Slipspace: Harbinger

by P. C. Haring

  “I believe the Remali are as much a victim in all of this as everyone, and with respect to any difference of opinion you might have with me, the fact remains that we currently have a positive relationship with the Remali.”

  “Until now, yes. This knowledge changes things.”

  “It can, if we let it. They’re not in a position to alter it based solely on what we’ve learned. That power lies with us.”

  “Agreed.”

  Cody cleared his throat. “Right now, we have an open dialog through which we can learn more about the Remali and what they’ve done to fight the Ralgon. Hell, learning about how they might have been created might do wonders for finding a way to kill them.”

  Cassie nodded in agreement once again.

  “And if Cent-Com recalls us, and the next time we return to Remali space—if ever— is with the force of a fleet and spoil for a fight, that open dialog will be effectively closed.”

  “The logic follows.”

  Cody smiled again. “As I said, I respect your opinion. If you believe that I’m right and the Remali are victims, then we can’t let this pass by. If you believe this is a cover-up and the Remali are complicit, then we need to use this open dialog to learn what we can from the Remali before we take up arms against them. Either way, our best course of action is to stay right here.”

  Cassie nodded gently as she considered his words. “Regardless, we have to inform Cent-Com. We’re due for a scheduled update. What do we do?”

  Cody stopped pacing and turned. “I could use your help.”

  November 8, 2832

  21:30

  Mjöllnir – Captain’s Office

  CODY AMADO’S brow wrinkled as he winced under the abuse of Admiral Marr’s booming voice. The lack of sleep, combined with the lack of a proper meal, had been enough to cause the headache; he did not need the noise coming from the Admiral to reinforce it. He would ask Nira for something when he got off this meeting.

  If it ever ended.

  “How the hell can you stand there, defending the Remali, Captain?”

  Again, Amado winced. He held his silence for an extra moment, a bit longer than the Admiral might have liked. But at the same time, the Captain intended not to anger the flag officer any more than he already had. This was the right course of action. Damning the Remali would solve nothing and there was nothing the Alliance could do to punish them any more than they already had been punished by the Ralgon.

  “Admiral,” he started, his tone slow and deliberate more for the sake of his thought process than trying to calm his superior. “With respect, sir, please try to see my reasoning.”

  A wave of the Admiral’s hand stopped him short. “In this twenty-page report, Captain? I’m sorry, I don’t care how you try to spin this; they created them! I have no intention of letting you and your crew stay and assist them. They brought the war down upon us!”

  “Not directly, Admiral!”

  “How can you be sure, Captain? Show me the damned proof!”

  Amado started to respond, his instinct taking over, but he caught himself and took a breath, forcing the conversation to slow its pace. He had given him the proof he demanded, and now he demanded more.

  “Admiral, with respect, you have the proof in front of you. My report is accurate, complete, and contains a full summary of everything Commander Amado discovered.”

  On the screen, Marr shrugged. “So,” he said, as his arms fell to his desk. “Why should I accept your recommendation, Captain?”

  “Admiral, for the sake of this conversation, let us accept what we discovered as objective truth. How many times in our own history have our own errors in judgment, or our own experiments, come back to haunt us? The road to hell is paved with the best of intentions. Do you think the physicists of the twentieth century truly knew the power they wrought when they built the first atomic weapons? Did not one of them say they had become death, the destroyer of worlds? The Remali have paid a very heavy price for their errors. Their worlds are destroyed; their citizens live as refugees; their entire society is on the verge of collapse. Have they not been punished enough?”

  Marr heaved a breath but his demeanor did not relax. “And now, let us assume that they fed you a bag of lies.”

  “Why would they lie about creating the Ralgon?”

  Marr’s face fell into a tightened glare as though he were preparing to yell again. He braced himself for what was to come, but his sister’s voice behind him stepped in.

  “Excuse me, Admiral. Please pardon my interruption, but if I may, I’d like to add my opinion to this conversation.”

  Marr straightened his uniform as he cleared his throat. He threw a glare at Cassie through the view-screen.

  “Commander, if you’re about to stand there and echo Captain Amado’s sentiments, you can save your breath.”

  Cassie raised her hand, placating the Admiral. “Sir, if I may.”

  Marr rolled his eyes and waved his hand, granting her request.

  “With all due respect to my commanding officer, Admiral, I cannot agree with his assessment.”

  Cody held his place, giving Cassie the opportunity to speak her piece.

  “Admiral, I am not as swayed by Captain Amado’s optimistic appraisal of the Remali position. Quite frankly, even if it is factually accurate, the Remali must still be held responsible for their actions.”

  Marr smiled and sat back

  “Go on, Commander.”

  Cassie stepped in front of Cody, forcing him into the background.

  “Having said that, Admiral, if we hold the Remali responsible, we will need all of the intelligence we can get on them, yes?”

  He nodded in silence, allowing her to continue.

  “The easiest way to obtain that, Admiral, is for the Remali to continue giving it to us. If we show up on their doorstep with a fleet ready to shoot first and ask questions later, we lose our best opportunity to investigate them.”

  Marr leaned forward, “You’re asking me to let you stay, Commander?”

  “I am, Admiral. We are.” She stepped back to Cody’s side. “We both are asking for the same thing, for different reasons. But ultimately, we both agree that the Alliance’s best strategic move is to maintain a presence as allies with the Remali.”

  A tense moment passed before he spoke up again. “Captain Amado, your ship is authorized to remain in the Remali sector in effort to both gather intelligence and continue building the alliance you have started.”

  Cody nodded, “Thank you, Admiral.”

  “Oh, and Captain, you had better watch yourself lest you find your executive officer promoted over you.”

  “Yes sir.”

  The screen blacked out, allowing Cody to heave a sigh of relief.

  “Well, that went well.”

  November 8, 2832

  22:00

  Mjöllnir - Captain’s Quarters

  THE SILENCE BROUGHT a welcome change of environment, a break from the busy nature of his command, a moment to relax and think. Nira lay spread out across the couch, her head resting comfortably on his chest as he sat up in the corner. The screen in front of them displayed one of the civilian entertainment packages the ship had received in the most recent data burst. Nira had seen it in the catalogue and she practically leapt out of her chair in excitement. It only held sway for Cody to the extent that it held sway for his wife. But she had fallen asleep a half hour ago, and he had since muted the sound, letting the video continue to play out. He should have turned it off and gone to bed, carrying her to where she could rest properly. But he could not bring himself to disturb the serenity.

  His hand absently stroked her hair and he drew his finger over her shoulder, down her side and flank, and over the soft curve of her hip. In her sleep, she nuzzled closer to him and his hand fell off her hip, coming to rest across her stomach. How had he managed to get so lucky? He’d never know and he’d never ask, lest he wake up from the dream their married life had been thus far. Even in her slumber
her beauty slayed and he would never know how she kept her patience with his long nights, and odd-hours meetings. But, as they lay there, unmoving, enjoying each other’s company, he now understood why she had wanted to come aboard, why she had not put up a greater fight. As close as he wanted to be with her, she wanted to be even closer to him. He gently pulled her tighter.

  The repeated rhythmic beeping of the comm drew his attention, stirring Nira ever-so-slightly. He turned around, taking care to not disturb her any more than necessary. His hand found the bracer on the end table and he keyed the response key.

  “Amado,” he whispered, moving the unit close to his ear.

  “Cody,” came Cassie’s voice, “we’ve received confirmation from Cent-Com. We’re good to go, and have received official provisional authorization to aid in the defense of the station.”

  “What’s the provision?”

  “We are not to fire first. We are not to fire at all or even launch fighters unless directly fired upon. We are authorized to assist in the evacuation only, but not to engage unless directly attacked.”

  That tracked. Cent-Com was not interested in getting into a shooting war with the Verasai, as he had predicted when he had given the same stipulation to Rashar. At current course and speed, they would be back at Surahan in the early hours of the morning and with any luck, they could take on refugees immediately. “Fair enough. Contact General Rashar and let her know that we will be ready to take on evacuees. Please schedule a briefing for the morning.”

  “Will do. Good night, Cody.”

  The line went quiet.

  Cody set the unit down, but when he turned back he met his wife’s violet eyes.

  “Didn’t mean to wake you.”

  She shook her head softly as she nestled higher on his chest. “It happens. I’m used to it.”

  Her eyes closed once again, but she remained awake this time. His hand found its way to the small of her back, stroking rhythmically as his mind wandered back to his previous question.

  “How do you put up with me? Where do you find the patience?”

  Nira perked up at that. “I love you.”

  She offered nothing further, as though those three words explained everything. Perhaps, for her, they did. If ever there had been a physical embodiment of unconditional love, Cody had found it in Nira Fen Amado. What had ever possessed her to choose him, he would never understand. As if sensing his uncertainty, she pulled him towards her and kissed him. He lost himself in the moment and embraced his wife.

  November 9, 2832

  09:00

  Mjöllnir - Engine Room Junction Corridor

  MELOR SHOVED the new power relay into its housing for the fourth time and, for the fourth time, it refused to seat properly. She cursed as if insulting the unit would somehow hurt its feelings and cause it to behave on the fifth attempt. She pulled the unit back, holding the awkwardly-sized unit with three of her hands as she applied another layer of grease to replace what had scrapped off. The staff meeting had been bullshit. From the moment she laid eyes on Surahan, Melor knew she would regret it and how here she was repairing the ship so that it could protect those damned Remali from her own people.

  The Remali had been a nuisance ever since they pushed against Verasai attempts to expand their frontier. Losing the station had been a black mark, one made ever darker by their inability to take the station back. But that mystery had been solved. The minefield would have ripped the Verasai fleets apart. At least the Remali didn’t press their attack. Never mind the fact they didn’t really have to. They could just sit back and let their Ralgon pets do the dirty work for them. Now the Captain wanted her to fight her own people and defend those who had sent the Ralgon to destroy her home world. Not only that, but now she was under orders to make nice with them.

  A guttural growl accompanied the fifth attempt to seat the relay, but this time it seated properly and clicked into place. She closed the panel off, gathered her tools, and headed back to main engineering where Piper was waiting at the power distribution station. They spent a few minutes consulting each other before she caught sight of Commander Amado standing on the main deck below her. She stepped away from Piper and the commander waved, drawing her attention. Melor pointed to a spot at the base of a ladder and after a short descent, met the executive officer

  “Commander, what can I do for you?”

  “The Captain’s requested a status report.”

  Melor’s forehead wrinkled. “He said he wasn’t expecting anything from me for another hour.”

  She shrugged. “He’s hoping to start loading evacuees soon and I think he wants to review it before that begins and we lose breathing room.”

  Melor held her temper in check, but instead extended a hand behind her as she twisted to allow Cassie to pass into her private office. “Right, this way.” They stepped in and closed the door. Melor stepped around to her desk and began shuffling through the tablets and reports that lay scattered about.

  “I’ll come right to the point,” Cassie started. “I’m not here for a status report on the ship. That was pretense to let us talk in private without raising suspicions.”

  “Then what are you here for, Commander?”

  “To check in on you. We all saw how you reacted at the meeting and...”

  Melor leaned forward on her desk, her hands curling into fists. “...and he sent you here to check up on me, did he?”

  “No, actually, he didn’t. I’m here on my own. I am concerned about you but wanted to speak to you first before taking this to the Captain. So, where are you?”

  The Verasai shook her head. “What do you mean ‘where am I’? I’m standing in my office in the engine room of the Mjöllnir.”

  Cassie waved her hand, dismissing the answer. “Not what I meant. Where’s your head? Are you with us or would you rather be relieved to your quarters?”

  Melor stood up straight and delivered the answer everyone expected to hear. “I’m fine. I’ve made my choice, and the Verasai have made theirs. This is where I stand and where I belong.”

  Cassie stepped forward. “Are you sure, Lieutenant? I can pull you from the duty roster and no one would think less of you.”

  She wanted to say no and request to be pulled, to have no part in armed conflict against her people, and her mother to boot. But the truth of what she had just said to Commander Amado struck Melor as her mother’s words so many years ago, echoed in her mind.

  “If you go, you will not be welcome here anymore.”

  They had made those decisions long ago when she had left. Her mother had committed to the Verasai and she had committed to the Alliance. No matter how much she might want—no matter how much she did want to step back, —she could not sit idle in her quarters while her fellow crewmen fought and died to defend this ship and ideals for which it stood. She had taken the same oath as the rest of them. She had sworn to do her duty.

  “No,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “No,” she repeated again, this time putting some conviction in her voice. “I appreciate the offer, Commander. But I will not walk away from my post and my responsibilities just because it might be uncomfortable.”

  Commander Amado took in a breath and eyed her, possibly to give her one last opportunity to back out. Melor stood her ground and allowed no hint of weakness to show.

  “All right then. I’ll expect you in OpCom at before the Verasai fleet arrives. Don’t be late.”

  November 9, 2832

  13:00

  Surahan Pulsar - Station Defense Zone

  THE ENGINES of Labonne’s fighter wound down as the wings folded into standard cruise mode, and the fighter returned to level flight, relative to the Mjöllnir’s flight deck. Alongside, Valeer’s fighter pulled into formation. Without warning she spun the ship around on a hard 180 pitch and reignited her engines, shooting away like a bat out of hell. Valeer pursued, matching the maneuver and giving chase. She led him into one of the mine clusters dodging and weaving her way through, darin
g him to follow. He accepted the challenge and charged forward, but turned at the last second, avoiding entering the cluster, instead skirting around. She turned, intent on opening up the throttle, but alarms warned her of an incoming missile attack. She hadn’t seen him re-orient himself, so she would cut across his field of fire. She turned hard to starboard, followed by an immediate cut, pitching ninety degrees up. The two hard direction changes confused the missile guidance and they streaked away, never to be heard from again. Behind her, Valeer slotted in behind her. If he was foolish enough to try and match her maneuver for maneuver, she would pull him into a pattern where she could predict his movement and then eat him alive.

  The alarm buzzer sounded again. Valeer had let another missile off the rail. Again, she cut hard to port, but before she could take any other action, another buzzer sounded, this one overlapping with the first. Another warhead streaked towards her, this one on a wider angle than the first and she had unwittingly turned into its angle of attack. Instinct took her as she hit the controls and flipped for a hard one-eighty.

  The buzzer heralded the pending arrival of the third weapon. In the half-second between the time she realized it and the weapon’s explosion in a brilliant display of harmless pyrotechnics, she realized she had lost. Her combat computer confirmed the suspicion, reporting that Valeer had, in fact, scored a kill.

  “How do you humans put it...gotcha!”

  Labonne’s ship leveled out once again as Valeer pulled alongside.

  “Well done, I thought I had lost you back there,” she said over the comm.

  “That would be the point.”

  They continued in silence as they re-adjusted their systems and shut down the training scenario both ships were running.

  “Still,” she continued, as though the conversation had never paused, “had this been live fire, I would have kicked your ass.”

  “You think so, Jenna?”

  Her response, if any, was cut off by the alert in her ear. She turned to her screens as the comm line went active. “Surahan control to all vessels in the sector, we have detected the Verasai fleet inbound. All ships regroup and defend the installation. All ships regroup for defensive actions!”