by Ella Young
It was a long flight, longer than the one that had carried Knight and Taz to Levala from Valiant. Outside, the warped starlight of shifted space raced past their windows. Knight hugged her knees to her chest and rested her forehead on the thick glass, mind blank. If she thought too much, she might go crazy. No one on the flight spoke. All were just as shell shocked as Knight. It worried her, this silence. If even the veterans had nothing to say, what did that mean for the rest of them?
The shuttle eventually fell out of shifted space, and suddenly there was Hlean before them, its icy ocean encircling the rock planet's equator. Here were the Remnant battleships Knight had expected earlier—six of them, floating lazily above the levian homeworld. An unexpected spike of anger arced through Knight's body. Where had these ships been during the attack? Why had they not jumped to the rescue? The Hegemony was three battleships, and here were six frigates that could have turned the tide. Knight found herself blaming them for Toshi's capture and Taz's disappearance.
But it wasn't them, not wholly. Someone had told the Hegemony that the base was unguarded, unprotected. Vulnerable. Knight didn't know what had happened to the aquarin officer, but she couldn't count on her to tell the admiral. Knight needed to find Ferrao.
The shuttle flew towards the nearest frigate, settling down on its anti-grav generators in the spacious landing bay. The other shuttles rested here as well, twelve of them in all. There had to be more on the way, Knight thought. This couldn't be all that survived. She disembarked, mind still blank. She knew she had to find Ferrao, report what she had heard, but she wasn't sure how to find him. She was lost.
"Knight!" A familiar voice rang out, and she turned around in time to see Taz charging towards her at top speed. Relief immediately flooded her body and Knight dropped to her knees, wrapping her arms around her friend. Relieved tears came unbidden to her eyes.
"I was so worried you'd been hurt," Taz said. Knight laughed and blinked her tears away.
"And I thought you were dead," Knight admitted. The two friends didn't move from their embrace, simply basking in the other's presence.
“Where's Toshi?" Taz asked at last, breaking away to gaze searchingly into Knight's eyes. Knight's face fell. She looked down, barely able to breathe past the lump in her throat. "She was captured after they gave the evacuation order," Knight said. Taz looked bleak and said nothing. What was there to say? Toshi was either dead or on her way to Arryna by now. Either way, the odds of seeing her again were slim.
But, much as Knight wanted to grieve for her friend, she still had to find the admiral.
"Taz, I overhead some Hegemonists talking on Levala. The spy in the Remnant told them where the base was, and that it was unguarded."
Taz pulled away and looked back the way xe had come. "I think I saw Weinan back there. She was talking to Ferrao. We need to get you to them."
Together Taz and Knight walked through the hangar, pushing their way between stunned soldiers. It was horrifyingly quiet on the ship. People only spoke in hushed whispers, as if speaking any louder would bring the Hegemony down on them again. Knight could sympathize. She'd felt safe on Levala, as safe as she'd felt in the palace in her early years. To have that safety ripped away left one guarded and untrusting. It would be a long time until any of them felt safe again.
It took them surprisingly little time to locate the captain. Weinan stood near one of the doors leading out of the frigate’s hangar, looking grim. Beside her, arms clasped behind his back, was the admiral. When Weinan caught sight of them, a look of relief flashed across her face.
"Knight! Thank Syrina you're alive," she said. The admiral turned to look at her. He, too, looked relieved.
Knight rushed up to them, Taz on her heels.
"Sir, I overheard Hegemonist soldiers talking. The spy sold us out."
"I figured as much," he said. "But it's more dire than that. The worm is gone."
Knight's breath caught. No. Not only was this a loss for the Remnant, this was a very real threat. Now that the other side had the worm nothing on Remnant computers was secure. The spy had access to every Remnant document, every secret. Knight felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. The war was lost, then. Everything they'd done had been for nothing.
Knight opened her mouth to say something, but the admiral held up a hand to silence her.
"There will be time to tell me everything later. We will meet with the rest of the officers once all the shuttles have made it in," he said. "For now, Ulahim needs you in the ship’s sanctuary."
Knight exhaled. So Ulahim was alive, too. He must have gotten the rest of the medical crew to the shuttle somehow. She nodded and turned to leave. Taz followed after her.
"Shouldn't you be at your post?" Knight asked. Taz barked a humorless laugh.
"My post was blown to bits."
"Oh."
They were in bad shape.
The layout of the frigate was not one that Knight was familiar with, but Taz's experience had prepared xer. Xe led her to the sanctuary with no trouble. The tone inside was somber. Knight quickly found Ulahim, his copper scales bright against the white of the medical bay's walls. He smiled when he caught sight of her.
"The Divari must be looking out for you," he said, leaving the side of a patient to come talk to her. "I thought for sure we'd lost you in the corridor."
"I'm fine," Knight said. "But Toshi was captured."
Ulahim's mouth thinned into a line. "I'm sorry to hear that. We lost a lot of good people today."
Something about that rubbed Knight the wrong way. Toshi wasn't just "good people." She didn't let her irritation show, however, and instead looked around to survey the sanctuary.
"So," she said. "Where am I needed?"
The answer turned out to be just about everywhere. The sanctuary was overflowing with battered and bloody soldiers. Ulahim even managed to find work for Taz, helping the intake staff triage the patients. Already fatigued by her earlier stretch of healing, Knight soon felt like she might collapse. Ulahim eventually realized this and stopped her after she'd closed a particularly ghastly abdominal wound.
"Take a break," he said. Knight shook her head.
"There's so many more—"
"And you can't help them if you're dead," he told her, gently but firmly. "You've done well so far. Take a break."
Knight begrudgingly agreed, seating herself in an empty spot along the wall. She let her head fall against her chest and closed her eyes. Only for a second, she thought. She was asleep in minutes. The next thing she knew, Taz was shaking her awake. She jerked upright, momentarily disoriented. The medical bay had emptied considerably. Only a few people remained in the waiting area.
"Hey. Weinan's here. She wants us to come with her,” Taz said.
All of the shuttles must have come in, finally. Knight had to wonder if it was many more than there had been when she and Taz left the hangar bay.
Weinan was waiting for them at the entrance to the sanctuary. Knight must still have looked like death, because Weinan looked her up and down with concern on her face.
"You doing okay?"
"Is anyone doing okay right now?
"Point taken," she said. She led Taz and Knight through the bowels of the ship, turning this way and that in what Knight thought had to be random turns. These frigates were like a maze to the untrained person.
They reached the meeting room in due time, joining the same handful of officers that had been present at Knight's debrief after Sixth Star. Knight even glimpsed the aquarin officer she'd healed on Levala—and the three-eyed levian who had overheard her and Weinan talking about the worm—among them.
The room was clearly a war room. A large, four-sided holoscreen took up the center of the room, and the officers had taken their seats on the smooth metal benches surrounding it. Ferrao stood near the screen, hands held loosely at his sides. All eyes were on the trio as they entered. Taz and Knight discreetly took their seats by the entrance while Weinan walked over to stand by Fer
rao.
"Soldiers," Ferrao began once she'd reached his side. "We are in a bad way."
That was obvious. No one said anything.
"But it is worse than it appears. What many of you don't know is that a worm, created by one of our own, was stolen in the attack. This worm allowed us to bypass any Hegemonist security measures, essentially giving us unlimited access to their top-secret files.”
Gasps were heard around the room, and Ferrao paused momentarily, waiting for those gathered to collect themselves. “With it in the hands of the Hegemony we can only assume that our files have been compromised already. From now on, all of our communique will be done without the assistance of our network as far as we can help it."
Heads were nodding all around the room.
"There is also the matter of the spy in our midst. Knight and N'Kena'rhck have both informed me that it was the Remnant spy who not only informed the Hegemony about the lax security around Levala, but also about the worm. This is troubling for many reasons, chief among them that I can only assume the spy is someone in this room."
Guilt wormed its way into Knight's stomach. It was likely her fault that the spy knew about the worm. She'd been the one to bring it up outside of closed quarters. Her eyes drifted to the three-eyed officer. He looked as grim as anyone else. It had to be an act. She made a mental note to inform Ferrao of what she knew after the debriefing, out of the possible spy’s earshot. Consequences be damned, she didn't want him to report anything else back to the Hegemony.
"With that said, there will be an investigation into each and every one of you. It is unfortunate, but necessary."
"Sir, what about the worm?" an equina officer asked.
"We are already working on plans to recover it. However, because of the security leak, the details of that mission are only known among those involved."
"Why not just have another worm coded? Even the playing field? Or better yet, have the coder strengthen our security to withstand the worm?" the same officer asked. Ferrao sucked in a breath and looked to Knight.
"The person responsible for the code is currently missing."
"Captured, sir," Knight said. Ferrao sighed.
"I feared as much. No doubt they are on Arryna, out of our reach. As such, securing the worm is our only course of action."
Knight looked around the room at the nodding heads. Even Taz seemed to agree with Ferrao. But they hadn't considered one thing.
"Sir," Knight began, "Why don't we rescue them?"
Heads turned. The three-eyed officer narrowed his eyes.
"It is a noble thought, Knight," Ferrao said. "But unwise. With the loss of one of our frigates on Levala and the threat of another attack, resources are tight between our remaining holdings. We simply can't afford to attack the prison."
Knight opened her mouth to say more, but Ferrao cut her off with a look.
"This is the situation as it currently stands. For everyone not involved in the worm recovery effort, focus your energy on making the old Hegemonist base on Hlean our new base of operations. Dismissed."
The officers stood as one and somberly filed out. Taz made to leave but paused when Knight didn't follow. Xe gave her a sad look, anticipating her reasoning.
"I know you miss Toshi, but there's nothing we can do for her. Ferrao isn't likely to budge on that matter."
"What kind of friend would I be if I didn't try?" Knight muttered back. She caught Ferrao just as he was leaving with Weinan, Taz following shortly behind.
"Sir," she said. He stopped, looking irritated.
"Dismissed, Knight,"
"Wait. I think I might know the identity of the spy."
Ferrao's eyes widened. "Well?" he prompted.
Knight relayed what had happened in the corridor all those nights ago. She gave a description of the levian who had overheard and mentioned that he was an officer in the room. Ferrao listened intently and rocked back on his heels as she finished. Unfortunately, Knight couldn't give him a name, but she could at least give him a place to start.
Ferrao took a breath. He looked…displeased, to put it lightly. "Were you not specifically ordered to keep that information to yourself?" he demanded.
Knight looked down at her feet. "Yes, sir. I am sorry, sir."
"Sorry doesn't help us." Oh, he was furious. And he had every right to be. People had died. Knight winced.
"Regardless, I will be looking into this lead. Now—"
"There is one more thing."
Out of the corner of her eye she saw Weinan shake her head ever so slightly. Don't test him, not now.
But Knight ignored her. Toshi was still on her way to Arryna. Knight wasn't going to let her stay there if she had any say.
"About Toshi, I presume," Ferrao said.
"Yes, sir."
"There is nothing we can do for her."
"You could send me," Knight said, straightening up. Taz's head whipped around and xe fixed her with a scathing glare. Weinan's mouth twisted.
"The sentiment is appreciated," Ferrao said, "but Toshi is not our number one priority. We need to first locate the spy, and work on getting the worm back."
"You can do multiple things at once. Send me out, let me at least try to locate Toshi. I'm a stub. I'm a killer. I'll be sent to Arryna without having to pull any strings."
"Sir, we need every hand on deck, especially a Luminant. I don't think sending another Remnant agent into Arryna is a good idea," Weinan cautioned. Taz was nodding along. Anger flashed through Knight. They were just trying to protect her, she knew, but at the risk of Toshi's life. Knight wouldn't have it.
"Breaking and entering is my thing. How hard can breaking out be?" Knight pushed on. "We need protection against the worm, and Toshi is the only one who can code it. We need her."
Ferrao sighed. "Under normal circumstances I would agree with you, but our resources are already so thin. As a healer, we need you now more than ever. And sign-ons have increased tenfold since the fabled Knight joined up. You cannot be risked.”
Knight glowered. Apparently, following orders was not something she was good at. Especially with the life of her friend hanging in the balance. "Then I'll go by myself. You can't stop me from turning myself in."
Ferrao looked shocked at her flagrant insubordination and threat of desertion. For a moment Knight wondered if she'd pushed her admiral too far. And then, surprising everyone, he smiled. It was slight, but it was there.
He likes you, Weinan had said.
"Captain Faulr, Ensign Vartaz, you're dismissed," he said. Weinan protested.
"Sir, you can't be considering this—"
"Dismissed."
Taz glared daggers at Knight, but xe obediently slunk away. So did Weinan, with one last worried glance over her shoulder.
Ferrao stepped back into the meeting room. Knight followed him, and he shut the door behind them.
"We do have an informant already stationed on Arryna. A guard named Kanu. He may be able to facilitate your escape."
Knight's heart pounded. This was happening.
"If I agree to this, you are there for Toshi, and only Toshi. A number of our soldiers are imprisoned on Arryna. We do not have the resources to rescue everyone. But one agent, you, operating on your own, might work."
"It will, sir. I won't fail."
"If you do, there is nothing we can do to get you off Arryna. If you are caught, a death sentence is almost guaranteed, and we will be unable to stop it."
Death sentence. The thought chilled Knight to the bone. She remembered her fear of a one-way trip as she boarded the shuttle to Levala. Was this a cause worth dying for? Was Toshi worth dying for?
Yes, Knight thought. She squared her shoulders and set her jaw.
"I understand, sir."
Ferrao nodded. "Then we have some preparation to do."
CHAPTER TEN
It took a long time. A long time to plan, to pull the strings that needed pulling. The Remnant contact on Arryna, Kanu, was at first hesitant. He re
quired some convincing. And he wasn't the only one. Taz and Weinan were both vocally opposed. As per the new course of operations, neither was privy to the preparations. In fact, very few people were involved in the planning. It was really only Ferrao and Knight and Kanu who were in on the plan. Weinan did not like this, and at every turn she tried to talk Knight out of going. Knight had to wonder if Taz had gotten to her.
"Knight, this is much more dangerous than Sixth Star," she tried. "Arryna is not a nice place."
"Of course not. It's a prison," Knight said, unruffled. Weinan exhaled through her nose. When she couldn't get through to Knight, she turned to Ulahim. Ulahim, also, was not happy.
"We still desperately need your gift," he pleaded. "You can make more of an impact here."
Knight looked up at him, genuinely sorry to be leaving him. She liked him, she realized. The work annoyed her, but not him. The sanctuary really could use a Luminant, but Toshi needed her more. There were still priests and nurses staffing the sanctuary, but there was no one to write the code that could secure the Remnant. There was no one on Arryna for Toshi.
Even Taz, ever the worrier, took xer shot at getting her to stay. “This isn’t what we agreed on when we signed up,” xe said unhappily.
