by J. J. Snow
He closed the folder and leaned back in his chair, watching the security feeds. The feed of Raymond leading his new pet around another convoluted pathway on the ship was beginning to bore him. The boy stayed close to the psychopath, looking around as if he expected someone to jump out and kill him at any moment. Perhaps they had tried, since he had a long gash along one cheekbone. His showing so far had depressed Welch. He had high hopes that the boy would have taken out Raymond himself, but apparently that was too much to expect. Instead, he appeared to be yet another cowardly bootlicking minion in a long line of minions Raymond had trained, kept, and then killed. Too bad. Welch pushed a button, and a moment later his director of operations appeared.
“So what do you make of this?” he waved one hand at the feed as Raymond led the boy down yet another hallway and out of the camera’s view.
Dobbin shrugged. “He lives in his own world. Who knows what to make of it? Or why the boy is still alive after almost six weeks? I’d have bet against him living this long around Alton.”
Welch thought about that. Raymond probably had been torturing the boy to soften him up for training. By now his mind must be broken, so Raymond was able to bring him out without fear. Welch noted that the collar the boy had worn was gone. If only he were brave enough to venture out alone! He would very much enjoy shooting another one of the psycho’s pets. The last one had made such an impact, and it had been marvelous to watch Raymond fuss and fume, unable to do anything in light of the superior force Welch retained. But the play dragged on and the script never changed. Raymond was not a stimulating opponent, not up to his caliber. No, it was time to get rid of the insect. Welch had had enough of his annoying little games. Besides, it would be one less item he had left to clean up before completely securing his rule.
“Dobbin,” Welch said, lazily watching the screen, “tell Raymond he will need to move the cruiser to the far side of the docks by the end of the week. I need to have the space for visiting dignitaries. And then, once he’s moved, use the AOC turrets to destroy it. Understood?”
Dobbin nodded once and then left the room. His first stop was to talk to the turret gunners and arrange for the ship’s destruction. They directed him to have the cruiser park at the furthest dock to prevent explosive damage to any other ships. Dobbin noted the location and then left for the cruiser to inform Mr. Alton of the commander-in-chief’s request.
—————
Reilly’s wing lined up obediently in the starfield above Roen. The captains were the only ones aware of the true reason for the gate. Everyone else had been told it was for removing any potential tracking devices before they departed the solar system for the directional beacon. The implants would have no idea what hit them. Tiny nodded to her. The gate was active.
“Okay, folks. Let’s do this.” Reilly keyed up the mic to the wing. “We’ll start with the gunships first. It is imperative that you turn off those systems I mentioned earlier and maintain radio silence until after all of the ships have passed through the gate. We want to avoid any errant transmissions until we’re certain every ship has been cleared.”
Duv placed their gunship behind the gate while Chang and Marek hovered in the fighters to either side in case of any trouble. The ships slowly began to move through the gate and reassemble on the far side behind Reilly’s gunship. One transport ship began to list to the side as they watched and then started to drift away from the group. The other ships continued through the gate, maintaining radio silence.
Reilly watched as Chang and Marek approached the transport to see what the problem was. In a flash, the ship fired up its systems and prepared to run for it. Chang quickly strafed the rear engines, but the shields deflected the fire.
The last ship transited the gate as radio silence was broken. Yelling could be heard on the far end, followed by several shots. The transmission garbled, went out, and then came back on again.
“Foxtrot Whiskey One, this is Transport Gemini Two! Shit! Our logistics guy just went nuts…he killed a bunch of people over here…he killed the captain, too. Shit…” The man began to sob into the mic as more yelling could be heard in the background.
Reilly grabbed the mic. “Gemini Two, this is Captain Campbell. Is your vessel secure? Is the threat neutralized? I repeat, is the threat neutralized?”
The man on the mic pulled himself together long enough to give an “affirmative” and then lost it again. Another voice came on the line. “This is Gemini Two. We’ve lost our pilot as well. We’ve got no one to fly this thing.”
Reilly held the mic to her forehead. So it begins. She took a breath before continuing. “Gemini Two, stand by. I need all vessels to report in. Please confirm if you have lost any crew members.”
The wing began to report, and within a few minutes, additional reports came in. Six more bodies plus the Gemini II logistics crewmember accounted for all of the Tether’s implants. The radio rumbled with concern as chatter caught like wildfire between the ships. Reilly nodded at Tiny, who squelched the comms, allowing Reilly to override them so she could speak.
“This is Captain Campbell. The men and women who are now dead were part of a plan to infiltrate our wing. They were implants and they won’t be last ones we’ll be seeing. My advice to you is to put them out an airlock soonest. We aren’t sure if they can still be tracked by the devices after they die. Our intelligence indicated that there were eight of them hidden in our wing. I found one aboard our ship as well, so that accounts for all of them. I know you would’ve liked to know up front about the gates, but I couldn’t risk releasing that information. If the implants had been alerted, they could’ve avoided the gates and caused problems for us later. Get used to not getting everything up front. I will withhold information if it means saving lives.”
Reilly paused. “If these were your friends, then I’m sorry for your loss. But this is the kind of war we are facing, a war in which even our friends and families may be turned against us. So let me give you one last chance to decide if this is for you. If you want out, then dock with the Gemini Two and transfer to her. Roen will have a rescue ship and a pilot up before too long, and you can stay here. There’s no shame in that choice. Once we break orbit, though, we cannot allow you to go back, or we risk putting the entire wing in jeopardy. We can’t afford to be followed. So decide now. Enough people have died today. I don’t want to have to kill any more. You’ve got thirty minutes to offload and be ready to go.”
Reilly hung the mic back up on the wall and waited. Several ships took advantage of the offer and transferred passengers to Gemini II. Another couple flat-out refused to go after what had happened. At the thirty-minute mark, Reilly signaled to Duv to head out. Trace and Nado formed up next to them in their gunship as they made their way on to the beacon. Of the forty-three ships she had recruited, thirty-seven followed them out into deep space.
—————
Zain waited for the beacon to trigger, and while he waited, he watched a security feed that some of his best hackers had obtained from Ray Alton’s space station, or what was left of it. He was especially interested to note Tiny’s role in the rescue and how infatuated Alton seemed to be with her. He tugged on his lip thoughtfully. The confrontation between Welch and Alton was also valuable information. Two psychopaths with trust issues who hated each other was like having oil and a match and being told to start a fire. Zain was dying to find a way to pit them against each other. He set that thought aside, pondering the video feeds as they continued. Welch obviously wanted Reilly Campbell, but for what purpose? Did he really want her and her crew to take over leadership of his war machine? Or was there some other reason behind his interest? These were all critical points he could look to exploit if he could get inside their planning loop. He reminded himself to thank the hackers later for their fine work. The intelligence from the feeds would be very helpful as he planned his next move.
Still, he was missing one thing: Seth Jackson had vanished. The boy had disobeye
d a direct order. The control programs must have malfunctioned, since he had failed to check in. Zain had given up after keying the pain controls with no result. The kid was either resistant to them or he was dead. Either way, it only served to remind him of the wasted time and training for a mission that wouldn’t happen. The mission that could have ended the war and saved so many lives. Now he would have to start over. The cost in lives had already gone far beyond what he considered to be acceptable losses. Even if he won the war at this point he would lose. Once the AOC regrouped, Zain had no doubt that his punishment for failing would be swift and decisive. Still, he had been entrusted with this mission, and it was his to see through to the end. Whatever end that might be.
His communication suite lit up as the beacon was accessed. Reilly Campbell appeared on his screen.
“I’m transferring the encrypted coordinates to you now for the new base. Be advised that these should not be shared out among uncleared vessels and personnel.” Zain watched for her reaction.
Reilly acknowledged receipt of the coordinates before responding. “Sir, I have thirty-seven vessels under my command. And they will all be given this information.”
He smiled, but it looked more like a grimace. “Already pushing the limits? And here I thought there’d be a grace period. Don’t forget who you’re working for, Campbell. How do you know these people can be trusted? They could be the enemy. I’d hate to see you lose us the war from the start.”
Reilly looked at him coldly. “We gated them. But that’s interesting, that comment about trust and the enemy, sir. Funny thing about the enemy is you never are quite sure who that might be these days. Could be an implant from Welch, could be your own commander. Guess we’ll just have to keep eyes out all around.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Zain’s eyes flashed at her implication. “I would never betray my government or my galaxy.”
“No, I’m sure you wouldn’t,” Reilly snapped back. “But that doesn’t stop you from betraying your own people, now does it?”
“That’s a pretty bold accusation. I suppose you have something to back it up?”
Reilly stared back through the screen at him, her anger palpable as she spoke two words: “Seth Jackson.”
Zain glared as he began to speak, but Reilly cut him off. “Don’t bother. We figured out Tiny was a Gaiden and it wasn’t too much of a leap to guess the rest, especially when Seth showed up to save our asses from Welch and Alton. Thanks for the intel, by the way, and the backup. Nice to know just how concerned you were with keeping us alive. You’re some kind of bastard these days, turning a sick kid who lost his whole family into your weapon of choice. What’s worse is Seth actually believes all that shit you put into his head. He thinks he’s actually saving us, when instead you’re hanging him out there like bait.”
“You don’t understand what’s at stake here. I was authorized to take extreme measures…”
“Yet another lie. You weren’t authorized to program him and you broke regulation by doing what you did. Yeah, I know what you did to him, tying into his emotions, making him a mental basket case for your war. You’re no better than Welch or that sick psycho Alton. You can’t just decide to break the rules to make them fit what you want and then expect the rest of us to be okay with it! You can justify it however you want, but in the end you still know it’s wrong. We all know it’s wrong!”
Zain shook his head. “You always were a sucker for a hard-luck case, Campbell. When it came down to it, you always wanted to show compassion. Well, I hate to tell you this, but we’ve got no room left for compassion or mercy. And if I have to use kids to save this galaxy, then I’ll do it. Right now, we’ll be lucky if we can hold off Welch’s implants and the aliens for three weeks. One kid versus three million people wiped out so far. That seems to be pretty easy math to me—we save the majority, even if the kid has to bite it. It might be ugly, but it serves the greater good. Say what you want, but I know you’ve made similar choices on the battlefield.”
Reilly was furious. “I’ve never made a choice like that. You’re cutting deals with the devil and it’s going to come back on you, starting with the decision to put Seth Jackson on the front lines! I promise you, the next time we meet you will regret that decision. I’m hoping it will be soon.”
Zain smiled at her, a pitying sort of smile. “Well, unfortunately you’re going to have to wait awhile before you can even that score. Here are your new orders. Stay warm and try to stay alive. Like I said, I need you to win the war. Zain out.”
Reilly slammed both fists on the console, cursing him as the screen went blank. The transmission ended, and Tiny decrypted the coordinates and printed their orders. Reilly looked at them and threw them down in disgust. Of course he would send them there to hold the line. She and the rest of the crew already knew the system, knew the planets, so they could put up a good fight. And if they died in the process, the bastard would probably be even happier. No witnesses to hold him responsible for what he had done.
“So, uh, where are we headed?” Ty asked from the back of the bridge.
Reilly tossed the papers at him. Chang leaned over his shoulder to see what they said.
“The ice planets! That son of a bitch!” Ty breathed. “I think he wants us all dead.”
Chang looked at the orders again before handing them back to Marek. “The fire you kindle for your enemy often burns yourself more than him. Zain is desperate and frightened. He will regret this decision before long.”
“Before how long?” Ty muttered. “’Cause from what I remember, it doesn’t take too long to die out there, and that’s just from the elements. Not including some implant army or alien hoards!”
Reilly gazed out into space. Zain was frightened. The situation must have become worse while they were away. The last thing she needed right now was another enemy, but it was beginning to feel like she had found one. Was Zain desperate enough to protect the program that he was willing to risk losing them and losing a critical spearhead in the picket line? Or did he place them there because he knew they would have an advantage because they already knew the solar system? Reilly rubbed her eyes, pushing these thoughts away. The memories of her time on the ice planets loomed large in her mind. She had hoped to never have to go back there. They all had.
—————
Tiny made her way down to the cargo bay before she contacted Zain. She knew what kind of mood he would be in. The link connected and he appeared, his face dark with anger.
“So, you felt the need to discuss Gaiden training protocol with outsiders?” he snarled.
Tiny remained placid even though she was just as angry as he was underneath. “A situation developed in which I was forced to.” She thought back to her agreement with the Captain and knew it had been the right decision.
Zain eyed her suspiciously. “Lying is not an attribute that I would encourage you to foster. You more than anyone should understand that I had to do what I did to save lives. Sometimes in this line of work you aren’t able to take half measures. This is how it was with Seth. I had no option. I had to make the hard choice.”
He waited for her to respond. When she didn’t, he changed the topic.
“I want you to continue your mission with Campbell’s crew. It seems they trust you, and I think you will be an asset to them in the coming battle. They will hold a critical point in the picket line I have established. It is important that they don’t lose ground. Despite what they might think, I placed them where I did because I don’t think I have anyone else who can hold that ground. You will provide me with weekly reports on the status of Campbell’s forces. I also want full after-action reports of any contact with enemy forces. I need to know what I’m dealing with.”
Tiny nodded but remained silent. She could see Zain was irritated with her lack of response. He dipped his head and then looked back up at the screen.
“By the way, I wanted to commend you on the rapport you develop
ed with Alton.” Zain smirked at the flash of surprise she quickly hid. “It appears that he was quite taken with you. That may be useful for us in the future. You never know when the enemy of your enemy may need to become your friend. I have a feeling that he would be more than willing to continue your…relationship…if given an opportunity to do so.”
Tiny felt sickened by his suggestion. It was bad enough to have to pretend to be interested in that sadistic bastard for a few hours. To have to carry it on for longer, potentially to have to live it, would be hellish.
Zain continued, “Since you haven’t bonded with anyone, I think the relationship came off as much more authentic. Try to remain unattached, hmmm? I’d hate for you to lose your edge!”
He signed off and Tiny jammed the handheld into her pocket, shaking slightly with rage. She stood still, trying to compose herself, but then launched several knives into a nearby crate. Zain had no say over who she chose to bond with or even if she chose to bond with someone. That was her personal life, the little bit of it she had, anyway. Tiny yanked the knives out of the plastic and wood and secured them in their proper places. Zain was pushing her buttons again, trying for a response. She was glad she hadn’t given him one. Gaiden were encouraged not to “bond” with another person while they were still active in the field. A close relationship could be used by an enemy to threaten or blackmail them. Additionally, it would be harder for Gaiden to foster any intimate relationships with potential targets if they were bonded. She calmed herself by degrees as she walked back towards the bridge. A thought occurred to her, but she brushed it off. There was no way Zain could know about the time she had been spending with Ty. Besides, they were friends, comrades in arms, nothing more. The thought flitted around like a moth as she tried to ignore it. Her mind flashed back to Ty’s comment about Zain treating her as an implant, and she shivered. The Commander wouldn’t force her to go back to Alton. Not unless it was a life-or-death situation. Besides, there was a very good chance that the arms dealer would kill her if she did return. Zain couldn’t afford to risk that. They had too few Gaiden already. She crushed the worry with this logic and got back to work on the bridge. But in the back of her mind, the soft flutter of broken wings still echoed.