Alice saw that her team had been assigned to dealing with whatever was aboard the Gibson, but there were no orders yet. “Get set, we may have to go aboard.”
There were a few groans, but Alice didn’t get a chance to see who they came from before Yawen barked; “Get set! Whatever we’re doing, we’re going to have to do it with clear heads, and we’ll have to get it done quickly!”
Everything that could fly started moving out of the blast radius as quickly as possible. From her training, Alice knew that someone with a much higher rank than hers was making a decision about their next move. Destroying the ship once everything was out of its destructive range was an option, it was the easiest option, but if there were refugees aboard or some other complication, her team could be sent in. They waited in silence, with no access to the scan data that the fleet must have had.
Lieutenant Commander Terran’s voice was in Alice’s ear then. “Lieutenant; the crew on that ship has reported that an Order of Eden Commander has taken control of the vessel and is holding a trigger that is wired into the reserve power. If he presses that trigger, it will cut off the reserve power that is maintaining the field around the antimatter, turning the ship into a bomb. We have identified this man as Commander Darius Pope, a significant figure in the nearest solar systems held by the Order of Eden and I want him in custody. Convince him that we are willing to trade anything feasible for him to turn to our side after taking control of the antimatter aboard that ship.”
“How did he end up on a refugee ship?”
“The refugees tell us that they captured him on their way out of the system, but he got loose. We must take him into custody. The secondary objective is to save the refugees aboard. There are several government officials, so these are some of the most important people we’ll see today, and Pope knows it.”
Alice glanced at the tactical map in her helmet and almost shook her head. Their shuttle was the only ship not running from the Gibson. “I copy, Sir. I’ll have him in custody immediately.”
“Let me be clear, Lieutenant: you are clear to use whatever means necessary to get this done, good hunting,” Terran said. “I’m making the channel to the Gibson available to you now, Pope has control of the cockpit and all systems.”
Alice made sure that the channel was muted and turned to her team. Before addressing them, she signalled the shuttle cockpit crew to close and dock with the Gibson. “All right, I need Regan, Luu, Tran and Holm to go space walking. You have to covertly get through the hull of that ship and connect a backup power supply to the antimatter containment system as fast as you can. We need that under our control. The rest of you are with me. Yawen, you will take Jessen, Knud, and Beck and file in right behind me. You will be cloaked.”
“Yes, Ma’am,” Yawen replied along with the rest of her team. “What will you be doing? Helping us with the refugees?”
“Commander Pope, from the Order of Eden is aboard that ship, and he has a trigger set to deactivate the reserve power keeping the antimatter from exploding. I’m going to keep him calm long enough for our people to get another power source connected so his trigger doesn’t work. That’s the safest version of this plan, but there is another contingency. Team two, led by Yawen will move in on him and get the trigger out of his hand if you can create a real opportunity to do so safely. If I say; ‘lock’ in any context, you will back off. If I say; ‘up’ then get the trigger away from him as quickly as you can.”
“Good thing we all have full scans on file,” Tran muttered. Alice knew exactly what he meant, and it made her want to kick him. The theory was that if soldiers died on a mission, Haven Fleet would construct a new body for them, memories included, using a scan that their helmets could take intermittently. The scans were encrypted then sent to Haven Fleet Intelligence.
Some people believe that it gave soldiers permission to sacrifice themselves, that it made people more disposable. Tran seemed like one of those people. “If that helps you keep your head clear, then go on thinking it,” Alice replied. There was a whole lecture she wanted to shout at him, but it wasn’t the time. “Team one - Holm, Luu, Tran, Regan - get to the emergency hatch at the rear and start depressurizing. I want you to cloak and get out as soon as we dock.”
While the shuttle closed in on the Gibson from a little over two million kilometres away, into the hottest area of the blast zone, Alice concentrated on calming down. Before long she found herself thinking about what the previous teams faced.
Alpha team was sent in when a refugee ship’s hull couldn’t be penetrated by scanners and there was one reply to hails. It turned it that it was a ghost ship, the life support systems failed and everyone aboard asphyxiated before arriving.
Beta team was sent after a ship that attempted to flee as soon as it arrived. It turned out that they weren’t part of the influx of refugee ships at all, but were raiders and smugglers returning from a looting spree somewhere nearby. It was something the rescue teams didn’t have to attend to, but any group of marines would have done a fine job, they didn’t actually need Special Operations for that one. As Alice gave it some thought, she realized that the first call didn’t require Special Operations either, but there could have been anything on that ship, so it wasn’t a waste of a team.
They crossed the one million kilometre mark, Alice felt much calmer, and she decided it was time to open a dialog. With a glance at an icon inside her helmet, she started a playback of Commander Pope’s first and only communication with Haven Fleet Command.
“I am Commander Pope of the Order of Eden. I have enough antimatter here to obliterate everything within a million kilometres, and I will detonate it if my demands are not met. I also have most of the ruling body of Bienla, one of the most important Commonwealths in the sector, and their children aboard. They are alive, which is something I cannot say for their security team. Send a representative immediately.”
“Commander, we hear you and will be happy to begin discussions with you right away. My name is Major Larn, and…”
“A representative in person! An officer with your fleet will be on this deck within the hour or I will set course for the largest ship in the area and detonate my payload.” The communication ended. Further attempts at communications with him failed.
Alice took a deep breath, steeled herself and opened the channel. “I’m Lieutenant Alice Valent. My ship is approaching from your port side. I would like permission to come aboard so we can discuss the particulars of your visit to our system.”
“Lieutenant…” Pope replied as he crackled onto the channel. For a moment Alice didn’t know if there was a problem with the connection or if he paused, then she heard him breathe into the pickup. “Wait, Lieutenant Valent?”
It was then that Alice realized why she was sent on that mission. “Of Haven Fleet, yes, Sir.”
“Come aboard,” he replied, sounding intrigued.
Alice watched the airlock of the Gibson draw closer as her combat shuttle decelerated. “We could begin this discussion right now, if you like,” she offered.
“No, I want to conduct this in person. Especially knowing who you are,” Pope replied.
Twelve
A Good Rest
* * *
Jake sat in the command seat of the Revenge, looking through the data they collected from the distant mouth of the wormhole. They would come out in a difficult spot, but it presented an incredible opportunity.
The security door to his left opened and Agameg emerged. “How was your time off?” Jake asked.
“Five days of deep sleep is just what I needed, Captain,” he replied. “I’m good for at least another month.”
“I thought you were going to sleep in for a while there,” Liara said from the communications station, pulling her brown hair free of a band. “It’s good to see you.”
“I did extend my rest for three hours,” he replied. “Hit the snooze button as you’d say. I knew I would be on time for our emergence from wormhole transit though. How dangerous
does the space look?”
He took a seat beside Captain Valent, and Jake made sure he could see the holographic displays of the star chart in front of him. “We’ve spotted one patrol, but they moved on hours ago. I think we’ll get a chance to find a hiding spot for both ships while we figure a few things out. The Nafalli are low on food and water. We don’t have enough to help much. Our fabrication systems are breaking down, and we could use some raw materials.”
“I expected the fabrication heads would begin to break down,” Agameg said. “How many are still operational?”
“Two, almost three. Only one of them is full sized,” Jake said. “It’s been that way for a couple days.”
“We have to get the other eight main units back up and running if we expect to continue repairs.”
“You’re right,” Jake said. “Our emergency course took us behind enemy lines. I want to be prepared if we have to fight. The good news is that our intelligence tells us that we’re not going to be too far from a supply post. There are a lot of them along the frontline. Stephanie and I think a raid would work, especially if the Nafalli are up for it.”
Agameg looked at the schematics for a standard Order of Eden Supply Outpost for a moment then shook his head. “This is not recent data on the outpost,” he said.
“You’re right, but it’s what was here last time an Order ship had to report there, well, before we got the intelligence we’re using. That data’s about two weeks old.”
“What is my role in this?” he asked.
“I need you to assume command while I lead my team. You’ll have to make do without Liara and Finn. I’ll need them down there with me.”
“I’d feel more comfortable if someone else led the team.”
“Stephanie isn’t going to be leading any teams for a while unless it’s from her command seat,” Jake whispered.
“Because she’s pregnant,” Agameg said. “I understand. No need to put an innocent life at risk.”
“You knew?”
“I could sense the change, you couldn’t?” Agameg asked.
“Humans aren’t that sensitive,” Jake replied. “Next time, tell me about serious changes in physiology, all right?”
“Liara’s ovulating right now,” Agameg said.
“And welcome back Agameg,” Ashley laughed.
“That’s a bit personal, no?” Liara asked.
“Right, so if someone’s pregnant or ill, you should make sure the medical technician knows,” Jake said, trying not to smirk. “That way, if it’s too personal for everyone to know, you’re not in the wrong.”
“Ah, I’ll have to suggest that Fleet add that to the regulations.”
“Hey, how’d you sleep?” Finn asked as he entered the bridge.
“Very well,” Agameg replied. “How did the repairs go while I was resting?”
“Better than expected, the crew have fallen into a rhythm. We had to abandon the nose section though, so we’re cannibalizing it for plating. That was a good suggestion, by the way.”
“I was so tired the last couple days before going to sleep, I don’t remember making it,” he said. “Is there anything I can do right now?”
“Catch up on the logs while you manage things from the bridge,” Finn said. “A lot has happened in the last five days, system wise. We have our old shields back up everywhere except the nose. Two of our main turrets are working, and the dampeners are set up so the whole ship won’t shake when they fire. There’s a lot more in the logs.”
“I’ll assume my place at the engineering station then,” Agameg said, looking at the Captain.
“Thank you, Agameg,” Jake said.
“I’m on my way back down there, then,” Finn said. “We missed you, glad you’re back.”
“Thank you,” Agameg replied. “The greetings I receive after a rest from humans are always nice, it’s as if you all think I was on a trip for the better part of a week.”
“Well, we don’t see you, Aggie,” Ashley said. “So we’re happy when you get back. I mean, we sleep for a few hours a night, so we’re used to seeing each other pretty regularly.”
“Oh, I don’t object to the welcome,” Agameg said. “I just find it odd every time.”
Ashley turned back to her station. “We’re coming out of the wormhole in nine minutes,” she announced.
They were already ready for combat; final checks were being made across the ship according to Jake’s status display. All departments were reporting ready. He hoped they didn’t miss something, that there wasn’t a surprise waiting for them past the end of the wormhole.
Thirteen
Negotiations
* * *
The inner airlock let Alice pass into the Gibson. Yawen was close behind, cloaked with her part of the team, but only she had time to slip through behind Alice before the rest were cut off. There was no way Commander Pope could know that he’d trapped Yawen’s three soldiers in the airlock, there was no way the Gibson, an older transport vessel, could have scanners that would see through the cloaking systems.
“I wonder how many of you there actually are?” Pope said as he emerged from the narrow cockpit door, holding one hand behind his back. A simple needle pistol was in his other hand, it was no threat to Alice. “This ship is so old that I couldn’t get a reading on the volume of air you displaced as the pressure equalized. I’m guessing there are at least three of you.”
The left side of his face was red, with cuts on his cheekbone and his brow. The swelling confirmed that he must have gotten a serious beating from someone who was right handed. The blood on his half-open tunic and undershirt confirmed it. Even the dark green couldn’t hide the blood stains. He spoke with remarkable clarity through a fat, split lip and with a badly chipped front tooth.
“We aren’t here to harm you, just to make a deal,” Alice said. “You don’t have to worry about any abuse from us, we don’t do that to people. Are you all right? I can offer you some basic medical assistance.”
He tried to smile a little as he carefully sat down in the seat nearest to the cockpit. “Oh, this?” He gestured to his face. “It’s amazing how quickly people turn into monsters when they don’t think anyone’s watching, and they think they see a villain.” Pope spat a bloody mouthful into the seat across from him. “They didn’t just capture me, they had some fun after. One guard in particular; Deether. He just kept hitting me the same way, on the same side of my face over and over again, blaming me for killing his family. I told him I had nothing to do with it. Most of my duties were diplomatic, to ensure that communications between the Order and the locals remained open, and that traitors were caught. He wouldn’t listen, none of them really seemed to care. That’s why, when I got my chance, I sent their guards outside while we were underway. I could have been more brutal, found a death for them that was more gradual, but why should I put it off?”
“Where are the rest of the passengers?” Alice asked. She already knew, they were in the rearmost compartment, but she needed to keep him talking so she could build a rapport and give her people time to do their jobs.
“Back there,” he gestured with the trigger. It was bound to his hand with some kind of adhesive, a small square with a biometric reader in the middle of his palm. “They haven’t eaten in two days, but they’ve had plenty of air and water. Now, take off that helmet, those overbuilt computers around your wrists and your outer armour. I know it won’t make a difference either way if I blow the antimatter, armour on or off, but I want to see that you are who you say you are. Also, I’ve heard that your control units can do all kinds of tricks.”
“I’ll open my helmet,” Alice said, complying that much. “You’ll have to trade something for the rest.”
“Ah, it’s not important,” he said, looking at her closely. “I can see it, especially in the eyes. You really must be your father’s daughter, but you really look like your Queen, Arlan? Aren?”
“Ayan,” Alice said. She let the comment about Ayan being a Queen pass.
It was technically true according to the Galactic courts. Ayan Anderson was the registered owner of the Rega Gain system, and according to them she always would be. It was one of the reasons why they changed the name to the Haven System, but Ayan would always be Queen in documents spread across the galaxy, even though she hated it.
“That’s it,” he said. “Is she your mother? That’s not in our file on you. In our file, you’re still much younger.”
“Things change quickly in the Haven System,” Alice said. “I’d love to fill you in, but my head would be a lot clearer if we did something about that switch in your hand.”
“This?” he held up the palm of his hand, where some kind of glue had bonded the switch to it.
Alice’s computer system analyzed the switch and traced its connection to the antimatter containment system. Jamming the signal with noise could do as much damage as pressing the switch, so that was not an option. Yawen wouldn’t be able to get the switch out of his hand either. “Yeah, I thought it would take a lot to get your rag-tag military’s attention, and I’ve seen what your father does to officers. We’ve all seen the footage of him blowing the head off a young bridge officer to get the rest to talk.”
“I’m not my father,” Alice said. Stopping herself from explaining that there was something wrong with Jake when he did that took some effort. “We treat people who turn against the Order well.”
“Really?” he laughed. “As well as I’ve earned by climbing the ranks myself? I’m a Commander, I started out as a credit cow, a sheep like everyone else. From the day I was born I owed money, and every day of my life I went deeper and deeper into debt, until I was able to get a job running bulk loaders. Then, if I wanted to start paying my debt, I’d have to go without any luxuries, sometimes without power, because I’d donate whatever I could generate to the system for a couple credits an hour.”
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