by Jon Gerrard
* * *
Captain Saha was already awake when the crewman summoned him to my cabin. He seemed a little confused about why he was here as he was directed to take a seat facing my desk. After he was seated I sent the crewman to wait in the hall and spent the next few moments organizing my thoughts before I spoke. I finally decided on the direct approach.
“I want to know why there have been two attacks on my ship in the past several days.”
“I’m not sure I understand what–”
I hammered the desk with my fist. “Don’t play stupid with me, Captain! Your ship was attacked by someone who clearly wanted you dead. Then, after we rescue your crew, not one but two attempts are made on my ship. I need to know exactly what I’m up against or none of us is going to come out of this alive.”
We locked eyes for several moments.
“You owe me, Captain,” I said, holding my anger in check.
Saha was silent for a long time as he weighed something in his mind.
“Alright, Captain,” he said finally. “I can tell you this much. I’m carrying information vital to the national security of Gilead.”
“That doesn’t carry much weight with me, Captain. My crew and I aren’t exactly fans of your King.”
“I understand. Let’s just say that I am working for the best interests of the people of Gilead, not necessarily the King. In fact, if my information is correct, the security of all human inhabited space could be at risk. How long can an independent trade ship like yours survive if interstellar war breaks out, Captain? As I see it you have as much reason as I do to see that I get my information back as quickly as possible.”
“That’s all well and good, Captain, but that doesn’t help me a whole lot with our current situation. I need to know who is trying to destroy my ship.”
“I can’t tell you that specifically because I don’t know who’s out there.”
“What can you tell me about them?”
Saha thought for a moment. “They’re the type of people who can remove an antimatter warhead from a Fleet arsenal and who have no scruples against using such a device. They’re powerful, they have an agenda and they won’t let anyone stand in their way.
“Captain Pell, the information I have could deal a serious blow to the plans of ... these people. They obviously attacked your ship to keep me from getting this information back to my superiors. They aren’t going to stop until they’re sure that threat is erased. Beyond that I can’t really tell you anything more.”
“You’ve told me enough, Captain,” I said as I finally understood exactly how much trouble we were in. “You’ve told me that this is now a marked ship. The people coming after you don’t know how much my crew and I know. For all they know we could be working with you. Their best option is to destroy this ship and everyone aboard. Even if we manage to get you directly to a Gilead controlled port there’s still a good chance they’ll try to destroy this ship anyway to eliminate us as a potential threat. From the moment we answered your distress call our fate was sealed.”
“I don’t know what to say,” Saha said quietly.
Frustration finally boiled over inside me. “You can tell me that the information you have is really as important as you say it is! You can tell me that I’m not risking the lives of my crew for nothing! You can tell me that for once the bad guys aren’t going to win!”
Saha sat there looking uncomfortable.
I pulled my anger back under control. “Thank you, Captain. That’s all.”
He slowly got to his feet. The Fleet officer opened his mouth to say something, then thought better of it.
As soon as the door was closed again I dropped my head into my hands. I was tired. Too much had happened too quickly. I needed time to digest everything I’d learned so I could plan what I was going to do. If Saha’s information was as important as he said it was then he needed to get it back to his command as soon as possible. The people looking for us obviously felt it was dangerous to them. They were ready to kill to keep him from finishing his mission. One thing was clear. With this faceless enemy hunting us it wouldn’t be smart to put into an open port like Bricese. We’d be a sitting duck. Then there was the problem of Saha and his crew trying to make their way via commercial transportation. Could I really leave them so vulnerable now that I knew what they were up against? What alternatives did I have?
I was too tired to make any of these decisions now. I needed time, a chance to think.
I pushed myself to my feet. Closing my eyes I took a deep breath in through my nose and stretched my arms high above my head then slowly exhaled through my mouth and brought my hands down before me, the palms pressed lightly together. It was a relaxation technique I had learned ... somewhere. I lifted my chin and pulled my shoulders back. I couldn’t let the crew see me rattled. There was an enemy ship out there looking for us and they needed to see me unfazed. I had to appear calm and certain.
Even if I was actually scared shitless.
