Overcome with fatigue, she picked up the sword and took it with her to her sleeping cubicle, laying down and hugging it close to her body like a child’s doll. Even the threat of another nightmare about the Drow’voi was not enough to prevent her eyes from sliding shut, or surrendering to her exhaustion.
SNN Tower, Thermadon Val, Thermadon, Myrene System, Thalestris Elant, United Sisterhood of Suns, 1048.12|28|04:58:33
Ever since her return to the Sisterhood, Celina had been terrified at the prospect of what would happen to her when the government found out what she had brought back from the ETR. But she was equally determined to see justice done, and as soon as she was certain that no one was monitoring her, she made an appointment to see Vala bel Valeri.
Bel Valeri was her primary contact with the Sisterhood News Network, working in SNN’s Entertainment Division. The reporter had covered most of her career, and over the years, their professional relationship had developed into a warm friendship. Celina was positive that Bel Valeri would know exactly how to handle the information, and who to vet her to.
On the day of their meeting, she took a hovercab out to the SNN Tower, and Bel Valeri met her in the gigantic lobby.
”Celi!” she beamed. “How good to see you! I heard all about your concert in the ETR. Welcome back! How was it?”
Celina answered with a forced smile. “It was—educational. I also brought something back that SNN might want to take a look at.”
“Oh?” Bel Valeri was still jovial. She still hadn’t caught the serious tone in Celina’s voice.
“It’s about the war,” Celina said gravely, “and the occupation. The government is lying to us about everything, Vala. I know. I met with some of the insurgents and they gave me all the evidence that I need to prove it.”
“What?!” Bel Valeri’s expression became confused, and alarmed.
“It’s all here,” Celina replied, patting the realicorder case at her side. “Arrests, secret trials, drug dealing, and even mass executions.”
Bel Valeri looked around to see if anyone was listening, and then took her by the arm towards the lifts. “I think this is something that we should discuss in my office.”
Once they were behind closed doors, Celina activated her realiecorder and tried to open the files from the ETR. But aside from a bland holographic message stating that the images had somehow been corrupted, nothing happened.
“I-I don’t understand,” she said, struggling with the controls. “They were here! I had them—“. Realizing that she was not going to be able to troubleshoot the problem in Bel Valeri’s office, she put the case aside and pressed on.
“I don’t know what happened to the files, Vala, but I’ll get them. It still doesn’t change what I saw and heard. You have to listen to me.”
Bel Valeri did. An hour later, and when Celina had finished telling her tale, she finally responded.
“Celi, I don’t doubt that you had the evidence you said you did,” she said. “Given their content, it’s likely that someone tampered with the files. But just on the basis of what you just told me, this whole thing is way out of my league. I’m going to ask a friend that I have up in News to come down and join us, and then I’ll hand you off to her.”
Fuming at the possibility that anyone might have violated her private files and attempted to muzzle her, Celina inclined her head in agreement and waited as Bel Valeri called her associate.
When the news reporter arrived and had been brought up to speed, the expression on her face wasn’t reassuring. Celina only knew Hilari n’Mara by reputation, having seen her ‘casts. She was a tough, seasoned reporter who didn’t shrink from asking the hard questions, but now, she seemed worried and uncertain.
“Celina,” she said, “I respect you as an artist—and for bringing your story to us—“
Celina heard the ‘but’ about to come, and braced herself for the worst.
“But without any proof to back it all up, it’s just going to be you, versus the government,” the journalist informed her.
Celina started to reply, and N’Mara cut her off. “I’m not saying that what you’re telling us isn’t important. To me it sounds like something that we should follow up on. I just can’t see my editor moving ahead with what we have right now.”
Celina was flabbergasted. “B-but why not? This is news! The public has a right to—“
“I’m not disagreeing with you,” the woman replied. “It is news, or more correctly, what we call a ‘lead’ and we’ll follow up on it just like I said. “ She rose from the table, and started to leave.
“Please!” Celina pleaded. “We can’t take that long. Something has to be done right now.”
“We have to wait,” N’Mara told her. “I’m not about to take on the Supreme Circle and the Chairwoman without having all my stars in alignment. I’ll get someone on this, and get back to you. Until then, I strongly suggest that you don’t tell anyone else about this. That’s not just the advice of a reporter who wants an exclusive either—it’s a friendly warning. What you have here could make the wrong people angry, and land you in jail. Or worse.”
The meeting, and her chance to see justice meted out, was over.
Celina left the SNN Tower in disbelief. This was not the outcome that she had envisioned, nor anything near it. It was only when she was halfway back to her hotel room, and still in the hovercab, that she recovered enough of her composure to make a decision.
Whether they wanted to or not, the public would hear the news. She would make certain of that, and SNN and the government could both be damned. She also knew exactly where the right time and place would be to accomplish this.
Mid-City Central Flightlanes, Agamede District, Thermadon Val, Thermadon, Myrene System, United Sisterhood of Suns, 1048.12|30|06:40:10
Maya’s depression lifted, but only gradually, and Signysdaater didn’t help the process along. The veteran kaaper was not a sparkling conversationalist by any means, and when they did speak to one another, the Troop Leader only reiterated that she was tolerating Maya’s presence out of respect for Sarah. She would have a long ways to go to gain even a shred of her respect.
Maya didn’t care however. She still wasn’t certain that her new life was one that she wanted to live.
The problem was that she didn’t have any alternatives to pursue. For the moment, and until something better revealed itself, her only plan was to soldier through, and put up with her taciturn ‘partner’ as best she could.
On their second day together on patrol, Signysdaater parked them on a roof overlooking the downtown flightlanes. As far as Maya knew, the location was outside the precinct’s patrol area, but she didn’t question the kaaper about this. Signysdaater was part of the Pat-Rat detail, the Patrolle Ratacé, or Roving Patrol.
The PR’s had jurisdiction throughout the city. The idea behind the unit was to provide police services across multiple patrol areas, and to augment any local units that required additional bodies to handle a call without draining resources.
Only the most seasoned officers worked this detail. With nothing else better to do except sit in the cruiser in silence, Maya decided to risk a covert glance at Signysdaater’s file, using her psiever, and quickly confirmed that her ‘partner’ was more than qualified. Just as Sarah had claimed, Signysdaater was a 15 year veteran of the Metro Police, with time served in the Marines as a Military Policewoman before that. Had she wanted to, Signysdaater could have opted for the rank of Senior Precinct Troop Leader, and received it immediately.
As curious as she was, however, Maya was also smart enough not to ask the woman why she hadn’t tried to better herself. Instead, she kept her mouth shut, and tried not to annoy her any more than she already had just by her mere presence. Deliberate antagonism would come later, she promised herself. When the right opportunity presented itself.
Twenty minutes dripped by with nothing more exciting than issuing a warning to a commuter who had been exceeding the speed limit. This was followed by an e
qually thrilling noise complaint at a downtown hotel—a merchanter’s crew, fresh from a voyage to Seevaan space---had been celebrating a little too loudly for the management’s liking. This too resulted in a warning.
But then a call with some real promise came up. It was a fight in progress at a local shopping center, and the unit responding had asked for backup. When they arrived however, the melee was over, and both women were in custody, seated in the back of matching cruisers.
From what Maya was able to gather, the conflict had begun when one woman had called another a ‘bitch’ (for reasons she was unable to determine), and the injured party had replied to this deadly insult by breaking the offender’s nose. Things had gone downside from there.
Desperate for some cheer, Maya allowed herself the luxury of laughing openly at the pair. In her estimation, both of the women were complete idiots, and the reason for their brawling, equally moronic (not that she would have ever tolerated anyone calling her a bitch. That was an entirely different matter.)
When the kaapers left a few minutes later with their prisoners, Signysdaater returned them to their rooftop perch, and they waited for another call in funereal silence. Just when Maya was beginning to become convinced that her ‘quality time’ with the Zommerlaandar was never going to end, the Goddess showed her some mercy and livened the afternoon up.
The HUD flashed a message:
HOT SHOT: PURSUIT IN PROGRESS--WANTED BY THERMADONIAN METROPOLITAN POLICE:
Reckless Endangerment, Flight to Avoid Arrest, Exceeding Safe Speed Limits.
Name (s): Unknown (To Be Determined). Height: Unknown (To Be Determined), Weight: Unknown (To Be Determined), Hair: Unknown (To Be Determined), Eyes: Unknown (To Be Determined), Motherworld: Unknown (To Be Determined). DOB: Unknown (To Be Determined). Known Alias: Unknown (To Be Determined).
Hazard Level: HIGH. Possible drug related activity, two suspects confirmed. Standard override measures attempted and failed.
Suspect vehicle is a late model Etourna two door, maroon in color, registration number 227986R519, headed westbound via flightlane 125-XA.
The chase, Maya realized, was nearby and getting closer by the nanosecond.
Signysdaater spoke on the Com. “PR 13-XE-80. I’m in za area Do ve have an ARPU rezponding to zis?”
“Negative,” the Dispatcher responded. “Estimate five minutes before we can get one free for your sector.”
“Shess,” Signysdaater spat. “Yah, affirm. Ve’re rezponding.” She shot a glance over to Maya. “Zecure your belt.”
An acknowledgement appeared on the HUD and then a split second later, the suspect vehicle caromed by, followed by no less than three Metro aircars, their light bars flashing and sirens blaring. Maya had just enough time to fasten her restraints before their own cruiser leapt from the roof and joined the chase. Signysdaater immediately engaged the afterburners and they pulled ahead of the pack, sliding in to come behind the offender’s tail.
Seeing this, the driver of the Etourna took their vehicle into a tight climb, rising out of the westbound traffic and right into the vehicles flying in the opposite direction. Aircars swerved wildly, and several times Maya was certain that she was about to witness a flaming collision, but the fugitives somehow managed to avoid this and wove their way through the panicked mass, unharmed. Signysdaater stayed right with them, matching them move, for terrifying move.
When they narrowly missed a hovertruck by mere microns, Maya couldn’t maintain her silence any longer. “What the fek!!?” she cried. “Why don’t you just shut them down or something? Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do?”
Signysdaater’s eyes slitted in irritation, but she kept her attention focused on the vehicle in front of them. “Ve tried zat,” she said flatly. “Didn’t you read za hotshot, rookie?”
Maya had given it a glance, but only that. “I guess I missed that pa—“she began to say, but the rest of her statement transformed into another searing profanity as the chase took them through a narrow gap between two tall buildings. On-board AI’s assisted with the steering, but although they were good, there were certain factors that even artificial intelligences couldn’t fully compensate for. The treacherous air currents inside the passage were one of these elements; although the AI’s applied sophisticated fuzzy logic equations to deal with the chaos, the winds still managed to exact their toll.
When a sudden updraft made it change course and come too close to a wall, a shower of sparks spewed from the roof of the fugitive’s aircar. Then another rogue wind had its way with the cruiser, costing them an antenna and part of their light bar.
As unidentifiable bits of metal and plastic bounced off their tail-end, they came out into open space, banking over sharply and dropping down with the outlaws in a stomach wrenching corkscrew maneuver.
The ground rushed up at them at what seemed like light speed, and just when Maya was positive that they were about to plow straight into it, the Etourna abruptly leveled out. They followed, and Maya’s heart felt like it was climbing up into her throat.
Under any other circumstances, she would have rooted for the outlaws, and admired their skill and daring, but now such sentiments had deserted her. They weren’t worth cheering for after all. They were just plain klaxxy, and the chase was frightening the wits out of her.
Signysdaater however, was completely unaffected. “Zey are prolly glazz-runnerz,” the veteran policewoman said evenly. “N’ zey prolly wired around za shut-down command. Ve’ll get zem though. You’ll zee.”
Looking down, Maya realized that the pursuit had brought them over the Kalia Vai area. The streets below her were packed with pedestrians, small stands selling everything and anything, and ground vehicles, crawling along through the press slower than Lamentine bark-mollusks.
The only solution open to the fugitives was to climb again, or keep on flying at almost ground level. They chose the latter, leveling out at the last possible attosecond.
The women in the crowd ducked and scattered as the machine roared by, barely missing a collision with a large floating holosign in the process. Just beyond this, a banner, which had been stretched across the street, tore loose as the fugitives blasted right through it. For a second it plastered itself across the cruiser’s windshield.
Maya couldn’t read Sitali, but given the extreme circumstances, she imagined that it probably read something like “Maya, you’ve really fekked up this time! Prepare to DIE!”
Whatever it actually said, Signysdaater jinked the police ‘car into a quick right and then a left, and the wind ripped the banner away, clearing their view.
Now Maya was starting to feel angry as well as terrified. AI assisted steering or not, she knew that it was only a matter of time before someone—either themselves, or the fugitives--hit someone, or something. She didn’t want to be riding in the aircar that did that. Desperate for a solution, she decided to try using her talents and ‘pushed’ at the driver, surprised at herself for not thinking of it before then.
You want to land the ‘car, she thought, putting all her willpower into the statement. You want to surrender. Land the car now.
Nothing happened. Instead of complying, the driver of the car sent it into a sharp climb and Maya swore as she realized what had caused her failure. Metal sometimes interfered with telepathy. The body of the aircar itself had to have been the problem.
“So--now what?” she asked, trying to make herself sound more relaxed than she actually was. The pursuit was rising up and away from the Vai and its vulnerable crowds, but now it was heading straight for another busy flightlane and more potential mid-air collisions.
“Now,” Signysdaater said calmly as she turned to look through the canopy windows at something above them, “Ve let za ARPU unit handle zis shess.” A split-second later, another patrol ‘car passed by overhead and Signysdaater throttled her engine back so that it could take the lead.
The new arrival was different from the other police vehicles. It had larger winglets, and these wer
e studded with clusters of missiles and other devices that Maya couldn’t readily identify.
It seemed like they were going to end the chase by simply shooting the aircar down. Which, at that moment, seemed quite reasonable to Maya.
The ARPU unit didn’t do so though. Instead of launching an air-to-air missile, something else flashed out from under the winglets. It was too small and it went too fast for Maya to identify, but her eyes did manage to catch the thin wires that were trailing behind it.
The whatever-it-was hit the rear of the Etourna and attached itself. There wasn’t any explosion, or even a spark or a flash, but suddenly the vehicle wobbled and pitched over, nose down, dropping like a stone.
Maya looked to Signysdaater for an explanation, and the woman grinned wolfishly. “Shock-Grapple” she said, her gaze following the plummeting air car with only mild interest. “Zey fry za electronics. No viring around zat, yah?” She dropped their cruiser into a steep dive and followed the stricken aircar.
“But where’s their chute?” Maya asked. She had been expecting to see one; every aircar had an emergency parachute and braking thrusters that deployed if the vehicle lost power. Or at least every unmodified aircar did.
“Don’t know,” Signysdaater replied without a trace of concern. “Zey may have wired around zat too—zese runners zometimes fek up when zey mod zere ‘cars.”
“What now?” Maya inquired. “We just let them drop?”
“Ve’ll see,” the kaaper answered. “Ve’ve routed everyzing away from here, zo no one zat matters vill get hurt.”
Then, “Ach, zere—looks like zey got zere chute going. Zey must have hit zere manual release.”
Maya leaned over and looked down. A bright orange emergency chute was just deploying and the ‘car’s thrusters were finally engaging. There was a Bat-Bat field directly below them and from the way it was falling, it seemed as if the Etourna was going to land squarely in the middle of it.
Sisterhood of Suns: Daughters of Eve Page 41
