The Movement of Pawns (Gravity Book 3)

by Jeremy Kester

  Ned shrugged. “The centuries have not changed us. We’ve only given ourselves ways to replace the hatred we felt for our differences with other things to hate. I don’t see any hope in that changing. When aliens show up, we’ll hate them. We’ll try to control them. Hold still for a moment.”

  Xaviera locked herself up and remained as still as a stationary piece of equipment. Ned continued to grow the skin rapidly. Xaviera hadn’t noticed it at first, but she had been regaining the touch sensitivity in her cheek again. Another tear left her eye. She wanted so badly to smile. Happiness danced around her programming.

  A few more moments passed by and then Ned sat back to inspect his work. “OK, I want you to flex around, see what extents that you have. We’ll make sure that this doesn’t tear or break.”

  She opened and closed her jaw as wide as the mechanics of her jaw would allow. She had gone so long with the gaping wound there that she nearly had forgotten what it felt like to have flesh on her cheek, to feel the stretch of the flesh, the air touch it.

  “Looks really good,” Ned said. “Did it without my tools back home too,” he remarked proudly.

  The tears began to flow without stopping as Xaviera grabbed the mirror from Ned and looked at herself. The skin tone was right, there was no seam. As though it were the same flesh she was activated with, her cheek looked flawless. “Thank you!” she happily sobbed. She reached over any hugged him.

  “You’re welcome. Honestly it was a shame what that guy did to you. Ruined a beautiful girl.”

  Those words: beautiful girl. They resonated in Xaviera’s ears. The simple fact that a human called her a girl was enough to break her tear ducts permanently. She knew that much of it had to do with his former line of work. In all but a few random cases, the creators were the only force as strongly tied to android rights as androids themselves.

  Then a question came to her mind. “Why’d you leave?”

  “I am a wanted criminal.”

  Those words surprised her further. The manner to which he let go of those words frightened her. Nervously, she inquired about it.

  “Murder. I was accused of murdering my son. I escaped the Alliance much like you did, only I had enough of a fortune to avoid the indenture.” Ned showed some signs of becoming anxious. Xaviera picked up on the cues right away, though he did do a sufficient job of hiding it otherwise. She noticed the subtle rise in temperature and heartbeat with each word that he parsed out. “I miss my son,” he continued. The nervousness subsided almost instantly as she saw a man filled with sadness, not regret. She knew then that he had nothing to do with what he was accused of. “I don’t even know for sure who did it, but they tried to pin in on me. I was on a business trip. I wasn’t even there when it happened. When they began to make the moves to freeze my assets, I got all of my money out and ran. I knew it was to get me. I came out here to find out who did it.”

  “Did you?”

  A simple shake of his head was all that Ned offered. His eyes were welled up with both remorse and anger. Xaviera found herself crying as well as she reach over and put her arms around him.

  Military Council Center

  Paris, Earth

  Israel Dimmings glanced at the time. He observed as all of his peers stood or sat around bantering. He wasn’t one to participate in that sort of affair. He was there for the topics at hand, and he would take no time for anything else.

  Down the table Gabriel Fortner also was observing the various men and women. He was considerably younger than anyone else in the room. Only Dimmings made him feel as though he belonged, but even the motives behind it were suspect.

  Gabriel had been given a listing of all of the names, ranks, and just about anything else for all of the other members of the board. Once he was given the notice that his new position afforded him a place on the council, he immediately pulled all of the data that he believed he would need. Admittedly, none of it was overly useful to him. He stored it all away anyway. At some point the information would serve him, just not then.

  “Let’s get this started,” a voice appeared as an older, beautiful woman entered the room. All of the attendants stood up recognizing the Secretary of Defense, Orlaith Goodwin. She entered the room with a determined gate. When she reached the table, she slammed down a stack of papers and then sat down.

  She was a strikingly beautiful woman. Whatever treatments she was going through had been effective. Underneath was the signs of someone who had already been blessed with good genetics. Her skin was a slightly darker tone with green eyes and blond hair pulled up with a sophisticated style. Her clothes were just tight enough to show off the curves of her body. She was a stockier build without being at all overweight.

  Pointing at Dimmings before the other generals have had fully taken their seats, in a serious tone she inquired, “You’ll need to refresh me again as to why my boss seems to think that it is appropriate that we march into the Outer planets and take over.”

  Her tone was dripping with hostility. She didn’t like Dimmings and most of the other generals. Most were more politically driven than most other career politicians were. Dimmings was the worst. Dimmings cleared his throat. He felt that he knew how to deal with Orlaith. He felt that way about most women he encountered. In most cases, Orlaith simply played along. She knew that he was of that mindset.

  “Might I start with by saying how striking you look today, Madam Secretary,” Dimmings began with a smile etched on the corners of his mouth.

  “Knock it off,” Orlaith hissed back. “We’re not here on a date, Israel. We’re here on business and I expect the courtesy or I have you replaced. Now my boss seems to think that it is a good idea, I want to know why again before I allow for the attack orders to be signed. Can you provide me that without trying to act like a fraternity member or do I have to ask the child,” she added pointing to Gabriel.

  Red wanted to flush into his face as an embarrassed anger grew. He struggled to push it down, but he was able to do so. He cleared his throat and straightened up. He dared not say anything though until he was able to formulate an appropriate response that would keep the dogs at bay.

  “Well?” Orlaith urged impatiently.

  “I apologize, Madam Secretary,” he said. “This meeting is to finalize the plans to invade the outer worlds and reinstall them to under Alliance government oversight.”

  Orlaith jotted some notes down. “No shit. And why is that? Why do we want to regain ownership of those colonies? What’s the gain?” The generals, admirals, and other officers all shifted uncomfortably in their chairs as Orlaith pointed at their chairman. “Forgive me, general,” she coldly asserted. “We are not in the business of nationalizing every damn colony that it fits our petty little desires. I want to understand why we are so willing to spend our defense budgets of that of a small gains we would get from invading the outer worlds.”

  “I wouldn’t call it invading,” an older general spoke up. Orlaith turned to the old man. Her face was not angry, but curious.

  “Oh? Tell me how?” There was no reply. The older general sat back. She had regretted opening her mouth in front of the Secretary in this environment. “Very well, gentlemen and ladies. I won’t call this an invasion so that I don’t worry your tender egos. Why are we going in to attach them to the Alliance then? Wasn’t this endeavor explored and failed before?”

  “Yes, but,”

  “But what? What is the gain?”

  Gabriel cleared his throat. Everyone at the table turned to look at the young officer, seemingly out of place, who now was taking the floor. He looked back at them all disappointed at their silence. “Resources,” Fortner said.

  “Repeat that, general,” ordered Orlaith.

  “Resources, madam secretary. I know that this isn’t listed on the primary plans for the invasion. Doing so could present a public backlash to the plans were there to be a leak or future declassification of the plans. There are an excess of untapped resources that we are incapable of claiming without
inciting a conflict. Past efforts to initiate a favorable trade treaty had all failed.”

  “You’re that young kid who’s now a big player in the uniformed services,” observed Orlaith as she pointed her pen at him.

  Gabriel nodded.

  “Now we’re talking about something a little more tangible. I can accept that answer. But where that answer may satisfy the boy, I have to admit there people…” she tossed a small stack of papers in front of her. “I’m not impressed and neither is the President. We both sense a bait-and-switch. I personally think (and you don’t have to answer) that you all have a score to settle. Aside from the kid over there, every one of you was in the service during the first conflicts the Alliance had with the Independents. We lost. We lost and you guys want to make up for that.”

  General Dimmings spoke up first. “Madam Secretary, our plans might outline superficial material, but we cannot squander the opportunity to retake the outer worlds back into the governance of the Alliance. If you had read, this plan detailed ways to regain popular support, which we now have. If we don’t strike now, we risk losing a tactical advantage.”

  “Do we really have a tactical advantage?”

  “Yes,” Gabriel answered immediately.

  “The answer is yes, Madam Secretary,” echoed Dimmings.

  “I want to hear him, Dimmings,” she dismissed while pointing again at Gabriel.

  Gabriel scanned the room looking at each face staring back at him. He was growing nervous. He didn’t want it to show. Youth was not favored by the council. Being the pet of its chairman gained him even less of that favor. Every one of the attendees were willing and able to make short his career. None of them were thrilled that he appeared to be taking all of the attention. Respect had not been gained yet. “I’ve had operatives in the field who have been reporting a strong advantage back to me. Though we lost the prototype that was the original component in cutting off the supply routes, the story we created behind it has been key in the shift in popular support-“

  “Yes, your brainchild. It was not a terrible plan, and I definitely want to hear about it after. Go on.”

  He cleared his throat.

  “Madam secretary,” an admiral interjected. “Is this really necessary?”

  “What’s your issue, Steve?” she replied to the Admiral.

  “These plans have been exhaustively reviewed and were approved. Why are we back to questioning this?”

  Dimmings interjected. “The plans have not been fully signed off on yet, Admiral.”

  Turning to Dimmings, the Admiral then asked, “that’s what you’ve led us all to believe, Israel.”

  “General, Steve. I am your commanding officer-“

  “Knock it off, Dimmings,” Orlaith interrupted. The general turned red in the face and glared at his superior.

  “With all due respect, Madam Secretary, I chair this council and command the armed forces.”

  Orlaith chuckled and then went stern. “And you report to the President through ME. Let’s make no misinterpretations here, officers,” she announced turning to the entire group. Gabriel sat quietly, awaiting his turn to speak. The other officers were less patient and grew angry. They hated being told what will be done by a politician. Orlaith sighed and paused for a moment. “We are sending people into battle. We are invading another human colony. This isn’t provoked. This isn’t fully justified. The President has expressed concerns that he has let the planning progress too far and wants me to ensure that we are on the correct path. You may not like having your playground busted up by a little school-girl, but this is how it is going to play out. You are going to provide the sufficient justification,” she instructed to Gabriel. He nodded in acceptance. “You might be the special ops branch, but your department is titled for expansion, so I will now put you in charge of this little shindig.”

  “I don’t believe that I am qualified to take command of the invasion, ma’am.”

  Laughter erupted from the group as they admitted to their agreement with him. Orlaith and Dimmings did not share in the humor both remaining silent.

  “You’re barely qualified for your former rank of Colonel, General Fortner. You are young and naïve, but I certainly can see the reasons why you are where you are. You will still report only to myself and Dimmings as you do now. I am just saying that you now have responsibility for this invasion.”

  “I feel like I am being set up,” he mumbled believing the comment was out of earshot.

  Orlaith shook her head. “I will give you a lesson right now, young man.” The tone sounded parent-like, condescending. “Never admit that you feel you are being set up. When you reach this level, you either are or you aren’t. And the only way that you will get out of it if you are is by performing the task at hand, however impossible, and proving yourself.”

  Gabriel swallowed feeling as though he just let onto a weakness. In fact he had. Plans swirled around in his mind as to the steps he would need to overcome this new deficit. He’s been effective so far, although he was unsure as to how. They would try to exploit him. Dimmings was unwilling to allow it though. As Dimmings was eagerly forthcoming with promotions and praise, despite the ulterior motives as to such behaviors, he felt that his reputation had to be upheld through Gabriel being successful.

  “Don’t worry about the mess, young man,” one of the older generals “we can get you a good supply of diapers to keep you clean.” The room erupted in laughter aside from Gabriel, General Dimmings, and Secretary Goodwin.

  Orlaith Goodwin glared at the old general. A few of the others, noticing the displeasure in her slowly quieted down.

  Gabriel liked what he was seeing. Orlaith was a bulldog. She was able to easily intimidate even the most hardened of officers. Though he too was intimidated, he felt as though he could be more comfortable. He felt that he knew his place.

  “What are the estimated casualties from the war games examinations?” Orlaith asked, again pushing the meeting back to order.

  A small, pasty man picked up his voice. “They were found to be within acceptable limits.”

  “And that acceptable limit is?”

  Gabriel spoke up. “Their initial estimations were 2.5 million on Rhea alone. Plans included complete inefficient use of forces. I was able to isolate old protocols and exploit them. Estimates based on ARDME trials range from 105,678 to 3,205,333 deaths as a result of our actions.”

  Dimmings smiled.

  “That is excessive, don’t you think, General Fortner?” Orlaith asked as she twirled her pen.

  The small, pasty officer spoke up again, however meekly. “Our range was 2.5 to 8 million.”

  Orlaith’s eyes widened as she looked at the officer. “Admiral Prickette, on which level do you honestly think that 8 million would be acceptable in this administration’s eyes?”

  There was no answer from Prickette. He sat there and lowered his eyes.

  “Where do these estimates derive from?” Dimmings requested.

  “Factors are scattered depending on resistance. Use of the Rhea protocols were key though to significantly reducing casualties.”

  “And the breakdown?”

  “15.6% Alliance; 84.4% independent civilians and security.”

  Dimmings glanced at Orlaith who jotted the numbers down. She didn’t appear overly thrilled, though he didn’t care. He was planning to push through whether or not she agreed. Already he garnered the President’s approval, and the mere second-guessing of that decision was already too late.

  Orlaith cut in, “give me the run down again.”

  Another officer spoke. “Alliance stockpiles of minerals, metals, and other natural raw materials is waning. The plethora of findings on independent territory, as well as the failures in trade negotiations, necessitate other actions to ensure the livelihood of Alliance citizens.”

  Orlaith chuckled.

  “Look, Madam Secretary,” Dimmings answered, “We’ve been over this countless times. We have the public support in place. The un
fortunate loss of the Yorktown provided a simple avenue to gain it. Now is the only time to strike. With over 35 billion people estimated in the solar system, a few million would barely be an issue.” His gruffness sounded as though he was instructing her, to which she relented.

  “OK, I will not go any further. We will lock in with the ARDME plans. Let’s get onto other details so we can get the hell back to our lives.”

  Dimmings smirked. It was actually starting to all fall into place. His hard work would pay off yet.

  Operations Transport Vessel

  En route to Alliance Space

  David woke up. It took little time to become despondent. On top of him, 356Q slept soundly. He wanted to push her off. She was getting more touchy-feely with him each day, appreciating less and less of the boundaries he tried holding up. They were only able to secure a small cabin on the ship to retain their privacy. He didn’t want to share. Not speaking up about it allowed her to bully her way in though. Watching her sleep though, he couldn’t help but to admit her beauty. Even with the art covering her skin, she was stunning. And for once she looked peaceful.

  How many other times has she done this? he asked himself.

  Looking up, Adrianna was resting at the helm of the ship. Maybe she was sleeping as well, but he couldn’t tell. Since they boarded they had said no words to each other. All he knew of her was that she was the one they had recovered from the Yorktown at its first incident.

  Something about her demeanor told him that she was not to be bothered with anything more than business. Something tragic had happened to her, David thought to himself. And he doubted that the Yorktown was that tragedy.

  Carefully, he tried to move himself out from under the tattooed girl. She was growing more attached to him. For the life of him, he couldn’t figure out why. It was like a small child finding an adult that they loved. Though she continued her stealthy, confident movement through the situations they encountered, when they were able to slow down and rest, she grew to literally become the space surrounding him.

  Not to fool himself, he enjoyed the company of any woman, no less one as natural in beauty as her. As long as she didn’t speak with that sterile voice of hers, he could close his eyes to imagine anything.