When the hatch opened, the three Fae from Bucephalus swarmed out, intent on an unknown purpose. Dante stayed at the controls of his craft, and Jim floated over to the hatch the others had exited through and saw two Fae outside attaching cables to the shuttle. Neither were ones he’d previously met, and he was pretty sure he hadn’t seen them…ever. His estimate of how many Fae were in New Warsaw kept going up.
The hatchway into the station proper was standing open, and Jim made the jump easily. After months of living in space, he felt just as at home in zero gravity as on a planet. Better, truth be told. In zero gravity his extra 50 kilos of fat didn’t work against him as much. Once inside the station, he made his way to the command center.
Everywhere he went, there were more signs of the work which had proceeded in his absence. Working light fixtures which had once been few and far between were now set up at regular intervals along every passageway. Maybe not as common as Jim would have preferred, but Fae eyes were light sensitive compared to a Human’s. Where there were once loose electrical conduits, now they were all either carefully closed or reconnected. Where open panels were common, now he only saw one, and it had a Fae’s tail sticking out, slowly twitching as the alien worked inside.
He quickly reached the command center. Despite all the improvements he’d seen, Jim hadn’t expected what he found there. When the Fae moved Upsilon 4 from Karma to New Warsaw, they’d taken the formerly stripped command center and turned it into a maze of improvised computer control systems and displays. Now it looked as if the space had been returned to how it might have looked before.
A series of massive Tri-Vs were at the center of the oval room with a ring of workstations facing them. At least thirty Fae were manning the stations, all working at them with intense concentration. A couple looked up; most didn’t.
At their center was a trio of three stations, each with its own array of Tri-V screens, occupied by three Fae. Jim immediately recognized Splunk as one of them. She looked at him as he entered, her blue-on-blue eyes bright with interest and…was that concern? Another was Sly. Jim recognized his all-white fur easily. The last was Dante. He might be old, but he was fast!
Sly followed Splunk’s gaze to Jim. He considered the Human interloper for a moment, then made an unmistakable “come here” gesture. Jim hesitated for a second, then pushed off to float across the command center. He caught himself on the edge of a panel in the center cluster. Now many eyes in the room were looking at him.
“Hello, Jim,” Sly said, “Welcome home.”
“You’ve been busy,” Jim said, looking around. Everything looked so finished, so polished, so…perfect.
“Yes,” Sly agreed. “You have questions.”
“Only about a thousand.”
Sly smiled for the first time, a small grin that showed his perfect, sharp, little white teeth. Dante grunted while Splunk nodded. She’d know, of course; Jim had been trying to get answers from her for months now, ever since they left on their galaxy-cavorting trip.
He looked around at the huge Tri-Vs. Many showed deep space scans of the New Warsaw system. Scans that would probably make Alexis Cromwell and her defense planners rather uncomfortable. A series of other screens showed a long line of Raknar in their maintenance cradles. Several had their chests open as robotic arms moved within them, working. Others were closed up, newly painted and pristine. Ready for war.
“Ask your questions,” Sly said.
“How many Fae are here?” he asked.
“On Upsilon 4? There are 211 of us.” Jim gasped. “In the New Warsaw system, 303 in total.”
“How?” Jim asked. “How did you get so many here?”
“We’ve gotten good at moving around without anyone noticing us,” Dante said, and gave a dry chuckle.
Jim gave the old Fae a surprised look. He hadn’t expected the grizzled old Fae to be the talkative type. “This place,” Jim said, gesturing around the command center and beyond. “You knew about this place.”
“Yes,” Sly admitted, “for a long time.”
“Kash-kah isn’t your home system, is it?”
“No,” Splunk said, “but many of us were born there.”
“We went there to hide, after everything came apart,” Sly said.
Jim saw another Fae float into the command center. A female that everyone looked at, then cast their eyes away from. Her fur was light gray with little, whitish speckles. What was most prominent about her, though, was that her ear tips were white and seemed to have sparkles in them. Her movements were almost catlike, graceful and deliberate. She floated across the command center and caught a hold with her tail, her shining blue-on-blue eyes examining Jim.
“Sla’etou,” The new comer said to Sly, calling him by his Fae name, gesturing at Jim, “is this the one?” she asked. “This is the first rider paired with J’asa?”
Jim looked at the new arrival, then at Splunk. He knew that was her real name—her Fae name. Splunk was J’asa. It was a lot prettier than Splunk.
“This is the one,” Sly said. He looked at Jim. “You are in the presence of Seldia. She is special among our people. A K’apo.”
Jim looked from her to Splunk.
“Far-talker is the literal translation,” she said. “They are a sort of spirit guide to us,
“I see,” Jim said. “Pleased to meet you, Seldia.”
Seldia looked at him. Really looked at him, and Jim felt like she was gazing into his very soul. A shiver ran up his spine, along with a deep-down jolt not dissimilar to what he felt when Splunk and he joined in Akee. He wondered just how far the Fae’s psychic powers went.
“He is a start,” she said, continuing her examination of him. “He has the qualities we need.”
“Why have you come here?” Jim asked them. “Why now? I know you were with the Dusman, 20,000 years ago. I have a picture of a Fae with a Lumar.” He looked at Splunk. “I asked before, but you didn’t answer. Were the Lumar the Dusman? Did something happen to them in the Great War? Maybe some revenge attack by the Kahraman?” All of them shook their heads, further confusing him.
“We came back to help you,” Splunk said. “The guilds must be stopped.”
“The Merc Guild?” Jim asked.
Splunk started to say something but Seldia gave her a sharp glare, and she looked away.
“Yes,” Sly agreed. “Their subjugation of you Humans is a mistake. A dire one.”
“Okay,” Jim said, “I’m not going to argue that. But what can I do? It’s taken me months to learn to run one of those.” Jim pointed at a Tri-V showing a Raknar. “I’ve almost died fighting Canavar. There shouldn’t even be any of them—the Merc Guild is using them against their own laws.” Splunk nodded. “We can’t wait for months or years while I figure out how to train more like me. We don’t even know who might be compatible.”
“We do,” Seldia said, sending another shiver up Jim’s spine.
“Maybe if we could find the Dusman out there. If you are still around, maybe they are, too.”
“You don’t understand,” Sly said. Jim shook his head. “Look around you,” Sly said, gesturing broadly. “Jim, we are the Dusman.”
* * *
Jim floated in the center of the room he’d claimed as his office in Upsilon 4, trying to keep from freaking out. The truth he’d just been told was far more powerful, more far-reaching, and more profound than anything he could have imagined.
Of course, it made complete sense. He hated himself for not figuring it out on his own. All the facts were there, almost from the beginning. The final piece should have been their visit to the Machine Empire, then the Science Guild.
“I’m such an idiot,” he said to the darkened room.
He’d been there for an unknown time when Splunk floated in. She caught a handhold and watched him from across the room, her big blue-on-blue eyes examining him closely. After a minute, he spoke. “Answer a question? A personal question?” Her little head nodded. “Was I just a tool, like the Lu
mar?”
“No,
“Then why me, why Humans in general?”
“You are new to us,” she explained. “We never see Human until you visit Kash-kah. When we save you, I touched you and knew
“Who said not to come? Sly?”
“No,” Splunk replied. “Dante.”
“Oh,” Jim said, a little surprised. “I thought Sly was in charge.”
“We not work quite that way. When decision needed, groups form of opinions. Majority decide. But if no clear majority, we need
Jim thought about the word and how it felt. Arbitrator? Judge? Maybe a little of both. “Is that a Fae? I mean, Dusman?”
“Yes,” Splunk said.
“That must be Sly, then.” She nodded. “How do I tell everyone about this?” He asked. “Entropy! It changes everything!”
“You can’t tell them,
“What? Why not?”
“Think, Jim. How will Humans react? History tells so many stories, many not good. There will be fear and suspicion.”
She’s right about that, he thought. I’m afraid and more than a little suspicious.
“We are worried you will want us to take over,
“You’re the Dusman,” Jim said, “maybe you should.”
“No,
“Okay,” he said, then held his hands apart in a helpless gesture. “What do we do?”
“Keep calling us Fae,” she said, then began to lay out an explanation. He thought it sounded a little weak.
“You know others will figure it out, sooner or later.”
“We know,
Jim took the slate and examined the names. He only recognized one, then realized why. “Oh, this isn’t going to be easy.”
“Nothing is,
* * * * *
Chapter Thirteen
Winged Hussars Prime Base, New Warsaw System
It had been two months since they’d sat at the four-pointed solid gold table, each point carved in the symbol of a Horsemen. Alexis, Sansar, Nigel, and Jim all stood with a raised golden goblet. “The Four Horsemen for Earth!” they all intoned together.
“For Earth!” the seventeen company commanders and XOs cheered. Alexis tried not to notice the six missing commanders. Several had remained behind to bolster colony defenses, but three were not present because they were wiped out. She was keenly aware of how many of her ships would never make home port again.
“Together,” Alexis said, still holding up her goblet, “we took back four Human colonies from Peepo and dealt her the second major setback!” The room reverberated with cheers. “Our enemies are in retreat, and we are in agreement.” She looked at the other three Horsemen who all nodded. “The next step is obvious.”
“EARTH!” the room roared.
“Earth!” the Four Horsemen agreed and drank from their golden goblets.
The formal meeting broke up into a celebration. Several large conference rooms adjacent to the one hosting their golden table were opened up to provide room for more than 500 officers and NCOs of the various ships, merc units, and support crews. The Hussars’ supply division had laid on quite the feast, with delicacies from Home as well as some tastes of Earth.
Alexis worked the room, shaking hands and offering kind words. Many of the commanders offered their condolences on the crews she’d lost. She did the same for those who’d lost troopers. Despite that, the mood was quite high. With an unbroken series of successes, they were ready to take the next step.
“Do you have a minute, Alexis?”
She turned and saw it was Jim Cartwright. She’d been so wrapped up in the moment earlier she’d failed to notice his expression. The young man looked like he’d seen a ghost. “What’s up, Jim?”
“I…” he trailed off without ever getting started.
The look on his face was the most conflicted she’d ever seen on a man’s face in her life. Just over his shoulder she saw Nigel look at her, and she felt heat run up her body. He slowly flashed one of his patented half-grin, half-smirks, and her knees almost gave out.
“Are you okay?” Jim asked, his haunted look giving way to confusion.
Alexis got control of herself and shook her head slightly. “Yeah, of course.” Across the room Nigel winked, and she licked her lips. “I’m sorry, did you have something you wanted to say?”
“No,” he said, his face looking resolute now. “It can wait. Have fun.”
“Thanks, I will,” she said, without even realizing it. Jim moved away, and she walked over to Nigel.
“I am glad you came back safe,” he said, his rich accent rolling across her like a warm wave.
“And I’m glad you made it back as well. The report you filed on Paradise said it was a tough fight, and you took losses.”
“Such is war,” he said with a nod. “The Lumar fought well, though, and will be a valuable addition to our company.” His eyes roved down her body, and she was conscious of how snugly her uniform fit and that she was blushing. Music was playing and some of the mercs were dancing. While men greatly outnumbered women in the room, there were still a few pairings. Most appeared to be out of courtesy, though a few looked more earnest. “Dance?” he asked.
“Oh, I couldn’t,” she protested.
“Psh,” he snorted. “You are Colonel Alexis Cromwell, legendary commander of the Winged Hussars. I would be insulted if you said no!” His hard-lined chin was up, his eyes flashing.
For a half a second, she thought he was being serious, showing that fiery Persian blood he was so known for. Then she saw the barest hint of a wink, and she laughed. He held out his arm, and she took it. He led her toward where the others were moving to the music.
Just before they arrived, the song finished and was replaced with another. It took a second for her to recognize it. “Ostatni usćisk?” she gasped. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“What?” Nigel asked, “I do not recognize this.”
“It’s an old Polish waltz, known as the last kiss,” she explained.
“I pray it won’t be,” he said, and swept her into motion.
She’d seen the dance done by some older people in the Hussars. A few of the company’s Polish traditions survived, after all. Without thinking, she gently guided Nigel into the movements. He was observant and watched the others who knew the waltz. Soon, they were in step. The cadence was not complicated. Despite herself, she was smiling broadly, and Nigel was as well. They were halfway through the dance before she realized everyone in the room was watching them, clapping to the beat, and many were cheering.
I’m going to find out who played that and kill them, she thought.
You? she thought. Why? Ghost didn’t answer. As the waltz wound its way down, Nigel pulled her closer, and she felt her heart racing. The last beat played, and he gently kissed her lips. The crowd exploded.
Entropy, she mentally cursed. Sansar Enkh was watching, her second in command, Lieutenant Colonel Dan Walker, standing next to her. She was shaking her head, but a tiny smile was on her face. Walker’s jaw hung open slightly, and his eyes were wide. The Depik is out of the bag now, she realized as Nigel swept her out of the room.
* * *
“Well, that’s something you don’t see every day,” Walker said as Nigel and Alexis strode from the room arm-in-arm. There was no question what they were off to do; the only que
stion was whose quarters they were going to do it in. Judging by the looks in both their eyes, it was probably going to be whichever one was closest.
“Yeah,” Sansar said, shaking her head slightly. “I’ve known about that for some time. I didn’t think it was a good thing at first…”
“And now?” Walker prodded when she didn’t continue.
“Now?” She snorted. “Now I have no idea. It’s a terrible idea, based on the timing. We’re going to assault Earth, and anything could happen. I’d hate to see Nigel get put in a position where he has to choose between the mission and Alexis. Based on his past…”
“That would be a tough call,” Walker finished. “Hell, it would be a tough call for anyone, regardless of their history.”
“Alexis, though, she’s probably going to do what is required of her.”
Walker cocked his head. “Only probably?”
“I would have been sure of it a couple of months ago…maybe even as much as a month ago. But after just watching that exit…”
“Yeah, their judgment is somewhat clouded.” Walker nodded. “I see what you’re saying.”
“Still, though…I don’t think that has to be a bad thing.” Sansar made a motion that encompassed the personnel present. “Just seeing the two of them together has given the people here hope. Hope for the future. Hope that they will be happy again. Hope that we’ll drive the Merc Guild off and win this thing.” She shrugged. “That much, anyway, is good. And, as strange as it seems, I also think she’s had a mellowing influence on him. He has, what? Two separate contingents of Lumar working for him now?”
“Yeah, he does, and I’m damn glad for it. They saved my ass on Paradise.”
“Exactly. Six months ago, could you have imagined Nigel having aliens working for him?”
Walker chuckled. “No. Not so much.”
“That also is good,” Sansar said. “He has become more accepting, and more willing to see the gray areas, rather than just see everything as black and white.”
A Pale Dawn Page 28
