by Terry Mixon
Kelsey slowly stood. “When you’re ready to speak civilly, tell the guard. If all you want to do is bitch, don’t bother. If I come down here again and run head-on into your arrogance, I won’t be so quick to come back again.”
She walked out of the compartment without glancing back. The hatch closed in her mother’s face.
“I want you to check on the prisoner at random intervals over the next shift,” she told the guard. “Twice, I think. If she complains—which she will—ignore her. Stun her if she gets physical.”
The man looked a shade uncertain.
“I’m trying to get her to understand the gravity of her situation,” she added. “If I don’t teach her some limits, she’s going to be a jerk the entire time we’re out here. Don’t go overboard, but put her firmly in her place.”
The marine nodded. “Aye, ma’am. She uses the door com to ask for you all the time. I’ve been ignoring that as you ordered. Should I start responding?”
“Yes. If she behaves civilly, tell her you’ll pass along the message. If she’s a jackass, tell her she can rot. If she’s a monumental pain in the ass, I’ll send her over to Audacious to spend some quality time in a real cell.”
The man sighed. “This is harder than I’d imagined, ma’am. She was the empress when I grew up. The urge to obey is strong.”
“Yes, and she uses that sentiment ruthlessly. Be strong. You’re actually doing her a service. One she’s likely to curse you for, but a real one nonetheless.”
Kelsey started to walk away, but stopped and turned. “As distasteful as this is for me to say, she’s probably going to try to seduce you. I don’t want to come back later and find you tied up in her closet.”
The man looked offended. “First, Colonel, I’d never do anything like that with a prisoner. Second, I’m a little harder to overpower than you seem to think.”
“Probably,” she agreed, “but don’t play her game. I don’t want to have to have that particular debriefing. There are some things a daughter doesn’t need to hear about.”
He chuckled a little. “I suppose not, Colonel. No worries. I’ll keep everything safe and secure here, including my trousers.”
“Good man. Carry on.”
Carl was waiting for her on the bridge when she made it back. He sat beside Angela. The two of them had been speaking softly. He sat up straighter and waited for her to take a seat before speaking.
“I have bad news,” he said. “There isn’t another flip point in the system. A regular one anyway. We won’t have finished searching for weak flip points for a few more days.”
“That can’t be possible,” she said. “There has to be another flip point.”
He shrugged. “Not that the probes have discovered. As far as I can tell, the only way in or out of this system is through the weak flip point we used.”
She stared at the master plot. The various probes were filling in details about the system, but they still knew so very little about it. At least according to the icons she could see.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for you, Carl, but how can you possibly know that? We’ve been here less than a day.”
“I understand that. To be clear, this is only a preliminary status report. We might find a flip point buried in the data. I just wanted to alert you to the probability that there isn’t one so you can plan.
“There are plenty of systems that have only one flip point. We call them cul-de-sacs. If that’s possible with regular flip points, why would it be less likely with a weak flip point? Hell, there are undoubtedly many star systems that have no flip points of any kind.”
She sighed. “It’s more like I don’t want to believe it. The weak flip point is too small to allow us back out. If there isn’t something in this system, we’re screwed.
“What about the theory Doctor Leonard had about using weak flip points for multiple destinations? Have you gotten anywhere with that?”
Carl shook his head. “Flip physics was never my specialty,” he admitted. “I’ve read the papers, but I can’t say I really understand the theoretical aspects. Not at the level I need to make that kind of breakthrough happen.”
She scowled at the young man. “That’s unacceptable. It would be wonderful to have Doctor Leonard here to figure out the answer for us, but he’s not. You’re going to have to buckle down and figure this out. If it’s possible to utilize a weak flip point to go elsewhere—and with bigger ships—we need to know about it.
“I realize you’ve been trying to break into the research computers, but I want you to focus every bit of your attention on this problem. Take the theory apart and come up with something we can use. We’re not going anywhere until you do.”
He sighed. “I’ll get right to work on it.”
Kelsey watched him depart and worried. That was a lot of weight to carry on those young shoulders, but she’d seen him come through before. He was smarter than he thought. He’d find a solution to their problems.
Meanwhile, she needed to focus on their new home. While the probes had been unsuccessful at finding any other flip points, they’d gotten a good read on the normal matter in the system.
It was a fairly average place. Ten major bodies orbiting a normal star. Many of the outer ones were gaseous in nature, but the inner ones were solid. One of them was inside the goldilocks zone and might be habitable. They’d have to go a lot closer to be sure.
Nothing she’d seen had indicated there was any hostile presence inside the system. As far as she was concerned, the time for hiding was over. They needed to see what they were dealing with.
“Signal the other ships,” she told Angela. “Set course for the planet inside the habitable zone. Let’s go see if anyone is home.”
6
Annette was more than a bit relieved when Talbot finally pulled her out of the compartment. The security man was creeping her out.
The marine officer eyed her. “You okay?”
“I’m am now. I was really worried they were going to jump me.”
“You seemed like you were doing fine,” Talbot said. “You must be hell at the poker table.”
She grinned. “I can hold my own. Still, there’s a guy in there that I wouldn’t want to play against. Raul Castille, their security man. He made me right away.”
The marine’s eyes widened. “He made you? How could he have made you? You sat there and talked with them for hours.”
“He was playing with me. He flat out said that he’d seen Violet Renner’s personnel file. He knows what she looks like. He made several coy statements that the others never picked up on, but I knew he was poking at me.”
“That is kind of creepy,” Talbot said. “Well, it’s pretty clear my plan isn’t going to work. They have to know what we’re up to.
“The commodore was down checking on you, too. She was pissed that I hadn’t run this by her, and she thinks it’s too dangerous. So, we’re pulling the plug.”
Annette nodded. “I was pretty much afraid of that. I saw that you pulled Commodore Murdock out for questioning. Has she said anything useful?”
The marine grimaced. “She’s had plenty to say, none of it useful. I swear to God, I thought I’d never meet anybody more officious and condescending than Wallace Breckenridge. Boy, was I wrong.
“How the hell can that woman run a place like the research center? She’d be up in everyone’s business. No one would be able to get anything done.”
Annette laughed. “I suspect that most of the other prisoners would quietly agree with you. She’s a real piece of work. If we’re not going to get into the computers by trickery, how are we going to do it?”
Talbot shrugged. “Carl needs to find a tech solution. Or, he’s just going to have to reverse engineer the manufacturing equipment based on the hardware we have. It might take longer, but he’ll find a way.”
“Speaking of finding a way, are we any closer to finding our way out of this system?” she asked.
“Last I heard they haven�
��t found any other flip points. While they figure out that problem, we’ll have to deal with the prisoners.”
“Are we authorized to do that? I’m not exactly military intelligence.”
“We’re what we have,” he said. “There are still a lot of questions we need answered. For example, why was the research facility located at Dresden, of all places? That wasn’t precisely an easy-to-access location for the Rebel Empire. Why not somewhere more centrally located?
“And why did they send a fleet to take out the Erorsi AI now? Why not five hundred years ago? What was the trigger? Was it something we did?”
“Probably,” she said. “I’d also like to know why they aren’t using the Raider implants for themselves. Or are they? That kind of information is critical to our ultimate survival. Also, is this the only location that makes Raider implants? If it is, we might have caught a break.”
“Where do you want to start?” Talbot asked. “The security guy?”
Annette smiled. “Surprisingly, yes. I think he might let some information slip. He seems to think he’s smarter than everyone else. Maybe he is. If so, he won’t be able to resist playing with us.”
“How do you want to handle this?”
“I’m going to open up to him. Carl overwrote the viral code in the senior prisoner’s implants while they were out, so there’s no danger of a programmed reaction. If I give him some information, he may give me some back. If I answer some questions, so might he.
“Another thing I’d like to find out about is those ghosts they’ve mentioned. Who are they? What does the Rebel Empire know about them? What do they suspect? There’s so much that we don’t know.”
“And even more that we don’t know we’re ignorant of,” Talbot agreed. “We’re using the compartment next to this one for questioning the individual officers. Commodore Murdock is in there now. Once my guy finishes with her, you can take his place, and I’ll bring Castille to you.”
Raul nodded toward Commodore Murdock as the guards took him out of the cafeteria and brought her in. She looked indignant. As though their captors had offended her by asking questions. The woman never ceased to amaze him.
Once into the corridor, the guards walked him to the compartment next door. Inside he found the fake Violet Renner waiting for him. Only now she wore captain’s tabs.
“Goodness,” he said with mock surprise. “Promotions happen without any warning around here.”
The woman smiled thinly. “Have a seat, Commander. Since you took great joy in making sure that I knew you’d seen through my impersonation, I’m sure it won’t shock you that I’m done playing that game. Instead, I’m going to ask you some direct questions. Ones that I’m willing to pay for.”
He pulled out the chair and draped himself across it. The two marines stood in the back corners of the compartment. They were well positioned to restrain him, if he decided to become aggressive. He wouldn’t bother.
“I must say I like this game better. I’m not a conventional man, Captain…I’m afraid we haven’t been formally introduced. Whom am I addressing?”
“My name is Annette Vitter.”
“So, you are a Fleet officer. I wasn’t sure.”
Her smile widened a little bit. “Oh, I’m a Fleet officer all right. Just not in the way you mean. I’m not a renegade officer. None of us are.”
“Ah. I see. You’re going to tell me that you’re operating under orders.”
“Absolutely.”
“I find that difficult to believe. Let me tell you what I think. I believe you are Fleet, but a renegade. You’re working for someone in the higher orders. Probably the coordinator of one of the major worlds.
“Somehow, you found out about the work we’re doing here, and that coordinator wants it for him or herself. Your mission is to make that happen.”
He grinned. “Unfortunately, that’s very unlikely to happen. I’m sorry to have to inform you, but you’re going to be trapped in this system.”
If the news bothered her, she hid it very well. In fact, she looked completely unperturbed.
“I have some bad news for you. The fleet you sent to take out the renegade ship’s computer and attack the holdout system it was keeping bottled up won’t be coming back. As for the replacement fleet you’re expecting, it’s already arrived.”
He laughed. “You’d like me to believe that you’re part of the replacement fleet? Somehow, I doubt that very much. I’m not completely certain how you know where we dispatched the original fleet to, though. Perhaps you’d care to explain that in more detail?”
“As a gesture of goodwill, certainly. We were lying in wait for your ships. They won’t be coming back at all, I’m afraid. You see, while I’m completely truthful in saying that I’m Fleet, it’s not the same Fleet you serve. It’s the one that came before.”
Now he guffawed. “Please, tell me another one. I don’t know what your game is, Annette, but this is very entertaining. You don’t mind if I call you Annette, do you?”
“Feel free,” she said with a magnanimous gesture. “You want to be entertained? Let’s see if I can manage that. One of the things you manufacture here is for use by the computer at Erorsi. You did know that that’s the name of the system where the computer is located, right?
“Back before the AIs overthrew the Old Empire, Erorsi was home to billions of people. Now it’s a wasteland filled with savage human beings the computer enhanced against their wills using equipment produced here. Specifically, Marine Raider implants.”
Raul sat up, all his amusement gone. “Where did you hear that name?”
Annette smiled. “From a different ship’s computer. One on a Marine Raider ship. It confirmed many things we suspected about those enhancements.”
He shook his head. “I’m sure you’d like me to believe that. You’re fishing for information. It’s not playing by the rules you set up, Annette.”
“Ah, but I am playing by the rules,” she said with a cool grin. “What’s more, I’m willing to prove it. This compartment is shielded, so you can utilize your implants without me having to worry about you doing something naughty. Allow me to share with you what I know about Marine Raider implants.”
When his implants received a connection request, he cautiously accepted it. As a security officer, he had special filters to be sure nothing malicious made it into his system, but these were interesting times.
The communication had a file attached to it. He opened it and was astonished to see a very detailed scan analysis of an individual with the implants they manufactured here on the orbital. It only took a moment to grasp that they were authentic.
“Where did you get this?” he demanded flatly.
The woman leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially. “I’ll tell you that in exchange for a few answers of my own. Take a moment to examine what I sent to you. Are you going to try to tell me they aren’t what we’re speaking of?”
“No. It’s obvious that you’ve somehow obtained extremely classified data. I’m not sure how you made them up to look as though they’d been implanted inside a real person, but that’s very clever.
“Yes, these implants are manufactured here, and the old dictatorship called them Marine Raider implants. They’re forbidden technology. Merely possessing knowledge about them is a death sentence. Which saddens me, since I kind of like you.”
“That makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside,” she said. “I’m not worried about any death sentences. You see, I wasn’t joking when I said I come from a different Fleet.”
She leaned even farther forward. “Your precious lords missed a planet. That’s all it took. Now we’re back, looking to restore the Empire.”
He eyed her suspiciously. This had to be a joke. One in admittedly poor taste.
“So, you’re trying to tell me that you’re a ghost? You really need to work on being more convincing.”
“I can see that I’ll have to do something drastic to convince you that I’m telling the truth. Very w
ell.”
She reached into a bag sitting beside the table and pulled out a headband with a chinstrap. She tossed it onto the table in front of him. “Put this on. Once you’ve secured it, it takes a special key to take it back off.”
He examined it without touching it. “What is it?”
“An implant jammer. While you’re wearing it, you’ll be unable to interact with anything through your implants. As I said, I don’t want you doing anything naughty. You have the choice of putting it on yourself or my associates will assist you.”
Well, if those were his options, he’d do it himself. He picked the headset up and put it on. The chinstrap tightened comfortably, but wouldn’t back off. By design, he supposed.
Annette rose from her seat, came around the table, and snugged the strap even further. “There we go. I don’t want you slipping out of this unexpectedly. You seem very resourceful to me.”
He gave her a toothy grin. “One does try. So, where are you taking me?”
“On a sightseeing tour. Take my word, the view will be very educational.”
The two marines gripped his arms as she exited the compartment. She might be willing to pretend to trust him a little, but they weren’t taking any chances. He’d have no opportunity to tear loose from their grasp. Certainly not after he noted the other marines that trailed them at a distance in the corridor.
She led him down to the docking level where an unfamiliar small craft awaited them. It had aggressive lines and only two places to sit. One of them was situated far forward on the craft and the other was immediately behind it. Both had raised canopies.
He stopped and examined the craft closely. He’d never seen anything like it.
“What is this?”
“This is a Mark Five Raptor,” she said. “A space superiority fighter. You’ll be in front. Normally, we’d both be in flight suits, but I’m not going to do anything fancy. Just a little stroll in the park. Get in.”
