War in the Fringe - Chris J Pike

by M. D. Cooper

  “Where did they get their funding?”

  “Battia, I’m certain of it,” Ranstock said with a heavy weight to her voice. She even looked burdened as they stepped into the lift, and she pushed the button that would take them to the hospital’s level. “I don’t have any proof other than the flight paths of several of the Papote ships over the last month, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Battia was funding them. The empress is more a cruel dictator than a leader. If something vile happens in this system, it almost always traces back to her.”

  “Like the food. You sound like you hate her,” Lana said. “Has she given you reason to?”

  “All the reasons in the world.” Ranstock slipped her hand over the lift’s control panel and hit a button.

  The lift jolted as it came to an emergency stop, and Lana held her arms out to steady herself, backing up against the wall. A moment later, Ranstock pivoted on her heel, aiming a small pistol at her.

  “I’m afraid these twenty questions are up now, Lana—if that’s even your real name. Now we’ll find out why you’re so interested in me, and what it is to you and Empress Mei.”

  Lana didn’t think she was amazing at undercover work, but she also hadn’t thought that her efforts would lead to Ranstock holding a gun on her.

  “Wait just a second.” She held up her hands. “I thought we were friends, just on our way to the children’s ward in the hospital….”

  “I have no friends, and with the way you prattle on about things, I’m guessing you don’t either.”

  Lana’s eyebrows pinched together. “Well, that’s harsh.”

  Ranstock shrugged. “Yet, the truth. I had you made back at the cafeteria, but thought to give you the benefit of the doubt. You look sweet and doe-eyed enough. But when I saw you working with Winter on the docks the other day, my suspicions were confirmed.”

  Crap. She saw us together? Well, that puts a wrinkle in things. “I know it looks bad, but it’s not what you think.”

  Even though it was exactly what she thought.

  “I checked around. You’re new on the station, and the logs confirm that you were here before the SSF arrived. That means you came to Chimin with that bug-infested shipment of grain from Battia. So I’m afraid neither of us are getting out of this elevator until we figure something out.”

  Lana took a cautious step forward, and Ranstock raised an eyebrow. “Well, you are bold, aren’t you?”

  “You really don’t want to do this, trust me,” Lana warned.

  “You’re in no position to issue threats. You’re not much older than a child, and I’m the one holding the gun. If you refuse to tell me what you know and what you’re doing for the empress….”

  Lana had already released a nanocloud, and it settled on the gun, severing the charge cylinder. More nano gathered on Ranstock, penetrating her eyes and settling on her optic nerve. Lana felt bad doing it, but the ISF had taught her that this was one of the safest ways to disable a person without causing serious harm—at least one with no defenses against more advanced nanotech.

  “What!” Ranstock lifted a hand to her face. “I—what did you do?”

  Lana took a step forward, and Ranstock’s finger pulled on the trigger of her weapon—and nothing happened.

  Thank stars that worked, Lana thought as she shot out her hand and pulled the weapon from Ranstock’s grip.

  The action tugged the woman forward, and Lana grabbed her throat, squeezing with the added strength she now possessed.

  Ranstock gagged and fell to her knees, one hand scrabbling at Lana’s, the other one held in front of her face, as though she were trying to see it through pure force of will.

  “Yield,” Lana ordered, loosening her grip on the woman’s throat as her nano reactivated the pistol. She took a step back and allowed Ranstock to see once more.

  “Well,” Ranstock wheezed. “Looks like you have some secrets after all. You know…I could take that weapon back. I could—”

  “No,” Lana answered simply, “you couldn’t.”

  “It’s all over, then,” Ranstock whispered, falling back on her haunches, moisture glistening in her eyes. “You might as well kill me, because that’s exactly what she’s going to do.”

  Lana crouched down in front of her. “Who are you? Why are you so scared of the empress?”

  Ranstock didn’t answer, and her silence didn’t leave Lana much choice. If she wouldn’t cooperate with her line of questioning, she’d have to bring the woman in to Winter.

  Lana might not know what Ranstock was actually up to, but she knew what the woman wasn’t: a spy from Battia.

  Convincing Winter of that would be the hard part.

  THE HYPERION

  STELLAR DATE: 12.21.8948 (Adjusted Gregorian)

  LOCATION: Hyperion Hotel, New Roma, Dante

  REGION: Dante Velorum System, Fringe

  The Hyperion Hotel was one of a kind.

  Its beauty was almost unmatched in the Fringe systems. Set on an island at the end of a many-arched bridge that crossed Lake Luka, it was the crown jewel of New Roma—aside from the towering form of the space elevator.

  The lake lay on the northern side of the city, with the more genteel areas of New Roma skirting the shoreline a kilometer distant. In addition to the Hyperion’s sprawling structure, the island was covered in a host of gardens and orchards. At present, the cherry blossoms were flowering, and it was a truly beautiful sight.

  Teryntha had visited systems across four thousand light years of space, but something about the style of the Hyperion almost took her breath away.

  The highest sections of the building were only seven stories above ground, the architecture crafted in such a way that made the structure appear both imposing and one with nature at the same time. Like a cliff rising from a forest, covered in flowering vines.

  Wings of the building stretched across the island, encircling lavish courtyards, pools, and gardens featuring plants and animals from across the Fringe.

  The fact that it had stood for over a thousand years and still held onto such beauty was another part of its appeal. Lovely things rarely lasted so long. Perhaps it was the hotel’s time to resume its place in the cycle of life.

  Teryntha had a job to do, and she planned to do it very thoroughly.

  Right now, that job involved slaving away in the hotel’s restaurant, wearing the establishment’s drab livery—black slacks, a white frilly shirt, and a black vest.

  As she entered the service door and slipped into the kitchen, she checked her bright red hair to ensure that it was pulled back at the nape of her neck and secured by a silver clasp.

  “Maggie!” Marilyn, the restaurant’s day manager, shouted at her and clapped her hands. “Are you going to serve your guests, or should I do it for you?”

  “Coming.” Teryntha forced a smile. “I just had to visit the restroom.“ She picked up the three bowls of soup, two chicken platters, and a kid’s fish special, setting them on her tray.

  Marilyn strode toward her, a finger raised threateningly. “If you want to work the Rhoads gala tonight and get that overtime, you’d better make damn sure you’re more attentive than this! You were four minutes late for your shift, and now you’re letting food sit at the pass? Get your shit together!”

  “I’m sorry,” Teryntha said meekly. “It won’t happen again. I just have a lot on my mind.” She picked up the tray and balanced it overhead as she stepped out of the kitchen.

  Stupid technophobe, bitch.

  She couldn’t abide specism of any kind, but those who wanted to destroy AIs and any people with mods were at the bottom of the barrel, and she had no patience for them. None at all.

  But, in less than a day, they’d all be dead: Paul, the Orion delegates, and the other Revolution dignitaries on their way to the gala. She would see to it.

  Shame about the hotel, though, Teryntha thought as she stepped into the high-ceilinged dining room, the space illuminated by crystal windows that arched overhead, giving an am
azing view of clouds dotting the sky and the pinpoint lights of the Revolution Fleet overhead.

  This place was special, but everything was expendable—especially if it meant killing Paul Rhoads and destroying his fleet.

  There’d be hell to pay if anyone tried to get in her way.

  WINTER’S PLIGHT

  STELLAR DATE: 12.21.8948 (Adjusted Gregorian)

  LOCATION: Governor’s Office, Chimin-1

  REGION: Chimin Asteroid Group, Hanoi System (independent)

  When Lana sent a message that she had taken Ranstock captive and brought her into the governor’s offices, Winter was more than a little put out. He cut short his conversation with a group of farmers who were searching through the grains from Battia, looking for viable seed stock, and all but ran back to his office.

  Cassandra met him at the front desk and handed him a cup of coffee as he stalked past. “You’re going to want to settle down just a bit. You’re looking a little…angry.”

  He sipped his coffee. “Don’t I always look angry?”

  “Maybe,” Cassandra admitted. “But today you look exceptionally angry.”

  Winter couldn’t help a little chuckle as he pushed open his office door. Ranstock was seated in a chair against the wall, and Lana stood across the room, a handgun trained on the leader of the Coalesce Legion.

  Well, ain’t this interesting?

  “Lana, I don’t want any holes in the office furniture. Be careful with that thing. Now what’s going on?”

  She lifted the gun a centimeter. “She pulled this on me in the elevator.”

  “Huh, and you brought her here instead of the CSF station? You know that’s where the holding cells are right?”

  Lana shot him a cool look, and Winter took care to maintain his composure and not focus on how hot the woman was when angry.

  “I thought it would be best to talk with her privately before the whole station—and her people in those ships out there—realize we’re holding her captive. I also think we’ve got her all wrong.”

 

  Lana shot him a dark look.

  Winter turned his gaze to Ranstock, not ready to buy into Lana’s line of reasoning. If the woman wasn’t a spy for Battia, then who the hell was she? He took a sip of the coffee Cassandra had given him and wiped the back of his hand across his lips as the captain looked up at him.

  “Well?” she asked. “If you’re going to continue to talk about me over the Link, shouldn’t I at least get to know what you’re saying?”

  “No,” Winter said plainly. “If I wanted you to know, I’d talk out loud. Even if your motives aren’t to aid Battia, I don’t trust you.”

  “Well, it’s mutual. I don’t trust you either. Or your little friend here. What she can do…it’s unnatural.”

  Winter snorted a laugh. “Well, yeah, it’s nanotech and mods. So no, not natural at all. Kinda par for the course with a lot of our friends. They’re not regular schmoes like you and me, Ranstock.” He paused, and then let out a long sigh. “Damn, I wish you were someone evil. You really irritate me.”

  Her eyes bugged. “I irritate you? Well, isn’t that rich.”

  “You come here to help us out—though my crew ended up saving you. Who you are is a mystery. You’ve put together a ‘legion’ to support advanced humans and free AIs, but we haven’t seen much of them other than a few small ships.”

  “It’s not all about you, Winter. There’s shit going down all over that has nothing to do with you and Chimin. I’m concerned with the bigger picture, as well as helping out here.”

  Winter nodded. “Sure you are. Listen, I don’t have time for double talk. My old friend Gray will get Battia onboard, and then Chimin will have its food and supplies. It won’t need help from you. So if you’re here to do nothing but cause trouble, tell me why I shouldn’t just space you.”

  “Colonel Grayson is a fool, and so are you if you think Empress Mei is anything but a monster. She’ll poison and kill all of her subjects before she’ll allow you to take anything from her.”

  Winter stroked his chin and addressed Lana.

  “The Polis Fury—” Lana began, and Winter interjected privately.

 

  “—is a ship more than capable of blockading Battia. It could take out the empress’s palace defenses—or their entire capital—should the need arise. Silstrand is going to bring Mei’s world into the fold whether she likes it or not.”

  Ranstock sat up straighter. “Would he do that? Kill everyone in the capital? The people there might be shortsighted, but after a thousand-year rule, they’ve been thoroughly conditioned. They don’t know who they are following. They’re innocent. Any man who could wipe out—”

  “OK, enough already.” Winter gave Lana a quelling look. “Grayson would never do that. The guy is cool as a cucumber, and a by-the-book goodie good boy. He’ll get what he needs without killing innocents. Also, there’s no way she’s ruled for a thousand years. It’s obviously just a title.”

  Ranstock shook her head. “I don’t believe it. I see your faith in your friend is real, but Mei is a monster. If Grayson wants peace, the only way to get it will be to kill her and everyone loyal to her in the palace.”

  “How do you know so much about her and her followers if you’re not from Battia?” Winter asked.

  Ranstock clamped her jaw down tight and turned her head.

  Winter looked to Lana and gave a helpless shrug.

  “Are you?” Lana asked, stepping up closer. “From Battia? We checked out your DNA. You have traits that match that world, and no others in the region.”

  “And if I am?” Ranstock looked up, suddenly appearing small and afraid. It made Winter uncomfortable to see that kind of vulnerability in her eyes. “Will you turn me over? Send me back there?”

  <’Back’,> Winter noted.

  Lana shook her head. “Why would we? All we want to know is why you’re really here.”

  “Because I want to help Chimin! I want to help the poor people stuck on this rock and those that have been oppressed by Mei!”

  “Why?” Lana asked. “There are hundreds of planets in the Fringe, half of them have shitty leaders and poor people. What makes this place so special? Why?”

  “Because I am from Battia. I don’t remember living there. I don’t remember the people or the palace because….” She turned her head.

  “You’d better finish that statement,” Winter warned, “because I’m starting to think that shipping you to Battia as a peace offering to the empress is a good idea.”

  Lana admonished.

 

 

  “You do that, and she’ll kill me,” Ranstock spat out the words. “Might as well just do it here and spare me the torture.”

  Winter got right in her face. “For fuck’s sakes, woman! Just spill it already! Why the hell would she do that for? Why would she care so much? Enough hedging around the truth!”

  Ranstock shrank back from Winter’s fury, the obstinance in her expression replaced with fear and sadness. “She thinks she’s done it already. It’d just be correcting her mistake. Mei loves nothing more than to kill her daughters.”

  DISBELIEF

  STELLAR DATE: 12.21.8948 (Adjusted Gregorian)

  LOCATION: Governor’s Office, Chimin-1

  REGION: Chimin Asteroid Group, Hanoi System (independent)

  “Let me see if
I can get this straight. You’re telling me that your mother is Empress Mei?”

  Ranstock nodded. “And I threaten her rule just by being alive. She kills her daughters. I’ve heard the stories from that terrible place. I know it’s not a lie.”

  “Right,” Winter sneered, “because parents don’t lie to keep their kids in line.” I’ve heard some doozies before, but this one takes the cake.

  Lana held up her hand. “Maybe it’s true.”

  Winter rolled his eyes. “C’mon, Lana. It’s not true. She’s playing us, or she’s been played. Something her father told her so she’d eat her vegetables. ‘Eat them or we’ll send you to Empress Mei, who will bite your head off.’” He waved them both off and turned toward the door.

  “Winter!” Lana chased after him. “We have to find out more. If it’s true….”

  “It ain’t, and I have more important things to worry about. Medicine, the sick, and what the people of Chimin are going to eat for the next few months while we get everything up to speed. If you want to deal with this, you deal with it, but I’m having a guard escort her to a cell until I figure out what to do about her ships out there.”

  * * * * *

  Except Winter had no idea what to do.

  Winter spent hours going about his business, taking care of everything that needed to be done. All the while, his thoughts circled around to what to do about Ranstock. If he should believe her, or just kick her off Chimin and let fate sort it out for him.

  Now that the rest of the Silstrand fleet had finally jumped in, he didn’t need to worry about what she might do, and he didn’t need the aid she kept saying was coming.

  That’s what he was going to tell her, too: ‘Get back on your rickety ships and get out of here.’

  He’d boarded a lift and then exited on Level 33, where CSF Precinct 3 and the holding cells lay, when an all-too-familiar voice called out to him.