“This is the first time that I’ve left my room since I was inside the wormhole,” she said softly. “If you can call this leaving the room.”
He almost told her she was still inside her suite, but didn’t. “I can’t imagine.”
“Enough about me. How are you doing? Have you talked to Penter at all?” she asked.
“A couple of times. Greblok is rebuilding. An entire region of Malin has been constructed, and that’s where everyone’s staying while they start putting their infrastructure in place.” Tarlen was only repeating what he’d heard from Penter when they’d relayed messages to one another over the last couple of months. He didn’t understand what the former guard was talking about when he went into discussions of economics and supply chains.
“That’s good to hear. Your people deserve a fresh start,” she told him.
“So do you,” Tarlen said. He switched the subject, and they discussed his schooling, and somehow he let it slip there was a girl he was interested in. Once Treena had her nails dug into the topic, Tarlen was unable to get her to talk about anything else. He was okay with it, though. For the first time since he’d been visiting her in bed, she actually sounded happy.
Twelve
There was nothing but empty space at the last known location of Tom’s grandfather’s ship, Andron. Tom felt the rush of excitement as they came out of hyperlight, worried there could be an ambush, and it took a few minutes to settle his adrenaline rush down. He was flushed, his body tense as he waited for the scan’s results to arrive.
“Nothing here. We’ll continue toward the Tingor Belt, and see what remains of the mining ships,” Tom said, Ven relaying the message to their Ugna escort.
Captain Wan appeared on the viewer, hands on hips. “Captain Baldwin. I thought there was real danger out here. What are we really doing venturing this far past the Border?”
“I understand your hesitation, but the Concord asked us to complete this mission. They deemed the Vralon in danger, and we’re not leaving until we settle this. Not to mention the fact that this might be linked to a faction of terrorists working within our own Border.” Tom glanced around the bridge, suddenly wondering if there was an Assembly mole in his crew.
“We’ll follow you to the Belt, but if there is nothing of consequence there, we return home. Is that clear?” Captain Wan’s patience appeared to be running out. This wasn’t the best way to begin their relationship.
“Understood, Captain Wan,” Tom said, and the image of the Ugna man vanished, space replacing it. “Ven, time to the Belt?”
“Another day and a half, sir.” Ven didn’t look back as he advised their time of arrival.
“Good. Inform me if anything comes up,” Tom said before leaving the bridge. He decided it was time for a private dinner in the chef’s restaurant. Perhaps some good food would cleanse his palate. He’d come out here expecting something… different. Scaring pirates and bandits off with pulse cannons and bluster was more up to his speed, but dealing with the cunning Assembly might prove more difficult.
Tom headed to the restaurant: the same one he’d only eaten at once under the suggestion of Reeve, early on in their first few days aboard Constantine. Not that much time had passed, but already Tom felt like a new man.
It was quiet inside. The luxury dining room was hardly used when the alarms were chiming on the ship, and most of his crew were either on the clock or sleeping, preparing for anything that might meet them at the Belt. He suddenly wished he’d asked someone to join him. The prospect of eating alone again was growing tedious.
“Captain Baldwin, come, join me,” someone called out before he’d even had a chance to enter the room. The décor was soothing, the walls textured, the flooring wood from Nolix’s famed forests. Across the dining room sat Prime-in-Waiting Harris. Tom guessed the title wasn’t active any longer. Harris grinned up at him, his cheeks ruddy, his eyes rheumy.
He had no choice but to walk past the rows of empty tables and pull up a seat with Harris. “Are you here alone?” Tom asked him.
The other man nodded slowly, as if the act was exhausting. “That I am.”
There was a half-empty bottle of Zilph’i Vinia, made from a fermented berry. Harris must have brought it with him from their last stop. “Mind if I have a glass?” Tom asked.
“Be my guest.” Harris waved over a serving girl, and she arrived quickly. She was a young Callalay woman, and she smiled brightly when she saw Tom.
“Would you like to hear the…”
Harris cut her off. “He’ll have the same thing as me. Believe me, Tom, you’ll be satisfied.”
The girl scurried away while Harris poured a glass for Tom. It was dark purple in color.
“How are you holding up?” Tom asked him.
“Better than you might expect. My dreams were right there in the palm of my hand, and someone swiped them, stomped over them, and kicked them back to me without so much as a thank you,” Harris said, his words sour, his expression pleased.
“You don’t look too distraught.”
“Honestly, Baldwin, the Concord’s a mess. I was in way over my head. A human Prime. Could you imagine? I’d probably have been assassinated within a year, most likely less.” Harris downed his drink and filled the cup. “Do you think it’ll ever be our time?”
Tom had to watch what he said. The man was obviously in some pain, and his anger was evident, even if he was trying to hide it. “Yes. But I’m not sure that’s a good way to think of it. Does it really matter who’s in charge? Callalay, Tekol, human… Zilph’i. It’s all the same. The Founders run the show, and as long as we’re all in it together, we’re golden.”
Harris’ smile fell off his face. “You’re so idealistic, aren’t you? You’re aware I was stationed on Andron, right?”
“Sure. I heard that. Long time ago.” Tom took a sip, finding the drink tart.
“Everyone told stories about the great Constantine Baldwin. How strong he was, a great leader, a visionary. Do you think people will see you like that?” Harris asked.
Tom shrugged. “I hope so.”
“Well, they won’t. Because no matter what you do, it will never be enough. It’ll never be the Yollox Incursion. It will never end a war or push you into the history books like he did. And I met the man on a few occasions. He was a miserable old chap when I saw him. What a hero your grandfather was.” Harris muttered something, and Tom tried to keep his cool. He wasn’t wrong about the older Constantine, but Tom was growing a new appreciation for the man as he got to know the ship’s AI. He understood his motivations, and reasoned that his grandfather had lost his lust for life when Tom’s mother died.
“I’m sorry, Tom. I didn’t mean it like that. You’ll do a fine job, I’m sure of it.” Harris coughed, sticking his hand over his mouth. “I think I’ve had enough of this for one night.” He pushed his glass to the side. “I’m afraid I’ve been a bit of a brute.”
“Think nothing of it,” Tom said as the food came out. It was roasted animal of some sort, drizzled with a brown gravy that smelled delicious. There were steamed vegetables from Kevis VII, and Tom poked at them with a fork. He decided to quiz Harris while the man was in a talking mood. “What can you tell me about the Assembly, Harris?”
“The Assembly? That’s a name you don’t hear often anymore,” he said.
Tom raised an eyebrow as he took a bite from his plate. It was delicious. “You don’t?”
“Not really.”
“What about the old retired fleet ships sitting at Earon?” Tom asked him.
“Nothing much. I was there at the decommissioning of five of them. You know, the whole ‘give the captain a medal,’ make them feel special as we assign them to a desk job in a stuffy office in a high-rise on Nolix. The whole thing is a little depressing.”
Tom wondered if he’d make it long enough to see Constantine retired, and stifled a laugh. The way things were going, he wouldn’t last the year. “Are they secured away?”
Har
ris glanced at his cup and nodded. “I mean, they’re locked away on Earon Station, where they’ll sit for eternity.”
“Are you certain?” Tom asked.
“What are you digging at, Baldwin?”
“It appears as though the one and only Andron is here.”
Harris’ jaw dropped. “What are you talking about?” He looked around the room, as if searching for a ghost.
“We’re heading to the Tingor Belt, where we were told it attacked and stole from the Vralon people. They were mining something that would allow the Concord to use jump drives on real ships, not just probes and drones,” Tom said, filling the older man in.
“Wait, what? Andron is at Earon. I’ve seen it there.”
“Sure, but when was the last time?” Tom asked. “We’ve already sent a message to Earon but don’t expect a reply for some time. I have a feeling we’ll see the truth very soon.”
“And what are we going to do when we find Andron?” Harris asked.
“That depends on how they react,” Tom said, eating more of his dinner. “If they really are the Assembly, we’re going to do ourselves a huge favor by capturing them. It seems as if they have their hands in our pockets again.”
“We can’t let them have jump drives. Can you imagine if Andron could bounce around like our probes? They’d be tough to stop,” Harris said.
“My thoughts exactly.” Tom was suspicious they might be involved with the Statu’s return, and for all he knew, Treena’s ship’s destruction. “What are you going to do when we return?”
“Same thing I’ve always done. Continue to lead at Earon. The entire board will be upset we didn’t make history, but I was the first human Prime-in-Waiting. That’s something.” Harris’ arms stretched out and he clenched his glass, finishing the drink he’d pushed away. “Keep me posted on the mission, Baldwin. Tell me if I can help.”
“Sure. Sounds good.” Tom watched Harris saunter off, a little uneasy on his feet. When the man was gone, Tom called for Constantine.
“Yes, sir?” the AI said moments after appearing.
“Things might grow sticky here. If we meet Andron, is there a weakness we can count on utilizing?” Tom asked.
The AI projection stared back at him, his smooth, youthful face impassive. “It’s a good ship, but nothing compared to this one. If they haven’t modified it, you should be able to destroy them with ease.”
“And how do you feel about that? It was your old vessel,” Tom said.
“I have no feeling, sir,” Constantine said.
“Is that true?”
“Let’s say that it is,” the AI said, and Tom left it at that.
“Thanks, Con,” Tom said, and the AI flickered and vanished.
Getting to the Tingor Belt couldn’t come soon enough. As much as Tom wanted to be off exploring space in his ship, he wanted to ensure the safety of the Concord first. He wanted to be at Nolix for the inauguration in a week or so, and bear witness to the Ugna being given a world and sanctioned as a Concord partner. Tom guessed that the few that had already dropped out of the group would return once word spread of their unification.
Without the past, there is no determining the outcome of the future. Andron was the past, Constantine was the future, and the old Code saying was as apt now as ever.
Tom finished his food, thanked the server, and found his way to his suite for a rest. He had a feeling he’d need it.
____________
It was the middle of her shift, but Reeve was wide awake as she ran through the diagnostics. Ever since day one on this ship, there had been something finicky going on with the Star Drive. Reeve thought back to the moment she’d first met Thomas Baldwin and had given him a tour of the boiler room. It felt like a long time ago, even though it had only been three months.
That day, she’d come on early to double-check everything was in working order, and she’d determined there was nothing wrong with the drive; that there was, in fact, an error with the diagnostics software. Now she wasn’t so sure.
Reeve leaned over her desk, the lights suddenly too bright in the cramped space. The entire endeavor was giving her a headache. The last thing they needed was an issue with the drive outside Concord space. That would leave them vulnerable. The error only showed up every one hundred or so diagnostic checks, but that was enough for her to question it. Now, after five hours of digging through each layer of details, she was no closer to having an answer.
Reeve rose, sliding her tablet away on the desk. The door opened for her as she headed to the main drive, the heart of her boiler room.
The Bentom ball floated in the center, blue energy crackling around it, and Reeve stayed, staring at the beauty of it. There was so much at work inside this Star Drive, far more than her Tekol mind could ever see or understand. Sure, she grasped the concepts and the science behind it, but there always seemed to be some hidden magic behind it.
The truth was, none of the Founders had created the technology. They’d uncovered it long ago on an abandoned ship, or so the tale went. Reeve had often wondered where it originated from, and if they’d ever made contact again. The Concord’s records only dated so far, and details on a lot of their history was diluted as the Founders moved worlds and had attacks on their databases, both physical and network.
There was so much truth out there that no one had access to, and that was what bothered Reeve more than anything. She was obsessed with knowing everything. How things worked, where they came from, why technology did what it did. But watching the hovering ball of Bentom, she understood there would always be things beyond even her scope, and she had to be at peace with it.
Brax would have laughed at her, telling her not to worry so much, but even though they were twins, they analyzed everything so differently. They really were opposites, but she was glad to have a counter like that. It kept her grounded.
The Bentom ball flashed brighter, and she saw an alarm ring out on the console on the wall. “What in the Vastness was that?” she asked Harry, her second in command in the boiler room. Harry shrugged, his fingers racing over the console.
“I don’t know, Reeve. There’s nothing out of the ordinary now.” Harry looked as perplexed as she felt.
“Send me the data. There’s something going on, and we need to solve it before we experience a real problem,” she said.
Reeve turned down the alarm and ran to her office, finding the latest diagnostics waiting on her tablet. She felt a spike of excitement from her invisible link to her brother and wondered what he was up to at that moment.
____________
Brax grimaced as he strode the halls of the regular crew quarters. Deck Six was full of identical rooms, and there were countless hallways with nothing but doors lining them. He was glad to be in the executive section, no longer needing to fit into a bunk the size of a closet like he had for most of his career.
Two Tekol guards walked behind him, and Brax felt the press of the PL-30 in his grip as he clenched his jaw, nearing the room. Gree Suul was off shift, and her tracker told him she was in her own bed. This should be easy, but the Assembly spy might have a few tricks up her sleeve. They had to be cautious.
He stood to the side of her door, body pressed to the composite wall, while his two guards did the same on the opposite side.
Brax heard the communication buzz through the ship’s speakers. “All Deck Two crew to their stations. This is Chief Engineer Daak, requesting all Deck Two personnel to their stations.”
That ought to do the trick. It took a moment, but the door slid open and a Callalay woman jogged past them, screaming in shock as she saw Brax and the others right outside her room.
“Gree Suul?” he asked, gun raised.
She lifted her arms, backing into the wall. “Yes?” Her voice was shaky.
“You’re being placed under arrest for treason and sabotage,” Brax said, watching as his two officers detained her. The energy rope tightened around her hands, and she stared at Brax in disbelief.
“Cut the crap, Suul. We found evidence you were working with Yur Shen. Did you really think you could get away with it?” Brax asked, stepping directly in front of her.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about! Who’s Yur Shen?” she asked, but her face contorted as she seemed to recognize the name. While they hadn’t made an announcement to the crew about the possible sabotage, many of them had heard about the maintenance man’s death through word of mouth. It was difficult keeping something like that quiet on a ship this size. One witness talked, and soon half the crew knew the name.
“Take her to a cell,” Brax ordered, and they started dragging her down the hall. Others had poked their heads into the corridor, woken from sleep, and stared from the yelling woman to Brax.
“I didn’t do it. I have no idea what you’re talking about! I would never betray my ship!” Her voice was muffled as she was taken further away, and Brax turned to the crew members watching the incident.
“Go back to bed. Nothing to see here. Don’t you worry,” he said, ignoring the handful of questions flying his way.
He entered her room, cautiously glancing over the cramped space before going in any deeper. There was a single bed pressed against the corner, a nightstand cut into the wall, and Brax eyed it all, searching for anything out of place. He pulled the tiny box with sensors in it, and scanned the room, testing for possible explosives. When the results read negative, he breathed a little easier and shifted through her belongings.
An hour later and he’d found nothing of use. However, they had the communicator in her locker, and for now, that was enough for him.
____________
Tarlen woke, his eyes focusing on the controls of the ship’s dash. “Where am I?” he asked himself.
“On Basel’s cruiser,” a reply came. It wasn’t his usual thought’s voice; it was Treena’s.
Baldwin's Legacy: The Complete Series Page 46