Spinward Fringe Broadcast 13

by Randolph Lalonde

  She didn't get up, instead she fought for breath, it could have been worse, but she knew there would be deep bruises. This was what Frost warned her about so many times that it became annoying. He told her that she should distance herself from the tiny resistance. No one else made it clearer that tears and entitlement would bring her to a bad end. At first she resented him for it, but then she opened her eyes to what was going on and realized that everyone in Haven Shore was at the bottom, more prisoners than peasants. For most of her life she had been surrounded by people who would get her anything she liked, who would do what she liked, but now she was constantly in danger. That realization prompted her to start asking Frost how to survive. He and Nigel were happy to help, and within days she started seeing her old self as a privileged brat.

  Breathing got easier as Wheeler paced around her, and Tammy made eye contact with the Captain again, he looked like he was struggling not to be sympathetic, and she let herself feel hopeless just long enough to let a tear slip. "I'm sorry I did that," Wheeler said. "It's just frustrating when people refuse to see what you're trying to do for them. I'm the lesser evil, if I'm evil at all. I'm keeping families together, making sure Haven Shore is mostly untouched. If someone else was in command this place would be cleared out and Order of Eden officers would be moved in or worse. This was almost a brood world! Do you remember that? The invasion? There are people in the Order who think we should just give it to them, but I see value here. I see the people. Even the Nafalli, who have forced us to isolate them on their poisonous plots of land."

  "Sir, the broadcast is about to start," one of the lower ranking people sitting around the large holographic projector said.

  "Right," Wheeler said. "Sit her down there."

  Tammy was picked up and put in the plush chair Wheeler pointed to. Her stomach hurt more, he'd planted the toes of his boot deep in her middle, it hurt to breathe.

  "Now, this broadcast is all about Ayan Anderson, the so-called founder. Everyone knows she wasn't here first though, this place is hundreds of years old. Anyway, everyone is about to see what kind of freak she really is," Wheeler said, dropping into a chair beside Tammy.

  "I still don't think anyone will believe this," the Rear Admiral said, gracefully sitting down on the edge of a sofa.

  "They will, the recording is real, there's no signs of alteration," Wheeler countered.

  "Because you staged it with real objects in a real place, not because the situation is as you present it."

  "We'll see," Wheeler muttered.

  The tactical hologram of the solar system shrank so a broadcast could take up the centre of the room. A large, silvered OEN logo spun in the middle with ORDER OF EDEN NETWORK written under it. Wheeler appeared, he wasn't in his suit but in an Order of Eden dress uniform, his dark green jacket looked crisp and his hair was perfect. "Citizens. I didn't want to show this to you, but my people inform me that the footage you're about to see will be leaked any day now, so I'd rather you see it here first so I can debunk any lies and confirm the truth. What you're about to see is shocking. Ayan Anderson may be a criminal, but I never suspected that she was a deviant, and ghoulish creature that will soon be known for strange practices. I understand that some misguided people love her, so it wounds me that this has to come to light at all. In my opinion she's mentally ill, a clone gone wrong, but some secrets refuse to stay hidden. Without further warning, here is the footage that was stolen from our digital storage. What you are about to see is the unmodified recording of our soldiers first inspection of Ayan Anderson's private quarters."

  Wheeler's image faded. The hologram that followed it was a rough recording from the perspective of a soldier as they finished cutting through the locks on a pair of doors. The space within was sparse, with a fish tank wall separating the living room from the bedroom. "Verden, go left, check the bedroom out with Gusten," came the instructions.

  The view seemed to be Verden's as he passed through the arch built into the fish tank wall and crossed into the bedroom. A large hologram of Ayan Rice and Jonas Valent hung projected high over the large bed. They were dancing in fine dress, happy, beautiful. The dress in the hologram was hanging in the corner on a mannequin with Ayan Rice's image etched onto it. Freeground uniforms were hanging in large frames. It looked like one was male, the other was female. Verden got close enough to see the small metal plates on each. SERVICE UNIFORM OF AYAN RICE was etched into one and SERVICE UNIFORM OF JONAS VALENT was etched on the other.

  The soldier's inspection took him to the closet, and he opened the door with the press of a button. Near the back was a selection of clothes on hangers, nothing unusual for walk-in closet. "Wait, sensors pick up a hidden door," Verden said. He reached out, pushed the clothes at the back aside and found a button near the bottom of the innermost wall. It slipped aside to reveal a full sized dress box. "It's the same as the one Duchess Tammy gave Ayan before we took over," Verden breathed.

  Footage of Ayan opening the metre and a half tall dress box appeared in the bottom right corner of the hologram. It was the one Tammy sent her, but the angle didn't reveal what was inside. Ayan smiled as the box opened, peered inside gratefully, then closed it. The video was roughly how Tammy remembered it, but it seemed shorter.

  The soldier looked around the hidden compartment at the back of the closet, scanning. There was a framed portrait of Ayan Rice above the box and little holographic candles around it. "Doesn't look like it's trapped," Verden said. "I'm opening it." He pressed the button on the bottom of the dress box and backed away.

  The top split into two doors and opened, revealing a corpse dressed in a while vacsuit. There was a scarf in there with her. "Oh, my God, it scans as Ayan Rice. It's Ayan Rice, the Duchess gave Ayan Anderson the corpse of Ayan Rice. This is screwed up," Verden said, taking another good look before backing out of the closet. "What kind of deal were they making? What the hell?" he turned towards the apartment's main room. "Sarge! You have to see this! Sarge!"

  The recording ended and Wheeler reappeared. "I'm sorry you had to see that, we've been hiding it for weeks. We had to show Ayan Anderson for what she is; a poor, mentally ill woman who needs our help. The Order would like to capture her alive so we can treat her. Thank you for your attention. Next time I appear, I'll be announcing good news, you have my word."

  The hologram faded, and Tammy focused on the tactical map as it enlarged. There were Haven Fleet ships in the solar system, one was the Sunspire, it was marked in three places along patrol or search patterns. "So, how do you think the people in the Haven System will react to that?"

  It wasn't until she looked at him that she realized how much she hated Wheeler. It was a furious, reason disrupting hatred, and she gave into it. Tammy leaped from her chair and got her hands on his helmet. The fear on his face through that ultra-clear visor was almost reward enough. "You're wearing this for a good reason, aren't you?" she asked as she struggled to find the emergency release switches for his headgear.

  "Get off!" he shouted, panic on his face. He tried to push her off but only grabbed the side of her jumpsuit, ripping it.

  One of her fingers caught on something behind the lip of his faceplate and she pressed it. "Is there something in the air? Is this a signal isolation suit? What are you afraid of, freak?"

  That made him angry enough for his panic to disappear, and he punched her in the face. Hands grabbed at her from behind, and she was forced onto her knees a moment later, her hands re-bound behind her back. Wheeler re-attached the hidden clasp for his headgear and got to his feet. "I brought you here for your own protection, you know," he said with a sigh. "That was a favour."

  You brought me here so I couldn't tell everyone that I brought Ayan a dress and nothing more. Tammy thought, wishing she could say it aloud, but her eye was already stinging from the blow he dealt her. The suit he was wearing must have had some strength augmentation. "Why would you do me a favour?"

  "We had a couple good nights after I rescued you," he said.


  "You should have left me in stasis. I'd rather die asleep than look at you for another minute."

  "All right," Wheeler said. "Put her in holding. Wait, no: put her in isolation. No one talks to her, no one sees her."

  "For how long, Sir?" a soldier asked.

  "Until I say otherwise," Wheeler said.

  The thought of being alone for days, weeks, maybe more terrified Tammy for the first time since the Order came. "I'm sorry, I'll do whatever you want. If you want me to appear beside you in fancy dresses, keep you company, be like I was before with you, then I'll do it. You're right, you rescued me, I owe you everything."

  "Too late, bitch," Wheeler said, drawing his sidearm.

  "Wait, just wait!" Tammy shouted the instant before her nerves felt like they caught fire. She was still awake, in agony, but still upright on her knees. "You need someone to watch your back," she slurred, the muscles in her face and mouth weren't cooperating. "These Order people don't like you, I can see it."

  "Neither do you," Wheeler said. "Next time you wake up, you'll be in a three by seven box."

  A second flash of pain filled her and the world disappeared.

  Forty-One

  The Tourist

  * * *

  The scraping and clanking of the docking collar on the rear end of the new ship made Noah Lucas cringe as he waited in the main hold on the lower deck. Ammunition, his handguns, the seal on his suit, status of the armour hidden in his long coat and boots, the integrity of his uplink with Elise, the security systems on his ship were all checked and double checked. "Finally," Elise sighed through the sub-dermal communicator he applied minutes before. The docking collar found a fit and the right shape, making a hard seal with the Corsair's rear hatch.

  The pair of doors within the ramp parted, and Noah Lucas stepped through. The ten-metre-long plastic hallway was still shifting as though it was windy outside, leftover motion from it snaking around, trying to find the right fit. The ribs and thin plastic didn't look like match protection from the vacuum beyond it, but he wasn't worried. His suit was better. "This embarkation hallway is pretty low quality," Elise said. "Is that common?"

  "It's not a military base, so things aren't quite as high spec," Noah replied. He looked ahead to the inner entrance to the station. "I'm thinking the permanent docking fixtures were probably ripped off or crushed. Maybe they're using these temporary ones until they fix them."

  "That makes sense," Elise replied. "I see some evidence of twisting and tearing on some of the other docking ports."

  The inner doors opened and Noah was confronted by an officer in a blue and green uniform. HARBOUR PATROL was written on his chest. Two imposing looking androids with white skull faces were flanking him. "Hail, Captain Noah Lucas. Normally you'd be greeted by one of the stations security 'bots and they'd take your docking fee, but you put your nose into someone else's business."

  "Are you talking about the pirates or the family who were about to be murdered for their cargo? I mean, I guess I got into all their businesses, technically, but I'm wondering what you're more worried about," Noah asked.

  "There's a treaty of non-interference between Doxan Three Harbour Patrol and the Shlaki. They believe you were working on our behalf."

  "By the Shlaki, are you talking about those pirates that are still twisting in space out there?" Noah asked.

  "Considering your ship is called 'The Corsair,' you're one to talk."

  "A name I chose for style and my intentions. I like going after a specific faction of spacer. I didn't pick up any of them aboard your station, so you won't have any trouble from me." One of the tall security bots was starting to look him up and down. "I don't like that bot, though. If it scans me again, I'll turn it to scrap."

  "Are you trying to put him at ease, or confuse and alarm him?" Elise asked in a whisper.

  "What gives you the right to threaten any security entity on this station?" the officer asked.

  Noah activated his personal shield and turned it up to maximum. The field cracked and hummed in the air ominously. "Superior firepower and a low tolerance for bullies," Noah replied, his voice warped as it was distorted by the field.

  "Ah, confuse and alarm, gotcha. Your mission doesn't include instructions to visit this station, you realize," Elise said directly into his left ear using his implant. "Oh, and I checked. There are twenty-eight different harbour patrol organizations in the solar system from what I could find so far. He only represents this station and a small sliver of space above Doxan Three."

  The officer took three steps back and the androids moved in front of him. "What's your business here, Captain?"

  "Just thought I'd land and check it out. I'm a tourist," Noah said, watching the androids. They were menacing enough, but only had handguns. They were probably set so they could disable or kill people, but not harm the station.

  "Then why get involved with a boarding action?"

  "Where I come from, that would have been an illegal boarding action. Piracy. Those idiots would have been overpowered and imprisoned. I was only doing the decent thing, Officer. If the authority you represent doesn't agree that I did the right thing, then I might have to stick around and see who else needs help. I know I couldn't do much, really, save a freighter here, blast some pirates there, but I have friends coming. I'm sure they'd love to join in."

  "Sir, please lower your shields and remove your helmet," the Officer said.

  "Do you have a supervisor who I could talk to? I feel like we got off on the wrong foot," Noah sighed.

  "I think he is the supervisor," Elise said. "He might want to arrest you because he thinks it'll give him leverage when your friends arrive."

  Noah snickered, forgetting that only he could hear Elise for a moment.

  "Sir, I have to ask that you deactivate your shield…"

  "That's not happening," Noah interrupted. "You know, I'm just gonna go. I feel like this could have been handled better - I said some things and you said some things, so it's not entirely on you - so I'll leave and we can all relax for the rest of the day."

  He started to turn, then one of the androids fired on him. In that instant, Noah felt like he was back on Iora. His sidearm was in his hand, firing twice at the central power core low on its middle and twice into its rib cage, destroying the battery array there. The other one got the same treatment. Grey metal armour melted, dust from the battery packs turned to liquid, flowing red from the bot's chests, and both of the menacing machines collapsed. Noah didn't point his sidearm at the officer, dropping it into his holster instead. "The only thing worse than pointing a gun in my direction is sicking your skull bots on me."

  "They were set to disable your shield and stun," the Officer explained, backing away. "Are you from the Order?"

  Noah stopped dead in his tracks. "Would you believe, I'm one of the good guys? The Order would slag this whole station and move on. Besides, they're the guys I was talking about before."

  "Why didn't you say you were from the resistance?" the Officer asked, relieved and surprised at the same time.

  "Because I…"

  "Aren't we here to find resistance members and sell them guns? Look for Mary Reed, who is probably trying to organize resistance groups?" Elise reminded him so rapidly that it was almost unintelligible.

  "…I'm here to join the resistance," Noah finished. "I've got a few things they might want."

  "I believe you," the Officer said, glancing at one of the bots. It was cooling down, a cracking and hissing sound drifted up from where the battery solution was re-solidifying as it cooled. "Listen, if I knew, if the management knew, then we wouldn't have tried to take you in." he cocked his head for a moment, listening to something only he could hear. "Yes, Commander," he said, looking back to Noah. "The station Commander wants me to convey his apologies. Your ship will be safe docked here for a while, maybe a few hours before someone tries to steal it."

  "Don't worry, she can defend herself. Besides, I don't think I'll be staying very long." Noah
reached into his pocket and felt for a thin, rectangular platinum coin. "Do you know where resistance folks meet up? I'd like to start making connections." He handed two of the coins to the officer. "One's for the bots, the other is for the information."

  "The Dark Room," he replied. "It's a bar under the reactor, doesn't have any windows, recording devices don't work there," he said. "I'll walk you there."

  Forty-Two

  Departure

  * * *

  The Pelican, with the Rassaaga as escort, was on its way out of Order of Eden territory. The planned trajectory of its journey to the War Forge was on the large hologram hovering in the middle of the largest presentation room aboard the Merciless. There were only seventy seats including several boxes high on the sloping circle of sections. Minh-Chu and Jake stood in the highest of the boxes, made for presenters and higher ranking individuals so they were eye level with the huge hologram.

  The entire route across three sectors leading from Nuaji to the Zato System, where the fleet was gathering so it could be on the edge of Mergillian territory. "What's the mix of civilians and fighters on the Pelican?" Minh-Chu asked, looking to his right where the hologram of Ayan Anderson started to appear.

  "Fifty-eight to forty-two," Jake replied. "Not what anyone was hoping for.

  "But in numbers that the War Forge can accommodate. We're building the internal workings for another mobile station, too," Ayan added as her hologram increased resolution. It was almost as if she was right there, between Minh-Chu and Jake, "I'm sorry I'm late, Lamonthe had questions about his new role. Well, complaints, more like. He still wants full control of Intelligence, but we're going with your suggestion, Jake," she said. "More delegation, less compartmentalization with the exception of SOCU. That's all yours now. The only question is, what else do you need?"