“Those ships are on a diplomatic mission,” Carr said.
“You send one ship on a diplomatic mission. You send a fleet of ships to fight a war. No, this is one of the few things upon which Governor Sheel and I agree. In fact, I may destroy them all using only my titan—it will be a little more sporting that way.” With a smirk on his face, Haldryn and Naar turned to leave, but Carr called out to them.
“Hey! I just want to know one thing.”
Both of the Rhuzaris looked back to him.
“What’s the name of the guard that beat her?” Carr asked, pointing to Sanchez.
Haldryn made a dismissive sound and marched out of the room, with Naar close behind.
The door locked and there was a moment of quiet.
“Attus.”
Carr and Sanchez looked over to the other cell. A young man, maybe twenty years of age, stood with his hands grasping the cell door bars.
“The big one, the guard that beat her, he’s beaten me a lot. His name is Attus.”
“Thanks. I’m Carr and this is Sanchez. Who are you?”
The young man hesitated at first, but then spoke up. “Paul. Paul Schwall.”
21: Valkyrie
Esterkeep
One day after the stadium attack
It occurred to her that she had never been in a police station, let alone a jail. One would have thought that during the years she served as a Delegate, maybe there would have been a visit to a constabulary station on some sort of photo-op or fact finding trip, but there hadn’t been. This was going to be a new experience—in many ways.
The Central Holding Facility had been seized by the army yesterday, along with every other Home Ministry facility in the capital. As First Consul Darracott walked down the hallway, soldiers snapped to attention and saluted. If they didn’t recognize her face, her short white hair gave them a clue as to her identity. Of course, having a colonel at her side also helped to command a certain amount of respect.
At the end of the hallway, they found two figures waiting for them in front of a door marked ROOM 114: INTERROGATION. One of the people was the director of OMI.
“When was the last time you slept, Jason?” Darracott asked.
Tolbert pretended to think about the question. “I don’t know—about a month ago, I guess.”
The briefest of smiles came to Darracott’s face. “Seriously, what are you doing here?”
“Squeezing the last drops of juice out of our grapes.”
“Why don’t you go home and get a few hours of rest? Colonel Hinojosa and I can handle it from here.”
The Director nodded to Hinojosa and then looked back to the First Consul. “I’ll see it through with you.” Tolbert motioned toward a female officer standing next to him. “First Consul, this is the provisional commandant of the Central Holding Facility, Major Flood.”
The fair-haired woman in the gray uniform snapped to attention and gave Darracott a sharp salute.
“Are you an Odessan, Major?” asked the First Consul.
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Where from?”
“I grew up in a town called Redfrost, First Consul. It’s at the western base of Kaskia Montes.”
“Oh, yes, I know it. A pleasure to meet you, Major,” Darracott said sincerely, always happy to encounter a fellow Odessan in the capital.
“The pleasure is mine, First Consul. All of Odessa is proud of you, ma’am,” replied the Major. They were words that Flood had clearly been dying to say.
Darracott almost blushed. “Thank you, Major, I appreciate that.” She extended her hand to Flood, who shook it firmly.
In a flash, Major Flood was back to all business. “Guard,” she barked, almost startling the First Consul.
As the door slid open, it revealed the prisoner, seated at a small table. The corpulent man did not rise, he simply stared straight ahead as two soldiers entered, followed by Hinojosa, Tolbert, and finally Darracott. The Major remained in the hallway.
Darracott sat down opposite the former Home Minister. No one said anything for what seemed like ages. She just stared at him, a contemptuous stare he tried to match. Finally, Stone Siebert grew weary of the game.
“I suppose you think it’s funny that I’m locked up in one of my own jails.”
“I haven’t found much to be funny in the last twenty-four hours.”
Siebert nodded. “Did you come here to gloat? I’m surprised you had the courage to show up at all, since I’m undoubtedly just going to be executed without a trial. Why don’t you just order some poor soldier to murder me and be done with it?”
Darracott let a humorless smile spread across her face. “Forget it. You’re not provoking me into giving you a trial. I’ll not give you a forum to become some sort of half-assed martyr.”
“The people of the Union don’t need a martyr to remind them, they know perfectly well what’s going on. We live in a bloody military dictatorship, one from which Choi and I were trying to set them free. And you, you’re nothing but a space force puppet, a collaborator. So is the army for that matter. I expected better of General Stavrianos.” Siebert shot a dirty look Hinojosa’s way.
“You’re a fool, Stone,” said Darracott. “The last thing Brin Choi was trying to do was reestablish a democracy. She was using you. No matter—it all fell apart and here you are.”
For the first time, Siebert seemed like a beaten man. He stared down at the table. “As you say, here I am.”
Onto the tabletop in front of him, Colonel Hinojosa slid a datatab with images of Victor Polanco and several other people Siebert didn’t know.
“Stone Siebert,” Darracott’s voice said in a formal tone, “you are declared guilty of the murders of Admiral Victor Polanco, Lieutenant Amanda Nash, Staff Sergeant Willis Dodson, Lance Corporal Andrea Marchenko, Officers Sam Weathers, and Robert Meyer. The sentence is death.”
Siebert looked up from the pictures, focusing back on the First Consul. “That’s it, huh? No trial, no jury, no presentation of evidence—just a nice, neat secret execution. You know, Renata, if there were a trial, you’d be my exhibit ‘A,’ because you’re living proof that I’m right.
“I’m sorry about the others,” he said. “But I won’t apologize for Polanco. He was a tyrant and the Union is better off without him.”
“You’re sorry about the others,” Darracott said, dragging the words out slowly. “You’re sorry? My Gods man, your orders took the lives of two of your own people. You killed Stormy Weathers, as sure as if you’d pulled the trigger yourself. Stormy died saving my life, a life you would have gladly taken from me had it not been for him.”
During the car ride to the Central Holding Facility, Darracott had gone over this moment in her mind. She knew there would come a time when Siebert would be ‘proud,’ where he would claim it was all done as a patriotic act. She had made up her mind that it wouldn’t derail her from the course she had chosen. Stay calm. Stay focused. Stick to the script.
“Colonel, the gun.”
Hinojosa produced a plasma pistol and placed it on the table in front of Darracott. The First Consul waved her hand over the datatab and the images changed to a new set of faces. Siebert glanced at them and the blood drained from his face.
“Your wife, your two sons and their wives,” she said coldly.
Siebert shuddered. “They had nothing to do with this. They had nothing to do with this at all! Leave them out of it. Please, let them alone!”
Darracott glanced down at the pistol before her. “Only you can make that happen, Stone. We’re leaving now. If you’re dead within the next five minutes, your family will be spared. If you’re not dead within the next five minutes, you and your entire family will be executed within twenty-four hours. The clock starts ticking when that door closes.”
Siebert spoke in a low, simmering voice. “You’re a monster. Don’t you see what’s happening to you? They’ve made you into a monster—their monster.”
The sentries covered their exi
t. Just before the door closed, Darracott turned to Siebert. He sat paralyzed at the table, staring at the weapon.
“May the Many Gods have mercy on your soul. By the way, Stone, the pistol only has one charge. Don’t miss.”
The door closed and locked behind her.
“Start the clock, Colonel,” Darracott ordered. “Director, has there been any word regarding Choi?”
“Not about her directly, but there is news. A few minutes before you arrived, I was informed that the frigate Tanis turned up at Uritski Station and surrendered. There's no word yet on either of the other fugitive vessels.”
“Well, that’s something. One less ship to fall into someone else’s hands. Have Admiral Sanchez press the space navies of other governments to be on the lookout. Surely, he has some back channels he can use. Maybe someone like the Galbanese or the Varranic Clans can be—”
The sound of a dull thud came from within Room 114. Colonel Hinojosa opened a peephole in the door and then nodded back to the First Consul.
“Rennie, tell me,” asked Jason Tolbert quietly. “Would you have really executed his entire family?”
The First Consul stood silent for a moment, as if lost in thought. Nobody else said a word until she finally spoke. “Let’s go, we have some more prisoners to visit.”
22: Jump
Union battleship Vespera
Edge of the Sol system
The huge ship dropped out of hyperspace, flashing into existence as ships did when making the translation to realspace. The SUSF tanker engaged its ion drive engines and started to move closer to the other vessels.
Fifteen Sarissan warships bunched together at Rally Point Alpha, a slice of vacuum located about 230 million kilometers outside the heliopause of the Sol star system. Alpha was the staging point for Task Force 19’s next move, which would be a jump into the Sol system.
“Captain, Kanno has made translation. That’s the last ship, sir.”
A tall, striking man rose from his command chair on the bridge of the battleship Vespera. “Inform the Admiral. In fact, I think I’ll go down there myself. Ms. Sullivan, you have the bridge.”
Entering the turbolift, Captain Julius Kingwell could feel the tension rising among his crew. The nearly month-long journey to Sol was at an end and a sortie into the home system of humanity was imminent. Various people across the task force knew bits and pieces of what was going on, but even the admiral didn’t know the whole story. To find out, they would have to encounter the newcomers—whoever or whatever they might be.
As the captain arrived at the flag bridge, Admiral Getchell and his staff were going over final details and working out contingency plans. Nobody had ever dealt with a situation like this before. It was hard to prepare answers when you didn’t know what the questions were going to be.
“Admiral, Kanno just arrived. That’s everyone,” reported Kingwell.
“Everyone except Tempest. I hope Pettigrew made it out of Hybrias in time to help us. I’d give my eye teeth for another heavy cruiser right now.”
“Agreed. Personally, I wouldn’t mind having that scout ship those idiots at Camp Caspeta allowed to be stolen from right under their noses. It would be nice to know what we’re jumping into.”
Getchell looked up at Kingwell and nodded in agreement. Kingwell was six-three, making about half a foot in height difference between the two men. Given almost any other circumstance, the contrast in their profiles might have been amusing, but today the tension was too high for much humor.
“I think it’s time I addressed the fleet,” Getchell said. Aides shuffled around as Kingwell stepped out of their way. One of Getchell’s staff produced a hand-held camera and let the admiral know he could start whenever he was ready.
“This is Admiral Getchell to all ships, officers, and crew of Task Force Nineteen. I know there’s been much speculation about our destination and assignment. We are currently positioned at a rally point just outside the Sol star system. Shortly, we will be entering that system and our destination is Earth. An unknown and probably hostile force has taken up residence on the homeworld of humanity. We don’t know who these people are, or even if they are people in the sense that we use the word. We do know that they are almost certainly responsible for attacks upon a Union warship, a Union space station, and another orbital installation belonging to the Gerrhan Commonwealth.
“My orders are to use diplomacy first, but if necessary, we will use force to defend ourselves and our people back home. As for Task Force Nineteen, I want us to be remembered for what we did right, not what we did wrong.
“One further thing…”
Here it comes thought Kingwell.
“Dealing with this threat is in the interest of all of humanity. For this reason, and because they have also been attacked by this unknown faction, it has been agreed that we will be joined in the Sol system by warships of the Gerrhan Space Service.”
There was little reaction on the flag bridge. The admiral’s staff already knew those details of the operation, but Kingwell could only imagine what kind of shockwave was rippling through the Union fleet right now.
“For the time being, our governments have decided to set aside any differences and work for the well-being of the entire Renaissance Sector. You know what to do. Be true to your training and to each other and we will prevail. Carry on.”
The admiral waved off his staff as they all told him what a great job he had done and how inspirational his words had been. He knew the reality of the situation. They were probably going into battle and a lot of people were going to get killed. No words were going to change that. He’d try, but the forces that attacked Uritski Station and Tempest didn’t seem interested in negotiation.
“Well, the fat’s in the fire now,” said Getchell. “Captain Kingwell, pass the word that we will hold here for another twenty-four hours. That should give everyone time to rest up and it will give Tempest one more day to catch up with us. At twenty-one hundred hours tomorrow, you may order the fleet to Earth.”
* * * *
“I don’t know, Carr, but I think I believe him.”
“Well, I don’t.”
The debate had been going on for much of the morning, as another day had passed. At least they thought it was morning—with no timepieces or windows anywhere, they could only guess. Sanchez had slept quite a lot and seemed to be feeling a little better. She was still sore, but some of the swelling in her face had receded.
Carr was still trying to gauge the man in the cell diagonal from them. He had introduced himself as Paul Schwall, assistant engineer of the Theodora and lone survivor of its crew. Carr however saw him as an obvious plant by Sheel and told him so.
“Sorry kid, it’s just too convenient for you to have inexplicably shown up in the cell next door. On Sarissa, we have a saying: if it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck…”
“…it’s a duck. Yeah, I know—we have the same saying on Threnn.” The scrawny boy certainly looked like he had been a prisoner for six months. Emaciated and pallid, his sunken eyes pleaded for help as much as his words.
“So, tell me about this one more time,” said the Union operative. “They’re keeping you alive, long after they killed off everyone else. Why?”
“I’ve told you,” said the frustrated youngster.
“Tell me again.”
Sanchez was listening from the cot. “Carr, let the poor boy alone.”
“It’s all right,” said Paul. “You’re the first outsiders I’ve seen since we were captured. Heck, even answering questions is better than being alone.” The boy looked like he was about to tear up, but then a resolve spread across his face. “Like I said, all the others died within, I don’t know, probably weeks after they brought us to Earth. They separated us and we rarely saw each other. Last time I saw my grandfather, they had—”
Sanchez was now standing at the cell door alongside of Carr. “Paul, you don’t have to…”
“…they had hurt h
im. At some point, Doctor Devi told me that everyone else was gone. Grandfather, Misaki, everyone—everyone but me.”
“Misaki,” said Carr, “she was Theodora’s pilot.”
Schwall rolled his eyes. “No, she was the captain. Misaki—Misaki Genda. Dandi Quinn was the pilot.”
“Right.” Carr looked over to Sanchez to measure her expression and wasn’t sure what he saw. Turning back to Paul, he had another question.
“Paul, why you? Of all the crew, they choose to let you live. Why? Were you just tougher than everybody else, or did you cooperate with them? Did you tell them what they wanted to hear? Give them information?”
Sanchez’s temper got the best of her. “Damn it, Carr, stop it! What the hell are you trying to do to the boy?”
“I’m trying to get to the truth.”
“I’ve already told you the truth,” Paul said. “Doctor Devi told me that they kept me and one of the women alive to study our bodies, our physiology. She said there were some small differences between our bodies and theirs, the people from the other universe. She said she wanted to study us. We were lab rats.”
“Who was the woman, the last one to die?” asked Sanchez.
“Junko. It was Junko Kurogane. Doctor Devi said that she killed herself. I’ve thought about that a few times myself.”
Carr walked into the back of the cell, then back to the door bars. The small turn helped him clear his head a bit. “You weren’t here the other day when they brought me in. Were they experimenting on you then?”
“I don’t know when you got here. I spend most of the time locked up at the Security Dome down the hill, it’s like the main police station. They bring me back and forth whenever Doctor Devi wants to see me.”
“Do you like Doctor Devi?” asked Sanchez.
Schwall seemed to think it was an odd question. “She saved my life, at least till now.” A small look of appreciation broke over his face. “If it wasn’t for her, I’d be dead along with the others. She’s the only person here that’s treated me halfway decent.”
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