by D. M. Pruden
“But it was destroyed. How could—?”
“Yeah, Kovacs fired on it while you painted it with your lasers, exactly like we planned. It was all a ruse to convince him that Yegor was trustworthy.”
“You sacrificed an entire crew just to get a man inside Stromm’s camp?”
“Of course I didn’t. That ship was run remotely. Most of my fleet is. I told you, we’re on the losing side of our conflict with Stromm, undermanned and underequipped. Those Rangers sitting behind us represent a far larger portion of my available troops than I care to admit.”
“But why?”
“Why did your captain agree? Because I asked him.”
He put a comforting hand on Hayden’s knee. “Yegor can be a difficult man to get to know, let alone like. If you’ve spent as much time with him as you say, you know that he is a just man, an honourable soldier, and a loyal friend. When he learned what Stromm had become—what he is doing, he couldn’t ignore the situation.”
“He is working with you?”
“I’ve known for some time what the real impact of the light gate collapse is to Stromm. He was part of the group that Thomas recruited, the same club that Yegor turned his nose up at. Stromm was in charge of collecting and assembling the device that would reveal the location of the cynosure. It is a secret with its parts hidden on dozens of ships in the fleet. Once assembled, it will point to a weapon so powerful that whomever controls it will control the galaxy. At least, that’s the story that some of us have gleaned. Scimitar contains one of the last pieces of the puzzle to be found.”
“But nobody foresaw the collapse of the network.”
“No, and it sent everyone’s plans into the crapper. Stromm is the only one with full knowledge of all the other parts to decipher the cynosure. When the gates collapsed, and Scimitar was trapped at the ends of the empire; well, let’s just say that Stromm modified the agenda. He decided to make honey out of horse shit, as the expression goes, and became the ruler of this system as compensation for his loss.”
“Our arrival changed all that.”
“It tipped the balance more in our favour, Kaine. Stromm has been living in virtual seclusion, ever since our failed attempt on his life. We have agents in place, but nobody can get near him any more. But now that the final piece of the puzzle has appeared, he won’t be able to resist the temptation to get his hands on it.”
“Why doesn’t he rely on someone he trusts to retrieve it?”
Malkovich nodded. “Yes, Kovacs is in Stromm’s inner circle, but that hardly means he’s trusted. He’ll be useful to confirm this isn’t some elaborate ruse. His mission is to secure Scimitar and return it to Pictor Prime.”
Hayden needed time to digest the information. He turned back to the monitor, which had switched to follow the squad as they advanced through the corridors. Pavlovich followed in their wake as they cleared each room on their way to whatever destination they intended; probably the bridge.
Everything was unravelling. Their original plan called for him to return on the repair ship and take Scimitar back to rejoin the crew. It was obvious that something had gone sideways.
Hayden shook his head, feeling like a fool. Pictor was not a random choice for their destination. Nor did he believe it was the only system with erganium for the FTL drive. They were here for the cynosure. Hayden didn’t share Malkovich’s admiration for his captain’s nobility. Somebody like Pavlovich didn’t operate like some kind of altruistic hero. He had another as yet unknown motivation for coming to this system and putting all of their lives at risk. Everything the man had told him was manipulative bullshit. He regretted allowing himself to be conned.
Did Stella know? Was she a party to the duplicity, or was she just as much a pawn as Hayden? He’d have to find her to learn that, but he didn’t know if she remained on Iliad or if she was back on Pictor Prime.
He forced his attention back to the monitor. Pavlovich was calling out as he searched.
“He’s looking for me and the others,” Hayden said.
“There’s no audio feed; are you sure?”
He pretended to scrutinize the screen while Cora spoke quietly in his ear. “He’s searching for us. I know you told me to keep a low profile until we know what’s happening, but should I contact him?”
He stood. “I’m going to meet him. I have to learn what’s going on.”
Malkovich seized his upper arm. “What’s going on is that he’s led a squad of Stromm’s Rangers into your ship.”
“I thought you two had a plan. Are you telling me you no longer trust him? Or am I the problem?”
Their eyes locked, and they stared at each other for several breaths.
“Make a decision, General.”
Malkovich seemed to deflate as he released him. “Go. You’re Yegor’s man, so I need to trust you.”
Hayden frowned as he considered him. “I won’t betray you.”
The older man returned a wan smile. “It’s either that or I shoot you. I guess I’ll have to put my faith in you, Kaine. If my cousin made you XO, that has to count for something.”
Hayden wasn’t so sure.
All he knew was that he needed some answers, and he was determined to get them. He checked the sidearm strapped to his thigh, then headed for the airlock.
Hayden crept through the corridors, maintaining a cautious eye on the security feed Cora routed to his helmet’s HUD.
“I can’t tell if they are protecting, or guarding him,” she said. “Those Rangers haven’t left the cap’n’s side since he came aboard.”
“Let’s assume the latter. We need to separate him from them. Any ideas, Cora?”
“Everything I could do to the soldiers will also hurt the cap’n,” she said.
“Well, keep working on it.”
After checking that the last corridor was empty, he entered the engineering section and sealed the door behind him. They had agreed that Pavlovich would, at some point, check on the FTL engine, and this was the best place to wait for him.
“He’s still calling out for me,” she said. “He’s decided you’re not aboard.”
“Let’s keep him in the dark for as long as possible.”
“Why?”
“I have my reasons,” he said before he removed his helmet. He moved to the monitoring panel. An amalgam recollection of the dozens of times he’d seen Cora at the station bubbled up, a wave of guilt and regret along with it.
“Are you okay, Hayden? Your pulse just shot up.”
“I’m fine. Where is the captain right now?”
“On the forward rail gun deck. He seems to be searching for something.”
“Where are the Rangers?”
“They are still with him.”
“Cora, I’ve changed my mind. I want you to answer Pavlovich, but not in a normal way. Can you send him a text message through one of the control stations?”
“Of course. What do you want me to tell him?”
“Tell him to take a deep breath and hang on to something.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
A Tight Spot
“WHAT THE HELL are we looking for?”
The squad leader was in a foul mood and didn’t attempt to conceal it.
“That’s need-to-know, and you don’t,” Pavlovich snapped.
He was still trying to digest what had happened to his crew. The maintenance ship had departed, and their report suggested they’d discovered nothing unexpected, which made no sense.
He couldn’t imagine under what conditions Kaine or Gunney would abandon Scimitar, yet there was no sign of anyone. The repair ship’s crew should have discovered and reported that the radiation leak was bogus, but that hadn’t happened. If nothing else, the modifications and the FTL drive should have created a cascade of questions for him to answer. None of it made sense.
Gravity, environmental—everything functioned normally. The bridge, every cabin, every station was operational, as if the people had been snatched away. Kaine’s ship
was still in the hangar, and all of the emergency escape pods were in their cradles. Even Cora seemed to have abandoned Scimitar.
So far they’d seen no signs of violence, so whatever happened didn’t appear to have involved a struggle. But their search still had to take them to the engineering section, something he’d been avoiding since they’d boarded. Soon, he would have no more excuses.
“Sir,” interrupted one of the rangers.
“Yes?” Pavlovich and the squad leader answered in unison. He scowled and without attempting to hide his annoyance deferred to the other man.
“What is it?” asked the grizzled sergeant.
“There is no indication that the rail guns are operational.”
“They haven’t fired in years,” Pavlovich growled. “We have no ordnance.”
The sergeant grunted, seeming to accept the explanation. “Keep alert for anything out of the ordinary.” He turned to the captain. “Unless there is something more you want to tell us?”
“Like what?” He remained adversarial to conceal his growing anxiety.
“If you were to tell us what we are searching for—”
“I’m not going to repeat myself, Sergeant. You and your men aren’t required for this. In fact, you are starting to interfere. Why don’t you remain here and take a break while I continue my search?”
“I have my orders.”
“Of course you do,” he grumbled under his breath.
“It looks like this part of the ship isn’t turning anything up. We should make our way to the engineering section.”
Pavlovich frowned and tried to sound more exasperated than nervous. “As I said before, the radiation levels down there are still above acceptable...”
“And I told you that our armour is rated for it. I’m not supposed to take my eyes off of you, and you have led us everywhere else on this snipe hunt. Enough is enough; we’re going to engineering.”
He grabbed the captain by the shoulder.
Not many were as large as Yegor Pavlovich, something he’d exploited for much of his career to avoid argument. The sergeant had at least a twenty-kilo advantage on him. The man was a literal giant, as were most of his force.
“What the hell did your mother teach you? You don’t manhandle a superior officer, soldier.”
The man sneered. “The only reason I haven’t beaten the answer out of you so we can get back to our bunks is that Kovacs gave orders to not hurt you...unless absolutely required. Please tell me that you’re going to resist and make it necessary.”
Pavlovich examined the man and weighed his chances against him, deciding they were dismal as long as the Ranger was suited in his armour; probably not much different if he were not.
The sergeant was a career jarhead. Ten years ago, if this man had even wiped his nose improperly in the presence of an officer, he’d have been demoted to scrubbing latrines. It was clear that discipline was breaking down as a result of the civil war and the isolation.
“Sarge, I’m not your enemy. Let’s finish up our search here, and then I’ll happily show you the way to engineering.”
Taking these apes to the beating heart of his ship was the last thing he intended. Even if these clowns didn’t know what a standard engine looked like, they would take one look at the FTL drive and immediately realize something wasn’t right. They’d report the anomaly to Kovacs, and within the hour Scimitar would have techs crawling through her. The real secret would be out, he would be screwed, and a disaster he couldn’t imagine would follow.
He had no plan and delayed in the hope he might be able to think of something to overpower this group, or at least trap them in a part of the ship where they could do no harm. That had depended on Cora, but she, like the rest of his crew, was missing. He worried that the repair ship’s teams may have damaged her. He wanted to rush to inspect the housing of her chamber, but that was another anomaly he’d have difficulty explaining.
“Sarge,” called one of the men, “this panel just lit up.”
“What does the readout say?”
“It doesn’t make any sense to me.”
The sergeant grunted and went to investigate, leaving Pavlovich to wonder what was amiss.
A moment later he was called over. “Could you please explain what is wrong with this interface? It is requesting an authorization code for some damned reason.”
Frowning, he approached, confused. “We made several operating system customizations over the last decade.” That was complete bullshit. No modifications were made to the rail gun control systems. He wondered if it was Cora trying to reach him.
He reached the panel and scowled at the two men. They took his meaning and stepped back to avoid crowding him.
The system was, indeed, asking for his access code. Not seeing any way to diagnose the issue, he entered his command ID.
The screen displayed a message: Empty your lungs and grab something.
Pavlovich’s initial confusion was quickly replaced with realization. He adjusted his position and gripped the base of the console with one hand. With his other, he entered a response: Ready.
He exhaled and hung on as the outer doors opened and a hurricane rush of air roared around them.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Make Sure You Use It
A DISHEVELLED YEGOR Pavlovich entered engineering. Tracks of blood ran from both ears and his nose. His bloodshot eyes lit up at the sight of Hayden.
“Kaine! You’ve got a pair of balls on you! I almost got sucked out with the others. There aren’t a lot of places to grab hold of in the rail gun chamber.”
“I was counting on you knowing where to look for one.”
Pavlovich wiggled a finger in his ear and looked about the room. “Speak up. I think I busted an eardrum with your little stunt. Are you alone? What happened to Cora?”
“I’m happy to see you safe, Cap’n.”
“Cora! I’m so glad to hear your voice. You had me worried when you didn’t respond.”
“The XO’s order, sir. Sorry.”
“I can’t believe he talked you into almost killing me.”
“Cora didn’t know what I had planned. I locked her out of that system when she watched to make sure you’d understood the message.”
“I didn’t know you could do that. Very sneaky, Kaine. Cora, keep a closer eye on this man in the future.”
“I intend to, sir.”
“Where the hell is everyone else?”
Hayden filled him in on what had happened since his departure, and Pavlovich informed him of what he’d learned.
“The entire crew?” said Hayden, stunned by the news. “Stella too?”
“I’m afraid so. I—”
Hayden’s unexpected right hook sent Pavlovich sprawling to the deck.
“You son of a bitch! It’s your fault they’re in danger!”
The captain sat up, rubbing his jaw. “You’re right, Kaine. I took a huge risk. I should have conferred with you first and—”
“This crew isn’t UEF, in case you’ve forgotten. They’re civilians you conned into joining you. You owed them a choice since you knew what you were stepping into—who Stromm is and what he’s capable of. Or didn’t your cousin tell you about him?”
“He did, and I knew what I was getting into. But you have to understand what is at stake, Kaine.”
“Then explain it to me so I can decide whether I should space you too.” He pointed his sidearm at Pavlovich.
“Hayden!” said Cora. “What are you doing? This is mutiny.”
“I don’t believe he gives a shit about that.” The captain struggled to his feet. Hayden made no move to assist him and considered hitting him again.
“There’s no need for this, Kaine. You asked for an explanation, and I’m prepared to give you one. Put the gun down and let’s have a chat about it over a stiff drink.”
“I believe this is more motivating. Start talking.”
Pavlovich stood tall and his jaw set beneath his unkempt beard
. “Soldier, it’s time for you to make a decision. Shoot that weapon or holster it, but don’t threaten me with it unless you intend to fire it.”
“I’m not a soldier any more. None of us are. There is no more UEF; no more chain of command. The empire is shattered and anarchy reigns, so don’t presume to order me around as if it means anything.”
He waved the pistol. “I’m pissed enough with you to use this thing. Now talk, so I can decide whether to believe you.”
The door opened, and through it poured a squad of Rangers, followed by Malkovich.
“What the hell is going on here?” yelled the general.
“Cesar!” said Pavlovich, breaking into a wide smile.
Malkovich scowled at him. “You, shut up!”
Then he turned his attention to Hayden. “Kaine, you said you needed to speak with him. What’s with the gun? Lower your weapon.”
“Not until I get some answers.” He glared at the captain. “Honest ones.”
“And how will you judge that he tells you the truth, son? Put that thing down, we’re all on the same side here.”
Belying his point, three Rangers trained their weapons on Kaine.
“Hayden, please do as he asks,” said Cora.
Malkovich looked around for the source of the voice. “Who is that?”
“Think of Stella,” she continued. “She wouldn’t want this to happen.”
“We’ll save her, Kaine,” said Pavlovich. “The others too. Listen to Cora before you get yourself killed.”
Hayden took a long time to weigh their words. Finally, he nodded and holstered his weapon. “Fine.”
The Rangers who had him in their sites started toward him, but a sharp command from Malkovich stopped them in their tracks. Without hesitation, they lowered their guns, bringing the standoff to an end.
The tension broken, Malkovich turned his attention to Pavlovich. Seeing them together, Hayden couldn’t believe how similar the two men were. If not for the beard, it could have been a mirror image.
“Yegor, you miserable son of a bitch!”
