"I would assume you were suspicious of someone offering help after they'd threatened to kill your entire family," Jason said.
"Of course!" Kalette said, looking at Doc fearfully before continuing. "But he insisted that no harm would come to her and that I would be able to go with her. When I tried to refuse again he took me to see my family, where they were being held in cages, and told me time was running short and that I had a choice to make."
"This confirms much of what we knew," Jason said, nodding. "You were instructed to get her out of the city, preferably off Avaris ... but something went wrong. There was a flurry of messages that seem to coincide to when you were grabbed, but they don't make a lot of sense. We're missing the context that we'd like you to fill in."
"I don't think the people that took us were working with Velum," Kalette said, her face flushed and hands shaking. "Two members of the security team that were placed by the Chancellor looked surprised by the attempt and were killed by the abductors when they tried to ward them off. I also overheard members of the crew talking about the need to keep us hidden until the word was given and then they could dispose of us."
"Someone else grabbed them?" Doc asked, looking at Jason.
"How would they have known unless someone had been working another angle the entire time," Jason said. "We'll have to get Kage to cross reference—"
"Can this be discussed after she gets the antidote?" Annada said as she looked at Kalette with concern.
"Oh, that," Doc said. "There is no antidote."
"What?! She will die then?"
"Not likely," Jason said. "Sorry, Kalette, but we've injected you with sterile saline. The side effects will include being a little more hydrated, but that's about it."
"But I feel ill," Kalette insisted.
"Psychosomatic," Doc said. "The body will respond to what the mind believes. You were never in any danger."
"We assumed you were an unwilling participant since you did risk your life escaping and finding us," Jason said. "You also could have given us away multiple times now and haven't, but we needed to scare you a bit to get you to give up what you knew. Sorry."
"It is I who am sorry," Kalette said, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I have betrayed you, netjere—"
"You were put into an impossible situation," Annada said with a dismissive wave. "We will discuss it later when we are both calm. Now come, let us get you lying down so you can rest. Is that acceptable, Captain?"
"Yes," Jason said. "If she's willing to work with us later?" Kalette nodded at this as Annada moved to help her out of the seat once Doc reached around and deactivated the magnetically locked restraints.
"We're still about a week from Avarian space," Jason said gently. "Go get some rest and collect yourself. Tomorrow we'll begin planning around whatever information you can provide us." They watched as Annada took her into the starboard berthing bay and closed the door behind them.
"I may have underestimated the netjere," Doc said. "She seemed like your prototypical wealthy, spoiled young female, but she showed a lot of character looking past Kalette leading her into a violent abduction."
"She has all the marks of being a good leader," Jason nodded. "Let's hope we can keep her alive long enough to realize her potential."
****
"The Defiant is still heading straight towards us," Kage reported. "But she's decreased her velocity some."
"Look at these reactor readings," Jason said. "They didn't have much of a choice. Engines aren't looking so great either. I bet Kellea is losing her mind at having to abuse her ship like that."
"It almost makes me want to try and hack into the internal security feed," Kage laughed. "How were the conversations with the girls?"
"Kalette didn't know a whole lot," Jason said. "Once she had a full night of sleep and something to eat she provided us with all the names that she knew were associated with the abduction, and Annada provided the context as to who they were. Now you and I will need to see where these fit into the messages we stole off Crisstof's com node and hopefully find out how the ConFed fits into all this."
"Easy," Kage said, yawning.
"Oh yeah," Jason said, rolling his eyes.
"Why don't we just drop all this in the lap of Avarian Imperial Intelligence?" Kage asked. "Besides your vested interest in sticking around as long as possible, of course."
"One of the names Kalette heard was the director of the intelligence service," Jason said. "Go figure."
Over the next four hours Jason and Kage worked in the cramped com room, trying to put names to messages and slowly building a picture about what was going on in the Avarian Capital. The part that didn't make sense was that Crisstof seemed to be genuinely surprised when Annada was taken to ConFed space. Some of the messages from the Avarians indicated they clearly suspected Dalton of going rogue for reasons of his own. Kage was also able to dig up a few messages from the Defiant to someone in the ConFed's defense subcommittee raising concerns about the Avarians kidnapping their own netjere as an excuse to strike.
"This is only reinforcing my intense dislike of governments in general," Jason said, taking a sip of room temperature chroot and almost involuntarily spitting it back out.
"Not me," Kage said absently as his fingers flew over the controls. "I love governments."
"That's an odd sentiment from you, all things considered," Jason said.
"Most of my activities are on the wrong side of the law, this is true," Kage said. "But they also usually involve separating something I want from the person who happens to own it at the time. Strong, stable governments make people comfortable and complacent. Instability makes people hold onto their valuables more tightly."
"That makes sense in a horrible sort of way," Jason nodded. "So what do we think about all of this? I can't tell if Crisstof was trying to kick off a galaxy-wide war or if he's so stupid he was simply playing an opportunity that presented itself. I don't know the Avarians well enough to figure out who is screwing who in this deal and the ConFed is far too good at compartmentalizing to know if we have an agency, a councilmember, or an insane agent causing all the problems on that side. Rarely do they act with any sort of unified authority and we're not seeing the fleet movements to indicate they either plan to invade or even take the Avarian threat seriously."
"It is a bit of a mess," Kage agreed. "But I'm starting to see a pattern in all of it. Let me work at it for a few more hours and I'll get back to you."
"I can stay," Jason said, rubbing his hands together.
"I appreciate the solidarity, Captain," Kage said, "but you're distracting me with your constant outbursts and inexplicable organization methodology."
"Blunt, but honest," Jason said, rising stiffly to his feet and grabbing his mug. "If you need help, call Lucky."
"Thanks," Kage said, waving him away with his two left hands.
"Have you made any progress?" Annada asked as he walked back into the galley. He couldn't tell if she was still angry with him over how he’d treated Kalette during the interrogation. He could try to explain that he had done it to protect her, but he happened to agree with her that the entire incident was terrible. It was also necessary given their time constraints, but that didn't make him feel much better about it.
"We're getting there," he said. "How is Kalette?"
"She is calming down, though I do not believe she will ever forgive herself."
"It's a tough thing," Jason said, sitting at the table across from her. "Being forced to make a choice like that."
"You think she chose incorrectly?" Annada said. Jason didn't hear any rancor behind the question, so he considered it honestly.
"I don't think there was a correct choice for her," Jason said. "She obviously loves you very much and is extremely dedicated to do what she did in order to save you ... but she also loves her family."
"You said for her," Annada said. "Don't you mean for everyone?"
"There's a reason people like me don't have families," Jason said. "
Kalette is a gentle soul, picked to be an attendant to an imperial heir ... she'll always look for a way to save everyone. Vulem would have known this and that's why he threatened her family and not her. I have no doubt that she would have given her life for you; that would have been an easy choice for her to make."
"Thank you, Jason," she said. "You have given me clarity in this issue."
"First time for everything," Jason shrugged, standing to leave. She reached across the table and grabbed both his hands.
"Stay for a while longer, please," she said. Jason wordlessly slid back down into the seat.
"Remember when this used to be a combat vessel?" Crusher remarked as he and Lucky walked by.
Chapter 19
"This plan sounds like it carries great risk, Captain," Annada said. Jason had begun to notice she used his first name and rank interchangeably depending on how irritated she was with him at that particular moment.
"Minimal risk," he corrected. "She'll simply be sending a message, but it has to be her, and it has to be believable."
"I am willing to do this," Kalette said quietly. "Please, netjere ... this is something I have to do." Annada remained quiet, but still didn't look happy about the idea.
"Essentially, we need to find out how connected all the players are," Kage continued the briefing. "If you contact Vulem, our hope is that he will reach out to Crisstof Dalton. His actions will help us determine where the ConFed stands in all of this. Dalton will either react directly, reach out to his ConFed contacts, or both."
"Only once we have more of a firm grasp on the situation on Avaris will I be comfortable taking the netjere back home," Jason said. "Otherwise we may well be delivering her to her executioners."
"And what of her family?" Annada asked.
"We take out Vulem, we save her family," Crusher said, looking at Jason meaningfully. They both knew that Vulem was smart enough to have a failsafe that they were likely going to be unable to stop. The odds were great that Kalette's family was going to be killed no matter what they did, or didn't do. It was tragic and a decision that Jason wasn't happy about making, but it made no sense to put three people above the safety and stability of an entire empire or the millions that would die if the Empire and ConFed went to war.
"When do we start?" Kalette asked.
"Kage and Doc are going to work with you to craft the message, and then we'll figure out the best way to contact Vulem," Jason said. "The sooner we get started the better. If we can push Vulem into making a move we should see it quickly through our downlink from the Defiant."
"Would Crisstof Dalton actually bring an unaffiliated, privately owned warship into Avarian space?" Annada asked after the three had left for the bridge to work on the message.
"The Defiant was built from the ground up for his purposes," Jason said. "As such, she can look as innocent as a well-equipped trade ship when he wants it to even though she's a full-fledged battlecruiser."
"Did it ever occur to you to question the motives of a man who owns ships like that?" she asked. "Especially when you work for him?" He didn't answer as she climbed out of her seat and went to the bridge herself, likely to make sure Kalette wasn't being talked into something that would put her or her family in even more danger.
Had he been completely blind to Crisstof's obvious ambition all these years? Looking back all the way to when the older man had first hired him Jason had to admit that he’d still been a fresh, naive Earthling that had been impressed with his clout and sense of purpose. The fact that Crisstof had generously paid (and overpaid) for their services and covered their operating expenses hadn't hurt either. The uncomfortable truth was that Omega Force may have been acting as Crisstof Dalton's attack dog for all this time, giving him plausible deniability while still accomplishing his goals.
Jason wanted to believe this wasn't the case, and he knew that they'd helped countless people on their own when they weren't working directly for Crisstof, but the evidence was mounting that there was much more to the old man's actions than simple altruism and charity. The sad thing was the evidence has been in front of his face the entire time. How does a man amass and maintain such a vast fortune if the only thing he's doing is flying from system to system righting wrongs? Omega Force had tried that on a nano-scale by themselves when they'd first acquired the gunship and they'd gone broke within the space of two months. He also began looking back at the fact Crisstof seemed to have very well-placed connections within a lot of governments, enough so that he was able to put considerable pressure on them, and all the while Jason had never really gotten a peek behind the curtain at the man's shadowy organization.
****
"I don't have much time," Kalette said. "It is night hours on their ship, but they have someone on the bridge at all times."
"And where are you now?" Chancellor Vulem asked.
"I snuck into what looks like a dedicated com room," she whispered. "They've been giving us more free access to the ship over the last few days."
"What is it they want?"
"I do not know," Kalette said, her voice taking on a convincing desperate edge. "I don't even know who they are."
"Why would you risk contacting me?" Vulem hissed.
"You're the only person I know to contact," she cried. "Please ... my family—”
"Is alive for the moment," Vulem said. "Now where are they going? Do you at least know that much?"
"They said something about knowing who to sell us back to," Kalette said. "I couldn't make it all out, but it sounds like they intend to hold the netjere for ransom and try to make contact with the Sovereign."
"That is not what I asked," Vulem said. "Answer quickly or I will terminate this channel and then do the same to your younger sibling."
"No!" she whispered sharply. "All I know is that one of them mentioned having an associate on a planet that was almost completely covered in rainforest that could hide them."
"They said that specifically?" Vulem pressed, leaning forward. "Mostly rainforest?"
"Yes," Kalette said. "I heard that for certain." For effect she leaned back in her seat and looked around frantically.
"Keep the netjere alive," Vulem said, making it sound like a threat. He killed the channel on his end and the display went blank.
"Not bad!" Jason said enthusiastically. "I bought it." The others were all crowded around the entrance to the com room and nodding their approval as well.
"Thank you," Kalette said. "Let us hope that he did as well."
"Have you ever been to Kekisha?" Twingo asked.
"No," she admitted. "But it is quite famous for its rainforest and it is the only planet like it within a few hundred lightyears."
"I think he'll figure it out," Jason said. "Now we sit back while and wait for him to reach out to Crisstof ... if he does."
"And if he doesn't?" Doc asked.
"We've got bigger problems," Jason said. "We'll burn that bridge down when we get to it. Set a new course for Kekisha. We wouldn't want to be late for the party." The Phoenix came onto a new course, still in slip-space, and began the short flight to the Kekisha System and hopefully some answers.
They didn't have to wait long. Crisstof's personal com node was getting an incoming channel request within the hour from an address that seemed to be coming from within Imperial space, though the method for determining that was a bit imprecise.
"Here it goes," Kage said. "We'll see how well my tap on his system works. The video won't be the greatest since I'm trying to keep the bandwidth to a minimum."
"Shh," Jason hissed as the monitor resolved to show the grainy images of both Crisstof and Vulem in split screen.
"Chancellor Vulem," Crisstof said with a nod. "Am I to understand you've found your wayward princess?"
"Not quite, Mr. Dalton," Velum said. "Your former employees have led us on quite the chase since pulling her away from that group of mercenaries. They have still made no contact with you?"
"They do not work for me anymore," Crisstof s
aid. "I was unable to convince them to help me with this, so for right now they're an unpredictable element."
"I have received information that they intend to hide on a planet called Kekisha, a planet well within our borders," Vulem said. "It appears they are trying to ransom the netjere back to the Sovereign, but it will be difficult for them to make contact with anyone in the Capital without help. We still have time."
"Your source of information is reliable?" Crisstof said. "Please be aware that this team has a talent for not only escaping trouble but turning up when they are least expected or wanted."
"My source is reliable," Vulem said. "She was compromised long before the netjere was abducted. But I cannot divert any significant forces to the area without alerting someone in the Defense Ministry. Everyone is at a heightened state of alert since the incident."
"I understand," Crisstof said. "I'll order the Defiant to alter course once you send me the planetary coordinates."
"What about this group that has the netjere currently?" Vulem said. "They know far too much to be allowed to escape even if we recover her."
"Agreed," Crisstof sighed, seeming to be in physical discomfort. "I will admit that it pains me greatly, but they may have finally got themselves involved in something they can't be allowed to walk away from."
"Thanks, dick," Jason said.
"Shhh!" Twingo said from behind him.
"Do not waver in this, Mr. Dalton," Vulem warned. "We are both inextricably tied to this thing. It will either succeed or it will sink us both."
"I will take care of my end," Crisstof said. "You make sure all lines of communication to the Sovereign are controlled."
"I am sending you the coordinates now," Vulem said. "I am including a route around the frontier listening post. Your ConFed ships should have no problems getting into Avarian space."
Omega Force 7: Redemption Page 22