The Chairman silenced a screen and stood as he entered. “Graham, come in. You can return to your post, Major.”
“Thank you, Chairman.”
Vranas went over to a hutch in the corner and pulled a silver decanter off the shelf. “How long have we known one another?”
“Fourteen years, give or take.”
“There’s no one here. It’s Aristide. Care for a scotch?”
“Oh, yes.” He accepted the tumbler and followed Vranas out to the deck. He assumed there must be a virtual barrier protecting the Chairman from assassination via the water, but if so he couldn’t discern it. The reflection of Seneca’s moon rippled calmly in the night-darkened waters.
“I understand you’ve been off-planet for the last three days. Getting into trouble, I presume, or you wouldn’t be here.”
“Turning enemies into allies actually.”
“And I was hoping you were stealing the secret weapon which turned the aliens into particles. But in the absence of a weapon, I’ll take allies. Who is it? Romane? Atlantis? The Triene Cartel? Gagarin Institute?”
“The Earth Alliance.”
Vranas choked on his scotch. Graham had a brief vision of swarming agents and medics and accusations of poisoning muffing up the whole thing, but the Chairman thankfully recovered his breath. “Has anyone ever told you that you brandish the most inappropriate sense of humor in the galaxy? Of course they have. I have.”
Graham rested his forearms on the railing. “Aristide, I’m not joking.”
The man regarded him intently, took a long if more careful sip of scotch, and nodded. “Let’s hear it.”
“This war was instigated by a cabal of influential conspirators inside the governments and militaries of the Alliance and the Federation, with assistance from the Zelones Cartel. Minister Santiagar’s assassination was committed by a hired assassin and facilitated by our now former Assistant Trade Director. The Palluda attack was committed by a group of mercenaries in the employ of Zelones using missiles and codes provided by an Alliance general.”
“Hail Mary, Full of Grace….”
“There’s more, but it boils down to one crucial fact: we were tricked into this war. All of us. And with aliens destroying colonies as if they were toys, we need to end the war and end it now.”
“You say this like it’s an easy thing, Graham. Reversing the inertial force alone of a galactic war is not a simple matter.”
“Considering the threat both sides are facing, it damn well better be simple.”
“Fair enough. You have evidence to back these claims up?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good. I’ll need to present it through channels to Alliance representatives and—”
“Not so much. The Alliance end of things is being taken care of from within.” At Vranas’ raised eyebrow he gave an innocent shrug. “I had help running everything to ground.”
“Alliance help?”
Graham dipped his chin a touch. “The intelligence business isn’t always black and white, sir. And the people in the Alliance are not our enemy. Not most of them anyway.”
“You’re correct, unmistakably. Still, my impression of the current Alliance PM is he’s not exactly the peace-making type.”
“It so happens I have it on good authority that the current Prime Minister will soon be the former Prime Minister.” He checked the time. “Very soon, in fact.”
“Well. You have outdone yourself this time, Graham.” Vranas smiled, but even in the moonlight his eyes conveyed far more emotion. The man had been given a second chance to alter—and perhaps to prolong—the course of human history and recognized it for what it was. “In all seriousness, thank you. You may very well have saved millions of lives today.”
Graham feigned disappointment. “I’d hoped I saved billions today, but maybe that will be tomorrow.”
Vranas clasped him warmly on the shoulder then made his way back inside. “It seems another late night awaits me. But this night will be one of hope instead of despair.”
Isabela stared at the balcony of the hotel room and the street below and contemplated whether she could shimmy down and get to the ground without serious bodily injury. She frowned…perhaps not. It was a long way.
She was going insane. She needed to get out of here, which explained why she contemplated making the attempt anyway. This holding her ‘for her protection’ crap wore out its welcome days ago.
With little to do in the hotel room but watch the news feeds, she had now been rendered properly terrified of the alien armada creeping ever closer to Seneca. The media had dubbed the aliens ‘Metigens,’ from the Greek for ‘born of Metis.’ Born of Hades, more like it.
The entire galaxy was spinning out of control and she was sitting in a hotel room in downtown Cavare with two guards outside the door.
She had holo’d Marlee three times now. Each time it became more difficult to project a calm, reassuring demeanor and keep a happy appearance upon her face. Each time it became more agonizing to endure the hurt shining in her daughter’s forlorn eyes.
She had extended her leave from the university. Between the war and the aliens she didn’t think they particularly cared, and odds were half the students had left campus by now in any event.
She had refrained from pulsing Caleb any more often than once an hour. Every message bounced back. She had also refrained from drawing any conclusions with respect to the results.
There remained nothing left for her to do to occupy the hours, which explained why she was wearing a rut in the woven carpeting when the door opened and Director Delavasi walked in. “Ms. Marano, I—”
She charged across the room to get in his face. He was a large man, but she didn’t care. “I am done with your spy shenanigans and your conspiracies and I am not staying here another minute. I don’t give a damn who’s betraying who—unless you tell me my brother is on his way here as we speak, I am walking out this door, and I dare you to stop me.”
He placed a hand on her shoulder. “That’s why I’m here. You’re free to go.”
“I don’t—I am?”
“Yes. We’re reasonably confident we’ve detained everyone involved in the conspiracy. You should be safe now.”
“Well, good.” She went to the bed and grabbed her bag. It was already packed—it had never been unpacked beyond toiletries. She slung it over her back and turned to him. “What about my brother?”
His head shook, the mirthful visage fading away to be replaced by a somber one. “No news. I’m sorry.”
She sighed but awarded him a reluctant smile. “Thank you for clearing him. Thank you for believing in him. I haven’t decided yet whether I want to thank you for telling me about my father. I suppose I’m glad to know the truth. But I really would have rather known it a long, long time ago, when it might have mattered.”
His expression seemed almost sad. “I understand. I wish things had been different.”
“As do I.” She proffered a hand. He looked taken aback for a second, then accepted it. “I hope you take this in the best possible way, Director, but I sincerely hope I never see you again.”
He chuckled at that; it was unexpectedly warm and jovial. “Fair enough. Best of luck to you, Ms. Marano.”
She nodded in acceptance, then bolted out the door and down the hallway to the lift. By the time she reached the hotel exit she was running.
48
MESSIUM
EARTH ALLIANCE COLONY
* * *
THEY AGREED THE BEST PLAN was to split up into two groups. Raina would go with Kennedy and Noah. Her sister wanted to join them as well, but Jonas had become attached to Silvie and insisted she stay with him. Thomaso—that was the older gentleman’s name—would also accompany Jonas and his mother to help should the boy require carrying.
Noah had explained to the others where the station was so they would be able to find their way if the groups got separated beyond the fifty or so meters distance they intended to maintain.
They had stocked up on portable food and drinks from the restaurant supplies, found pouches to carry the alien materials in and waited until nightfall. No way were they risking even the short kilometer of distance in the harsh light of day—a decision which was validated when they witnessed three ships pass on the street outside within an hour of one another.
It was curious that the ships apparently didn’t use thermal imaging or any other sensors beyond motion and visual scans. A lucky break for them to be sure, but given how advanced the ships were it was odd.
A wacky notion occurred to Kennedy as they clung to the remains of a levtram entry and skulked painfully slowly toward their destination…it was almost as if the street patrols by the ominous ships with their netherworld appearance and terrifying crimson oculi were for show.
Oh, they were quick to kill anyone who wandered into their path. But so far as she’d observed, the ships never went out of their way to search in places where people may actually be hiding.
She had to let the notion go in order to concentrate on scaling a three-meter-high pile of stone and marble blocking the street. It was the remains of one of the few artistic buildings on Messium, an art and entertainment museum. She heard Noah talking quietly to Raina behind her.
“Remember, keep your body low to the rubble and move slow. You’ll want to scramble, but too much movement will attract attention.”
Kennedy smiled to herself. The girls had taken an instant liking to him, doubtless on account of him being roguishly handsome and sporting a demeanor to match. He had responded, somewhat to her surprise, by becoming their friend in a big-brother sort of way.
Try as she might, she couldn’t seem to figure him out. He was such a bundle of contradictions—deflecting everything with a light-hearted, blasé attitude, yet startlingly intelligent and clearly well-educated and informed on many topics. He—
—a scream behind them shattered the eerie stillness. Kennedy had crested the height of the rubble and started down the other side but instinctively whipped about at the sound.
One of the patrol ships had crossed from the previous intersection as the other group had emerged out of the protection of the buildings to begin scaling the rubble. The debris spanned the width of the street, and there was nowhere for them to hide.
Braelyn and Jonas had gone first in case he needed assistance climbing, which meant they were the most exposed and had no hope of getting back to street level in time to run.
Thomaso signaled frantically for them to try, until he recognized it was of no use. Braelyn covered her son with her body and huddled amidst the stone.
Kennedy watched on in horror as Thomaso took off running toward the closest building…and burst into flames meters away from safety.
The scream had come from Sylvie. She stood at the base of the rubble, frozen in terror, powerless to move though if she had done so immediately she might have lived.
As the ship shifted its focus to Sylvie, Kennedy saw Noah wrap his arms around Raina from behind and drag her struggling body up and over the crest of the debris.
“Let me go! That’s my sister!”
“And you’ll share her fate if you don’t quiet down!” His gaze shot to Kennedy. “We’ve got to move, now.”
“I know.” She shook her head roughly and began scrambling along the rubble, any concern for subterfuge gone as the air glowed red behind them and another scream pierced the air only to be abruptly cut silent.
Raina was crying and gasping in air but moving under her own power, survival instinct having won out over grief. They hit the street at a full run. The alien material in the pouch slung over her chest pounded into her hip as she sprinted for refuge, any refuge.
It came in the form of a sense booth of all things, tucked in beside what could have been a clothing store. They crammed inside the tiny space and forced the door shut less than a second before the ship rounded the corner. Raina buried her sobs in Noah’s chest in an effort to muffle them.
Kennedy’s eyes met Noah’s above the girl’s head. His glistened with naked pain, and she knew he was thinking the same thing as she: did they get Jonas killed? Did Braelyn and Thomaso and Sylvie die because of them? His head shook in answer to the silent question…but it lacked conviction.
It was at that moment she decided it was all an act—the bravado, the jokes, the carefree attitude, the claims to not care about anything. His soul was seared by as much anguish as hers. She doubted she’d ever get him to admit it to her, but she thought if they lived through this, she just might try anyway.
After ten minutes that felt like ten hours, she oh-so-carefully moved the door open a few centimeters and peered out. The street was inky and silent.
She nodded to Noah and they worked the door open—in the absence of power it was fussy about complying—and continued on.
It took another twelve minutes to reach the station. Her heart broke at the knowledge they had been so close. Their companions had died steps from, if not safety, at least a chance.
From the outside the station resembled the rest of the buildings they had passed—broken and crumbled. But it wasn’t a crater. She had feared it would be a crater.
The relief of four walls surrounding her cascaded through her in a rush; she sank against the nearest one, lightheaded.
“You feel all right?”
She jumped at the realization Noah had come over. He held out a water packet, which she greedily accepted. While she guzzled it he knelt down and began feeling carefully along her leg.
“Your cut’s opened back up. We should get it cleaned and re-bandaged.”
Her head shook as she took a final gulp of the water. The packet was drained, so she tossed it cavalierly in the corner. “It can wait. I’m getting the fuck off this planet, and I’m getting off now.”
He chuckled softly. “That’s my girl. Let’s see what we can find.”
His girl? Her nose scrunched up at the phrasing, but he had turned away. She motioned for Raina to follow them and stepped into the hallway.
She nearly got shot for the effort.
A young soldier—he looked to be barely past puberty—pointed a military-issue Daemon at them. His hand shook so fiercely the gun was in danger of falling from his grip.
Noah stepped up, hands open in submission. “Easy there. We’re good guys.”
The kid’s eyes were wide as saucers, but he shakily lowered the gun. “I heard noises and thought one of those creatures was coming inside.”
“I think they’re probably too big to fit, but I can understand the concern. Any chance you have a working shuttle hiding back there?”
“Uh…sort of?”
Kennedy gazed at the bay of wrecked shuttles in dismay. The last of her adrenaline seeped away at the sight of the widespread destruction. It occurred to her then, for perhaps the first time in this long nightmare, that she was going to die.
“No, you’re not.”
She spun to Noah in surprise. Had she voiced her doomsday proclamation aloud? She didn’t think so. Had he merely read her countenance, judged the set of her jaw? “Noah, look. No way are any of these ships taking off.”
“Nope they are not. Come with me.” He reached out and grasped her hand in his.
She allowed herself to be guided to the far corner of the bay and into some kind of workroom. Inside were three soldiers working on two shuttles suspended on racks in the middle of the room.
“I found people. Even better, I found intact shuttles.”
The soldiers spun to them, more relief than wariness in their faces. After brief confusion, introductions ensued.
The interior workroom was recessed enough to have survived the initial blitz; so long as the rest of the building overhead remained standing it would remain standing as well.
By sheer dumb luck the two shuttles were brought to the workroom for repairs hours before the attack. Unfortunately, the repairs needed were extensive. The LEN reactor powering one had died, and the left thruster i
n the other was shot. Her suggestion to scalp the LEN reactor from the shuttle with the busted thruster was a no-go, however. More soldiers were alive elsewhere in the building, so an escape was going to require both shuttles.
“Did you check the moderator feeds into the reactor core?”
She received blank stares in response. Good lord, did the military employ anybody they picked up off the street as technicians these days? She looked over at Noah and sighed. “I’ll crack open the reactor. Think you can salvage some parts from the wrecked shuttles in the bay to fix the thruster?”
He smiled, and she sensed her heart lift a little. Maybe they stood a chance of making it after all. Then he gave her a flourished bow. “As the lady wishes, so shall she receive.”
“Smart-ass. Get out of here.”
As soon as he had departed she directed her attention to the others. “I need a shielded containment box, radiation gloves and a micro welding torch. And a crescent wrench.”
For the next hour she forgot about the aliens and the roving ships and the charred bodies. For a time she even forgot Sylvie’s final scream as she buried herself in the delicate work of replacing the LEN reactor core’s fuel. She was only vaguely aware of the activity occurring across the room at the other shuttle, except for the time or two Noah let loose a particularly colorful curse. She assumed it meant they were making progress.
She and one of the technicians were tightening the casing around the reactor when several soldiers ran into the room.
“You’re not going to believe this, but we’re picking up Alliance ships near the planet!”
She leapt off the floor, ignoring the painful response of her leg. “You didn’t get commun— oh shit, we can talk to them.”
“No we can’t, ma’am. And who are you?”
“It doesn’t matter. And yes, you can.” If Alliance ships were here she had to believe her message to Alex’s mother had gotten through. Not because the military wouldn’t otherwise have known Messium was under assault—she imagined the entire galaxy must know by now—but because no way were they insane enough to try to mount a counter-offensive if they couldn’t talk to one another.
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