Traitor Winds - Kestrel Saga: Vol. 0 (Kestrel Saga - Origins)

by Stephen A. Fender

  “Just another boring round of meetings with dignitaries,” Angelika said with factual exhaustion.

  “Same old thing, eh?”

  “It felt like it. Honestly, I’m thinking about quitting.”

  Michael jerked his head back in surprise. “You really mean that, babe?”

  “It’s just…just getting to be too much. I can’t handle it as well as I used to.”

  “Well, we all get older.”

  “It’s not that,” she said with a chuckle. “It was different back then. I thought I was making a difference. I thought I was doing some good. Nowadays, I feel like I’m just treading water, you know? Like there is always a fire to put out somewhere, but I can never contain the entire blaze.”

  Michael reached up a hand and caressed the side of her face. “The war with the Kafarans is taxing everyone, including beautiful accountants. Bedsides, no one ever said you had to shoulder the galaxy’s burdens, Angie.”

  “I know. So why do I do it? There are other…accountants out there. They can do it just as well as I do.”

  “Well,” Michael countered, “aren’t you always telling me that your boss feels otherwise, and that’s why they keep calling you out to handle their foreign affairs?”

  “I think he’s a liar,” she scoffed, but knew she was speaking from her heart.

  “But, you have to admit, you are pretty good at it.”

  Angelika chuckled. “It’s the only thing I ever was any good at.”

  Michael moved his hand down to her chin and lifted her head from his chest. “That’s not true at all. You’re great at loving me.”

  Her eyes locked onto his. “Do you really mean that?”

  “Of course I do. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Don’t forget, I’m an expert at having bad things happen to him, so I’m something of an authority on knowing good things when I see them.”

  She reached up and stroked his chin. “I know it’s been hard for you, with me not being around lately, and with your dad passing away a few weeks ago.”

  “I won’t lie to you, it’s been a challenge.”

  I won’t lie to you. Those words echoed in her mind every minute of every day. She knew he never would, yet she did to him almost constantly. Her love for him was real; this moment and the thousands of others like it they’d share were real. It was just that her life was sprinkled with lies, a tangled web that encircled who she wanted to be…who she was right then and now.

  “I love you, Michael. I always will. And I promise I will make up for all the lost time.”

  He smiled the same charming smile that she was witness to when they’d first locked eyes at a coffee shop three years before. It never lost its luster, and she hoped that it never would.

  “I love you too, Angie. So, when are you going away again?”

  “Not anytime soon. I will tell you that we definitely have tonight, and breakfast tomorrow. After all, I want to be witness to your purported skills as a master breakfast maker.”

  He laughed. “I promise it’s better than my dinner routine.”

  “That’s a good thing,” Angelika purred. “There’s a limit to how much burning my oven can withstand in a twenty-four hour period.”

  “As for the rest?”

  She smiled devilishly and then kissed him. “Let’s play it by ear and see where it leads us.”

  Chapter 3

  Angelika knew who was calling before she even checked the communications terminal downstairs. The chime had woken her from a dead sleep—the deepest she’d known in weeks—and she hurried down to the lower floor of the house before it stirred Michael from his peaceful slumber.

  It was still early…painfully so. The sun hadn’t yet risen, and Angelika wondered if the unrelenting rains of the night before had finally abated and would allow the unfiltered sunlight to stream through her office windows once more. As if to answer her silent wish, a gentle pattering came from high overhead as quarter-size raindrops began to pelt the roof once more. In the darkness, through half-opened eyes, she noticed the room’s automatic lights came on as they were alerted to her presence.

  Entering her private passcode into her computer, she was greeted by the golden shield image of the Office of Special Investigations. Expecting the all-too-familiar voice of Harold Carlisle to greet her, she was surprised to see the deputy director’s face respond to her groggy and markedly unhappy, “Hello?”

  Angelika had known Deputy Martell for some time, ever since she’d interned with the Plans and Policies Division five years ago. Since that time, she’d moved quickly up the ranks, transferring first to the Technical Services Division three years ago, and then finally being assigned to her recent post of Field Operations within the last twenty-four months. Troy Martell had been there the whole time, watching and guiding the other agents into fruitful careers as covert agents. Two years ago it was finally Angelika’s turn to show what she could do as a field operative and, in that time, she knew that she’d earned the respect and admiration of her superior.

  “We need you to come in now, Angelika.” His words were even, measured, without a hint of concern or worry. That’s exactly what worried her. Martell was usually known for his joviality within his self-built close-knit group of coworkers, and Angelika was one of his closest.

  “Are we secure?” Agent Martell then asked.

  “Stand by.” Angelika reached into the glove compartment and withdrew a gleaming, silver pen. Propping the phone into the crook of her neck, she gripped the writing utensil with both hands and twisted it sharply until a blue light appeared on the tip. There was no other sound to indicate the device was functioning properly, but also no indication that it wasn’t.

  “We’re secure, sir. Go ahead.”

  “I’m sorry to bother you so early in the morning, but it’s important, Angie. I trust that, by making this call myself, I’ve already stressed that fact.”

  “Sir?” she asked, searching his troubled eyes for a hint of what was disturbing him.

  “We don’t have a lot of time, Agent Jordan, so I won’t get into the details with you now. How soon can you be ready to leave?”

  “You have to be kidding me,” she huffed as quietly as possible. “I just got back.”

  “And now you have another assignment. I’m sorry, Angelika.”

  He didn’t sound the least bit apologetic. “But sir, I’ve got to—”

  “It’s Krador, Agent Jordan.”

  The name alone was enough to stop Angelika in midsentence. Maros Krador, former Admiral in charge of fleet movements for Unified Sector Command, and who was now a wanted renegade within Jidoian space.

  Two years ago, just as the war with the Kafarans had begun, the Admiral had begun to make movements to wrest control of the Unified Government away from the politicians and place it in the hands of the military. Seeing through Krador’s plan, the then-president trumped up charges against him with the aid of some of the Admiral’s most trusted junior officers. This forced Krador to retire in disgrace, but not before vowing revenge.

  And it wasn’t long in coming. Six months later, to the horror of the thousands who had offices on the outer rim of the orbital station, a cruiser exploded moments after leaving dock. There were hundreds of casualties, with the Unified president and his family among them. Krador, now a military governor on the known Kafaran sympathizer world of Jido, immediately issued a drawn-out vidcall with the Unified Council, quick to take credit for the blatant act of terrorism.

  In the intervening year, a small team of OSI agents had been keeping tabs on the governor. At one point, even Angelika herself had been tasked with vetting out one of the governor’s kingpins: his own nephew, Kaiben. Always one step ahead of the OSI, Krador and his staff was still at large and becoming more of a threat with each passing week. As Unified forces fell time and again to the invading Kafarans, it was only a matter of time before Krador and his cronies took another swipe at his former allies.

  “He’s resurfaced?�
� Angelika asked.

  “It looks that way. As I said, we don’t have a lot of time. I need you back in orbit immediately for a full briefing.”

  Angelika’s eyes went to her lap, and to the exceedingly comfortable flannel pajamas she was wearing. Then Michael’s face crossed her mind, and instantly she was saddened that she would, once again, miss out on breakfast at home. “It’s going to take me a few minutes to get changed, and even longer to make it back to the base. Have Carlisle pick me up in ten minutes.”

  “Carlisle is already out front and waiting for you,” Martell said without skipping a beat. “There’s a high school near your house, isn’t there?”

  Angelika’s eyebrow went up. “Yes. Why?”

  “We need a place to land the shuttle.”

  “What? You’re sending the shuttle directly here?” In all her years with the OSI, Angelika had never known Martell to be so impatient.

  “We can’t waste any more time, so you’ll need to hurry. A shuttle taking off from the football field is bound to raise suspicions, and we only have about an hour before sunrise.”

  Angelika had been in a pinch or two before. The only difference now was that this time she’d have to confront Michael, and his guilt trips were legendary. As she signed off from the call with Martell, she realized that she’d rather face a half dozen Kradors than to deliver the bad news to the man she loved.

  Upstairs, Michael was now solidly back asleep. His rhythmic breathing and gentle snoring were all the indication Angelika needed to be as quiet as possible. She quickly got dressed, forgoing putting on any makeup, and tied her hair tightly behind her head. Grabbing her messenger bag from beside the dresser, she tossed in a few changes of clothes—not that she was intent on wearing any of them. She often used the tactic to lead Michael into believing that she was going away on business for a few days, even though all her clothing and gear would be provided to her by the OSI before she left the station.

  As she slung the bag over her shoulder, Michael stirred. “Off again?”

  She leaned down and kissed him. “I’ll be home soon.”

  “Call me when you get to…well…wherever it is that you’re going.”

  Since she hadn’t gotten that particular piece of information from Martell, Angelika couldn’t begin to give Michael an estimate when that would be. “I will. I promise.”

  Michael smiled weakly, curling his arm underneath his pillow as he drifted back to sleep. “Love you, babe.” It was the last thing he said before his snoring overtook his vocal abilities.

  “I Love you, too.”

  Outside, at the end of the narrow walkway that led from the front door of her house out to the street, Angelika saw the pristine, black hover car waiting for her once again, with Harold Carlisle standing patiently nearby. As she neared the end of the walkway, Harold tipped his antiquated derby-style hat in her direction, then opened the rear door for her.

  “It’s good to see you again so soon, Miss Jordan.”

  They sympathy of his tone was not lost on her as she patted his cheek. “I know. It seems like it’s been ages.”

  “I hope you slept well.”

  She felt a yawn coming on and stretched her arms out in anticipation. “Considering it only lasted about five hours, I can’t say that I did.”

  “Unfortunately, our journey to the station will be too brief for you to catch up on your rest.”

  Angelika looked at Harold. “Are you coming out with me on this one?”

  Harold’s eyes sparkled. “Something like that.”

  Angelika stepped into the vehicle and, once they were on their way, continued. “How long has it been since you went out in the field?”

  “About four years, Miss. But I won’t be exactly out in the field with you on this one.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “My services have been requested on the station. To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure I know what’s going on, either.”

  Angelika wasn’t a big fan of surprises. She was used to knowing exactly what she was in store for before she got to the initial briefings. However, when it came to Krador, Angelika had also come to expect the unexpected, and she’d have to roll with the punches on this one.

  Not long after, the hover car neared the high school, and a moment later it was on the outskirts of the unlit football field. The population of Third Earth had boomed in the last few years, and several new cities had sprung up as a result. The once-lone junior football team on the planet now had a score of opponents to square off against. However, on this cool and damp morning, the darkness of the field and the emptiness in the bleachers gave the scene a look of utter desolation.

  Just as the car came to a slow halt near the fifty-yard line, a faint glow appeared in the low-hanging clouds above. The light grew in intensity until a sleek Sector Command shuttle broke through the barrier and descended to the grassy field below. The vehicle, with its repulse drives on minimum power, barely made a sound as its three landing pads made contact with the lush turf. On its side, the elliptically-shaped craft bore the symbol of the Sector Command, with its angular eagle’s crest surrounded by a dark circle and ringed with stars that symbolized the founding members of the Unified Collaboration of Systems.

  The moment the craft made planetfall, the man-sized door in the side slid open, and a series of steps folded down from the craft. Angelika was quick to exit the hover car and dash for the shuttle. As she neared the shuttle, a lone figure exited the craft and dashed for the hover car. Angelika turned to see Harold exit the driver’s seat, the before-mentioned officer taking his spot. The car sped away from the field as Harold joined Angelika in the shuttle.

  As the two strapped themselves into the executive transport’s comfortable seats, Angelika turned to the ever-calm Carlisle. “I’m warning you now: flying with me is not the most enjoyable experience.”

  “Perhaps you’ll feel safer now that you have company.”

  “It’s never worked before,” she said as she tightened the seat’s waist strap.

  “Well, you’ve never flown with me before,” the Englishman replied with a cocked smile. “I’m sure I could bore you to sleep with any number of my anecdotes.”

  “I’m sure that would be a first.”

  “Not true. I’ve bored many a lovely lady in the past.”

  Angelika smiled. “No, I mean sleeping on one of these things. It’s never happened for me.”

  “Afraid we’re going to crash?”

  Her eyebrows went up in alarm. “Crash? That’s just one possibility,” she countered smartly. “We could suddenly depressurize, or lose thrust and burn up in the atmosphere.”

  “For someone who regularly takes her own life in her hands on such dangerous assignments, I’m a bit shocked that you’re so afraid of these things. They really are the safest way to travel.”

  “It’s statistics, old friend. One day, I know that one of these things is going to be the death of me.”

  He all but rolled his eyes in her direction. “Would you like a tranquilizer, Agent Jordan?”

  “No. I’d rather be lucid at the end. It’ll give me time to get my affairs in order.”

  The shuttle’s engines began to spin, increasing in pitch as they picked up speed. Soon the vehicle lifted from the field. A moment later, the aft thrusters ignited, and the shuttle was rocketed into the low-hanging clouds and on its way to the planet’s orbital station.

  Once free of Third Earth’s atmosphere—and the accursed turbulence that Angelika hated so much—orbital station Canis-Seven came quickly into view. Visible from the surface of the planet on most sunny days as a hazy, somewhat ill-defined circle, the station was now resplendent. Though no two structures of such size could be built identical to one another, Canis-Seven was generally laid out like most other stations found in Unified space. The wide upper and lower bell-shaped docks were large enough to hold anything from the largest Sector Command fleet carriers to scores of the smallest support craft. Each half of the
station was lit on a thousand points, each representing a standard three-foot view port. Connecting the two bell-shaped halves was a smooth, tube-shaped complex, internally segregated and subdivided into thousands of compartments used for lodging, shops, business centers, and a sprawling military complex dedicated solely to Sector Command fleet training.

  As Angelika’s shuttle neared the flared lower edge of the top bell dock, a thousand-foot-long fleet cruiser slipped easily through a pair of immense bay doors that led inside the complex. The ship had an angular, tapered bow—which accounted for three-quarters of the vessel’s length. Near the stern, the tower-like superstructure jutted slightly aft, and was flanked on either side by scores of small and large weapon emplacements. The shuttle and cruiser passed one another, the larger vessel giving as much attention to the shuttle as a whale might to a passing snail. Having not seen a vessel of this size in several years, Angelika looked out the generous view port to her right and read aloud the cruiser’s name as it came into view.

  “USCS Antarax.”

  “What?” Harold called from the seat opposite her.

  Angelika turned her gaze from the impressive cruiser to see Harold, one leg folded leisurely over the other, holding up a tablet with one hand and sipping at his tea with the other. “A fleet cruiser is on our right side. Close enough to reach out and touch. You should take a look.”

  He set his tea into a small alcove on the seatback in front of him, then used the free hand to flip a virtual page on the computer tablet. “First, it’s on our starboard side, not the ‘right,’ as you incorrectly stated. And second, if you’ve seen one ship, then you’ve practically seen them all.”