The instant that they were together behind closed doors, Angelique dropped all pretense of tranquility and let her anger run free.
“Treacherous bitches! I won’t let them take it from me,” she hissed, battering the desktop with her fist. “Not when I have worked so hard! The Tree is mine! Do you hear me? Mine!”
“I am going down there now,” she declared, her features set with white-hot determination, “before anything else can upset my plans.”
“What about the third woman?” Silvi asked, unaffected by her outburst. “She still hasn’t appeared.”
“We will wait for her,” Angelique answered tersely. “Right now we have to grab the other two before Ben Jeni can. Stay here and make certain that Commander Bertasdaater doesn’t send anyone downside to help her. I’ll leave all the SRU teams with you. You know what to do with them once I’m downside.”
Silvi nodded soberly and Angelique’s spirits were buoyed by the resolution she saw in her eyes. They had come up with the contingency plan before she had left the Hive, but she had never imagined that it would have to be put into play. Now, they would have to resort to desperate measures.
Despite this, she was confident of one thing; Silvi’s loyalty. She at least, could be trusted to protect her back while she finalized their business down in the Necropolis. Then she would see to it that the women who had betrayed her, paid with their lives, starting with Josette and Vice-Admiral ben Jeni.
Her equilibrium somewhat restored, she returned to the bridge with Silvi in tow. They went directly over to Katrinn’s chair and Angelique was careful to keep her tone neutral and professional.
“I have just received word that the Marionite terrorists are arriving in the operations area to meet their Hriss counterparts,” she announced. “I am going downside with my forces to intercept them.”
Puzzled, Katrinn glanced up to the sitscreens, which at that moment were displaying the live feed from the Artemis. Nothing that she saw on them indicated any new arrivals in the area, least of all a group of desperate radicals, or even the Hriss.
“Don’t worry,” Angelique reassured her. “I’ll make quite certain to take care of your relatives when I encounter them. You have my solemn word on that. And while I am gone, my sister will be here to help you coordinate the operation. Consider anything that she says to be a direct order from me.”
“Of course,” Katrinn replied. “Ma’am.”
Angelique departed, and Silvi quietly took her station at the foot of the command chair. Katrinn watched the woman for a few minutes and considered this new development.
She had shared Rixa’s misgivings about the operation since its very onset, and her sense of foreboding had only grown as their voyage had continued. It wasn’t just that Angelique and her people had circumvented the usual protocol and procedures. Or that their reasons for this mission itself simply didn’t add up.
It was more than that. As a young girl, Grammy had taught her to listen carefully to her Kliene Sprakker, her ‘Little Voice’, and although she was nowhere near the mystic that Ingrit was, her intuition had always been strong, and served her well.
At the moment, it was whispering that there were things going on here that even Admiral ebed Cya didn’t suspect. That something truly sinister was taking place. The fact that Lilith, Grammy and Ingrit had become involved, even peripherally, didn’t help one nano.
Forcing her anxiety back, she reminded herself of her ship’s history, and her own experiences. The Athena had been involved in plenty of clandestine operations before. A certain amount of shadows and secrecy went along with that kind of thing, and the women that called covert work their profession tended to be ‘odd’, if not disturbing, as a general rule.
That had to be the root of it, she decided. She was simply overreacting, and seeing things that didn’t exist. Clearly, some of the RSE’s weirdness was rubbing off on her, and making her as paranoid as they were.
In any event, her hands were tied. She was a naval officer, and the RSE had the authority to command her. They were, after all, agents of her government, and the late Chairwoman herself had awarded them their mandate. She would do her job, however odd or disturbing it seemed at the moment, finish this mission, and see them off her ship. Then things would return to normal.
Her Kliene Sprakker however, did not agree.
Several minutes later, a call came to her chair that caused her anxiety to return in full force. It was from Colonel Marya Lislsdaater, and Captain Veera t’Gwen, her counterpart with Ships Security.
“Commander?” Lislsdaater began. “I just got word that my girls have been relieved by the RSE at all of our red-level zones. They were also told to confine themselves to Five-Bar.’
“The same thing happened to Captain t’Gwen’s women, except that they’re still able to conduct general patrols. They’re not cooped up like my people are, but they’re still not happy about it. Is there something going on that we should know about?”
Normally, these two groups worked in sync to protect the most sensitive areas aboard the ship, including the armory, the computer core, the main lifts, the engine room, and the bridge itself. Dismissing them from these posts was an alarming development. It was also way out of line, and completely uncalled for. The Athena’s security forces had always been fully up to the job of protecting the ship.
Reflexively, Katrinn glanced back over her shoulder to the Main Lifts. The Marines who were normally stationed there, were now gone. A squad of RSE troopers had quietly taken their place, and another detachment had joined them. This group walked by her and took up a position near the NavCom stations. They weren’t doing anything aggressive, but they were there, and they were heavily armed.
A chill ran up her spine. There had to be a legitimate explanation for this, she told herself. The alternative was too frightening to entertain.
She turned her chair around to face Silvi. “Colonel? What is all this?”
Silvi smiled up at her. “I’m sorry Commander,” she answered. “I should have told you about it before I sent the order. Can we enjoy some privacy?”
At this, Katrinn rose, and they went into her office together. She patched in Lislsdaater and T’Gwen and then faced the RSE officer expectantly. “Well, Colonel?”
“What I’m about to tell you is classified,” Silvi said. “When our Agency learned about the Marionite activities here on Ashkele, we also received intelligence that pointed to the strong possibility that they have operatives aboard this very ship. Those same agents may attempt to seize the Athena as part of their operation. We believe that their intent is not only to secure more weapons of mass destruction for themselves, but also to commandeer this vessel as part of a general attack on the Sisterhood.”
Her officers were as floored by this as Katrinn was. Captain t’Gwen was the first one to recover and respond.
“Ma’am? With all due respect,” the Security Chief countered, “I can’t see how that’s possible. After we transferred all the known Marionites off the ship, my department—and the DNI---ran a comprehensive background check on everyone aboard. I’d stake my bars that we don’t have any more Marionites aboard this ship, or in our entire battle Group.”
“I beg to differ, Captain,” Silvi replied coolly. “Our sources indicate otherwise, and we believe them to be more reliable.”
“If that’s true, then why not let us help you?” Colonel Lislsdaater challenged. “With my troopers and your teams, we can cover every centimeter of this ship. No one will be able to get away with anything.”
“I’m afraid that that won’t be possible,” Silvi responded. “We have reason to believe that some of these Marionite agents are actually part of your security forces. This is the only way that we can fully safeguard this vessel.”
Katrinn knew pure boolkekk when she heard it, and this was as big a steaming pile as she had ever come across. Her intuition had been correct after all, she admitted. This woman, and her associates were up to something unsavory.
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br /> In the entire history of the Sisterhood Navy, there had never been a mutiny, or a single ship taken over by any hostile force. For the average sailor, the very idea was too incredible to lend any credence to. But what she was witnessing went way beyond the need to maintain operational security. And with their teams in place at every sensitive area of the ship, the RSE now had complete control over the Athena.
But before she could take any action, she had to be absolutely certain that her conclusions were correct. If this was truly legitimate, then defying Colonel bel Thana not only meant destroying her career, but facing a courts martial for treason. She needed to put the situation to the test and find out, one way or the other.
“Colonel,” she said, “I trust my security people implicitly. Surely we can find some way for our two groups to work together here.”
Silvi shook her head. “The situation is much too sensitive right now. But once we are done with our business downside, and General bel Thana returns, we can revisit this subject.”
“Then I want to contact Rixa,” Katrinn rejoined. “I think that Naval Command might have something to say about this. At the very least, they should be informed about the change.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t permit that either, Commander Bertasdaater,” the woman responded. “We have to maintain a total communications blackout while this operation is under way.”
A sinking feeling filled Katrinn’s gut. That’s it then, she thought. The impossible had really happened, and right before her eyes. The Athena was in unfriendly hands, and the safety of her crew utterly depended on what she did from here on out.
“Very well,” she said with a calmness she didn’t feel. “Colonel Lislsdaater, Captain t’Gwen, your women are to remain in stand-down mode, alert level Def-One until I order otherwise. Please continue to cooperate with the RSE Teams and give them any assistance that they require.”
The holographic images of the two women saluted her, and Katrinn ended the call.
Silvi smiled at her again. “Commander, I am so glad that we could come to an understanding.”
***
While Lilith struggled to digest her daughter’s tale of wide-ranging treason and conspiracy, Maya walked tentatively into the shallow end of the pool. The silver liquid lapping around her ankles was just at body temperature, and to her surprise, she found that it wasn’t wet at all.
Instead, it was more akin to a denser version of the air around her, nearly imperceptible and not uncomfortable in the least. The little points of light that populated its depths had increased in number, and become more active. Watching them flit about, it dawned on her what they actually were; little Watchers. Miniature versions of the beings that Jan served so faithfully, and their presence, and their playfulness, helped to calm her. Whatever awaited her, she would not be facing it entirely alone.
The angle of the pool was steeper than she had expected, and in just a few steps the fluid was up to her knees, then her waist, and finally her chest. At the same time, the little Watchers were swirling around her, and then flying off towards the mysterious glyph before returning to repeat the process. They were leading her there, she realized, urging her to move forwards and complete the ritual.
Well, I guess I’d better oblige them, she thought. The only other choice was to turn around, and refuse the challenge, and she had come too far, and gone through too much, to do that. With a final glance back at her companions, she submerged herself. Then she took a brief, tentative breath, fully expecting to choke.
Jan had been telling the truth though. The fluid was breathable. It wasn’t as easy to take in as normal air, and it reminded her of trying to breathe on an extremely humid day on Nemesis, but she didn’t drown. After a few moments, she found herself adjusting to the strange sensation.
Her mood also started to change. A sense of euphoria and bliss replaced her hesitation, and she suddenly felt safer in the pool than she ever had anywhere else in the entire universe. It was like coming home after a long and difficult journey.
At the far end, the glyph had brightened, and she half-walked, half-swam towards it, both delighted and curious. When she was only a fingerbreadth away from the shimmering design, she reached out to touch it. Everything went dark…
…Maya had vanished. One moment, she had been floating towards the glyph, and then in the next, she had simply ceased to be.
Lilith gasped in alarm. “What just happened? Where did she go?”
“She is inside the process,” Jan answered. “All we can do now is wait for her to return.”
Lilith couldn’t contradict her. She was out of her depth here, and she was painfully aware of it.
Overhead, the great Tree, which had been quiescent until now, was beginning to glow and pulse with light. It filled the chamber with an odd, silvery illumination that lit the cavernous space without creating any shadows, and it seemed to come from everywhere, and nowhere, simultaneously. Sound had also taken on an entirely new quality, lending echoes to the slightest noise, and Lilith could feel a tingling sensation all over her body like a static charge.
Overawed as she was, a part of her was still able to wonder at the technology behind it, and she was especially fascinated by the fluid that filled the pool. Her education as a naval officer had included the sciences, and whatever the substance actually was, it went beyond everything that she had ever been taught.
She was certain of one thing though. It was a completely liquid interface, and her mind spun at the implications. It had to be some highly advanced form of non-Newtonian fluid, she concluded. It certainly behaved like a ferrofluid—but one that also allowed a person to breathe while submerged within it.
But stimulated by what, she wondered. Electricity? Bioplasmic force? Something else? She couldn’t have even begun to venture an answer. As for the little lights swimming in it, she was reasonably certain that they were a kind of nanite, possessing some type of intelligence. That much had been obvious from the way they had led Maya to the strange glowing design.
Whatever it was, the liquid in the pool went beyond even the most advanced Sisterhood technology, or even what the Seevaans grasped. No buttons, no holo-displays of any kind, and it was clearly thought driven, but by something other than a psiever. Somehow, it picked up its signals through another medium entirely. Even more amazing than this, was that if Bar Daala was correct, the weird substance was also perfectly preserved and fully functional after twenty millennia!
Seized by scientific curiosity, and unable to do anything else but wait for Maya’s return, she removed her canteen from her belt, emptied its contents, and went over to the edge of the pool. No one made any move to stop her as she knelt down and took a small sample.
When this was all over, and providing that they were still alive and relatively sane, Lilith was positive that the Sisterhood would benefit greatly from a study of the fluid’s properties.
She recapped her container and stood, meeting Sarah’s eyes. Her daughter didn’t utter any recriminations however, and simply looked away. She knew just as well as Lilith did, that no matter how their strange adventure ended, there was still the future to consider.
USSNS Pallas Athena, Battle Group Golden, Topaz Fleet, In Orbit, Ashkele, Hallasa System, Frontier Zone, Xee Protectorate, 1049.03|09|08:06:43
Captain t’Gwen sat back in her chair, puzzling over the orders she had just received from Katrinn. They didn’t make any sense. Although she hadn’t served as the Athena’s Commander for very long, Katrinn Bertasdaater had proven herself to be a capable, detail-oriented leader. In her short time on the job, she had never made an error in any order that she had ever issued.
This time, however, she had. Def-One, or Defense Condition One was the lowest level of alert. It was only used when the ship was in port, and its internal security forces were augmented by dockside elements. At all other times, the lowest possible condition was always a ‘two’ or higher. Given their current status over a secure operational area, Def-One was totally
inappropriate, even with the SRU teams on the job.
Frustrated and confused, T’Gwen called up her interactive map of the ship and requested ‘vid feeds of the red-zone areas. The RSE troopers didn’t register on her map, and she hadn’t expected them to. All of their psievers had been modified to foil detection by everything except direct video imaging, and there were rumors that some of their agents could even defeat that.
Fortunately, that didn’t seem to apply to the SRU troopers. They came up on the ‘vid feeds and she watched them for a few minutes. One group, posted at the entryway to the engine room area, was in the process of waving off a pair of her securitywomen while they were trying to conduct a walk-through.
Not acceptable, she thought sourly. Not acceptable at all. Not this, not Def-One, not any of it. Her mother had often been fond of saying, ‘Just because I’m paranoid, doesn’t mean that someone’s not out to get me.’ And at that precise moment, the wisdom of this rang out truer than ever.
“Fek it,” she said aloud. She rose, and left her office, encountering her second in command on the way out.
“Captain?” the Lieutenant asked her, “What’s going on? Now they’re not even letting us patrol. And Def-One? Seriously?”
“I don’t know,” T’Gwen replied honestly. “Stay loose. Something’s going on here. I’ll get back with you when I find out what it is.”
She left her and made for Officer’s Country. She needed to speak with the other senior officers. Right away.
When she finally found them, they were sitting together in the Officers Mess. Mearinn d’Rann waved her over to an empty seat next to Colonel Lislsdaater.
“I’m pleased to see that all my officers are so alert,” D’Rann said quietly. “I won’t waste your time. We don’t have it to waste. I believe that this ship is now in the hands of an enemy force.”
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