‘The Church wishes to speak to you,’ one of the officers said to Halstead.
He nodded. ‘Put them through. We have nothing to hide.’
The com system crackled. ‘Arkship Haukr, this is Reader Tremblay of the blessed arkship Spero. You have fired upon the sacred Firmament. Explain yourself or be destroyed.’
‘This is Prince Halstead of the House of Kenric . . . and the House of Draig. The missile strike was carried out by a rogue commodore who has now been removed from his position. We are not your enemy, and we offer our surrender.’
‘Stand by, Haukr.’
The arkships drifted past the windows, silent monsters waiting to strike.
One of the officers called to the prince. ‘Valt . . . Prince Halstead. I’m picking up a missile launch.’
‘The Church?’
‘No, it’s another arkship. I’ve got a com message as well.’ The officer punched it through to the flight deck com.
‘House of Draig,’ the voice said, full of anger. ‘You’ve defiled the Firmament. You will pay for your crimes against the House of Addington.’
Halstead cursed, recognizing the woman’s voice.
‘Missile closing . . . eight seconds to impact.’
‘Can you stop it?’ Halstead asked.
‘Too late to launch countermeasures, the grid is discharged. Brace for–’
The arkship groaned and listed as the missile struck the massive vessel.
‘Do we strike back?’ the officer asked.
‘No,’ Halstead replied. ‘We wait for the Church to respond.’
‘I think it’s too late for that,’ Valine replied, looking at the holograph. A new set of signals had appeared.
‘The Dreki has responded.’
‘That’s a Draig arkship!’ Halstead said. ‘Tell them to stop.’
A new voice broke over the com. ‘Prince Halstead, this is Commodore Anders of the Dreki. We stand ready to defend you.’
Before Halstead could respond he spotted more lights appearing on the holograph – new missile launches.
‘The Cavalla has attacked the Dreki,’ an officer shouted.
‘The Cavalla?’ Halstead asked, sounding panicked.
‘From the Okafor Clan. They are siding with the House of Addington and the Church against us.’
Valine pulled Halstead’s shoulder, forcing him to look at her. ‘The situation is out of your control. You’ve got an escalating firefight. The only course of action is retreat.’
Halstead hesitated, watching as more and more arkships joined the fight. Each of the Draig vessels were under attack from a growing number of vessels. Even the Kenric ships were being targeted now.
One of the officers caught his attention. ‘Incoming message for you, Prince Halstead, from the arkship Benwick.’
Faron Dulac, no doubt contacting him to find out what he was doing. He put it out of his mind and focused on the battle.
‘Order a retreat. The Kenric and Draig fleets are to withdraw. Offer no resistance.’ Halstead said.
Valine smiled. He had taken her advice. That was a promising first step. Already, she was plotting how to reaffirm her position. For now, everything was too unstable to make her move. The House of Draig wouldn’t accept her as leader, not yet. She would have to make herself invaluable to the prince, as she had with Orcades. It would take time, years perhaps, but she was still young, and she was patient. Then, when the time was right, when her grip on power was strongest, when she was back at the center of everything, she would kill the prince and take his place.
CHAOS
The hanger deck tilted, rising to meet the shuttle with ferocious force. The shuttle’s landing struts collapsed, piercing the underside of the little ship, igniting one of its fuel cells.
Faron saw the warning light and released his harness, dragging the pilot with him as he rushed for the exit. The deck shifted again, and they lost their footing, slamming them into the wall.
‘This is bad,’ Faron shouted.
‘Who’s firing at us?’ the pilot asked.
‘I’m not sure but I don’t think they were aiming at us.’ He hit the hatch control panel, waiting as it cracked open. The mechanism complained, slowly pulling the heavy hatch open. Faron and the pilot fell through the narrow gap and tumbled down from the shuttle, landing in a puddle of water. Faron looked behind him; the hanger deck crew were already on hand, dowsing the burning shuttle with foam and water. A fire drone hovered over the burning fuel cell, lowering a gauze-like netting into place, starving the flames of oxygen.
As he stood, an officer approached him.
‘Sir, welcome back on board.’
‘What’s our status?’ Faron asked as they walked towards the exit.
‘It’s chaotic out there. At least three houses have attacked Draig and Kenric arkships. We’ve been hit by some of the debris, and two other families have started fighting each other as well.’
‘It’s worse than I thought.’ Faron replied.
The officer led him to one of the main elevators, selecting level eighteen from the control panel.
‘Eighteen?’ Faron checked. ‘I’m going to the flight deck.’
‘Sir, you’re needed on eighteen.’
‘I’m needed on the flight deck! There’s nothing on eighteen except for living quarters and the hospital.’
‘Yes, sir,’ the officer replied. ‘Bara is there.’
CHOICES
Halstead gripped the sides of the command chair, bracing himself as more and more missiles struck the Haukr.
‘How long to Cube transit?’ he asked.
‘Another twelve minutes,’ an officer responded.
He glanced at Valine, knowing what she was thinking. She advised that they defend themselves, but Halstead didn’t want to provoke this situation further. At least the Church arkships had moved away to encircle the Firmament. They seemed less inclined on attacking the Draig fleet, preferring to focus on protecting their station instead. They didn’t need to get their hands dirty; there were plenty of loyal arkships willing to fight in their name.
‘Gilgore grid is exhausted in section thirteen,’ an officer called out.
‘Turn us to protect that area,’ Halstead replied.
‘Sir, we are surrounded,’ the officer explained. ‘We can’t turn away from the fight.’
‘You’ve ran out of goodwill,’ Valine said into his ear. ‘You have no choice now. Defend yourself.’
The flight deck shook again. He turned to the holograph to see new impacts close to their engine section.
‘If they damage our engines, what then?’ Valine asked. Her tone was casual, conversational, and he could almost believe she didn’t already know the answer.
‘Ten minutes to Cube transit,’ someone called out.
They couldn’t hold out that long, not without losing their engines. Halstead made a decision and turned to find the tactical officer. ‘Target any ship attacking our engine section. Minimal firepower. I want to sting them, not kill them, understand?’
The officer nodded, returning to her console.
Halstead eased into the chair, realizing there was no going back from this decision. He had made new enemies today.
‘It’s the right choice,’ Valine said, leaning on the back of his seat.
Unconvinced, Halstead turned his chair to the holograph, forcing her to step away. The map was even more cluttered than before. The space around the Haukr was full of debris, all of it moving in an expanding sphere, towards some of the other arkships. People were going to die today because of his decision. Silently, he watched the holograph, ignoring the dull shockwaves of missile strikes as the clock counted down to Cube transit. The two Kenric arkships had already retreated, as had most of the Draig vessels. Finally, the Haukr remained alone, defending itself as its engines accelerated, moving away from the Firmament. The Cube drive engaged and the Haukr left the battlefield, taking its new leader with it.
THE PROMISE
The hospital corridor seemed oddly silent after the noise and vibration of the hanger bay. Faron had expected to hear Bara screaming, but the only noise was the squeak of his own boots on the polished floor. Ahead, was an open room with a man in a hospital uniform waiting at the door. He smiled, reassuring Faron with his genial expression.
‘Your timing is perfect,’ the nurse said in a hushed tone, gesturing into the room.
Faron stepped inside and saw Bara sat up in bed. She smiled as he approached, taking his hand in hers, but she seemed pensive and distracted.
‘Is he with you?’ she asked, looking past Faron.
Halstead, Faron realized, trying to mask his disappointment.
Bara’s eyes glistened. ‘He promised he’d come.’
‘He’s not here.’
‘Does he know?’
Faron held up his wrist com and contacted the flight deck. Captain Beric responded. ‘Yes, sir?’
‘Have we notified Prince Halstead?’
‘A message was sent and received half an hour ago. The prince did not respond, and the Haukr has just entered Cube transit.’
‘He’s gone?’ Bara cried, unable to contain her emotions any longer. ‘He promised. He said he’d be here.’
Faron cut off the com. ‘I’m sure he’ll be in touch soon.’
He took hold of her as she sobbed. She seemed so small and fragile in his arms, her fear and disappointment exposed. He held her until she had composed herself once more, then they parted. He looked into her eyes and said, ‘It’s going to be all right.’
PRAYERS
The clouds around the Firmament glowed with the heat of battle, vibrant hues of gold and red that unsettled the dust, pushing tiny particles at the shuttle’s windows. Scribe Mori listened to the disturbing noise of debris and rubble as it rained down on them, praying that he would escape.
The relative safety of the Firmament was behind them now. Ahead, lay the arkship Spero, waiting for them to dock. But for now, Mori’s shuttle was exposed, while all around it the anger of battle grew stronger.
‘How much longer?’ he asked.
‘Just a few minutes.’
Mori didn’t look away from the windows to check who had spoken, his attention was occupied by the battle. This was supposed to be his day. This was his greatest moment, and now it was in ruins. As he stared at the explosions, he began to cry. They were tears of anger and regret. He deserved better than this.
‘It is a sad day,’ a Reader said.
Mori looked up, feeling vulnerable, exposing his self-pity. ‘Yes,’ he replied, wiping his face. ‘Those poor souls. I will pray for them.’
The Reader nodded, obviously impressed. Mori turned back to the view, muttering a prayer under his breath. It was a prayer for himself.
REWARD
Bara looked down at the new life she held in her arms. She was exhausted, but she couldn’t bring herself to stop looking at him. Galen was perfect, making her face ache from the permanent smile she’d worn since he was born. Already, the trauma of birth was fading away, overwritten by the joy of this moment.
Faron was asleep in the chair by her bed, slouched with his legs stretched out in front of him. He’d been here all the time, never leaving her side, holding her hand while he encouraged her through the pain. He had been here when she needed him, unlike Halstead. She should have known better than to take him at his word. He’d let her down so many times before, why should today be any different? It had been so important before, but now, as she looked at her son’s tiny fingernails, it didn’t matter. She had desperately wanted Halstead to be here, but in the end, she hadn’t needed him. He would have been in the way. Bara saw now that she had everything she needed right in this little room.
Faron bolted upright, his eyes wide, suddenly awake.
‘You okay there?’ Bara asked, smiling.
‘Tripped over something,’ he replied, rubbing his face. ‘How is he?’
‘Sleeping better than you.’
Faron smiled, walking over to kiss her on the forehead. He looked down on the child, his face glowing with pride.
‘Why do you care?’ she asked.
The question took him by surprise. He frowned, pouting at her. ‘Care?’
‘He’s not your son and–’
‘I know he’s not mine,’ Faron snapped.
‘Sorry,’ Bara replied, ‘That came out wrong. What I mean is, you seem so happy.’
‘Of course I’m happy!’
‘Like he’s your son.’
Faron took her hand and cupped it between his own. ‘Bara, I know I’m not his father, and I’d never try to replace Halstead, but I love you, and this baby is part of you. I look at him and I know I’ll love and care for him as if he was my own flesh and blood. That’s all that matters, isn’t it?’
Bara began to cry, her reaction taking her by surprise. She pulled Faron closer, kissing him. ‘Yes, that’s all that matters.’
UNION
Prince Halstead looked out on the Kenric arkships drifting alongside the Draig fleet, still unable to take in the magnitude of it all. The two houses were finally at peace, with Halstead ruling over both. Already, he had met with the commodores from each of the Draig arkships, reassuring them, listening to their concerns, acting upon his promises to them. For now, they seemed content under his command. Only time would tell if things would remain that way. For now, he would enjoy the view, and hope the truce lasted.
His eyes drifted past the line of arkships, to the vast emptiness beyond, and he thought of Bara and their newborn son. Halstead would call her soon, explain why he hadn’t been able to be there, and in a few weeks, when he was certain his position here was secure, he would travel to see them. She would understand, he hoped.
The com buzzed, shattering the silence. Halstead turned from the view and walked to the long table at the center of the hall. He touched the com panel, waiting as it identified his biometrics and linked him to the flight deck.
‘Can’t it wait?’ he asked, feeling tired.
Valine replied, her voice sounding amused. ‘It’s the Harvest Union. They want to speak to you, not me.’
‘Faron?’
‘Chief Sinclair.’
‘Put him through,’ Halstead replied, feeling a sense of anticipation.
‘Prince Halstead.’ The voice was deep, resonant, and instantly recognizable.
‘Chief,’ Halstead replied. ‘How are you?’
‘I am well.’ Sinclair was formal, his typical jovial tone absent today. ‘Congratulations on your victory over the Draig fleet. Is your position stable there?’
‘As stable as I can hope for, yes.’
‘Good . . . good. Still, it’s regrettable that things unfolded in the way they did.’
‘I tried to avoid bloodshed.’
‘I’m sure you did.’ The connection distorted, then became clear again. ‘. . . but many perceive you as an enemy of the Church, and it puts us in a difficult position.’
‘I will make amends with the Scribe.’
Sinclair sighed. ‘No, I don’t think you will. Halstead, you don’t seem to understand the severity of the situation. There are many who believe you openly attacked the Church, that you–’
‘They must have seen the feed from the flight deck. They must know what really happened.’
‘Propaganda, that’s what they say. A lie to cover up your true intentions. Sometimes, the lies shout louder that the truth.’
Halstead sat at the table, feeling like it was all slipping out of control again. ‘What are you saying, Kin?’
‘The House of Kenric is tainted, and by association, so is the Harvest Union. We are already under pressure from those we trade with to throw you out.’
‘That’s ridiculous!’ Halstead scoffed.
‘And the House of Addington still holds the House of Draig responsible for the graviton mine deaths. Orcades may be gone, but they still need someone to blame. I’m sorry,’ Sinclair said heavily. ‘It would be b
etter if you withdrew rather than us voting you out.’
‘Withdraw? But that will only fuel the presumption of guilt.’
Sinclair didn’t reply.
‘I’ll come to meet with you, I’ll talk to the other members and–’
‘We have already voted. I am calling you as a courtesy, Halstead. You are still my friend, and if it wasn’t for your efforts there wouldn’t be a Harvest Union, so I’m sorry it has come to this. In time, when the anger fades, we can talk about your return . . .’
‘But I’m out, is that what you’re saying?’ Halstead asked, his raised voice filling the empty hall.
‘Yes, I’m afraid so. The Union have prepared a broadcast statement that will go out in six hours’ time. I think it’d be better all round if you withdrew, but that is your choice.’
‘Damn it, Kin, it doesn’t have to be this way,’ Halstead pleaded.
‘You have six hours. I hope you’ll contact me before the deadline.’
Halstead stared at the com unit, feeling the isolation smothering him. He straightened, thinking of the choices he’d made. ‘I don’t need six hours. We will withdraw.’
‘Thank you, Halstead, I appreciate your–’
Halstead killed the line and picked up the com unit, throwing it at the windows. It bounded to the ground, broken into pieces.
‘I’m where I need to be,’ Halstead muttered. ‘I’m who I need to be. We are Kenric, and we endure.’
He walked back to the windows and stared into the faint glow of the Infinite, it’s majesty obscured by the dirt and dust.
DEVIATION
There was darkness, nothing else, just the calm embrace of nothing. A point of light appeared, stark and dazzling. The dot grew and formed an elongated circle. The circle flashed, bright then dark, and he realized it was a number. The number zero. Another number joined it, the number one, blazing bright against the hollow night. Then the two numbers became three, then five, then a hundred, all ones and zeros. The numbers formed a block, a beautiful, elegant chain of information that he could read and understand.
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