Romanova sighed, and replied, “That’s fine, sir, but we’re still left with a major problem. I cannot guarantee the security of this ship, not under current conditions.”
Nodding, Ikande said, “Then we impose a complete lockdown. All personnel are restricted to quarters when off duty. I’ll open full access to the entertainment database in exchange, and we’ll have food delivered direct to quarters through the distribution network. Everyone gets exercise time on a scheduled rotation, immediately after their duty shift. That way we can keep track of everyone a lot more easily.”
“Turning this ship into a floating prison isn’t exactly going to help morale, sir,” Mitchell replied. “That’s just taking away the last remaining safety valve.” He paused, then said, “Issue fresh rations to the crew. Open the emergency stores and distribute them. There’s every chance that we’ll be able to obtain replacements when we get to our destination anyway…”
“And if we can’t, and there’s a problem?” Ikande replied. “Then we’re floating through space with no food. I fail to see…”
“We’re fifteen days from the nearest port, sir, if we run into trouble. The crew can go onto minimal rations for that long.”
“The port you speak of, Lieutenant, is a Coalition outpost,” Fitzroy said, shaking his head. “What sort of a welcome do you think we’d get there? At best, we’d end up being used for a propaganda coup.” “All of this is based on an unlikely series of events,” Mitchell pressed. “I’m concerned about getting to our destination at all, sir, and under these…”
“Enough,” Ikande replied. “I will address the crew and make known the reason for the new security restrictions. Lieutenant Romanova, I’ll give you permission to expand your Security team. Find people you can trust, and bring them in. I’m sure you’ve got sufficient access to the files to put together a comprehensive list. And until further notice, all officers are to wear sidearms at all times.”
“Aye, sir,” Mitchell said. “I’ll pass the word.”
“I know that things work differently in the merchant service, Lieutenant, but this is a warship of the Interplanetary Guard, and we have to operate according to protocol and procedure, or we die. If needs must, we can run the ship with a skeleton crew in any case, as long as we don’t get into combat.”
“And if we do?”
“Then we’ll just have to trust in the self-interest of our people. I doubt any of them are in a hurry to die. Given a choice between life in a Coalition labor camp or a poor choice of rations in the Mess, I think I know what they will choose.” He paused, then added, “If we manage to catch the others responsible for the raid on Hydroponics, then I will immediately lift the restrictions. You can pass that to all hands.”
“I don’t trust those sorts of leads, sir,” Romanova replied. “It’s too easy for people to make use of them to settle old grudges. And given what happened to Spaceman Blanco, I very much doubt that anyone will want to be in a position where they are sending their shipmates to their death.” Ikande’s eyes widened, and she added, “I can only report as I see, sir.”
“Use any means necessary to bring the saboteurs to justice,” Ikande said. “I want daily reports on your progress. I don’t care how you do it. Just find a way. Preferably before we reach our destination.” Rubbing his chin, he added, “If we find what we’re looking for, then with any luck, all of this will be moot.”
“What about Blanco’s body, sir?” Mitchell asked. “It’s in the morgue right now, and…”
“Why not let it stay there?” Fitzroy replied.
“The crew want a burial, Captain. He had a lot of friends, and they want a chance to say goodbye. It’s going to be just another source of tension unless we do something about it, sir, and if his body is floating out there with Lieutenant Hoffman, it might settle things down.”
“Toss him out of the nearest airlock, quietly and quickly, and get it over with,” Fitzroy recommended. “Otherwise we’ll get mobbed at the funeral. Someone will decide to use it to launch a riot, and I’d rather not have to deal with it.”
“You wouldn’t be dealing with it,” Romanova said, looking daggers at him. “I will.” Frowning, she said, “We should hold a ceremony, sir, but we control the list of those present. His workmates, roommates, any former shipmates from old postings.”
“I want it done right away,” Ikande replied. “We’re scheduled to return to hyperspace in four hours, and I don’t want any other delays. Are we ready for space in all other respects?”
“Chief Khatri has checked through the systems, sir, and he and I both believe that we’re ready to go when you give the order,” Mitchell replied. “All the contaminated cargo has been dumped. We’ve completed scans of the surface of the planet. Nothing of interest to report, certainly nothing worth any further delay. We can always find it again if we need it. I’ve had a course trajectory plotted.”
“Very good,” Ikande replied. “I’ll perform the burial ceremony myself, Lieutenant. In one hour from now, if you can be ready in the time.”
“We’ll be ready, sir, one way or another,” Romanova said.
“Then I don’t need to keep you from your duties any longer.” He paused, looked at Fitzroy, and said, “Lieutenant, I want you to understand that you are exceptionally fortunate that the circumstances rule out a charge of murder. I’m authorizing you to carry a sidearm, but it is intended as a deterrent, nothing more than that. If you shoot at anyone else, I will shoot you. Got that?” Fitzroy’s mouth dropped, but before he could reply, Ikande said, “Dismissed.”
Mitchell left the room, Romanova by his side, leaving Fitzroy to fume for a moment before he stalked away down the corridor, throwing a glare back at Ikande as he left. Romanova led the way, stepping into her cramped office, gesturing Mitchell to join her, waiting for the door to slide shut.
“What the hell does that idiot think he’s doing?” Romanova yelled, loud enough to make Mitchell wince. “Recruit new security guards? It’s a six-month training program, and I haven’t even got the equipment to run loyalty checks! Whichever idiot thought that I could maintain order on this ship with a single two-man team didn’t account for the collection of clowns wearing braid on their sleeves on this deathtrap!” She looked at Mitchell, grinned, and added, “Present company excepted, of course.”
“Oh, feel free to include me,” he replied, sitting opposite her. “I’m sure I’ve done something wrong.”
“You mean other than not punching that bastard Fitzroy on the nose in the Mess? I should have let you embarrass him. That might have straightened things out a little. I don’t know where the hell he’s got that collection of minions from. They’re listed on the books as normal technicians, but…”
“Daddy pulled a few strings to look after his boy,” Mitchell replied with a shrug. “Or he’s just paying them off, and they look tougher than they actually are. I’d say they’re a bigger problem than the Underground. If he starts anything down on the lower decks…”
“If Fitzroy is found dead, I swear that it will lead to the shortest and least successful murder investigation in history,” she replied. “Largely because I’ll be one of the major suspects. And Ikande isn’t much better. He’s so wrapped up in what this mission might mean for his career that he doesn’t seem to realize that it must be a success, first. I’ve never been on a long run like this, but I know enough to know that this isn’t how the ship’s supposed to be run, not under these circumstances.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” Mitchell said, nodding. “The crew aren’t children. Trying to keep them all locked down for the rest of the trip is just going to breed further resentment. Nothing that you’d be able to point to, but they’ll stop putting in that extra effort, stop caring about their work. That’s a very good way to wreck a ship.” Shaking his head, he added, “It’s gone so far that I’m not sure it can be stopped in any case. Fitzroy is right about one thing. This is an organized campaign, someone working against us. The Coalition, almost certainly.”
“I’m working on it,” she replied. “I’ve got a deep cover operative trying to get in right now. And that’s all you get to know about that operation. I’m trying to usual tricks, as well, monitoring communications, random surveillance, but this is a smart crew, and they’re being helped by people who know how to avoid detection. That’s part of the problem. We were behind the curve before we even left orbit, and I haven’t had a chance to catch up.”
“Did you have any advance warning about the raid on hydroponics?”
“None, but I wouldn’t expect any. Come on, they were raiding food! I’d bet my next week’s pay that it was a loyalty test, someone trying to make sure that everyone in the cell was on their side. It should have been nothing more than an irritation. That fool Fitzroy made it a lot worse.”
Frowning, Mitchell asked, “Can you get the new recruits for your department?”
“There are a couple of people I might be able to bring in, but political reliability isn’t everything. There’s no time to train them up on the security systems. About the best I can do is recruit a few thugs of my own to match Fitzroy’s group, but they’re not going to be able to do much more than loiter in the corridors and look menacing.”
“I’m not sure that’s going to be sufficient.”
“I’m damned sure it won’t be, but I haven’t got any good cards left in my hand.” She looked up at the clock, and said, “And we’ve still got three more weeks in hyperspace, before we reach our destination. I’m honestly not sure what I dread the most. Finding a colony, or just finding an empty, dead world. We need to resupply, and rapidly.” Grimacing, she added, “Hitting Storage Nine was no accident, of course. The Underground must have known what would happen, and they must have known what we would do. I was half expecting a Coalition Lancer to be waiting for us when we broke out of hyperspace, but I suppose that was granting them a little too much credit.”
“That’s probably safer than underestimating them,” Mitchell replied. “And to answer your question, I’m a lot more afraid that we might find something. Sifting through a dead colony might get the crew to realize just what might happen to them if they don’t perform at their best. I’d be tempted to give them some nice tours as an object lesson. A living, functioning world that we have to face would be a whole other problem, even with the ship and crew at peak efficiency.”
Nodding, she replied, “I guess you’re probably right.” She pulled out a tablet, and said, “I’d better start playing party planner. Are you going to the funeral?”
“He was a shipmate. Of course, I’m going. I intend to speak, as well, as long as you don’t have a problem with that.”
“I’d say your speech is likely to go down a lot better than the Captain’s. I just hope Fitzroy doesn’t turn up.”
“Just in case he does, make sure the coffin is big enough for two.”
Chapter 25
“Honor guard, atten-shun!” Mitchell yelled, a dozen men snapping to attention, six on each side of the coffin as it gently slid into the airlock, the mechanism cycling to send Blanco’s body into space, destined to drift though the universe forever. A tiny rocket on the rear of the coffin fired, rattling the hull as it hurled the body past escape velocity. DeSilva looked at the trajectory track on the display, fury in her eyes, glancing at Nguyen, standing at the head of the line.
“All hands, dismissed to quarters,” Mitchell said, and the group began to dissolve, making their way down the corridors to their bunks. Any thought of holding a reception had been instantly dismissed by Captain Ikande, who hadn’t even stayed till the end of the ceremony. As she walked away, she glanced back at Mitchell, standing alone at the airlock, and was astonished to see a tear running down his cheek. He’d given a good speech, but much to her surprise, she concluded that he’d actually meant it.
Shaking her head, she rapidly walked to the nearest access shaft, ignoring the pointed glances from Zhao and Nguyen. They were the last people she wanted to talk to at this stage. She swung down the ladder, beginning to descend, then stopped as a shadow blocked the light above, someone else climbing down after her. The hatch above them slammed shut, and she looked up in the gloom, trying to work out who was following her.
“What can I do for you, Professor?” she finally asked.
“Danny wanted me to talk to you, and my quarters are close to yours. It’d make sense that we’d take the same route.” Tapping the bulkhead, he added, “This is one of the shielded parts of the ship. Security can’t hear us, but you’d better keep moving. We don’t want them to get suspicious that you’re talking too long. Besides, I have a reputation to consider.”
“Nobody was supposed to die,” she replied. “How did Fitzroy find out what we were doing so quickly? We covered our tracks perfectly. And what the hell was Doctor Thiou doing down there, anyway? She’s not a duty technician, and…”
“To answer the second question, I haven’t the faintest idea,” Wagner said. “To answer the first, I’m pretty sure that he’s been raiding Hydroponics himself, stealing from the emergency supplies to feed that collection of thugs he has running around with him. I can’t get access to the records from the secure stores, but I can see that he’s been personally authorizing access. I would have assumed that would have been the Captain’s prerogative, but anything could be happening on this ship.”
“You mean Fitzroy shot Blanco to cover up his own theft?”
“Possibly. You’ve not been around the Families as much as I have, Yani. I’ve worked with them. They all have the same mentality, that they are somehow superior to the rest of us, just because they won top prize in the genetic lottery. Better diet, better schooling, better access to medicine. Eloi and Morlocks, right out of H. G. Wells. That’s their ultimate plan, I’m convinced of it. You know they were talking about putting emotional suppressants in the food rations? We’re going to have to start a revolution soon, before they force us to spend our lives wandering the domes of Mars in a drugged stupor.”
“I can think of a hundred reasons why that plan wouldn’t work…”
“These aren’t rational people, and you’ve just had another taste of the lengths to which they are willing to go.” Shaking his head, he said, “And soon we’ll be inflicting this so-called government on another world. We can’t let that happen. We mustn’t. Right now, we’re the only chance those poor bastards have, and they don’t even know it.”
Sliding down to the tunnel at the bottom of the shaft, DeSilva replied, “The answer is no violence, Professor. I don’t know what you are planning…”
“Not to mention,” Wagner added, interrupting as though he hadn’t heard her, “that the crew is up in arms about being confined to quarters for the rest of the trip. You can forget any fears about informants. Anyone who tried would be lynched if they were caught.”
Looking up at Wagner, she asked, “How many members of that crew are you willing to sacrifice?”
“What the hell…”
“We’ve already lost Blanco. He didn’t want to die. He didn’t deserve to die. And we’re every bit as guilty as Fitzroy was. If we’d done our groundwork properly, conducted a serious reconnaissance, we could have found out what we were up against. Think of it this way. How much better would it have been if we could report that Fitzroy was stealing food from the crew? We’d have had everyone on our side, and probably a few of the officers as well.”
“You can’t possibly think that we’d get through to them,” he replied, dropping down to the bottom of the ladder, crawling after her. “They’re the enemy.”
“Ikande, Fitzroy, Romanova,” she said. “I’m not so sure about Mitchell.”
“He’s just a reservist. Ikande only named him First Lieutenant because he wanted to send a message to Fitzroy. How much authority do you think he has.” Rage filled his face, and he added, “Besides, we’re talking about someone who was perfectly happy to join the Interplanetary Guard and serve the Tyrants. He could have protested.” Pausing in the tunnel, he s
aid, “Just who’s side are you on, anyway?”
“The crew,” she said. “Someone has to be.” Turning to face him, she replied, “We need to calm things down, at least until we reach our destination. You tell Danny Nguyen that I have no intention to take part in any of his suicide runs until we have a much better idea of what exactly we are doing. No more stunts, no more attempts to rouse the crew. Or we’re going to get more people killed for nothing.”
Shaking his head, Wagner replied, “You’re a defeatist.”
“I’m a realist, and the reality is that we’re in an environment totally controlled by our opposition. You think Fitzroy didn’t push for more punitive measures to be taken? Restricted rations, electronic monitoring? It can get a hell of a lot worse yet.”
“What makes you think I can convince Nguyen of anything?” Wagner asked.
“Before we came on this trip, I hadn’t heard about Nguyen. I had heard of you, and your connections to the Underground. I’m wondering just how far they go. I’m pretty sure that you’re the real mastermind behind all of this, though.” Looking him in the eyes, she said, “Tell me I’m wrong.”
“That’s not something we need to discuss at this time. Suffice to say that getting me onto this mission was extremely difficult, but that the Underground believed that my skills would be of use to them.” He paused, and said, “You’re right about one thing, at least. We need to ease off, at least for now. Until we reach our destination, we go back to watching and waiting. It’s possible that acting too quickly was a mistake, and I think we have to accept that nothing is going to stop Captain Ikande from continuing this mission now.”
“I don’t think anything ever was,” she replied.
“Perhaps so, but the attack was successful in one respect. We’ve exposed the officers to the crew for what they are. There are far fewer waverers now. When we get back, we’ll have about a hundred new recruits for the Underground with us, as well as all the information we need to stop their invasion fleet ever launching. That’s our goal.”
Exiles of Earth: Rebellion Page 20
