Loyalty to the Cause (TCOTU, Book 4) (This Corner of the Universe)

by Britt Ringel

  Chapter 1

  The Jewel of the Night was a twenty-five berth, luxury passenger schooner although no one would know from her appearance. A mere deck and a half in height with twin, dorsal Boxer-11R drives, her patchwork hull gave her a rather ordinary, even tired air. No longer sleek nor young, the Jewel displayed her fifty-eight years of service like a former beauty queen being ravaged by time.

  The sad story was retold in her interior. Formerly lustrous oak and brass had been dulled with each passenger’s caress. The portals that seemed to struggle to close, the hinting at frayed carpet, all accoutrements suggested a ship whose number of years were greater behind her than ahead.

  Lieutenant Stacy Vernay stood in the most forward compartment of the liner, a large, open room that spanned the entire width of the schooner on its top half-deck. Called The Star Lounge, the room served not only as named but as the focal point of relaxation for the ship’s passengers. While the Jewel of the Night also boasted a restaurant, entertainment room and gymnasium, those compartments were much smaller and located along the centerline of the ship. Despite those three rooms being adorned with spacious wall screens, a passenger’s innate sense of location placed those facilities in the ship’s interior and ruined the illusions the screens projected. In The Star Lounge, one could easily believe the wall screens lining the bulkheads were simple windows, revealing the unfathomable grandness of space.

  Tables and couches, each well-worn and faded, were placed strategically around the room to provide privacy for each party while still packing in enough furniture to accommodate a full complement of passengers. The Jewel was currently at only eighty percent occupancy yet the lounge was crowded. Every passenger aboard the schooner now sat along the curve of couches that matched the arc of Jewel’s bow. Also curved, the wall screens gave the impression of looking out over the bow of the ripened ship. The view was wasted though, as each person faced inward, rather than looking out at the vistas displayed on the screens.

  Twenty-one pairs of eyes followed Vernay’s movement as she brought a hand up to cover her mouth. After clearing her throat and taking a final look over her shoulder at Jack Truesworth to ensure that Kite’s renegades were the only souls present in The Star Lounge, she began to speak. “Ladies and gentlemen, now that we’ve entered t-space, I can conduct this briefing and tell you the next steps of our plan.”

  “Where is Captain Heskan?” Denise Gables interrupted.

  “He is not on board but we will meet up with him once we return to Anthe.”

  “So he was involved in our escape?” a second ensign wearing the occupational badge of a Brevic pilot asked.

  Vernay nodded. “Who do you think paid for your passage? As I said, we’ll see him again once we get back to Anthe.”

  “Why are we going back to Anthe? I thought we were making a run for the eastern border and the Federation?” Diane Selvaggio questioned.

  “Because we’re not done rescuing people, Diane,” Vernay answered patiently.

  “Who’s left to rescue?” another pilot inquired. “It seems awfully dangerous to go back to Anthe.”

  Rumblings of agreement rippled through the crowd. Vernay began to answer but stopped as the crowd’s discontent grew.

  “Pipe down, people!” Andrew Brown thundered. “Maybe you oughta listen to the folks who broke you outta Kite before you start goin’ on about what you think we should do next.” The senior chief petty officer cast a supportive glance at Vernay.

  “Thanks, Chief,” Vernay muttered. Order restored, she continued. “I’ll answer everyone’s questions after the briefing but for now, please, just listen. As you undoubtedly noticed when boarding, this ship’s destination is the frontier system of Erriapius. When we arrive at the small orbital over Baradis… that’s the agricultural planet in the system, you’re free to do whatever you wish. Captain Heskan gave me sixteen cred-sticks with enough money on them to book passage out of Erriapius. If you decide to leave us, the captain suggests traveling to the Federation. He doesn’t think it’s going to be possible to just hide in the Republic after we do what we’re planning to do.”

  “What exactly are we plannin’, L-T?” Brown asked.

  “I have a list of freighters that we believe are owned by the same pirates that ran, well, run the drug facility in Skathi, Chief.” She looked around the room. “When we get to the Erriapius orbital, the plan is to find one of those freighters and ‘claim’ it.”

  A fourth pilot, Vivian May, raised her hand and asked, “How do you know those freighters are going to be in Erriapius, ma’am?”

  Vernay cringed slightly as she thought, Actually, I don’t. “Simple, Viv. Those who served aboard Anelace on her final mission have knowledge of the illegal operations originating in Skathi. Pirates manufacture drugs in the asteroid fields and transport them out of Skathi on large freighters. Erriapius is where those freighters go to divide their product to smaller, tramp freighters. We assume they then use the small freighters to distribute their drugs around the sector. When Kite transited Skathi a few weeks ago, it was obvious the pirate activity is ongoing and we doubt they’ve changed their shipping patterns.” We hope.

  “Why wouldn’t they change them? Won’t the Republic just shut them down again?” May questioned.

  Vernay swallowed bitter frustration before answering in an even tone. “Our guess is that this part of the Republic doesn’t want them shut down… luckily for us.” To her mind, it was poetically elegant. They would escape Brevic “justice” using the very tools provided by the same corrupt government chasing them. “We’ll commandeer the most suitable freighter and return to Anthe immediately.”

  “Why?” Brown asked.

  Brace for it, Vernay thought as she prepared to recite her carefully practiced statement. “Captain Heskan is going to fulfill our promise to the Hollarans. We’re going to free them and take them home on the freighter we secure.”

  Muted astonishment filled the room and Vernay seized upon it to press the plan forward. “Freeing them will be taken care of while we seize our freighter. That’s why Captain Heskan remained in Anthe.” She pressed even further while watching heads begin to shake in disbelief. “We’ll just simply dock at the Anthe orbital, load them and then set our course out of the system.”

  “How is he going to break them out single-handedly?” a doubt-filled voice asked.

  Vernay judged the crowd’s demeanor and chose her escape response. “I’m not allowed to share that information, for our protection and yours. I still don’t know how many of you are going to help keep our promise and how many of you want to go your own way.” She looked at each crewmember. “I won’t lie to you. This plan is dangerous and punishment will be swift and severe if it fails. The safest bet is probably to take a cred-stick and run. In fact, that’s what Captain Heskan recommends you do.”

  Agreement rippled through the crowd.

  “But we do need you,” Vernay improvised. “The captain needs you. Before last night, he was a hero to the Republic, one of the Navy’s shining stars. Now, he’s risking everything to ensure that the people who battled alongside us in Junction-Two have a chance at the freedom they fought for. He’s freed you from imprisonment or worse and he can save the Hollarans, too, but he can’t do it without your help.” She waited several beats before asking, “Is anyone here going to let him down?”

  * * *

  In a hotel room on Pallene, the volume of Commander Garrett Heskan’s datapad chime increased gradually to ease him out of a sound sleep. So deep had his slumber been, he suffered momentarily from a hazy disorientation before rolling over and reaching across his bed to the table next to it. His datapad chimed impatiently again, louder, before Heskan touched “Accept.”

  “Heskan here,” he slurred sleepily.

  Secretary Brewer’s face appeared instantly. “Commander, the prisoners aboard Kite have escaped.”

  “Huh?” Heskan both questioned and acknowledged.

  “They were led by Lieutenant Jac
k Truesworth and Chief Andrew Brown.”

  “What?” Heskan exclaimed as he shot upright on his bed. “Brown? Are you sure? How?”

  “We have them recorded from Kite’s airlock camera. Brown led them right off of the ship and onto the orbital,” Brewer explained. “I’ve put the orbital security forces on alert and have patrols of agents searching the station.”

  Heskan was staring blankly at the datapad as he mumbled to himself, “That doesn’t make sense. What could have happened?” He finally focused on Brewer. “I need to see the recording. Have you stopped departures from the orbital?”

  “Not yet,” Brewer replied. “We’re finishing our sweep first but, personally, I think they’ve had ample time to flee the station.” Brewer’s eyes narrowed considerably. “These men worked for you for quite a while, Commander. Did you have any suspicion of their treasonous propensities?”

  Heskan remained silent for the exact amount of time he had planned when anticipating this question. Finally, he slowly shook his head with a pained expression before letting his eyes drop, again practiced countless times in front of a mirror although he improvised his verbal response. “I cannot, for the life of me, think of any reason why Chief Brown would betray the Republic… after thirty years of service...” He looked up at Brewer and asked, “Why would he throw all that away?”

  Brewer replied with an equally measured response. “I would like to know that very answer, Commander. I’m sending a shuttle down to collect you. I’m afraid your vacation is cancelled. I want you on Envoy-Three as soon as possible.”

  Heskan saw Brewer’s hand reach toward the camera to terminate the conversation, returning his hotel room to relative darkness. The wall screen, set to window mode, foretold of dawn as slivers of orange-red light bathed the horizon with a faint glow. After several minutes, he moved toward the sonic shower.

  * * *

  Immediately after his conversation with Heskan, Brewer’s eyes snapped to the two men on the opposite side of his conference table on Envoy-3. “Analysis,” he demanded.

  Field Supervisor Aaron Jennings pointed at his datapad and answered, “The spikes here, here and here are genuine. Voice analysis combined with facial pattern analysis confirm candid surprise when you told him the details of the escape.”

  “His first reaction was an honest one, then?” Neal asked.

  Jennings nodded but hedged. “Well, his very first response was ‘huh’ and I’m getting inconclusive results from the analysis program on that but I attribute that to him being half asleep. His first real reaction, once fully awake, reflects genuine surprise at the news. I’m almost certain of that.”

  “How certain?” Brewer asked.

  “Ninety-three point three percent, sir. If you look here,” Jennings directed as he pointed to analysis waves overlaid on the transcript of the recent conversation, “you’ll see that his answer regarding Brown’s involvement is authentic. Even though he dropped his eyes, the program estimates over a ninety-five percent chance of truthfulness.”

  “He didn’t know, then,” Neal summarized.

  “That’s my assessment, Assistant Secretary,” Jennings concluded. “The software isn’t foolproof but it’s very difficult to beat. It would be even harder just rousing from a deep sleep.”

  Brewer gave the penultimate judgment. “This matches what I know of the man. The apple does not fall far from the tree. Besides, Garrett Heskan would have to have nerves of steel to be in on this and still stay in contact with us.” Brewer paused briefly before announcing to Jennings, “I’m going to attach him to you, Aaron, as an advisor during your investigation. We’re short on manpower because of the botched attempt on Phoenix, and he knows these men better than anyone else. He might be able to provide insight that we don’t have.”

  An eyebrow arched inquisitively over Neal’s eye. “You won’t be handling this investigation directly, Mr. Secretary?”

  Brewer shook his head. “There are far too many strings to be plucked for me to become bound to a single thread.”

  Jennings reset his datapad. “Who is next?” he asked.

  “Lieutenant Spencer, although I want his interview to be in person. As it is, he’s looking at dereliction of duty for gross incompetence as Kite’s captain. Send two agents to collect him and the enlisted man responsible for the airlock that night.”

  * * *

  Hours later, Heskan’s eyes were sweeping over Jack Truesworth’s living quarters on Kite.

  The man standing next to Heskan remained silent for some time before finally breaking the tranquility. “Your first impressions?” Jennings asked.

  Heskan walked to the small closet and glanced in. “He didn’t pack, or at least he didn’t take extra uniforms.” He moved to a small desk and pointed to its docking station. “No datapad. He may have taken it with him. The question is will he be stupid enough to use it?”

  Jennings nodded. “He already used it to conduct a large transaction with a Pallene public transportation shuttle the night of the escape.”

  Heskan’s eyes shot toward Jennings. “They fled to the planet’s surface?”

  “Yes, straight to the capital, unless it was misdirection,” Jennings replied. “Which is more in character for Truesworth?”

  Heskan paused in consideration. “Jack is no strategist. To be perfectly honest, he was a fine sensorman but he lacked the ability to think about the long game.”

  “That’s consistent with someone who waited until the night of the escape to buy shuttle tickets,” Jennings agreed. “However, I would have expected more foresight from a senior chief.”

  Heskan gestured in exasperation, his first truthful emotional demonstration since his conversation with Brewer hours ago. “Yeah, Chief Brown is a planner.” He shook his head and began to speak but stopped. Finally, he stated, “I really don’t understand his involvement.”

  Jennings moved to the neatly made bed in the sterile room and stared at it. The bed sheets were drawn tightly into perfect hospital corners. The entire room reminded him of the quarters of a first-year security cadet. Time spent searching these quarters would be time wasted. “This place has been sanitized,” he judged. “We’re probably not going to discover anything here or in the other rooms. Our best chance is working backwards with each traitor’s signature left by his datapad actions. I’ve only had a short time to study Truesworth’s trail but already I see anomalies. He left and boarded Kite multiple times over the last week and he has a charge at an orbital restaurant that was clearly with a group of people… probably co-conspirators.”

  Heskan felt his heart skip a beat but asked calmly, “Do you want me to run that down?”

  Jennings shook his head. “No, I have another agent working that angle. I want you to go over these rooms with a fine-tooth comb and find me something. Ideally, you’ll find me an actual datapad. Failing that, think about what you know of each of these fugitives and give me insight into what their next move might be.”

  “Will do,” Heskan acknowledged. “I’ll do my best for Secretary Brewer.”

  “That’s what he’ll expect… and so will I.” Jennings scowled at Heskan. “The secretary is not the only man that should concern you.” The warning given, the internal security agent retreated from the room, leaving Heskan alone.

  Heskan watched the door slide shut before exhaling loudly. He clenched and unclenched his fists to work the nervous energy from them. All things considered, he thought, this is going quite well. The optimistic feeling plummeted when his thoughts returned to Jennings’ comment about the bar tab that he, Vernay and Truesworth had placed on the sensorman’s datapad. If that restaurant has surveillance videos and we’re caught sitting together, the game is over. I need to give him something more attractive to chase.

  Heskan had such a distraction in mind but had intentionally made its discovery impossible for several more days. He remained deeply paranoid that his own involvement in the escape was suspected and that his performance earlier when learning of
the breakout had been unconvincing. He had dreaded the first encounter with Brewer, but the conversation had been remarkably quick and one-sided. Helping matters greatly, Heskan had been genuinely gob-smacked at Brown’s collusion. The old chief had pointedly refused to help when Heskan and Vernay had privately enlisted his support days earlier. What happened? Heskan wondered. What changed to have Brown throw away his entire career and loyalty to the Republic?

  He glanced at the wall chronometer. To make it look good, I can’t leave Kite for at least a couple more hours, he estimated. Jennings was correct; the quarters of each conspirator had been meticulously cleaned to provide no evidence of the group’s future movements. The only clue to their whereabouts would originate on Pallene. The evidence was a message sent a day earlier but not scheduled to arrive on Heskan’s datapad until later. Although risky, the missive was designed to ensure Brewer would include Heskan in the investigation.

  Heskan walked back to the closet and smiled at his good fortune. Turns out it wasn’t even necessary, he reflected. I thought it would be difficult to gain access to their circle but they took me right in on their own volition. He set to work clearing space inside the small storage compartment, which would save him time when he returned to Kite. Finished with the closet, he placed the room in disarray, ostensibly to create the appearance that he had thoroughly searched its contents but in reality to help hide the object he would stash during his final visit. The fact that Jennings had ordered each conspirator’s room sealed to anyone not directly involved in the investigation only bolstered Heskan’s belief that his tampering would rest in anonymity until needed.

  Chapter 2

  Vernay’s private cabin on the Jewel of the Night was one of the largest, offering more than enough room for the meeting between herself, Selvaggio, Truesworth, and Brown. All four sat hunched over the computer screen inlaid into the cabin’s desk. Vernay’s datapad was slaved to the universal docking port on the side of it.