by M. R. Forbes
“The one where he returns to Elysium and kills the One,” Abbey said. “Hurshin are so rare. Sam never suspected?”
“He did. He confronted me once. I killed three of his kind and told him that if Thraven came for me, he would die. He knew I would do it. He never told Thraven I was there. I always told myself I would end him before I ever left Machina. You did it for me.”
“What about Gilliam? He was working with Thraven, too.”
“All of the Outworlds are this way. I suspect the Republic is as well, except for Hurse. Gilliam benefitted from my services, and I don’t believe he knew Thraven was looking for me. If he did, he never said. Anyway, when you killed Sam, I lost my safe haven. One way or another, my presence there would be revealed, and I would be hunted as you are. I decided it would be better to help you. You are a curiosity to me. You are also fighting against Gloritant Thraven. And, I believe there is much to learn in this experience.”
“I don’t know if any of what you’ll experience will be pleasant.”
“All knowledge is pleasant.”
“It is?” Abbey said.
“If you were a Hurshin, you would understand.”
“Well, it seems like Machina Four worked out in my favor. I expect you to be part of the team, to follow orders, and to give everything you have to help us.”
“Of course.”
“In that case, welcome to the Rejects.”
27
The combined crews were assembled in the Brimstone’s hangar, the Rejects aligned on the left side and the remainder of Ursan Gall’s mercenaries on the right. Seeing the two groups segregated so deliberately annoyed Abbey, and she approached the front of the columns and froze, her eyes sweeping from one side to the other. Phlenel and her bot moved away from her, joining the ranks.
“Attention!” Dak shouted, his deep voice rumbling across the hangar.
The mercenaries slipped into attention. The Rejects did the same.
She hated even thinking about them as two separate groups. They were all on the same side. They were all fighting against the same thing. Their origins didn’t matter. Their nations didn’t matter.
“What is this?” she asked, moving forward into the aisle that split the two groups.
“What do you mean, Queenie?” Bastion asked.
“This,” she said, pointing at her feet.
“Your feet?” Pik said.
“Why are we here?” she asked.
There was a moment of silence from both sides.
“Why are we here?” she repeated. “Why are we on the Brimstone together? Why hasn’t one side killed the other yet?”
“Because you won’t let us?” Pik guessed.
“No,” Abbey snapped. She walked down the aisle, looking to both sides, making eye contact with the soldiers there.
“Because there are no sides,” Gant said.
Abbey turned and walked back to the front where Gant was standing, still at attention.
“You could have fooled me, Gant,” she said. “What is that?”
“A space,” Iann said.
“Or a line,” Abbey said. “A dividing line. Us and them.” She paused, using the silence as a tool, eyeing them all a second time. “What do you think about that?” she said at last.
“Hmmm. It’s bullshit?” Pik said.
Abbey smiled. “It’s bullshit,” she said loudly. “Fragging bullshit. You have ten seconds to fill in that line. If you’re standing next to somebody you know, you’re going to piss me off. Now fix it.”
They broke attention, scrambling to reorganize while Abbey counted to ten.
“Time’s up,” Abbey said. Everyone stopped and came to attention. She scanned the group. “For those of you here that haven’t met me yet, my name is Abigail Cage. Notice that there’s no rank attached to that. While I used to be a part of the Republic Armed Services, I’m not a member of the Republic military anymore. Guess what? Neither are you. Any of you. If you were in the Outworld military, that’s over, too.”
“So what are we, ma’am?” Iann asked.
“I’m glad you asked. It’s Olain, right?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“We’re the Rejects,” Abbey said. “We’re the ones who don’t fit inside the boundaries. Of governments, of expectations, of laws. We’re the ones who don’t let petty bullshit hold us back and keep us from doing what needs to be done. Petty bullshit like whose side we used to be on. Because the rules have changed. The sides have changed. There’s only one threat, and that’s Gloritant Thraven and the Nephilim. You saw what he did to Anvil. You helped destroy a Republic border patrol in his name. He lied to you. He used you. He tricked you. He used me, too. He used Phlenel over there. He used Pik. He’s been manipulating us. Moving us around like pieces on a fragging chess board. I’m done with that. So are you.
Today, we’re starting fresh. Today, you aren’t mercenaries. You aren’t fugitives from Hell. You aren’t running. You aren’t hiding. Today we’re starting our own legion outside of the Republic and the Outworlds. Today, you answer only to one another and to me. If you have people you care about out there, if you want to protect them, if you want our side to win, today you give up your loyalty to anything that runs counter to that mission.”
Abbey paused. She had gone through this little speech in her head a few times, but she had always stumbled at this part. Not only did it sound kind of hokey, but it also wasn’t something she wanted. It was the way things had to be.
“If you’re in, then today is the day you swear your allegiance to the Rejects, and to me.”
“Our Queen?” Benhil asked.
“Yeah, something like that,” Abbey replied.
There was a moment of tense silence as the words washed over the group. Abbey kept her eyes on Ursan’s crew. If anyone was going to resist, it would be them.
“What. What do we do?” Iann asked. “To swear allegiance, I mean?”
“On your knee,” Gant said, standing near her. He lowered himself onto a knee and bowed his head. “You already know it, but I’m with you, Queenie.”
“Yeah, me, too,” Bastion said, falling to a knee.
“And me,” Pik said.
“And me,” Dak said.
“I’m with you, Queenie,” Iann said, copying Gant.
“I’m with you,” Benhil said.
“I’m with you,” Jequn said.
“I’m in,” Phlenel said.
“I’m in, too, Queenie,” Erlan said. “For Feru.”
The other assembled soldiers bowed to her, one by one until they were all on the ground in front of her. She felt a cold chill at the sight. She had never wanted to be in charge of the original Rejects, and now their numbers were growing. It seemed it was her fate.
“Your word is your bond,” she said. “If you break it, expect retribution not only from me but also from any other member of the Rejects, now and in the future. Thraven wants to beat us through division. It’s essential that we don’t let that happen. Is that understood?”
“Yes, ma’am,” they shouted back at her, getting it tight and on point on the first try.
“Good. Now stand up. We have work to do.”
The assembly came to its feet.
“Whatever role you’re in is the role you’ll be staying in, unless I change it. You’ll address me as ma’am, or Queenie, or Queen, or DQ. I’m not that picky, just say it with respect. What we’re about to do is going to be dangerous. There’s a good chance none of us will live long enough for any of it to matter. We need to work together to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
“Yes, ma’am,” the soldiers said.
“Here’s how we’re going to do this. Bastion, Jequn, and I are going to take the Faust to the Bain system. We have solid intel that General Sylvan Kett’s base is there, and that he’s been building a force to counter Thraven. Unfortunately, we think the enemy has the same information we do, which means we need to reach him before Thraven does.
“While I’
m gone recruiting, the rest of you will be going to the planet Kell. Your mission is to disrupt Thraven’s operations there. Leadership has already devised a plan for the assault, and it will be shared with you over the coming hours. Each of you has a vital role to play in our overall chance of success. You all have specific strengths and skills, and we need every one of them if we’re going to throw a wrench into the Gloritant’s plans and save our homeworlds. Are you with me?”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Good. Do any of you have any questions?”
Nobody came forward. Abbey could see the resolve on each of their faces. The motivation. Thraven had lied to them. He had used them. She was using them too, in her own way. She cared more about Hayley than she did any of the Outworld planets. So what? Each of them wanted to save their own worlds and the individuals they cared about. It was a common goal to build around. Hell, even Benhil had given up on the idea of taking off in exchange for the chance to stop the Gloritant’s invasion. History was filled with stories of desperate defenders surmounting impossible odds to save the things that were most important to them.
She had every intention of adding theirs.
“You’re all dismissed to your assigned duties. Bastion, Benhil, Jequn, Gant, Dak, Ruby, please stay behind.”
The rest of the crew filed out of the hangar in silence. The others assembled around her.
“Well spoken,” Ruby said.
“What’s up, Boss?” Dak asked.
“Where are we with the plans?”
“Jester and I have started assembling the explosives,” Gant said. “We’re only going to have enough for ten ships, at most.”
“Which means we’re going to need spotters on the ground,” Benhil said. “We can’t waste ammo on ships that aren’t ready to fly.”
“Do we have any way of identifying converted warships?” Abbey asked.
“I’ve been looking at the data from the engines, as you requested,” Gant said. “I think I can put something together to sense the difference in energy output. I don’t know exactly how the naniates are producing power. It seems to be some kind of fusion, but it doesn’t match a typical reactor. The output is an order of magnitude larger than the input.”
“Ship sensors don’t typically bother with trying to pick up those kinds of variations,” Dak said. “There’s no point when everyone is using the same tech.”
“We might be able to read the signature of a cloaked vessel if we can adjust the equipment properly,” Gant said.
“We don’t need them to be that sensitive right now,” Abbey said. “Just enough that we can tell which of the ground targets already have the reactors installed. We need to save the people there from that torture.”
“It won’t help if they aren’t online,” Gant said.
“If they aren’t online we don’t need to worry about them,” Abbey replied. “At least not right away. We can hit the obvious targets first, and then circle back once the prisoners are out.”
“Assuming we can get them out,” Benhil said. “And assuming they’re in any condition to fight.”
“He went after Anvil for a reason,” Abbey said. “He wanted soldiers. Even if they’re beaten, once we let them out they’ll be ready to fight.”
“Especially when we bring the equipment to them,” Ruby said.
“With any luck, by the time Kett’s forces arrive they’ll have nothing to do but mop up, and Thraven will be down to four ships.”
“Four ships like the Brimstone,” Bastion said. “Still enough to do a lot of damage.”
“Only until they run out of torpedoes,” Gant said.
“Now that they have the technology, they’ll be careful not to lose it again,” Jequn said. “If we destroy Kell, Thraven will set up somewhere else.”
“Which will take time,” Abbey said. “And give us more time. It’s the best we can do.”
“He won’t give up,” Jequn said. “He won’t retreat. Not ever. None of the Nephilim will. Not if they believe the time of the Great Return has arrived.”
“That’s fine with me,” Abbey replied. “We won’t either. This is our galaxy. I’m not letting them have it. Ruby, is the Faust loaded and ready to go?”
“Yes, Queenie.”
“Seventy-four hours,” Abbey said, looking at Gant.
“Don’t be late,” he replied.
“We won’t be.”
“And be careful, will you? I don’t want to have to think you’re dead again.”
“You too.” She smiled. “Even if we aren’t friends.”
“We aren’t?” Gant said, confused.
“No. We’re family. Take it to the bank and deposit it.”
Gant laughed. “Aye, Queenie. Deposited. Be safe. We’ll keep the fires burning for you.”
“Literally,” Benhil said. “Good luck, Queenie.”
“You, too. All of you. You know how to reach me if anything changes. Imp, Cherub, let’s go.”
28
The Faust came out of FTL in the Bain System ten hours later, a plume of disterium surrounding the ship as it blinked back into existence and traveled away from the gas.
“Scanning,” Bastion said, reaching over and tapping a few controls on the ship’s worn dashboard.
“Obviously, the coordinates weren’t an exact path to the planet,” Abbey said, looking out of the viewport. They were in the middle of open, empty space, with no obvious celestial bodies close by.
“I’m sure someone will be out to meet us,” Jequn said. “We just have to wait.”
“Not long,” Bastion said, pointing at the HUD, where a distant glint of metal had been outlined. “That’s a sniffer satellite. I’m sure it picked up the plume.”
Abbey leaned in to get a closer look at the outline, putting her face close to Bastion’s.
Bastion turned his head. “I think this is the closest you’ve ever been to me.”
“Don’t get used to it,” Abbey replied.
Bastion laughed. “Come on, Queenie. I’m not that bad, am I?”
She shifted her face, putting it right in his. She looked into his eyes. In truth, he wasn’t as bad as she had originally believed. There was an actual person under the loudmouthed exterior. A person who didn’t have an evolutionary component of loyalty like Gant, but was still loyal enough that he had gone to Hell for trying to save his team, even if it had been a ridiculously stupid thing to do.
“No,” she said, smiling. “But you’re still an asshole.”
“Thanks, I guess,” he said shifting in his seat. “Maybe one day I’ll get a straight complement out of you.”
“You’re getting closer,” she admitted.
“Oh, yeah? You told Gant he was family. Does that go for me, too?”
“Do you want to be family? I’m not into incest.”
“You’re suggesting I have a shot?”
“You have more of a shot today than you did two weeks ago.”
“In that case, we aren’t family.” He stared at the HUD and then pointed to two dots in the distance. “There. Computer says they’re Daedalus heavy starfighters. It looks like our boy Kett has some pretty sweet assets.” Something beeped behind them. “We’re being hailed.”
“Open the channel,” Abbey said.
“Excuse my reach,” Bastion said, turning and leaning back to the comm equipment. He flipped one of the analog toggles.
“Unidentified vessel,” one of the starfighter pilots said. “This is protected space. Please identify.”
“Abigail Cage of the starship Faust,” Abbey said. “I’m here to speak with General Sylvan Kett.”
The starfighters were closing in a hurry, taking a wide path around the ship.
“I don’t like that move,” Bastion said. “That’s an attack maneuver.”
“I’ve never heard of Sylvan Kett,” the pilot replied. “This space is protected by the Sovereignty of Azure. You have twenty seconds to clear the area.”
“Sovereignty of Azure?” Abbey sa
id, looking at Jequn.
Jequn shrugged. “I’ve never heard of it. It could be General Kett trying to throw us off. We are uninvited, after all.”
“Could be,” Abbey agreed. “Imp, get us some velocity. Be prepared to take evasive maneuvers if they attack.”
“Roger.”
“I know Kett is out here,” Abbey said through the comm. “And nobody believes your bullshit.”
“Fifteen seconds,” the pilot replied.
The two fighters were angling back from the rear. The HUD beeped.
“They’ve got a lock on us.”
“Seriously?” Abbey said, annoyed. “Listen, shithead; I’m here to see Kett. He isn’t expecting me. Do you get what that means, or do I need to spell it out?”
“Ten seconds,” the pilot replied.
“Fine, I’ll spell it out. Thraven knows Kett is out here. How many seconds do you think we have until he shows up?”
“Five seconds,” the pilot said.
They were coming up on the Faust from behind. Bastion had added thrust and was sitting still and focused at the yoke, ready to try to evade the starfighters. She doubted the Faust could handle it, even if her pilot was capable.
“Fragging bastards,” Bastion muttered. “I thought Kett was on our side?”
“Damn it,” Abbey said. “You didn’t use the Focus to save me off Drune just to kill me here, did you?”
The fighters slowed suddenly, their vectors changing as they peeled away.
“Yeah, that’s right,” Bastion said. “Move aside before I blow your asses up.”
“Identity confirmed,” the pilot said. “Welcome to Bain, Lieutenant Cage.”
“I’m not the Lieutenant of anything,” Abbey said. “You can call me Queenie.”
“Roger. Welcome to Bain, Queenie.”
“And you are?”
“Captain Jonathan Ness, Republic Intergalactic Navy. Former. Sorry for the scare, but we can’t be too careful. I’m patching you through to General Kett now.”
“Roger,” Abbey replied.