“Listen to me, you little prick,” Jessica said, clenching her fists in rage. “My job is to stop what’s wrong and to stand for those in need. We are here to stand, Watson. You have the building blocks of a force capable of stopping these assholes, and while you’re correct in assuming you will need every gun you have, you’re forgetting you need every gods-damned brain, too. I have an ally, as do you, who knows how our adversary fights, and he is prepared to use his knowledge against them, because they are in the wrong. Together, we can stop them. But it’s up to you, Watson. Are you going to stop stroking your ego long enough to listen? You have additional assets and firepower on this ship willing to stand beside your forces. Where are your Titans?”
“Znevski took them and ran. We didn’t need his sorry ass.” Watson replied. “Like we don’t need you, Francis. You turned against innocent Humans at Weqq.”
“Innocent Humans?” Jessica snorted. “A mercenary company with orders to kill every living being on the planet were innocent Humans? By your logic, the MinSha coming here are innocent, too. Just minding their own business, right? Oh, look, here’s a nice planet. Let’s kill every living thing on the surface without prejudice. Surely no one would stop us from doing something like that, would they?”
“Don’t make light of this situation, Francis.”
“I’m the only one in this fucking conversation taking things seriously, Watson. What’s it going to be? Die in place or face them down?”
There was a sigh on the channel. “We’re trying to push our civilians and non-combatants to safety. Can your ship take passengers?”
Finally.
Jessica turned to the command pilot. “How many?”
“Two hundred. Three hundred if we pack them tightly.”
“This ship can take two hundred max, Commander Watson. They’ll hold in orbit. Where do you want Lieutenant Colonel Tirr and me?”
“We’ll rendezvous at my headquarters outside of Lovell City immediately. We don’t have much time.”
Jessica sighed in relief. “Thank you, Commander Watson. We’ll make this work.”
“Like you said, Peacemaker. We don’t have much choice.”
* * * * *
Chapter Twenty
Aboard the Shendil-Ya
37 hours from the Victoria Emergence Point
Drehnayl’s orders for a day with no scheduled activities came as a complete surprise to her staff. Left to her own devices, Colonel Chee could not resist visiting her duty station despite orders that all non-essential personnel stand down for 48 hours. Only those running the engineering spaces and the power cores were working normal shifts. Drehnayl had ordered everyone else, from the basic infantry soldiers to the highest-ranking officers on the general’s staff, to rest and prepare for battle. In her mandated rest, though, Chee found nothing capable of calming her mind enough for her to sleep. Unable to rest, she walked through the passageways of the command ship, brooding over her place in the coming attack and the growing sense in her abdomen that their actions would simply steel the Humans’ resolve rather than cause their capitulation.
For two hours, she wandered the ship’s spaces. The infantry was mostly in bed, though a few were watching Tri-V programs in their unit wardrooms. Music blared from a few intrepid artists who locked themselves in an airlock to practice. They froze in place as Chee stalked by, but she didn’t mind the music, and she stood and listened for a few minutes before heading for the bridge. During hyperspace transit, there were no messages or anything of importance to review at her station, yet the simple act of being there would, she hoped, quiet her mind so she could rest until the fleet emerged at Victoria.
Using the loops and holds spaced throughout the ship’s narrow passageways, Chee made her way through the microgravity with dainty, graceful moves befitting her species. The lack of gravity offered a myriad of options for moving through a space. Chee traversed the empty passageways to the bridge and touched the hatch controls. As she entered, there was silence. The officer of the deck, whoever it was, should have announced her presence.
Chee whipped her head to either side but didn’t see an officer of the deck in any of the working spaces. The only other face she saw was the familiar visage of Nyalla staring back at her.
“You can’t rest either?” Nyalla asked. Her antenna vibrated with amusement. “Here I was, thinking I was the only officer wrestling with their demons at this time of morning.”
“Hardly,” Chee chittered. “I’ve been walking through the lower decks for the last two hours.”
“Ah, the walk of the sleepless staff officer.” Nyalla laughed. “As a lieutenant, I relished the opportunity to wander the spaces while I served in staff duty or other stupid positions. Sitting in one place made me sleepy.”
“I would give anything to sleep,” Chee replied.
Nyalla stared at her. “Why can’t you?”
Chee sighed. “I’m not sure.”
“I believe it’s because you disagree with our commander and, at a level you refuse to acknowledge or discuss, you want to stop her.” Nyalla said. “Is that close to the truth?”
“You already know that, Nyalla.”
“And yet here you are, Colonel Chee. The executive officer of the Shendil-Ya. The second in command of the mightiest MinSha force outside the mercenary companies of our home world. You are pondering treason.” Nyalla’s eyes glittered. “And the most critical aspects of such an action are already covered.”
“What might those be?”
“Powerful allies and very good reasons,” Nyalla replied. “Have you disposed of the little gift from General Chinayl?”
“No,” Chee replied. “I have done nothing, because it will not do anything. Chinayl knows where we are heading. She is aware of every move this fleet makes.”
Nyalla nodded. “I concur, but I have not been able to isolate such a feed.”
“There is no feed. Drehnayl’s actions since our diversion to Chitaa haven’t corresponded with any known link to Chinayl. They planned this meticulously. Chinayl will either be waiting at Victoria, or she will come sweeping in to clean up Drehnayl’s mess. I expect the latter.”
“Danube does not sit well with me,” Nyalla said. She looked down at her console in the semi-darkness. There was a hint of emotion in her voice. “Given the chance to fight an enemy who stands against me and fights furiously or to kill innocent people to make a point, I would choose the former.”
“You are an honorable warrior, Nyalla.” Chee said. “Our commander—our leadership—is not.”
“Hurting humanity will only strengthen their resolve. Wouldn’t you agree?”
Chee nodded. “I would, but Chinayl’s plan is simple. She expects our force to be constrained by the Humans on Victoria.”
Nyalla huffed. “Have you seen my estimate of the situation?”
“No,” Chee replied. “I am assuming the Humans on Victoria will stand against us.”
“Your thoughts match mine, Chee. Under the right circumstances, I believe the Humans can halt our advance. If that happens, it provides Chinayl an entrance point to claim credit for the finality of the assault.”
“It hangs our soldiers out to die,” Chee replied. “Chinayl is asking us to sacrifice our forces for her own good. The very prospect of such action sickens me.”
“Then, you understand what we must do.”
Chee looked around for listening devices then realized Nyalla, speaking as she did, would already have done so. Without such security, they would already have been executed for treason. “We have two choices as I see it, Nyalla.”
“I agree.” Nyalla’s antennae bobbled in thought. “We either engage in direct mutiny against our commander, or we fail to act as is required by our positions and training. We must lose control of the fight.”
“No,” Chee shook her head. “If we do not mutiny against our general, we must control the fight carefully, so our forces are at a continual disadvantage without being lost.”
�
�Mutiny would be easier.”
“There may come a time for it,” Chee replied. “But we cannot allow this to occur, no matter how great the losses may be.”
“If Chinayl arrives, though, any control we have over the situation is lost.” Nyalla’s eyes studied her for a long moment. “Have you considered this in your wandering analysis, Chee?”
Chee chittered, “I have. Chinayl will arrive within twelve hours of our emergence, maybe less. When she arrives, there will be no hesitation. Her forces will jump blindly into the fight, gathering every shred of available intelligence as they do. When they attack, they will give no thought to any of our forces who are in their way. Chinayl will stop at nothing to succeed in this attack, which means we have to stop her before it begins.”
Nyalla nodded. “I am prepared for that.”
“I hoped you would be.” Chee replied.
“We do what we must, Chee, and we must do so while we can.” Nyalla pointed at the display in front of her. The MinSha combat forces were prepared for operations and ready to strike. Once their mandatory rest period ended in 26 hours, there would be no stopping the push to war. Whatever awaited them on the other side of the emergence point would not matter to Drehnayl. The attack would be swift and ferocious. Chinayl would most definitely sweep in for the glory. If they handed her defeat instead, it might end the hostilities on the outer rim.
“We do this at great risk,” Chee said. “We may die in the conduct of these actions, and if we do, our sacrifice may be for nothing.”
“Such is the risk we must take. I am prepared to do whatever is needed, Chee. Are you? If we die, at least we die in the right. We die trying to stop this senseless killing. We die to help our species stand alone and not follow the Veetanho’s quest for blood. They want humanity rendered powerless because they believe humanity represents a threat to them and the Mercenary Guild. I am not sure about their course of action and neither are you. That uncertainty must be enough for us to act.”
Chee nodded. “I have no intention of remaining passive, Nyalla. The time for inaction has come and gone. From now on, we fight for what we believe in, and to hell with the way our leaders say things should be. We have the power to end this, and we must. If we do, then maybe we can sleep at night. If not, and we die, we will rest forever knowing we tried.”
* * *
Karma IV
Bartertown Starport
“You can put your weapon away, Peacemaker Vannix. I am a friend.” Bukk raised his upper arms to an awkward position, but one designed to show his intentions were peaceful. “I regret my choices and lack of communication with you, but I didn’t know much about this plan other than I was to rendezvous with you and load the software to get Peacemaker Rains out of confinement.”
Vannix’s weapon did not waver, even as the hauler bounced and trundled down the thoroughfare. Rains marveled at her ability and temporarily lost his sense of direction. The main thoroughfare headed west from the prison toward the starport. So far, DuPont had followed that course with a few small deviations. Rains saw Vannix glance up at him. “DuPont didn’t share the entire plan with you?”
“It was best, in case I was captured or killed.”
At least the motherfucker was smart. Didn’t let anything out of the bag and get anybody else spun up. Rains shook the thoughts away and focused on the conversation.
“How far is it to the starport?” Vannix asked.
“Fifteen kilometers,” Rains replied. “We’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Bukk? Your logic doesn’t make sense.” Vannix turned her attention back to the Altar, but she did not lower her weapon. “DuPont is in charge, but he sent you into a clandestine operation without full knowledge and understanding of the situation.”
“I believed his intentions were clear, Peacemaker Vannix.” Bukk shrugged. “His desire was for me to know only what I needed to. I completed my mission, and Commander DuPont arrived at the pre-arranged meeting place and time with the resources promised. He has done nothing along the lines of what you are insinuating.”
With a flick of a digit, Vannix disarmed her weapon and lowered it to her holster without taking her eyes off Bukk. She reached into her chest pocket and handed Rains the thin, black sheath holding his Peacemaker badge without looking at him. Rains pushed the wallet into his back pocket. “I’m going to trust you, Bukk. Do not make me regret it.”
“I shall endeavor to maintain your trust, Peacemaker.”
The tension in the small compartment eased. Rains checked Vannix’s dressing again. “Looks like the bleeding has stopped.”
“Still hurts like hell,” Vannix said. Her eyes returned to Bukk. “So, what’s the next phase of the plan?”
“I just told you—”
“Stop playing dumb, Bukk. Peacemaker Francis was quite detailed in her report about your abilities. Snowman offered you a position with the Haulers, which says you’re much smarter than you’re letting on. I believe DuPont didn’t give you any specifics, but you must have an idea about what DuPont will do next.”
Bukk nodded and brought his upper arms back down to his sides. “We’ll likely resume our search for Remote.”
“What’s that?” Vannix asked.
“Our rendezvous point was supposed to be a planet codenamed Remote. When DuPont went there, he found no evidence that Snowman, or anyone else, had been there in a few decades. Commander DuPont believes someone compromised the company codex, and we do not know the location of the true Remote. We still have 121 possible locations to search.”
Rains blinked. “That would take more than two years to search. We don’t have that kind of time.”
“You said DuPont believes your company codes were compromised,” Vannix said and narrowed her eyes at the Altar officer. “What do you think?”
“I believe it’s a diversion, Peacemaker,” Bukk replied. “I believe Snowman did not fully trust Commander DuPont.”
The hauler slowed and turned left. They braced themselves against the turn, and Bukk made eye contact with Rains. “We are at the starport.”
“What kind of ship do you have?” Rains asked. “Something jump capable?”
Bukk nodded. “We have a Trident-class transport with unaffiliated papers and registration. We also have a budget to pay for any requisite fees or...arrangements.”
A Trident-class transport was a good start. Rains remembered enough of his vehicle identification classes to know that type of transport and its fuel sources meant the difference between 170 hours of hell and a smooth, effortless hyperspace transition. Plus, most of them carried weapons.
The hauler braked to a stop. Bukk moved toward the rear door. “Come, we must hurry.”
The hauler’s door slid open as Rains hoisted Vannix to her feet using her good arm. Rains halfway expected to find DuPont pointing a weapon at them, but he was already running toward the Trident’s deployed crew ramp. As Rains tried to wrap an arm around Vannix’s waist, the tiny Veetanho ran after DuPont. Rains snorted and followed, and Bukk brought up the rear. As he climbed the Trident’s ramp, Rains clearly smelled beef and broccoli and stale beer. After the prison’s meager food choices, it smelled heavenly. In the main passageway, which was much smaller than Rains had thought it would be, he turned and followed Vannix toward the bridge. As he arrived at the hatch, the ship’s engines came to life, and he had to grab a seat quickly. Within moments, the motors went to full thrust and pushed the sleek, powerful transport into the sky.
“Welcome aboard, Rains.” DuPont called from the central bridge chair. The other four crew positions were vacant. Vannix had strapped herself into what appeared to be the navigator’s chair.
“How in the hell are you flying this thing by yourself?”
“I’m not.” DuPont grinned.
The bridge speakers above them clicked to life. <
“Stay with it, Bukk. Anything from the surface follows us, blow it out of the sky.”
&nb
sp; “Roger.”
DuPont flicked a few switches on his right arm console. “Computer, max thrust in atmo.”
<
“Perfect.” DuPont looked down at Rains. “That’s my co-pilot. She’s an old command and control interface Snowman adapted. Let’s just say I borrowed her about thirty years ago. Been working with her ever since.”
<
“Set course for the gate. I’ll handle this myself.”
<
“Is that an AI?” Rains asked, grunting against the g-forces. “Your ship’s computer?”
“No,” DuPont grinned. “It’s a program Snowman built a long time ago. It works like a second set of hands but has no free will.”
“Does it have a name?” Rains glanced at Vannix. He knew she’d read Jessica Francis’ reports. She caught his eye but said nothing and kept her face still. There was a twinge of pain in her eyes, though. The pull on her wounds was probably agonizing.
“No.” DuPont half-smiled at him. “I would never give it a name. It ain’t a person, so it doesn’t get any kind of familiarity. Snowman wanted to call it Jenny or something. On my ship, though, Computer is as good as it gets.”
Not the one Francis uses. Lucille. Rains closed his eyes for a moment and let the gravitational forces push his head back into the couch. Jessica had reported that Lucille, her combat slate’s operations program, existed in two separate locations—with her and with Tara Mason. They could communicate with each other, if necessary, and it was logical the two iterations could funnel similar intelligence sources and determine a course of action from them. That DuPont did not have Lucille meant that whatever he and Bukk were chasing had a very small chance of being Snowman.
Stand or Fall (The Omega War Book 4) Page 22
