by David Adams
“I’ve been resting for almost a year,” Liao said. “It’s high time I finally got moving.”
*****
Outside the Conference Room
Cerberus Station
Sol System
Two days later
The days passed and she did not see Saara at all. Wherever the Toralii was hiding, impossible as it seemed as she was the only alien on such a tiny space station, Liao saw neither hide nor hair of her. With the help of drugs and time, the pain of the bruise on her body began to fade, but the ugly black stain remained, a reminder of what had happened.
But she could no longer dwell on Saara’s anger, or if her indignation was legitimate or not. There was work to do, and they had allies to meet, including the ambassador who would, presumably, be shortly taking Saara away.
She could not think on that, either. Liao spent a moment composing herself outside the conference room, strengthening her resolve and fiercely promising herself to keep focused on her duties, before finally stepping inside.
Avaran, Harandi, James and de Lugo had already arrived and taken their seats, sitting in silence as they politely awaited the remainder of the committee. Captain Anderson of the Washington was expected momentarily, as were two dignitaries, Vrald the Blood-Soaked of the Kel-Voran Imperium and Leader Nalu of the Telvan. This would be the first time that representatives of all four factions had sat in one room.
The subject of their discussion was war. Not the hit-and-run, cold war, guerrilla style fighting that they had been a part of until the arrival of Ben, but full, total war against a powerful enemy.
It was decided that, by the combined efforts of the Toralii Alliance, the Telvan, the Kel-Voran and Task Force Resolution’s Fleet Command, Ben’s grip on the planet had to be broken. Each had been conducting their own operations until this point, and this meeting was an attempt to pool their knowledge and resources to better combat their common enemy.
The door swung open, the heavy decompression hatchway groaning softly as the marines on the other side opened it, permitting the first of their visitors to enter: Vrald. He was a short, squat and stocky Kel-Voran who stood at just over four and a half feet, his reptilian body covered in scars and tattoos. He wore a brightly coloured, almost lurid vestment which was adorned with various bone slivers. Tiny vials of blood, a dozen or more, hung around his neck on a chain. His cold, emotionless eyes scanned the room, lingering on Avaran, and the two exchanged a leer. Liao and the others said nothing, the marines closing the door with a faint clang.
Finally, Vrald took his seat, fixing his gaze on Liao and speaking in the archaic version of the Telvan dialect they used.
[“It warms my heart to finally meet thee, The Butcher of Kor’Vakkar, The Bringer of Terror, Slayer of Varsian the Immortal. Thy strength in battle and indomitable courage will be assets in this coming struggle.”]
The mention of the full list of her accomplishments caused her grief as she thought of what Saara had called her. Collector of titles…
Avaran leaned forward, scowling darkly. [“Accolades earned by the slaughter of my people. Varsian was the head of my assault troops, and I knew him personally. Daily, his widow and children mourn his loss.”]
[“We honour the strength of the living, Toralii, not the dead. And word that thy brethren’s blood spills into space brings me great joy. Too long hast thy species held fast to power, ignorant of the burning sting of defeat.”]
Avaran snarled and went to speak, but Liao held up a hand. To her surprise, the Toralii fell silent, and Vrald turned to her expectedly.
“We’re not here to talk about the battles of the past,” she said, “only to solve the single pressing issue that has brought us together: Ben and the situation on Belthas IV.”
[“Yes,”] said Vrald, his reptilian features lighting up at the mention of Ben. [“A truly glorious battle stands before us. Our intelligence operatives noticed the movement of numerous Toralii ships—far too many for any routine operation. We had feared, initially, that thy species had angered them and that their fleets were embarking on the destruction of thy worlds. Relieved were we, indeed, to find their fire and fury turned on another. Now we sit in eager anticipation of the coming struggle!”] The Kel-Voran slammed his scaled fist onto the table. [“Against a foe powerful enough to lay waste to the Toralii fleets!”]
Avaran looked as though he might explode, so Liao spoke quickly.
“Yes, a very powerful foe. I agree and wish to—”
The door opened again, held by a marine. A grey haired Human in the uniform of the United States Navy stepped over the lip of the door and into the room, giving a polite nod to those present. Despite the colour of his hair, the man was younger than Liao expected, shorter too, with a slight build and tan skin that indicated mixed Latino heritage. He immediately turned, gesturing in welcome to a person Liao could not yet see.
“Leader Nalu,” the man said, his accent softened with a thick Southern drawl, “like I told you at the docking ring, it’s a genuine pleasure to have you aboard. Your presence is most welcome.”
A slender, frail looking, grey-furred Toralii woman dressed in simple brown robes came into the room, reaching up and pulling back her hood while giving a polite nod to all present. [“On behalf of the Telvan, I thank you for inviting me,”] she said. [“It is a privilege to be here.”]
Liao locked eyes with the Toralii who was going to take Saara away. Nalu held her stare and, for a very brief moment, some unspoken communication occurred between them. Liao knew that Saara had spoken to Nalu, but the Toralii’s eyes held no anger, only a slight sadness that mimicked that which she had seen in Saara.
[“Hah,”] said Avaran, [“They sent Nalu. Do the Telvan not even care about the fate of their own worlds?”]
Nalu didn’t respond to Avaran’s jibe. Instead, she simply took her seat.
“Avaran,” Liao warned, “we’re here to work together.”
He sneered at Nalu, but blinked rapidly, a gesture Liao knew to be the equivalent of a shrug. [“As you wish.”]
“With everyone here,” Captain Anderson said, “let’s get started. I assume you all received the dossier of information we prepared?”
Liao had written down everything she had seen, every word she and Ben had exchanged, to the very best of her memory, along with every scrap of data they had acquired about Ben, his possible motives, technology in his possession and anything else they could think of.
The delegates each signalled that they had.
“That’s basically all we know.”
Vrald scowled. [“Then thy species knows little indeed, Liao. Your entries seemed more concerned with speculation regarding intent and psychological profiles, whereas the Kel-Voran intelligence network hath not been idle at all. We have operatives on the planet who hath been feeding us solid information for weeks. Tactical information.”]
That drew stares from around the table.
“How did you get these assets in place?” asked James.
[“That is classified.”]
Nalu straightened her back. [“Ben’s blockade has been total. We know that. Our forerunner probes have found no evidence of any ship entering the system except the Alliance vessels which were destroyed with all hands. You must have had those agents in place before the invasion…”]
Vrald gave a wide, wicked grin, revealing a long row of serrated teeth. [“Oh tiny Toralii girl, the weakest of your kind, thy expression brings a smile to this scarred face. Thy nature is too trusting, thy hearts too soft, and of all the Toralii factions, the Telvan are the easiest to infiltrate due to thy trusting hearts and weak minds.”]
[“Pah,”] said Avaran, [“Kel-Voran intelligence. What an oxymoron. You beasts are barely sentient, little more than unthinking animals, a dangerous but ultimately stupid predator far too dull to ever rise above us. Even after centuries of ‘war’ with us, you do little more than annoy us with your pointless folly.”]
Vrald’s claws dug three long gouges in the p
lastic of the table. [“Ahh, well, if thy frail bones could find the strength, thou might draw iron with me, dog! But I warn thee, after I stand victorious on the field of bloody battle, thy final, mewling words shall be inscribed on thy grave!”]
Avaran laughed, a loud, raucous sound that shook the walls of the conference room. [“A sword? He has a sword?”]
[“Blades are more than enough of a match for thy puny—”]
“ENOUGH.” Liao stood, pressing her fingertips to the table and leaning over to face the delegation. “We don’t have time for this. If we don’t focus, now, I’m going to have my marines throw you all back on your ships. I haven’t the patience for the squabbling of small-minded idiots and the bickering over who’s going to inscribe what on who’s grave. If you travelled to our solar system to do that, you can just piss off back to where you came from, because I don’t care.” She steadied herself, slowly drawing her hands together and standing straight. “We’re here to talk about Ben. So...” She unclasped a hand, extending it towards Vrald. “Please, Vrald, share with us what you’ve learnt.”
For a moment, it seemed as though the Kel-Voran was going to turn on her, his dark, emotionless gaze fixed on her. Liao stared him down, keeping her expression neutral but unyielding.
[“Thou art every bit as courageous as whispers say you are, to speak to me so.”]
“Thank you.”
Vrald glared at her for a moment longer, then gave a low, amused chuckle. [“Indeed.”] The Kel-Voran reached to his belt, producing a small, flat, circular device which he tossed onto the table. It immediately lit up, and the space above the table was filled with a representation of Belthas IV, hovering in the air. Vrald stood and poked at an area with his claw.
[“The main settlement and factory buildings are here, and here. Ben hath seized them all, the population kept under curfew by a small but growing army of newly forged constructs. According to our operatives, he hath repurposed the foundries. Originally, only one facility produced constructs, but now they are all involved in the process. His army grows by the day.”
“Where is the civilian population kept?” asked James. “Hiding out in the settlement?”
[“Correct.”] Vrald inclined his head. [“Why?”]
“If we’re going to attack this planet, we have to keep in mind that the civilians of the planet aren’t allies of Ben. They’re his prisoners.”
[“So?”]
Nalu spoke up. [“So, obviously, we will have to avoid civilian casualties if at all possible.”]
Vrald gave her a toothy, eager grin. [“Will we, now?”]
“Yes,” said Liao, looking to Nalu meaningfully, “we will. With the civilian population being held in the settlement, and with no military targets in that area, fortunately this should be an easy task.”
“Correct,” said Anderson, “but I think we’re getting a little ahead of ourselves here. We still don’t have a way to deal with Ben directly, or his ship.”
Avaran looked at him in confusion. [“We don’t?”] Then to James. [“Haven’t you discussed our proposal with them?”]
“We haven’t,” said Liao, “although we were hoping both of you may have some ideas.”
[“You were aboard Ben’s ship,”] said Nalu. [“What did you see there?”]
“Nothing of any strategic importance,” Liao offered diplomatically, “but it was… disturbing. It’s best we don’t dwell on it.”
Vrald and Nalu seemed distinctly unhappy with this, exchanging a glance, but they turned back to the table. [“Pah, keep thy secrets then,”] said Vrald. [“Ultimately, they are just dust in your mouth.”]
Nalu turned back to Liao. [“I am less concerned with what we don’t know than with what we do. The point Captain Anderson has made, though, is a good one. We still do not have any way of dealing with Ben’s ship. He was able to handily destroy a third of the Toralii Alliance fleet by himself. We would do poorly if we underestimated him, and I have no desire to send fleets of my ships to their doom.”] Nalu folded her hands. [“While I am content to discuss hypothetical invasion plans, I think we should work through this problem in a logical, linear fashion, starting from the earliest, most significant problems and working our way down.”]
“Agreed,” said Liao. “I’m open to any suggestion regarding Ben’s ship.”
Silence.
“That’s depressing,” commented James.
Avaran chuckled. [“I agree, Captain Grégoire.”]
Nalu looked to Liao. [“Commander, I am curious about one thing, if we may deviate for a moment.”] Nalu looked to James and Anderson, then back to her. [“Our intelligence sources say that you have one more vessel, the Sydney by designation. Where is that ship’s commanding officer?”]
Vrald snarled. [“We expect that the coward hath fled, Nalu, and ask not such quivering, whining questions that hath small bearing to our situation. We fight with the army we have, and fruitless questions about the location of a coward too weak to fight his battles are a pointless waste of time.”]
“The Sydney is overdue from Karathi,” Harandi said. “They were due back two days ago. We dispatched a Broadsword from the station to investigate a day ago, but they have not returned. We’re not concerned at this point; each vessel is allowed significant autonomy, and such overstays are normal.”
[“I will have one of our scout vessels search the Karathi system for the Sydney,”] offered Avaran. [“You do not need to dedicate your already thin resources to this.”]
Liao looked at him curiously. It was true that the Task Force possessed far fewer ships than the mighty Toralii Alliance, but something about Avaran’s tone and his phrasing gave her pause. The Toralii Alliance had never struck her to be the charitable type, especially when it came to fleet resources. One of the Pillars of the Earth carried roughly a third the firepower of a Toralii cruiser, were less reliable, had thinner armour, and were larger targets in combat. The Alliance may have lost a third of their fleet, but even now, Avaran had a half-dozen ships at his disposal. If the Sydney had not returned by the time of the battle, its presence would barely be missed.
So why did Avaran want them to stay away from Karathi? Why did he not want them to look for the Sydney?
[“Regarding Ben’s ship,”] said Nalu, “perhaps there is an option we could explore.”] She rested her paws on the table. [“I have been giving some thought to this problem, although I had hoped that there might be a more concrete solution available. There is one avenue we may try, though, if none can offer an alternative.”]
“What’s that?” asked James.
[“I might suggest that we approach the Iilan. They are very secretive, but they are, above all else, scientists and researchers. The Telvan sought out one of their ships many years ago, and after some trade, we came to a mutually beneficial arrangement.”]
[“The Iilan spoke to you?”] Avaran peered at Nalu, scepticism painted on his face. [“They fire on our ships when we approach Majev-tor or flee.”]
[“A somewhat unsurprising reaction given what you did to their homeworld.”] Nalu turned to face Liao. [“But yes, we have achieved a somewhat tenuous, but agreeable, rapport, when we can find them.”]
“You think they might be willing to help us against Ben?” Liao grimaced slightly. “They were also willing to help him. Ben told me that he traded with the Iilan, gaining knowledge of bioengineering. That’s how he made his clones.”
[“Yes,”] said Nalu, [“we read your report. In fact, it was that section that made me think that the Iilan might help us. They are… apolitical. They would not feel a philosophical alignment with what Ben has done, merely that their trade was successful and fair.”]
“So they care about fairness, huh?”
“Can’t complain about that,” said de Lugo, and Liao felt as though she had to deliberately look at him, over her instinct to avoid it. Summer’s words resonated in her head.
“Right,” she said. “So if we approach them, they’re likely to help us?”
[“I believe so,” Nalu said, [“and I will accompany you, if you feel it will help.”]
Liao nodded. “Look,” she said, gesturing to the holographic planet, “how about you boys stay here and plot your little war while the girls go shopping at Majev-tor and try to get you some new toys to play with, huh?”
*****
Later
Liao arranged quarters for Nalu, safe ones deep within the ship, and then when she was comfortable, sought her out. She took several breaths, steadying herself, then casually rang the door chime.
[“Hello?”]
“Nalu? It’s Commander Liao. I was hoping to speak to you privately about a personal matter.”
There was a faint groan of metal as the door opened. [“I assume you are here regarding Saara,”] said Nalu, leaning up against the side of the doorframe.
“Yes. She and I quarrelled before she left, and I want to make things right by her.”
[“I’m afraid I cannot help you. Saara is an adult and can make her own choices.”] Nalu gave Liao a stern look. [“Unless you are considering detaining her by force…”]
She shook her head emphatically. “No, nothing like that. I won’t stop her leaving if she wants to leave. I just want to apologise for what I said.” Liao paused, locking gazes with the Toralii woman. “And to say that I hope she finds her mother.”
Nalu considered for a moment, then slowly nodded her grey head. [“I will pass along that message,”] she said. [“Is there anything else?”]
“No,” said Liao, “and thank you for your time. We leave in four hours, so be ready, but for now, I have to go yell at the most frustrating woman in the universe.”
*****
Engineering Bay One
TFR Beijing
Later
To find Summer Rowe, Liao just followed the sound of Australian-accented swearing.
“Ahhrgh, you piece of fucking shitty piece of shitty fucking shit. What the fuck is wrong with you?!”
Engineering was, rather than one section, a number of interlinked sections called ‘bays’ that were the playgrounds of the Engineering crew. The whole Engineering team, a figurative and literal well-oiled machine, was controlled from Operations. The Engineering console spoke to every part of the ship down here: power regulation, damage control, jump drive operation. If Operations was the beating heart of the ship, the very centre of its being, then the Engineering team was its veins and its nervous system, pulsing vital information and power to every corner of the ship, managing every system, and ensuring that it functioned. A simple order from Liao became a hundred smaller instructions, broken down and distributed throughout the ship.
