by Letts,Jason
A member of the medical staff entered the room adjacent to the cold room, and a fourth pair proved too many for their conversation. Loris exchanged glares with Iotache and made sure he wasn’t the one left standing there alone.
CHAPTER 8
Over a month passed since Loris’s heated exchange with Iotache, long enough for him to think their talk had done the trick and his adversary had abandoned his ambitions. Iotache, perhaps avoiding off a formal reassignment, voluntarily began spending substantial amounts of time among the navigators and had even helped identify a previously unknown comet. Loris began to let his guard down, no longer trying to figure out if everyone he talked to was with him or against him.
Sometimes with Brina, he spent spare moments in the concourse staring at the alien probe, trying to figure out its meaning. One of the technology officers had programmed a symbol-matching game to help, but until someone decoded the glowing glyphs there was no way to win.
Loris took another glance at the probe as he headed toward the pinnacle conference room. He’d been invited to celebrate the birth of a baby girl—apparently one of the civilians in the trade envoy had been pregnant. It was unusual that the gathering would occur during shift change, but that made it seem like an after-work party.
Excited, he reached the lift at the end of the concourse that would take him straight to the conference room. When it opened, he found Panic and Lopez standing inside. They were sweaty, like everyone was, and Panic carried a duffel bag he assumed contained workout clothes. Their blank expressions persisted as he got in the lift.
The doors closed and Loris opened his mouth to utter a voice command about his destination, but Lopez grabbed him by the neck and kept his mouth shut. Lopez wasn’t the biggest guy, but he had a strong grip, and his weight knocked Loris back against the wall.
“What are you doing?” Loris struggled to say.
“You’re not going to the conference room,” Panic said. She used the panel to put the lift in motion, but Loris couldn’t see where it was going.
“Why not?” Loris asked, finally fighting Lopez’s hand away from his mouth.
“Because it’s an ambush. You walk into that room, you don’t walk out,” Panic said.
“It’s a coup,” Lopez said.
Taking deep, rapid breaths, Loris’s eyes darted back and forth between them.
“The baby girl…”
“There were no pregnancies on the station when we came on board. It’s a lie to trap you,” Panic said.
“How do you know?” Loris asked. He accepted the reality of the situation, already chiding himself for not doing more to eliminate the threat against him.
“We don’t have time to play Twenty Questions, baby face,” Panic said. “But if you must know, another member of the crew approached me about joining them. They wanted me to be in the room to help them while they carried out their mutiny.”
“She told them she absolutely would. But it wasn’t like the guy just came up to her and asked if she wanted to help kill the commander. She saw through the conversation from the beginning. Very deft. You’ll get the whole story of that later,” Lopez added.
“And what are we doing instead?” Loris asked, beginning to formulate his own ideas of what he would do if he was suddenly on the run.
“We have to get off the station now. The docking bay is our next stop. If we can get away in the Cortes…”
“We’d have a better chance in the Balboa of surviving,” Lopez said.
“We’d have a better chance in the Balboa of getting ripped to shred by the Cortes,” Panic shot back.
Loris raised his hands and shook his head.
“No, we can’t go to the docking bay, and we’re not going to flee the Magellan,” Loris said, stopping the lift. “We can fight this, but we need to get to the detention center first.”
The lift changed directions toward their new destination.
“We figured we’d end up having to fight our way out anyway,” Panic said. She opened the duffel, revealing three old-fashioned pistols on top of some pilfered food. “But why the detention center?”
“We could use some backup. But we need to know what we’re up against too. Who’s helping Iotache? Aylward? Reid?”
Panic and Lopez looked at each other.
“Iotache is involved?” Lopez asked. “We thought Chief Yamaguchi was behind this because of the officer.”
The stop nearest the detention center required a walk down a long hallway. They moved briskly, but Loris had time to wonder if the emergency lights would go off and people would start chasing them down. How long would it take them to realize he wasn’t going to the conference room? Did Iotache and Yamaguchi want to keep this quiet or have the entire station know they were taking over?
They entered the detention block and found that it had been left unattended during the shift change. Above a console were screens displaying images streamed from the five cells. In the third one was a man lying flat on the floor.
“Go get him,” Loris said to Panic. I’ll unlock the door.”
“What are you doing now?” Lopez asked after Loris had opened the doors and moved through the station’s system to its executive controls.
“I’ve read a lot of briefs since coming on board. One of them had details of a secret function called Order Lock that the commander can use to override any attempts to deviate from a current set of operations. I’m putting it in place now so that our speed, course, and destination can’t be changed. We’re going to make it to Detonus, whether these guys like it or not.”
On the screen, he watched Panic open the door to cell number three and help Ex-Commander Stayed struggle to his feet and drag him into the hall. The heat and the rations had taken their toll on him. Loris had hoped to add a bruiser to their team, but instead they might have gained a pair of ankle weights. Still, it was looking more and more like Stayed could’ve been justified in his actions.
When Panic finally brought him through the corridor to the guard station, Stayed raised his eyebrows in an I-told-you-so manner.
“They came for you,” he said to Loris, drawing surprise from Panic.
“I didn’t tell him anything,” she said.
“He knows all about it.” Loris got up from the chair. “Come on, we’ve got to get out of here. Give him something to eat from your pack.”
They trudged out of the detention center and faced a new decision about where to go next. It was a large station, but hiding seemed a futile effort when no locations could offer them a combination of sustenance and access to the controls.
“What’s the plan?” Stayed asked, his voice still gruff but now with some raspiness to it. The man had likely been given inadequate fluids, infuriating Loris.
“We don’t have one. This just happened. Iotache and Yamaguchi were set to ambush me in the conference room.
“Yamaguchi? I don’t believe it. That man is by the book,” Stayed said, already huffing.
“We need to start rounding up more supporters so we can confront them. Let’s start with the engineering and personnel departments,” Loris decided.
“You’re going to have a hard time overcoming the Defense officers if it comes to blows,” Stayed said.
“What, are we going to have a shootout in the concourse?” Lopez fretted.
“No, once we have more support we can make them back down. Somehow we’ve got to make it through this without any deaths.”
They began moving through the hall toward the lift.
“I’m surprised they waited this long, to be honest,” Stayed said. “What could’ve possibly brought Yamaguchi over?”
No one had an answer. The lift opened before they reached it, and they half expected to be confronted right there, but it was just a passenger giving them odd looks. The group got aboard the lift and headed for the engineering corps.
“This is too much like what happened when they came for me,” Stayed said, scratching the stubble on his neck. “I’d gone out for
a quick bite and came back to my quarters to find a half-dozen men pounding on my door. I slipped away and started looking for anyone to help, finally making my way to the reactor where I was confident they wouldn’t try to shoot me. I only realized how deep the conspiracy was when the Chief of Personnel came in to try to talk me into giving up. It didn’t go so well for him.”
The lift opened and they crossed a hallway to the engineering department, not far from the reactor where Stayed had his last stand. All Loris could think about was that he didn’t want it to end like that, cornered and helpless.
Gasps filled the room as they stormed in, but Loris couldn’t tell whether the officers working overtime there were looking at fugitives or simply alarmed at the intrusion. Marta Aylward was at her desk facing the reactor. Her mouth hung open as they barged in. There was no time to mince words.
“Will you stand with me?” Loris demanded, his finger against the desk.
Aylward’s eyes jumped from him to Stayed to the others.
“Commander Roderick…”
“Yes, I’m the commander,” he said. “And you are aware that there are some on this station trying to usurp that authority as we speak.”
“I am. We can’t get involved in this,” she said.
Loris’s eyes grew wide.
“Are you not a Unified Officer bound to uphold the rules and conditions set forth by the central command?”
“I don’t know anymore.” Her head hung to the side and she stared blankly into nowhere.
“What do you mean you don’t know?” Loris demanded.
“I mean Unified doesn’t exist!” Aylward shouted back.
“They can’t operate this station without the engineers.”
“I know that.”
“Help me put a stop to this. That’s an order. If you had any respect for my mother, who you considered a mentor, you’ll assist me now,” Loris said.
When Aylward didn’t respond, he knew his request had fallen on deaf ears. Whether he retained his title or not, his authority had vanished if he couldn’t get one of the chiefs to move a muscle in support. The urge came over him to chew her out, telling her in extensive detail how she had forfeited her integrity and honor, but they didn’t have time for that.
Loris led the others out of the wing and back into the corridor, this time with his eye on the personnel offices. He remembered all of the times Kelly Reid begged for his attention and approval. There was no way he wouldn’t respect the basic tenets of his position and maintain the chain of command.
They spent the lift ride in silence. Reaching the personnel offices meant crossing the main concourse and coming into view of a lot more people. Having Stayed with them, looking disheveled and moving with difficulty, was a dead giveaway that something was going on.
When the door slid open, Loris found the offices and rows of desks mostly vacant. A few officers chatted idly with large cups of water in their hands. Chief Reid was reading on a console screen in the back. The tall, stringy man heard them come in and got up to meet them.
“Chief Reid, I need you to call an emergency gathering of the senior staff,” Loris ordered.
“For what purposes? What is this about? And why is he with you?” Reid asked, referring to Stayed.
“We have a severe infraction taking place by members of the executive suite attempting to overthrow order in the station,” Loris said. Reid appeared shocked, running a hand through his pale hair.
“That’s an unbelievable accusation. What evidence do you have?”
“Officer Carrie Panicka here was invited to join the conspiracy and instead alerted me immediately about what was taking place.”
“That’s exactly right,” Panic said. “Some of us aren’t so willing to turn our backs on people we fought alongside.”
Reid glanced around, swaying even, as he struggled to figure out the situation.
“But that doesn’t explain why Randall Stayed isn’t still in the station’s detention facility.”
Loris glanced to see if Stayed would come to his own defense, but the man remained silent.
“His offense was the result of this same conspiracy,” Loris said. He sensed that the other officers in the room were now somewhere behind them.
“I’m deeply concerned about this, but I don’t have the full story yet. Who exactly is behind this conspiracy?” Reid asked.
There was something about the question that tipped Loris off.
“You are,” he said before he even had time to think it. Reid twitched. “You’re stalling us. You know this isn’t right and I’ve done nothing to deserve it, but you’re doing it anyway.”
Reid exhaled deeply. He assumed a smug look on his face.
“I regret to inform you that your leadership has been inadequate. And I’m not just talking about failing to implement my breeding program. There are things you simply don’t know that make your course of action irrefutably incorrect.”
“Like what?” Loris snapped, but he felt a hand grabbing his arm that got his attention.
One of the officers had tried to restrain him, but Loris lashed out, shoving the man away and sending him sprawling onto the floor. He then helped the others elude their would-be captors before making a break for the exit.
“There’s no point in running,” Reid shouted after them.
They hustled down toward the concourse and the lift beyond until the door opened to reveal Iotache, Yamaguchi, and a handful of uniformed officers. Loris led an about-face, directing them to a set of stairs and what promised to be a chase up and down every floor of the wing.
“Any ideas?” Loris asked.
“If we got into a vent duct, we could make it to the docking bay to steal a ship. The trouble would be securing enough time with a console to operate the airlock mechanism,” Lopez said.
“All we have left is to choose where to make our last stand,” Stayed said. He was already lagging behind and sweating heavily as they climbed the stairs in a cramped stairwell.
“If we make it to the top we can reach the command bridge,” Loris said. There they’d have a strong enough grip on the station’s controls to prevent anyone from taking over the system.
Although Loris, Panic, and Lopez were able to race up the staircases with no problem, Stayed fell further behind. His gasps for air echoed around them.
“Go on without me,” he said. “Don’t let an old goat like me slow you down. They don’t want me anyhow.”
It hurt Loris to accept it, but Stayed was right. It’d be better for Panic and Lopez if they split off too. Loris knew he was the only one who needed to bear the brunt of this.
At the top of the stairs they could see the door to the bridge down the hall, about halfway to another lift entrance, which could open at any second. Iotache wouldn’t have trouble guessing where they were headed. The seconds were ticking, but Loris wouldn’t put anyone else in harm’s way if he didn’t have to.
“You don’t have to follow me in there,” he said, stopping and turning to Panic and Lopez. “I don’t know how this is going to play out. You might be better off peeling away now. You’ve already done more for me than you needed to.”
Panic and Lopez looked at each other.
“Commander, if I may,” Panic began. “Maybe Unified is gone and the chain of command went with it, but that doesn’t matter. What I like about you is that you never turn your back on your crew. That’s not because it’s your duty. It’s because you care. I’m not about to leave you when you need me most.”
If this was going to be the end, Loris knew he’d be proud to stand beside her for it. True dedication like that was a rare jewel.
“I just never miss a chance to get deep in the middle of it,” Lopez said, shrugging.
“Come on then. They’ll find us, but it’ll be on our terms,” Loris said.
They jogged down the hall and opened the door to the bridge, which was fully unoccupied during the shift change period. The large viewer, numerous consoles, and advanced d
isplays charting their course and the state of the engines adorned the room. Loris sealed the room and the waiting began.
They door received some banging a few minutes later, followed by silence. In case there was an attempt to break it down, they got the pistols ready. But a full hour passed without any hint of what was going on outside.
“You think they’ll try to starve us out in here?” Panic wondered.
“Wait, there’s something coming through on the com,” Lopez noticed.
“Open the channel,” Loris said, steeling himself.
The thick voice of Armand Iotache seemed to fill the room.
“Commander Roderick,” he said.
“And which title would be most fitting for you? Traitor? Insurgent? Conspirator?” Loris said, unable to hold back his anger.
“I fear you have a deep misunderstanding of the situation. I request that you open the doors and allow me to speak to you face-to-face. I assure you that no one will be harmed.”
Loris chuckled to himself and shook his head.
“Your assurances are good for nothing. Your words are lies and your actions bring you nothing but disgrace.”
“Let me ask you one question, Commander. Why do you think I’ve been so successful at gaining the allegiance of those in power on this station to the point where virtually everyone who matters is behind me and you’re virtually alone?”
Loris scowled at the insult, repulsed by the man trying to justify doing away with him.
“It’s because of your schmoozing and your favors. They’ve all sold out to you.”
“Not in the least. They have been convinced beyond any doubt that I belong in charge of this station. My case is so clear and so obvious that I know if you permitted me alone to enter and explain myself, you would voluntarily step down and remove the order lock on the station’s engines yourself. If I can’t convince you, I’ll not only back off but throw myself in the brig to boot. Then you can take us to Detonus or wherever else you like.”
Loris had expected to be removed from his position by force, not to be talked into willingly abdicating it. He tried to recall those previous conversations with Iotcahe and the research into his background to anticipate the argument. Did he know something about the explosion that destroyed Earth, something about the Silica? If he’d simply found a habitable planet during his time with the navigators, that wasn’t going to cut it. After dealing justice to Earth’s destroyers, of course they would seek a new home.