Hellhole Inferno

by Brian Herbert

  “Why should I worry about imaginary enemies when this place is crawling with aliens right here?” Michella asked bitterly. “I hate you all.”

  Peter Herald seemed agitated. “The Ro-Xayans are not imaginary. And they are much more of a threat than the Constellation will ever be.”

  Guards led them toward the low, individual buildings where visitors stayed pondering whether or not to immerse themselves. Ishop glanced up at the dusty sky, knowing that Commodore Hallholme had been ready to launch his strike against this planet. Surely a rescue force would be on its way … but he and Michella had been trapped here for days. The Commodore couldn’t be that far behind.

  On the other hand, after Michella knowingly blew up the Sonjeera spaceport and part of Council City, would the Constellation be so eager to rescue her?

  Ever since Enva Tazaar had betrayed him, Ishop had tried to decide if he was better off throwing in his lot with the Diadem, or convincing the rebels that he wanted to side with them against her. Indeed, by stunning him and imprisoning him with Michella, Enva made it seem that Ishop was still the old Diadem’s lackey. Enva had treated him like garbage—just as the other nobles had when he’d presented his case for his bloodline to be recognized. He had saved Enva, secretly rescued her from the Sonjeeran prison and her imminent execution, and she still used him, abused him, betrayed him. So many people did!

  His anger turned to anguish as he thought of how Laderna had been his partner, with the same goals, dedicated to helping him achieve success. And what Michella had done to her …

  Ishop heard shouts of alarm from one of the slickwater pools and turned to see people pulling a limp man out of the water. He didn’t respond to any of their rescue efforts, and Sophie let out a groan. “A bad reaction happens every once in a while. Some recover, while others do not.” Distressed converts carried the limp man onto the boardwalk and laid him on his back. Sophie looked at the Diadem. “There’s still a chance for him. Your own daughter slipped into a coma at first, but she recovered.”

  “Keana did not recover—she is possessed by an alien! Take me away from this horrible place. If you’re imprisoning me, at least have the decency to shield me from danger.”

  Sophie gave her a look that showed how much she despised Michella, but she controlled herself with obvious difficulty, reminding herself of her duty and her promises.

  The prisoners were delivered to adjacent bungalows, separate units with guards stationed at the doors. The overhanging leaves of a strange, droopy tree made tinkling sounds when the wind moved them.

  Sophie warned, “Don’t try to escape. Even if there were no guards, Hellhole itself is enough to crush you if you dare go out into the wilderness. If you doubt me, I can show you images of a growler storm. You don’t want to be in one.” She raised her eyebrows. “Mr. Heer experienced a growler himself when he was a guest at the General’s headquarters. He did not, however, have any firsthand experience with cannibal beetles, quakes, volcanic eruptions, or razor rain. This is not a pleasant place. Best if you accept our hospitality.”

  As Sophie ran through her litany of warnings, Ishop watched Michella. The pampered Diadem would never make it alone out on rugged Hellhole.

  “This is beyond what I can endure.” Michella squared her bony shoulders, gestured toward Ishop with a spidery, ringed hand. “Do something to get us out of here, Ishop! If you do, I will reward you handsomely.”

  She had made promises to him before. Ishop felt bile rise in his throat, hating her, remembering what she had done to Laderna and to him. “I will do my best for you, Eminence. As always.”

  He thought about the list that he and Laderna had developed together. A Duchenet still needed to die for those old crimes. On this dangerous planet, there were countless ways to kill her. That was something he could look forward to at least.

  40

  General Adolphus put the Hellhole stringline hub on high alert as he prepared to launch his preemptive strike against the Constellation fleet. Commodore Hallholme could be on his way already, depending on how extensive the sabotage had been at the Tehila terminus ring.

  Adolphus summoned the DZDF ships that patrolled Hellhole orbit and launched many other combat-ready battleships from the Ankor spaceport. By now, he had consolidated the Constellation vessels he had captured from Redcom Hallholme’s retaliatory fleet. Many of those warships had been damaged in battle, as well as by the destructive computer virus Major Crais had installed in their command systems, but most had been salvaged and repaired, then placed back into service.

  Whenever the commandeered warships had come back online, Adolphus had dispersed them as peacekeeping ships throughout the vulnerable Deep Zone worlds. He didn’t have time to recall them from all the other frontier planets, so he would have to make do with what he had here … even if it meant leaving Hellhole less defended than he would like. It was a gamble. He had to move against the Commodore as soon as possible, and George Komun had promised to bring additional ships from Umber.

  Fortunately, Captain Naridar had not yet departed on patrol with his fifteen ships from Hossetea, and so those ships, along with the thirty-five that Adolphus normally kept in place around Hellhole, would comprise a decent surprise attack force against the Commodore’s beachhead on Tehila. The combined force would not be quite equivalent to what his old nemesis had gathered, but Adolphus would have the element of surprise, as well as his own sheer boldness.

  He’d said his good-byes to Sophie before she took the two political prisoners off to the Slickwater Springs compound, and now he could focus entirely on the military operational plan.

  Before launch, Tanja Hu and Ian Walfor joined him aboard the shuttle that was heading for Adolphus’s flagship, the Jacob, which waited at the stringline hub. “We’re going with you to Tehila,” Walfor said.

  Tanja tossed her long dark hair over one shoulder. “If you’re taking that planet back, we want to be there.”

  “But you just escaped from it.”

  Tanja’s expression hardened. “Many Candela refugees are still on Tehila. Being a refugee is bad enough, but being a prisoner is far worse. My people understand how you tried to save as many people as possible before the asteroids struck Candela—even while your own planet was under attack. I can rally them to our cause. While you worry about the military engagement in orbit, I might be able to assist in fomenting an uprising on the ground.”

  They sat back as the shuttle accelerated, leaping toward orbit. Over the rumble of the engines, Adolphus said, “That would be fine with me. But what’s your role in this, Mr. Walfor?”

  The former Buktu governor shrugged. “Military adviser. Consultant. Whatever vague term you prefer. Personally, I’d like to stay with Tanja, unless you have other pressing needs for me.”

  Adolphus had no objection to that. The two worked well as a team.

  Around the stringline hub, commercial ships and passenger transports came in along the iperion lines from other Deep Zone planets. None of the captains were prepared for the sudden high alert, but word spread quickly. Many of the ships rushed off, to be away from Hellhole as swiftly as possible. Other captains offered to stay.

  As the shuttle docked with the Jacob, Adolphus called for Captain Naridar to be briefed aboard the flagship. The two captured Constellation stringline haulers were brought to the bustling hub so they could be loaded with DZDF military craft as well as another dozen or so private support ships. He couldn’t be squeamish or hesitant now. He would throw everything he had into the operation.

  Commodore Hallholme was a complex and even—by some definitions—honorable man, now that the General knew more about him. But Hallholme didn’t know when to give up. It was time for Adolphus to deliver a mortal blow to the Constellation fleet. It was the only way the Deep Zone could remain independent—and intact.

  Once he arrived on the Jacob’s bridge, the General felt at home. The flagship was named after his father, patriarch of the Adolphus family, noble ruler of Qiorfu before it h
ad all been taken from them. That planet should have gone to his brother, Stefano, while Tiber Adolphus went off to Aeroc to study in the military, as excess noble sons usually did. He had never intended to lead a rebellion, but when the corrupt Constellation betrayed him—not once, but multiple times—Adolphus had been left with no other choice. Now, the Deep Zone depended on him, as did the Xayans who were striving so hard toward ala’ru before their enemies arrived. Surrender was not in his vocabulary.

  The deputy officer on duty, Clayton Sendell, relinquished the command seat and displayed a report summarizing the available DZDF ships as well as the civilian captains and crews who had contributed their vessels to the liberation of Tehila. Adolphus scanned down the records, highlighted particular vessels. Even though these ships weren’t military, he might need all the assistance he could get.

  “I’ll leave five DZDF ships here in orbit so Hellhole isn’t completely undefended.” He summoned a calendar grid. “Mr. Sendell, do we have a projected date when George Komun’s reinforcements will arrive from Umber?”

  Sendell had the information ready at hand. “Minimum of eight days, sir, given travel time from our stringline hub to Umber and back. Add an extra day or two for him to gather them.”

  Adolphus said, “That’ll have to be good enough. I want to launch our fleet within six hours. At maximum speed it’ll still take almost four days to reach Tehila.”

  “Four days, seven hours, sir,” said Sendell. “With all due respect.”

  Adolphus concealed a satisfied smile. He liked this young man; maybe Sendell would earn more responsibility before the operation was over. “That’s allowing for standard deceleration. I think we can tolerate a few aches and bruises if we use extreme braking. Time is of the essence.”

  Sendell gave a quick snap of a nod. “Yes, sir.”

  Adolphus called for his DZDF ships to load into the docking clamps. The most impressive-looking military vessels were interspersed with volunteer commercial transports. “The civilian ships don’t have any military punch,” Adolphus said, “but we can use them to pad out our stringline haulers. Commodore Hallholme will see a huge fleet coming at him—he won’t know that many of the ships are just cannon fodder.”

  Next to him, Tanja frowned, as if doubting the tactic. “Decoys.”

  Adolphus nodded. “We’ll find some use for them.”

  Captain Naridar arrived on the bridge, and saluted as he presented himself. He seemed energized, proud of his position. “Thank you for including me, General. This is more important than a peacekeeping patrol.” He shook his head. “When I think about how Commodore Hallholme seized Tehila, I can’t help but be reminded that Hossetea wanted to do the same thing. If I hadn’t acted when I did, that planet would have fallen as well.”

  “I don’t intend to surrender any of my Deep Zone worlds without a fight, Captain,” Adolphus said. “The DZ has fought hard and shed blood for freedom. We won’t simply give up, I promise.”

  Meanwhile, a group of five civilian ships, cargo haulers and passenger transports, clustered on another node at the stringline hub, ready to depart along a line that had not been used in two months—the path to devastated Theser.

  Enva Tazaar opened the channel to the flagship. “General Adolphus, we are preparing to depart, along with a thousand Candela refugees. Thank you for the good word, Administrator Hu. When I told them I intended to reestablish a settlement on Theser, they couldn’t jump to accept fast enough. They just needed someone to point them in the right direction.”

  “A thousand of them?” Adolphus said. “You don’t think small, Lady Tazaar—and I’m impressed by how quickly you moved.”

  On the screen, Enva smiled. “You did grant me permission, General. What would be the point in waiting? I wanted to demonstrate my dedication along with my leadership abilities.”

  “You’re doing well, so far. I suggest you keep doing so.”

  Tanja somehow managed to look pleased and troubled at the same time. “My Candela refugees will be scattered, and they’ll form their own communities and identities on new planets. I’m not their planetary administrator anymore.” She paused. “I suppose I’ll just enjoy being footloose for the time being.”

  Walfor nudged her with his elbow. “Buktu is empty and waiting to be resettled. If we can resolve this mess with the Constellation, maybe we’ll free Erik Anderlos and my people. Do you think they’ll go for a prisoner exchange, General?”

  “It’s a possibility,” Adolphus said. “Once we recapture Tehila, maybe they’ll be a little less intractable.”

  While the Jacob locked into a primary spot on the lead stringline hauler, the General monitored the loading and positioning of the remaining ships. He kept watch on the chronometer, pleased with the progress he was seeing. They might even be able to launch an hour ahead of schedule.

  As he watched the last military vessels and civilian ships lining up in the loading pattern, Sophie Vence contacted him from Slickwater Springs. He immediately feared that something had gone wrong, that the Diadem or Ishop Heer had caused trouble—but she was smiling on the screen. “Tiber, I’ve got great news for you—a hundred and fifty shadow-Xayan volunteers have agreed to help, as you requested. I pressed them, and they’re heading to Ankor at this moment.”

  Adolphus was surprised, but pleased. He needed to take advantage of every weapon, and every surprise, in his arsenal. “I’ll take them aboard my flagship. They may prove useful—I have the military force, but telemancy will be my secret weapon. Is Keana among them?”

  Sophie shook her head. “No, she’s coming here to see her mother. Lodo will lead the group heading with you out to Tehila.”

  Adolphus felt a warm flush of increased confidence. “Commodore Hallholme won’t know what hit him.”

  Sophie had a sparkle in her eyes that made her look ten years younger and even more beautiful than usual. “That is the idea, Tiber. They’re on their way.”

  Before long, the shuttle from Ankor docked aboard the Jacob just as the last ships locked into place aboard the stringline haulers. Adolphus had already directed Clayton Sendell to find quarters for the shadow-Xayans.

  Three converts accompanied Lodo as they arrived on the bridge. Though the rest of the Jacob’s crew were familiar with the Xayans, the looming creature drew many strange glances. Lodo’s voice vibrated through the membrane across his smooth face. “Shall we begin our military adventure, General?”

  Adolphus confirmed with the hauler pilot that both framework vessels were fully loaded, aligned on the iperion path, and ready to speed into space.

  “Yes, Lodo, we shall.” He made a fleet-wide announcement to rally them, and heard a resounding cheer over the intercom. The haulers launched.

  41

  Through her connection to Uroa, Keana understood that the real threat to the planet was not a fleet of Constellation ships. The alien presence within her was convinced the Ro-Xayans would try to exterminate the rival Xayan faction.

  As the Diadem’s daughter, Keana had been brought up in the glitter of Sonjeera, obsessed with her own troubles and minor ambitions. She had resented her mother and court politics, and resented being forced to marry for political reasons. She had dismissed Bolton Crais as not being interesting enough, without bothering to think that she had not made herself worthy of him either. She took Louis de Carre as her lover, and now she wondered if the affair was merely a way of lashing out against her domineering mother. Oh, Keana had loved Louis, she was sure of that; under normal circumstances theirs might have been a romance for the ages. Louis’s utter disgrace and suicide was the most devastating thing Keana had endured up until that point in her life. But she had also been blithely cruel to Bolton, and he didn’t deserve that.

  Now, she realized how utterly trivial her concerns had been. She’d been a spoiled child, self-centered and weak, a creation of her environment. In a sense, she wasn’t much different from her mother, although the Diadem wielded much more power.

  But Keana had
advanced far beyond that, becoming one of the most powerful of the shadow-Xayans. Joined with Uroa, she was helping propel the future of an entire race, guiding them toward their evolutionary destiny—a far more important obligation than any responsibility her mother had.

  Keana was an entirely different person from the woman who had naïvely run away from the Crown Jewels. When she faced Michella, she did not expect her mother to understand or forgive what she had done.

  As she left the burgeoning shadow-Xayan settlement, she and Uroa used telemancy to levitate her body. They flew across the landscape, heading directly for the compound where the captive Diadem was being held.

  The Uroa part of her wanted to remain with the converts, working to increase the race’s mental powers to achieve ala’ru. If only more volunteers would immerse themselves in the slickwater, they might even be ready to ascend when Lodo and his group of shadow-Xayans returned with the General from Tehila.

  But Keana needed to do this, and Uroa allowed her, promising to assist in the conversation—or confrontation—with Michella, as necessary.

  Ishop Heer was being held prisoner, too. Back in her previous shallow life, Ishop had convinced Keana to go haring off to Hellhole looking for the son of her lover Louis de Carre. She realized now that it might have been a trick, a fool’s errand to get rid of her. Had her mother put him up to it? She wouldn’t have been surprised.

  Regardless, it had resulted in her becoming who she was now.

  When she arrived, the three slickwater pools were crowded. For weeks now, Encix had been using the threat of the Ro-Xayans as a goad to encourage more converts, and Keana could sense the Original was growing more and more dissatisfied with the promise not to coerce volunteers.