"I understand sir, it's just something we have to mention," she said.
"Don't worry about it," he said in passing. He wasn't expected back in the city til the following day, and Admiral Calthran had told Tam that regardless of the outcome of his meeting with the Tarith he was to spend the night unless he felt his life was in danger. So Tam ordered a meal and threw himself into his work.
With the information on the disk, he had a new perspective. Things would not be easy, but so long as the Guard's maulers could make it to Belkrath in time they had a fighting chance. It all came down to the planets. The Enemy's conventional warships were powerful, but no more so than any others. The problem was the huge fixed-mount weapons on their mobile planets.
It was late by the time he made it to bed, but the comfort of a civilian bed more than made up for it and he was asleep in moments. Tam had spent far too many nights on what the Fleet called a "Bunk, destroyer, commanding officer's" to find any fault with what the lodge provided. It was an appreciation he showed with an immediate, deep, and dreamless sleep.
The next morning, he was up early and packed quickly, stowing the disk inside his uniform tunic. It felt reassuringly solid against his blouse, and he spent an extra moment making sure the button would not be pushed by accident. He checked the room quickly to make sure he hadn't left anything he shouldn't, before letting himself out. The view from the elevator was as spectacular as the previous day, with rainbows coming off the waterfall in the light of the sunrise. Tam took a moment to admire it, promising himself another stay once things were dealt with.
Tam walked over to check out and was surprised to see the same woman at the desk as the previous night. "You seem to work long hours, are you sure you're not in the Fleet?"
"Oh no, Commander," she grinned. "I just had to work a double shift yesterday to cover for one of the others. I'll be off tomorrow so don't worry about me being overworked."
"That's good," he said passing over the key. "I'd hate to think of you dying of overwork while people like me enjoyed a restful night away from everything."
"It's good to know that you care," she replied. "I hope you enjoyed your stay and come back soon." She glanced at her 'pad for a moment. "I see you didn't bring a vehicle, would you like me to order you a 'cab?"
"Sure, that would be fine," Tam nodded. The Guard had provided the 'cab for his trip outwards, and he had no idea who to call.
"All right, it will be the blue 'cab just as you come out the door, sir."
"Thanks."
Tam gathered his pack and went out to the landing stage. A blue 'cab pulled up, the door opening automatically as he approached. The 'cabs were supposed to be auto-controlled, but almost all the ones on Altiar had drivers. Their function was more one of tour guide than driver, but every time a company had tried to save by sending out ones that were fully auto-controlled, their market share dropped. People wanted cabdrivers when they came to the capital. He was surprised to see that this was one of the auto-controlled ones, but as he wasn't looking for a tour guide he didn't pay too much attention.
Moments later they were pulling away from the stage. Glancing back Tam thought he saw the same cab that had brought him coming in to land, but he couldn't be sure. The thought flitted idly through his mind before the scenery drew his attention. Once the scenery faded from view he went back to his work.
It wasn't long before the city appeared in his windows. growing quickly. The cab was moving much faster than Tam expected, and not for the Star Tower. In fact, it was heading straight for one of the dilapidated buildings he had seen on the way in. Tam threw himself forwards and hammered at the safety button yelling "Stop!" The cab kept going.
Time slowed letting him pick out the individual tubes of the scaffolding growing larger. In desperation he pulsed an emergency signal from his implant, maybe his military implant could activate the police override and stop the cab.
Something worked. Tam slammed forwards into the front window as the cab went into emergency deceleration. The nose tipped up and he fell back into the seat, the impact knocking the wind out of him just as the airbags fired. He could barely breathe as he was held in place against the rear seat of the cab, and then everything went black with a horrible rending crash.
*
John shivered, pulling his coat tighter around his chest; the wind cut right through the sodden cloth. He closed his hand on the bill in his pocket, a twenty; all he had left. Buy a warmer coat, or save it for food? His stomach rumbled its vote. He pulled the coat tighter and kept moving, it wouldn't matter tonight.
Orange light caught his attention. A lot of the homeless gathered around fires built in empty oil drums. The police usually left them alone unless it was a really quiet night or someone had drawn their attention. John trudged towards the light his toes squishing inside his wet socks; fire meant heat, and sometimes food.
When he got closer he noticed fewer people than normal. Most nights he could count on at least a dozen, mostly men, crowded around the barrels warming up and talking. Tonight there were four, all huddled around one barrel. He shook his head, maybe the others had found somewhere to sleep tonight.
They moved aside, making room around the barrel. Holding his hands over the top he pushed his feet as close to the metal as he dared. He grimaced as the heat worked its way through his shoes to his sodden socks. The trick was to stand where the water would evaporate quickly without quite boiling. It was one thing to warm his toes, another to scald them.
One grunted a greeting, and John nodded. They were dirty and unshaven, fingers poking through holes in gloves that used to be socks. The one who had grunted was younger than the others, thirty or forty, not young but not an old man either. His half-open mouth showed more teeth than gaps, unlike the others.
"Garth'll be coming," he muttered.
The others nodded knowingly, but the name didn't mean anything to John. "Garth," he said, "who's Garth?"
"Garth'll warm ya." One of the older ones said, sucking his last tooth. He blinked, showing reddened eyes. "Garth'll warm ya," he muttered again the rest of his words trailing off into unintelligibility.
"How'll he do that?" John asked, knowing that even if the fire would stay lit all night he'd need some sleep.
"He'll give you a puff an you'll feel fine," the younger one said. "Just a puff and you're fine...." He paused and looked at John. "You got a puff? I could really use a puff right now."
"No, I haven't," John said. "No puff. I don't even know what a puff is."
"Garth'll give you," one of the old ones said. "Garth gives us all puffs all we do is walk for him."
"I get first puff," the young one said. "You hear me?" He pointed at John, jabbing him with a finger. "I get first puff."
"You get the first puff," John said, his hands spread wide palms out. "I don't need a puff, you can have it."
"Alright," he replied. "Just you remember that."
John spread his fingers out over the fire. All he had to do was make it through this one night and he could look for another place tomorrow. He hunched his shoulders and opened his coat to let the heat in.
*
Jayne glared at Bill. "What do you mean you can't find him?" They were at the coffee stand outside the station, where they usually met before he went on shift.
"I mean I can't find him." He glared back at her. "I don't have time to look for one homeless guy who hasn't even committed a crime just because you feel guilty."
Jayne backed away from the stand. There were too many people lining up for coffee, half of them in uniform. "It's my fault he's out there, I forced him back onto the street." She looked down at her shoes, remembering the hundred dollar price tag she'd thought was a deal. "All he had was fifty dollars, fifty dollars he wouldn't have had if he'd listened to me."
"Listen Jayne," Bill's voice was soft. "I don't know what it is about this guy but you're not the one who put him on the street. He was there a long time before you came along."
"I know,"
she said. "I know but I can't help it. I have to go looking for him, see what I can do."
"Now that's being crazy. If you go out there looking for him you'll just get mugged. You could be raped or killed."
"And it's safe for him?"
"He's a damn sight safer out there than you are." Bill threw up his hands. "You've seen the guy fight. Do you really think a mugger would get away standing. He'd put the poor bastard in hospital." He shrugged. "He's not a target; muggers want money, not dirt."
Jayne wrapped her hand around the cardboard sleeve protecting it from her coffee cup. "I... I just need to see that he's still okay. That's all."
"What is it with him anyway?" Bill shook his head. "He's just another homeless guy. Help the ones in the shelter, don't go looking for more."
"He's not the same as the others," Jayne felt the glare return. "He's different, I can tell."
"You have the hots for him, that's it, isn't it?" Bill leaned forwards, getting into her space, interrogating her. "It's not enough to work with the homeless, now you want to do one."
"You, you, you asshole." Jayne squeezed so hard the lid popped off her cup sending hot coffee all over her hand. "Owwwww!" She dropped the cup and started to wipe her hand on her coat.
"Hold still a moment," Bill said, reaching for her hand with a napkin. "Let me get that."
"Keep your hands off me, asshole." Jayne turned her back and stalked away.
"Stupid asshole, why do men have to think everything's about sex all the time," she muttered. "That's got nothing to do with it." Tomorrow night she was going to go looking. It didn't matter what Bill thought, John needed help and it was her fault he'd been kicked out of the shelter.
*
He was lying upside down, surrounded by the cab's passive restraint systems. I'm alive was his first thought, which he followed by slowly wriggling his toes, first on the right foot, then on the left. What little he could see of the cab looked bent and crumpled. He groaned, then tried to reach for the disk in his tunic. The airbags held him in place, holding him like an overprotective parent.
Finally he managed to reach his communicator. He could feel the disk against his chest, pressed into position by the airbags. Fumbling the communicator open, he pulsed a call to Captain Garlos.
"Garlos here," the captain's voice sounded weak in the confined space, distorted by the airbags. "Are you alright Commander?"
"I think so, sir," Tam said. "I don't think anything's broken and I can feel my toes."
"Good, we can't afford to have you out of action that long. Where are you? You didn't get in the cab we sent."
"I didn't realize you were sending a cab," Tam admitted sheepishly. "The resort called one. Next thing I knew I was heading straight for a tower."
"Right," said Garlos. "Hold tight and we'll send someone for you. The capital's rescue services are a little slow these days so don't be surprised if we get there first."
"I hope you do, I've got an important message for the admiral."
"So it was a success?"
"More than we ever expected," Tam said. "But I don't think I should say any more on an open line."
"I understand, Commander." Garlos replied. "I've already got people on the way."
Chapter 8
Tam was feeling much better by the time he reached the Star Tower. His face was still a little red after being suspended upside down, but otherwise he was fine. Admiral Calthran was pacing as he came into the office, Garlos standing off to the side with his eyes on the door.
"There you are, Commander." The admiral stopped and turned to face Tam. "Vakar says you have news."
Tam pulled out the disk, "Yes sir, I do. However you'd better record, this will only play twice."
"Is that a Tarith recorder disk?" Calthran asked, "I haven't seen one of those in a very long time."
"Yes sir, it is." Tam set the disk on the admiral's desk. "It's a recording from the captain of Prince Jhon's last ship. He defected to the Tarith and they got this out of him before they would grant him asylum."
Garlos looked up from the workstation. "Any time you're ready, Commander."
"Yes sir," Tam said, and triggered the recording.
The two Guard officers remained completely silent while it played back, only an occasional facial movement revealing their emotions. Tam listened to the words again, replaying the rest of what the Tarith had told him, the things that weren't in the recording.
"So he's on Earth," Calthran said. "I always wondered what made Tarlan defect, I never thought he was important enough for the Tarith to grant him asylum."
"This is enough to put him before a firing squad." Garlos said in a quiet voice.
"I don't think that would be necessary," Admiral Calthran said. "After all, he may have saved humanity."
"That's a funny way to describe marooning the the Imperium's last heir on a forgotten planet," the captain replied.
"...And by so doing kept whoever was behind the deaths of the rest of the dynasty from completing their treason." Tam finished in a somber voice. "He may have been a double traitor, but without him we would have no hope at all."
"At least now we know where to go to find get him," Admiral Calthran said.
"If he's still alive," muttered Garlos.
"I would bet on him," said the Admiral. "Anyone who can be confirmed as a potential heir is a lot harder to kill than you might expect. There's a lot more to his implant than a standard Fleet or Guard model." He paused a moment. "I know it's unlikely, but did the Tarith share anything else with you?"
"Just that they already knew about the Enemy, sir" Tam said. "The ambassador mentioned something about the Concord having many eyes, but he didn't go any further. They probably picked something up on one of their own Long Eyes."
"I don't think so," Calthran shook his head slowly. "They wouldn't have picked up the same extinction event we did, their own sensors are a lot further back. No they meant something else." He took a sip of water. "I think he was telling us they have a penetration."
"What!" Garlos looked around the office. "I have this office swept regularly, and I know the staff are reliable. There's no chance anyone on the Tarith payroll got through the screening."
"Calm down Vakar," Calthran said. "I don't think it's here. Remember, we're not the only ones who know about this."
"Tavrolan," Tam said. "He's the only one you told."
"Or someone in his office," the Admiral continued. "Much as I disagree with him, I think Tavrolan's loyal to his own vision of the Imperium. More likely they've got to one of his staff."
He turned and began to pace the room. "Now who do I show this to? Or do I." His stride lengthened as he talked. "Do I tell Hewl and Fordyce, or one of the others. And what about Tavrolan? We don't really know who was behind Prince Jhon's abduction anyway." He stopped short. "I'll have to tell Hewl, someone on the council has to know."
Tam reached for the disk. "Will our own recording be enough, or do you think you'll have to use the last one on here, sir?"
"Ours should do," said Calthran, "We'll save the other in case we need it."
Tam's hand closed on the disk, and it collapsed to a pile of ash on the table. "They told me it would be good for three playbacks, that was only the second." He sifted through the ash for any sign. "Why would they lie?"
"They wouldn't," said Garlos. "Tarith don't lie about things like that."
"Vakar is right," Calthran said. "It's been played."
"It was never out of my sight." Tam wrinkled his brow. "I had it with me the whole time from when the Ambassador gave it to me until just now."
"Are you sure?" Garlos turned towards him. "What about when you were asleep? Or in the cab. You blacked out after the crash. Could that have set it off?"
"I don't know," Tam replied quietly. "I wouldn't have thought the crash would set it off, but I didn't really take any precautions at the lodge."
"So we don't know what happened to the other playback." Calthran's voice was slow. "All we
have is our own recording." He turned towards Tam. "All right Commander, you're going to Earth."
"Earth? But it's under the Interdict. We don't even have its coordinates in the charts."
"Your ship may not, but we do," said Garlos. "We can get them for you."
"Besides," said Calthran. "It may be time to consider raising the Interdict. They've got radio, so now they're as much a target as any of our planets."
Tam nodded, "Alright, get me the coordinates and we'll lift for Earth."
"We'll give you some marines as well," said the Admiral. "There's no way to know what sort of situation he'll be in when you get there, and you might have to do an extraction."
"What about the Interdiction Force? How are we supposed to get past them?"
"Stealthily," said Calthran. "We don't know what orders Tavrolan will have given them and we can't count on their loyalty. You are going to have to sneak in and out without letting anyone know what's going on. Until we have Prince Jhon back here on planet, able to claim his throne before the Council all he'll be is a recipe for civil war." The old admiral shuddered. "That's the last thing we need. Even if we win it could cripple the Imperium."
*
Tam strode onto the bridge, Marine Lieutenant Pirk two paces behind him. Lenys rose from the command chair, one eyebrow raised at the sight of the marine. "Commander Kharan, I'd like you and Lieutenant Vidall in my office." Tam said. "We will be lifting out as soon as Lieutenant Pirk's people are aboard, so if we need anything, be sure it's aboard in the next hour."
"Aye sir," she said, the puzzlement obvious on her face. "Mr. Thorn, you have the bridge." She rose and gestured towards the young lieutenant, waiting for him to take the seat. Vidall safed his console as well, falling in behind the others as they left the compartment.
Once in the cramped quarters of his office he waited while the other three found positions, idly drumming his fingers on the smooth surface of the desk. "I know you've all seen that things have been changing in the Imperium lately," he began. "Now it's time for the pendulum to swing the other way, and we're the ones who're going to start it back."
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