Michael Anderle - [Heretic of the Federation 03]

by Time to Fear (epub)

  The fleet admiral didn’t keep him waiting and knocked at his door less than a half-hour later.

  “You wanted to see me, sir?”

  Thomason gestured at the coffee pot and began to talk while his visitor filled a cup.

  “About this outpost…” he began, and the admiral stiffened.

  “Sir?”

  “I hear there are still some humans there.”

  Deverey’s gaze was wary as he crossed to stand before the desk.

  “That’s the rumor, sir.”

  He responded with a blank stare when the CIO jerked his head up to stare at him.

  “Well, either there are or there aren’t, Admiral.”

  After a moment in which he accepted that his boss had no intention to let the matter slide, he sighed. “Initial intelligence reports show there are perhaps a half-dozen humans living at the outpost, sir. I’m waiting for an update as to their loyalties.”

  “Their loyalties don’t matter.” David tapped his keyboard and rose from his seat.

  The fleet admiral took two hasty steps back and turned with him to gaze at the maps now displayed on the screen.

  “These are from the initial survey team, are they not?” Thomason asked.

  His companion took a moment to study them before he replied.

  “They are,” he confirmed when he was sure.

  The CIO picked up a ruler and tapped two areas on the screen. “These are where the living areas are located?”

  Again, the man nodded. “They are.”

  David tapped the screen again and the ruler rattled against two points, one very close to one of the living areas.

  “And these are your entry points?” he pressed.

  Deverey lowered his chin and answered cautiously, “Yes, sir.”

  “So, your entry team at this point is likely to encounter opposition,” he stated matter-of-factly.

  The admiral frowned. “Not—” he began, but he was cut off before he could finish.

  “That close to their living quarters? The team is bound to be identified, and you need to have no witnesses. There will be opposition.”

  Understanding flashed over the admiral’s face. Without giving the man time to respond, he continued.

  “Make sure your teams understand there were no human survivors from this raid.”

  Given that the raid hadn’t happened yet; his meaning was clear.

  The man’s expression turned deadpan and he nodded. “Yes, sir,” he acknowledged and added, “Will there be anything else?”

  Thomason took a remote out of his pocket and pointed it at his computer. He kept his attention on the screen as the images changed. This time, they showed a star map and the position of the main fleet monitoring Dreth.

  “Are they ready?” he demanded, and Deverey gave him a startled glance.

  “Yes, sir,” he confirmed. “They’ve run the simulation every two days for the last month. Everyone knows their roles and the assigned target.”

  “And the news will have time to get out?”

  The man nodded. “The footage you need will be packaged and torped to Notaro in time for your people to process it and get it out.”

  “And the diplomatic side?”

  David allowed himself a predatory smile.

  “We’ll tell the Dreth their inability to protect a simple outpost leaves us gravely concerned about the safety of their people and we feel we have a moral obligation to ensure their safety.”

  Deverey raised his eyebrows. “And if they don’t believe you, sir?”

  The CIO shrugged. “It doesn’t matter what they believe. We’ll slaughter their outpost and use it as the excuse we need to take their world. Whether they believe me or not is irrelevant.”

  “You know they’ll fight,” the admiral stated, and his boss' smile widened.

  “I’m counting on it,” he said forcefully. “and when we’ve ground them under our heel, we’ll tell them we intended a friendly occupation to keep them safe and remind them that they turned it deadly.”

  “And Meligorn?”

  “We’ll take Dreth so fast, the damned elves won’t have time to respond. Once the Dreth fire the first shot, your units will roll up their main Navy positions and destroy their fleet.”

  He paused to give Deverey a sharp look.

  “Your units are in position, aren’t they, Admiral?”

  The man’s eyes widened, and he hastened to reassure him.

  “Of course, they are, sir. They have no idea about the second fleet moving into the system, and we have a third ready to transition once the battle has started.”

  David studied his face and saw no attempt at deception.

  The admiral continued. “The initial action will give our raiders time to rejoin the main force with minimal risk of detection, and several of our pirate units are ready to join their fleets using the battle as cover.”

  “Any observers?” the CIO snapped with momentary concern.

  Deverey shook his head. “None that we’ve detected since we blew the last one up.”

  “And the Meligornians?”

  “They’re out of position to help, and if all goes to plan, they’ll stay that way. By the time they realize Dreth might have needed their assistance, there won’t be a Dreth to assist—although there will be another Earth colony in this sector.”

  “And the Dreth?”

  The man’s lips tightened. “They can either stay on their world and mine it for us, or they can leave on the transports we provide.”

  “Oh?”

  “As discussed, sir, those ships will initially head to Telor, but none of them will reach it.”

  “And if Meligorn seeks to intervene?”

  “We have already planned to have a surge of refugee ships. The Meligornians will be too busy rescuing people from ships too unfit to fly to be of any assistance to Dreth.”

  When David studied him thoughtfully, the admiral suppressed a shudder. That particular look on his CIO’s face meant trouble—usually for whoever was under discussion but sometimes, as Ava had discovered, for the person he was looking at.

  “Do we have a Plan B?” he asked, and Deverey suppressed the urge to breathe a sigh of relief.

  “Yes, sir, we do. I have several small flotillas standing by to transition for simultaneous ‘pirate’ attacks along the edge of the system and on some of their more remote colonies and outposts.”

  Thomason nodded sharply. “Good! We don’t want those damned elves to help yet.”

  He moved to his seat and dropped into it.

  The fleet admiral waited in silence while the CIO made a show of bringing up more files and studying them. It was a relief when he finally spoke.

  “And we have enough ships?” he asked.

  “Yes, sir. We’ll still have most of Edwards’ main fleet in-system.”

  “Most?” the man jerked his head up to look at his companion. “Will it be enough?”

  “With Dreth’s navy defeated and the Meligornians tied up rescuing refugees and fending off pirate attacks, it will be more than enough, sir.”

  The CIO studied him for a moment longer, then nodded and shifted his attention to his screen. Deverey waited until his boss was focused on that before he slowly released the breath he’d been holding.

  His boss’ next words made him jump. “Resources,” he snapped, and the admiral came to attention.

  “The outpost will provide much of the shortfall—” he began, but the CIO waved him to silence.

  “We will run out long before that.”

  The other man’s eyes widened and he frowned as he tried to remember some of what they’d covered in previous meetings. David usually knew what was where, right down to the last pound. That he didn’t was not a good sign.

  “What about the Australian mines?” he asked and knew he’d located the problem the second he’d finished.

  “Ava’s little scare campaign didn’t work,” Thomason all but snarled and he smacked the flat of his hand on
the desk.

  Deverey startled. “Sir?”

  “It’s nothing I can put my finger on, but there have been delays…accidents…cave-ins in stable shafts… Their production is dropping although they look like they’re doing their best, but…” He shrugged.

  “Do you think it’s sabotage, sir?”

  “Instinct says something’s not right but there’s nothing concrete I can deal with.”

  Trust Ava to stir up a hornet’s nest and leave me to deal with it, Deverey thought but kept it to himself.

  “I can send a work order through for more production from the Lunar Mines—”

  “Already done,” the CIO told him, and his gaze grew distant as he looked at the admiral. “What I need is a new source and Talents with telekinetic abilities—many Talents with telekinetic abilities.”

  “But…” the admiral began, but his boss gave him a look that dried up the voice in his throat.

  “You’ll get them back in time for your war,” Thomason stated coldly, “but I need a hundred telekinetics mining a new source as soon as we have one—and I need the minerals now.”

  “I’ll see what Intelligence can find me regarding alien shipments,” Deverey stated, and David pinned him with an angry stare.

  “I said I needed a source.”

  It took effort, but the fleet admiral swallowed and kept his face blank. He cleared his throat.

  “We’ll take the cargo and use the ships’ logs to locate the source,” he assured the CIO, who seemed to relax.

  “See that you do. I expect a report on my desk at 18:00.”

  Deverey thought about trying to explain the logistics of Intelligence and quickly decided against it. He’d seen that look on the man’s face before.

  “Will there be anything else, sir?”

  Thomason leaned back in his chair and laced his fingers behind his head.

  “Yes. About this interdiction…”

  Chapter Two

  Two lone figures on a country road didn’t stir much comment, not even given that one wore a cowboy hat. For one thing, there was no one to see them, and for another, the single Enforcer who’d been up late enough to see their car thought it was merely passing through.

  If he hadn’t been distracted by the need to take a smoke break, he might have seen the vehicle turn onto an access road, but even then, he’d have assumed the driver was lost and looking for a place to turn.

  He couldn’t have been more wrong.

  As soon as they’d exited the vehicle, the two men watched it drive quietly away. There was something to be said for remote control.

  “What will its owner say?” the older one asked as he straightened his spine with an audible crack.

  His companion tilted his head and smiled. “She won’t say anything as long as I return it unscratched and fully fueled by the time she needs it tomorrow morning.”

  He paused and gazed into the distance.

  “Correction. She won’t say anything as long as I return it inside the next six hours. It already is tomorrow morning.”

  “You don’t need to be so precise with me, BURT,” the old man told him. “I knew what you meant.”

  The cowboy nodded, but his smile faded as he looked into the wasteland that began a few yards in front of them.

  “Old habits die hard, Admiral.” He gestured toward the radioactive zone before them. “Shall we?”

  “I’m no longer with the Navy,” Admiral Amaratne reminded him and hesitated as he glanced at the Dead Zone. “It’s merely Yudi now.”

  “Yudi?” EBURT snorted, amused, and his companion shrugged.

  “Short for Yudhanjaya. My parents had a fascination for ancient researchers and had decided my future for me. Of course, their plans were for me to join the Naval Planetary Research Unit, but I went my own way.”

  “Somehow, I can’t imagine you ever doing that.” EBURT chuckled.

  “I always knew where I was going,” the man told him, “even when I was young.”

  “You make that sound like a long time ago,” the AI murmured.

  “You mean it isn’t?”

  The android shook his head. “Time is irrelevant in times like these.” He gestured at the land before them. “And yet, it is pressing. We have to go.”

  Amaratne followed the direction of his hand and pressed his lips together as he studied the Dead Zone before them.

  “Are you sure this is the only way?”

  “Very,” EBURT assured him.

  “And do you have any tips on how to survive?” the admiral asked. He swept a hand to gesture at his aging body. “I’m not as young as I used to be.”

  “One path is safer than others,” his companion replied. “All you need to do is follow it.”

  The admiral regarded him with an expectant look. “And?”

  “This is a reclamation site. The mechanism for cleaning it spreads like a web beneath the ground. If you walk along the web, you will be safe.”

  He studied the landscape with a dubious expression.

  “Truly, Admiral. All you need to do is start walking.”

  “How will I know when I get there?” he asked.

  “It will be green,” the AI responded simply.

  “Green.” He loaded the word with all the apprehension he felt but it didn’t work to dispel the feeling.

  “You will know it when you see it.”

  Amaratne had his doubts but he kept them to himself as the man in the cowboy hat continued.

  “When you arrive, the system in charge of the compound will ensure that you have not been contaminated and will take the necessary steps if you are.”

  “If I live that long,” he muttered.

  “You will live,” EBURT assured him and stared into the distance, leaving the old man to decide when to take the first step.

  After a moment’s silence, the ex-admiral sighed. “Then I guess there’s nothing left but to do it.”

  “There is coffee at the end.” The cowboy chuckled.

  After another deep breath, he chose a direction at random and stepped determinedly forward.

  He managed only two paces before his companion caught his shoulder and halted him in his tracks.

  “There is no coffee in that direction,” the cowboy said. “Only agonizing pain and death.”

  Amaratne paled and pointed to his left. “That way?”

  EBURT exhaled a long-suffering sigh and moved past him. “How about following me?”

  “Harumph.” The man rolled his eyes. “Admirals always lead on ships.”

  “Admirals usually lead only on ships. They don’t normally try to lead in radiation zones.”

  “Point taken,” he conceded.

  He took another breath, gathered his courage, and followed. Being surrounded by an invisible and imminent death made every step a struggle, but he had to have faith in someone and the man in the cowboy hat was it.

  Several miles away, John woke with a start.

  The lights in his room strobed, and the low, persistent beeps grew louder. He fumbled instinctively to slap the nightstand, thinking he’d set an alarm on his mobile.

  A second later, he woke up and realized he no longer had his mobile.

  “Remy?”

  “Roma,” the AI corrected him. “We have an incursion, John. I need you to repel them.”

  He swung his feet onto the floor and shook his head to clear the lingering fatigue.

  “What happened to the internal defenses?” he asked, his voice creaking.

  “The incursion is both physical and digital. I need you to take care of the physical.”

  With a grimace, he dragged on the clean fatigues he’d found hanging behind the door. “How much time do I have?”

  Silence greeted him.

  “Roma?” He paused. “Remy?”

  When neither responded, he hissed a sharp breath between his teeth and yanked his boots on.

  “It would have been nice to have weapons available,” he grumbled and reached out to
touch the eMU around him.

  Brief memories of simulated Dreth fled as the energy brushed against him, and his fears vanished.

  “Well, I’m not unarmed, I guess.”

  He stamped his foot to make sure the boot was on properly. “Anybody?”

  The sound of gunfire reached him. It was loud and getting closer. The distinctive spang of solids striking nearby walls reached him, and he flinched from the door.

  “Get a grip, John,” he told himself and drew eMU around him to form a shield.

  “It might be nice if they can’t see me too,” he added and willed the magic to bend light around him.

  Very carefully, he pulled the door inward and it eased open. Any hope he might make it out unobserved was lost with the first shout of alarm.

  The intruders might not be able to see him, but they could see the door.

  Bullets battered his shield, and the magic flared blue as it absorbed their impact and dissipated it. Casings jangled when they landed on the floor, and stunned silence followed.

  John didn’t wait to see what happened next. A quick scan of the corridor showed four bulky figures in heavy armor, their weapons temporarily silent.

  Using a little eMU to boost his speed, he bounded forward and his movement shook them from their shock as he lost focus on being invisible. They began to fire as he borrowed a maneuver from Frog’s handbook and flipped up.

  Of course, the guard wouldn’t have made it through the gap between the soldiers’ heads and the ceiling. There wasn’t enough space, but then again, Frog didn’t have Talent.

  The young rogue Talent aimed at the wall slightly in front of the Enforcers, pushed off it, and flattened into a dive that took him over the men and behind them. Their muzzles tracked him, but they turned on themselves as they tried to follow his path.

  Only one recovered swiftly enough to attempt to grasp his leg as he moved overhead. The man’s hand collided with the eMU shield, and John used a burst of Talent to drive his attacker to his knees.

  He ignored the guy’s cry of pain as the energy surged through him and put a hand out to deflect his trajectory, using the next wall to change direction. A moment later, he set his feet on the floor and put his back to the wall.

  It was a relief to see he’d managed to turn the group. Now, they faced away from where Ivy lay helpless in the PodDoc.