"No, Sonny. Everyone I'm with in the tower knows we're not leaving." Peter closed the channel he'd shared with Sonny for longer than he could remember and looked to the only holorecorder in the room, a small bulb in a corner. "Like I was saying, I have a simple statement about the Order of Eden and everyone who works with them. I have been called to the service of Admiral Scanlon. She has no idea that I'm the leader of the resistance on this planet. That Haven Fleet has put their full support behind me. The Order is vulnerable, their commanders are egotistical, greedy sociopaths who underestimate the common people. They are not immortal, either. It's only technology, they can be defeated. Be sneaky, be smart, hesitate to trust and act only when you're certain you can get away or you can live with the sacrifice you'll have to make to make the Order suffer."
From his thigh pocket, Peter produced a heavy, hand sized black box. "Thanks to Haven Fleet, we have medical nanobots. They've been reprogrammed to multiply exponentially while they consume every living organism on this planet. There won't be so much as a blade of grass or grub left on Nuaji in three days. It will feed on me first, this seed stock second, and then this terraforming tower will send them across this hemisphere in hours. I'm doing this because the Order will be giving this world to the Edxi. I say they cannot have it. My people will watch from the control room as every living thing dies. If you have a containment suit, put it on now and leave this planet."
Peter opened a channel to the control room and hesitated. He looked for a way out, but there were Order ships enroute. They would be there in less than twenty minutes, an estimate made by his best people. If he relented, if he decided not to go through with it, there was every chance that he'd be taken into custody. If he got away, the Order would never stop hunting him. He'd increase the risk to everyone around him. The same went for everyone in the control room above. "Begin the dissemination sequence, I'm going to break the seal on the nano-cartridge now." He held the cartridge in his hands and looked to the recorder, focusing his intensity, all his beliefs at it. "For bloody revolution. For freedom. Overthrow the Czars." He snapped the cartridge in half and the nanobots were released, a little black cloud spreading in front of him. His throat felt scratchy. "I love you all." He added.
The sound of the disseminator powering up, a hum that was becoming a roar, was all around him. The end came suddenly, as though someone flipped a switch and ended his ability to experience anything.
Twenty-One
Two Days Later
* * *
Sometimes the design of the Merciless, especially on the inside, felt futuristic even to Jake. The smooth panelled hallways, floor that required no cleaning and always shone. The hidden security and minder robots that occasionally peeked out from behind a panel or a small service door somewhere made the ship seem alive. The service bots, advanced skitters that had the trademark domes with fifteen or so different arms stuffed inside, would quickly emerge from covers hidden in the corridors, claim a piece of trash or run a scan for a few seconds then rush back. Sometimes you weren't even sure if you really saw them when it happened in the corner of your eye, they were so quick and efficient.
The design of the ship was still a thing of wonder to most of the crew, many of whom were like Jake in that they still hadn't forgotten the Revenge. Getting a taste of how the Order ships were designed and how those crews lived was an eye opener. It was memorable, having to duck often, moving through hallways that didn't have room for two people to comfortably pass by in most places. What made it worse was that so many of those passages ran right beside a room with so much wasted space that they were repurposed as recreational or storage rooms. It was a stark contrast Jake and the crew were grateful for, one he acknowledged less and less.
As he waited for the Clever Dream to arrive, he pondered that difference on purpose. There was no point in living in the moment as he stood in the observation room overlooking the main hangar. All he was doing was waiting. For the Clever Dream, for Minh-Chu, for the report on the status of the solar system from Liara to come in, just… waiting. He'd over-planned their missions in the area, looked too far ahead and included details that were unconfirmed in some instances, it was a hazard of command. He wanted his people ready for anything, so he let himself predict every kind of condition and problem. It was like the one thing he wanted to tell Ayan when she talked about the Victory Machine; no one can predict the future, everyone who tries is at least a little off or they've left important details out, kept things just vague enough so what they're saying will happen will fit when it comes up. The Victory Machine predicted that Laura would become Ayan's daughter, that Jake wouldn't be the father, but it left out the fact that Ayan would be her adoptive mother, that Laura's parents would fall victim to tragedy. Those were serious details. If Ayan knew them she would have still adopted little Laura, Jake was sure, but she would have been able to ponder how she could help her daughter face the truth about her parents.
Jake's thoughts landed back on Alice, and he caught himself tightening his grip on the railing. One bad decision lead to a huge mess, and she would face consequences for that unless he shielded her from the Admiralty, especially Lamonthe. He would. If someone presented her with a sword to fall on, he would get in her way and fall on it in her stead. They could try to stop him, try to go around him, but the trouble he'd cause if he caught them trying would be horrific, he'd make sure. There was nothing he wouldn't do to protect his daughter, especially since he knew that she already had a clear understanding of how bad her blunder was. It was one mistake that, according to what he already knew, which was very little, lead to horrifying consequences.
Even though she walked her promise back, didn't deliver a super-bomb that would wipe out the surface of the planet, she would see her mistake and the failure to follow through on her promise as the thing that pushed the zealot rebel Peter to do whatever he did. Jake didn't know what that was yet, the early data was unbelievable, but whatever it was, Alice would blame herself.
To Jake, it wasn't time to punish her, it was time to make sure she knew how to process what happened. They had to make sure she had the help she'd need to carry on. The news from her crew was encouraging, if a little mysterious and troubling at the same time. The stress levels on the Clever Dream plummeted over the previous day to below normal despite the events on the planet they were orbiting. They'd rescued several escape pods without getting caught by the Order of Eden patrols. Alice was still asleep though, she hadn't roused since she collapsed on stage. The readings Theodore forwarded as soon as the Merciless emerged into normal space showed that she was physically fine, and she was in some kind of dream state.
Waiting in the briefing room overlooking the main hangar was the best he could do to make sure that he could be on the Clever Dream as soon as he could. For a moment he found himself looking at one of their reserve Clever Class Corvettes as the deck crew worked to run it through final testing, thinking about the worst punishment he could face if he took full responsibility for whatever the fallout in the solar system was. They could take the Merciless away, reduce him to Captain or lower. A thought crossed his mind then, he could end up on a corvette, commanding a green crew for SOCU or another combat division. There was a chance he could serve alongside his daughter. The thought made him grin, it was on his face before he realized it, then gone when he thought of her sleeping for days. The worry, never truly gone, reasserted its hold on him.
"You should worry about her, focus on her," Quan said from behind. "I'm sorry, you've been broadcasting your worry and restlessness, there's little I can do to avoid picking it up."
"I'm having trouble focusing on anything, or anyone other than Alice."
"It's my problem, like I said, worrying about her is a natural response. Normally I wouldn't sense your state so clearly, but I'm opening my consciousness so I can hear Alice without violating her privacy. Like listening to a broadcast instead of hacking a computer. I'm fairly receptive right now, normally I'd be oblivious to what's goi
ng on in your thoughts."
"Reassuring," Jake said. "I like the idea of empaths, telepaths, had to think about it long and hard though. I think it's a sign that humanity is still evolving towards something, maybe the kind of thing that could bring more peace to the galaxy. There are times that I wish it didn't involve my daughter, though."
"You're worried that you're offending me," Quan said quietly. "Please, do not. I haven't had an easy journey thanks to my gift, there are times I wish I was in my village, married to a kind woman, raising a family. That's not possible for me. None of it. My empathy has made relationships with either sex complicated, I haven't had a long-term home since I was a boy, and I know some members of your military don't trust me because of my telepathy, and because I followed the former Defence Minister into a situation where I ended up trying to read people who did not consent. Now all I can do is try to be of service and hope I find a place with good people. I recently had someone tell me that there's a chance for that, too, so I'm glad to be here. I'm happy I may be able to help you and your daughter. Gifts like the one your daughter has been given can make things difficult at first, but that doesn't mean she can't…" he looked to his left as though he was seeing something through the hull and smiled a little. "Alice is close, I can feel what she's experiencing. It's… powerful. I don't think she's in danger, but we'll both have to approach her when her ship arrives."
"Not in danger?" Jake asked.
"I can't say for sure, she has her guard up, I think she's retreated deep into her own mind, but if you use me as a way to communicate with her, she might let you in. I'll know more when we're in the room with her. For now, I can say she's experiencing something good, and she's emanating that to everyone within a few hundred metres of her. You might feel as though a burden has been lifted soon. It will gradually become more powerful as she gets closer."
"But can we wake her up?" Jake asked.
"If not right away, then soon, yes," Quan replied. "She may have to heal at her own pace, though, if her experienced caused damage."
"If?" Jake said. "You saw the footage of her on stage, right?"
"Sometimes our minds, our capacities expand after a trauma like that. It's not the best way, but it does happen. It happened to me once when I was overwhelmed. If you can stay calm, relax as best as you can and focus on your positive feelings for Alice, then that would be best. That is the best way to approach someone who is recovering from a trauma in almost all cases. I've treated many people who faced things they thought they couldn't handle, been changed by events they couldn't control. Sometimes it seems like it's all going to go wrong, but the outcomes I've had have all been good. I hope I can make up for my past transgressions against your daughter by helping her now."
"What do you think the chances of me getting through to her are?"
"You're still getting to know Alice. This has been a repeating event in your history together. That makes fatherhood more difficult, especially since you so badly want to learn to be a good father to her, no matter what form she takes. She'll feel that desire, and your love for her. I am hoping she invites it and you in."
"How much for a therapy session with this guy?" Minh-Chu asked as he joined them.
"I think you just have to grant him access to your head," Jake said. "How long did it take for you to read me?" he asked Quan.
"I didn't have to read your thoughts for that insight," Quan said. "I'm afraid you're not much different from most new fathers, especially when they haven't had much time to be in that role."
"Commodore," Liara said as she entered the room. "I have a full report on Nuaji and everything we know about the solar system. The biggest issue right now is the terrorist attack. There's a recording you should see."
* * *
The recording of Peter's speech before deploying the nanobots he borrowed from the Haven Fleet supplies he'd been given reminded Jake of the few times he had to watch holo-recordings of his own speeches. He never enjoyed it. When he gave speeches like that, he followed training he received at the Freeground Academy. According to them the most important thing about giving a pep-talk or speech of any kind was conviction. You must believe what you're saying completely while you're saying it. While he watched Peter give his last declaration, that's what he saw in spades. The rebel missed one major point in speech giving, though. Some would say it's a secondary point, others would disagree and say it's the most important thing about giving a message to your people. That was, Peter failed to be clear about his instructions. He was crystal clear about his own actions and what was about to happen, but he didn't tell his people what to do next other than to take cover.
That invited chaos, it could turn revolution into reckless destruction. Considering Peter's focus on the Czars, Jake was sure Peter wanted nothing more than to watch the solar system burn, that he wanted his people to go forth and destroy in his name. To some, Peter would be a high martyr, to others he'd be a butcher. The speech ended, and Jake cringed at the man's last words; "I love you all."
The nanobots consumed him rapidly from the inside out, starting with his brain stem. Jake knew how the process was supposed to take place, it was a secret function of the bots that was made to get rid of any evidence that a Haven Fleet operative was present. It was supposed to be activated on the dead, and only under the rarest of circumstances. Before anyone could comment on what they saw, Jake turned to Liara. "What's happened since?"
"The recording was taken forty-seven hours ago. Ninety-two percent of all life on Nuaji has been consumed. Grades one through three type containment suits are no longer effective against the nanobots, so most emergency suits won't work. No shield below Type Five keep them out either. Some nanobots are moving in swarms. We've found three sites where people are held up in bunkers, but their defences won't last. The Order has abandoned the planet and marked it as a hazard. Their ships are keeping a distance of one million kilometres, observing only, even if vessels leave the system. There are hundreds of distress calls representing over seventy thousand people who are stranded but they're not answering any. Signal analysis is predicting that the Order is planning to withdraw to an even greater distance, there are no plans to offer aid from what we can tell."
Jake looked to Minh-Chu. "Start working with Alaka and the Pelican on the problem in orbit. We need to take control of that fast, implement a solution even faster so the Order realizes what happened after we've re-cloaked."
"Aye, Commodore," Minh-Chu said. There was excitement in his eyes.
Jake caught him as he started to walk away. "Stick around for the rest of the briefing," he said. "Just send a signal for your pilots to assemble."
"Right. Sorry, I just got excited, my guys have been either stuck on the ship or on patrol for a while. It'll be good to challenge them."
"Good, especially since you're going to be sending two of your people down to the planet with Gabe to help rescue people stuck in the bunkers. They're going to be flying reserve Clever Class Corvettes," Jake said as he turned his attention back to Liara. "What else do I have to know?"
"There is hate for Haven Fleet all over the Stellarnet, but most of it are coming from wealthier people on Order controlled worlds or Order soldiers. What's surprising is the swell of support Haven Fleet is getting for supporting Peter and his actions here. They see the uniform, hear him give us credit, and are cheering us on, or telling us where to help next, even begging us to start a resistance somewhere."
"Who are 'They?'" Jake asked.
"As far as we can tell, resistance groups, people from free outposts, but mostly citizens who are living right in the middle of Order of Eden territory. Further transmissions have been blocked, the Order have sent instructions to hyper transmitters to stop Peter's recording and accompanying data from going further, but nineteen solar systems got it before it was stopped. I know what happened here is horrible, but over ninety-seven percent of the eight million people who have seen Peter's last words support Haven Fleet even if they don't support what
Peter did."
"You're telling me what Lamonthe would," Jake said, recalling his commander's more draconian point of view on the conflict between Haven Fleet and the Order. "Tragedy has struck, but there's still a win for us here."
"I wouldn't call it a win," Liara said defensively.
"But if the eggs are already in the pan, you may as well make a scramble," Minh-Chu said.
"I'll recommend that we denounce Peter's actions but stand by the decision to support a revolution. We don't like how he fought the Order and the Edxi, but we support resistance in general. It's a message that the Admiral won't like, but I won't sign my name to anything more extreme than that," Jake said.
Jake saw the Clever Dream through the transparent bulkhead as it rose up on one of the main elevators in the hangar below. "Are there any Edxi in the area?"
"Nothing came back from passive scans, and there were no signs of Edxi communications as we emerged into normal space," Liara answered.
"Any sign that we've been detected?"
"None. We emerged well distant from the solar system and moved in on a slow approach according to your instructions."
"Anything I need to act on right now, or can the rest of the briefing wait?" Jake asked.
"It can wait," Liara said.
"Make sure Agameg and the whole command staff see your whole report. Present it on the bridge, Lieutenant Commander."
"Aye," Liara replied. "Good luck, Sir."
"Thank you," Jake said as he looked to Minh-Chu. "I'll be available to command the action in orbit and on the ground in a little while."
"Don't worry, Jake, I'll get things started with the Pelican, Samurai Squadron and Gabe. You take care of our Alice," Minh-Chu said.
Twenty-Two
Spinward Fringe Broadcast 13 Page 17
