by J. N. Chaney
“Just Hughes,” I reminded him, suddenly tired. The last few weeks had been an endless cycle of slip travel, meetings, and fighting. I didn’t see that changing anytime soon either.
“Yes, of course. My deep, sincere apologies. The Emperor has a request for you as well,” he replied, casting a glance at Vick and Rackham, both of whom were talking privately, presumably sending the proposal up the chain of command.
“Yeah?” I asked, stifling a yawn that threatened to escape my mouth. “And what would that be? More artifacts?”
Grennet blinked in surprise, as if gathering as many Earth artifacts for one’s emperor as one could just for fun was commonplace. “No, though if you have more to offer, his Imperial Majesty will be happy to hear it.” Of course, he would.
“I never said I did, Grennet.” I shook my head, only too well aware of how the Sarkonians liked their loopholes and going after the people who fell into them. “Now, are you going to tell me what the good emperor wants or not? I don’t have all day.” I made a show of leaving again.
He bobbed his head seriously. “Dr. Dressler,” the man said simply, as if that explained everything. That sent me sinking back into the uncomfortable seat again.
I stared at him expectantly, waiting for him to continue, but he didn’t. “What do you mean, Dr. Dressler?” I growled, my fatigue forgotten.
The emissary paled at my angry response and leaned back, as if that would save him from my wrath. “Not forever,” he stuttered, tripping over his words. “After all is settled with the Celestial threat. Just for half a standard year or so—”
I barked out a harsh laugh loud enough to have Vick and Rackham looking at us curiously. “Ain’t gonna happen, pal. Not for half a standard year, not a month, not a day.”
“But, Lord Hughes, the Emperor demands it or… or he won’t send reinforcements. She would be an esteemed guest and have the protection of his personal guard. Besides, the doctor—”
“You could make her the temporary empress for all I care,” I said, cutting him off. “I’m still going to pass. I don’t use my people as bargaining chips, whether it’s someone as valuable as Dressler or a new immigrant from the Deadlands. If Emperor Proscerios wants to take every last one of his ships back to Sarkon because he didn’t get his way, then so be it.”
“But, Lord Hughes…” Grennet paused and eyed me with a hint of worry on his face. I couldn’t tell whether he was more afraid of me or his boy-king, but I liked to imagine both were equally terrifying to him.
“Spit it out,” I said.
“Well, you see,” he said, swallowing before finally continuing. “Dr. Dressler already agreed to come.”
* * *
“Siggy, tell the doc to get her ass up here,” I ordered, once I arrived back at the Renegade Star.
I had left Vick to his negotiations and come straight here after Emissary-Grennet delivered his news.
“Right away, sir,” the Cognitive replied. “In fact, she’s already nearly here. Miss Pryar is with her.”
“Of course, she is,” I grumbled sarcastically. Leave it to Dressler to be smart enough to bring Abigail as a foil. She knew there were few people that could ground me like Abby could. “Wait a second. Siggy, did you know about this?”
He didn’t hesitate to respond. “No, Captain. I would never endeavor to keep such information from you.” There was a short pause. “Excuse me, sir. Mr. Malloy is hailing you.”
I tilted my head at the comment. We had only just closed the slip tunnel to Earth at the conclusion of the last meeting. The tunnel had to remain open in order for us to transmit back and forth. The tunnel was only supposed to open at certain intervals, and this wasn’t one of them. “Put him through to the nearest holo.”
The former Constable’s face filled the Star’s main display. “Captain, I hope you’ll excuse the interruption.”
“I’ve had no shortage of those today, Al. What’s going on?” I asked, cocking my brow. “Don’t tell me there’s some kind of situation.”
He shook his head. “Everything here on Earth is running smoothly. I called to tell you that I’ve finally received word from Shaw,” he said easily. “I apologize for not waiting for the next scheduled transmission, but I assumed you would want to know.”
That was one thing I liked about Alphonse. He had an uncanny ability to know exactly how often to bother me with updates and which information to prioritize. He was also able to cut to the heart of a matter nearly instantly.
Noting his calm demeanor, I relaxed a bit more. “Seems you were right about him being alive. Where the hell has he been all this time?”
I thought I saw a glimmer of a smile on his end, but it was gone so quickly that I couldn’t be sure.
“Shaw didn’t say what happened, just that he ran into trouble,” Alphonse answered, maintaining his expression. “We need to pick him up on Leah Station.”
Leah was the bottom of anyone’s proverbial barrel, a shithole of a station on the edge of Union space. Only the least respectable Renegades went there, and only when strictly necessary. It catered to the unlawful, which I respected, but it was also extremely dangerous. People with no morals and worse hygiene. Ravagers, for example.
“I understand the timing isn’t ideal, Captain, that you have a lot on your plate right now. Shaw would just like to meet you face to face before he arrives. I would consider it a personal favor.” Alphonse watched me steadily, no emotion on his features.
Like Siggy, the man never asked for favors, though he’d certainly done a fair share, and not just for me. Much as I didn’t want to leave Tartarus while so much was in flux, I owed him one. “Alright, Al. Let me tie some things up here, then I’ll head back to Earth and scoop you up.”
Alphonse inclined his head. “You intend to join me?”
“Of course, I do,” I replied. “I owe Shaw for siding with us. Hell, the man lost his career because of me. It’s the least I can do for him, to see he gets here safely.”
“I appreciate that, Captain, but you really don’t have to—”
I waved a hand at the Constable. “I said I’m going, Al. Accept it.”
He smirked. “Very well.”
The door slid open just as I cut the transmission, and Dressler and Abigail strode in. I waited until they reached me to speak. I could tell by her posture and expression on her face that Abigail had taken a neutral position. I’d spent enough time with her by now to see the nuance in every one of those little expressions she gave.
I turned my attention to Dressler a second later, narrowing my eyes at the doctor. “You mind telling me what the hell is going on?”
To Dressler’s credit, she stood her ground and met my stony gaze head-on with one of her own. “I should think that would be obvious, Captain.”
“I’m not as bright as you, so go ahead and spell it out for me,” I said.
“There was a problem to solve and we needed reinforcements. Just before your meeting, Emissary-Grennet offered a simple solution.”
“And you didn’t think to run that by anyone? Like, I don’t know, your captain?”
Abigail threw me a look that suggested I calm down, but I ignored her.
“You’re needed here,” I went on. “Besides, what if they decide to hold you hostage? Ever think of that?”
“I’m talking to you about it now,” she replied calmly. “Really, Captain, I don’t see what all the fuss is about. I haven’t even signed the contract yet.”
“All the fuss is—wait, what did you say?” I asked.
“I’m aware of the Sarkonians and their contracts. I told the emissary I would assist them, but only if you agreed to let me go.”
“Why didn’t you lead with that?” I snapped.
Dressler shrugged. “I came up here to say that I trusted you to form a contract that would work to get us the reinforcements, but you—” She jabbed a finger at me. “—as usual started yelling before I could tell you the whole story.”
“That wasn’t
yelling,” I warned her.
She glared at me. “Let me know what you decide. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must get back to work.”
“Hold on,” I said, placing my hand on my belt. “Before I forget, I had Siggy look into that request you made.”
“Oh?” she asked, perking up.
“He confirmed what you said about the listening device, except—”
“Listening device?” interrupted Abigail.
I nodded. “The doc here told me someone was watching her, or listening, so I had Siggy take a look,” I explained.
“Right,” agreed Dressler, glancing at Abigail. “I was using the comm when I noticed some interference. After a brief analysis, it became clear that the disruption was coming from another transmitter. I lacked the means to find it, and I was hesitant to investigate too much with Dr. Davon nearby.”
“You made the right call telling me about it. Siggy figured it out in just a few minutes,” I told her.
“So, who was it?” asked Abigail. “The Sarkonians or the Union?”
“Neither, apparently,” I explained. “Seems the signal is coming from somewhere inside the planet.”
“Inside?” asked Abigail. “Isn’t that where we are?”
“Deeper,” I said, pointing down at my feet. “Way deeper.”
“I see,” she said, letting her eyes fall to the floor.
Dressler’s eyes went distant, probably mulling over the revelation and what it could mean. “What else do we know?” she asked, after a moment.
“That’s about it,” I said.
“Then I’ll speak with you another time,” she said, finally turning toward the exit.
“You don’t want to discuss what I just told you?” I asked.
“There’s nothing to discuss,” she replied, glancing back at me. “Not until we have more data, which is what I’m going to find. Keep me apprised of anything else you uncover. In the meantime, I’ll perform my own investigation and continue my existing workload.”
With that, she opened the door and took her leave of us.
As the door slid shut, I turned to Abigail and let out a sigh. “Today has been a hell of a time, let me tell you,” I finally said.
“You’re too hard on yourself,” she told me, leaning in and looping her hand through my arm. “Try to relax for a change.”
“No time,” I told her. “Al just called and said he’s found Shaw.”
Her eyes widened at the sound of the old man’s name. “Did he?”
“Seems so,” I said.
“That’s great news,” she replied. “I know Alphonse was worried about him.”
I nodded. “It’s one good thing to counter the rest. Between that mysterious signal and the Sarkonians making outrageous demands, I’m likely to kill somebody.”
“I’m sure you’ll restrain yourself,” she said, giving me a quick wink.
“They’re all crazy if they think for one second I’m letting her stay in Sarkon for six months.”
“What are you going to do about it?” she asked.
I thought for a moment before I answered. “The same thing the Sarkonians do,” I said, leaning in to give her a kiss. “Look for a loophole.”
3
“Al, I thought you said Shaw had all this worked out,” I said to him as the Renegade Star moved unseen through slipspace.
We sat in the cockpit, having just gone over Dr. Dressler’s latest assessment of Sigmond’s scans from the hole at the center of Tartarus. She’d gotten so annoyed at me for requesting updates that the doctor stopped taking my transmissions and just sent them in real time instead. Abigail, understanding my reservation at leaving Tartarus in the hands of Vick and Emissary-Grennet, agreed to keep an eye on them and attend meetings as needed while I was on this mission. I knew she could handle them, but that didn’t keep me from worrying. Most people might take that as not wanting to give up control, but Abigail knew I was simply concerned for the safety of my crew. And not just them, but everyone, including every member of our newfound alliance. If anything happened while I was away, I’d never forgive myself.
Thankfully, Leah sat at the edge of Union space and it was only a day’s travel from Earth. The final S.G. Point was less than thirty minutes away from our current position, and the station only a short flight from that.
Alphonse rolled a shoulder in a shrug, indicating his nonchalance at our incomplete plans. “Even the best of us get waylaid sometimes. Z-28K comes to mind.”
An image of the moon and its debris ring formed in my mind. After the Sarkonians had followed us to Earth—on Vick’s orders—and kidnapped Lex, I’d almost died getting her and the rest of my crew back. Just about everything that could have gone wrong did, which I supposed was Alphonse’s entire point. We’d made it through that scrape and survived, even prospered, and I’d been flying by the seat of my pants for half of it.
I laughed at his astute observation. “Fair point. Though, I gotta say, Leah? Hell of a place for an admiral-general to wind up.”
“Indeed,” Alphonse agreed. “For as long as I’ve known Shaw, I haven’t actually seen him in combat. When he plucked me from Meridian for Constable training, he seemed to oversee things at the facility in a strictly managerial capacity. I never had the pleasure of being on a mission with him, but I know the man can handle himself.”
“How do you know if you haven’t seen him in action?” I asked.
He raised his brow and gave me an uncharacteristically sly grin. “People talk.”
If the guy was half as good as his protégé next to me, I figured he must be okay. Before I could say as much, a familiar voice, tinny and distorted, spoke over the comm. “Captain Hughes, the Slip Gap Point is just ahead. Would you like me to open the tear at the appropriate time?”
“I already told you no, Junior.” The words came out a little gruffer than I intended and betrayed my impatience with the speaker.
With the situation on Tartarus escalating and requiring Sigmond’s steadfast attention, I had decided to leave him behind. However, the Star still needed an AI to assist with its operations, so the Cognitive had developed an alternative. Against my better judgement, Sigmond had managed to create a new AI based on his original program, installed subroutines to suit the retrofitted Renegade Star, and I had given him the name Junior. This AI had been uploaded with as much data as it could handle, but paled when compared to its Cognitive counterpart.
It had initially bothered me that it used the same voice pattern as Sigmond, but I was quickly getting used to it. Talking with the AI was like stepping back in time, almost like I was reliving the past, before Sigmond was a Cognitive and I was the leader of a developing nation.
“Of course, sir. My apologies,” Junior replied.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said.
A few minutes later, we sailed through the opening and into normal space once more. The effect created a rush in my ears and a turn in my stomach that I could never completely get used to.
We couldn’t wait until arriving to decloak, as it would only attract unwanted attention to suddenly appear at the station. I had Junior run a scan of the system to look for patrols and other threats. We might have a treaty with the Union, but I had doubts they’d take kindly to our being here to get their former admiral-general. As far as Vick and Grennet knew, I was going to check out an issue at one of Sigmond’s drone facilities.
Just in case the Vice-Admiral checked my story out—which I had no doubt he would—I’d made a show of stopping by the drone facility, uncloaked. That gave Sigmond a nice holo image of me to offer Vick, if needed. After that, it had been a simple matter of sneaking into the slip tunnel when a supply carrier came out.
“I detect no ships in the vicinity, Captain,” Junior declared. “Shall I disable the cloak?”
“Yeah, go ahead,” I instructed.
“I’ll let Shaw know we’re through the last S.G. Point,” Alphonse said once the cloak fell.
I nodded and he pulle
d out his pad to send a text-only transmission. It beeped almost immediately after, announcing an incoming message.
“That was fast,” I commented.
“It, ah, wasn’t from Shaw,” he replied.
His tone had me glancing over. Alphonse looked dead ahead, a slight reddening at his collar being the only sign that something was amiss. The man was a Constable. I’d seen him fight the Union, Sarkonians—even godsdamned ravagers—all without blinking an eye. In our time together, I’d only known one thing to rattle him.
Her name was Dr. MaryAnn Dressler.
“Tell the doc to stop sending love notes and give me another update,” I muttered.
“I didn’t say it was Mary—Dr. Dressler,” Alphonse said, stuttering slightly and still not looking at me.
“I can see the obvious when it’s right in front of me,” I told him cheekily.
The pad beeped again, saving him from having to respond to my nosy inquisition.
“Shaw,” he informed me. “He’ll be at The Space Between.”
I frowned. “The space between where?”
“It’s a name,” he answered. “A bar of some kind. Oh, wait.” He paused. “Ah, I see.”
The Constable went red again.
“What?” I asked, winging up an eyebrow at his hesitation.
He tensed, swallowing. “The Space Between is a skin bar and brothel.”
“So? Haven’t you ever been in one before?” I asked, tilting my head slightly.
I’d been in my fair share, but never for personal entertainment. Not that I was against them or anything. I just didn’t see the point in paying for something I could get for free. The thought made me think of Abigail, though, and the sudden image of her giving me a private show had me shifting in my seat.
“Of course, I have. I’ve had to go undercover a number of times,” Alphonse said with a grimace. “But not on Leah. Something tells me the establishment and workers aren’t up to code.”
“Them being up to code is probably the least of our concerns at the moment,” I told him.