“Have all of you ever sat around a table without having to worry about how you will feed your family? Without worrying about what kind of food you’re giving them?” Eve asked. She paused for a long moment, then allowed herself a little smile. “Have your daughters ever seen a garden?”
Yonda shook her head and wiped tears away with her free hand. Her husband mouthed the word ‘no,’ but no sound emerged. The vast audience was silent, except for one voice who shouted; “Take them to the Gate!”
“You only have to ask,” Eve said quietly, but the amplification ensured that she was heard. “For yourselves and your daughters.”
“Take us to the Gate,” Yonda said, looking to her husband, who nodded his agreement, then looked to Eve. “Take us to the Gate.”
Eve embraced both of them, throwing her weight against them. They caught her and they shared a tearful moment before Eve withdrew, revealing stains and smears on her white and green dress. The crowd didn’t know how to react, there were gasps, gaping mouths and covered eyes, but when she laughed, looking down at the garment and her dirty hands, they joined in. “Seems we could all use a good wash,” she told the couple.
Without another glance at herself, Eve turned back to the larger crowd on the landing lot. “Yonda and Merig are so much further along than they realize, I’m so excited because I know they’ll do well. Their children will be raised in an environment with education, good food, other children and they’ll watch their parents elevate themselves, thriving as adults, as good role models. That is the first story I’m here to tell you. It’s your story, most of it hasn’t happened yet, your lives have barely begun, and once you are shown to the Gate, you’ll see that path ahead. Yonda and Merig are going to find their children in whatever care centre they left them in this morning, then they’re going to be shown to quarters where they can rest together as a family. The next day they’ll spend time at our Welcome Centre with their children and we’ll find out how far along they really are. They’ll have a chance to look over all their opportunities, and after three days they’ll tell us,” Eve emphasized the last then paused. “They will tell us,” she repeated. “Do you hear that? They will tell us how quickly they want to rise in the Order by choosing what they will do, and on the seventh day, they will be doing it. They will be on the path to immortality, to paradise.”
Governor Tate noticed that Order Knights in heavy black and green armour started slowly moving to the left and right of Eve. They were far enough away from her to avoid being captured on the holographic image projected above, but they were definitely getting between him and Eve. Overhead he saw a cloud of long shuttles approaching, and it only confirmed what he suspected. Xane Company and several other operations in the area were about to lose the majority of their employees. Most of them weren’t legally bound to their employers by a contract, just desperate for a payday and out of opportunities. They came cheap, they were trapped in their employee housing, and he knew that most of them didn’t think that was enough. “I knew that’s why she changed the location,” Governor Tate said. “I was afraid of this.”
“Do you want to join them?” Eve asked the audience. The air was filled with the deafening roar of workers on top of the building and in front of it. “Order shuttles are landing now, be patient, be courteous to all the people around you, and your journey can begin today. You can be aboard one of our ships taking your first steps up.” She spread her arms wide, fully revealing her ruined dress and the black smears on her neck and cheeks from embracing her example couple, looked up and said; “I serve this Order. My service will make me immortal. My service will elevate me to paradise. I embrace my fate, the fate of all humanity to be the superior beings in the universe.”
By the time she was striding back to her shuttle, there were twenty Order Knights between her and the Governor. He didn’t warrant so much as a glance from her. “Knock her off her perch and I’ll give you whatever you want,” Governor Tate whispered to Wheeler.
Chapter 23
Clean Up
The reserve control centre of the Blessed Mission was a small room with control stations all around. Jake leaned on the control console in the middle, depending more on the display inside his helmet to tell him what was going on than the display in front of him.
He could see several craft approaching the Warlord, British rescue teams who offered to board the ship and attempt to clear the Order Knights. If he weren’t so tired, and if they didn’t already have their hands full taking a larger ship, he would have told them to stop entirely and he’d lead a team himself. Oz had his own solution. He sent three combat shuttles from the Triton with what had to be the last of their soldiers, and two shuttles with Rangers aboard were on their way from the Barricade. The British Alliance shuttles were called back, seeing that the situation was under control.
He wished he were there, in the lead shuttle. It was his ship. He’d known its hull and bones for what felt like a lifetime. He redesigned it, saw it built, made numerous deals for everything from her deck plating to landing gear. He should be in the lead shuttle, rifle in hand, ready to take it back.
“The bridge is fried, so are the main antenna arrays, and secondary sensor suite,” reported Frost. “Everything electrical between frames nine and one are burned out. We did a little too good a job with that EMP. There’s other damage too, mostly hull breaches from taking hits in the asteroid field. Two of our main thrusters aren’t worth powering up either, we’re limping.”
“I was only asking if we could scan the Warlord, Frost,” Jake replied. “Now I feel like taking a trip through the airlock without a vacsuit.”
“No need to meet the deep cold in your birthday suit, Captain. I’ve got a scanning array working, looks like this ship has three,” Kadri said. “Scanning the Warlord now, Sir.”
“While that’s going on,” Ayan said, putting herself under one of his arms. “I’ve confirmed that the reactors, launch bay, cargo sections, berths, and most of the rest of the ship behind frame eleven is in great shape. Lorander will be able to fix this up in a couple days, if you aren’t making any modifications.”
“What if I want to make modifications?” Jake asked.
“Well, depends on which modifications you want, but if they’re like the Barricade, then a week. Maybe four days if it’s a rush and you get bots in on it.”
Jake brought up the main schematic of the ship. It was a new model and class to him – Seamark Industries Heavy Battlecruiser Version 4.221, built for Regent Galactic. There was one launch and recovery deck that looked like a squashed tube running along the bottom of the ship. It could open in several locations along the sides, but the largest openings were at the rear and the front. It already had several Sol Defence system upgrades, from Citadel, no doubt, including the shields and the thrusters. There were several upgrades on the bridge, all of which were most likely fried.
Jake couldn’t help but admit that he was impressed by the ship’s missile systems, and the directed electromagnetic pulse beams installed along the side, rear and front of the ship too. He looked at the maximum output the beams were capable of and shook his head. “No wonder the Warlord was stopped.”
There were only twenty eight paired gun turrets spread across the hull, but they were all sixty three millimetre shell guns that could fire several different kinds of loads. They were wasted on the Order of Eden. They were using solid slugs. There were countermeasure turrets that were completely computerized, and a few antimissile micro-drone launchers, but other than that, the ship depended on her heavy fighters to round out their power in a fire fight. Much of their firepower was rendered useless during their last engagement in the asteroid field, either by the proximity of the asteroids, or the carrier they were helping to shield. That wouldn’t happen again if Jake kept the ship.
“We’re getting an antimatter containment alarm from the Warlord,” Kadri said. “It started right before I finished my scan. Someone aboard is tampering with the antimatter systems.”
>
“Those damned Order Knights,” Frost said under his breath. “Bloody zealots won’t let themselves be taken.”
“Order those shuttles away from the Warlord,” Jake said, feeling whatever consolation he’d taken in capturing another Order of Eden ship slipping away.
“They’re already halting their advance,” Frost said. “They should all be at a safe range in-“
The Warlord was replaced with a white-blue fireball for two seconds. There was no sign of the Warlord after the light faded. Ashley flinched, stepping back from her terminal and backing into Jake’s. “Oh my God!” she shrieked, her hands covering her face.
Minh-Chu locked the pilot’s controls and turned, taking her into his arms gently. Jake moved to take their place at the pilot’s console, leaving Ayan at the command station. She caught his arm at the last moment. He looked at her and nodded slowly, indicating that he was all right.
He wasn’t. A lump in his throat refused to be pressed down, and all they’d lost that day was brought into sharp focus. The pilot controls were almost exactly the same as the Triton’s, easy to use, with all the information you needed right in front of him. He was thankful, the last thing he needed was to fail at holding the ship on a safe course.
“All the shuttles survived, one’s engines are dead, rescue operations are already taking place,” Kadri said quietly.
“It was only a ship,” Minh-Chu said to Ashley. “We’ll make better memories on another one.”
“Oh!” Kadri said from the communications station. “You’re not going to believe this! David Penton, they just brought him in.”
“This is Tamber Ranger Rescue Shuttle Nine,” said a female voice over the intercom. “I think this is yours, Captain Valent. He’s asking if you have a Nerine aboard the Blessed Mission, and if he can come aboard for a reunion?”
“David?” asked a young female voice. Jake remembered her well, she was another of the slaves he freed before Tamber, a young woman who served the captain of the Palamo.
“I’m here, they’re bringing me aboard,” David replied.
“David!” Nerine shrieked, “Oh my God, don’t ever do that again!” everyone could hear that, despite her excitement, she was crying.
“I’ll just put those two on their own private channel,” Kadri said. “And tell the shuttle to proceed.”
“Signal Alaka-“ Jake started, looking over his shoulder.
“To make sure the way is clear between them,” Ayan finished for him from the command terminal. “I don’t want to see an Order Knight make that a horror at the last minute.”
“We have to get looked at by something with a better scanning suite,” Jake said. “Kadri, send a request to that Lorander Cruiser for a full scan of the ship. We need to know for sure if there are any Order Knights aboard. Volumetric scans aren’t perfect.”
“All right, you know what they’ll say,” Kadri said. “Lorander Cruiser Intrepid. This is Blessed Mission, now running under Triton Fleet flag. We request a full scan of our vessel to verify that we don’t have any stowaways or other surprises aboard.”
“Blessed Mission, we are on our way. Please hold your course,” came the reply the instant she finished speaking.
“Here’s to silver linings and little miracles,” Frost said.
“Captain!” exclaimed Remmy over their secure communications band. “One of our captives just detonated a biological bomb in the hold. We got a little rattled, but our personal shields saved us. No one else survived.”
“Never mind,” Frost sighed. “I’ll start looking for silver linings and granted wishes tomorrow,” he muttered under his breath.
“So, forty two captives, all dead?” Jake asked. “No one can be saved?”
“Confirmed. The bio-bomber just said; ‘for the Order!’ then set himself off,” Remmy said. “There’s nothing for a medic to do here, whatever bio-bomb was mixing in that fanatic’s belly was enough to wipe everyone around him out, and we had them corralled in a corner of this cargo hold pretty close. I mean, we’re talking red and grey goo here, I’ve never seen anything like it. I’m sorry, Captain.”
“Nothing you could do, I’m sure,” Jake replied. “As long as all your people are all right.”
“They are. I’m surprised the explosion didn’t set off any alarms.”
“The sensors are dead in that section,” Finn replied. “Goo? Really? Have some respect.”
“Sorry, Sir,” Remmy replied. “I’ll call up a thesaurus on my comm here and see if I can find something just as descriptive but more refined for your tender ears. Oh, here’s one, ‘muck’, or would you prefer ‘sliced and diced mishmash of humanity?’ I just made that up myself.”
“That’s enough, Remmy,” Jake said gently, catching a glimpse of Finn shaking his head, and Frost doing his best not to laugh.
“Permission to seal off this cargo hold and join the scanning crew?” Remmy asked.
“Granted, leave a remote scanner on in that room though,” Jake said. “Just in case.”
“Today can’t get any worse,” Dent muttered as he joined Jake at the pilot’s station.
“Jinx!” Minh-Chu said, jabbing his finger. That brought a little chuckle from Ashley, so he pressed on. “As Wing Commander of Samurai Squadron, I hereby strip you of your call sign, Dent.”
“You wouldn’t,” Dent said. “Who would fly with me if…”
“Your new call sign is Jinx!” Minh-Chu said. “I’m putting it on record.”
“Oh, no!” Ashley said, laughing.
Jake had to admit that it was amusing, several of the crew in the room agreed with their snickers and slowly shaking heads. “You can fly shuttles for me, Jinx,” Jake said. “I’ll keep you busy.”
“Well, I’m a pariah,” Jinx said as he watched the call sign on the front of his uniform change from Dent to Jinx. “I’ll have to take you up on that, Captain.”
“Adversity helps one develop good character,” Minh-Chu said. “You’re going to be a very reliable, interesting man thanks to that new name.”
“I’m going to be a bored shuttle pilot,” Jinx said as he checked in to the navigational console.
“I’ll fly with you,” Ashley said as she gave Minh-Chu a peck on the cheek and started back to her station.
Jake stepped back and let her take over. Ashley was one of the most emotional people he knew, but she had a wonderful habit of springing back, especially when there was someone else nearby who needed cheering up. Jake always admired that about her.
Chapter 24
Ellis City
The airspace above Ellis was under the control of the Order of Eden. Patrolled, locked down, cordoned off and scanned ninety times per second. The shining city of Ellis was no longer a piece of his territory.
It didn’t irritate him. It infuriated him. Even still, no one seemed to notice or care if they did recognize a change. The traffic between the gleaming buildings standing like blades of steel grass in a field of green and blue was bustling. All sky traffic was limited to a one thousand metre ceiling, which would be plenty of space for anywhere else, but this was Ellis. Everyone wanted to be there, there was something for everyone to covet, and no one could have it all in one trip. The land of the beautiful and the powerful, Governor Tate didn’t have the stomach for the place.
Fashion seemed to change nightly in the clubs, the sports were either destructive or brutally over-hyped with more logos and shouting announcers than actual action. The gambling, shows and barely understandable trends of the ultra-rich ruled the centre of the city. The Circle Grand was lit up as though they were signalling God, and as far as they were concerned, they were.
He wondered how quickly Eve would try to recruit people if she realized that over seventy percent of the residents in Ellis were miserable hourly wage slaves. Most of them were trying to live lifestyles they couldn’t afford and were deeply in debt. It was a fantastic source of indentured workers for other, more demanding work in worse climates.
“This is fantastic,” Wheeler said, his eyes wide and his grin wide. “I love Regent Galactic territory, it’s as if the Holocaust Virus never happened.” He watched through the window of the armed shuttle as they made their way through dense sky traffic.
“It didn’t happen here,” Governor Tate said irritably. “That was the point of Regent Galactic providing the technology to take payment from people who could afford to get on the safety list. The rest were either killed by bots or put into camps for their own protection.”
“Work camps,” Wheeler said. “Still haven’t closed those down yet, have you? Brilliant work, I know exactly how it was carried out. You are one of the greediest people I’ve ever heard of, and you’re good at it.”
The pair were silent for several minutes then, staring out at the seemingly endless forest of buildings. Light in thousands of windows kept the night at bay. The route was pre-programmed, but people were stupid, and Governor Tate didn’t want to be the loser in a collision with some idiot who thought he could do a better job of flying his shuttle than the autopilot. The armed shuttle could survive most head-on collisions with normal vehicles. The Governor wondered how Wheeler would fare if he tossed him through the sliding door. He was exactly the kind of person who would fit in somewhere of the middle of Ellis, with his unique style and difficult to determine age. The fall might be nothing more than an inconvenience for someone like him, a framework. He almost chuckled at the mental picture of Wheeler regenerating, dusting himself off, and stumbling down the street to join the nightlife.
“You get bored of this kind of place fast,” Governor Tate said, allowing himself a moment to look through the window at the holographic billboard lights flashing by. “I haven’t enjoyed this place for fifteen years, probably more.”
“You should lighten up,” Wheeler said. “What’s the purpose of power if you can’t party for free every once in a while? I’m sure there are crowds of people here who would pay to have drinks with the Governor.”
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