by M. R. Forbes
"Yes. When you say jump, we'll say how far." He laughed.
"Let's not waste any time."
"As you say, Colonel." Ming walked over to a panel on the wall. "Seung, the Colonel is ready to jump."
"Aye, sir," a female voice replied. "We're set and ready. Jumping now."
Mitchell felt the pull again as the ship entered hyperspace. His stomach complained a little, and he could see Calvin and Aiko's did as well.
"My apologies, Colonel," Ming said, noticing their discomfort. "The engines on the Kemushi are a bit old, and the calibration is off. You get used to it."
Mitchell hoped he wouldn't be on board the old trawler long enough to get used to it.
"Follow me," Ming said, leading them out of the hangar. "I have everything you requested. I think I have the right sizes."
He brought them to a small storage room, opening it up to reveal racks of clothing. While some styles tended to be universal, others were highly specific to the planet and sometimes city where they originated. The Kemushi seemed to have it all.
"That's a lot of clothes," Aiko said, her eyes surveying the room.
"Aye," Ming said. "We've made a living doing this sort of thing for Mr. Tio. Mainly in Federation space and out on the Rim. If there's information to be found, we'll find it."
Calvin moved deeper into the room. Mitchell followed behind him; certain the Federation Admiral knew what he was seeking. He stopped at a rack near the back, lifting what appeared to be a suit from it.
"Like this, Mitchell," he said.
The suit was a dark gray, with a high, sharp collar. The shirt had some pleating on it while the pants fell to just above the ankle.
"This is fashion?" he asked. It was an odd throwback to centuries old style.
"If you don't want to attract attention, yes."
Mitchell shrugged and began thumbing through the rack, looking for something in his size. He found an outfit similar to the one Calvin had removed, though his was a deep red that shimmered slightly as the light hit it.
"This isn't going to attract attention?"
Calvin looked at him and laughed. "On second thought, it might be better for your to appear as more of an offworlder."
"I'll find you something," Aiko said, approaching them. She had a few layers of clothing over her arm.
Mitchell followed behind her as she scanned the racks. She hummed and clucked at the clothing in distaste.
"If I didn't know better, I would say you might be starting to enjoy this," Mitchell said.
"I am, a little. Using my fear." She smiled at him, meeting his eyes with her own. He had been surprised the first time she had looked at him directly. Her eyes a lighter brown than he was used to on Federates.
"I'm glad you learned something from me."
"I learned a lot from you, Mitch. I'm very grateful."
Mitchell felt his heart thump, and for a moment he wondered how grateful. He pushed that part of himself back down, making sure to keep his eyes up as she walked ahead of him.
"Here. This is it." She grabbed a few pieces of clothing. A black shirt, a tan vest, dark brown pants, and boots, along with a waist-length jacket. "You'll look great in this. You'll turn all the girl's heads."
Mitchell took the offered clothes. "If you say so."
"I'll show you to your rooms," Ming said. "You have a few hours before we drop."
"Thank you," Mitchell said.
Ming led them away from the storage area, up two flights of skeletal iron stairs to a long corridor of hatches.
"General berthing," Ming said. "Our crew is light enough everyone has their own room, with a few to spare. We were fortunate you're using us for this. I heard some of the other ships are crowded with other Asimov refugees."
Mitchell nodded. The people of Asimov had been assigned based on their occupation and the tactical capability of the starship. They wanted to keep the heavily non-soldier occupied ships away from the fighting if they could.
"We tried to spread them out, but a lot of the people wanted to stay together."
"Understandable. These four are free. They're all pretty much the same."
Mitchell took the first one. He paused at the hatch, watching the others. Calvin, Aiko, and Joon, in that order.
"We'll meet in the hangar at t-minus one hour," he said to them.
"Yes, Colonel," they replied.
Mitchell ducked into his room, shutting his eyes as the hatch closed behind him. Three hours to do nothing but wait. If he were back on Greylock, he would have sought out Ella, or maybe she would have sought him out, and together they would release their tension in bed. That wasn't an option here. Unless...
No. He didn't expect anything like that to happen. In another time, another place, with another person, maybe. This time, he was on his own.
Slow.
Steady.
25
"We're dropping in five, Commander," Seung said.
Ming glanced over at Mitchell, standing on the bridge of the Kemushi with his team. The trawler's command center was tiny for a ship of its size, leaving them crowded in around a single row of control stations to see to the outside.
"Let's hope we get good news," Mitchell said.
He was trying not to think about the worst case, that the Tetron were still in orbit around the planet and would blow them to dust the moment they dropped. After what had happened on Hell, it was impossible not to think it possible.
The second worst case was that Watson had somehow managed to beat them here. The rest of the cases cascaded from there to the best case: that their current plan would go according to plan, and they would zip out of the capital port of the planet, Mirai, less than twenty-four hours from now with a solid idea of where to find Pulin.
"Here we go," Seung said, watching the clock on her touchscreen as it hit zero.
Space expanded once more.
The Kemushi found itself floating in a crowded field of starships of a hundred shapes and sizes, much further out from the planet than they had expected. A ring of Federation military ships corralled the starships, keeping them within a limited space.
Yokohama was still there, the speckled lights of Mirai visible on the surface below.
Mitchell exhaled while the normally reserved Calvin Hohn let out a soft whoop of excitement. Why wouldn't he? Those were his nation's people down there.
"Looks like we have civilization, Colonel," Ming said, smiling himself.
"It's crowded as anything out here," Mitchell said. "Is this normal?"
"Not at all," Calvin said, his excitement fading as quickly as it had come. "I think we can guess what's causing it."
Mitchell felt his heart drop as he realized the truth of it. "They're all refugees, looking for a planet that hasn't been laid to waste. They found one, but for how long?"
It made sense that the Tetron would leave Yokohama alone if it fit into their goal of finding Pulin. What would happen after that information was either taken or lost?
Would they be signaling the death of everyone on the planet by raiding the Black Hole? Mitchell pushed the thought aside. If they didn't stop the Tetron, every planet would suffer the same fate.
"I have a feeling it may be a challenge to get down there," Calvin said.
"I'll get you down," Ming said. "Federation Import Control knows the Kemushi. I have full clearance and credits in my account if I need to line a few pockets."
"Sir, we're being hailed by the Federation."
"Speak and they shall hear," Ming said with a smile. "Open the channel."
"Tradeship Kemushi, this is Captain Sei of the cruiser Gom. Please verify identity, inventory, and intent on Yokohama."
"Ah, Captain Sei, this is Commander Ming Go of the Kemushi. It's been what, six months?"
"Ming, old friend. My apologies but recent events dictate that all import procedures are followed quite strictly. Please verify identity, inventory, and intent."
Ming looked over at Mitchell and Calvin, clearly intrigued. "Of course.
Identity: Tradeship Kemushi, clearance code alpha foxtrot delta zero four seven nine seven four echo omega. I'm transmitting the crew manifest now. Inventory: I am transporting four civilians from the outer Rim. Intent: They are looking to establish a trade agreement with AgriCo. They're from the unincorporated planet Calidad."
A long pause followed, presumably while Captain Sei reviewed the manifest.
"Tradeship Kemushi, your request for import is denied. You're free to remain in orbit for up to seventy-two hours. If you require refueling or resupply, please contact the appropriate service."
Ming looked at them again, his brow furrowed in anger. "Denied? Dae-san, we've known one another for fifteen years. I've never been denied import."
"I'm sorry, Ming. As I said, recent events have changed things. We've been receiving reports that the Alliance has a new super weapon that it is using to lay waste to Federation planets. We've been working nonstop just to process the incoming ships. New trade agreements have been placed on hold until all of this is sorted out."
Ming leaned forward to close the channel, letting out a low growl as soon as he did.
"That's it then, I guess," Joon said. "We can't get down to the surface."
"Bullshit," Ming said. "I'll get you down. Give me a minute to think."
Ming began pulling on his goatee while staring out the viewport. He was silent for a minute, yanking hard enough that it looked painful.
"Okay," he said. "I have an idea, but it's going to cost, and I can't guarantee you'll be able to get back to the Kemushi. You may need to steal a ship."
"Steal a ship?" Aiko said.
"I suppose hijack would be the most appropriate term. But yes, it may require a bit more dirty work than we had intended. I was there, Colonel. I saw what one Tetron did to our ships, whether we destroyed it or not. We have to stop them, whatever it takes."
"Agreed," Calvin said.
Mitchell nodded. "Whatever you need to do, do it."
26
It took two hours for Ming to reach his contact at Kido Resupply. It took another hour and nearly ten million Frontier Federate Dollars from Tio's account to convince him to forge documents and lie through his teeth to Federation Import Control to get him to agree to ferry Mitchell, Calvin, and Aiko down to the surface. Mitchell had argued furiously to get Joon included, but Ming had stated that there was only room for three, whatever that meant.
They were standing in the hangar, next to the resupply airlock. The Kido Four was directly on the other side of it, in the process of equalizing air pressure between the ships.
"I don't have the best feeling about this," Aiko said, tugging on her skirt.
Mitchell had laughed when she explained how recent Federation fashions were shorter than she remembered, and how she had been surprised when she put the skirt on and found it barely covered her thighs. A pair of long stockings covered her legs nearly up to the skirt, leaving very little actual skin exposed, and flat ankle boots finished up the lower half. A loose fitting, frilly white sleeveless blouse and jacket with a secret placement where she held a concealed pistol, along with a pair of white gloves, finished the outfit.
"Because we're breaking a hundred Federation laws just by stepping through that airlock?" Mitchell asked. "Or because we may need to break a thousand more to get off the planet?"
He shifted slightly, the waist-length jacket a little tight across his shoulders. Aiko had been right; he did look good in the outer-Rim style if he did say so himself, especially with the brown lenses and the beard and mustache he had been growing to help disguise himself.
The airlock light turned green. The hatches of both ships slid open at the same time, revealing an older man with a wrinkled face and even more wrinkled clothes ahead of a dozen men pushing crates on repulser sleds.
"Eito," Ming said.
"Ming. I can't believe you got me to agree to this."
"Trust me when I tell you that you'll be glad you did."
"Ten million? I'm already glad I did." Eito looked at the three of them. "Is this the cargo?"
"Yes."
"You didn't tell me I was bringing an Alliance soldier down," Eito said.
"Former Alliance soldier," Ming said. "He's one of Mr. Tio's now."
"You swear they aren't going to cause any trouble?"
"Yes, yes, I told you they wouldn't. They need to get to the surface to speak with a representative of AgriCo about a purchase agreement."
"Since when does Mr. Tio send soldiers to sign receipts?"
"I'm the bodyguard," Mitchell said. He pointed at Calvin. "He's the businessman."
"And her?" Eito asked.
"The escort," Aiko said.
Eito smiled, looking her over. "A pretty one, at that. I bet you aren't a cheap one."
"No. I'm not."
"Can we get on with this, Eito," Ming said. "Things are fragile out here. I can feel it."
"Yes. The rumors have everyone frightened. The local government is doing what it can to calm nerves and appear in control. If what they say is true, it won't matter."
"What are they saying?" Mitchell asked.
"The Alliance has a weapon that can obliterate a navy in one shot, and can destroy a planet within hours. That there's no defense against it. I've even heard one rumor that the weapon is fully autonomous, an AI."
"That sounds ridiculous," Mitchell said.
Eito shrugged. "Something's got all these ships coming here in search of succor. If this keeps up, I'm going to have to close business in a couple of weeks due to lack of resources. Anyway, let's get things moving here."
He motioned with his hand, and his crew began pushing the crates over onto the Kemushi.
"Obviously, we need to give you something, or this will look suspicious," Eito said. "The crates are filled with nutrition bars that didn't pass inspection. They're edible, but they taste like shit."
"We can still use them," Ming said.
"You three, follow me," Eito said.
Mitchell turned to Ming. "Thank you, Ming."
"You know how to thank me."
Mitchell bowed to him. Calvin approached Eito.
"Show us the way," he said, taking the lead from Mitchell.
Eito led them into the resupply ship. It was a similar size to the Kemushi, but orbital only. It had no hyperspace engines, leaving it more space for cargo. They were in the massive loading space, which was at this point nearly empty.
"I'm going to tell you upfront, this isn't going to be comfortable," Eito said. "To be honest, I'm not even sure you'll survive."
"What do you mean?" Mitchell asked.
"When we land, we'll be inspected by Import to ensure we haven't brought back anything we didn't declare. The only way I can get you past the inspection is in that freezer there." He pointed across to a solid gray box in the corner. "We're bringing back a ton of fresh beef. The real thing. I can tell you; the crew is damn happy about this because we had to do something with the five hundred pounds you'll be replacing. I know Ming wanted to bring four of you, but we can't eat that much before it spoils."
"You want us to ride down in a meat freezer?" Aiko said, looking down at her outfit.
"I can't get you down any other way."
"Did Ming know about this?"
"Yes."
"And he agreed to it?"
"We have to risk it," Mitchell said.
"Anyway, you don't have to go in until we touch down. The inspection takes about thirty minutes. Do your best to stay warm."
"That's easy for you to say," Aiko said. "You're going to be on this side of the freezer door."
"That's the deal. Mr. Tio has already paid, and there are no refunds. You want to go back? The Kemushi is that way." He pointed to the open airlock.
Aiko looked at Mitchell, her eyes pleading. He put his fist to his chest, trying to signal for her to use her fear.
"We're staying," she said, nodding to him.
Eito shrugged. "Ten minutes to finish unloading the shit bars,
twenty minutes down to the spaceport. Once the inspection is over and I open the door, I'll get you in one of our vans, and we'll drop you in the center of Mirai. That's the end of our agreement."
"Understood," Calvin said.
"I'm going to make sure my crew doesn't frig anything up. Do whatever you want in the meantime."
He wandered off, leaving the three of them standing there.
"I expect you to keep me warm," Aiko said to him.
"I'll do my best."
27
The ride down to the surface was fine. The thirty minutes in the freezer was some of the worst of Mitchell's life. Considering what he had already been through, and considering the fact that he was pressed tight enough against the front of Aiko that he didn't know where he ended, and she started, it shouldn't have been that bad.
But it was.
The clothes he was wearing were made for the temperate weather of Mirai, not the cold of the freezer. Calvin and Aiko were in the same position, which meant that all of their body heat escaped quickly once they were locked inside. Even holding one another barely made a dent, leaving all three of them shivering within minutes, and painfully numb by the time Eito opened the freezer door.
The minutes felt like hours, and the hours passed like days, but they survived, pulled out of their frozen embrace by Eito's men and quickly wrapped in warm blankets. They sat on the floor of the cargo bay for nearly an hour before they were strong enough to stand and move, at which point Eito led them outside into a bright sun, where a van with the company logo on it waited to deliver them. Between the shock of the cold and the strange familiarity of being on an intact planet again, Mitchell wanted nothing more than to fall to his knees and cry.
He didn't. Instead, the three of them entered the van in silence, each of them experiencing their mixed emotions about being back among a strong population of currently free human beings. Mitchell wondered if they, like him, had wondered whether or not they would ever have had the chance, or if they would ever get the chance again.
"Your stop is coming up," Eito said, looking back over his shoulder.
