He would have finished the Academy, been picked up by a low-tier Border patrol ship, and risen through the ranks with his charm and work ethic, much like Baldwin had. Only that hadn’t happened for Lark, because he’d met Seda, and her traitorous father had convinced him to travel another path. He’d been too young, too impressionable then, and much of what her father said of the Concord’s faults were true.
Lark saw the folly in his methods. He hated that Baldwin had managed to unearth some of the truth of the admirals, including Lark’s own grandfather, Admiral Keen. They’d gotten away with so much over the years, and Lark had been hoping to set it straight with the Assembly. He honestly felt like he could have accomplished so much without the meddling of his once-closest ally, Tom, but would that have been the best move?
He doubted it. Lark had no choice but to continue down a questionable path in order to secure a better future for his family. No matter where he stepped, trouble followed, but as he stared at the uniform, Lark told himself this was it. After this mission, he was done playing these games. He would take Seda and Luci and the riches promised him by his benefactor, and disappear for good.
“What do you think?” Prophet asked, startling him. He realized he’d been standing there gawking at the Concord uniform for a good five minutes without moving.
“I think it’ll do the job,” he said, touching the gray collar denoting the rank of admiral. “Admiral Keen will rise again,” he whispered, and closed the door.
____________
Tom felt out of place on Shu’s bridge, with no real spot that was designated to him. He stood beside Commander Shu’s seat, watching as the Veerilion cruisers attacked.
“What do we do, Captain?” Douglas asked.
Four enemy crafts were actively pursuing them, their pulse blasts striking the flagship’s shields with little effect.
“Shields at ninety-one percent, Captain,” Lieutenant Commander Asha Bertol said from her position at the side of the bridge. Tom almost expected Brax to be seated there, since the bridge was identical to Constantine’s.
Tom nearly answered the question from Conner before remembering he wasn’t in charge.
“To truly learn, one must be taught a lesson,” Captain Rene Bouchard said, quoting the Code. “Reach out to them one more time, and if they fail to respond, obliterate the lead ship.”
Tom shook his head. It was probably better than they deserved, but there would be at least twenty lives aboard that ship. Unfortunately, they were attacking a Concord ship a hundred times their size, refusing communications.
Commander Shu tapped on his console, and an image wavered over the viewscreen. A Veerilion paced over their dim bridge, hands on hips. It was a thick creature, with a snout-like nose and deep-set black eyes. Tufts of hair stuck out from its head, and it said something in its native tongue before seeming to realize the mistake.
“How dare you come into our system unannounced,” she said in Common. Tom now saw the subtle differences that told him this was a female of the race. The nose was shorter, flatter, the shoulders slightly narrower.
Rene rose, walking to the center of the bridge. “Excuse me? Are you not a Concord partner? Identify yourselves!”
“I am Omnik of the Veerilion, and we are defending our home,” she told them, her anger as noticeable as Bouchard’s.
“We have done nothing to warrant an attack. We are merely traveling through your…”
“One of you came and assaulted us two days ago. You knocked out half our satellites, damaged our docking station, and caused a tsunami that will take years to recover from,” Omnik said.
Rene froze, turning to face the screen. “Excuse me? Who attacked you?”
“The Concord. The ship was clearly marked!”
Rene motioned to Kan to mute the call, and she turned to face Tom. “What is this about? Did Nolix give the order to raid the Veerilion?”
“Why in the Vastness would we do that? They’re a peaceful people, with a great trade record. We’ve no reason to fight within our borders,” Tom told her, frowning at the accusation.
“Kan, turn it on.” Rene waited for the light to flash in the top right corner of the viewscreen, and she continued. “Omnik of the Veerilion, I’m sorry you were ambushed. I am Captain Rene Bouchard of Shu, and we’re here to help. If someone stormed you under a Concord logo, I can assure you it was unsanctioned, and we will find out what happened and ensure someone pays for the assault.”
The woman’s snout sniffled, her eyes blinking three times before she spoke. “How can I trust you won’t attack us too?”
“We’ll send our expedition vessel only. I would personally like to see any footage you have of the attack,” Rene said, pointing to Tom. “As would Admiral Thomas Baldwin.”
The woman blanched at the mention of Tom’s name, and he nodded to her.
“If I would have known… I’m sorry. You can understand our concerns,” Omnik said in a rush.
“Will you accompany us?” Rene asked.
“Yes.”
“Good. We’ll join you in a few minutes,” Rene said, and the image of the Veerilion bridge vanished.
Yin Shu’s AI walked over, arms crossed. “This is most intriguing, Captain. Do you mind if I join you?”
“Not at all. Who would attack the Veerilions pretending to be the Concord? It doesn’t make sense,” Rene said, exiting the bridge on the right. Tom followed and saw Conner Douglas chasing after them. Conner stopped at the edge of the hall leading toward their expedition ship, grabbing two PL-30s.
“You can never be too careful.” Conner passed him one, and Tom grimaced as he strapped it to his hip.
“You want to know who would do this?” Tom asked, and Rene nodded as she climbed the few rungs leading into the smaller ship, nestled on top of Shu. “Someone that wants to create dissention within our ranks.”
____________
Treena was glad to be on their way. With Ven in his usual position on the bridge, everything felt a little more normal—except she was in the captain’s chair, and an old man was seated to her left.
Commander Pol Teller snored loudly, a string of drool falling over his chin. Treena glanced at Missy, who seemed to finally notice the man was asleep. Missy grabbed a cloth and dabbed his glistening lips with it. Treena rolled her eyes and stared at the viewscreen.
“Captain, we’re close to the Border. We’ll exit Concord space in five minutes,” Lieutenant Darl advised her.
“Good. Bridge to Engineering,” Treena said.
“Engineering.” Reeve Daak’s voice was light and happy as usual.
“How is everything looking? Are we good to activate the modified star drive when we’re past the Border?” Treena asked.
She heard some clicking and whining from the Bentom ball, and Reeve’s voice returned. “We’re all systems go, Captain. We’re going to start by pushing it to twenty-five percent capacity, and continue from there until we’re at full speed.”
If everything went as planned, they expected the trip to take no longer than three months. Considering the vast distance, this would be a remarkable feat, setting a new precedent for interstellar space travel.
“What…” Teller’s eyes snapped open as he gasped, and he glanced around. “Where are we?”
“Almost ready to start the new drive,” Treena advised him quietly. She caught Brax grinning at her from across the bridge, and she tried not to smile back. What had they been thinking, sending this old man to do a young person’s job? He couldn’t last more than three hours without falling asleep.
“Are we sure this is such a great idea? I didn’t live this long to be torn apart by some Nek and Bentom. In my day, we stayed where we belonged and didn’t mess with distant rumors.”
“Aren’t you intrigued by the notion that we might find the birthplace of humanity?” Treena asked him.
“Sure, I suppose. Won’t really change anything, though, will it?” he asked.
“How so?” Treena asked him.
Teller sat up, glancing at Missy, who brought him a bottle of water. He drank deeply and rolled up his sleeve as the assistant brought an injector. She pressed it to his forearm, and his eyes shot open as she inserted the medication. He grimaced and sank into his seat.
This was becoming a common occurrence on Treena’s bridge. She’d asked Teller to do this in private the first time, but he’d said he needed the shot every couple of hours, so she’d relented.
“Even if we find some humans out there, what does it matter? Will it affect my children’s lives? Will it change how the Concord deals with things? Not one bit. I understand why we’re doing it, but why didn’t we just send a scout in one of those Nek shuttles in the first place? See what’s worth seeing.” Teller’s words actually made sense.
“We didn’t want to risk the lives of the shuttle crew,” Treena said. There had been numerous volunteers for the mission, including Brax and his sister. Even Treena had considered doing it, but Benitor had been adamant that Constantine make the trip. She wanted their representation of the Concord to be strong and admirable when they met with the leaders of Earth—if they existed.
“Sounds like a bunch of crap to me,” Teller said, sitting up straighter.
Treena leaned toward him, lowering her voice. “If you don’t mind, please leave the treasonous talk for the privacy of my office.”
He grunted, and Treena turned her attention to the viewscreen. Ven had been quiet since his return to Constantine, and she hadn’t found the chance to have more than a passing conversation with the man after his brief stay on Driun F49 with the rest of the Ugna. She liked him, and his work was better than most, but the mere fact that he was Ugna still set off alarm bells on occasion. He’d done nothing but prove his loyalty to Constantine and the crew, but Tom had his reservations about Fayle and the others. After what Reeve and Ven had witnessed against the Vusuls, so did Treena.
“Captain, we are outside of Concord space,” Ven advised her.
“Executive Lieutenant Daak, are we prepared?” Treena asked her chief of engineering.
“One moment, Captain. I’m getting a… never mind. It’s all green lights from here,” Reeve told her.
“Ven, let’s see what this thing can do,” Treena said, watching Ven initiate the customized star drive.
She clutched the arms of her captain’s chair with a firm grip as Constantine shuddered, a long vibration carrying through the hull. The ship’s AI flickered, disappearing for a few seconds before returning. They began to move, and she was amazed to see the stars streak over the viewscreen.
They were the fastest Concord vessel, larger than any of the Nek drive test models on Leria. It was unclear what they’d find on Earth, but Treena finally felt like they were on track to find out. She’d been anticipating this departure since she’d learned she was taking over Constantine.
Treena waited for another half hour before judging that to be enough time to test the new drive. She glanced at her commander, nudging him with an elbow. “I’m off to Engineering. You have the bridge.”
He perked up, peering around. He’d been sleeping again.
“You got it, Captain.” Teller rose from the seat, his assistant Missy coming to help him to his feet.
“Ven, would you like to check out the modifications with me?” she asked her executive lieutenant. He turned, his red eyes startling against his pale skin.
“I would like that very much, Captain,” he said, abandoning his position. Someone came to replace him as they exited the bridge.
Treena waited for a minute before speaking as they walked through the corridor and toward the elevator. “Ven, did you have a good time on Driun?”
“It was acceptable,” he said.
“That’s it?”
“Engineering,” Ven advised the computer as the doors closed. “Captain, I am afraid I don’t have much to tell you. I don’t seem to fit in anywhere.”
Treena saw the pain in his expression. “That’s not true, and you know it.”
“Will I ever be one of you? They seek to have me return to Driun when this mission is over. It is understood that I might...procreate with First Officer Hanli,” he told her, and Treena broke into a smile.
“‘Procreate’? Is that what goes for smooth-talking among Ugna?” She laughed, seeming to make him even more uncomfortable.
“Captain, I am sorry for mentioning any of this to you. It was out of line, and I apologize.” Ven stepped off first as the elevator doors opened when they arrived on Deck One.
“There’s more. What is it?” Treena walked out after him but grabbed his arm to stop him from passing her.
“I do not know what you are insinuating,” he said plainly.
“Is it me? Are you upset about my promotion?”
“No, nothing like that.”
“Do you miss Baldwin? We all do, Ven…”
“I don’t trust them,” Ven said after glancing around the elevator entrance, apparently making sure no one was nearby listening to their conversation.
“Who?” she asked, stepping closer.
“You heard about what happened. I close my eyes and I can see them all injecting the En’or. They hover there, eyes burning, and the power that emanated off them… it was too much. They killed the Vusuls, Captain. They did so without second thoughts or remorse. I was taught never to kill as a child. All life was precious. They lied to me then. What else have they been untruthful about?”
Treena peered toward Reeve’s boiler room and set a hand on Ven’s arm. He stared at the contact. “Your guess is as good as mine, but if your gut says something fishy is going on, then we have to trust that. You have an advantage.” She wondered what Tom would make of this discussion.
“I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think I am. I was glad to have spent time there to see it with my own eyes, and feel the city and the people. Their spirits are high, but I sensed a lot of hidden thoughts, barriers erected to prevent me from understanding what was occurring. When I left, I also sensed an overwhelming relief from those around me. Even Hanli.”
Treena assumed this must have been difficult for Ven. He was one of the Ugna, but his presence had disturbed them. Many would think of him as a traitor for joining Constantine, and those that didn’t might see him as a tool to be used for their benefit. “And what of High Elder Wylen?” she asked curiously.
Ven locked his gaze to hers, a slight frown furrowing his brow. “He is dangerous. I’ve been asked to spy on Constantine for him.”
“Is that so?” Treena’s hands flexed as she heard the news. “And what are you going to tell him?”
“Whatever we decide he should hear.” Ven smiled deviously, making Treena smirk.
“I like this side of you, Ven. How about we continue this discussion later?” she told him, starting toward Engineering.
Seven
Veer wasn’t a big world, mostly water, which was their main reason for being granted entrance into the Concord, according to the computer. They had riches beneath the glimmering surface of their giant seas, and Tom saw some of the finest beaches he’d ever witnessed as the expedition ship landed next to Omnik’s shuttle.
The entire trip had taken four hours, and Tom’s back protested as he stood. Yin Shu’s AI projection wavered next to him, and Conner clipped her Link to his belt, allowing Tom’s former captain to tag along for the ride.
“Whatever we see, we need to ensure they don’t think we’re the enemy,” Rene suggested.
“Do you think they’d lure us here to harm us?” Conner asked.
Tom had been thinking the same thing, but it was Rene who responded first. “It’s highly possible. What better negotiation bait than Captain Rene Bouchard and Admiral Thomas Baldwin, the most popular fleet captain in generations?” She smirked at Tom, and he returned a smile of his own.
“Let’s hope that’s not what this is about,” Tom told her, and they exited the expedition vessel. Veer was a Class Zero-Nine planet, so they weren’t in the
ir standard EVAs, which was fine by Tom. The air was humid, the sun bright. The sounds of lapping water carried across the landing pad, and Tom quickly saw the devastation from the tsunami Omnik had mentioned.
Buildings were crushed from the power of the ocean, and the repair was underway. Hundreds of the heavyset Veerilion people worked over a city block, while dozens of machines rolled alongside in a cleanup effort.
“As you can see, we’ve been hit hard. This city was our capital, and a quarter of it is destroyed. We lost over a thousand lives. Lucky for us, we realized the incoming attack and were able to vacate as much of the city as possible to our underground chambers,” Omnik said, her voice choking with emotion.
Tom stepped toward her, watching the workers in the distance. “You did well to save as many as you could. We’re going to figure this out and help in any way we can.”
Omnik sniffed, and she stared at Tom with unrelenting black eyes. “I want them to pay.”
“They will,” Tom promised her.
An hour later, they were inside a Veerilion central command station on the outskirts of their capital city. Omnik remained behind her ground support team leader, who was booting up the footage. There were five feeds located around the city, and a few from satellites orbiting the planet. The Concord logo was unmistakable. It was a flagship identical to Constantine and Shu. Tom stiffened at the sight and glanced at Rene.
“No wonder they attacked us,” Rene said quietly. “Tom, what in the Vastness is this?”
“We are building two more, but they aren’t even near completion. Not to mention, they’re waiting for Constantine’s feedback on the new Nek-modified star drive before deciding which unit to install. The Concord doesn’t have a third vessel ready for space travel yet,” Tom advised them.
Conner shook his head while they watched the giant spacecraft attack. Ten fighters, clearly Concord-issued, departed the hangar and began moving for Veer. The team leader switched to the localized feeds, and Tom grimaced as he saw the bomb being dropped far into the ocean to create a massive tsunami.
Baldwin's Legacy: The Complete Series Page 117