Jessica frowned. “More than that.”
“I see,” Taemin said. “Well, as the mediator, it is likely that Kenos will assign me to account for the brood before taking action. It appears that your investigation here is over, Peacemaker. The Consortium can lawfully contract with a third party to remove the Altar from their colony location. Well done.”
“And if the Altar don’t move, Taemin? Then what?” Jessica’s stomach flopped before the mediator could answer. Contracts were the cornerstone of the Union and breaching them in any form tended to end badly.
Taemin blinked. “Then under the auspices of the agreement they can be forcibly moved or exterminated, Peacemaker. Either way, your work here is finished.”
* * * * *
Chapter Sixteen
Taemin walked away, and Jessica stared at the Caroon’s back with a mixture of emotions threatening to burst the dam of her Peacemaker bearing. On one hand, there was fresh rage that he would dare to end her mission. On the other hand, there was an excruciating anger with herself for failing to recognize the importance of a brood to the contract. How could I miss that?
“Oh, and Peacemaker?” Taemin turned around and tapped his wrist slate. “Kenos has diverted to D’Nart spaceport. He has requested you go there immediately so you can brief the Peacemaker Guild on your...unpreparedness. He’ll send a transport within an hour.”
Jessica squinted. “He’s not coming here?”
“He’ll have to meet with the Board of Directors, of course. This has become a very delicate situation. I suspect he’ll send a stand down order for your deputized forces immediately upon arrival. Once you and your forces have been removed from the colony, the Consortium can deal with the problem regarding their contracted agreements.”
Jessica nodded, but her brain clicked into gear. Having her and her deputies leave the colony meant the Consortium would act, and act quickly. She glanced at Klatk and saw the colony queen intently watching her. Hex’s lower jaw clenched, and the young officers did nothing. Tara wiped away a strand of hair and stared at her. The blonde’s eyes narrowed slightly. Jessica turned back to Klatk and curled under one side of her mouth before she looked at Taemin.
In the flash of a millisecond, she thought of her father and his study of the Vietnam War. Everyone else in school called it a conflict, but her father vehemently called it a war. Her great-great-grandfather, John, had been a helicopter pilot. The crazy bastard survived a tour flying Huey gunships. The average life expectancy of a Huey pilot in combat was something like a minute or less, and he’d survived a full year. Twice. Grandpa John managed not to fall into the trap of using drugs or alcohol to deal with his memories, save for the occasional jar of homemade amaretto. He’d lived to be 104 years old, he didn’t take any shit from anyone, and he was one hell of an historian.
Jessica’s mind flashed to one of Grandpa John’s Vietnam stories. The Ia Drang valley was the first meeting between American and North Vietnamese forces, and it was a bloodbath. Throughout the battle, the American higher headquarters kept asking the ground force commander, a Lieutenant Colonel named Moore, to leave his troops and return to brief their headquarters. Moore repeatedly refused and was able to withdraw his men before they were overrun. There was no way in hell she was leaving until the Guild came and made her.
“Fine, Taemin. We’ll need at least two hours to collect our gear and load it aboard the Victory Twelve. Once that happens, I’ll dispatch my deputies home and report to D’Nart for the required meetings,” Jessica said. “And I’ll plan to make a full report to the Guild as well.”
“Of course you will, Peacemaker.” Taemin smiled, bowed his head, and continued walking toward the colony walls. “Klatk will provide me a guide immediately.”
Klatk looked at Jessica, her mandibles almost imperceptibly twitching. “Yes. Ten minutes.”
Watching him, Jessica’s mind stayed with Grandpa John for a moment longer. Once, he’d even lied to the authorities, or so her father told her, to protect his grandson from a bullshit traffic citation. Said he’d been driving when his grandson had taken the car out to help a friend gather a buck during deer season. Her grandfather had been fourteen, but he’d been driving farm trucks for years. The cops knew his father wasn’t the one behind the wheel, but Grandpa John had been adamant, and he hadn’t wavered. Disinformation, he’d chuckled, could be honorable in the right hands.
He’d also never sworn the Peacemaker oath, but he would have been prepared to break it, too.
As Taemin turned into the walls and disappeared, she turned to Hex.
“Quaker cannon.”
Hex grinned. “Will take us more than two hours.”
“Doesn’t matter.” Jessica saw questions all over the two young CASPer pilots’ faces and a bemused smile on Tara’s. She looked at the pilots. “Deception. It’s a term that predates World War One. George Patton used it a lot when he was placed in command of a fake Army north of London. They used inflatables, deception, and outright lies to get the Germans so spun up about him that they very nearly left Normandy undefended. Kenos wants us to leave and that’s what we’re going to make him think. I have no intention of leaving Klatk’s colony undefended, and you guys aren’t going anywhere.”
Tara nodded. “We can hide the CASPers easily. What about the tanks?”
“Up to you. Just get them out of sight.”
Kei spoke up. “There are cameras everywhere. We have to assume Kenos is watching all of them.”
Jessica nodded. “I have an idea about that. When is the Victory Twelve overhead, Hex?”
The young man looked at the slate on his wrist. “Three minutes, ten seconds.”
Jessica felt the plan come together in her mind. “Kei and Neal, make a show of unloading the CASPers like you’re preparing them for shipment. Stage crew duffels and packaged supplies on the shoreline down there. Don’t move everything, just let the cameras track you.”
“That copy and replay a video thing never works,” Kirkland said. “Or it does only in the vids.” He stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked away like a scolded puppy.
“Not doing that, Kirkland,” Jessica said. “Kenos and his cameras are designed for complete surveillance and likely compensate for each other. We’ll have to take down the entire system. We do have a secret weapon, and if we do it right, we’ll kill two birds with one stone.”
Hex scratched his chin. “You’re going to bring her down here?”
“She can do more than fly a ship, Hex. That’s why I confiscated her from Marc in the first place. We’ll need the reconnaissance imagery, too. I think those bastards are out there waiting for the signal to attack,” Jessica said. She looked up at Klatk. “You know what’s going on, right? The minute we leave, two colonies and their mercenary forces would knock down your walls and kill as many of your...citizens as they could. They don’t want you here, Klatk. Whatever you’ve found on Level Seven, and whatever they think is aboard that Raknar, have Kenos, his Consortium, and who knows who else interested. The only thing keeping them from it is you. They want you gone, and they want me gone, too. That’s not going to happen.”
“After we hide the tanks and the CASPers, what do we do?” Tara asked.
“Prepare to defend the colony against an all-out assault,” Jessica said. “While you’re doing that, I’m going to buy us as much time as I can. As soon as the sun goes down, though, we’re going into that Raknar.”
“And your negotiator?” Klatk asked. “Should he receive a scenic tour?”
Jessica grinned. “That’s the second bird. When we take out the camera system, the explosion will be so big it will shake the tunnels enough to scare the hell of out him. Don’t hurt him, Klatk. But were he to get lost for a few hours…that would be just fine. I’m sure your soldiers know those tunnels better than anyone else. We can stage a rescue after an hour or two. We just need enough time to disrupt the cameras and get into the Raknar.”
“He’s a Caroon and built for life u
nderground, except in certain scenarios. We will create those and take care of him for you, Peacemaker. Level Three can be quite dark and narrow. We’ll ensure he’s not hurt and out of your way,” Klatk said, “like you’re preparing to take care of us.”
Jessica glanced at her slate. “Let’s go. Victory Twelve is coming up over the horizon now. Kenos wants a show. Let’s give him one.”
Hex chuckled. “One hell of a Quaker cannon coming right up.”
Jessica looked at Tara. “Your tanks are direct laser comm-equipped, right?”
“Four channels at one kilowatt,” Tara said. “What do you have in mind?”
Jessica chuckled. “Insurance in case we’re being jammed, mainly.”
Hex nodded. “Multiple port download—makes it faster to get Lucille down here into the command system. That’s what you’re intending, right, Bulldog?”
“You got it,” Jessica said. She glanced at Tara, but the blonde was already moving away at a fast walk. “Hex, I’ll need your CASPer in that loop, too. I want you to have an interface with her.”
“She said the same thing on the way here.” Hex shook his head. “I told her to stay on the ship. I didn’t think she could help us down here. I know, I know, you always talked about capabilities and the chance to use them. I just didn’t think of it that way.”
Jessica checked her watch. One minute and forty seconds. “Go, Hex. You two,” she pointed to Howl and Kirkland, “get your squads moving toward the waterfront as though we’re planning to jump away. Carry some supplies and establish a debark point. Take it nice and easy, but make it look urgent. I want Kenos to think we’re going to leave him an opening.”
Howl smiled. “You’re going to shut it in his face.”
“No,” Jessica said. “We are. And we’re going to give them something they never expected once we get in that Raknar.”
Kirkland exhaled loudly through his nose. “You can’t get that thing working, Peacemaker. Only a handful are powered up, and no one has ever started one much less fought in one.”
“We don’t need to have it stand up and fight, Kirkland. We need one little advantage, that’s all. I believe there’s a defense system on that Raknar we can engage to help protect the colony.”
“They teach you that as a Peacemaker?” Kirkland asked. “How to understand the Dusman and their mechs?”
Jessica shook her head and stuffed her hands into her pockets. The familiar shape of the chipset found its way into the palm of her right hand, and she closed gently around it. “My dad. He hauled out the first teams for recoveries on Jabnah and a few other worlds before the Union discouraged messing with Raknars. The Besquith know a lot about them, and the Canavar, too. Thanks to them, I’ve picked around the insides of a few other Raknars. I should be able to see what systems might work. From there, Lucille will have to interface with it. It’s risky, but I don’t see that we have a choice.”
* * *
Kenos settled into his chair at the D’Nart spaceport and composed himself. Recording a message was never an easy thing to do. Lying on live camera came easier, for what it was worth, and the Peacemaker Guild would order Jessica Francis to stand down. Humans were so predictable, really. The Altar were stubborn to a fault and would not leave their brood mid-cycle; that was a given. Francis would use all her forces to defend them. Maybe it was a female thing, he mused, that she would direct her forces to protect an unprotectable lot like the Altar in the first place. He’d known they would be her weak point from the minute she’d arrived. So far, her moves were expected and easily countered.
Kenos took a breath, centered himself on the Tri-V camera, and pressed the record control on the screen. “Honored Rsach. I am pained to send this message, but I feel you must know the situation on Araf with Peacemaker Francis has become unsettled. On arrival, Peacemaker Francis took up a forward position with the Altar. Unbeknownst to the Dream World Consortium, the GenSha and Selroth colonies appeared to have contracted mercenary forces. I will need confirmation of this from your Guild. Shortly after our arrival, a ship appeared in orbit and contacted the Peacemaker directly. She immediately, and quite illegally, deputized the forces aboard the ship and placed them in her command structure. She turned her efforts away from peaceful negotiation and attacked GenSha and Selroth parties in neutral grounds established by the Consortium’s contracts. However, there is something more egregious that requires your immediate interaction with the Peacemaker.”
Kenos cleared his throat, really getting into it. He forced himself not to smile. “I’m afraid Peacemaker Francis has drawn a proverbial line in the sand. I am concerned that she has chosen sides. Her embedded position with the Altar remains unchanged, and I fear that she will not order her forces to leave. Embedding with the Altar, who are clearly the defendants in the eyes of the Dream World Consortium and are guilty of a dozen infractions against their contract, is tantamount to a declaration of her intent. The GenSha and the Selroth have yet to be heard from in her negotiations.” He stressed the last word with a hiss. “She has been on the planet for more than six hours and has already threatened the GenSha and their forces acting within their territorial space, and I have it on reasonable authority that the Altar, perhaps with this Peacemaker’s permission, mined the free waters of the Choote River in another clear violation. Her actions are unconscionable.”
Kenos took a breath and closed his eyes to enunciate carefully. “Therefore, I request an official investigation from the Peacemaker Guild into the conduct of Candidate Jessica Francis on the planet Araf. Her inability to defuse the situation here has lead three peaceful colonies to the brink of all-out war. If she is allowed to continue, the Dream World project will suffer incalculable losses and open the Peacemaker Guild to an official complaint. I await your response and remain your consulted and honored servant, Kenos.”
He snapped off the monitor with a clawed finger and sat back against the couch. The lies were good and effortless, like those of a lifelong diplomat or politician. The Guild would answer, of that he was certain. What mattered was how quickly they received the message. He classified it as urgent, and engaged the diplomatic protocols within the Aethernet, so the message left his planet and flew at the speed of light to the stargate for immediate transmission with the next departing ship. However the protocols functioned, undoubtedly through the inner workings and secret mechanisms of the Cartography Guild, the message would get to the Guildmaster faster than any normal message. It would make a good fallback. As it was, her mediator was preparing to go into the tunnel system, and her CASPers appeared to be loading out for an orbital transport. If all went as planned, the Peacemaker would be dead before her Guild received the message. The dead told no tales.
Kenos flipped the surface camera system to follow Taemin into the main mine entrance. As the Caroon disappeared into the wide hole, Kenos smiled. With any luck, there’d be a cave-in or some other unfortunate incident. As much fun as it would be, he wanted to ensure the Peacemaker was serious about her agreement to a diplomatic meeting. He’d notify the GenSha and the Selroth of course, but they wouldn’t particularly care to meet for the sake of meeting. They wanted the Altar gone. Kenos looked across the immaculate office at a credenza below a wide, curved window. His personal weapons were there, and while he didn’t want to take a Peacemaker’s life, if her death meant he got what he wanted in the tunnels below the Altar colony, then all would work out.
After all, who could possibly care about a human, Peacemaker or not?
He consulted the displays again. Satisfied that all was well, he turned to the refreshment station and poured himself a drink. While humans had considerable failings, they made good corn liquor. Kenos filled a tumbler and twirled the clear, lethal drink in a small crystal glass. He tweaked the cameras to watch the CASPers haul their gear back to the beach with a satisfied smile on his face.
* * *
“You think this is going to work?” Kirkland looked at Kei Howl. Her normally stern face seemed down, depress
ed. After they’d made love the first time, as cadets four months before, he’d seen the look on her face and knew she thought everything had been a mistake. “You okay?”
Howl nodded. “I’m fine.”
“You wanted more of a fight?” He smiled as he asked the question. She would never back down from a conflict and seeing the enemy just out of reach pissed her off. “The Peacemaker thinks they’re coming back.”
“I know they’re coming back, Neal.” Howl ran her hand over her stubbly hair. “Keep moving.”
“There’s only so much shit we can pretend we’re carrying,” he grinned. She did not return it, and he felt his own face slowly melt together and harden again. She was right. There was a mission to complete. He could think about down time when there was down time to be enjoyed. “I’ll go check in on the team. Get those upper fortifications ready and move the other ammunition crates up there for the Altar to use.”
“Good plan,” she said. He turned to walk away, and he felt her hand snatch his wrist. She squeezed it once and let it go. He looked at her. “You stay clear of that diversion blast, will you?”
He grinned. “My guys already have it set up. Where’s the Peacemaker?”
“In her quarters. It’s a straight shot from there to the Raknar’s helmet area. She’s going to move as soon as you detonate the device.”
Kirkland checked his slate. “Four minutes and counting.”
“Then you should go, Neal,” Kei said.
“Can’t I just stay a minute longer?”
She took a deep breath and sighed. “It’s not that I don’t want you to. We have to stay professional. On target.”
Peacemaker (The Revelations Cycle Book 6) Page 19