“Trinity?” Alice replied, pushing away. “Why are they here?”
Alice felt the familiar shudder as the ship activated the M-space engines. Whatever emergency there was, Resolute was apparently making her escape without the need for combat. She looked back to the Tonal woman with concern. Lellda was sweating and her eyes had taken on the glazed look of a person about to faint.
“They’ve come to kill them, Alice,” Lellda said. “They’re going to kill them all and it’s our fault.”
15
Battleship Resolute
The ride from Tonal space to the remains of the black planet system was rough. Roy Booth had fixed the stabilizers enough to allow them passage through the special membrane, but the ship shook and bounced during transit. Lee had no time to talk to the rescued spy until they had reached the neutral spot. Seeing the accreting remains of the planet which had once harbored the last vestige of a human fleet reminded him of the potential that existed in his own kind for massive destruction. The system’s lone planet had been destroyed by the renegade battleship Victory and the insane politician Banu Rao as a test for the end of the Ch’Tauk Empire only a short time ago. The sight of it chilled him, but he knew it was the safest place to hide from Alliance forces.
He ordered everyone who was involved in the investigation to the ship’s small galley to watch the news feed from Alliance Today. For some reason, the government was broadcasting their efforts back at the Ixloab station to the galaxy. The few seconds he had already watched were enough to convince him something was very wrong. As he entered the dining hall, he noticed Preston McGraw standing in the corner with a Tonal woman. He assumed the woman was the spy known as Petunia, but he couldn’t see her face with her back to him. Henry Moore was standing closest to the holographic projection with his mouth open, staring at it in horror. Lee stepped through the small group to stand near Alice, who inched nearer to him as she watched.
“…terrorists had no time to escape as the magnificent carrier Trinity launched advanced fighters and the new series of bombers, known as the Mjolnir class, at the base…”
Lee saw the sleek, wide-nosed ships streak away from the launch bay towards the Ixloab asteroid. The two cruisers left behind by Resolute had been destroyed almost instantly by the carrier group. After their run-in with the battleship, they had been left defenseless in the face of the massive attack. In fact, the base itself was unable to mount any real defense as the powerful attack blasted away the remaining fighters and tore holes in the asteroid. Lee felt a pang of regret as they watched chunks of ice and stone blasted away into the darkness. Had they tried a more subtle approach to rescue the spy, the Ixloab might have had a chance to hold out, but as it was they were being systematically torn apart by the Alliance ships.
“This is a slaughter,” Henry said quietly. “This isn’t what the Alliance is all about, Lee. This isn’t what we fought for during the war.”
“For once, I agree with Henry,” Jakes responded. “This ain’t right. We just left ‘em wide open for extermination, Lee. We gotta go back and help.”
“Which side?” Lee said quietly, stopping the murmur which had begun after Moore’s comment. “I don’t think I know which side I’m on anymore. We started this to find out who set off the bombs at the peace conference. Now we’re off chasing hidden data and attacking religious nuts. Which side are we on anymore?”
“We’re on the same side we always been on,” Jakes said. “We’re on the right side. The side that’s gonna end up getting beat to hell but comin’ out of it on top. I say we go back and help those people. They might be nuts, but what they’re doin’ to them is wrong.”
“Oh my God,” Melaina cried, staring with horror at the image on the projection.
The three men turned back to the news net to see the Ixloab station beginning to break up. Trinity had begun direct bombardment of the asteroid’s outer shell and the results were horrifying to watch. The high-resolution hologram showed bodies being blown into space, along with metal and burning atmosphere. A final shot lanced from the nose of the carrier, spitting a thick red beam of energy that detonated near the center of the cracked asteroid, shattering the remaining pieces and vaporizing anything larger than a pebble. Lee felt his mouth open involuntarily as he watched the flickers of energy die out into darkness.
“Lee,” Alice said in the silence which followed the destruction. “That looked like…”
“The high velocity accelerator cannon,” Lee finished. “Banu Rao’s final solution.”
“It’s not possible,” Henry said, looking back to Lee. “Banu is dead. His research died with him when Victory was destroyed. How can this—”
“I don’t know,” Lee said, anger suddenly making his voice louder in the mess hall. “I think I know who does, though.”
Lee turned back to the corner to see Lellda and McGraw staring back. Lellda’s eyes were full of tears as she looked on the carnage. McGraw, however, was staring at the floor. Lee pushed past the others and stomped over to the two spies. He grabbed Preston by the lapel and shoved him to the nearby wall. The man let out a whoompf of air as Lee pressed an arm across his chest. Real fear crossed the little man’s face as the captain moved closer.
“What did you do?” Lee spat. “Tell me or I will shove you out the nearest airlock without a suit, Preston.”
Henry had come up behind Lee and placed a hand on his shoulder. Connor Jakes was at his other side just after, not reaching out but standing ready. Lee could hear Lellda sobbing behind him, but didn’t care. The look in McGraw’s eyes was enough to tell him he was guilty of something.
“It … it wasn’t me,” McGraw stammered. “It was … I-I can’t tell you. Please, Captain Pearce … I don’t know everything … I mean I don’t know anything really…”
“Talk! I swear if I don’t hear something in the next few seconds—”
“It was Chang!” McGraw said, fear making his voice sound like a shout. “I don’t know how, but it was the admiral who—”
Lee pulled the arm back and grabbed the man’s jacket again. Before Henry could respond, Preston was airborne. The man slammed into a table and flipped. Alice let out a small scream as Lee pushed the two men away and stalked after McGraw. Preston had landed hard on his back and was trying to scramble away as the enraged captain grabbed the back of his jacket again. This time, Lee pulled the man up and swung him around to face him. A hard right fist slammed into McGraw’s nose. A look of bewilderment crossed Preston’s face even as his nose erupted in a fountain of blood. A second fist came in from the left, knocking McGraw on his back before Henry Moore and Connor Jakes were able to restrain their friend.
“You lying sack of…” Lee spat in the man’s face. “How dare you implicate that man. Chang would never—”
“He isn’t lying,” Lellda said, coming to Preston’s side and holding the man’s head. “It was Chang behind the whole thing, Lee. I wish it wasn’t, but I know. I was there when it began.”
“What the hell are you talkin’ about,” Jakes said, as Lee shook off his arm. If there was one thing Ronnie Chang wasn’t, it was a genocidal madman like Bunny Rao.”
“It isn’t genocide, you damn fool,” Preston said through tears of pain. “It’s salvation. He didn’t invent the tech, but he saw a use for it and took it when he had the chance.”
“You lie,” Lee shouted as Henry held him back. “It’s got to be something else. Someone else had the weapon and the Vadne or Tonal must have done this.”
“Captain, my people wouldn’t create something like this. We aren’t fond of plasma weapons. The technology here is far too unstable,” Farthing said, finally stepping between his captain and the spies.
Lee stared into the dark eyes of his first officer. The two had shared so much over the years and had formed an iron-clad trust. Lee had even needed to pretend to kill the man once to allow Resolute to escape from Banu Rao’s control. He wanted to strike out at the white-furred Vadne for what the ship on the
viewer had done, but couldn’t. Instead, he relaxed enough to allow Henry to pull him away. He looked to the old soldier with gratitude. Had Moore not restrained him, he probably would have killed McGraw. Lee took a deep breath and motioned for Farthing to step aside. He did, but only enough to allow Lee to see the bleeding man on the floor.
“Talk,” Lee ordered McGraw. “I want to know everything. Why are we out here looking for God knows what while the Alliance is destroying a bunch of zealots?”
“Lee,” Alice interrupted, pointing back to the holographic display. “They’re moving off now. Listen.”
“…you have been watching Alliance Today coverage of the siege of the Ixloab by the flagship carrier Trinity. Again, Alliance intelligence has let it out that the Ixloab were responsible for the deaths of twenty-one at the Trinity Peace conference last week. Sources close to the chancellor have confirmed that the terrorists were able to slip in an explosive during the ceremony and detonate it. The reaction was swift and our embedded reporters are bringing it to you first. Up next, the G-ball scores and the weather for sixteen inhabited worlds. Stay tuned for our report on Vadne children and the viral feeds clogging our news nets…”
“Turn it off,” Lee ordered. “I just can’t believe that. The Ixloab weren’t connected to this. Henry, how did they get the information on these people?”
“I don’t know, Lee. I haven’t seen anything on this,” Henry replied, looking confused as the image snapped off. “This is a mystery I can’t figure out.”
“Maybe our spies can,” Jakes replied, stepping closer to Lellda and McGraw. “How did the Alliance get this info?”
“I have about as much information as you do on that,” Lellda replied. “I have been on that base for weeks.”
“I told them,” Preston said, holding an offered towel over his damaged face. “At least I left the information for them to find.”
“You what?” Lee snapped. “What the hell were you thinking?”
“I didn’t know you were going to come after me. I had no idea we would be here when the Alliance came. I was just following orders.”
“Whose orders?” Lee asked. “Oh, let me guess, Admiral Chang’s? That lie is getting thinner every time you tell it, Preston.”
“Aren’t you listening to us, Captain?” Lellda said, trying to help McGraw to sit upright. “The admiral is behind this. All of it.”
“Then you better start talkin’, little lady,” Jakes said. “I don’t think either Henry or I are inclined to hold him back anymore.”
“It was a contingency plan,” Lellda said. “The admiral told us if we didn’t report in for two weeks, a signal would automatically be sent alerting the Alliance of terrorist activity. The idea was they would send in troops to either figure out where we were or eradicate the enemy if we were dead.”
“That’s barbaric,” Henry said. “Alliance Intelligence is not a pack of assassins.”
“I suppose it depends on who got that signal, Henry,” Jakes added, looking past Moore to Lee. “I think I need to put in a call. Can you get me a secure channel to Earth?”
“Farthing can get a channel into hell if you need it,” Lee replied. “Go now and find out what happened.”
Jakes and Farthing hurried out of the mess and into the hall. Lee and Henry held their hands up and stepped closer to the two spies. McGraw was holding the towel to his face and trying to see through his watering eyes. The man looked pained beyond his injuries, though. He looked to Lellda and nodded. She nodded back at the human with an equally worried expression.
“Something is wrong with the admiral,” Lellda said quietly. “He’s changed, Lee. You must have seen it during the war. He used to be as stable as a rock, and predictable. Something happened, though, something he won’t talk about.”
“What do you know, Preston?” Lee asked McGraw. “You were closer to the man in the last few months than anyone. What did you see?”
“Lellda’s right. The admiral was getting erratic,” McGraw said through the towel. “He was planning something big. I can’t tell you any more than that. I … I don’t know. He had plans within plans within schemes. I saw him one day in his quarters on Baal with tears in his eyes. I asked him what was wrong and he laughed. He was drunk. I had never seen him take a drink before and I stepped back out. After that, he stopped talking to me and started sending me out on undercover missions…”
“Who is Sylvester?” Henry asked suddenly. “Where is the third operative?”
“I don’t know who he or she is,” Preston replied. “We weren’t supposed to know about each other. I knew Lellda because I came back before she did. I have no idea who the third person is or where they might be.”
“Maybe there is something on your chip,” Alice offered. “Do you know where yours is?”
Lellda looked to Alice in confusion. Preston looked up to the woman and tried not to cough. When he looked back, he was smiling slightly.
“I don’t think she knows about it,” McGraw said. “She was processed different than I was. She may not know where it is.”
“Alright,” Lee said, stepping away and towards the door. “You two get to sickbay and let Demsiri take a look at you. I’ll be on the bridge.”
Henry looked to his friend as he left the room. Lellda and Melaina helped McGraw to his feet and away. As the others filtered out and back to their posts, Alice came to Henry’s side. They waited until the last person left and the door slid shut before starting, and it was Alice who spoke first.
“Henry, what’s happening here?”
“Alice,” Henry replied, looking at the woman. “I’m worried about Lee. I’ve never seen him like this. He’s stretched to the limit and it won’t take much more before he snaps.”
“Can you blame him?” Alice said, turning away and looking at the projection window. “He’s got the whole galaxy on his shoulders and it’s bringing him down. He’s got you and Connor to help, but it’s too much for any one man. Now this business with Chang … I don’t know what more he can handle.”
The two stared at each other for a moment, the truth of their situation sinking in. Alice felt tears beginning to well in her eyes and wiped them away to keep Henry from seeing the weakness. Henry, however, had already moved up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. She turned and looked into his dark eyes, anger and fear mixing into her soul even as she fell into his chest. He wrapped his thick arms around her in a bear hug. It was a gesture she needed more than she would ever have believed. He held her for a long minute before she backed away and wiped away more tears.
“Alice,” Henry said tenderly to his friend. “Lee can handle more than any of us. He’s proven that time and again.”
“I know that Henry, but—”
“No buts, young lady,” he replied with a slight grin. “He can handle it because he has Jakes and me, but also because he has you. Even in the darkest days that man never gave up hope on you. I think it’s time he saw that you haven’t given up on him.”
16
It was night again on board Resolute. The lights had been lowered and the gamma shift crew was manning their posts while the captain and command staff got some rest. Roy Booth and his team had fixed the stabilizers and assured everyone their next jump would be less traumatic than the last. Melaina Petros was still examining the codes unlocked by Preston McGraw and waiting for word the next key would be found. It was otherwise a quiet ship as Lee made his way to the lower deck stasis labs.
It was a trip he had avoided thus far in the ship’s adventures, but one he had promised himself to make. He palmed the lock and waited while the lab unlocked and admitted him. Just inside the door, a lone honor guard stood sentry over the single working pod. Lee couldn’t help but say a silent thanks to Farthing for the kindness again. The soldier recognized his captain and stood a little straighter. Lee addressed the man with an awkward salute.
“Can you wait in the hall?” Lee asked. It felt wrong to make it an order. “I just want to…�
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“Yes sir,” the man replied without hesitation.
It took a few seconds for the guard to leave the room and the door to close. Lee took a deep breath as he realized for the first time in a long while that he was totally alone. He stepped to the side of the stasis pod, feeling the dryness of his throat. An Alliance flag had been draped across the casket, which obscured the glass covering. Lee reached over and pulled the cloth from his father’s pod. An automatic motion sensor flickered to life and illuminated the face of Everett Benjamin Pearce. Lee choked back an involuntary gasp as he looked upon the face. His father looked peaceful, but so very old.
Lee was used to the changes which came over the faces of the dead. Relaxed muscles and open pores made familiar faces seem strange and unknown. In all his experiences, though, he had never seen the change which had come over the face of his own father. Everett’s illness made him unable to walk and kept him in pain, but the person he saw now seemed to have aged decades since his death. Lines which had always seemed to make the dark skin seem careworn now dug trenches into the familiar face. The man’s white hair had been combed back away from his face, but it now seemed to give his father’s skin a glow he had never seen while he was alive. Everett Pearce, who had once driven a man off his property with a rifle in hand and a cigar in his mouth, looked angelic. It was the most disturbing thing Lee could remember seeing.
“Dad?” Lee said quietly. “I need your help.”
Lee let the sound echo away into the darkness. The stasis pod had become a casket for the man inside. Lights indicating power consumption and conditions inside blinked along the side. He hadn’t expected a response and didn’t get one. His father had been a man of few words when he had been alive, had given advice sparingly, but what advice he gave was always important. Lee tried to hear the sound of Ev’s voice in his mind, hoping to remember a nugget of that old advice still floating around in his brain.
“None of this makes any sense,” Lee said again. “You always told me to choose my friends carefully. You said a man is only as good as his word. I thought I knew the men I gave respect to, Dad. I think I was wrong and now people … good people, who were just spreading their own brand of the word, are dead because of me.”
Resolute Alliance (The War for Terra Book 6) Page 13