the entire idea of regenesis, or my use of it specifically?”

  “Both, I believe.”

  “Wonderful. I trust Pamela Winslow remains securely ensconced in her swanky prison suite in Paris?”

  “She does.”

  “Then I will not spare too much energy worrying over the protests. In any event, about the Rasu. We are working around the clock to better prepare for this new enemy. We’re running encounter scenarios, speeding up weapons and defense deployments, and sharpening our contingency plans. AEGIS is working closely with Concord on these efforts, and I expect you are already beginning to receive recommendations from the AEGIS military leadership.”

  “Indeed I am. Frightful creatures, these Rasu.”

  You have no idea. “Frightful and powerful.” She glanced toward the windows behind him. “I’ll leave the details of the Earth Alliance’s defensive preparations to AEGIS. I don’t need to barge into the middle of a functioning chain of command. But I do want to take a few minutes to clearly articulate the severity of the situation directly to you.”

  Gagnon spread his arms wide, though his expression remained guarded. “Do tell.”

  “Earth is and has always been my home. I represent Concord now, but the welfare of humanity, of this precious planet of ours, is always at the forefront of my mind.” She leaned forward intently. “Prime Minister, the Rasu represent the greatest threat we have ever faced.”