“Yes, sir,” Master Sergeant Brooks said.
“Titan team—you’re with me,” Chief Landry said.
He turned on his heel and hurried out of the hangar. Alex and his friends followed. He was secretly grateful that Chief Landry was leading the way. Alex wasn’t sure he could find his way back to their section of the ship on his own.
They came to a lift, and Chief Landry swiped his ID card. It opened, and they followed him inside.
“Outstanding job,” Landry told them as the lift carried them up several levels. “The captain wants to congratulate you herself.”
The door of the lift opened, and Landry was on the move again. Alex glanced at Ash, who had a smirk on her face. It was clear she was happy about the outcome of the mission. Alex felt more like Newt did; they had just done their jobs. He was happy that Romeo Company was safe, but he didn’t feel like they were heroes.
The group hurried after Landry. No one spoke. They were in a wide corridor, and unlike the section of the ship they had been in since coming aboard the Republic in the Helena system, the level of the carrier they found themselves on was pristine. The deck was covered with polished black tiles. The walls were white glow panels, but there were no conduits or pipes. The corridor looked like an indoor shopping complex rather than a military vessel.
They came to a set of double doors with a narrow horizontal window. Landry turned to them and spoke in a quiet but urgent tone.
“Once we step into the bridge, you’re to stand at attention,” he instructed. “I’ll introduce you. There’s no need to speak unless asked a direct question. Okay, here we go.”
He turned and held his ID to the reader beside the doors. A beep sounded, then the doors opened on a round room. There were several people inside standing at consoles that surrounded a large holographic projector in the center of the room. Shimmering in super high definition was Carthage Prime, with an exact replica of the Republic in orbit around her. Alex even saw a tiny dot that he guessed was the abandoned drop ship from which he and his team had rescued the operators.
There were large display screens on the far wall. Some showed the ship’s systems and technical readouts. Others showed radar and a plot of the entire Carthage system. On either side of the door more officers stood, observing. A steady stream of communications from the drop ships sounded over the bridge’s sound system. Alex followed Chief Landry onto the bridge. Ash was to his left. Newt and Sly stood shoulder to shoulder beyond her.
Captain Chastain was short with dark hair and a friendly face, but her eyes were piercing and direct, with dark, puffy skin beneath that made her seem old. She smiled as she stepped up to Chief Landry.
“Is this your Titan team?” Captain Chastain asked.
“Yes, Captain,” Landry said, before stepping aside so that the captain could look them over.
“Outstanding work today,” she said. “It’s my understanding that you haven’t trained in the AR Valkyries?”
“No, Captain,” they all said in unison.
“Impressive. Well, I suppose it’s only fitting that you get bumped in rank. You’re all corporals now. With that comes access to the entire ship. I’ll leave it to Chief Landry to work out what you can do and where you can go. Just remember: we’re a military ship with reason to believe that we could come under attack at any moment. So, don’t do anything that might incapacitate you if the call to action should come.”
She stopped in front of Alex. He saw her glance at his name that was stenciled onto the left side of his chest.
“Corporal Evans,” she said, using his new rank. “Vice President Loman is a friend. He promoted me to captain himself. I want to thank you for saving his life.”
Alex shook his head and was about to dismiss her thanks, but she held up a hand to silence him.
“Humility is a virtuous trait, but what you did was more than just your duty.”
“I was only trying to get out of that room alive,” Alex admitted.
Captain Chastain chuckled. “Of course you were. He’s smart,” she said to Chief Landry.
“Corporal Evans has proven himself to be a talented operator,” Landry said.
“Indeed,” Captain Chastain said. “You have my thanks, Corporal. I will be glad to return the favor if I can. Take the rest of the day to decompress, but return to your training schedule first thing tomorrow. I have one team of FA Titans, and I plan to use them when the time comes.”
“Thank you, Captain,” Landry said. “We won’t let you down.”
She nodded, then turned back to her duties on the bridge. Landry waved for Alex and his team to leave. The door opened silently behind them, and they hurried out. Chief Landry went with them, and when the bridge door closed, he breathed an audible sigh of relief.
“Well, that went better than expected, eh?” Landry said. “I’ll put in the promotions Captain Chastain issued and send someone to give the four of you a tour of the ship. That being said, there are some areas that will continue to be off-limits, the command level being one. You have no need to be in the engineering sections or the weapon control areas, for that matter. Boring stuff, anyway. You’ll want to go to the upper levels—that’s where the entertainment areas are. Go get cleaned up and take the tour. I’m restricting you to one drink each, and no ardent spirits. We can’t have you drunk or hungover if the captain calls for you tomorrow.”
“Sir?” Alex said. “Were we kept here because we aren’t ready for combat?”
“Yeah, why did the rest of Echo Company get sent down and we didn’t?” Ash asked.
“Don’t be so quick to fight,” Chief Landry said. “It’s not all glorious and exciting like it seems in the movies. And no, you weren’t held back because we didn’t think you were ready. Captain Chastain feels an orbital insertion is the best strategy. You four are the only qualified Titan operators on board. She wanted to keep you close and use you to her advantage if we come under attack.”
“You think someone would try to take out the Republic?” Newt asked.
“More likely they’ll try to destroy whatever mining operations are set up on the surface,” Landry said, leading them down the pristine corridor toward the lifts. “Corporate conflicts aren’t usually so direct. Fighting a carrier would be dangerous and expensive. A small insertion team in atmosphere, on the other hand, could cause a lot of damage and be hard to track down. They might even get away clean.”
“Wouldn’t we see them in orbit?” Sly pointed out.
“Not if they came in disguised as a freighter, like a shipment of mining equipment or construction supplies,” Landry said. “But you don’t need to worry about that. Once you’re called on, the objective will be clear. Until then, you can enjoy your day off, then hit your training again tomorrow, just like the captain ordered.”
“Yes, Chief,” they all said together.
“The lift will take you down to level two,” Landry said. “By the time you’re done cleaning up, your promotion will show on your ID’s.”
They stepped aboard the lift and turned back to face him as the doors started to close.
“Good work today,” he said.
Then the doors closed, and they were headed down.
“Corporal Newton…I like the sound of that,” Newt said.
“The rest of the day off sounds pretty good, too,” Ash said.
“Yeah,” Alex said as the lift came to a stop and the doors opened. “Now all we have to do is find our quarters.”
“I think it’s this way,” Sly said.
“Better go the other then,” Ash replied.
“Oh, very funny,” Sly said, but he was laughing with the rest of the team.
Chapter 16
Loman was in his new office. It was small with barely enough room for his desk and chair, but Loman didn’t mind tight spaces. It reminded him of his early days in the company, when he was an operator in a battle suit. That seemed like another lifetime. Now he was the Executive Vice President of Security, a position t
hat carried a significant amount of prestige that was not reflected in the tiny office he’d moved himself into. There was no room to meet with employees or sales reps. He had no windows and no decor of any kind, yet he almost felt more secure in the tiny office. All he really needed was his phone and his computer, both of which fit neatly on his desk.
His PIL vibrated. It was 0858, time for him to emerge from his lair, as he thought of the tiny office, for his meeting with manager Zan Fordham. The man was a poser and a greedy corporate climber. How Fordham had reached the rank of manager astonished Loman, but he couldn’t be in charge of everything within his division, and obviously Zan had very influential friends. It was only a matter of time before word came down from above that Zan should be given a new title, along with the financial perks of being an executive. If the greedy little worm was insufferable now, how horrible would he be when he was named co-VP of security? Loman wondered.
The distance from Loman’s new office to his old one wasn’t far. He passed Raz at the reception desk. The big man looked odd behind the small desk, as if he were seated at a child’s table. He nodded as Loman passed, raising his eyebrows as if to say something. Loman could only guess. Deliveries had been coming up constantly since Loman had given up his office. He had done his best to ignore the distraction, but when he rounded the corner, the door to the office was open and Loman could see inside.
Where Loman had been minimalist in decorating his corner office, Zan had gone all out, filling the place with exotic plants, lavish furniture, sculptures, and paintings. There was even a huge water feature made with dark stones piled up nearly to the ceiling; water fell and splashed against the rocks. The floors had been covered with simple, corporate-style carpets, but Zan had spread out thick, handmade rugs and runners. His new desk was a monstrosity, set on a platform that raised him nearly twenty centimeters above the rest of the office. He sat in a large chair covered in some type of animal skin. It was a bright, golden color with dark spots. The desk was made of dark wood with ornate carvings. Loman guessed the decor cost nearly a million credits, perhaps even more. The entire redecoration was intended to project an air of wealth and sophistication—yet it only made Zan seem small and out of place.
“We have a meeting?” Loman said.
“Yes, yes, of course we do,” Zan said. It was obvious the man had forgotten about their plans to discuss candidates to replace Colonel Bixby.
There was no place for a visitor to sit near the desk. There were three uncomfortable-looking chairs in the room, along with a low-backed sofa. Two of the chairs were by the water feature. Loman could tell at a glance that anyone sitting in them would get wet. He pointed toward the sofa.
“Should we sit there?”
“Yes, that will do nicely,” Zan said.
Even the man’s tone of voice was different, as if he were somehow above the work they were being paid to do.
Loman sat on the sofa. It was upholstered in leather that was waxed to a high shine. He slid back, the leather creaking beneath him. Zan came around his huge desk, and Loman realized he’d done more than order furniture. The man was dressed in one of the strange, incredibly expensive, alternative business suits. It was made of shimmersilk and was actually a gown that looked like a judge’s robes. It had a tiny collar and shoulder pads to make Zan appear to be in better shape than he actually was. Loman couldn’t help but wonder if Zan also had some type of compression device holding in his stomach.
He sat on the chair opposite from Loman and perched right on the front edge. The bottom of the gown rose upward when he sat, revealing glossy shoes with a high polish. Zan looked extremely uncomfortable, and Loman guessed the sales professional had raved about how good the fashionable clothing looked on him, but it simply wasn’t true.
“Do you have some names you’d like us to start with?” Loman asked.
“I do, yes, of course,” Zan said, shifting his weight on the strange chair. It looked like a padded rail with a tiny backrest that made it impossible to lean back against without his gown hiking up even farther. “But why don’t you start? I’m sure you have someone in mind.”
Loman did have someone in mind, but he wasn’t about to come right out and tell Zan who he wanted. The dance had begun, and the inevitable power struggle was about to become a war.
“I have a few names in mind. I’m not sure you know them,” Loman said.
“I have extensive contacts,” Zan said. “Let’s see if any of the names on your list match up with mine.”
“All right,” Loman said. “As you know from your research, the colonel rank is the highest military position in the company. The primary job is to advise the VP on strategy and tactics.”
“Yes, that’s how I understand it.”
“Captain Quana Oliphasus has the most experience,” Loman said, pausing to see how Zan would react.
“Experience doesn’t always equal skill,” he said.
Loman forced himself to frown, but inwardly he was smiling. Manipulating people wasn’t something he valued, and he certainly didn’t enjoy doing it. But Loman had studied negotiation. He knew that Zan was likely to reject whomever Loman suggested first. Zan had not only reacted as Loman expected, but he’d also revealed that he had no real thoughts on the matter. Platitudes had their place, but if Zan had any real feelings about the staffing position, he would have expressed more than an old axiom. It was clear to Loman that what Zan really wanted was to thwart Loman’s wishes, and all that was needed was to make Zan believe he had won the negotiation—even if he was actually lobbying for the very person Loman wanted to be the new colonel.
“All right, well, Libby Gonzalez is efficient and well-liked by her crew,” Loman offered.
“Gonzalez...Gonzalez...where have I heard that name?” Zan asked.
“Captain Gonzalez is on Hagen space station,” Loman said.
Once more he waited for a reaction. The Hagen space station was a refitting platform on the verge of known space. Gonzalez was famous for her dislike of the administrators. Loman knew from his research that Zan had crossed paths with Gonzalez early in his career. When the manager recalled Gonzalez in his memory, his feelings about her showed clearly on his face.
“Oh, no,” he said. “She has the wrong temperament. It would never work. She’s not a team player by any means. I have to insist that we find someone else. Anyone but her.”
“Well, I only have one other name on my list, but I don’t know that I should even mention her,” Loman said. “She’s deployed on a mission, and to be honest it might make waves.”
Loman looked away from Zan, afraid he would burst out into peals of laughter. The manager’s eyes were bulging with excitement at Loman’s reluctance. It was almost too easy, and that thought brought Loman up short. Was he being played by Zan? Did the greasy little manager expect Loman to come in and try to manipulate him? Loman looked back up. Zan was trying not to smile and failing.
“Who are you suggesting?” Zan asked.
If the man was pretending, he was a marvelous actor. He looked as if he were about to burst waiting to hear the name of the candidate that Loman seemingly didn’t really want.
“Well, if you’re sure about Gonzalez,” Loman said.
“Quite sure,” Zan replied.
“Well, then, I suppose we could promote Captain Ursula Chastain.”
“Why, I believe she’s near the top of my own list,” Zan said.
He was clumsy and had spoken too fast. His enthusiasm didn’t match the occasion, and Loman would have bet his entire net worth that Zan didn’t even have a list. But Loman still found himself hesitating. Was it possible that Chastain was secretly on Chairwoman Faulk’s side? He didn’t think so. Unlike most of the other captains, she had a strong believe in the CDF as a military institution. She believed in the chain of command and that a person should be judged by their abilities.
“I’m still not convinced,” Loman said.
“I am,” he said. “She’s perfect.”
Loman knew that Zan Fordham had never in his life even met Captain Chastain. She preferred to work instead of hobnob. Zan had spent most of his career on Helena Prime, while Chastain was rarely even in the Helena system.
“If you really think so,” Loman said.
“I do. I insist.”
“All right, I’ll begin the paperwork,” Loman said.
“My, my, we’re working together well already,” Zan said, trying to look smug but failing in his business gown.
“We should go out to the Carthage system,” Loman said. “Captain Chastain is leading the full engagement there. It would do the troops some good to see our confidence in them, and I would like to see what progress is being made firsthand.”
“Carthage?” Zan asked.
“Yes, you know we got the contract for the mineral rights on Carthage Prime?” Loman said.
“Oh, yes, I believe I did read that somewhere,” Zan lied.
“It’s a new planet. The southern hemisphere is a tundra, but a quick tour would be a great way for our security specialists to get to know you.”
“Actually, I have some meetings here,” Zan said. “I really shouldn’t go running off, not so soon after arriving.”
“I could go on my own, but it would be bet—”
Zan cut him off. “I really must insist that I stay. It’s one of the reasons I’ve been brought in, you know. That way, someone is always here if we’re needed.”
“All right,” Loman said, doing his best to sound defeated.
“Well then, if that’s all,” Zan said, standing up and smoothing his gown as he returned to his desk on its raised platform, “I should be getting back to it.”
“Yes, of course,” Loman said.
He slid off the sofa, which was so new it was slippery. He walked to the door and then stopped. He looked back. Zan was in the large executive chair, smoothing his shimmer silk gown. The office looked like it belonged on a movie set. Things were changing, but if all Loman had to do to keep his job was put up with a pretentious fool, he would make that work.
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