Nine
Crew
* * *
Callum met Alice on the upper deck of the Clever Dream and took her long coat. "We have confirmation that Admiral Scanlon is next in line to take control of the Haven System and the whole cluster. We intercepted a message from the Office of the Overlord that said she'd be taking control of the sector as soon as her business is finished here." He hung her coat on a thick hook he pulled out from the wall beside the door to her quarters.
Nervousness was rolling off him. He was good at pushing through it but seemed to feel bad news more keenly than anyone. He also got over his reactions fast, she imagined that if he didn't, he would be a nervous wreck. "There's something else?" she asked, turning to face him in the hall. Iruuk was behind her, waiting for the rest of the news. "Listen, I'm not as good as presenting this stuff as Theo or Lewis…"
"But they're both analysing intercepts now that we've cracked the Order's access codes," Alice said. "So, you're it."
"Aye, I'm just sayin' this'll sound like I'm tellin' ya the sky is falling, but I'm just passing the news on the best way I can." Callum finished.
"So, this isn't just bad news, it's…" Alice started to walk to the rear of the ship, leading Callum and Iruuk to the circular common area. Most of her team was there; Knud, Jessen, Faloo, and Noro were sitting scattered across the soft upper tier seating around the table. Faloo was curled up against Noro, and they were both watching something inside the goggles they wore to protect against sudden light, since they were descended from burrower Nafalli who were shorter, stouter than tree Nafalli like Iruuk. The rest of the crew were watching different news feeds from the planet below.
"Really bad," Callum said. "We're not sure where the Admiral is right now, not exactly, but her Command Cruiser is having nearly fifty advanced upgrade modules installed."
"Oh, Alice is back," Faloo said, sitting up and pulling her goggles off. "How was the meeting?"
"In a minute," Alice said.
"Oh, okay," Faloo said. "Do you want me to go get Woone and Krooke? They're working below, checking loads for the main gun."
"That's all right," Alice said, looking back to Callum. "So she's making some sort of super cruiser?"
"The Lance, her command ship, will be over a kilometre long with room for three fighter wings by the end of the week. From what Lewis could tell so far, there will be six redundant shield systems with capacitance for a full charge on all of them, disruption beams that have the same range as the ones on the Merciless, and kinetic cannons that fire high density rounds. They're almost exactly like our older seventy-millimetre guns. The ship will also have a whole battalion of Knights that we can't get details on, it's top secret to everyone, even Order personnel. They're called the Justicars. We can't find anything else about them."
"How does all that fit in with what's going on in this solar system? Is this just a quick stop for her to get her battlegroup together before moving on?" Iruuk asked.
"I was getting to that. The Admiral has gone out of the system, we're not sure exactly where, but Theo is pretty sure that she's talking to the leader of the Edxi government in this galaxy. There were messages from Overlord Dron to her telling her to offer this solar system to them as an apology for not getting the Haven System. Since it's near the middle of Order of Eden territory, Dron is sure the Edxi will accept. As far as the battlegroup Scanlon is getting together, there are fifty-five ships destroyer class or larger on their way. It's enough to lock the Haven System down tight. I'd go through the list, but it would take a couple hours to get through, since there are nearly a hundred fighter wings, smaller corvettes, land assets, and over two hundred thousand troops. It's an endgame force for the Haven System."
"You said land assets, like colonization systems?" Alice asked.
"There are three juggernauts that can launch five base landers each. They can manufacture new ones on board while they're under way, too. All they need to do is load each with a few hundred soldiers, point the base lander at a planet, and in less than five minutes a military bunker digs into the surface of the world. Tafford's Overlord had that kind of tech, he just didn't get close enough to Tamber or another good target to use them."
"All right, so this battlegroup can move into almost any solar system and take over." Alice sat down at the table. "It's all coming together here."
"Near this solar system, not inside it. The Lance and construction ships are the only ones that we can guarantee will be in system while it's being upgraded. Your idea to follow the intelligence to our last mass destruction target has worked out perfectly, except we're going to have too many targets soon, I guess."
"We already do," Alice said, pulling a holographic image of the Lance, a bulky, long Order of Eden Heavy Cruiser up. It was in the same solar system, just in a clearer section of space where fighters and support corvettes had a large, open field of space to scan while modules were being delivered. "The leader of the resistance down there wants a bomb that can clear all life off the planet. He wants to get his people off world along with as many of the civilians as he can, but he doesn't want there to be anything left for the Edxi to colonize either."
"What did you tell him?" Faloo asked. The whole room was focused on her.
"I said I'd make the trade," Alice said. "We should be able to modify our last accumulator bomb to neutralize all life on the surface without leaving much radiation behind."
Faloo's opposition to the idea was almost overwhelming, in fact, all the Nafalli who heard her, even Iruuk, were against the idea. "No, I won't make that modification," Faloo said firmly. "You know I'm the best to do it, aside from maybe Theo, but I'll sit on that bomb if that's what you're going to use it for."
" I don't like the idea either if it makes you feel better, it's even against regulations. I just knew he wouldn't help us if I didn't commit. Peter, their leader, is a fanatic. He doesn't see any cause but his own, this whole conflict between his people and the Order is binary, there is no grey area or room for compromise. The path he sees for his people is right, the Edxi, the Order and anyone who looks like they're about to oppose him in any way are wrong. Sonny, his partner, is really more of a servant, and he believes in Peter. He questions him, sure, but that's only so he can hear how Peter is thinking or to take care of him. He's in love, he'll follow him anywhere. If the rest of Peter's following is a tenth as faithful, then we can't do anything on that world without having a good relationship with him."
"I'm sure there's some way to change his mind," Noro said. "Destroying your own home is drastic, even for someone so dedicated."
Alice looked to Iruuk, then to the rest of the room. It was time to tell them, it was the only way to convince them that she knew Peter's mind. "I've met some of the most destructive people in our lifetimes, and no one scares me more than Peter. I was in his head. I'm just learning how to use it properly, but when I want to, I can feel people's emotions. Ever since a Geist went looking through my memories and I fought back, I've been able to do it. I can mostly shut it off, and I do while I'm aboard ship most of the time out of respect for everyone on the Clever Dream, but it's becoming a huge advantage."
"It would be," Faloo said.
"That explains a few things," Knud said with a broad smile. "I have never had such a good Captain."
Noro and Jessen were most fearful about the news. Noro was more self-conscious, though, so Alice wasn't so worried about him. Jessen's fear was tinged with bitterness, she felt insulted. "I can't hear thoughts," Alice said. "That kind of telepathy is off limits to me, but I can be aware of what people are feeling."
"You're doing it right now," Jessen said. "Stop. Get out of my head."
Alice closed her empathic sense down and regarded her subordinate seriously. "First of all, I'm not in your head. It's more like I have an antenna that picks up emotional waves from people who are broadcasting, I don't go digging. Second: I'm still your Captain. I'll use every advantage I have to do the best job I can. Even so, I'm still n
ot here to screw with anyone's privacy, and I won't punish you for something you're feeling."
"It's not natural," Jessen said. "You should have told us before we took off on this long assignment so we could transfer."
Alice wanted to read Jessen so she could navigate through the conversation but held back. It didn't take an empath to see that her crewmember felt violated. "I'm still the same person, same Captain you were assigned to serve under. The main difference here is that I can be more aware of my crew, and I can use this ability to help us and the Fleet. Like this last meeting with Peter, I know for a fact that we're dealing with a complete fanatic. It's one of the reasons why people around him believe in his cause, because they don't see a scrap of doubt in his mind. Nothing short of promising a bomb would have won him over in the little time we have, I know that for a fact. Will we give it to him? Probably not, but if I play my cards right, if I read him right, then I might have bought us enough time to find some other way to gain his trust so we can do something meaningful here. It's a useful skill."
"Okay, I'll grant you that," Jessen said. "You can pick up problems from someone whose almost mute, like Knud, and that's good for him, as it turns out. But then there's everyone else, who might want to keep their feelings to themselves so they can edit what comes out of their mouths when they talk to you. Yeah, your sense works well in these encounters, but what about people like Carnie? How does Noah feel about you reading him?"
"I'll be telling him on the next call," Alice said.
"I don't believe that for a second," Jessen said, drawing a scowl from Knud. "You probably used your ability to get together with him, didn't you?"
"You're out of line," Knud said. "Don't say something that…"
"You did!" Jessen said, standing. "You spoiled little bitch!"
"That's enough!" Alice burst, surging to her feet. She took a breath, Jessen looked shocked at Alice's outrage. There was a hint of amusement there, too. Yawen rushed into the room and stopped, silently taking the scene in. "You're confined to quarters until you've calmed down, Jessen," Alice said firmly. "If you have a problem with an empathic captain, then you can transfer as soon as we re-link with the Merciless. Until then, you'll be on my official shit list until I'm sure you can serve at the same level as everyone else on this ship."
"How are you going to know when and if I'm ready? You gonna…"
"I'll read you," Alice said. "Because there's one thing you're forgetting: we're soldiers, and if a soldier can't control their emotions, at least enough so I can trust them to do their duty, then they're just going to put the rest of us in danger, and probably get themselves killed."
Knud reached between the second-tier seating and opened the door to Jessen's quarters. "Don't get yourself in trouble," he whispered to her as she was about to say something else.
Jessen stepped through the hatch and turned towards Alice. "This is getting out. The whole fleet will know."
"Not if you want to stay in. It's classified. Enjoy your time off," Alice said, signalling for the door to close. It slid shut and she dropped into her seat. "That couldn't have gone worse." She put her face down in her hands for a moment, and a short time later she felt a big Nafalli hand on her shoulders. She looked up, expecting to see Faloo there, but it was Noro.
"Nafalli have had empaths for generations, they're very few, but many of them become great leaders. I'm only surprised to see a human empath, but I am happy our leader is one." He said, Faloo nodding her agreement.
"Explains why you knew exactly what to say when I was released from Haven Medical," Yawen said, sitting down beside her. "I don't mind, though. Well, not much."
"I shut it down if something really private starts coming up," Alice told her quietly, thinking about a moment on the beach that made her blush.
"Oh, you know, don't you," Yawen laughed nervously.
"Who you were staring at most of the time we were…" Alice started to say as she watched Yawen blush furiously. Gavin was squarely in Yawen's sights, something that Alice did her best to ignore. It was easier when Noah arrived.
"Yawen wanted to breed with someone when we were on the beach?" Noro asked excitedly.
"Humans don't call it that," Iruuk said, covering his nose and snickering.
"Ooh, who was it?" Faloo asked.
"That's not even my business, so I can't say," Alice said, putting her hands up.
"Was it Knud?" Faloo asked.
"Wow, no," Yawen said. A moment later, she turned to him. "Sorry, big guy, but you're not really my type. I like tall guys, but you're twice my size."
"More, it's all right," he said, pulsing his pectoral muscles. "I get that more than you might think."
"Oh, this is exciting," Faloo said. Noro tugged on a tuft of fur at her side and she added; "We'll talk after I finish my shift."
"Sure," Yawen said with a sigh. "Empathic Captain or not, there's always going to be scuttlebutt."
Alice looked to Jessen's door, then to Knud. "Is she going to get over this?"
"I've never seen her react to anything like that," Knud replied sadly.
"I hope she does." Alice took a moment to clear her head then stood. "I have to report to the Merciless. We need backup if we're going to do anything worthwhile in the system."
"I hate to ask, but are you going to propose that you give the bomb to the resistance leader so he can deforest the planet?" Faloo asked. "I know what you said, but…"
"I won't recommend it, but I have to tell them I made the promise. It's not going to go over well. Tell Ute to take us out of the solar system so we can open communications without being detected. The last thing we need is to have our Quad Drive trigger an alarm on some Order patrol ship because I wanted to call the mothership."
Ten
The New Age
* * *
A pair of Uriel fighters manoeuvred towards the Merciless. The long ship's receiving bays were triangles of light, their doors open, their new barrier shields keeping air inside as the fighters ahead of Ronin and Carnie pass through the glimmering fields. "You're going to get some news when you land, Carnie," Ronin told him over a private channel as they waited for their turn to touch down.
"Is this a warning?" Carnie asks.
"Sort of. You're going to be packing your bunk today. We're shipping you off to Officer Training. You got the rank, now you're going to get the education."
"Holy crap, seriously? Where am I going? The War Forge?"
"You'll be joining the Sabre Wing on the Triton," Minh-Chu said. "More patrolling while you get through a quickie officer program there."
The Merciless Navnet sent a signal to his fighter, telling him that he and Minh-Chu were clear to land. He was momentarily distracted as bursts of air accompanied the launching of fighters from the punter systems to the right of the landing bays. They were launching to start the daytime patrol. He started his slow approach. "How long will this be? I mean, I know it's an opportunity, but I'd rather stay with Samurai Wing."
"Someday you'll want to get out of the cockpit and do something bigger, like Hal, he's going with you so he can be first officer on a Clever Class Corvette, at least, that's where he's starting. If he does well enough, he might get the assignment he wants, too. The Fleet wants more Corvette pilots to be higher rank, so they can stay with their ships, offer continuity."
"Continuity?"
"One ship, one boss, one person tracking the Corvette's performance and condition. If Hal isn't careful, he could end up being Captain of one of those ships, I think that's what Fleet really wants. You'll probably end up back in a fighter, but you'll know what you're doing in and out of the cockpit, that's the difference. You'll have three weeks to finish."
Ronin and Carnie's ships set down at the same time on the elevation pads that were marked for them. The space felt small around them, almost claustrophobic as they were lowered into the hangar proper, where they rolled on their small landing wheels off their pads into storage and service spots. There was nothing t
o report about their eight-hour patrol shift, just as command wanted it. Noah stretched for a moment then pulled himself out of the cockpit.
"A little stiff, Carnie?" asked Perman, one of the deck crewman as he offered him a hand.
"Yeah," he replied as he stepped down the side of his fighter. "Cockpit's more comfortable than my bunk, but I don't think anyone's supposed to stay still for eight hours straight."
"The Commodore's about to go for his morning jog in Hangar C, you could join in."
Carnie tucked the end of his white scarf more firmly into the sleeve of his jacket. Everyone could still see it wrapped around the neck of his suit, but there was something less conspicuous about it when it wasn’t flapping around. He retracted his helmet and shook his head, the unique smell of grease and hot electronics filling his nostrils. "I'll just find a corner and stretch. Can you give her a look over, Perman?" he asked, patting his fighter. "I did the checks on the way in, but I just want to make sure that this rig is ready to go in case there's an alert."
"Sure thing, Sir," Perman said, pulling a hand scanner from his thigh pocket and getting to work.
He started walking towards Minh-Chu, who was talking with the Deck Sergeant, and he turned his Crewcast interface on. A message from Alice appeared, telling him that she'd try to contact him again in ten minutes. It was received four minutes ago, so she'd be calling soon. He looked to Minh-Chu and caught his eye. "Incoming live call," he said. "I'm gonna take this somewhere else."
"Talk to you later," Minh-Chu shouted back.
It was still hard to believe that Alice could contact him from dozens of light years away and have a live conversation with him. The new Haven Communication Network was amazing, the whole fleet could communicate in real time, and it helped raise the morale of servicemen and women on every ship. A good thing, since most of them, Noah included, were still smarting over their retreat from the Haven System. More than once a day he found that he asked himself when are we going back? He didn't dare ask it aloud because no one knew, and he didn't want to re-open the wound for anyone else.
Spinward Fringe Broadcast 13 Page 9
