"I'm the reason you're here!" Felix put his hands on Henry's arms to hold him back from the helm. "Jim, this is on me!"
"No it's not. I came to get Tia back; we got her back. This is how we get her, and your data, out of here." Henry met Felix's grip with his own. "Now get down there!"
"Dammit, Jim, this isn't about anything but a death wish!" Felix roared. "You still haven't forgiven yourself for the Laffey, so now you're going to go down with this ship when you don't need to!"
"Who else will go, then?!" Henry demanded. "Cera? You? Should I call one of the others up here to make the sacrifice?" He shook his head. "I gave everything I could to keep this crew safe. They've risked themselves for my sake too often as it is. I'm doing this, Felix, and that's final!"
Tears filled Felix's eyes. "You're asking me to watch you die, Jim. I can't do that. I already failed you before."
The pain in his old friend's voice cut into Henry. Not enough to shake his resolve, but it stung nevertheless. "I know, and I'm sorry, Felix." Say it, he demanded of himself. This is the end, say it! "But it's how it's got to be."
Felix shook his head. "No, it isn't."
Henry sighed and turned to Cera. "Cera, help me get him—"
There was a slight pinch against Henry's neck. He glanced down to see Felix's hand and, more importantly, the auto-injector it was holding. He barely had time to recognize it before he felt his legs go numb beneath him. He toppled into his chair. He managed to lift his head while his arms, after a moment, also stopped responding. "What did you do?" he asked.
Felix threw the empty auto-injector away. "What I had to," he said. He reached down and hoisted Henry from the chair. "Cera, help me out here."
Cera nodded. She stepped down through the hatch into manual astrogation and extended her arms.
None of Henry's limbs responded. Even his neck muscles wouldn't work now. He tried to speak but couldn't get his jaw to move. He could only stare at his best friend while Felix pulled him over and handed him down to Cera. The two worked him into manual astrogation, Cera descending the hatch ladder with him. Stop! Dammit, Felix, don't do this!
He wanted to speak those words, but he couldn't. His jaw, his tongue, his throat; none of it was working.
Felix looked down at them through the hatch. His hand came up in a salute. "It's been a pleasure and an honor, Cera McGinty."
Cera nodded back. Her eyes glistened with tears. "Th' same t' ye, Colonel Rothbard."
Felix nodded in acceptance. His eyes met Henry's. "I'm sorry about everything. I wish I could've been a better friend. Take care, Jim, and Godspeed."
Henry couldn't give a reply thanks to the paralytic, but he desperately wanted to. He wanted to yell at Felix for doing this, at taking on this sacrifice when he didn't need to and wasn't asked to.
Cera sat Henry down gently while, above them, Felix pulled the hatch door down. Cera sealed their end of it before taking the lone seat in the module. The window there showed the empty void that surrounded their doomed ship. "Ready for separation," she said into her link.
"Commencing separation," Felix answered.
The module jolted. Single-use thrusters pushed them free of the Shadow Wolf. The module turned slightly in space, enough to give them the view of their crippled ship. One by one, four of the holds along the bottom detached and floated free into space. Toward the mauled rear, an escape pod shot out from above the engines.
Henry tried to move again, but he couldn't. All he could do was watch as the engines lit up and the Shadow Wolf rocketed away to her doom, his best friend at the helm.
* * *
The helm control status screen confirmed the hold separations along with that of manual astrogation. Felix watched another light show an escape pod shoot away from the stern of the ship. With a couple of key taps, he brought up a holographic screen to his side showing the sensor returns for the ship. Everyone was accounted for; he was the only living soul remaining on the Shadow Wolf.
Instinctual fear filled his belly and tried to freeze his heart. It was the fear that said, simply, "I don't want to die." His body felt like it would start vibrating from all of his self-preservation impulses urging him to run to an escape pod now.
But he wouldn't. He couldn't. The data had to get back to Canaan, and his friend and former crew needed to get to safety. So he'd see to it.
It's better this way, Jim, I hope you realize that, he thought. After all these years of working in these dark places, at least I'll go out like a CDF officer should.
A couple of key taps brought up the controls for the fusion drive. The system lit up warnings on the screen that he ignored. His hand moved along the holographic dial for the fusion drive's output.
The ship lurched beneath him and a powerful force pressed him into the helm seat. Damage to the inertial compensators… and with the ship's mass lowered, a higher acceleration profile… this is gonna be tough. Felix fought to keep his arms forward and his hands on the flight controls.
Ahead of him, the League warship loomed. Even with her battle damage, she was formidable, and despite her limp, she'd catch the others before the Majha could rescue them. She had to be stopped.
"Rothbard to Majha," he said, his voice rough from the acceleration. "Pick 'em up. I'll clear the way for you."
The reply from Captain Chagger was short and bittersweet. "We're burning for them now. Godspeed, Colonel."
The League ship's surviving missile battery lit up. Another salvo was coming for the Shadow Wolf. The auto-turrets came active automatically, to Felix's benefit. It let him keep his attention, strained by G-forces as it was, on the controls and the approaching ship. He adjusted course to match the Leaguers' own changes.
You can shoot me down, but that's your only shot. I've got the acceleration to catch you, you Godless bastards.
The missiles screamed in, seeking to end his death ride prematurely. The five remaining auto-turrets on the Shadow Wolf filled the space ahead with metal rounds. The missiles started to explode, one by one.
He barely noticed. Nor was he paying much attention to the growing vibration and shriek of metal. The Shadow Wolf was coming apart under the power of her rigged drives. The G-forces were so intense, he could feel the darkness creeping in at the periphery of his vision. He would black out before long. No, I have to make it. God help me, I have to.
Beyond that plea, despite his situation, a peace settled on Felix, warming his heart, indeed his very soul. The weak, smoldering embers of the faith he'd grown up with roared to life once more.
It all seemed so clear now. So clear indeed. All of those years of compromised moral choices, of doing the dirty things so the heroes of the CDF would get their chance on the battlefield; it'd sapped away at that blaze. But now it couldn't. This was what he was meant for, and it was a fate he embraced. Despite all the sins of the past, despite the lies, God was giving him a chance to save his best friend and so many others he'd called comrade. The end of his mortal existence beckoned, but a greater, better existence lay beyond. An existence freed from the compromises and pain of this mortal life. No more darkness, no more shame.
Felix was raised to be a Christian. He'd embraced that faith as an adult, felt it slowly drain under the pressures of a war and all of the terrible things he'd done, and now… now here he was, faith reignited as he was about to perform the highest act a man of his faith could ever perform.
After all, to be a Christian was to be called to live a life like Christ's. How much closer to the Savior could one get than to sacrifice their own life for the salvation of others?
The League warship loomed ever larger. It was trying to adjust course now. Its wounded drives were at more than full, trying to throw off his aim.
It took everything Felix had remaining to keep his hands on the controls and the League ship on his bow. It grew to encompass the entire screen in those final seconds.
A voice crackled over the line. "Felix." Henry's voice was strained, barely audible over the shriek of the m
etal, the vibrations, and the way the G-forces interfered with his senses. "Felix, I forgive you. For everything."
Despite the pressure, a contented smile formed on Felix's face.
Impact.
* * *
The words came from Henry's throat in deliberate, forced tones, requiring far more effort than usual, given the influence of the paralytic agent on his body.
The truth was, he wanted to say more. So much more. But it was too late.
A star came to life in the endless black of the void, intense but so very brief. Henry didn't need a viewer to know the star was the Shadow Wolf. At her velocity, she'd been crushed against the League warship at the moment of impact, an impact that released the contents of her fusion drive's reactor vessel to, for a brief moment, form a miniature star in the middle of the Hestian system. In its damaged state, there was no chance the League ship survived.
Only a moment, though. The deuterium and helium-3 fuel was exhausted after that moment and the star died, bringing back the darkness of the void.
A sniffle escaped Cera's throat. Over the link, he heard Pieter's voice crackle. "She's gone. Completely gone." He sounded utterly defeated.
"Majha to Shadow Wolf survivors." Kaiya's voice came through loud and clear. "The League vessel has been destroyed. Our scanners are clean. The nearest enemy vessel is still two hours out. We will have you aboard and be jumping out within the hour." There was a moment of silence on the other end. "You have my condolences for your loss."
She meant well, but her words were another stab in the heart for Henry. His ship, Uncle Charlie's ship, was gone, and his best friend was dead.
Hot tears welled in his eyes and blurred the world. A sob erupted from his throat, then another, until he broke down weeping.
26
Antoine arrived at the Justice and Rehabilitation Center in a barely-contained fury. He was greeted by a fleet of ambulances to carry away wounded police and security troops. Shrouded bodies spoke of the casualties taken to his troops in the attack. This is a disaster. We will have to crack down further on the Hestians to keep them cowed.
It wasn't the Hestians that truly concerned him, of course. They were utterly wretched. It was his own people that posed the greater threat, and his allies the greatest threat.
He found Aristide in her office. In her own way, she was smoldering just as he was. The labs were her responsibility, after all, and one of her ships was now a hunk of lifeless debris. Her eyes glittered coldly at him. "Your people are incompetent," she said upon his entry. "You call yourself a security force, yet you allow this facility of all of them to be compromised?"
"I have already ordered an investigation into how they got past the security checkpoints," he replied, feeling his temper struggle against her recriminations. "There may be treason afoot in my organization, either for ideological or mercenary purposes."
"The Terran Coalition is the most likely culprit."
"Agreed. But I will need proof."
"It can be provided," she offered. "Although with the state of affairs on Canaan, it may not be necessary."
Antoine wondered what she meant. Understanding came to him. "Ah. The Coalition's current political situation, you mean."
"Yes. Vice President Rhodes has devoted her entire political career to this peace treaty, and she distrusts the CDF greatly." Aristide's frown didn't go away as she spoke. "Of greater concern was the security lapse that led to this situation. Unorganized agents infiltrated this facility and made off with prisoners and possibly data. Our place here is compromised."
"I will see to the continuance of the operation," he assured her. "For security's sake, the project can be relocated to the lunar station."
Her expression shifted slightly. "That will involve shipping new subjects off-planet. Will your superiors protest?"
"It will be done carefully. I will also begin the approval for wide-spread implantation of the technology. Breivik must be ready. Word of the technology is due to leak soon anyway." And the Council will be shaky. I must present them with the Republic government's approval to ensure theirs.
"He is recovering now, but I will see to it he understands what is needed. I only wish you had understood the requirements as well. My people should have been in charge of security here, not yours."
"If I gave the League that kind of power here, the Council would turn against me," he reminded her. "Their commitment is still uncertain."
"Such is always true of a non-Social government," she replied. "It is a weakness that plagues all of you."
As if your League is bereft of factionalism. If that were true, you would not be doing these experiments on Hestia. Antoine nearly said the thought aloud but stopped himself. Right now, he still needed Aristide, since he still needed Breivik. As soon as he has completed his work, that will change.
"The loss of the Cataphract is another matter. It may complicate our involvement in Neutral Space affairs."
"It would, yes." Antoine grinned. "But I have a solution for that problem already in mind…"
* * *
The call Antoine was awaiting and dreading came as he returned to his office. Rene's face appeared on the screen, the night skyline of Bekeleville shining behind him "Antoine. I've received word of an attack on the Thyssenbourg security center. Is it true Tia Nguyen was rescued by Hestian rebels?"
"Categorically untrue," Antoine replied. "She was taken, yes, but it wasn't Hestians. It was her spacer crew with a military-trained infiltration team in support."
That news didn't make Rene any happier. "A military team? Who? Was it the Terran Coalition?"
"We don't know yet, cousin, although I would guess so."
As he expected, his cousin reacted to the news with a nervous expression. He ran a hand over his mouth as if in thought. "The project may need to be canceled," he said. "If the Coalition is getting involved, we can't afford their enmity."
"I’ll handle it, Rene," he said. "I already have a response planned. It will be the Coalition that is on the backfoot, not us."
"How can you be sure?"
"Because I know their vulnerabilities, cousin. They are a divided people right now. With the right words said and the right accusations leveled, they will be too busy fighting amongst themselves to come for us."
Rene seemed uncertain. "Nguyen's escape, it is still a blow. The revolutionaries will be emboldened."
"It is, but one we can make good. The Hestians are still cowed. With the League's help, we've kept them from rearming. A crackdown will serve to remind them of what resistance leads to when the implantation process begins." Seeing that his cousin was not being swayed, Antoine decided on another point. "Cousin, the money is spent. To back out now will be to waste it and leave us vulnerable. With the first squadron nearly ready and the implantation process soon to begin, the only safe route for our family is to see the project through to completion. Once we have the fleet, all of our expenses will be covered by the profit we will amass."
For several seconds, Rene was silent, visibly wrestling with his uncertainty versus the certain knowledge of what a retreat would mean for the company and their family. "I suppose you are right, cousin. With the news of our financial situation partially leaked, we can't afford to quit now. We have to see this through to save our company."
"I'll handle everything," Antoine promised. "Including Tia Nguyen. Her use as an amnestied rebel is at an end, and her martyrdom is now irrelevant."
"I don't want any details. Just see to it. Good night." With that, Rene cut the call.
Antoine settled back in his chair, smiling coldly. Rene would always waver. It was his weak fortitude holding back the ambition that the Rigault family built a business empire with. I can deal with that easily enough, once we're established. But other matters must come first.
With his computer controls, he easily tapped into the GalNet and made a call. After several moments, the visage of Kepper appeared on the screen. "I'm still not to Trinidad," the bounty hunter said. "Has
there been an update?"
"There is a new situation, Mister Kepper," he answered. "Return to Hestia immediately. By the time you get here, I will have another quarry for you."
"Oh? Bag or tag?"
"'Tag', this time, Mister Kepper." He smiled. "Definitely 'tag'."
27
The uninhabited star system was known on most astrographical maps as SNV-3-40, three jumps from the independent San Salvador system. At the jump limit of this quiet, uninhabited solar system, the Majha coasted along at a light piracy evasion velocity, her sublight drives quiet for the moment. The crew of the ship went about their duties thankful for their escape.
In one of the ship's spare quarters, James Henry stared vacantly at the bulkhead. His eyes were still reddened from the tears shed for his lost friend. The loss of Felix compounded that of the Shadow Wolf. He felt like a massive hole was freshly carved out of his heart.
Losing the Wolf was always going to happen, of course. The structural damage from the fusion drive saw to that. But to lose it so soon, and with it so many family items, so many things that were a part of his life, made it all the worse.
That all still compared lightly to the death of Felix. His best friend in the galaxy, who'd stood beside him through their childhood in Tylerville, Halsey Station Officer Academy, his disgrace from the CDF… he was gone, just like Charlie. Even when they still had so much to say to one another, so much to do…
Even worse, Henry would have to tell Jules and the Rothbards about the loss of their beloved brother and son, spreading the grief he already felt to others.
The door slid open. He briefly glanced toward it to see Tia step in. The Majha crew kindly provided her a spacer's jumpsuit to replace the prisoner suit she was rescued in. It was a darker gray than the ones they'd used on the Wolf.
That wasn't the only difference. There was a new intensity to Tia's storm-gray eyes now. A tightness around her brow that had nothing to do with being near middle age. She'd been through an ordeal and, like any such experience, it left a change in her.
Breach of Trust: Breach of Faith Book Four Page 21