The Dying Light

by Sean Williams

  She stopped beside Disisto. “I’m locking the ship to my implants,” she told him. “You so much as touch those controls and I’ll know about it. Understand?”

  The security officer nodded slowly. “Given my situation, I’m hardly going to take any risks.”

  She held his stare for a few seconds before moving off to check on Mavalhin. The pilot was unconscious in his seat, blood spreading across his uniform from the wound in his shoulder. When she unlocked his harness, her fingers came away sticky.

  “He’s in a bad way,” said Haid, leaning from the other side of the couch to help her lift him out of it.

  “If there’s an autosurgeon aboard, we might be able to help him.” She gritted her teeth as they swung him upright. He was heavier than he looked. “The corridor we passed on the way in—the surgery should be along there.”

  Together they manhandled him to the courier’s small medical facility. There, they laid him on a plastic stretcher and positioned the autosurgeon over him. The machine came to life with a slight humming sound as it began to take X-rays and ultrasound images of the wound.

  Roche took a step back, turning her attention from Mavalhin to Haid. She noticed her friend’s distraction as he quietly surveyed the room.

  “What’s up?”

  “Huh?” His gaze came back to her. “Oh,” he said, “I was just thinking. It’s kind of weird to realize that the clone warrior was actually here, in this ship, only a few days ago.”

  “I know what you mean.” She nodded at the stretcher where Mavalhin lay. “This might have been the very place they revived him when they removed him from the life-support capsule.”

  “Do you think he’s left the system?”

  “I don’t know what to think.” She folded her arms and leaned against a waste-disposal unit. “I just don’t know how far we can trust the information Rufo gave us.”

  “Well, most of it made sense,” said Haid. “At least, it fit what we’ve already learned.”

  “Most of it, yes. But I can’t shake the feeling that he left the most important bits out.”

  The humming from the autosurgeon faded as it finished its examination. Roche read the diagnosis from the small screen: Mavalhin had a shattered collarbone and punctured left lung, and had lost a dangerous amount of blood. The recommendation was for surgery to correct the gross injuries, and a week’s recuperation to reach full health and mobility.

  Roche instructed it to begin the operation, and immediately surgical lasers flashed, cutting away the remains of the pilot’s bloodstained and burnt uniform. She told the autosurgeon to notify her when the procedure was finished; then, with a pat on the back and a gesture toward the door, she ushered Haid out of the room.

  “Rufo didn’t mention that Galine Four had moved shortly before we rendezvoused with it,” she said as they headed back to the bridge. “He also didn’t mention that he’d had contact with someone outside Palasian System within the last week. And he definitely gave us no reason to suspect that he knew who we were, or that he knew about the Sol Apotheosis Movement.”

  “We should’ve guessed the last bit sooner,” Haid said. “He did say he was an expert on history. He could hardly have missed the Wunderkind.”

  “I know.” She felt bad about that, but there was nothing she could do to change the past. “He was also reticent in other areas, like the transmissions we picked up coming here. If Myer was near Jagabis when the Sol code was sent, you’d think he would have traced its source.”

  “Maybe he did.” Haid shrugged. “Maybe that’s why he was heading out of there when we ran into him.”

  “Well, we’ll find out when he’s awake, I guess.”

  Haid paused before speaking, his artificial eyes and midnight-black features unreadable. “I still don’t trust him, Morgan,” he eventually said.

  “Neither do I, but he did help us back there.”

  “He helped himself.”

  “Perhaps. But it amounted to the same thing.”

  “This time.”

  Back on the bridge, Disisto sat in resigned silence.

  “How is he?” he asked, looking up.

  Roche leaned against the main console to face him. “You almost sound like you care.”

  Disisto looked offended. “Because we’re on opposite sides, I can’t be concerned? You have a monopoly on these emotions, Commander?”

  “Not at all,” she said. “Just wouldn’t have thought it was a required trait for someone working under Shak’ni, that’s all. I mean, he doesn’t strike me as someone who cares about others terribly much.”

  Disisto’s face clouded. “We agree there, at least.”

  “What does that mean?”

  Disisto said nothing, but didn’t look away from her.

  “Listen,” she said, “I don’t know what you think we are, or what you think we’ve done, or even what you think we will do, but I can assure you that you’re wrong about us. I’m not your enemy, and I don’t regard you as mine. It’s the clone warrior we should be worrying about, not each other. If he’s still out there, none of us are safe, and fighting each other will only make the situation worse.”

  “Or perhaps he thinks we’re working with the Sol Wunderkind?” Haid’s words were to Roche, but his gaze was fixed firmly upon the security officer.

  Disisto’s expression was defiant. “That’s what we were told,” he said. “We were warned to expect another one—another clone warrior—and that he would be coming with an ex-COE commander called Morgan Roche in a ship stolen from the Dato Bloc.”

  Roche frowned. “Who told you that?”

  “The chief, of course.”

  “And how do you know he was telling the truth?”

  “Why would he lie?”

  Disisto’s blind acceptance of what he had been told exasperated Roche. “Did it ever occur to you to ask how he knew?”

  “Why? He was right, wasn’t he?”

  Roche shook her head. “So no matter what we told you, you wouldn’t have believed us?”

  “There’s no reason why I should.” His eyes dropped away from Roche’s. “No matter how much I might want to.”

  “What?” She leaned in closer now. “What is it you’re hinting at? Why not just come out and say what you want to say?”

  “I can’t.” The words were so soft, they could have been mistaken for a sigh. “Rufo has treated me well in the five years I’ve worked for him. I can’t betray him now.”

  Roche glanced at Haid, who lifted one artificial shoulder in a tiny shrug.

  “Okay.” Roche stepped back, slipping her hands into the pockets of the shipsuit. “So you don’t want to betray Rufo’s confidence, but he’s clearly doing something you disapprove of. Or—” She stopped as a thought struck her. “Or allowing something to happen?”

  He said nothing, but the muscles in his neck tightened.

  “That’s it, isn’t it? Shak’ni and B’shan are up to something, and you don’t like it.”

  He looked at her again. “Not Haden B’shan. He’s been with the chief longer than I have.”

  “Shak’ni, then. That doesn’t surprise me. So tell us what he’s doing, and perhaps we can stop him.”

  When Disisto didn’t respond, anger surged from deep within Roche’s frustration. “Dammit, Disisto, talk to me! I’ve got better things to do than play guessing games with you!”

  “Why the hell should I trust you?” he said, throwing her anger back at her. “I’ve been told that you’re dangerous, and nothing I’ve seen contradicts that! You don’t even try to deny what’s been said about you! The fact is, I don’t even know who you are.” He paused for a moment, leaning forward slightly and fixing her with a cold stare. “So tell me, Commander, just who do you think you are?”

  Her hand closed into a fist, but she managed to subdue the impulse to strike him. Her anger had little to do with his attitude. In fact, if anything, she understood his point of view. Who was she to demand that he compromise five years of faithf
ul service to Rufo? No, her anger came about from what had happened to Cane and Maii.

  She let the tension drain from her, leaving just the residue of frustration in her clenched fist. A moment later she released this too, and sighed.

  “Look, Disisto, I can’t deny what you’ve heard about me, because most of it’s true. Yes, one of my companions does appear to be a clone warrior, and yes, I did steal my ship from the Dato Bloc.”

  Disisto raised an eyebrow, surprised by her sudden frankness. “And the super-AI you held COE Intelligence HQ to ransom with?”

  She nodded. “And Haid here is one of the few people ever to escape from the penal colony on Sciacca’s World. You’re in distinguished company, you know.”

  “That is the truth,” said Haid, grinning.

  Disisto looked from Roche to Haid. “I’m sure you think it is,” he said humorlessly. “But that still doesn’t mean I can trust you.”

  Roche reached down and unlocked the clasp of his harness. “I guess it all depends on how you look at it.”

  “Morgan!” Haid cautioned uneasily.

  “Come on, Ameidio,” she said. “He’s not going to betray us—at least not until he’s sure we can’t help him.” She unlooped the strap holding Disisto’s left hand to the palm-link. “Besides, he can’t stay tied up forever.”

  Disisto sat up, rubbing at his wrists. “Thank you,” he said, with more than just a hint of sarcasm.

  She shrugged. “I can tie you up again, if you like. Or you can quit with the attitude arid come down to the mess where we can discuss things civilly. It’s your choice.”

  He offered a half-smile and said: “The mess will be fine, thanks.”

  “Good,” said Roche. “But remember that both Ameidio and I are armed and we’ll be watching your every movement.”

  Disisto nodded, standing slowly. “Now that I can believe.”

  * * *

  In the mess, the three of them sat at one of the many tables scattered about the room. Roche picked at a dish of reheated noodles while she sketched the details of how she had come to be in Palasian System. Disisto listened carefully, occasionally glancing at Haid when the ex-mercenary added a detail Roche had left out.

  By the time they brought him up to date, an hour had passed and Disisto had hardly said a word.

  “Well?” Roche prompted.

  “I’m not sure,” he said. “I think you’ve been honest with me, but...”

  “But what?”

  He pushed his plate aside. “Well, the business of Cane himself. If the clone warrior in Palasian System could cause so much destruction, then why hasn’t Cane?”

  Roche shrugged. “That’s one of the reasons we’re here: to see what makes them tick. But so far we’ve only seen two, and that’s hardly a representative sample. For all we know, Cane could be the norm, not the exception.”

  Disisto looked down at his plate for a long moment, then back up at Roche. “There’s another one.”

  What little appetite Roche had instantly vanished. “What? Where?”

  “Hetu System. We received news of it a few days ago.” He held up his hands before she could press him for more details. “That’s all I know, Roche. I’m not privy to that kind of information. What little I do find out is on the sly. “

  She forced herself to let it go—for the moment. Hetu System was on the far side of the COE, on the fringes of the region. There wasn’t much she could do about it even if she wanted to.

  “You heard about this other clone warrior a few days ago?” Haid said. “How was that possible? I thought you were unable to leave here.”

  Disisto looked tired, as though his decision to answer questions had come at great personal cost. “Seventeen days ago we were brought here on the back of the Sebettu, a Kesh destroyer. They brought us to the edge of the system, just inside the Gauntlet, and from there we traveled under our own power.”

  “So the Gauntlet was in place at that point?” said Roche.

  “Yes.”

  Roche nodded, noting one lie from Rufo so far. He had said they had been trapped when the solar envelope had encapsulated the system.

  Disisto went on: “Ever since then, we’ve received a communications drone from outside the Gauntlet every six days or so. I presumed they came from Sebettu, but if you didn’t pass it on the way in, I guess I might be wrong.”

  “That explained the recent duel Haid had noted in the bar. “All we saw was a blockade comprised of Armada ships. Were they there when you came in?”

  “Yes. But they let us through once they were sure who we were.”

  “Really? Doesn’t that strike you as a bit odd? I mean, we had a hell of a time getting past them.”

  “Not really,” said Disisto. “As I understand it, the COE Armada wanted to seal the system once they had an idea what was inside it. The only way they could do that quickly was with something like Asha’s Gauntlet. They did a deal with the N’Kor Republic, which had the only remaining prototype. At the same time, they contacted the chief and commissioned the services of Galine Four. The Gauntlet beat us here by a few days, so Sebettu ferried us in. Once we were inside, they left us alone to begin our work.”

  “Which was?” said Haid.

  Disisto turned to him. “To study the actions of the person responsible for the destruction of the system.”

  “That’s it?’ Haid asked.

  “What else do you suggest we do? Fight this person? The most we could hope for was to work out how he operated, in order to stop his doing it again elsewhere. Anything more would’ve been asking for trouble. If you ask me, it’s risky enough just being here.”

  “Rufo agreed to be dropped in here without any means of defending himself?” Haid’s expression was highly skeptical. “No means of escape? No way of letting the outside know if you might be under attack?”

  “Not quite,” said Disisto. “We do have communications drones of our own that we can send if we need to. But it was risky, yes. A drone takes at least ten hours to get out of the system. If we did get into trouble, by the time help arrived we’d have been dead. We haven’t sent any yet, and I hope we don’t have to.”

  “So why did Rufo agree to do it?” Roche asked.

  “Lots of reasons, I guess. It’s hard to know exactly why, because he doesn’t explain himself to his employees as often as we feel he should.” He managed a small smile. “I think it was because the COE applied a little pressure to make him agree. That, and they told him the person we would be looking for was probably gone anyway.”

  Roche’s laugh was derisive. “And that you would basically be conducting an autopsy on a completely dead system?”

  “Something like that,” said Disisto.

  “But it hasn’t turned out that way, has it?”

  Disisto shook his head. “The traps around Aro could’ve hurt us, and there could be others we haven’t encountered yet.”

  “Not to mention the clone warrior himself,” Haid pointed out.

  “I doubt he’s still here,” said Disisto.

  “Really? Why?”

  “It stands to reason, doesn’t it? We’ve been wandering around the system for almost two weeks, and we haven’t been attacked. We’ve been careful, sure, but he would’ve spotted us eventually. And if he did, why didn’t he attack us? We’re the only major target left in one piece in Palasian System. It doesn’t make sense that he would let us roam free—especially not when we’re actively looking for him. He’s not stupid.”

  “And this is what Rufo believes?” said Roche.

  “No, Rufo is convinced he’s still here,” Disisto said. “But take my word for it, he’s long gone by now.”

  Roche wasn’t taking his word on anything, but was prepared to watch him entertain the thought. “Where to? Hetu System, perhaps?”

  Disisto shrugged. “Maybe. Or maybe he’s still in transit. It depends what sort of transport he’s in, and what he’s looking for. The nearest system is only a few light-years away, but it’s not much
more than an outpost. He might be looking for more of a challenge.”

  “I wouldn’t call Palasian System much of a challenge,” Haid said.

  “What if this was just a trial run?” said Disisto. “Or just an opportunity to do some damage? Remember: he only made his move when the crew of this ship brought him out of the life capsule. Not only was Palasian System the closest port at that time, but Daybreak was already heading there. It would’ve made sense to go with the flow, to take what he could from here, then to move on in the direction he actually wanted to go.”

  Roche nodded. “I agree. It matches what Cane said. He’s not going to waste time or opportunities; every decision he makes will be to maximize his return—however he measures it. Palasian System was just a means of making himself stronger.

  “But where do we fit into this?” she went on. “You said someone from the outside warned you that we were coming. Who was it? And why?”

  “The Armada, perhaps,” said Disisto.

  “You don’t sound very certain about that,” said Haid.

  “I’m not,” he said. “The last drone we received told us to expect you. I have no idea who sent it.”

  “Word must have leaked from Intelligence,” said Haid, facing Roche. “Someone might have taken exception to there being another Sol Wunderkind on the loose.”

  “Maybe,” Roche said. She could believe Page De Bruyn setting her up like this. “But why not ambush us properly? There’s no way we could have withstood a destroyer or two at the edge of the Gauntlet, where they knew we were going to arrive sooner or later. Why leave it up to a nonmilitary installation inside what is basically a war zone?”

  “Less risk?” Haid suggested. “Containment would be easier in here, if something went wrong.”

  “Not when we have a working slow-jump drive. Supposing Cane did go berserk, all he’d have to do is take over the Ana Vereine and fly it back out again.”

  “Do you think he’s capable of doing that? Without Kajic or the Box, the ship would be difficult to control for a hundred people, let alone one.”

  “I’d hate to rule it out,” Roche said. “Every time Cane reaches a hurdle, he seems to find a way over it.”