by Terry Mixon
The woman smiled. “If you can’t find an opportunity to overwhelm the guards, you need to manufacture one. Or you have to give up.”
“Giving up is not an option,” Irons said. “I refuse to sit on my ass until Fleet comes in and rescues us.”
The woman shrugged. “I’m not sure what to tell you. We have no weapons and no real way to get any. Without them, we’re stuck here.”
“All true,” Castille said. “I suppose it doesn’t really matter. Fleet will arrive in force shortly. When they do, these people will run away like cockroaches in the light. All we have to do is wait.”
He watched the other woman closely to see how she responded to that. She didn’t seem concerned, which worried him a little. What did she know that he didn’t?
4
Talbot watched Commodore Anderson as she monitored the prisoner’s compartment with more than a hint of concern. He’d finally decided that he needed to tell her what he was doing. She’d arrived a few moments ago and now stood there shaking her head.
“This is insane,” she said. “If Annette slips up, they’re going to be all over her.”
“There is a hint of risk,” he admitted, “but we have a team of marines ready to rush in if there’s any problem whatsoever.”
The commodore looked unconvinced. “Did it ever occur to you to run this past me first? Hell, even Princess Kelsey would’ve told you no.”
Talbot doubted that, but it would be impolite to burst the woman’s bubble.
“She’s been in there for over an hour, ma’am. If they were going to discover that she was a fraud, they’d have done so by now. She’s convinced them that she’s the real deal.”
“All it takes is one slip-up,” Zia disagreed. “We know next to nothing about these people. Not even the most basic things.”
She sighed. “Okay, let’s say that you’re right. What is your endgame?”
“We want to engineer a breakout, but under our control. If we can make them think they’re really escaping, I believe we can get them to give us the access codes to their computers.”
“No way,” Zia said. “You’d have to give them virtually complete access to the orbital so they could get there. This cafeteria is nowhere near the research center.”
“It doesn’t need to be. Once they’re outside the compartment, they’ll be able to use their implants to access the orbital’s systems. We’re almost certain they’ll try to erase the restricted computers. If they do, the system will block them but capture the passwords.”
She seemed to consider the plan, but shook her head. “Those computers aren’t just isolated from physical access. They’ll have made certain that no one can use implants to get into them.”
“Carl said there were triggers to wipe the drives that can be accessed from anywhere on the orbital. I’d wager several people inside that compartment acting in unison could set them off.”
“Let’s say they do. I’m sure Carl’s programing is good, but what if they somehow managed to get past the blocks? We can’t risk them actually damaging the research computers. We need that data.”
“Carl said the drives are heavily encrypted, but he’s made multiple copies,” Talbot said. “He also took the precaution of cloning the drives and putting the original cores on Audacious. The automated backups too. Even if the prisoners manage to wipe the drives, we’ve lost nothing, and we’ll have their codes.”
“I don’t want to be the downer here, but I think you’re underestimating these people. I’m willing to bet a dinner at any place you’d care to name that this plan fails.”
“That’s kind of negative,” Talbot grumbled. “If we can’t trick them, we’re no worse off than we were before.”
“You’re not thinking of the big picture, Talbot. What if we missed a self-destruct device? What if they have a mad plan of their own?”
She gestured to the vid feed. “Obviously, it’s too late for me to stop this harebrained scheme, but I’m putting my foot down about allowing them into the orbital’s systems.”
He rubbed his face. “I understand your concerns, ma’am, but if we can’t get the prisoners to give us access, we might never be able to build artificial intelligences for ourselves.”
“Well, you certainly won’t be able to if you allow them to blow up the orbital. I’m not going to pull Annette out of there, but you’re going to have to come up with some way to let her know your plans have changed.”
“I suppose we could start pulling prisoners out to question,” he said. “If we start with Commodore Murdock and work our way down, we should be able to get her in the first three or four people without raising suspicion. It also allows us to establish our bona fides with the prisoners. If we don’t open a dialogue soon, they’re going to get suspicious.”
Zia watched the vid feed for a while longer. “What exactly do they imagine is going to happen? We popped out of nowhere and captured their orbital, but they think they have the Dresden system locked down tight. They’ve got to be wondering what we’re doing.”
“Surely they’ll have figured that out now that they felt the orbital flip twice,” Talbot said. “That’s not easy to miss.”
“Three times,” Zia said. “We flipped into the new system an hour ago.”
Talbot stared at her. “I didn’t feel a thing. How is that possible?”
“It’s probably the mass of the station,” she said. “The larger the vessel, the less effect a flip has on the crew. You can feel them a little, even on a superdreadnought or a carrier, but this orbital is larger.
“Also, since the flip drives aren’t actually inside the station, a lot of the disruption is channeled into the recovery ship. They get a pretty rough ride.”
Talbot sighed. “Well, I suppose I need to start pulling the prisoners out for interrogation. Sorry, ma’am.”
Zia clapped him on the shoulder. “It was a bold plan, Major. Your wife will be proud. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get back over to Audacious. This system seems empty, but we all know how quickly things like that can change.”
Commander Veronica Giguere fought the urge to stalk her cell. The close confinement and isolation were getting to her. It had been three weeks, and her patience was long gone.
She understood that she didn’t have any leverage, but she was going crazy. Ever since she’d surrendered, she’d had to do what her captors said. That changed now.
She was going to see her people, and she wanted answers to the questions that had been building up in her mind. Being locked into a cell certainly gave one time to think.
She’d presented her demands to the polite jailor two hours ago, and her self-imposed deadline was just about up. If someone didn’t come to talk to her in ten minutes, she’d start her very own riot.
The hatch to her cell slid aside without warning. Standing on the other side was the officer that had separated her from the rest of her crew. After, of course, he’d done something to her head. Something he’d better be prepared to explain in detail.
“Commander Giguere,” he said. “I understand you wished to speak with me.”
“I demand to see my crew.” She poured a fair amount of aggressiveness into her tone. She didn’t want to sound like she was begging. This situation required strength.
He seemed to consider her request for a moment and then nodded. “That can be arranged, but I believe it’s time we had a talk first. I’m certain you have many questions. You deserve to have some answers.”
She eyed him suspiciously. “That’s very accommodating of you, Captain Levy, if I remember your name correctly.”
“I’m acknowledging the reality of the situation,” he said. “You and your crew aren’t going to get back to your people anytime soon, so it’s not going to hurt if you understand the scope of what’s happening.
“Quite frankly, I should’ve explained this to you weeks ago. Let’s just say that I’ve had a lot on my mind. Now that we have time to take a breath, I’ll rectify that.”
> “I’m not certain why, but that fills me with dread,” she said suspiciously. “Fine. If you’re going to answer my questions, let’s start with this. Who the hell are you people?”
He smiled slightly. “We’re Fleet.”
“Bull. Fleet doesn’t implant their enlisted personnel. You’re rebels. Or something.”
“I suspect it’s going to take quite a bit of time for us to determine which labels are appropriate. In the meanwhile, allow me to suggest that we move somewhere that allows us to sit down more comfortably. Perhaps you’d care for something to eat or drink.”
“To my shock, the quality of the food and drink has been more than acceptable,” she said. “However, going somewhere with a little bit more leg room would be very nice.”
He nodded sharply. “Then we’ll do so. You’ll forgive me if I’m not quite ready to accept your parole, so we’ll have some marine guards to make sure that you don’t wander off.”
Levy stepped back and gestured for her to exit her cell.
The brig had a wide central area with a circular console. The lieutenant behind it watched her without expression. Four marine guards stood at varying points inside the compartment, each in unpowered armor and equipped with a stun rifle.
There were a dozen cells, each with their hatches closed. She imagined her senior officers were behind them. She itched to demand that Levy open them up right away, but she restrained herself. If he was going to give her some answers, she wanted to hear them first.
When the hatch to the corridor slid open, she saw two additional marines waiting for them. Unlike the others, these two were unarmored. They’d also exchanged their rifles for more discreet stunners on their hips.
Captain Levy gestured for her to precede him down the hall. He stepped up next to her, and the marines fell in behind them. Close enough to intervene if need be, but too far away for her to attack with any hope of success.
“What kind of ship is this?” she asked. “This is the big one, right?”
“She’s a carrier,” the man said. “The fighters you engaged are based here.”
Those damned little things. Commodore Crabtree—the deputy fleet commander in charge of her portion of the task force—had dismissed them as a distraction. That proved a fatal mistake for him and far too many of her comrades.
Their part of the task force had started with six light cruisers and fourteen destroyers. By the time the fighting ended, they’d lost five light cruisers and five destroyers. Most of the rest were wrecked beyond repair, she suspected.
She’d never seen anything like the little bastards. They’d bob and weave, and then blast a ship with an intensely powerful short-ranged missile. Nothing like what a real ship carried, but more than enough—in sufficient numbers—to drop the battle screens on the cruisers. Without them, the larger ships were just as vulnerable as the destroyers.
The loss of life had been hideous. She’d spent the last three weeks grieving for the friends she’d never see again. Far too many of them had died at the hands of those little fighters. A type of craft that she knew Fleet didn’t have.
“It’s things like that that convince me you’re lying,” she said. “Fleet doesn’t have anything like those devils.”
“There lies the heart of our story. I’d normally take the lift, but the marines insist we use the stairs. The officers’ mess is three decks down. We’ll order something to eat, and I’ll explain everything. Well, minus a few classified details, but you’ll get the big picture.”
“Why are you doing this?”
He smiled. “Because I need for you to understand just what your situation is. Everything you thought you understood is completely wrong. It’s going to be very difficult for you to accept that. It would be impossible if I didn’t give you as much information as I could.”
“I have absolutely no idea what the hell you’re talking about,” she assured him. “Whatever game you’re playing, I’m not buying.”
“Well, then, lunch should be fascinating.”
5
Kelsey took a deep breath when she arrived outside of her mother’s cabin. She’d rather be doing just about anything else right now, but she couldn’t let this situation fester too long.
She smiled at the guard and opened the hatch to find her mother sitting on the couch and reading a tablet. She stepped inside and allowed the hatch to close. “I understand you wanted to speak to me. Start talking, but be pithy. I have zero patience for you right now.”
“Haven’t you ever heard of signaling?” Justine asked acerbically. “What if I’d been naked?”
Her mother rose from the couch gracefully and gestured at the compartment. “And couldn’t you find a larger room? I can barely breathe in here.”
“When is this going to sink in, Mother? You’re a prisoner. You don’t have a right to privacy any longer. The guard can come into this room at any moment without any notice whatsoever.”
“You’re being ridiculous,” her mother huffed. “How long are we going to play this game?”
“You see, that’s the problem. You think this is a trick. It’s not. You broke the law and put people’s lives at risk. There are consequences.
“I realize you haven’t been subject to limitations on your behavior for a long time, but you’ve crossed the line. Unless you change your attitude, you’re going to find yourself in front of a military tribunal. Did your lawyer explain the penalties you’d face?”
Her mother sneered. “Yes, that little stuffed shirt ‘explained’ it all to me. More like he droned on and on and on. Could you send someone with a personality next time?”
Kelsey sat on the edge of the couch. “You’re a real piece of work. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone as full of themselves as you are. You think you can do no wrong, and that someone will provide everything you desire.
“Honestly, I’ve met rulers from an oppressive feudal society that treat people with more respect than you do. Since it’s probably escaped your mind already, let me remind you that sneaking aboard a Fleet vessel could earn you a minimum of ten years in a military prison.
“In case it wasn’t obvious, this cabin is not a cell. It’s actually someone’s quarters. Someone that had to move out so I could put you in here. A real cell is far smaller and significantly less comfortable.”
Her mother snorted daintily. “Surely you aren’t delusional enough to think I actually believe you’d do any such thing. This is just you trying to make a point.
“I’m your mother. I refuse to play. I’ve already wasted enough of my time hiding in that other room for weeks so that I could talk to you. All because you wouldn’t take the time to sit down with me on Avalon. This is your fault.”
“Amazing. Can anything get through that bulletproof skull of yours? Contrary to what you seem to believe, you don’t get to disrupt everyone’s lives because they don’t dance to your tune. Not anymore. You gave that right up when you divorced my father.”
Her mother threw her hands up. “And here we go. I was absolutely justified in divorcing Karl. Even if I weren’t, that’s between the two of us.”
“Wrong,” Kelsey said hotly. “You made it my business when you cheated on him like you did. When you dared to hold a grudge against Jared Mertz because my father cheated, just like you. A mistake he confessed and paid the price for, I might add.
“How many men did you cheat with while you were married? Let’s see, at least eighteen that I’m aware of. You probably managed to sneak more in some other way. Or perhaps they were already there. How many Imperial Guardsmen have you slept with? Palace staff? Visiting dignitaries? Surely, the grand total is far greater than eighteen.
“You don’t even have the threadbare cover of retaliating for Father’s infidelity. According to the time stamps, you started cheating long before that. No, you don’t get to shift the blame to other people this time.”
“My sex life is none of your business,” her mother said coldly. “As for Jared Mertz, the little toad
thinks that because my ex-husband slept with the help, that makes him something special. Well, it doesn’t.”
“I agree,” Kelsey said at once. “His parentage has nothing to do with him being special. He managed that all on his own, in spite of his parentage. And before you attempt to tell me how wrong I am, have you bothered to read anything about what happened on the exploratory mission?”
Her mother shrugged. “I wasn’t really looking for news on the little bastard. I wanted to hear about my daughter, and let me tell you, there was almost nothing to learn. So, I came to see for myself.”
Kelsey felt her jaw clench. “It’s as if you’re going out of your way to piss me off. I’m not twelve anymore, Mother. You don’t get to declare whom I can be friends with. In fact, you don’t get to dictate any part of my life anymore.
“Let me fill you in about a few facts. Jared Mertz isn’t the only bastard in this family. So am I, but you already knew that. The more I think about it, the angrier I get. You’re unbelievable. Are you even human? I ask because I’ve met an alien that has more human decency than you.”
Her mother’s eyes flashed. “How dare you speak to me that way? I should slap your face. I don’t care how you feel. You don’t get to disrespect me that way, little girl.”
Kelsey grunted. “I’ve only begun understanding that you don’t care how anyone feels. You also have peculiar expectations about the way the world works. You think you get to be a screaming jerk to whomever you like, but everyone else is supposed to be nice to you.
“Perhaps that’s the way it used to be, but you have to earn my respect now. That isn’t going to happen as long as you insist on being a selfish child throwing temper tantrums. I’m not a little girl that you can intimidate anymore, Mother. I’ve been through things in the last eighteen months that would make you run howling in terror. I mean that literally, by the way.
“I’ve survived things that you cannot possibly imagine. The kind of things that nightmares are made of. In fact, I still have far too many nights where I wake up screaming. That’s my burden to bear, the price I pay for my own stupidity. My own arrogance.”
