Gaubert’s brow raised. Then he nodded. “That is why you’re here, isn’t it? Raine said you must be staying with the Cardenas because you want revenge. Because you want to punish Bellona for what she did to Reynard and Max. For destroying the family.”
Iulia gave him a tremulous smile. “The family isn’t destroyed while you are here, Gaubert.”
He straightened up and his shoulders squared. “No,” he said. “It isn’t.”
* * * * *
The former Karassian Homogeny Ship Alyard, Cerce Local Space
“You have to match the servo-motor coupling with the natural tendon bond,” the computerized medical arm said. “It won’t work, the way you’re doing it.”
“Go fuck yourself,” Retha growled.
“It’s just trying to help,” Vang told him, his voice gentle.
They were in a corner of the Alyard’s medical suite, just off the bridge. Retha and Vang had found Hayes trying to manipulate the controls of his bio-implants with one hand. Retha talked the giant into sitting still and letting them try to fix the issue.
Now Vang was leaning over Hayes’ upper arm, peering into the cavity next to the external tendon. “It didn’t work the other way. It apparently won’t work this way. I’m running out of options, Hayes.”
Hayes let out a slow breath. “Thank you for trying,” he said softly.
Retha took a breath for courage. “Were you always a bot, Hayes? I mean…did you choose it?”
Hayes turned his head to look at Retha. His eyes, under the heavy brow, blinked slowly. “No.”
Retha let out his breath. “They made you one? In Ledan?”
Hayes nodded.
“Does that…bother you? That you woke up and found yourself this way?”
Hayes studied him for a moment longer. Retha figured he was going to ignore the question, when he said even more softly; “I don’t remember it happening, yet Bellona says it was me who caught her, when she was just an Eriuman. She fought back, only I was already this way.” He held up his working hand and turned it so the bright lights in the medical bay glinted off the metal. “I caught her and handed her over to the Karassians, who liked the way she fought so much they took her to Ledan.”
Vang pursed his lips in a silent whistle. “I did wonder which Karassian had the balls to take her in the first place.”
“You would not fight her?” Hayes asked.
“I like breathing, thanks,” Vang said.
“You do not like what the Karassians did to you?”
Retha laughed. “He likes it just fine.”
Hayes looked at Vang once more, frowning. “I do not understand.”
Vang shrugged. “I’m a psychopath. Before Ledan, I couldn’t keep the heat low enough to stop myself. Now, I can. It fucked with my head just enough so I can keep a lid on it. They’re bastards, the app program is an abomination, but they actually did me a favor.”
Hayes swiveled his big head to look at Retha. “You, too?”
Vang snorted. “He doesn’t remember anything after his twelfth birthday. That’s the day the Karassians boarded his freeship.”
Retha shrugged. “I think I was in the program the longest of anyone here.”
Hayes considered him. “You don’t like what they did to you?”
“He’s having problems,” Vang said, as softly as Hayes was speaking.
Retha drew in a breath and let it out. “No, I don’t like what they did to me.”
“Neither does Bellona,” Hayes said. “I did that to her. Now, I will do what I must to make amends. Which is why I must fix my arm. I am of no use to her like this.” He frowned down at the useless arm.
“That’s funny. A free-stater and a standard Karassian trying to fix a biobot,” Thecla said, coming up to them. She grinned. “You didn’t think another biobot might know what to do?” She pushed her hands into the pockets of her pants, which made the external tendons stretch and flex.
“You know how to fix this?” Vang asked. He tossed the driver tool onto the bunk next to Hayes and stepped away. “Be my guest.”
Thecla stood in front of Hayes and held out a hand. “Squeeze my hand. Let me see what I’m dealing with.”
“I can give you a complete breakdown of the—” the medical arm began.
“Thank you and shut up for a moment,” Thecla said.
It shut up.
“Why didn’t I think of that?” Retha breathed to himself.
Hayes tried lifting his injured arm, to reach for Thecla’s hand. The arm swung wildly. The back of the hand knocked the driver off the bunk. Retha leaned forward and grabbed the driver before it hit the floor and put it back on the bunk.
Thecla was staring at him. “You’re not enhanced, are you?”
“No.”
“Then that reaction speed is built into your DNA? Lucky bastard.”
“Glad you think so,” Retha said bitterly.
She raised a brow. “No wonder you shoot so well.”
“He knows how to aim properly is why he shoots so well,” Vang said, anger coloring his tone. His mood was deteriorating.
“Can you teach me?” Thecla said.
“Hey. My arm,” Hayes said, his voice rumbling in his chest.
“Sorry,” Thecla said. “I’m going to have to look at it later. I came looking for you guys. Bellona wants to see everyone. On the Bridge. In about five.”
“What about?” Retha asked. It would be better to get Vang back to their quarters.
“You know the boss lady. She don’t say until she says.” Thecla shrugged.
“I’m going,” Hayes said. He didn’t have to slide off the bunk. His legs were long enough he could just rise to his feet. He straightened up.
The medical arm bleeped and blinked lights. The AI was trying to get their attention. It was panicking because its patient was leaving before treatment had been completed.
Hayes strode away, ignoring it.
Retha gripped Vang’s arm. “Come on,” he said quietly. “Bellona doesn’t call unnecessary meetings.”
* * * * *
The former Karassian Homogeny Ship Alyard, nomansland.
The Alyard was hanging in space, in the middle of nomansland, in as random a location as they could pick without actually calling up a stellar map and firing at it. The only way either the Republic or the Homogeny could find them would be if they tripped over them accidentally. As there was no settled star system nearby, that unlucky chance was minimized.
It was as close to a secure hideout as Bellona could arrange. Because of the down-time, the bridge was empty of everyone but Bellona, Khalil and Sang. They sat in the too-soft and squishy chairs, waiting for the others to arrive.
Zeni was the first to step onto the bridge from the gate to the living quarters section. Since they had left Cardenas, she had taken to wearing spacer black, boots and jacket, although she didn’t carry a gun. Not because ghostmakers were scarce, but because she preferred not to use one. “You trained me,” she told Bellona. “Why would I waste what you have taught me?” Zeni ran all the combat training on the ship, just as she had run the training in Abilio.
“This is a closed meeting,” Sang said stiffly.
Zeni glared at him. “I was invited.”
“I invited her, Sang,” Bellona said. “Zeni is a good representative for the Abilio crew. Amilcare is also coming.”
Sang sank back into the chair. He nodded, his expression the same completely neutral one Bellona remembered from too many times in the past, on Cardenas. She made a mental note to talk to him later. What did he not like about Zeni?
The others—the Ledanians, as she had come to think of them even to herself—trailed onto the bridge in pairs and groups. Amilcare, the Abilio mechanic who had become a reliable lieutenant, ambled in with them. He had not traded his normal hard-wearing clothes for spacer symbols. He still looked dusty, even on a ship that actively repressed and removed dust.
Fontana, one of the most pro-active of the Ledan grou
p, along with Thecla, hoisted himself onto the top of the nearest work counter and looked at Khalil steadily, silently challenging him to tell Fontana to get off.
Khalil just smiled.
Hero jumped onto the counter next to Fontana and curled up like a cat, her arms around her knees. Her shoulder, bare where the wide-necked shirt she was wearing had dropped down to reveal her arm and her upper breast, rubbed against his. Fontana pushed her, sliding her away from him until there was a clear space between them. She blew him a kiss, yet stayed where she was.
All the chairs on the bridge were sensibly and securely anchored to the floor, forcing everyone else to stand.
“We need to figure out a better place for meetings than here,” Bellona decided. “The equivalent of a board room, or a gathering room.” There was no such thing as a place for equals to meet on this Karassian ship, because no one considered themselves equal to anyone else in the Homogeny. It was a state of superior individuals, who used screens to communicate with everyone else.
“We’ll add it to the list,” Khalil told her.
Bellona got to her feet, so she was standing as everyone else was. “There’s no news,” she warned them. “This is just—”
“There is one item,” Khalil said.
Bellona looked back at him. “There is?”
“The Eriuman dictate,” he reminded her.
“That.” She shook her head.
Khalil got to his feet, too. “It affects everyone, not just you. Tell them.”
From the curious expressions on everyone’s face, it was too late to keep it quiet. She sighed. “The Erium Republic has declared me a formal enemy of the state, along with anyone in my company.”
Thecla shrugged, disinterested.
Fontana frowned. “Isn’t that a good thing?” he asked. “The free worlds can’t say you have any allegiance to Erium, if the Republic is shooting at you.”
“Does that mean I will be shot at, too?” Aideen asked, her voice small.
“It means what we’re doing is starting to make a difference,” Bellona said. “People are taking notice. Although, that’s not why I pulled you all up here. I wanted a status report from all of you and while we have a moment to breathe, we can strategize.”
“We can?” Thecla said.
“Why not?” Bellona asked, using a reasonable tone. “You’ve all got disparate skills and a range of viewpoints. I have my own blind spots, too.”
Hero cooed and sat up straighter. No one else reacted. Bellona wondered, though, if she was imagining the increased attention she was getting.
“Hayes, for instance,” Bellona said. “Your arm is still not functioning properly. What do you need?”
Hayes frowned.
“I’ve got that covered,” Thecla said. “I’m pretty sure I can fix it. I might need some help on the bio parts. Bot parts, I’ve got down cold.”
“I can do that,” Vang said.
“You know medicine?” Bellona asked, surprised.
“I know biology,” he growled.
Everyone looked at him, surprised.
“Best and fastest ways to kill, and all,” Retha added.
Bellona saw Khalil smile from the corner of her eye and cleared her throat. “Very well,” she said. “Sang, maybe you can start with an overall summary.”
Sang got to his feet and looked around the group. It struck Bellona that on Eriuman, his pale features and freckles had stood out, marking him as one who didn’t belong there. Here among the Ledanians with their checkered histories and wildly different appearances, he blended in seamlessly.
“It’s not the most positive position we’re in,” he said quietly. “The Criselda raid netted fifteen of the advanced bio-paired ghostmakers. We had to give Arany’s people seven of them, plus twenty of the personal mines. Most of the crew are still without weapons, thanks to the Karassians sabotaging the weapons store before they were kicked off the ship.”
Fontana growled. Everyone else looked unhappy.
“We don’t have the components we need to build a canon for Connie. As she would prefer to run and hide, that might not be the disadvantage it seems to be.” Sang glanced around the room again, measuring everyone. “There is a variety of pharmaceuticals we should have to help you—all of you—deal with the range of nightmares, hormonal imbalances, metabolic issues, panic attacks and other symptoms that are on-going and range from mild to severe. This is a priority, in my estimation.”
Thecla had her arms crossed, the external tendons flexed tight. “Not in my estimation,” she said. “We’re dealing.”
“I don’t want to add drug addict to my list of problems,” Fontana said.
“Point me at the enemy and I’ll be just fine,” Vang said.
“We’ll table the medical issues for another time,” Bellona said. “Next?”
Sang nodded. “Communications is still a problem. At the moment, only I can hear Connie when we’re not standing inside her. As Connie coordinates communications for us when we’re not on the Alyard, we need a way for everyone to hear her that doesn’t involve external, hand-held devices that can be removed or broken.”
Aideen shuffled her feet, looking at them.
“Aideen?” Bellona said.
She raised her head to look at Bellona quickly, then ducked it back to study her toes once more. “I will.”
“Will what?” Bellona asked.
“Fix it.” Aideen lifted her head again. She didn’t look directly at Bellona. Her gaze moved passed Bellona’s shoulder. “I like Connie. She doesn’t bother me. I will make something that meets Sang’s specifications.”
Sang looked pleased.
“Thank you, Aideen,” Bellona told her.
Aideen dropped her head again. She nodded.
Sang moved on. “I have converted all the AIs on the Alyard and changed their leashes. They can be safely consulted now. They no longer recognize the Homogeny as their masters.”
“Homogeny,” Fontana muttered. “I wonder if whoever thought up the name was laughing at the irony of it?”
Thecla smiled at the joke. So did Aideen, although she didn’t lift her head again.
“The military records we can now access on this ship make for interesting study,” Sang added. “High level assessment shows that the Karassian military is far larger than anyone has estimated. They recruit anything that moves and that creates problems.”
“Recruits, or shanghaies?” Fontana growled.
“The Appurtenance Services program was unique in its forced recruitment,” Sang said. “The general troops are volunteers. The lack of filters, though, means the military is rife with morale and discipline problems, disease and lack of training.” Sang looked at Bellona. “That explains what we know of Alkeides.”
Bellona nodded.
“What about Alkeides?” Retha said, with a touch of sharpness.
“You have a connection with Alkeides?” Khalil asked.
“I was born there.” Retha raised his brow, daring anyone to challenge him.
Bellona shook her head. “It’s something we learned about the Karassian occupation.”
“The ground troops sent Xenia in to deal with the resistance,” Fontana said. The fury in his voice was rich and strong. “Then they hung back and waited for her to sort it out for them. On her own. Which she did. Now, the survivors are pissed at Bellona.”
Everyone looked at her. Thecla showed a grudging admiration. “Damn, woman,” she said.
“You all have done the same things,” Bellona said, discomfort making her shift on her feet. “I’m absolutely sure of that. You were trained to peak physical abilities and to make decisions that would win the day for the Karassians, no matter what the cost. You obeyed because you had no choice and you are all paying the price for that now. Memory regression. Fragments that make no sense and more. I also know that if you could remember any of it, you would regret what you have done as much as I regret learning what I did on Alkeides. Be thankful you do not remember.�
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Fontana shook his head. “The more I learn, the more I want to strangle someone. Anyone. Put the fucker in front of me who is responsible for Ledan and I’ll squeeze the last drop of moisture out of his body and burn the remains over an open fire and dance around it.”
Unseen by anyone, Aideen reached out her hand and curled her fingers around Fontana’s outer finger. He gripped her hand, his knuckles turning white, and blew out his breath. “Someone should pay for what they did to us,” he finished heavily.
“Someone will, one day,” Bellona promised him. She looked at Khalil. “What progress have you made with Woodrow and Yishmeray?”
“I’m working on Woodrow. He leaves a convoluted trail,” Khalil said.
“Woodrow, before anyone asks,” Bellona said, “is the Karassian who challenged me when we released you all from Ledan. I don’t know if he is military or has associations with The Homogeny Council of Independence, but he is connected to Ledan, which is why I would like to ask him a few questions.”
This time, the murmur of agreement came from everyone.
“Who is Yishmeray?” Hero said.
“You’ve never heard of Yishmeray?” Thecla asked. “He’s one of the most decorated generals in the military.”
Hero pointed to her own chest. “Eriuman. Hello.”
“Was the most decorated,” Khalil said. “He’s disappeared.”
“Someone killed him?” Fontana asked, with a hopeful note.
Khalil shook his head. “He’s just gone. All records associated with him stop, about two years ago.”
“Around the time we released Bellona from Ledan,” Sang said.
“The date struck me as significant, too,” Khalil admitted. “There’s a chance he changed his name and maybe his appearance and cut off all trace of his whereabouts, when he learned that Bellona had gone missing.”
“This name…” Hayes said. “It feels familiar to me. Did I know him?”
“You did,” Bellona said. “He is the one who ordered you to take me off the Hathaway, twelve years ago. He put me in Ledan.”
The small silence was tense.
Even Bellona could feel the tightness in her chest. Unlike her Xenia memories, she was now able to recall that day on the Hathaway in stark detail. The way Yishmeray had lifted his chin out and up, while his biocomp servers processed data and weighed the decision to make her an app and destroy Wang and her ship.
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