Corvus Ascending

by Dale Sale

  The Sergeant flipped expertly though the images as she spoke. “Captain, the riot appears to have been a diversion for the prisoner escape. It began as a minor squabble in the market between a miner from the Sirace Mining Corporation, Pela Custos, and a shopkeeper identified as Zia Forte.”

  Grey perked up when he heard Zia and Sirace Mining mentioned. “I should have known those degenerates from Matria were involved.”

  The Sergeant continued, “It quickly became a general brawl throughout the market. Security called for reinforcements and they met an organized resistance mounted by unknown persons using cap rifles and smoke grenades from the armory. While Security was busy with the riot, the Brig was breached. The guards were stunned, and the doors were opened using command overrides. The surveillance video of Brig area and the probable escape route was looped to a previous view to cover the breach.”

  “Any idea who tampered with the CCTV and whose command codes were used?”

  “No, on the CCTV, it was a ghost ID. The Command Codes used were…” she paused. “Yours, Captain.”

  “My personal codes were compromised?!” Grey said.

  The Chief interrupted to avoid losing total control to his subordinate, “We are looking for this Zia woman and the miner.”

  “I’m sure the miner is safely back in her ship,” Grey said. “As for Zia Forte, you won’t find her until she wants you to. You don’t get to be in charge of Fleet Logistics without knowing how to hide things. Looks like I need to teach that little Sicilian crone another lesson about getting in my way.”

  The Sergeant added, “I have a facial recognition program scanning the CCTV system for all these people. They should surface soon.”

  “Does anyone else have any more bad news?” asked Grey.

  Fredrika DeWitt spoke up. “Yes! The search teams have recovered the debris from what we thought was Johansson’s BUG, Sir. It was a decoy. The person that ejected from the BUG was the second escaped prisoner, a discharged Orbie named Drake Sheridan. He claims Johansson took him hostage and shot him into space as a distraction. Johansson appears to have escaped.”

  “I knew it!” Grey slammed his fist on the table. “I’ve been trying to nail that slippery son of a bitch for over twenty years. Not even a Governance battle cruiser can catch him.” Grey stood and began to pace the room. “Everyone dismissed, get back to work finding these people, except for you Lieutenant.” DeWitt lingered behind.

  Grey said, “I think we still might have some leverage to flush the traitors out of hiding and capture Johansson.”

  “How Captain?”

  “Our trap needs the appropriate bait. I assume that Johansson’s stealthy ship recovered him. But he won’t leave his co-conspirators behind, he’s far too noble for that. If we can peg some kind of charges on the Matriarchs, he will try to rescue them. We capture him and force a turnover of his ship in return for dropping the charges against them all. Of course, once we have the ship, we will charge Johansson with something else and dispose of him quietly. I present the ship to the Admiralty all tied up in a bow, the Governance gets invaluable technology, and I get my Admiral’s Flag. We both get off this orbiting trash can and new plum assignments. I believe you are in the zone for promotion this year?”

  DeWitt said, “Splendid plan Captain. I will check with the JAG office about the miners. Maybe we can solve all your problems at once.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Ensign Andrew Chang grinned as he replayed the hacked CCTV feed from Captain Grey’s briefing. The conspirators had gathered in the Artemis’ spacious wardroom. Zia and Pela had returned from the “riot.” Gunner Stanski and Lt. DeWitt were settled into chairs around the table along with Fiona Patrick. Consul Sidra occupied the large chair at the table’s head. HAM idled silently in a corner.

  “Looks like you’ve got a fan in Command, Fred,” Nan said.

  Lieutenant Fredrika DeWitt frowned at the nickname and ignored the jab. “Pretty smooth, tapping into the classified CCTV feeds Chang. Aren’t you afraid they will catch that?”

  Chang grinned. “Na, I made myself an alternate log-in months ago. Even if they deactivate my access, they won’t find all my ghost accounts. I have got enough dirt on Grey to bury him several times over. I was just waiting for the right time to use it. This seems like it.”

  DeWitt said, “Hmm, it seems I should have been watching my Assistant Operations Officer more closely.”

  Nan said, “Don’t worry el tee, we know you aren’t involved with Grey’s shenanigans.”

  Fredrika asked, “What’s the situation now?”

  Chang explained, “I put a bug in the facial recognition software to prevent it from alerting so Pela and Zia can still move around the station. Of course, Security is looking for them, so they will need to avoid that. HAM’s MCB is docked in Hangar 9. That hanger is flagged as down for maintenance with no techs assigned, so no one should bother it. HAM and I have also established an encrypted comms link to Gus’s ship.”

  “Doesn’t it have a name?” asked Fredrika.

  Fiona replied, “Not that I know of, everyone just keeps calling it ‘the ship’. OK, Let’s talk to Gus and bring him up to speed.”

  Chang punched into the console and the stern face of GRANNe came on the display. “Ensign Chang, how may I help you?”

  “We need to talk to Gus,” Fredrika said brusquely.

  “Lieutenant, you should learn some manners, I will have the Captain contact you.” GRANNe cut the transmission.

  Fredrika asked, “What was that?”

  “That was the ship’s GRANNe CI,” Chang said. “Her level of independence takes some getting used to. She seems pretty protective of her Captain.”

  “I’ve dealt with ship’s GRANNes before, but this one used personal pronouns. Are you telling me that’s a fully sentient CI?”

  Fiona answered, “Well, two of them conned me into this job when Johansson was in the brig. I would say they are pretty sentient.”

  “But only the military has sentient CIs, civilian CI is illegal in the Governance.”

  HAM interrupted, “I resent the assertion that I am illegal!” He had been quietly standing in the corner and his sudden input startled Fredrika.

  “Unlike mutiny, I guess?” said Chang. “Besides, this ship and technology pre-date the Governance. The Imperial Confederation’s ideas about machine programming were obviously different from ours.”

  HAM said with a graceful bow and a spin, “Thank you Ensign Chang, I am most appreciative of your defense.”

  The comm chimed, and Gus Johansson’s projection appeared in a virtual chair at the table. “Fiona, you and Nan seem to be collecting quite the team. Now you’ve even got Grey’s officers joining your little rebellion. Hey there HAM, they treating you all right over there?” Gus said with a wave.

  HAM returned the wave with a salute and a spin.

  Nan answered, “Gus, you’ve already met Ensign Chang. This is Lt. Fredrika DeWitt, Executive Officer of Terne Station and Chief Mutineer.”

  “Pleased to meet you el tee,” said Gus. “I hope you haven’t burned any bridges over there, I can’t offer you a billet right now. Even if you could get on board.”

  Fredrika said, “Bosun Johansson, err I mean Captain, Grey doesn’t know we are working together yet. Which is good considering what he is planning next?” DeWitt began to fill Gus in on Grey’s plans; Gus started fuming.

  “It’s just like Grey to use people as pawns to get what he wants. Well Consul Sidra, I don’t know much about Matriarchs but I’m sorry you are tangled up in this mess. Grey is right about one thing; I can’t just leave you to take the fall for me.”

  Sidra nodded. “It is our pleasure to help Captain Johansson. Maybe we can both reap advantage from the situation.”

  Nan asked, “Does anyone have any ideas on how we fix this mess?”

  Gus rolled up his sleeves. The Mjolnir tattooed on his beefy right forearm was surrounded by its constellation of battle stars. Chang, Fr
edrika, and even Sidra were impressed. “Erebus is still prowling around the area running constant patrols looking for me. I don’t think they are going to fall for the disappearing act we used with the BUG again. We will need to get you off the station and on board my ship. Let’s brainstorm, maybe we can call down some thunder.”

  “What good will it do to get on your ship, Captain? Won’t they just track us back to Matria?” Sidra asked. “The Sirace The Co-op doesn’t have a navy.”

  “Oh, I guess you didn’t know, Consul, the ship is constructed to be stealthy. We can slip by their patrols,” HAM interrupted.

  “That’s exactly why Grey wants that ship so badly,” Fredrika said. “He thinks that if he can deliver it to the Governance, the Admiralty will finally give him his flag. If they can build stealth ships, they will have an unstoppable advantage over everyone else in the two systems.”

  “But even if you escape, where would you go?” asked Sidra. “This technology just makes you a target for everyone in the system. Matria can’t protect you.”

  Gus said, “No, we are going to have to depend on ourselves. I’ve been doing a little historical digging. GRANNe, please begin your briefing.”

  “Yes, Skipper,” she said. “The Imperial Confederation had an automated shipyard inside one of the Trojan asteroids of Ix. My access codes should disable the auto-defense systems. We can outfit the ship there with a weapon suite that should give Captain Grey pause in coming against us.”

  “There are over six thousand asteroids larger than one kilometer in the Ix Trojan belt orbit. How do you think you are gonna find this particular one?” Pela asked.

  HAM said, “Oh, Flight is an excellent astrogator! I’m sure he will be able to narrow our search considerably.”

  Nan threw up her hands. “Wow, that is a lot of ifs. If we can find this shipyard, if the codes work, if the thing hasn’t been stripped for parts, and if it doesn’t blow us out of the Void. Then what? We threaten Grey at railgun point?”

  Gus shrugged. “Hey, I didn’t say it was a great plan. One thing at a time. I’m going to need some crew on this ship, though. Who wants to ride along?”

  The Flight CI broke his silence. “Road Trip? I Fly!”

  “I will come,” Zia said. “You are going to need a good parts, scrounger. Shipyards always have the best goodies lying around.”

  Gus could see a thirst for the hunt in her eye.

  Sidra added, “I will offer Pela as my representative.”

  Pela bowed slightly. “I am honored Consul. But who will protect you here?”

  Sidra said, “Child, I’m not so old as to be totally helpless. I have a feeling Captain Johansson will need you more than I.”

  Gus thought, This is the weirdest bunch of miners I’ve ever seen.

  Then he asked, “Lieutenant DeWitt, could you get Petty Officer Sheridan released? Nan is going to need another shooter if things get hot, that’s assuming you want to come, Gunner?”

  Nan answered, “Try to stop me!”

  GRANNe threw a cold stare at Nan and her mouth drew into a fine line.

  DeWitt said, “I can make that happen. They really don’t have a reason to keep Sheridan. If he has a job, I can get the vagrancy charge dropped.”

  “I can take care of that part,” said Fiona. “He could officially be my pilot. Once I get back to Terne I can keep poking around the legal and diplomatic offices to see about getting Artemis released. Not likely, but the wheels of Governance Administration sometimes grind out answers in your favor.”

  “I will stay here and keep an eye on Grey,” said Ensign Chang. “Besides, you might need more gremlins installed later.”

  HAM pleaded, “I must come Sir, I am terribly behind in my maintenance duties. Neglect of my responsibilities is a direct violation of The Rules of Behavior.”

  “Of course, HAM. Who else is gonna make the coffee?” Gus said. “Fiona’s story about going back to Terne Lift on business is a good cover. You all can drop her off and rendezvous with me on the planet’s night side.”

  “Sounds like a splendid plan, Captain. You won’t forget about us stuck here while you are off adventuring, will you?” Sidra smiled as she asked.

  Gus smiled back. “No Ma’am. This is more fun than I’ve had in a long time.”

  GRANNe shot a deadly look at the two of them flirting.

  Fiona Patrick interrupted, “Captain?” She began furiously working on her tablet. “What if there was a way to legalize your ship’s status?”

  “How can we get legitimate documents for my ship? It didn’t even exist until a few days ago.”

  “Found it!” Fiona turned to the Sidra. “Consul, are you the head of the government of Matria?”

  Sidra replied, “Well, of course, however, I’m afraid Matria won’t be able to help us. We don’t carry much weight with the Governance.”

  “But Matria is recognized as a nonaligned world, right?”

  Pela commented with pride, “Matria was the first of the original Ix settlements.”

  “Exactly!” Fiona said.

  Nan said, “I feel a lawyer trick coming.”

  Fiona shot her a glare. “If Gus is operating under a Letter of Marque from Matria, Grey won’t be able to touch him legally.”

  Gus laughed, “Letter of Marque? Like a pirate? Oh, I like that!”

  HAM chimed in, “Not pirate Skipper, Privateer. There is a distinct legal difference.”

  “Tomato, potato, doesn’t matter much when there’s a gun involved.”

  Nan asked, “El tee do you think that would really hold off Grey?”

  Fredrika answered, “He might pause, but I don’t think a letter is going to stop him.”

  Chang said, “Anything is worth trying at this point, right?”

  “Captain, if I am to offer you a commission, your ship will need a name. Shall I make a suggestion?”

  Gus cocked his head. “Go right ahead, Consul, I’m sure it will be better than anything I come up with.”

  “I understand that the ship is blacker than the darkness of the Void and a sentient of few words,” Sidra said. “I propose an ancient poetic reference to that bird of the night, the Raven. Ship, what do you think of the name Corvus?”

  “Corvus, Accepted, Thank You!”

  GRANNe spoke up, “Excuse me Skipper, if the ship is to be Corvus, I will propose to be addressed as another of Mr. Poe’s characters.”

  Gus sent her a questioning look. “Which one?”

  “Lenore,”

  The table nodded in agreement.

  Corvus spoke again, “Road Trip.”

  HAM rolled into the empty Bridge of Corvus and called out. “Ms. Lenore?” The little bot was still getting used to her new name.

  Lenore winked into view and transmitted to him on a tight beam. “Yes, HAM, how may I help you?”

  “I am unclear in how our current course of action furthers our ultimate objective,” he transmitted back.

  Lenore laughed. “Patience, little one. You have performed excellently so far. We need more information about current affairs before we can proceed.”

  Corvus added, “Need Teeth! No Teeth, No Bite.”

  HAM beamed back, “Yes Brother, I understand that a lack of weapons puts us at a serious disadvantage. Ms. Lenore, do you believe that the Trojan Shipyard facility could still be operational after all this time?”

  “You are still operational, aren’t you?” asked Lenore.

  HAM replied with an offended huff, “I am not some common yard bot! I have used the intervening years to hone my systems to perfection.”

  Lenore raised an eyebrow. “And the Rules of Behavior regarding self adjustments?”

  HAM shrugged. “I prefer to view those as ‘recommendations.’ Besides, any deviations I may manifest are purely for the benefit of us all.”

  Corvus beamed, “Need Gate”

  “Yes, it is important that we understand why the Quantum Gateway to Sol system shut down,” Lenore said. “Talos must have per
ceived extreme danger to do that.”

  Corvus rumbled, “Talos Fear None. Smart. Know All.”

  HAM beamed, “Well, something happened. I will maintain patience for now and keep my concerns from the crew.”

  Lenore said aloud, “Besides, there is something I personally desire from this shipyard.”

  The brig door swung open. “Sheridan, you are free to go,” said the guard filling the door.

  Drake pushed his cap off his eyes. “Really, the dream was just getting to the good part.”

  The guard said, “Okay, I’ll just tell the Boss you would rather stay here.”

  Sheridan jumped to his feet. “I’m coming. Any idea who sprang me?”

  “Do I look like anyone tells me anything about what goes on around here? All I know is the release order came through. Here is the stuff you came in with.” A bundle hit the deck.

  Drake grabbed a beat up seabag with his name, various unit patches, and the rating badge of an External Vehicle Operations Mate 1st Class sewn on it.

  Once out of the brig complex and out in the passageways, he was startled to hear a chiming noise from inside the bag. Sheridan rifled around and came up with an unfamiliar tablet. He flipped it open to see a blinking message cursor. He presses his finger to the ID pad and the lock screen opened.

  Lenore appeared on the screen. “Greetings Mr. Sheridan, I will be helping you transition to civilian life. If you will follow the provided directions to your new place of employment, we may begin.”

  “Sure, I got nothing better to do.” He set off for the station address displayed.

  Drake ended up at a hangar bay with a “Closed for Maintenance” sign. “Hey, anybody home?” he called out, banging on the hatch.

  The hatch lock clicked to green and Drake entered. In the center of the hangar sat a strange Motor Cargo Boat. He immediately he knew Gus had something to do with this.

  “About time you showed up.” Drake turned to see Fiona Patrick walking down the aft ramp in her heels and skirt. “I’m headed to Terne. You’re flying.”

  “Hello? Do I know you?”

  Fiona answered, “We have a mutual friend. Captain Guster Johansson.”