In his blind fury, Doland had damaged the outer protective guard of the nuclear source. There was a massive, fiery explosion, which was contained inside the force vault. The flames shot right up to the ceiling, touching the antimatter battery. The safety shield kicked in before the integrity of the power source was lost; a miniature force vault opened around the antimatter battery, which had the effect both of protecting itself and disabling the main force vault.
The flames died down quickly, absorbed by the nuclear dampers. Doland was left on the floor, lying in a pile of mangled machinery. Everyone was quiet for a moment, then Alyce ran to Doland, and flipped him over, expecting to see the corpse of a burned-out Weerm.
But his flesh had once again become white.
“Doland?”
He coughed and spluttered; his eyelids flickered open. “Alyce?”
“Get someone from medical here right away!” Alyce shouted.
Tekka approached the man slowly, his eyes wide with surprise. The plan had worked perfectly, and Ozytan’s machine had been destroyed. Now no more people would be turning into Weerms; the Imperium had been saved. But he couldn’t understand why Doland had survived. That nuclear blast had been enough to destroy a small moon; if it hadn’t been for the force vault, and then the nuclear dampers, they would all have been wiped out. So how had Doland survived? Was it possible that he had made an error in calculation? If so, it would be the second error of his life—and one that he would actually have been glad to have made. But Tekka knew when he seriously considered the situation that he hadn’t miscalculated. Now that he came to think about it, a lot of things didn’t make sense.
Why had Doland’s transmogrification on Mazaroth disrupted his DNA to the point when he no longer registered as human? And what were the chances of the two men meeting again on Rechya, totally coincidentally? And how had Doland reverted back to human form after being re-transmogrified, when the process should have technically either been permanent or killed him? And now the man had survived a nuclear blast without a single scar…
There was something very peculiar about Raja Doland…
“Who are you,” Tekka whispered, as the medical crew took him away. “Who are you, Raja Doland?”
Chapter Twenty-Two
“We won!” Captain Alyce Wickham said.
A cheer rose up from the men congregating around the control room. The bodies of the Weerms had been cleared away, and a post-battle team would be arriving shortly, both to collect the bodies and to obtain as much data as possible before clearing up the station. It had been sad to lose the Marines that had been transmogrified into Weerms, but everyone knew that things could have been worse. A lot worse. If Ozytan’s plan had succeeded, the Imperium itself would have crumbled overnight. The Zierons might have predicted that it would end in one thousand years anyway, but that was a long time away…
“You all fought valiantly,” Lieutenant Jameson said, including both his men and the rest of the people on the flight deck in his expansive gesture. “And you all have much cause to be proud of yourselves.”
“It is regretful that lives were lost today,” Alyce went on, “and I know that some of you will have been very close to the Marines that were sadly killed. But I want you to know that their deaths were absolutely not in vain. Because of the bravery of all of you Marines, the safety of the Imperium has been maintained.”
“Navy and Marines unite!” one of the men shouted, and everyone laughed. The Navy and the Marines had a historic rivalry—it was largely good-natured, but occasionally things could get ugly. But when they needed to, the two military groups could work together astonishingly well—and the Battle of Station 949 had been an excellent example of that.
Captain Wickham, after the clean-up team had arrived, took her men—Glitz, Tekka, Doland and the Marines—back to the Deliverer, and asked Seraph to set a course for Lightworld. She had never liked military debriefings, but it was a necessary part of the job. It would be a little different this time, however, as she would likely be considered the hero of the hour. Hopefully being a hero wouldn’t involve any additional paperwork. Alyce had a distinct feeling that it might.
When they were on the way back to the Volori System, Alyce relaxed in the command chair on the flight deck, letting her muscles loosen for the first time. As she sat facing the hexagonal display screens, she felt two strong hands begin to massage her shoulders. From touch alone, she knew that it was Glitz. She tilted her head back to look at him, and smiled. Glitz rubbed her shoulders firmly, pressing out the tension knots that had appeared. He had a quick glance behind him; they were alone on the flight deck, so they could talk privately.
“You know that thing you said back on the base…” Glitz said softly. “You know, when those Weerms were pointing their guns at us… Did you mean it?”
Alyce sighed, and turned her command chair around to face him, preventing him from rubbing her shoulders any further. “Look, Glitz. What I said… I thought we were about to die. I… didn’t want to die without saying it. But we didn’t die.”
Glitz frowned. “So it wasn’t true?”
“I didn’t say that. I do love you, Glitz. But I was foolish to admit it.” She hesitated, trying to find the right words. She knew what she had to get across, but she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. “We’re from different worlds, you and me.”
“You mean you’re too good for me?”
“You’re putting words in my mouth. I’ve just seen so many romantic relationships between members of the Navy and civilians—too many to think that anything good can come from them. They invariably end in upset. I care for you, Glitz, but I can’t just drop everything and fly away with you. I’ve spent years building up my career. How could I just throw it all away?”
Glitz paused to consider. “I wouldn’t dream of asking you to abandon your career for me.”
“Well, I’m glad you understand.” Alyce’s voice had changed suddenly. It had become once again cool and magisterial.
“You know what I think?” Glitz said, annoyed by her manner. “I think you’re scared of getting close to someone. I think you’re sabotaging this relationship because you’re frightened.”
“What relationship?” Alyce felt her temper flaring. “We slept together twice!”
“Yes, and then you said you loved me!”
“I did, but then I explained that it couldn’t work!” She took a deep breath. “Dismissed, Mr. Glitz.”
Glitz stared at her, his eyes cold. “Certainly, Captain.”
He marched out of the flight deck, and Alyce immediately instructed Seraph to seal the doors. She wanted to be alone. Burying her face in her palms, she began to cry. She did love Glitz—she truly did. But it couldn’t work, could it? She would be abandoning everything. But did Glitz have a point? Was she just running away because she was afraid of getting too close to someone? She had never said the words “I love you” to anyone before. Had she made herself vulnerable by admitting her feelings for him?
She shook her head, and wiped her tears away roughly. She was being ridiculous. The idea of a Navy captain giving up her career to run away with a convicted criminal… well, it was preposterous. Still, she had previously admitted that many elements of life in the Navy had left her disillusioned. Maybe it was time for her to move on. She scowled. Her mental arguments would often proceed in a similar way. She would bounce back and forth between opposing viewpoints, unable to settle on an opinion. She needed to make a resolve, and stick with it.
And so she made her resolve, and decided that she would not change her mind.
***
Captain Alyce Wickham was sitting in a Debriefing Room along with the Admiralty Board of the Imperial Navy. She had been sitting there for several hours, making yet another report. She had done nothing but make reports for nearly three days. The admirals, along with some other experts that were present, had questioned and cross-questioned her on every point, seeking to extract every possible detail. She knew that Glitz a
nd the others would be undergoing a similar process. It was soul-destroying, but she was being treated well. Finally, the admirals seemed satisfied with the information that they had acquired from her.
“Thank you, Captain Wickham,” the First Naval Lord said. “You may leave.”
“With permission, sir, I would like to ask the Admiralty Board something.”
“Go ahead.”
Alyce took a deep breath. “I am considering leaving the Imperial Navy. I have served for longer than the minimum five years required.”
The First Naval Lord tapped the table. “It would be a great shame to lose you, Captain. I must confess that I had great doubts about the appointment of a female Captain, even after your successful mission to Chaos. But you have proven yourself, beyond a doubt, to be better and braver than any man I have ever met.”
Alyce felt her cheeks burning with pride. “Thank you very much, sir.”
“Why do you want to leave?” Admiral Trenna said.
She paused. She could hardly admit the truth to the Admiralty Board, that she was considering leaving because she had fallen in love with an ex-convict. They would think her to be a fool. There was a large part of her that considered herself a fool. But she could not lie to them either.
“The battle has caused me to rethink my life,” she said slowly, carefully avoiding falsehoods. “Although I have been happy to serve the Imperium for years, I believe it may be time to seek out other ways to be of service.”
The First Naval Lord nodded slowly. “So what do you intend to do?”
“I think I will leave.”
“You should be aware that if you choose to leave, we will be forced to requisition your ship, the Deliverer. I understand that this may be difficult for you, but we simply could not have such a dangerous ship in civilian hands. We would, of course, arrange for suitable compensation to be made.”
Alyce suppressed a sarcastic grin. The Deliverer was an astonishing ship, a product of alien technology. It seemed unlikely that the humans would ever come close to producing such a fine vessel. It was priceless, and thus any compensation would never be able to fully cover its value. However, the First Naval Lord’s words came as no surprise. She had fully expected the Navy to confiscate the ship if she left; that was one of her main internal arguments against leaving. In a flash of sudden inspiration, Alyce realised the real reason that the First Naval Lord had kept her ship behind while the others went into combat. It hadn’t been because she was a woman. It was because he hadn’t wanted to damage his prize.
So she faced the most difficult choice of her life. She could either stay in the Navy, keeping the ship built by the alien race that she had dreamed about since childhood, or she could abandon everything and run away with a smuggler. If she did choose the latter option, would she be happy?
“Do not feel the need to rush into a decision,” Admiral Trenna said.
Alyce forced a smile. “Thank you, sir, but I have made my decision. I wish to—”
***
Glitz scowled as he made his way down the long corridor. He was being escorted back to the Deliverer by a young Navy officer, but he secretly doubted that he would be allowed to board the ship. It seemed highly unlikely that the Navy would allow an ex-con back on board an alien super-ship—not now that the immediate crisis was over. No, he was sure that they would want to confiscate it, perhaps to pull it apart and cannibalise the components. Either way, he wasn’t sure that he wanted to go back on board. Alyce had made it perfectly clear that she wasn’t interested in a relationship. The Zierons had given the ship to both of them, technically speaking, but he wasn’t going to argue with the Imperial Navy. No, he would probably use some of the money he received for selling the Cellzers, and buy himself a new ship. The Merchant’s Bad Luck, perhaps, would be a fitting name, after his recent disappointment.
He had been subjected to a thorough grilling by several senior Navy officers; he, Tekka, Doland and Alyce had all been briefed separately, according to standard Navy procedure. The Marines, too, had been questioned. The thorough examination had taken almost three days, during which time Glitz had almost lost the will to live. Now that the debriefing process had been completed, a victory celebration was to be held on Strobe, a party moon. The whole affair was strictly classified, and the general public would never be allowed to find out about Ozytan or his terrible mission to turn a third of the humans into Weerms. No, they had simply been informed that a mad rebel attacked an Imperial station, and was promptly destroyed. Glitz didn’t think he would be travelling to Strobe with the others. Sure, he liked a good party, but Alyce would certainly be there. He didn’t want things to be awkward. He was not the kind of man who would spend weeks pining after a woman that he couldn’t have. He was realistic about these things. He was old enough to realise that life was mostly shit, with perhaps a few enjoyable moments thrown in.
When he reached the Deliverer, he stepped inside cautiously, thanking his escort for showing him the way. There was no sign of Navy occupation, and no one tried to prevent his entrance. Inside, Alyce was sitting alone on the flight deck. She got up from the sofa as soon as she saw him.
“Glitz. We need to talk.”
“I don’t think so.” Glitz shook his head. “I think we’ve done all the talking necessary. Now it’s time to move on.”
“Please,” Alyce said, pointing to the sofa. “Please humour me.”
He nodded reluctantly, and joined her on the sofa. Alyce had changed into normal civilian clothing, which had been a welcome relief after wearing her uniform for so long. She looked very pretty, Glitz had to admit. She was wearing a black skirt and blouse, and her face was fresh. She seemed a little nervous.
“I spoke to the admirals,” she said. “They said they wanted to keep the ship.”
“No surprise there. I suppose they’ll find you another vessel to command.”
“No, you don’t understand. I asked for permission to leave the Navy. And the admirals said that if I chose to leave, I would have to give up the Deliverer. I had to decide between staying in the Navy and keeping the ship, and… well, and you.”
Glitz paused, trying to understand what she was getting at. “So… what did you decide?”
“We came to a compromise.” Alyce took a deep breath. “I have decided to leave the Navy, with immediate effect. Usually, officers have to give a fourteen-week notice period, but after the battle they decided to let me go earlier. And I have been allowed to keep the ship, as long as I stay in the special reserves. That means that if they really need me, I will return, and the Deliverer will once again be at their disposal. They’ve fitted the ship with a recall beam, so they can take control over the ship and bring it back at any time.”
“So… so you’ve really left?”
“I’ve really left. You were right. By staying in the Navy, I would really have been running away. I decided that running away would be the only way to… to not run away. Does that make sense?”
Glitz took her hand gently. “It makes sense. So… so this means that you do love me?”
“I love you.”
Feeling a swell of passion mingled with pride, Glitz took Alyce in his arms and kissed her. She yielded completely to his masculine grip, savouring the sensation. As they kissed, he heard the sound of the door open, and two men stepped on to the flight deck.
“Tekka? Doland? What are you doing here?”
“Alyce said we could come with you, if that’s OK with you,” Doland said. He grinned. “I’ve gotten a bit of a taste for bravery, after what happened on the station. I want to see if I can do anything else for the benefit of the Imperium.”
“Well, great.” Glitz turned to Tekka, who looked back at him without emotion. He could understand why Doland had chosen to stay, but Tekka…?
“Despite my criminal record,” Tekka said, “I am sure that I would still be welcome in the Mathematics department of any respectable University in the Imperium. Without wishing to seem arrogant, my intellect
is simply too great to be ignored. However, I do not believe it possible to find full intellectual fulfilment in such a role. If you allow me to come with you, I feel sure that I will find a challenge suitable for my intelligence.”
Glitz grinned. “Fair enough. I’d be glad for you to travel with us.”
Tekka glanced at Doland out of the corner of his eye. He hadn’t mentioned to Glitz that he knew exactly which challenge he was interested in. He wanted to know why Doland had managed to survive a dangerous, uncalibrated transmogrification procedure, as well as a nuclear explosion. He wanted to find out the secret about Doland. Who was he? Somehow, he was sure that the man was important…
Alyce smiled at Glitz, linking her arm around his. “So, where next?”
Glitz stroked her hair. “I don’t know. It’s a big galaxy. I’m sure someone somewhere is in need of our help. We can go anywhere. The market world of Vortus… the river world of Lagoos… the Eye of Orion.” He smiled. “We could always go Strobe. I heard there was a party going on there.”
Tekka rolled his eyes.
“Not unless you want to go,” Alyce said, grinning.
“Right.” After requesting permission to leave the planet, Glitz turned his head to face the hexagonal scanners. “Seraph, take us somewhere far away from here. Pick a random destination.”
Tekka and Doland joined Alyce and Glitz on the sofa. The alien ship took off; they passed through the planet’s atmosphere, and shot off towards the distant stars. Alyce smiled at her new friends as they entered phase space, and snuggled up with Glitz. For the first time in her life, Alyce didn’t have a clue where she was going.
And she couldn’t have been happier.
Death to the Imperium (Imperium Cicernus) Page 22