She dared not hope it, not if she wanted to avoid disappointment, but a part of her wondered if she had a chance of rescue. The underground still existed, her party and the others devoted to overthrowing the oligarchy.
And if not them… Jim. Jim Henry and the others would be trying to find a way to get her out, that much she was certain of. All she had to do was resist and stay alive, if those two things were compatible, until they came.
But whether they come or not… I'm not giving that Rigault bastard the satisfaction. The memory of my comrades won't let me do otherwise, she decided.
* * *
Antoine observed the launching of the Nimrod and its approved course to the lunar orbiting station that Rigault maintained around Hestia's moon. It would be the destination of his own vessel soon enough, although he'd be on a shuttle back to Thyssenbourg before then. So much work remained to be done.
A tap of a finger removed the image of the Nimrod, replacing it with footage from Thyssenbourg. A camera showed the latest prisoner of the Hestian Security Forces in her new cell at the HSF's main Justice and Rehabilitation Center in the capital.
Seeing Tia Nguyen finally imprisoned gave palpable satisfaction to Antoine. Just seeing the woman made him want to throttle her. Her presence made the right side of his face burn in sympathy with his memory.
It was supposed to be easy. That was what he had been told when he suited up to join his reaction team with Rigault Corporate Security all those years ago. The Hestian radicals were making a play for their revolution and it was a chance to crush them and restore respect in the existing government. It would remind the Hestians that the HBC was in charge and they had nothing to change that. He'd insisted on his part, too, as a Rigault who was a nephew of the Company's president. He'd brought with him the pistol his Uncle Ferdinand had crafted as a gift. He remembered the anticipation as the fighting began and the orders went out. The sense that he was playing his part in ensuring Rigault greatness.
But the damned Hestians had to be stubborn. They fought even when it was hopeless. Even when their own leadership fell into the trap.
He remembered his team falling to that cell. Getting shot before he could finish off the cell leader. Her defiant glare before she pulled the trigger on his own gun. and waking up weeks later with one eye intact. The pity he received from others, from his co-workers, from his family always galled him.
Now he was above pity. Especially for those who wronged him as Nguyen had.
The system let out the long beep of an incoming GalNet call, using the company's dedicated QET network. He reached over and tapped the key to receive the incoming call.
His screen changed to show the image of his cousin Rene. Rene Rigault was his age, but by dint of his education and experience in the company's financial and administrative departments, he was CEO of Rigault Heavy Industries. His dark blue suit reflected this status, as did the opulence of his office. The bright orange star of New Gabon's solar system illuminated his office in the upper floors of Rigault's corporate HQ on the family's homeworld. The skyline of Bekeleville, the planetary capital, dominated the view of the office windows.
"Antoine, cousin, it is good to hear from you," Rene said. His eyes were of the same blue color shared by most of the Rigault family. Facially, they shared characteristics, with the same broad facial shape and location of their noses, although the family differences from their non-Rigault mothers provided contrasts. "Everything is going well?"
"It is, cousin," Antoine replied. "The company projects are proceeding. The ships are completing shakedown runs, and we could go to proper deployment in a month." Antoine grinned. "And my agent successfully captured Tia Nguyen at Allentown Station."
"Wonderful news. The stock prices will go up when the HBC makes the formal statement. Security on Hestia is so important these days, especially to our company's prosperity." Rene folded his hands on his desk. "She will prove useful if this is done right."
Antoine's smile took an edge. "It will be handled appropriately, cousin, don't worry."
"I am taking a risk in letting you handle this," Rene reminded him. "The others know what she did to you in the uprising. They won't be so trusting, and if something goes wrong, you'll be easily blamed. The HBC's wishes are clear in the matter and you must see to them. She is more useful to us as an amnestied ex-radical than a martyr, Antoine. Think of the family and our company, and see to it."
"You needn't worry, cousin," Antoine insisted, keeping the smile on his face. "She will sign the papers."
"Thank you, cousin. And good luck with the next Business Council meeting, a few of them may be getting cold feet."
"I'll keep them on board."
That seemed to mollify Rene, who quickly excused himself for a board meeting. His image disappeared from the screen.
Antoine's smile turned vicious. Don't worry, Rene. I will handle this and keep your name clear. With that thought, he keyed a secure sublight link to Thyssenbourg.
When the other end picked up, he spoke promptly. "Doctor, it's time to move on to the next phase. And I have the perfect test subject for you..."
8
Trinidad Station grew larger on the main bridge display of the Shadow Wolf as she burned in on final approach to the station. Henry observed the traffic monitoring holotank before him and noted the amount of ship traffic was even higher than their last visit a couple of months before.
Cera whistled. "Business is boomin' for the Trinidaders. Bein' recognized as a sovereign system's worked out, looks like."
"Lusitania being the first world to do it helped," Piper added.
Across from her, Yanik remained uncomfortably seated in Tia's usual place. Normally, he spent command watches in Henry's seat, not taking Tia's place, and it was a sharp reminder of what they were missing. The medical cast holding his damaged shoulder and arm in place reinforced the sentiment.
He broke his silence. "We are cleared for Arm 3, Docking Bay 4."
"We didn't forget the gift we usually give the traffic control boss, did we?" asked Piper.
"It would be irrelevant in this case," Yanik said. "I am told Chief Khánh is responsible for the dock being assigned."
"She would be," Henry murmured. "Take us in."
"Aye, Captain."
Cera brought the ship in with her usual precision and skill. After guiding them through the station's traffic, she flew the ship into the dock and brought it down in place. "Picture perfect as always," she bragged.
Piper grinned at that. "You always are on point with these landings."
"Umbilicals are attaching. We are now on the station's power and life support system." Yanik's talons tapped at the controls in front of him. "Engineering is standing down reactors." Yanik noted an incoming message and tapped the receiving key. Text appeared on his screen. "Chief Khánh wishes to see us. Immediately."
"I expected so," Henry said. "Get the crew together in the galley."
* * *
Linh Khánh arrived in the jumpsuit of a dockmaster of Trinidad Station, an engineer's suit with plenty of pouches and places for the tools she usually employed. Right now, she had few, though, and the dark bags under her eyes and the increased paleness of her skin spoke of the emotional stress she was operating under.
The moment she was in the galley, she spoke with uncharacteristic harshness. "What are you doing to get her back?" she demanded.
"First, we need to figure out where she is," Pieter said.
"That's easy. Hestia." Linh scowled. "The HBC announced the arrest half a day ago."
"Did they say anything else about it?" Miri asked. "Like where it happened?"
"No, only that the Hestian government secured Tia's arrest with the benefit of 'off-world sources'."
"More like they hired that bastard Kepper to do their dirty work, and he held an entire enclosed colony hostage to get away," Piper groused. "He planted a nuclear charge on Allentown Station's dome to make them let him go."
Linh nodded. "I'm not su
rprised, and the HBC would never admit that. It'd cause them too much trouble. I wouldn't be shocked if they bribed or intimidated Allentown Station into being quiet over it." Her head turned so her eyes could meet Henry's face. "So what are you going to do about it?"
"I don't know," he admitted. "I won't leave her to suffer whatever they've got planned, but getting onto Hestia and off with her is going to be hard. They'll be on the lookout for the Shadow Wolf, and we'll pull the ship apart trying to burn in and out."
"Hestia's got a jump-capable Lagrange system, solar and lunar," Linh pointed out. "You can jump right into the lunar L5 or L4 point and back out the same way. The L2's also good, although further from Hestia."
"I'm already factoring that," he replied. "Truth is, we lost up to another year of service life trying to catch Kepper back at Allentown. Using the fusion drive is out."
"I'll see what I can do about shoring up the systems. Maybe I can get you some more time," Linh answered. "Because I'm going with you."
That took the entire crew by surprise. Henry could see Samina was particularly put off by it. "But, your position?" she asked.
"I've put in for a leave of absence with the Dockworkers Guild."
Samina's surprise turned to something like horror. "But… you're next in line to be the Guild Secretary. You've worked for years to get there. If you take a leave, it could cost you guild votes when Secretary Sathasivam's term ends."
"I know, Samina, trust me, I know. I'm possibly throwing away a decade of work if I do this." Linh's jaw set. "But I'm alive today because of Tia. I'm not abandoning her to be humiliated and executed by those corporate bastards."
"You'll be welcome. We'll need the help," Henry said as he offered his hand.
Linh took it.
* * *
With the ship securely docked and the meeting over, the crew of the Shadow Wolf broke up to see to other routines. What structural repairs were possible were at the top of the list of things to get to, and a rotating schedule was set up to see to them.
For Miri, her initial concern was Oskar's admonition that she work her leg out to restore her muscle function completely. So she made a round of both decks with a scanner to find structural weaknesses and other damages for the others to fix.
Her mind wasn't entirely on her job. She found herself thinking of Kepper, of the guilt she felt for the fact that he was still breathing.
It wasn't simply that he'd once hunted her, but what he'd done during the hunt. An innocent life he'd callously taken for expediency's sake, for which he went unpunished because they needed him to find the League's Pluto Base. For all his evil acts, that needless murder of Vasily stood out as one that Miri felt needed to be brought to account, in addition to abducting Tia and maiming Yanik.
When her round was finished, she returned to her quarters aboard the ship. With all of her guilt and determination driving her, Miri quickly came to her decision. She activated her computer terminal and brought up the GalNet system. It was easy to find the link to the Russian Old-Rite Church in the Harr'al city of Sektatsh.
After half a minute, the image shifted to show an older bearded man in the casual wear of a Russian Old Believer priest. She recognized him as Father Nikolai, the Church's missionary to Sektatsh.
He clearly recognized her too. "Miss Gaon, it is good to see you well," he said in accented English. "God has been kind."
"He often is," Miri observed quietly. "I'm happy to see you're still doing well despite the risks on Harron."
Nikolai laughed. "The slavers know to leave us alone. One call and the Tokarevs will bring Morozova, and they fear her. What can I do for you?"
"I've run into the man who killed your convert Vasily, Father," she answered. His pleasant expression vanished. An old pain showed in the priest's eyes. "Please get word to the Tokarev brothers. He works for someone on Hestia now, one of the corporations most likely. He abducted one of my shipmates for his new employers."
Nikolai nodded slowly. "I will inform the brothers immediately. And I will make prayers for your shipmate's safe return."
"Thank you, Father Nikolai. We may all need those prayers before this is done."
* * *
Toward the ship's stern, Samina worked quietly on a fully-formed fracture in a visible structural beam. It was careful work to fill the fracture in with the ceramic injector, a bulky piece of equipment used to introduce a chemically-treated ceramic that would mold to fill the fracture and restore strength to the damaged member.
Piper stood beside her, maintaining a scan to ensure they didn't overfill the fracture. When the scanner told her it was ready, she said, "There, you're good."
Samina pulled her fingers off the trigger mechanism for the injector. Both could feel the heat radiating from the tip even before she pulled it away from the sealed fracture. "This won't last as long as you think," Samina said. "The ceramic's good for restoring some stability to the structure, but it'll give if we go under high thrust with the fusion drive again."
"I can't think of better ways for the old girl to go out than saving Tia," Piper remarked. She set a hand to the nearest bulkhead. "It'll feel wrong to be on a new ship. But I guess that's part of life." She noted the pained expression on Samina's face and winced. "Sorry. I forgot about your uncle's ship."
Samina nodded. "I understand. It's okay."
"Going to see him before we leave? He's still here, right?"
"Yes, in Quetta District." Samina nodded. "I'll have a meal with him before I go, if I can, but this is important. I have to help get the ship ready so we can rescue Tia. Uncle Ali will understand."
"I'm sure he will." As she spoke those words, Piper thought of her Grandpa Pete, her Cherokee mother's father. Her visits to his homestead in the Cherokee Nation's district on Sanctuary always proved a bright spot during her childhood and youth. She thought of how it felt to lose him to old age and sickness and felt a duty toward Samina. "Don't put it off," she urged. "Make sure you see your uncle before you go. That way, there's nothing for either of you to regret."
Their eyes met and Piper saw understanding on Samina's face. "I will," the younger woman promised.
* * *
Even before it gained acknowledged status by the worlds of Neutral Space, Trinidad Station's residents and entrepreneurs maintained a number of living establishments for visitors to their station. They didn't always fit the style of hotels on established worlds and stations, but they were a place someone could get rest if they needed it.
Of course, given how many of those visitors were pirates or something of the sort, many of these entrepreneurs adopted a mentality of not asking questions.
This suited Trapper Saxon just fine. The grizzled middle-aged man sat on one of the beds in his rented room, a disassembled Coalition pulse rifle beside him. It lacked the stopping power of modern war-built Coalition firearms, but it had the advantage of not needing ammunition, just long-lasting cells that provided the energy for the rifle's machinery. For operations like Saxon's usual runs, this suited him just fine, as it did his comrades checking on their own similar weapons.
He was interrupted by a chirp from his link. He reached to the nightstand and clawed away with his fingers until he gripped the plastic slab of his link. The contact triggered the link to generate a holographic image, presenting to him his employer.
"No more waiting," said Antoine Rigault. "Take out Linh Khánh, however you can. I want her on her way here or dead."
Trapper nodded. "Better pay if she's alive, right?"
"Yes."
"Then we'll see you again when we've got her in hand," he said. "Saxon out."
The image disappeared. Trapper turned to his watching subordinates. "Alright, fellows, we've got our green light. Phillips, let's go over the options again. We can't make mistakes if we're to get the objective to Hestia."
9
After a night of fitful sleep, Tia awoke to find a meager breakfast on a tray at the floor of her cell. She considered whether to have any of
it or if she should attempt a hunger strike. The growling of her stomach tempted her toward putting such a strike off for later, which made her all the more determined to start one now.
The choice was taken from her when guards showed up at her cell. Antoine walked into view. He glanced down at her uneaten breakfast and chuckled. "Well, we can spare the expense of food this way," he remarked. "Nutrient IVs are cheaper anyway. We'll see to that later, but right now, you have an appointment, Prisoner Nguyen."
"It'd better be with my counsel," Tia said. "After all, the HBC honors the Hestian Republic's constitution, doesn't it? I get an appeal of my conviction, especially as it was made in-absentia."
"Of course," Antoine replied smoothly. "You will be provided with legal counsel at the earliest opportunity. But for the time being, you are being held under your conviction for rebellion. Unless you are willing to sign the amnesty, of course?"
"Never," she vowed.
"I thought not." Antoine nodded to the guards. "Let's see about that appointment. It may persuade you otherwise."
Tia remained seated on her cot, arms crossed, while the guards opened the cell door. They moved in and placed cuffs on her ankles and wrists, linking them to a chain as before. They pushed her from the cell and compelled her to follow Antoine.
Their trip took them from the cell block into the rest of the complex. A trip through a security checkpoint made it clear they were entering a highly secured section, blocked off from access by regular personnel of the complex.
At first, she felt little concern about this. But as they passed through a dark gray corridor, she heard a chorus of moans and groans coming from adjacent rooms. As they walked past one door, she glanced in long enough to see a Hestian man strapped onto a gurney, staring listlessly at the ceiling. A second room had a woman in the same condition, moaning loudly but incoherently, not responding to the world around her at all.
Breach of Trust: Breach of Faith Book Four Page 7