Diamond Cut: Book Three in The Glass Complex Trilogy

by John Hindmarsh

  “House de Coeur? Are you sure?”

  “Indeed. See, the owner is shown here. Based on Homeworld. Where have I seen that? Oh, of course, that’s your destination. You must be famous.”

  Dr. Yi chuckled. “No, not at all.” Her only claim to fame, she thought, was looking after Steg de Coeur while he had been on board her hospital ship. Afterwards, when he was on the way to recovery, at least physically, ImpSec had sentenced him to death as a spy. Except somehow he had disappeared from prison before their sentence was carried out.

  She asked, “When will—what was its name?—Dreamer arrive?”

  “It’s already here.” The agent counted on her fingers. “And it’s scheduled to depart tomorrow afternoon. Well, that won’t be so bad. Another day in our care followed by a trip in one of the nicest luxury yachts I’ve ever seen—I’m envious.”

  Later, bored with her hotel room, Dr. Yi checked the balance of her travel funds and decided to explore some of the shopping precinct’s attractions. The retailers, according to her in-room advertising, had exotic wares and fashionable items that might be in her price range. Well, even window shopping would get her out of the hotel. She exited through the heavy glass doors onto the street where small driverless electrocars were available to rent. She had ridden in one the day before—its top speed was twelve klicks an hour, and it was completely automatic. Provide a destination, and it trundled off along the streets, successfully avoiding obstructions such as careless pedestrians and badly parked vehicles. It was controlled by a central computer and had easily found the restaurant she had requested. The small vehicle would wait if so instructed; otherwise, it returned to the hotel for its next tourist.

  Today, her first stop was a small restaurant that had delicious pastries, chocolates, and coffees, all designed to entice tourists. It was recommended by the hotel staff, and she suspected they received a commission on business resulting from referrals. She sat at a small table with two chairs and a view of the long shopping street, busy with tourists. After examining the menu, she made her choice and relaxed, waiting for the server to bring her order. She planned to take a selection of the chocolates with her, for when she joined the space yacht.

  “Excuse me.” A man’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “May I sit here?”

  She looked up. He was tall, well dressed, and did not appear out of place in the restaurant. She indicated the chair. “Be my guest.”

  The stranger sat and read through the menu. After a couple of minutes he said, his voice low, “Dr. Yi. I’m Captain Drummond, ImpSec.” He displayed a badge with a coiled striking snake symbol. “I’d like you to accompany me—I need to ask you some questions.” He returned the badge to his pocket.

  At first, totally shocked, she could scarcely speak. “What did you say?” Her voice rose as apprehension caught at her thoughts.

  “Dr. Yi, please restrain yourself. There’s no need to make a lot of noise. Listen to me.” The man leaned forward. “I’m armed. If you protest too much, people are likely to get hurt. That young server, for example—she has a small child at home.” He indicated the server across the room, settling other customers at their table. “You wouldn’t want to be responsible for this young mother’s death, would you?”

  She hissed her reply. “You have no jurisdiction here. I’m going to enjoy my pastry and hot chocolate. You, sir, can go find another table.”

  The man claiming to be an Imperial officer moved his arm to reveal that his other hand held a small weapon. “It will be messy,” he promised.

  “I’m still going to enjoy my pastries.” She smiled up at the server who was carefully placing a pastry-laden plate and a chocolate-filled cup in front of her.

  The young woman asked the stranger, “Sir, what can I get for you?”

  “Nothing. I won’t be here for long.”

  Dr. Yi ignored the man. She was determined to enjoy her treat, and not even an ImpSec captain was going to prevent her, gun or no gun.

  She settled the bill with credit notes and stood. She said to the officer, “You sir, can get lost. I’ll complain to the nearest station provost that you’re molesting me if you try anything.”

  The man shrugged. “Their deaths will be your responsibility.”

  Dr. Yi did not respond to his implied threat, but headed out of the small restaurant and towards her waiting vehicle. At first, the captain kept pace; as she neared her electrocar, he grabbed and held her arm with a tight grip.

  “You will come—”

  His instruction was interrupted by two men, both young and with military bearing, who stepped up on either side of the captain. One efficiently dislodged the man’s hold. The other caught the captain as he stumbled. A young woman approached from the other direction and steadied the doctor. “Come with me, Doctor. My associates will take care of ImpSec.”

  Dr. Yi wondered whether to scream, punch, or simply do as she was told. She noted that the captain was unconscious; the two men were holding him upright so as to not attract attention. One of them smiled at her.

  He said, “It must have been something he ate. We’ll look after him. We’ve neutralized his escort. Please go with my sergeant. She’ll take you back to the Wellington. You’ll need to pack, quickly. Dreamer is ready to depart.”

  Bemused, Dr. Yi allowed herself to be led away by the young woman; presumably, she was the sergeant.

  “Our electro is waiting around the corner. We’ll be safe. There’s another team following us, to make sure.”

  Dr. Yi, aided by her companion, quickly repacked her belongings, not that she had unpacked much since her arrival. Two men, different from the two who had removed the captain, assisted in loading a larger vehicle for the transfer of her cases to the starship. All her helpers had a similar military bearing, which intrigued Dr. Yi enough that she questioned her companion as they headed to Dreamer, on the way station’s short-term docking arm.

  “Are you military of some kind?”

  “On Homeworld, we all serve in our military in one form or another. Our planet was attacked once, and members of our ruling family were assassinated. Now we’re far more prepared. I’m Helen Nelson—my friends call me Nellie.”

  “Call me Lin. I thought this was a Djiis starship? That’s what the hotel’s travel person told me.”

  “Owned by a high-ranking Homeworlder. Managed by Djiis. Crewed by volunteers from North Guard. This is a special posting, for us.” The young woman did not expand on the ownership details, explain North Guard, or clarify why the posting was special.

  The small convoy—Dr. Yi was now accompanied by eight young Homeworlders, all military and some, if not all, she suspected, were armed—stopped at a lock, and men rushed to transfer her belongings to the starship.

  “Dr. Yi,” said one of the young men. She surmised he was an officer. “Please come with me. Dreamer is ready to depart. I apologize for the rush. ImpSec are being difficult. Once we’re on board, I’ll escort you to your suite. It won’t take long. We’ll be leaving as soon as the departure formalities are complete.”

  “I’m pleased to be out of their hands,” Dr. Yi said.

  “We’ll do our best to make sure you continue to be free of them.” Her escort stopped at the boarding lock into the starship and saluted the senior officer on duty. “Lieutenant Lopez reporting, sir, with Dr. Yi. Loading should be completed in five minutes.”

  The ship’s officer stepped forward. “Dr. Yi. Welcome to Dreamer. I’m Commander Hill. Lopez will take you to your cabin. Please make yourself at home, so to speak.” He smiled at her. “Sorry about the rush. Lopez, quickly now. We need every minute.”

  The lieutenant saluted. “Yes, sir. Doctor, please come this way.”

  Dr. Li followed the young officer into the starship.

  A young woman was waiting at the door of her suite. “Thank you, Lieutenant. I’ll take over now. Dr. Yi—may I call you Lin? Welcome aboard Dreamer. I’m your steward—well, there’s two of us. My friend Jennie is off-duty. My nam
e’s Carter, Louise Carter. Please call me Louise. Come, I’ll show you around your suite.”

  She was part way through her presentation of the suite’s facilities when Dr. Yi felt a subtle vibration of the floor. She looked at the young woman.

  Louise explained, “It’s our early warning signal. We’re detaching from the way station. A tug might pull us away, or we’ll move out under our own control. You can sit here and watch on the viewscreen if you like.” She indicated an area she had previously described as an entertainment facility. “You’ll be able to see the bridge or select external views, whatever you like.”

  “I think I’ll watch our departure. It’ll give me a chance to relax. It’s been a hectic morning.”

  “I’ll set up the screen for you. There’ll be another warning shortly; it means you’ll need to strap in. Once we’ve made our first jump, there’ll be an all clear, and you can move about. I’ll come back to see if there’s anything you need. Here, let me adjust your straps, so you won’t have to fuss when the alarm sounds.”

  “Thank you. I’ll watch for a while. I’m sure you need to prepare?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Jennie and I share a cabin across from your suite. Enter the comunit code I gave you if you need anything.”

  oOo

  CHAPTER 3

  CAPTAIN THOMAS SULLIVAN stood beside his control station and monitored the displays on his screens. A small tug backed Dreamer out of its mooring at a modest pace. The process seemed far too slow, and Thomas wondered whether the way station was purposefully stalling their departure. He checked the speed metrics on his station display. No, the tug was traveling at regulation speed for such a crowded way station as Pictor Deeps. He’d never visited here before and was anxious to return to his home region.

  Dreamer was suitably named; it was a dream to handle and was fitted out as a luxurious private yacht, ideal for wealthy families, rulers, or corporates to use for their guests. The extravagant appearance, however, hid a well-equipped fighting machine. The yacht, similar to a small frigate, had been claimed as abandoned a year prior. It was capable, Sullivan thought, of holding off even a destroyer. He hoped he’d never need to try doing so; he suspected neither starship would survive. Its owner would be more than annoyed if he wrecked his ship.

  The tug unlinked, and Dreamer’s Helm, Lieutenant Mac Jenkins, spun the starship one hundred and eighty degrees to head away from the way station. Sullivan could hear the soft exchanges between way station traffic control and his Helm. Their status was normal. There was slower inbound traffic to avoid, which was no issue as long as the inbound and outbound streams of starships maintained the separations and directions requested by traffic control. He felt the acceleration as the starship began to move clear of the busier sections of its exit path.

  “Weapons, check for inbound starships,” the captain instructed.

  “Yes, sir,” acknowledged the lieutenant in charge of the weapons station. “Sweep under way, checking all vessels within the red zone.” The red zone was their hypothetical boundary that would include starships close enough to reach Dreamer before the Homeworld starship made its first s-t jump on this return journey.

  Sullivan did not wish to be stopped by an Imperial warship. Dreamer had their passenger on board, so it was time to depart Pictor Deeps. Imperial starships patrolled the region, and ImpSec had already shown interest in Dr. Yi while she was on the way station. He didn’t know why she was so important. Indeed, there was no reason for him to know; the Glass Complex’s command was all he and his crew required.

  “Astro, how much further to the way station’s traffic control boundary?”

  “Sir, it will take nearly ten minutes at current speed.”

  “Helm, increase speed to 70%.” He didn’t think there was a need to redline the Dreamer, not yet.

  ‘Sir, we have an anomaly. There’s a starship in the red zone. Her transponder indicates she is a freighter; however, she accelerated towards us, and her performance is warship standard, not freighter.”

  “Let’s push them a little. Helm, prepare for maneuver Alpha. Increase speed to 80%.”

  “Yes, sir.” The lieutenant’s reply was full of enthusiasm. The luxury yacht had legs, and the bridge team enjoyed letting her run.

  “Sir, the transponder has changed. She’s a frigate. They’re trying to hail us. Do you want to talk to them?”

  “Why not. Put them on screen.”

  The comunit screen flickered and displayed the ImpSec insignia of a coiled striking snake. A voice, full of authority, said, “This is Imperial frigate Audacity to private yacht Dreamer. Cut your engines and heave to. My boarding party will search your ship. Out.”

  “Dreamer to Audacity. You lack authority for such an action. Dreamer out.”

  The starship captain dispensed with communication niceties. “You have a person of interest on board. We suspect the doctor attacked four of our people while on Pictor Deeps Way Station.”

  Sullivan could not restrain his burst of laughter. “Dreamer to Audacity. All personnel on board Dreamer are Homeworld citizens. You have no jurisdiction.” In an aside, he asked his Astro operator, “How much longer to the boundary?”

  “Less than four minutes, sir.”

  “We’ll soon be close enough. I doubt we’ll be back this way, so it won’t matter if we jump while we’re still within Pictor Deeps’ boundaries. Helm, prepare to accelerate to s-t in four minutes. Sound the alarm.”

  Weapons spoke up, his voice bordering on alarmed. “Sir, two other ships have dropped their screens. They’re both Imperial military. I’m waiting on the recognition results—aah, one is a destroyer, and we have a second frigate.”

  “Damn. Show them on the plot.” Sullivan studied the multidimensional display. The Imperial starships were positioned to head him off; they could make life difficult, indeed.

  “I’m sure you’ve identified my companions,” the first speaker said. “Either carry out my instructions, or we’ll destroy your pretty little ship. Your choice.”

  Sullivan instructed his Weapons lieutenant, “Cancel Alpha. Prepare to release three passive missile bundles. Plot the likely positions of our friends for the next five minutes based on their current courses. Target estimated locations of each starship. When you release the passives, apply all defensive screens. Implement in sixty seconds. Mark.”

  He was confident the warships would not be able to locate Dreamer when she was fully screened; the Acolytes had provided their latest equipment for the yacht’s defense.

  He continued his instructions, “Helm, when Weapons drops the bundles, I want full reverse for sixty seconds. Astro, prepare a modified s-t course. We’ll head off at one-eighty and jump as soon as we have sufficient speed, whether we’re inside the way station boundaries or not.”

  The passive missile bundles each contained fifty plasteel rails, ten meters long and fifteen centimeters in diameter—they would be traveling at Dreamer’s speed, which now exceeded 0.25c. The contents of each bundle would spread randomly across the projected course of their designated target. The rails could be detected and destroyed; however, if the Weapons teams on the warships were careless, undetected rails could cause damage and confusion. Destroying and avoiding the missiles would require effort and use resources, and perhaps would give Dreamer another minute or two for their escape. Sullivan had another twenty-one bundles he could release. He also had far more powerful missiles available, although he was holding the latter in reserve. With two frigates and one destroyer lined up against him, he needed all the advantages he could get. He always took attacks personally; their potential foes were attacking him, not merely the Dreamer and its passenger and crew.

  “Weapons, tune into their communications. Put them on speaker, if you can.”

  He listened to the exchange of messages between the Imperial warships. Their communications were coded, and he had no idea of the contents. One of the voices suddenly seemed to be alarmed and within seconds each warship altered course. They h
ad detected the passives. Dreamer was now on a totally different course and as the starship’s speed increased, the sooner they could depart.

  “Sir,” Weapons voice was strained. “There are small ships—drone fighters, as far as I can determine—across our path. We’ve detected ten so far, and I suspect there’s more. They were probably deployed earlier.”

  Sullivan cursed. There were too many forces aligned against him. “We can’t get to s-t with them in the way. Helm, drop speed to 70%. We might be able to avoid their fighters. They’ll all be guessing our location. I doubt they have enough missiles to saturate space around us.”

  “Audacity to Dreamer.” Coms protocol had returned. “Undoubtedly you’ve detected our fighters. We decided to give them some action—we managed to launch forty before you left the way station. I don’t think you can defeat us. So drop your screens, and as I instructed, prepare to be boarded. By the way, releasing your missiles at us gives me every cause to blow your ship into tiny pieces. I suggest you obey my commands.”

  Sullivan looked around his bridge. His team members were young, capable, and experienced in actions against pirates and raiders but they did not have the depth of experience to take on and defeat the forces currently arrayed against them. He was about to reach for his microphone button when Weapons shouted.

  “Sir, sir. There’s something happening—my computer’s struggling to report details.”

  “Show me.”

  Before Weapons could act on his skipper’s instruction, a voice intruded. An external transmission had somehow connected to the bridge speaker system. “Captain Sullivan—Thomas Sullivan?”

  “Yes, that’s me.”