The Hate Parallax

by Allan Cole

  They feared this man even more than Carvaserin, the Engine Devil suddenly thought. Damned fate! It had been all right… a good job, a good vessel, a good contract, good flaming ale on promise in the “Monks.” For what sins was he being punished?

  The terrible man before him was waiting— solemn, somber, calm and silent.

  Scratch started to speak.

  * * *

  Sometimes it was better to hide your pride, thought Vlad, as he left the chamber.

  Of course, there was little sense to Scratch’s story. A civilian vessel… unarmed… without armor… no combat casters abroad… All these things Vlad had heard before.

  Also, of course, Vlad was checking not only Scratch’s tale, but his own suspicions. And he was checking Father Onphim’s and a mysterious person from the Conclave’s opinions concerning possible provocation.

  The liner was now no more than spacedust so not even the cleverest forensic engineer could check to see if there had been any cloaking devices aboard. However, if there had been provocation and Old Scratch was lying Vlad would have to kill the Engine Devil.

  After all, Scratch had been the real master of HolidayOne and knew every nut, bolt and screw on the whole vessel.

  And right now, Vlad believed the Engine Devil was lying. He must be either more faithful to the Amers than their own President, or…

  But then it occurred to Vlad how odd it was that Scratch was even here for him to kill. Surely, if Scratch had been responsible, the Odysseus Corps would have assassinated him to keep the Amers’ dirty secret hidden.

  Instead, he had miraculously survived. Not only that, but he had been picked up by the Russians. Something the Odysseus Corps would have avoided at all cost.

  Which led to the next logical step. Scratch might be telling the truth and there had been no cloaking device aboard HolidayOne.

  If that was so, then it was quite possible an Amer spy was still aboard the Borodino. And the Amers would either attempt to save their man (or men) now, or try to hide him here as long as they could until an escape could be made later on.

  If Vlad were the head of Odysseus, he would prefer the second variant.

  Wait, he said to himself suddenly. What had the Engine Devil said about the strange glance from innermost space? It seems Scratch had been really frightened. Also, he had not reported the incident to Carvaserin.

  What was it Scratch had said?.. “Thou canst understand… An evil look from… from outside. Not from the Fiendish part of the Being. From… I do not know. But it was terrible,”— and Vlad recalled the trembling of true fear in Scratch’s voice.

  “It was terrible… terrible! I… I cannot imagine what it could have been. Not a fiend at all. A great power… no, not ‘great’… irrepressible, irresistible, invincible! There’s no such power in the fiendish worlds. Or in the human ones, either…”

  Scratch had not added anything more.

  The power? Was this a cunningly prepared lie? No, Vlad was ready to believe Scratch if other evidence was forthcoming.

  And some instinct suddenly prompted him— keep it in mind, major.

  Cast aside all other versions and what will remain is the truth, never mind how fantastical it looks at first glance.

  Once again Vlad called Admiral Amiriani. Time to check the tech team, then talk to the other witnesses.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  A woman’s voice, sounding so silky calm that Tanya wanted to hunt her down and claw her eyes out, purred over the ship’s com:

  “The Stardove is now approaching the Borodino, ladies and gentlemen. In a moment, our ship will move through the first security checkpoint. You may experience a slight discomfort while the Stardove is scanned, but please don’t be alarmed.

  “This routine scan is entirely harmless and the sensation will soon pass.”

  Tanya bit back a groan and gripped the arms of her seat. Fighting nausea, she concentrated on the unseen woman. First mate or not, she was clearly a gum-brained fool.

  Didn’t she know they were entirely surrounded by magic? Didn’t she realize that during the journey all their lives had been in the claws of spirit world creatures?

  That the very bubble surrounding the Stardove— allowing it to plunge through uttermost space at overlight speeds— was controlled by these creatures?

  A bubble that could have been purposely burst by an Engine Devil any time during the course of the trip from Earth to this godforsaken military outpost at the very edge of the known Universe?

  The first wave of the Borodino’s magical snoopers tingled over Tanya’s body and her flesh pebbled in fear. She imagined the woman strangling in space, then bursting apart in many pieces, and felt a little better.

  Another wave followed, then another, and to get through them Tanya conjured new tortures for the woman with the silky voice.

  And then it came again: “The Stardove has passed the first security check successfully, ladies and gentlemen. We will now proceed on to the Borodino.”

  Control regained, Tanya reflexively leaned forward in her lounge chair to peer through the big main viewing port at the front of the passenger’s observation deck. But only a flat black screen presented itself.

  She snorted in disgust. Security, again! The Stardove’s captain had obviously been forbidden to display a view of the mighty Russian battlestation.

  Well, be damned to their security! She had an investigation to conduct and she wasn’t about to start off blindfolded. Under the UWO charter for her mission the Russians were required to show her anything she asked to see.

  She knew from past experience that they’d fight her all the way. In the end she’d win, but it wouldn’t be easy. Harder still would be to know exactly what to ask for. No one would volunteer any information to help her, that was for sure. So she’d have to go by instinct and wise guesses.

  The mission had hardly begun and Tanya already felt like she was swimming in mud provided in river-like quantities by both sides.

  Hell, the Americans and Russians had even fought over how she would be transported to the Borodino. Not one starliner company could be trusted!

  In the end a private charter arrangement was made with Sigmund Hammer Inc.— a company whose family had acted as trading go-betweens for the Russian and American empires for centuries.

  Of course, there were spies among the officers and crew. Spies for both sides and double agents as well all looking for a fast bundle of LT’s to fatten their credit accounts. That went without saying.

  But everyone seemed to be satisfied some kind of spying parity had been achieved, so the decision was made to hire an entire liner.

  At first the journey aboard the empty liner had been surreal— cabins and game rooms, dining rooms, ballrooms, libraries, theaters, casinos, all sitting vacant. And the crew avoided her except when necessary to tend to her needs, so it was like being on a ghost ship.

  Only the officers had the courage to address this strange UWP Major who was under such secret orders for a mission so important that an entire starliner had been put at her disposal.

  Tanya’s only companion— which was too strong a word for what she was stuck with— was Kriegworm, the eight-foot Ogre-Mage, who had been assigned to play Watson to Tanya’s Sherlock Holmes. In this case “Sherlock” studiously avoided “Watson,” leaving her almost completely alone.

  A few days into the journey, however, the attitude began to change among the Stardove officers. The men gave her knowing looks, openly admiring her figure and golden hair. The women started casting jealous eyes in her direction.

  This was obviously a company with an employee problem, Tanya thought. They were so used to having malleable civilians under their control that they had very little respect for anyone.

  Tanya didn’t trouble herself putting the captain and the others into their places. She couldn’t be bothered and so she simply ignored them.

  She sighed and glanced at the blank screen again. Suddenly she knew where to start. A small portion of reve
nge on the captain and his officers would be a side benefit to her plan.

  Tanya lifted her head and spoke to the air: “Captain!” she barked. “This is Major Lawson!”

  A second later there was a faint buzz, then a voice: “Yes, Major? How may we help you?”

  It was that woman again! The First Mate with the hateful voice.

  “I asked for the captain!” Tanya demanded.

  “Captain Lasky is busy with the approach right now, Major,” the woman said. “A very difficult maneuver, I’m sure you can appreciate.”

  Then the woman had the temerity to giggle.

  “I’m happy you find my communication so amusing,” Tanya said coldly. “Now tell the captain I will speak with him immediately. I have new orders for him!”

  There was a long embarrassed silence. Finally, Tanya heard a muffled curse and Lasky got on the com.

  “What is it, Major?” he demanded. “I’m in the middle of —”

  Tanya cut him off. “I’m ordering you to stop the ship immediately, captain. And prepare to abandon the mission!”

  Lasky made surprised noises. Then: “You can’t do that!”

  “I can, and I am!” Tanya said. “My orders are to be obeyed precisely and without question. You were informed of my authority when I boarded this ship. Were you not?”

  “Yes, yes, but the Russians! They’ll wonder! It could be dangerous.”

  “They won’t have to wonder long,” Tanya said. “Because my next order is for you to contact the Borodino Command. Tell them I will proceed no further until I speak to Rear-Admiral Amiriani.”

  Silence.

  “There seems to be something wrong with the ship’s com, Captain Lasky,” Tanya said. “I didn’t hear your answer.”

  Lasky chewed at something gritty in his throat, then: “Aye, aye, Major!” Very military brusque.

  Satisfied, Tanya leaned into the soft-backed chair to wait. This might take a while— the Russian command would need time to jabber among themselves, trying to figure out what she had on her mind. Double and triple thinking her actions.

  Finally, they would realize there was nothing else to do but put the big boss on, Admiral Amiriani, and find out what was happening. Tanya smiled to herself. Brass was the same the Universe over. They hated surprises!

  To kill time, Tanya slipped her “Angel” from the inside pocket of her tunic. Angel was a small hand-held device from the 21st Century. And one of the last non-magical devices that was mass produced.

  In its heyday two thirds of the Earth’s population carried one around. All business, all entertainment, all files, records, note-taking and communications could be performed with the Angel.

  And much better, Tanya thought, than any currently available magical device could perform. Which meant no little fiends swarming around inside like roaches in a tenement kitchen.

  She pressed a stud on the side and the device’s cover snapped open, revealing a screen with little icon buttons. She tapped the “Review” icon with a stylus and a series of images started swirling on the screen.

  Tanya bent closer to look. A man’s face swam up at her. At the moment President Sean Garcia was making an appeal to his “fellow Americans all across the shining galaxy” to remain calm while the “tragic incident” concerning “innocent civilians” aboard a resort liner was fully investigated.

  This was good, Tanya thought as she half-listened to the taped speech given by President Garcia some days before. Obviously, the pleas of many high-level UWO diplomats had met with some success.

  That, and the promise of a tough, impartial investigation by the United Worlds Police, had somewhat quieted the dogs of war. It made Tanya feel better about her mission. There was some hope.

  Tanya’s head snapped up.

  Someone was watching her.

  * * *

  Davyd cursed himself as he closed down the gremlin box. He shouldn’t have lingered on Lawson so long.

  He’d been monitoring her actions since he’d slipped aboard the Stardove, but only in quick snatches to avoid rousing suspicion.

  Most military personnel had “sixth sense” training to make them sensitive to watching eyes and Davyd had sensibly assumed the UWP had provided Tanya with the same education. So he’d been extra cautious whenever he hooked the gremlin box into the ship’s sensory banks to check her out.

  But today, as he neared his objective, the fighting juices started boiling in his belly. All his senses were moving into overdrive and so when he’d gremlined into the Passengers’ Lounge to see what she was up to, he’d become suddenly, helplessly, moonstruck.

  Before that moment Tanya had merely been someone to be wary of. Someone whose motives must remain in doubt until her actions proved otherwise. He’d grown to admire her evident professionalism, but that’d only made him more wary.

  Then for the first time he’d noticed just how beautiful she was, golden hair spilling over her uniformed shoulders, the pleasing shape she gave to her crisp tunic, the lovely line of her profile when she’d tilted her head to hear the ship’s announcement.

  So he’d lingered too long, seeing first her beauty; then, feeling lonely himself, her own loneliness, her all-too-human vulnerability hiding beneath that frosty mask.

  Get your head out, bud, Davyd chided himself. No time for romance. And sure as hell no opportunity!

  Then a little voice hissed, “Psst, boss! How ’bout a rest?” Davyd glanced down at the small box glowing in his palm.

  It was the ultimate, high-mage snooping device, powered by a team of small fiends who could creep into any connection unseen and without leaving a trace of their presence.

  Designed specifically for the Odysseus Corps, Davyd doubted there were more than six such devices in the known Universe.

  Even so, this one was extra special. It had been juiced up with added features that allowed him to remain unnoticed even when faced with the most powerful and sophisticated Russian snooper.

  “Psst! Boss?” came the voice again. “The boys say they’re pretty tired.”

  “Go ahead,” Davyd said. “Get some sack time.”

  “Thanks, boss,” the gremlin said and the box became cold and dead.

  Davyd put it away, thinking just how hard he’d worked the little fiends during the past days. From the second he’d gotten the idea of how to get aboard the Borodino to this moment, he’d kept them in nearly constant action.

  Yeah, let them rest. There was a long, long way to go before this job was done.

  Davyd closed the lid on all the spaghetti wiring in the ship’s main comboard, then ducked down to slither into the vent opening that led back to the ship’s hold.

  He had to hurry.

  It was his last chance to do something about the dead guy.

  * * *

  Tanya shook her head. The feeling was gone. Or maybe it had never been there, she thought. Maybe she was being paranoid— imagining things again.

  Or maybe not.

  Even so, if someone had been watching her, she didn’t think there was any danger. The feeling hadn’t been like the time before— assuming the worst case and that too was real.

  That definitely had been an evil presence, a dark and forbidding thing, lurking in the ethers.

  This time the watcher— if he existed, and he was definitely a he— had seemed coldly neutral at first. But then the watcher had suddenly become very warm, and certainly not neutral. The gaze was sensual, but unthreateningly so.

  She wasn’t being ogled, however. And the feelings aroused in her had not been wholly unpleasant. For a moment, Tanya had felt an incipient girlish blush coming on and would not have been opposed to meeting whoever was behind that gaze.

  Time to enter the real world, woman, Tanya scolded herself. There is no dreamboat waiting in the wings for you. It was your imagination! The result of wishful thinking and the empty bed blues.

  Lasky’s voice blared over the com: “We’re receiving a transmission from the Borodino, Major. Shall I link i
t through?”

  “That was my intention, Captain,” Tanya said, deliberately maintaining her chilly attitude.

  If something went wrong, these people would have to jump when she said frog, no questions or hesitations permitted.

  “Aye, aye, Major,” Lasky said. “I’ll patch it through.”

  There was a splash of light and Tanya turned to see the main port flicker into life.

  A handsome, middle-aged Russian admiral with silver hair, craggy features and moody eyes was peering out at her. Tanya made a special note that he was smiling.

  Good! She had them damned worried.

  “Greetings, Major Lawson,” the admiral said in barely accented English. “I am Rear-Admiral Amiriani, commander of the Borodino.”

  Tanya nodded but said nothing, letting him get on with his little speech. She knew very well who he was. More than the good admiral, whose first name was Peter, would probably like. Her briefing had been quite thorough.

  “I bid you welcome, Major Lawson,” the admiral continued, smile growing wider. “I have been anxious to meet you. Your reputation is known to us all.”

  I’ll bet it is, Tanya thought. But she kept her face blank. The admiral hesitated a beat, giving her a chance to speak. Tanya only narrowed her eyes, gazing at him steadily. She wanted him to sweat.

  The admiral coughed to cover the hesitation, saying, “I should mention that your honored visit is much anticipated by my officers as well. We have many recreations and tours planned for you. I think you will have a most enjoyable time during your stay with us.”

  He wagged a finger, chuckling, “All work and no play … as you Amer— I mean, Americans say.”

  He wiped his suddenly moist brow, forcing Tanya to bury a smile of victory.

  Instead she gave him a stern look. “I’ll be sure to report that to my superiors, Sir,” she said. “I suspect they’ll be quite interested in your ideas concerning the proper way to greet a UWP master investigator.”

  The admiral fingered his collar. “We were only trying to be hospitable,” he said. “The recreational activities I mentioned should in no way infer a callous attitude on my part. Or on the part of my officers.