by Daniel Gibbs
36
At first, Deveaux thought the other arriving wormhole was the incoming League destroyer, and he felt relief. It was only when he realized the form on his viewer was a non-League ship that he reacted. "Send to the squadron, cancel jump!" he shouted. This is a disaster. If a local vessel sees a League warship in the Trifid systems and reports it, the entire operation could be endangered!
"Sending signal." The officer shook his head and looked up. "Sir, I'm not getting—"
"Second wormhole forming," Saratov said. "It's the Peltast."
Deveaux could already imagine Hartford's heated reaction to this disaster. If word of a League Cobra-class destroyer moving around the area of Lusitania got out, it could jeopardize everything. "Warn them to eliminate all ships," he barked. "And maintain thrust; we must help where we can!"
At this point, Tia didn't dare think about how the day could get worse, given what it'd already brought. The holotank plot showed the arrival of the League ship in glaring detail. Just a hundred and fifty thousand kilometers, bearing two-two-four mark positive two-zero-zero. Piper was quick to identify it. "Destroyer, Cobra-class, going by the silhouette," she said, nervousness in her voice. Even without their ship still being two-thirds disabled by the EMP weapon, a destroyer would blow them out of space unless they got really lucky with their main cannon. It was the kind of luck they weren't enjoying. "They're hailing."
"This is Captain Giammalva of the Peltast," a man with a broadly Italian accent said. "Vessel Shadow Wolf, you are ordered to surrender immediately and prepare to be boarded."
This time, Tia had a ready response. "Bite me, Leaguer scum," she spat defiantly. She nodded to Piper, who cut the call from the Peltast. Her communication with the Morozova was still open. "Captain Tokarev, are you still there?"
"Do you think this song and dance will trick us, Hestian?" was the skeptical reply. "You pretend to be opposed to League, but we are not fooled! Karla Lupa is League agent, sent to trick authorities into blaming us for ship disappearances!"
Tia sighed. "Right now, I wish I'd never heard that name in my life," she admitted, with full honesty. "But they're really after her, and have been since Harron. If you hate the League as much as the rumors say, well," She smiled thinly. "Then you might hate them as much as I do. That means we're on the same side."
After a moment of no response, Piper shook her head. "They cut the signal. From the look of things, the Morozova is moving to intercept the Peltast."
"They're the bigger threat," Tia noted. "Knowing their rep, they might even take them."
"Assuming they're not hit by th' EMP weapon," Cera pointed out.
"Either way, Cera, prepare for evasive maneuvers, and get ready to go as high as you can on the drives again," Tia said.
"Against a military destroyer, the fusion drive's not going to be enough of an advantage," Piper pointed out. "They might even be able to overrun us."
"They'll be too busy fighting the Tokarevs."
The hatch to the bridge opened. Henry stepped in, worn down from the high-G burn earlier and visibly struggling, given they were still at 1.5Gs. He glanced at the holotank and asked, "What's going on?"
"We've got pirates on one side and the League on the other," Tia said.
Given the situation, Henry went for Tia's vacant chair. He used a grip on the arm of the chair to pull himself the rest of the way. He settled into the seat with visible relief. "Which pirates?"
"The Tokarevs. They think Miri's a League agent."
Henry sighed and glanced over at Piper. "Put me on to the Morozova."
"They cut the channel, but I'll try an open line," Piper said. "There, they'll hear you."
"Piotr and Pavel Tokarev, this is Jim Henry of the Shadow Wolf. We'll talk about Lupa later. The League's EMP weapon already disabled my ship once, so we're getting out of here. I'd recommend you watch yourself around them."
"That witch Lupa got a good man killed!" came a Russian-accented protest. "We will hunt you to the ends of the galaxy once we finish with your allies!"
"We'll see you then. Shadow Wolf out." Henry waited until Piper nodded before tapping at Tia's control for the ship's intercom. "Engineering. Where's my Lawrence drive? We've got League and pirate company, and I want out of here."
"Fuse replacement's complicated when we've got to do them all, Captain," Pieter protested. "I'd say we have another ten minutes."
"Want me to send more help?"
"Would be pointless. Not enough room. They can start work on other systems, though."
"Then I'm sending them your way." Henry flipped to a shipwide address with a touch of the switch. "All available hands, report to Engineering. We have a ship to get back into normal operation."
"League ship charging EMP weapon!" Piper shouted.
"Evasives!"
Cera began as tight a maneuver as she dared, but she needn't have bothered. The Peltast fired at the Morozova instead. The rippling blast struck the Old Believers' pirate ship square in the amidship section, where the pulse met a blue deflector shield.
"Looks like their deflectors absorbed it," Piper said. "I'm not showing any major shield loss at all for the Morozova."
Henry grinned. "Those things don't work too well on deflectors. Explains why they've not used them before."
"And how they've been disabling ships without warning getting out. Look how fast they hit us," Piper noted.
Henry pursed his lips together. "Keep us on a course away from the fight," he said as the exchange of fire between the Morozova and Peltast picked up. "Jump to Lusitania as soon as we can."
Given how things had gone so far, everyone expected another League ship to show up. To their relief and fortune, none did before the indicator on Cera's controls went green. With the stroke of a key, she jumped them out of the system and to safety.
The Hathaway Clipper's engineering crew did everything they could to burn the ship into intercept range. But Deveaux was confident they'd fail long before the Shadow Wolf disappeared from the screens.
This left the Tokarevs, a particular nuisance for peaceful League trade in the Trifid Nebula region. Their position allowed them to come about and burn for that fight instead. The Peltast's crew had the upper hand on the enemy pirate ship, and his ship would tilt the battle entirely against the Tokarevs.
Before they could get into weapons range, Saratov informed him of an incoming call. Deveaux swallowed, already sure who it was. He was only slightly relieved to see the cold, expressionless face of Commander Aristide instead of Admiral Hartford.
"We've heard there are," Aristide stopped, a suspicious glint in her eye. "Where is Commander Zhung?"
"She had a failure of social discipline," Deveaux replied levelly. It was a particularly cruel way of saying Zhung was a psychiatric casualty, but her bald threats against her crew meant no one would question Deveaux's choice of answer. "I had to assume command."
"I see. We have heard there were issues in the seizing of the Shadow Wolf."
With the knowledge his future would be determined by how he replied, Deveaux cleared his throat. "They restored power to a fusion drive system just before our boarding parties could get aboard. We were unable to disable them again before they left the range of our EMP cannon. The Peltast attempted an intercept, but the pirate ship Morozova intervened. We are currently burning to aid the Peltast."
Aristide's eyes narrowed. "Do not. Jump immediately and return to Pluto Base."
"Some of our boarding shuttles were disabled when we fired the pulse gun on the Shadow Wolf. Can we go pick them up first?"
"No. Every second you remain risks the exposure of the operation." Aristide frowned. "Who caused the loss of our shuttles and boarding parties?"
"Commander Zhung gave the order," Deveaux said. I hope it’s enough.
"I see. We will deal with her when you return." Aristide nodded. Just as it seemed she was about to cut the line, she looked back up. "Since the gunner followed that order, he is guilty of sabotage a
s well. Arrest him." Her image disappeared.
All of the color left Lieutenant Saratov's face. He looked to Deveaux imploringly. "Commander?"
Deveaux sighed. There was nothing he could do. He nodded to the security detachment still on the bridge.
Saratov, to his credit, didn't cry or resist. He let them take him from the bridge, broken by the sure knowledge of his coming fate.
"Engage wormhole drive," Deveaux said. "Get us out of here."
It was to a great surprise to the Tokarevs and their crew when the Peltast broke away from the fight and jumped. They'd been in trouble, there was no denying it, and couldn't imagine why the League wouldn't try to finish them off.
Piotr, in his command chair, let out a curse. His younger brother looked up from his station as second in command. "Post battle damage is light, Piotr Sergeevich," he said.
"Semyon Timofovich, do we have anything on sensors?"
"Scanning now, sir."
While Semyon scanned, Piotr scratched at his long beard. His raw grief and anger were still visible, but he was not so blind to what was in front of him that he could ignore what they saw.
"That EMP blast they hit us with, I have never seen such a weapon," Pavel agreed. "It may be how they disabled the disappeared ships."
"I will have the data sent back to Cyrilgrad for analysis. Doctor Zhikova should be able to figure it out."
Semyon looked up from his station. "I have League shuttles on sensors. Very faint trace, no power signature. They are completely disabled. Likely from their own EMP weapon."
"Are there life signs?"
"Yes, Pavel Sergeevich."
The brothers shared knowing grins. "Take us to them. We will learn what we can from them." Piotr said this, already looking forward to spacing the godless bastards once they were through with them.
"Brother, the Lupa woman." Pavel gave him a knowing glance. "Are you still sure she is on their side? None of this would make sense if it were a diversion."
"Maybe she was a dupe too. Perhaps she betrayed them too. I don't know," Piotr admitted. "But I do know we’ll find out, and if she is guilty, I will return her to the void we saved her from."
Epilogue
The Shadow Wolf arrived in Lusitania's system space right on point. Immediately, Cera killed the engine and let them coast, their standard procedure to hide the fusion drive. Even if they kept it dialed down, the drive byproduct was too different from their officially-mounted plasma drives. "Engines out," she confirmed for Henry.
"Now, we wait for Pieter to get the plasma drives going again, and we can make planetfall." Henry unlatched himself from Tia's seat and floated free. Artificial gravity was one of the low priorities at the moment. He was already looking forward to hailing Caetano and, then it hit him. There was something wrong on the holotank. Specifically, the abysmal level of traffic moving to and from the Lawrence limit.
"System Traffic Control is signaling," Piper said. "Putting them on."
"Vessel Shadow Wolf, the system is currently under security lockdown due to terrorist attack," the voice said in accented English. "You are hereby ordered to dock at Cardoso Station for immediate investigation."
"Traffic control, whatever's happened, we're on an urgent mission for the government," Henry said, mind racing as he wondered whether he should admit to working for Caetano or go with his known affiliation with Vitorino. He decided to hedge bets. "I'm sure the Defense and Trade Ministries both have us on file."
While they waited for a reply, tension filled the bridge. Whatever happened wasn't just some riot in Gamavilla between political factions, not if the authorities had locked the entire solar system down. Henry felt a chill inside of him at the thought of this situation causing harm to Jules as well.
"Identity confirmed, Captain Henry. You will land at Gamavilla Spaceport, Hangar 10D. Follow the assigned flight plan exactly. Any variation, and you will be shot down."
Tia's eyes widened in surprise. Henry licked at his lips. "Understood, Traffic Control. We'll need a few minutes to get our plasma drives back under operation, we suffered a short during wormhole transit. Please acknowledge."
"Acknowledged, Shadow Wolf. Traffic Control out."
"What the hell happened down there?" Tia asked aloud as soon as the channel cut.
"Oh shit."
Piper's words won her the amazed attention of the bridge. "What happened?" Henry asked, his tone nearly a demand.
"Someone bombed the National Assembly during a full session," she answered. "Most of the Lusitanian government is dead."
Paulina Ascaro woke with a splitting headache. Her thoughts were sluggish and undirected as her body reported lingering pain, her right hand being held, and a strange sensation in the left. She opened her eyes and looked down. She was in a hospital room, in a hospital gown, with an IV hooked up to her left arm. A left arm that ended in a bandaged stub halfway down the forearm.
Her eyes traveled around the room. Her husband, Martzel Aiza, was seated beside her, and their teenage son Xabier stared at a digital reader. She tried to speak, but between the headache and other pain she felt, it came out as a low groan. Martzel, already noticing she was awake, brought a hand up to touch her face. "Paula," he said. "You're okay."
She blinked. Why was she here again? Her mind refused to remember anything. She only had a few images and recollections of attending the Assembly. "What happened?"
"There was a bombing," Martzel said. "The Assembly." He swallowed. "Paula, it was terrible. Most of the others…"
Ascaro stared at him in shock. A bombing in the Assembly? That was a disaster for the planet, for their people, and for the democrats. It was the perfect excuse for State Security to seize power. "Who is… who is left?"
"I'm not sure. The RSS is refusing to confirm who else survived. They fear more attacks." He raised his eyes, and Ascaro followed them. Two dark-uniformed figures were visible outside of the door. The RSS was guarding her, or more likely, watching her. "The system is under lockdown, beloved. No ships are allowed to leave. The military is patrolling the streets."
Despair started to fill her. Now even flight was beyond their options. This incident would empower the fascists above everything else. Everything she believed in, a free and prosperous Lusitania, it was likely to be crushed by Caetano's party and their enablers in State Security.
The positive side of the despair was that it cut through the slowness in her mind. Even the headache started to fade a little as her mind focused. In turn, she felt defiance build within, pushing away the despair. No. If democracy and liberty die in Lusitania, it will die well, and leave a memory to inspire our descendants to reclaim it!
This won her a look from Martzel. "Paula, you must recover. Now is not the time for speeches."
"I will regain my strength, but tomorrow, I get back to work," she said. "Someone is trying to destroy our people, Martzel. They want to subjugate us. But with God as my witness, I'll do whatever I must to stop them."
The report from Commander Aristide left Hartford in a deep, pensive mood. Gaon had escaped, again, and the crew of the Shadow Wolf was more skilled than External Security anticipated. The threat over his plans persisted.
An incoming signal claimed his attention. A press of a key brought to his screen the visage of Admiral Seville himself. His eyes, one organic and the other an artificial replacement, focused on Hartford's face from across a thousand light-years. "Admiral Hartford, we are approaching the final moment. What is your status?"
"Our plan proceeds. Our Lusitanian ally has come through again. The bombing, as expected, leaves their government shaken and vulnerable. As soon as we complete final modifications to our most recent acquisitions, the fleet will set out for Lusitania." Hartford did everything he could to hide his concerns about Gaon from his expression. Seville would only see quiet confidence. "The timing is precise, and our captains know it. We will meet your expectations."
"Excellent." Seville gave him a significant look. "And there are no
… complications?"
Hartford kept his expression, but he already knew what had happened. Aristide had reported the situation with Gaon. "A minor one, but too late to impact our planning. Odds are our resources on Lusitania will deal with them, permanently."
"I should hope so, Admiral, for all of our sakes," Seville said. There was no threat or menace in his tone, but Hartford knew that results were Expected, and if he failed, he would not enjoy the consequences. "I must be off. Minister Jenner requires my presence."
"Understood, Admiral. Hartford out." He shut down the comm line and turned to face the window. The last of the ships they'd seized, a helium-3 tanker, was being outfitted with another piece of salvaged Coalition weaponry. His fleet was at the desired size.
Doubt still gnawed at him. Miri Gaon was alive and free, and the ship aiding her had a competent crew that had already evaded two efforts to seize her. As much as he tried to push his fears away, he couldn't. His confidence in success felt more and more hollow, the more he considered these facts.
But regardless, Social duty still had to be performed. They'd come too far and worked too hard to be stopped now. Especially not by vermin like these independent spacers.
Hartford returned to the bureaucratic labors his position demanded, reassuring himself that it would all work out. The great machine of Society could not be stopped by this ship Shadow Wolf and its crew any more than they could stop a supernova.
That was the nature of things. Cogs, individuals, could fail: the whole machine would not. They would succeed.
They had to succeed.
THE END
Breach of Faith: Book 2 - Breach of Faith:
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