by Terry Mixon
Carl laughed. “I suppose that’s what you get for being the face of the New Terran Empire. I’m sure Jared gets equally good coverage, right?”
She nodded grudgingly. “He does, but he’s not letting it get under his skin like I am. I just can’t shake how it makes me feel.
“Now before we fall any further down this rabbit hole, have you made any progress on the Singularity computer? Is it just a standard kind of thing writ large, or is it an AI?”
“It’s not in good enough condition to make that kind of assessment. Whatever happened to it pretty well broke it into component parts. The memory storage units were mostly intact, but as one might expect, they’re encrypted.
“We have the lead researcher on the project aboard, along with a couple of his junior associates, but they’re not being cooperative. I personally have my doubts that they’ll ever give in. It makes sense the AIs would get people that were very loyal to work on a project like this.”
Kelsey rubbed her face. “I’m starting to lose track of how many prisoners we have. Exactly how did we gather all of these enemies anyway?”
“It’s because we’re good at sticking our noses where they don’t belong, stirring up angry mobs, and capturing interesting people before we run away again,” Carl said. “I’m sure they’d find some of their fellow prisoners to be quite fascinating if they knew these other people were here at all.”
Kelsey squeezed the bridge of her nose between her index finger and thumb. “It feels like we have a menagerie. In any case, I’ll go talk with Ralph Halstead and see if we can come to some kind of agreement. Fiona will help me make sure he’s telling us the truth.”
Fiona was the sentient AI they’d found when they’d captured the Dresden orbital. It had been packed away in the freighter they’d used to help move equipment away from the scene of their attack. Talbot had instructed Carl to assemble her on Persephone.
The sentient AI wasn’t in command of Persephone like Marcus was aboard Jared’s flagship Invincible because the Marine Raider computer had special security circuits built into it that disallowed control of the ship’s systems by anyone other than itself.
That didn’t mean that two computers hadn’t begun working together in ways that she still wasn’t certain she fully understood. A kind of strange partnership. The Marine Raider computer seemed to have recognized the AI as both a person and a computer and was cooperating with it in some tasks. It was kind of spooky.
Kelsey looked forward to seeing exactly what that odd partnership resulted in. In any case, the presence of the sentient AI gave her a number of capabilities that she wouldn’t normally have, and that included being able to test people with implants to see if they were lying.
“Keep working on the FTL com,” Kelsey ordered as she headed for the hatch. “I’ll see if I can get you some help.”
Olivia sat in her new office just off Athena’s bridge and stewed. Fielding had sprung this dangerous side mission on them with some kind of ulterior motive, but she just couldn’t figure out what it might be.
He could’ve allowed the mission to proceed without his presence. That meant he wanted something from this new system that furthered his own plans. Whatever they were.
Once they’d finished breakfast, Fielding had headed back to his quarters. Jared’s quarters, if one was to be specific, just as this was her friend’s office.
If she went to Fielding, she’d be on his territory, and he’d attempt to assert his dominance. If she wanted to avoid playing that kind of game again, she’d be much better off if she summoned him to the bridge. Her territory.
Her mind made up, Olivia walked out onto the bridge. Commander Janice Hall, Athena’s helm officer, partly turned in her seat and raised an eyebrow.
“Can I help you, ma’am?” the Fleet officer asked.
“Exactly how far away are we from the new destination system?”
“We’ll hit the first flip point in about two hours. From there, we have three more transitions before we arrive at the target system. All told, it will take us five days to get where we’re going.”
“And once we arrive, we’ll only have about eighteen hours, give or take, to get the code we need to reset the explosives in our hold,” Olivia calculated grimly.
“That’s not a whole lot of time,” Hall agreed. “Do we even know what has to be repaired to get the AI back into shape?”
“Not a clue,” Olivia said. “If we’re in a good place for the moment, I’d like you to go down to Fielding’s cabin and request his presence in my office. I think it’s time he and I had a meeting of the minds.”
“Me, ma’am?”
Olivia nodded. “He’s seen you here on the bridge. He’ll consider you one of my inner circle just by association. Be polite but firm. Give it as much time as it takes, but wait for him.”
She returned to her office and waited.
And waited.
And waited.
Finally, after almost an hour had passed, Commander Hall returned with Fielding striding smugly beside her.
“Lord Fielding, my lady,” Hall said. The Fleet officer rolled her eyes where the man couldn’t see, almost making Olivia smile, and returned to her post on the bridge.
“My apologies for the delay, Lady Keaton,” the Rebel Empire noble said as he entered the office as if he owned it. “You caught me in the middle of something quite delicate. I came as quickly as I could.”
“I’m sure,” Olivia said, not bothering to hide her disbelief. “If you’d be so kind as to close the hatch behind you, I believe it’s time we had a more in-depth discussion on our situation.”
Once the man had finally closed the hatch and taken a seat, she rose from behind her desk and took the seat across from him. For almost a full minute, she studied him without speaking. His smugness didn’t even waiver.
“According to my calculations, once we arrive in the system you’re taking us to, we only have eighteen hours or so to complete the task you’ve set for us.”
“That sounds right,” he agreed.
“And yet you’ve given us no information whatsoever on precisely what we need to do. That’s unacceptable. These games you’re playing are endangering my primary mission, and I will not stand for that.”
“I don’t understand what you mean,” he said, his smile widening. “I would never toy with you in such a fashion.”
“Of course you would,” she countered. “You don’t want us to have the specifics before we arrive, and I can only see one reason for that. Something in that system will further your ends in one way or another, yet you’d rather not have us know precisely what it is.
“I’m afraid you’re not going to be able to have your cake and eat it too, Lord Fielding. You’re going to tell me what you’re doing and why.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he said with a laugh. “Even if that were true—which I’m not saying it is—I certainly wouldn’t feel obligated to tell you my motives.”
She leaned forward, her expression cold. “I agreed to have a bomb planted in my head. I’d execute my crew—my friends—in a moment if it seemed that we were about to fail in our mission or breach the secrecy the Lords demanded. What makes you think that I’m going to just sit here and let you play me like this?”
If her words bothered the man, it didn’t show. His grin didn’t waver.
“You’ll sit here and take it because you don’t really have a choice. In any case, this is perhaps the most fun I’ve had in years. I’ll not let you browbeat me into telling you what’s going on.
“As for what I gain by instigating this change in plans, it’s no business of yours, so long as it doesn’t impinge upon your mission for the System Lords. You’ll just have to accept that you’re not the one in absolute control of your destiny. I am. The sooner you do so, the less indigestion you’ll suffer.
“Now if we’re done playing this little game, I have real work to do. Good day.” He rose to his feet, opened the hatch, and walked out, never loo
king back.
Olivia rubbed her face tiredly. She’d tried to get the information they needed and failed. Now they’d just have to hope that whatever curveballs Fielding threw their way didn’t hit them in the head.
6
Angela sat at the command console on Persephone’s bridge and tried not to feel out of place. Oh, she’d sat in the seat many times before, but only as Kelsey’s executive officer. Now the ship was hers, and that was going to take some getting used to.
The bridge wasn’t large. In fact, it was smaller than a destroyer’s, only having consoles for command, helm, and tactical. Cozy was the watchword.
The hatch at the rear of the compartment slid open, and Veronica Giguere stepped onto Persephone’s bridge. Beside the woman was her Rebel Empire Fleet friend, Lieutenant Commander Don Sommerville and his marine guards trailed the pair.
Pleased at the distraction, Angela turned to face them. “Commander Giguere, Commander Sommerville, is there something I can do for you?”
Veronica smiled. “Would it be possible for you to task one of the drones down on Pandora with making a pass over Dauntless’s wreck, Major Ellis?”
“Certainly. Are you looking for a grand overview or a close pass on certain sections of the vessel?”
“Both. I want Don to see exactly what I’ve been telling him about.”
“After seeing an alien, I don’t think you really need to convince me anymore,” Sommerville said dryly. “That’s not something you can make up.”
The haunted look in the man’s eyes made Angela’s smile a little. “It is a little bit daunting, if you’ll forgive the mild pun. Trust me when I say that this entire situation is a lot to take in, Commander Sommerville.
“Rather than seeing it through the drone, would you care to go down in person? We’re about to dispatch a pinnace to the capital to pick up a gentleman for an enforced medical procedure, and we can drop you off at the wreck on our way.”
One of Veronica’s eyebrows quirked upward. “An enforced medical procedure? Exactly how does that work?”
Angela grinned. “Princess Kelsey had a… disagreement with a gentleman belonging to Clan Dauntless when she first arrived on Pandora. Blows were exchanged and injuries suffered. Rather than leave an avowed enemy sitting behind us, nursing his wounds, Her Highness has decided to make certain that he suffers no lasting harm from the encounter, even though he was an ass.”
“I think that’s an excellent idea,” Veronica said. “That kind of person comes back to haunt you when you least expect it.
“And congratulations on your appointment. Commanding a ship in space is a big step and a true honor. Commanding this ship in particular is going to be an exciting experience, I’m sure.”
“Exactly how does a marine officer achieve command of a Fleet warship?” Sommerville asked. “It seems a little odd.”
“That’s a long story that I’m uncertain you’ve been cleared to hear,” Angela said firmly. “If you’re that curious, you can ask Princess Kelsey. Meanwhile, why don’t I escort you down to the planet surface?”
Veronica made a point of looking around Persephone’s bridge. “Don’t you have a ship to command?”
“Senior Lieutenant Thompson has everything under control, don’t you Jack?”
The helm officer grinned at her. “I feel relatively confident that were not going to run into any trouble here in orbit, Major. We’ll manage just fine without you for a couple of hours, I’m sure.”
“See? Let’s get down to one of the pinnaces, and we’ll get you to Pandora so you can visit a wreck.”
The three of them left Persephone’s bridge and headed for the nearest pinnace. Angela had already ordered some marines to be ready for the mission. She’d originally intended to send Jack down but wanted to get a feel for their prisoner herself.
Just like she’d told Sommerville, she felt relatively safe leaving her ship under the circumstances. The only other vessels in the Pandora system were those attached to Commodore Anderson’s task force. And if anyone else did arrive, Angela would have plenty of time to get back to Persephone.
Besides, it would feel good to stretch her legs a little.
Once everyone was secured, the pinnace detached from the Marine Raider strike ship and fell toward the planet. Since there wasn’t an emergency, they’d do a relatively slow entry so as not to spook the locals.
“Your helmsmen didn’t call you Captain,” Sommerville said. “Is that a marine thing?”
“Yes and no,” Angela said seriously. “We’re still exploring exactly how marines commanding a ship in space will look, but the marines don’t use the rank of captain. I understand that on board ship, that’s a position rather than a rank, but we’re still not certain that’s what we want to do.
“My people know who I am. I don’t need them calling me by my position. I think I’m satisfied with them using my rank as my only form of address. I’m certain other people would feel more comfortable using the title of captain and that we’re going to end up causing confusion, but that’s pretty much the nature of how the marines fit inside Fleet.”
Somerville chuckled. “I suppose that’s true enough.”
“As an interested observer, I’d like to ask you a few questions if you don’t mind, Commander Sommerville.”
The man gestured for her to continue. “Feel free, Major. I may not answer, but I’m not going to take offense at your curiosity.”
“What’s it like working inside an enemy for your entire professional career and plotting their downfall? It seems like being a spy from one of the old vids, always in fear that someone is going to figure out your secret and capture you or kill you.”
He nodded slowly. “There’s an element of that, certainly. I wish it were something as straightforward as what you’re imagining, but it’s not. When you intermingle with people on a daily basis, you form friendships. Even with people that are ostensibly working for the other side.”
His eyes moved over to Veronica. “Veronica and I were once close friends, even though she’d have thought me a traitor if she’d known what I was up to. I have hopes that we’ll be friends again one day.”
Veronica gave him an affectionate look and shook her head. “I’m not going to hold your past against you, Don. I believe we both pulled the wool over one another’s eyes. Knowing what I do about the overall situation, at the very least we’re going to be allies.”
Somerville raised an eyebrow. “And you’re confident of that? At this point, I’m not. I just don’t know enough about you all, and I’m unsure that I can trust you with the secrets you want from me. I’ve got a lot of people to think about.”
“If you don’t mind my input, I might be able to smooth this road a little bit,” Angela said. “What is it you think we’ll be doing if you don’t help us? Sitting here and waiting to be rescued? I can assure you that isn’t going to happen.
“With the capture of your Q-ship, we understand that you were taking supplies to what is almost certainly a resistance base hidden in a system that the Rebel Empire doesn’t know about. The first leg of that journey starts in the Archibald system. Are you with me so far?”
Somerville nodded again. “I can see the logic of what you’re saying, though I will neither confirm nor deny the existence of a base or a flip point of the nature you are implying.”
“Any lawyer worth their salt would be proud of that answer,” Angela said with a grin. “The next obvious step is to send probes through that far flip point. Of course, that means we need to locate it first.
“You’d think that would be a little bit difficult with an invasion going on, but Persephone might surprise you. My ship is designed to sneak into places right under other people’s noses. You didn’t see how we got out of the system, and I’m not going to share that information without proper authorization, but none of the Clan warships is likely to be anywhere near our entry point into Archibald space.
“Our next step is almost certainly going to have me
ghost into the Archibald system and send stealthed probes to look into the outer reaches of the system for far flip points. Eventually, we’re going to find out where you were going, and then I’ll send probes through to see what’s on the other side.
“Once that’s done, it’s just a matter of looking into every flip point in that new system, both standard and far. If it’s an occupied system, that may be somewhat more challenging but not out of the question. I’m inclined to believe that wherever your base is, it’s going to be somewhere down another far flip point. More probably two.”
Angela let silence fall after her guesses. His expression didn’t give anything away, but she was still relatively certain that she wasn’t far from the truth.
“You should ask yourself, Commander Sommerville, what you’d like to happen when we find the resistance base. I’ll repeat what I’m sure everyone else has said. We have no desire to fight you. We’re looking for allies, not enemies.
“As you might imagine, we have a few tricks up our collective sleeves that we’d be willing to trade for your assistance. The real question is how we can find common ground to begin trusting one another.”
The prisoner slowly nodded. “I hear what you’re saying, Major. I’m going to have to think about it.”
Satisfied with the progress, Angela leaned back in her acceleration couch. Based on Veronica Giguere’s approving expression, she’d done well. If her actions helped get them closer to where they needed to be, then this would be time well spent. If they didn’t, well, it never hurt to try.
The rest of the trip down to the surface was quiet, and she let the pair go at the wreck site with their marine guards.
Once the pinnace was back in the air, she turned her attention to the mission at hand. The drones watching the capital of the Kingdom of Raden had spotted the man Kelsey had fought. Based on the building he was living in, he didn’t want his clan mates to know his current location either.
That was fine with her. It meant that she could stun him without much fear of anyone interfering and be gone before any alarm was raised. She’d take him directly to Audacious and let the doctor work on him while he was still unconscious.
