Down Among the Dead

by K. B. Wagers

  “I could shoot you again; would that help lay the matter to rest?” I asked.

  “You two bicker like siblings,” Hao said from the other side of the console. He and Emmory stood shoulder to shoulder, and the sight of it brought me a surprising measure of peace.

  “Watch it, I’ll shoot you again, too.” I warned with a look.

  Hao lifted his hands and grinned. “I’m just saying.”

  Our wary truce had solidified. It was born of necessity, but also following the example both Aiz and I were trying to set. Fasé and Hao had dug in and gotten to work, which had also smoothed over the tension that lingered among my people and the newer Farians on Fasé’s side.

  “I’m not just saying it to poke at you, Hail,” Aiz replied. He pointed across the table at Sybil. “The Farians will know the truth of why we’re coming. Trying to pretend it’s for negotiations is pointless.”

  “Fair point.” I was annoyed I hadn’t thought of a way around it.

  Sybil looked up with a shrug. “To the best of my knowledge, no one else on the Council of Eyes has seen the vision I did of you all meeting with the gods. The problem is there’s no way to be certain. If they have someone focused on the possible futures it’s bound to come up, but the negotiations aren’t the lie, just who’s going to be involved.”

  “Is there any reason for us to think they wouldn’t have someone paying attention?” I wasn’t about to underestimate the Farians. They’d proven their willingness to use the ability to see the future against us; there was no reason to think they wouldn’t do so now.

  “I would do it,” Mia replied. “Before you ask, no, we can’t figure out which choice will be best and run with it. You have to make the choice, Hail.”

  I was reasonably sure that Sybil had something to do with Mia’s sudden reluctance to share information with me, but I could do little about it besides mutter a curse.

  There was movement in the corner of my eye. I reacted on instinct, knocking the strike Aiz threw at me out of the way with my left hand. I grabbed him by the back of the neck with my right hand and kicked his left leg out from under him, stopping just short of slamming his face into the console.

  The entire room froze, but Aiz chuckled even though his nose was a centimeter from the polished surface. “The restraint is new. Who’d you kill?”

  I let him go and shook my head. “Nobody.”

  “Really?” Aiz whistled. “I’m impressed.” His brown eyes were locked on mine. I could see the amusement in them. I knew what he was doing and couldn’t stop myself from curling my hands into fists. I didn’t want to fight. Not here. Not in front of everyone. If we were going to do it I’d rather it be somewhere private.

  Just throw the fucking punch, Hail.

  “You keep taunting her like that, you’re going to have trouble on your hands.” Hao’s warning broke through the staring contest and put out the flame of anger licking at my heart with the ease of a heavy blanket.

  Aiz smiled. “Perhaps. It’s close, but she’s not quite at the point where I think she’d beat me in a straight fight.”

  “He’s not talking about her,” Emmory said, and it was then I noticed both men had their hands on their weapons and their eyes locked on Aiz. A glance at Zin and Gita by the door showed they also had their hands on their Hessians.

  Mia, Fasé, and Sybil stopped their conversation and watched us with nearly identical smiles hovering on their mouths.

  Aiz lifted his hands in surrender and winked at me. “Now you see why we had to separate you from your people, Hail. No matter what you say. They would never have stood by and let you make your choice.”

  “Maybe,” I said with a shrug. “Maybe not. We’ll never know because you stole that choice from us.” I pointed at him. “I’ll warn you now that if you choose to poke at them, the reaction will be on your head.”

  “Fair enough. Now, about this current problem?”

  “Which is what?” I asked.

  “You are trusting in the Farians when you shouldn’t be.”

  “Oh, the irony of that statement coming from you.”

  Aiz gave me a narrow look, then sighed. “I realize it. But this plan fails rather spectacularly if Adora decides to blow your ship up and claim it was an accident.”

  I leaned a hip on the console. “Do you really think she will? As scared as they are of anything that’s coming, I would think that they will stick to the path they’ve always kept—try to somehow get me to cooperate.”

  “I have learned never to underestimate the depths of my sister’s horrific choices.” Aiz took a deep breath and shook his head. “Do I think she would kill the Star simply for a chance to remove me, Fasé, and Sybil from the equation, even temporarily? Possibly. Especially if she feels backed into a corner.” He poked at the ever-growing mass of Shen ships clustered around the marker for this base. “We’re bringing the entire Shen fleet to Faria. It is a rather aggressive opening move for negotiations.”

  “Aggressive keeps people off balance. What?”

  “We should probably spar soon and get some of that out of your system.”

  I kept my expression neutral even as my excitement soared. “Probably, just tell me when.”

  Aiz studied me for a moment more before he looked back down at the console. “If you are set on this plan? The Farians have pulled back all but a handful of ships from the Solarian Conglomerate and another handful from your empire. Those ships are all at Faria and they will wipe us out if things dissolve into a fight.”

  “So how do we disable those ships?” I had a sudden, desperate urge to com home to talk with now Warrant Officer Ragini Triskan, a computer genius who’d been working on the Vajrayana ships at Canafey and saved our asses more times than I could count during the battle to retake my throne.

  “I don’t know,” Aiz admitted. “We’ve been over them dozens of times but haven’t found a way into the systems that doesn’t involve being on the ships.”

  My reply was cut off by the blaring alarm that suddenly filled the air. Aiz stabbed at the console, and the image of main control appeared. “Report.”

  “A contingent of Farian ships just dropped into the system, Thíno.”

  “How many?”

  “Three dozen, but it’s all smaller—” She broke off, frowned. “Sir, there’s an Indranan ship with them.”

  “What?” My exclamation echoed with Aiz’s.

  “They got it to work!”

  I gave Fasé a look that had to make Emmory proud.

  Royal decorum be damned. I sprinted across the hangar as Admiral Inana Hassan descended the ramp of the Hailimi Bristol, the Vajrayana I had taken from Pashati what seemed like a lifetime ago, and wrapped my arms around her in a bruising hug.

  “Sorry I’m late, Majesty.”

  “Shut up and hug me back.”

  She did, chuckling softly before she untangled herself from my embrace and straightened into a formal salute. “Your Majesty, the Heir sends her regards. She thought a ship of your own would help with the mission.”

  “How?” I looked sideways at Fasé, who was grinning.

  “You have some very intelligent people, Majesty,” she replied. “Who were able, with a little assistance, to retrofit a Farian drive into a Vajrayana.”

  “They started working on it not long after Earth. Took us almost a year to do it,” Inana said. “Would have been longer if these two hadn’t been working day and night on it.” She gestured behind her and I spotted Ragini standing on the ramp as though I’d conjured her with thought alone. And next to her was now Senior Tech Yama Hunkaar, the other of the trio who’d helped us at Canafey. Their friend, Hasa Julsen, had died in the fight for Pashati.

  “I hope you two got some sleep, because I have a new problem for you.” I crossed to them both and pulled the startled naval techs into a hug. “Aiz, who’s been working on your weapon problem?”

  “I’ll have someone find them, Hail,” he replied from behind me.

  “Good
.” I smiled at the women. “You’re gonna love this, I promise.”

  “Majesty.”

  I turned back around to Inana, spotting the curious smile my admiral was wearing. “Come with me. We have so much to catch up on.”

  “Obviously. I have read Emmory’s reports, but—” She glanced at Aiz, who’d fallen in step as I led her across the hangar. Emmory and Zin were behind me. “Are you all right, Hail?”

  “I am managing.” I waved a hand. “Don’t apologize, Inana. You didn’t have anything to do with it and you couldn’t have done anything if you’d even been in the same system. We’ve got bigger problems to tackle.”

  “Like what, Majesty?”

  “Oh, you know, ending a major war and preventing the destruction of the galaxy.” I grinned. “The usual.”

  “I guess I got here just in time, then.”

  Inana caught me up on the situation in the empire while we walked. They’d left two days ago. The Farians and the techs had felt better about two short jumps than coming straight to this base with the new engine.

  “Are we going to be able to put them in the other Vajrayanas?” The idea of a fleet of ships that could jump the same way the Farians and Shen could was immensely appealing.

  “It depends,” Inana replied with a lifted shoulder.

  “On?”

  “If the Farians will give us the components. They’re hard to source.”

  I glanced Mia’s way as we entered. She and Sybil had stayed behind in the war room, but she got to her feet with a smile. “Admiral Hassan, it is good to see you.”

  “Mia Cevalla,” I said at Inana’s confused frown. “You haven’t met, but she apparently knew you were coming.”

  Mia tipped her head in acknowledgment. “How was your trip?”

  “Uneventful. The engine performed perfectly.”

  “You know,” I said with a look at Mia, “the Farians aren’t the only ones with that drive tech. We’ve been hammering the terms of an alliance out over the last several days. Should I add that to the list of Indrana’s demands?”

  “I think maybe we can come to an arrangement. I have some people back in your sector who could get what you need.”

  “Do you? Send me contact info. I have a friend I could com who’d be able to facilitate things.” I smiled slowly. “What’s it going to cost me?”

  “Why don’t we call them a gift?” Mia’s lips curved, and then she nodded to Inana and went back to Sybil’s side. I watched her go, all too aware that the admiral was watching me.

  “You under orders to report back to Caspel about me?” I asked, and received a flat brown stare in response.

  “I am the admiral of your fleet, Majesty.”

  I gave her a flat look and she sighed. “There have been some concerns over Emmory’s reports, and I know he was picking his words carefully because of his loyalty to you. But the only ones who’ve read them are me, Caspel, and Alice.”

  “I’ll bet Caterina isn’t happy about that.” I waved Inana into a chair at a desk away from everyone else and then sat opposite her.

  “There were some loud discussions. It would help matters if you would consider speaking with her the next time you talk to Alice. What I can tell you is I’ll be reporting back that you are of sound mind, under no duress, and doing the best you can with a shitty situation.”

  I reached a hand across the desk. “I appreciate it, Inana. Truly.”

  “It’s the truth, Hail. You’ve weathered this storm far better than anyone else could and your focus is still on the preservation of our empire. I may disagree at times with your methods or allies, but I will never doubt your heart.” She glanced around the room. “There is a lot going on.”

  “There is.” I gestured to the trio in the corner. “Fasé, Sybil, and Mia are hammering out several millennia of disputes between their factions in the hopes we’ll have a better platform to start with on Faria. Aiz and Talos there have been working with Hao and Gita to come up with plans for getting us to Faria and fighting the Farian forces when we show up. Though that’s a plan B no one wants to actually do.”

  “And you, Majesty?”

  “Oh, I got the fun job,” I replied, hooking an arm over the back of the chair. “I’m trying to figure out what to say to a trio of gods that won’t get us all killed.”

  “That’s why you’re the empress,” Inana replied with a smile.

  “Life was easier when I was a gunrunner.” I waved to Alba when she came in the door. “Alba, where’s Emmory?”

  “Just outside,” she replied.

  “Thank you. Will you get Admiral Hassan settled? I need to go take care of this.”

  “Of course, ma’am. Admiral?”

  I left the pair, tapping Emmory on the arm as I left the war room. He fell into step with me with little more than a curious eyebrow in my direction.

  “I want you to meet someone,” I said, heading down the corridor to a smaller office. Emmory followed me through the doorway, shutting the door behind him. I tapped into the base’s com, waited a beat, and then smiled as the screen lit up.

  “Cressen! Long time no talk.” The silver-haired man on the screen clapped his hands in delight.

  “Hey, Barry, this is Emmory, he’s a friend of mine. I’m calling in a few favors.” I wasn’t even going to ask if Bartholomew Uhin knew about what had happened to me. He’d likely called me by my old name out of habit, though it could have been preference also. Self-described entrepreneur pour l’univers, Barry was the guy who got you what you needed, when you needed it, with no questions asked and no details disclosed—provided your credits were good.

  “Absolutely, my girl.” He looked at Emmory with a beaming smile. “Nice to meet you. Cressen’s a good friend to have. She saved my life, you know. I was all set to go to the crusher. Got herself favors for life.”

  “It was an accident,” I subvocalized to Emmory over our private com link. “I thought he was someone else. Turned out handy, though. Barry’s the go-to guy for all your payback needs. Among other things.”

  “Who are we paying back, Majesty?”

  I grinned at Emmory and then looked back at the screen. “Barry, I need a few favors. And I want you to cause some trouble for Bakara Rai.”

  “You being a shit again, Cress?”

  I smiled. “Maybe, but he deserves it. No blowback on you, I promise.”

  “All right.” He rubbed his hands together. “Property damage? Loss of life and limb?”

  “Just property damage and a few sleepless nights.”

  “I can do that.” He snapped his fingers. “Easy peasy. What else do you need?”

  32

  You are a hard woman to track down these days.”

  I looked away from the hangar and smiled at Mia. “You’ve been busy yourself. How’s the fleet?”

  “Anxious.” Mia leaned a hip on the railing. “We haven’t told them precisely why we’re mobilizing, but you can imagine that the rumors are we’re finally going to Faria to do battle.”

  “Is it going to be a problem when we don’t?”

  “No.” There was no hesitation in Mia’s reply. “I won’t lie that there aren’t some of my people who are spoiling for a fight, but the majority just want an end to this war, Hail. They want a home.”

  “How much longer before we’re ready?”

  “Another few days, I’d say, but we should tell everyone today. The last of the ships come in this evening. Your admiral has been most helpful with the battle plans. I don’t know why I was surprised.”

  “She’s been doing that longer than either of us have been alive,” I replied with a grin. “Well, me at least. I’m not sure about you.”

  Mia gave me an innocent smile but didn’t say anything.

  My com with Alice this morning had included Caterina and Caspel and more than an hour of me trying to assure everyone that the plans we were about to put into motion were going to play out the way we hoped they would.

  I was lying to them, but
I think they all felt better about it by the time we’d wrapped up.

  “I’m going to have to put in a com to Adora, then,” I muttered with a sigh, and Mia laughed.

  “I don’t envy much of what you have to do, Hail, and that is one of the more unpleasant tasks.” Her smile faded. “Things are going to move so fast once we leave here; I worry, for all of us, what the coming days hold.” She stared past me, lost in thought, and even though I knew Emmory and Gita were watching us from several meters away I reached out and slid my hand into her hair.

  Her eyes snapped back to mine, darkening into storm clouds as I leaned in, stopping before my mouth touched hers.

  “I had wondered if this was a product of my grief, if I did us both a disservice by clinging to you because I felt like everything else had been taken from me. If you were just manipulating me into these feelings so I would do what you needed. If we had nothing to build upon.”

  “And now?” The trembling in her question wasn’t all from the way I tugged her closer to me, but it was the lion’s share. I felt her fingers curling into my belt and let my smile lift the corner of my mouth.

  “Now I am grateful you waited, because while I wanted you before this started and I wanted you during—you were right about the timing. Thank you.”

  “Hail—”

  I kissed her, felt rather than heard her indrawn breath, and grappled with my own control as Mia surrendered. Her lips were soft under mine in a way I’d imagined a thousand times but never gotten quite right, and I sank deeper into the kiss for just a heartbeat before I made myself pull away.

  “Six months of wanting,” I murmured, stepping back completely. The shudder that shook her when I dragged my fingers along her jawline delighted me. “Worth it.”

  “Yes.” She blinked at me. “I should go.” Mia walked away, nearly staggering into Emmory as she passed my BodyGuards, and he raised an eyebrow at me. I smiled, lifting my shoulders slightly as I turned back around.

  “Pleased with yourself, Majesty?” It was Gita, not Emmory, who joined me at the railing.