by AM Scott
Chief gave him an ironically amused look. “I’ve got the codes from the initial transport here. I bet they didn’t change them—why would they?” He shrugged. “And I’ll message Lashtar I’m coming in. She’ll be in contact with the compound’s security team, so she’ll see my message.”
“Stay in contact, Chief. If there’s any sign of attack at all, let us know immediately and we’ll come get you.”
“Copy that, Ruhger. I have no intention of risking myself unduly.”
“Good. Let the rest of us know when the leadership comes out of Circle, will you?”
“Yes.” Chief nodded and followed everyone out.
Ruhger sat back and rubbed his eyes. Suns, what a mess. And it would only get messier. After the Sisters told Haven what was going on, everyone would clamor to get off-planet—immediately. He brought up the shuttle’s close surveillance scan and checked. Yes, three shuttles on the field and probably a few more elsewhere on the planet. Three of his passenger bays were taken by paying passengers, one more for the Sisters—assuming they still had a shuttle, and a pilot—leaving room for four more. It was too dark to check, but he was fairly certain at least one of those shuttles out there was a hunk of junk that would be lucky to make it off the ground, let alone through atmosphere, so he’d have to institute some sort of safety standard. The last thing they needed was a shuttle falling apart during normal thrust—or fold.
Ruhger rubbed the chair arm, more dust falling. Chances were, there were at least one or two fabulously wealthy shuttle owners on Gliese. They’d try to bribe him to leave everyone else behind. Or threaten Lightwave, the Sisters, or Haven, since any rich person on Gliese was probably a fugitive from justice.
Katryn plopped down in the co-pilot’s seat, scowling at the console, a cloud of dust rising around her.
Hah. She needed something else to think about. “Katryn, I need you to work on a decision and safety protocol. How do we decide what shuttles we’re willing to take? We can take four Gliese shuttles to Cygnus-Secundus. Those shuttles need to be safe to fly, willing to bring up additional passengers, and maybe transport additional passengers, or already have a vulnerable household. They also have to pay, at least something, and we won’t take any of them farther than Cygnus-Secundus. No selfish rich beings who only care about themselves. They can wait for the next folder. I’m sure there are other considerations, so look at our current contract, and come up with a list, and any modifications for our contract, because anyone going will sign, or they’re not going.”
Katryn stopped scowling and nodded thoughtfully. “Sure, Ruhger. Good idea.”
“And while you do that, I’m going to draft a carefully worded message to Cygnus-Secundus and Cygnus-Prime authorities, with a request for evacuation assistance. I’ll let the Haven town council send it or the Sisters.”
“Also a good idea. Thanks, Ruhger. I know I overreacted, but I was just so angry.” She shook her head slowly, a mournful but still irate look on her face.
“I know.” He gripped her shoulder, hoping it was a comfort. “I am too, but they were your real family, not just adopted as family like the rest of us. I don’t blame you for being furious. The Scholar was right—betrayal by family is the worst. But…we need you concentrating on the next steps, the future, not the past. It’s over and done. We have to move forward, fast.”
She nodded again, but before she could speak, Tyron’s voice came over the comm. “Lightwave Alpha Shuttle, Beta Shuttle ready for takeoff.”
Ruhger checked the bays and outside access points. They were all properly secured. “Copy that, Beta.” Then he scanned the shuttle field and beyond—nothing moved. “You’re clear for launch, Beta. Be careful.”
“Wilco. Beta launching in five, four, three, two, initiate. See you soon.”
A roar sounded outside and the shuttle vibrated as the Beta shuttle engines powered up. “Copy. Alpha out.” Watching Beta on his instruments, Ruhger monitored Lightwave’s sensors until Beta cleared atmosphere. It was up to them now—they could use Lightwave’s sensors without the time lag of transmission to the ground.
Sighing, Ruhger pulled up the message system and started typing. The right words would take a while to find. Words were never his weapon of choice, but one he used more and more as Captain.
Chapter 7
Surveying the shuttle, Saree had a distinct sense of satisfaction—and an aching back. She’d consolidated her things, freed some storage space, cleared away some of the detritus of living and cleaned everything. The old, worn plas and pleather actually gleamed in places. The cleaning bots did a good job, generally, but getting everything truly clean required a real being applying elbow grease, and a modicum of discernment. She should do this more often, but it was easy to ignore with no one else around. Saree wiped her forehead on her sleeve—good thing her shirt was black. “Hal, remind me to clean again in thirty days, please?”
“Certainly, Saree. Perhaps I should adjust the cleaning bots?”
Saree shrugged. “I guess you can try, but it’s not a priority. I’m not sure they’re capable of doing this level of cleaning. A simple bot can’t make judgement calls.”
“I’ll see what I can do. Saree, I haven’t been monitoring the Sisters long enough to be sure, but there appears to be some unusual activity going on.”
“Of what kind? Did they get the Sisters’ shuttle running?”
“It’s not the shuttle, although Chief reports he is close. No, one of the groups of girls and animals sent out this morning hasn’t checked in on schedule. The Sisters are sending an armed party to check on them.”
“Oh, that’s not good.” Saree’s self-satisfied attitude plummeted.
“No, it is not. I still have a comm relay hovering above their compound—it’s high enough that it’s not visible to the human eye. I will move it to follow their patrol and continue to monitor the situation.”
“Can you boost the Sisters’ comms without them realizing it’s you?”
Hal didn’t reply immediately. His voice was tentative when he did answer. “Perhaps. I hadn’t considered the action. I haven’t successfully penetrated their net, so I can’t simply reroute their comms without them realizing, but…if they start to lose contact, I could use the remote as a simple repeater, and as long as I’m careful not to strengthen the signal too much, they might not realize it’s there. They might figure it out if they’re looking at transmission times, because it will take a little longer, but it won’t be the kind of delay a comsat bounce causes, so they probably won’t consider the possibility. If they are smart, they will put up their own relay.”
“If they have one, I’m sure they will. Or maybe Lightwave will loan them one?”
“Perhaps. I don’t know if Lightwave has one either. They probably just fly their shuttle to wherever they need a signal.”
“Good point.” Well, hopefully Lightwave would let her know if they were moving their remaining shuttle. “How close is Chief to getting the Sisters’ shuttle moving?”
“I believe he could attempt the ignition sequence now, but he is meticulously checking every system manually as well as through the shuttle command and control interface. He has completed the engine maintenance and the meteor shield checks and is working on the gravity generators now. Gravity generators are technically unnecessary for shuttling humans, so he’s willing to take a chance they might not work, although he believes they will. The log shows Sister Lashtar maintained the shuttle periodically, so it’s not as bad as they feared.”
“Well, that’s good. Does it have any weapons?” Saree drank a glass of water, gratefully washing the dust from her mouth.
“No.”
Saree nodded thoughtfully. She figured as much; most shuttles didn’t have anything but basic meteor shields. The shields could act as a weapon of sorts, but only close to the shuttle. “What kind of excuse could we offer for having a remote capable of acting as a comm relay, Hal?”
“You are on all kinds of worlds to gather yo
ur evidence. Perhaps you have found it necessary in the past to use local transportation, but need a way to send files back to your shuttle on worlds without a robust world-net?”
“That’s a good one, Hal. Very believable.” Scanning her shuttle, she looked for anything out of place, but she’d stowed everything. “Well, I guess I can pull tiles and make sure the tie-downs are safe to use.” She grimaced. “I’m betting some of them aren’t—this is an old shuttle. Hal, I’ll need a vacuum bot—the floor tiles never seal completely no matter what you do. And in this shuttle, they don’t seal at all.” Saree smiled; the pop of floor tiles as she crossed the shuttle was annoying and comforting in equal measure.
“Of course, Saree. I’ve taken the liberty of mapping out which tie-down points should be used to maximize our passenger load, so you won’t have to check every single one. I can adjust the pattern to work around inadequate tie-downs. I’ve assumed each passenger will be bringing personal belongings of approximately twenty kilos, and I’ve also allotted storage space for those. We have folding bins in the cargo bay to stow the bags in. If people enter through the cargo bay, they won’t see your unusually large airlock until they depart. And it might be better to unload passengers at a cargo bay on Lightwave—it would be more efficient.”
“Very good points, Hal.”
“Saree, I believe you should eat before you continue cleaning. You have worked very hard.”
She chuckled. Hal worried too much. But in this case, he was right. Saree made a quick meal out of the local foods she’d bought from Haven. She’d save her pre-packaged food—she might need it during the evacuation folds. She also had to finish the clock maintenance on the return trip through Cygnus-Secundus and Prime. Also… “Hal, remind me to fill the water storage unit before we leave the planet.”
“Of course, Saree. I will send a request to the port authority now.”
“Thank you, Hal.”
“You are welcome, Saree.”
Drinking Jhinzer tea, she ate and read some of the material Hal had gathered on the Inquisitors. They were a nasty bunch. The attack on her home, Mining Colony Jericho, was the first of several mining asteroid takeovers, each more successful than the last, until they ran up against a well-armed one that almost wiped them out. A few years of quiet, then rumors and stories from fringe worlds started appearing, the method very similar to what appeared to be happening on Gliese. Farms and ranches were razed, people disappeared, then groups of tough, brutal humans took over entire towns, enslaving people and executing any who opposed them. Sometimes they executed entire families, or groups of young children, in retaliation for any attempt at escape or attack. Girls and boys far too young to be considered mature were taken from their families and abused as house and sex slaves. Finishing the last article, she shuddered. Enough to give any decent person nightmares. And make her food sit a little uneasily. But there was more work to do—hopefully keeping her too busy to think about it too much.
Bringing up Hal’s plan, Saree pulled and cleaned the first subfloor access tile. By the time she finished, her fingers were sore, her wrists and hands ached and her entire body was filthy, but she was fairly happy with the results.
“I think that’s the last one, right, Hal?”
“Yes, Saree. Will you attend the jamboree?”
She nodded. “Yes. I’ll go with Lightwave’s remaining crew. Don’t worry—I’ll go armed.”
“A wise choice, if you’re going at all. I could monitor the event with remotes, and you could stay here in safety.”
Saree smiled. “That’s a good idea, but I think I need to be there in person. There might be something I can add, like I did for the Sisters.”
“You could always send a message to Captain Ruhger, Saree,” Hal said in a hopeful tone.
She chuckled. “Then I have to explain how I’m monitoring and Captain Ruhger has to make explanations. I’m sure this gathering will be safe. The Sisters did talk to the town leadership, right?”
“Yes, they did, Saree, and the town leaders have already spread word of a town meeting tonight. Followed by the jamboree. This seems strange to me—why would people stay for entertainment when they need to prepare?”
“Well, some won’t believe the threat is real and others won’t think it’s that bad, and still more just won’t want to leave. They’ll be sure they can ride it out and survive. And some will think they don’t have a choice.” She shrugged. “People are self-deceptive, remember?”
“I remember, Saree, but I have trouble understanding this trait.”
She smiled ruefully and shrugged again. “I agree. I have trouble with it too. But it happens all the time. I rely on you, Hal, to tell me if I’m doing it.”
“Certainly, Saree. That would be less than safe behavior and your safety is paramount. Although your insistence on attending tonight seems less than safe to me.” Hal’s tone was aggrieved; he clearly thought she was being foolish.
“Well, if I stay safe in the shuttle all the time, I can’t do my job.” Saree shook her head. “Not only that, but it’s not really living. I need to interact with other human beings and be a part of the action, not just a spectator.”
“I understand. Still, your safety is paramount and I will continue to remind you.”
“Good. Thank you, Hal.”
“You are welcome, Saree.”
Throwing her dirty clothes in the cleanser, she stepped into the sonic shower. Sure, sonics did a good job, but she didn’t feel clean, not like a water shower. She closed her eyes, the pressurized air and suction removed the left-over cleanser and dirt from her body, then she stepped out and ran a comb through her short hair. Dressing in her everyday Scholar’s robes, she strapped weapons over them, gathered her recorders and stepped over to the pilot’s seat.
“Captain Ruhger invites you to join him in approximately nine-point-two minutes, Saree. I already sent back an affirmative response with a thank-you. Also, the Sisters sent the journal. I will work on decoding it during my low-use cycles. I suspect the code requires a key—it might be easier to decode if I knew what her real name was, so I can research her life.”
Saree nodded, slowly. “I can ask. Actually, why don’t you ask? Just send them a message as me. And…thank you, Hal.”
“You are welcome, Saree. Water was delivered. The water met the safety standards, but since there are hostile forces on world, I tested it for drugs, and double-filtered it. It is safe. I’ve already initiated the credit transfer to pay.”
“Thank you, Hal.” She smiled. “Everything is so much easier now that you do it all for me. How did I survive without you?”
“You didn’t have any trouble, Saree. It just took a little longer.”
“That was a mostly rhetorical question, Hal. But thank you. I really do appreciate you working so hard for me.”
“You are welcome, Saree. I have gathered more net articles about the Inquisitors. Would you like to read them while you wait for Captain Ruhger?”
More? Suns. “Is there anything substantially different, Hal?”
“No.”
“Then no. Thank you anyway, Hal. I think I’ve seen enough.” Hal didn’t answer right away, which was odd. “Hal?”
“Are you sure you need to attend this event, Saree? I am worried about your safety.”
“Hal, there’s nothing to worry about. I’ve been on far more dangerous worlds than this.”
“I suppose that is true,” Hal said slowly. “Still, it seems a very risky thing to do when you know there are dangerous people here and you have nothing to gain.”
“I have no credits to gain, that’s true, Hal. But I do have something to gain and to give. Remember how we were discussing selfishness and selflessness? By just showing up, I’m demonstrating a willingness to help, and helping others is good for me; it makes me happy. Happiness is important. I’m also providing a good example for others. Besides, the risks at this point are very low. I’m sure you will tell me about any armed forces heading toward tow
n, right?”
“Yes. I suppose I just don’t understand happiness, Saree.”
She smiled. “That’s okay, Hal. Most of us don’t.” Saree thought about the issues of risk and reward. “I’ll give you another group of beings to consider, Hal. Look at mountain climbers. These days, it’s easy to climb a mountain—strap on an anti-gravity generator and off you go. Or any number of other easy ways. But take a look at beings who climb without artificial aids, and consider why they do it and the risks they will and won’t take.” She chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to start climbing mountains. I’m not that kind of risk-taker. But the subset of beings who do take those risks are interesting to study.”
“Thank you, Saree. I will consider this. Captain Ruhger is approaching on foot. Please be careful.”
“I will, Hal.” Stepping into the airlock, she put on her world boots. “Thank you, Hal.”
“You are welcome, Saree.”
Exiting the shuttle, she watched Captain Ruhger as he walked toward her. He was well worth watching. His stride was long and graceful but somehow commanding and authoritative at the same time.
“Good evening, Scholar,” he said with his tiny smile.
She nodded and smiled in return. “Good evening, Captain.” They walked side by side toward town, Captain Ruhger shortening his stride to accommodate hers. The ever-present dust of Gliese kicked up around them as they walked to Haven. At first glance, Haven’s surroundings seemed like a flat plain of nothingness, sparsely decorated with little islands of vegetation, but once you really looked at it, there was a lot of life. Sadly, it wouldn’t stay that way.
After they’d walked in silence for three minutes, Saree said, “I’ve stowed my belongings and prepped my living quarters and cargo bay. I don’t know how much you are allowing people to bring, but I can squeeze twenty adults with twenty kilos each into my shuttle. I have some bins to hold personal items and I’ve cleaned out my tie-down accesses to attach the harnesses. If at all possible, I’d recommend we unload using Lightwave’s cargo bay, rather than my shuttle berth. It would be faster.”
