“Lee,” the image began, “of all the people who could be watching this right now, I’m glad it’s you.”
Connor let Lee’s other arm go as the image seemed to look around the room. The algorithm which created the illusion wasn’t complicated, but they couldn’t shake the idea that the man was staring at them. Lee leaned in close to look at the projection. Chang turned his face down and looked back with a bemused expression.
“I wanted to say something like, If you’re seeing this, then I am probably dead. I thought you might find it funny. Instead, I can only hope you are watching this recording by mistake and I am sitting comfortably behind my desk, sipping that new whiskey they make on Agerit Prime. If I’m not, I’m sorry, because you have probably had a hell of a time getting the three pieces of my puzzle together. I hope the price wasn’t too high.”
Lee stared at the image. Alice looked to him to see thin streaks of tears coming from his eyes. She made her way closer to him and placed his hand in hers. Instead of squeezing back, Lee allowed her to hold on. The image took another look around the room and then continued.
“The program I have designed here is pretty interactive, so I know you’re watching this on Resolute. That’s good. I always did like this ship. Of course, it probably means you’re in space and I’m in trouble. Lee, you have to get me. Wherever I am, you need to come after me. During the war, I discovered something terrible. I didn’t want anyone to know until I had confirmed it, but I am sure now. The galaxy is in danger and I may be the only person who can get us out before it’s too late. The information on this program is yours now, but I have been studying it since we scanned a strange device. If you have all three pieces, you’ve probably spoken to Lira, so you know what I’m talking about. I know Booth is a hell of an engineer, but this may be beyond him. If you need help, I’d advise you find Melaina Petros. She might be able to help.”
Connor took Melaina’s hand and drew her close. The woman seemed shocked to hear her name from Chang’s disembodied voice. The face looked sad as it looked upwards. The admiral must have been outside when he recorded the message, because his face brightened from an unseen sun. After a moment, he looked back to Lee and his face took on a serious expression.
“Lee, I’ve had to do some things I’m not proud of to get the galaxy ready for what’s coming. I’m not sure who I should tell you to trust. I have a file here marked Bugs,” the image said, smiling with an inside grin. “I thought you might find that funny if you were the one to find it. Anyway, the file is the last piece of my puzzle and I’m the only one who can open it. It contains the identity of the only other person who knows about the threat and what my plans are. Come and get me and I’ll unlock that file. Until then, I hope you can figure this out before it’s too late. If I am actually dead, use my genetic code to access the file. In any case, I know the files are in good hands. If you can, say hello to your dad for me. Lee, that old man is the craziest person I’ve ever met— beside you, that is. I hope you know how proud he is of you and how special he is. Goodbye, old friend— or maybe until later. I’ll see you then. Preston … how do I turn this thing off?”
The image snapped off, leaving the group in semi-darkness. Lee took a deep breath, allowing himself to finally feel the pain of his injuries and loss. Melaina stepped back to the panel and tapped a key. The image of the engine room reappeared on the projection. A few more taps and the data began to coalesce into a new form. What had been a beehive design wrapped around a standard design for M-space projectors morphed into something completely different. Alice stepped to the image as well, pulling away from Lee, who was transfixed by the design. Henry reached out a hand to steady the captain as his knees were wobbly. He held his friend up as the design grew across the table and took over nearly a quarter of the room.
“It’s a ship,” Alice whispered. “It’s some kind of ship, but it’s integrated into the engine…”
“I don’t think that is really an M-space engine,” Melaina replied, watching the equations scroll around the image. “I don’t know what that is…”
Lee snapped out of his reverie and regained his feet. He looked to Henry, who let him go. Stepping over to the console, Lee tapped the comm panel to call the bridge.
“Farthing,” Lee barked into the comm. “I need you to locate Admiral Chang.”
“Yes sir,” the voice of the first officer replied. “I may have an idea about that.”
“I thought you might,” Lee replied. “As soon as you have something firm, have Josh set course.”
“Aye, sir. Shall I assume we will be assaulting whatever Alliance vessel he will be aboard in a rescue attempt?”
“Yep,” Lee replied, slapping off the comm panel and turning to the expanding image over the table. “So … who wants to go break into an Alliance ship, rescue a man accused of treason, and probably get killed in the process?”
There was no sound as every hand in the room was raised.
24
By the time Alice returned to their shared quarters, Lee was fast asleep. He had driven the team hard to find the answer to Chang’s riddle. Farthing reported a lead in the search and he had finally allowed himself time to go to the doctor to heal. While en route, Alice had called Demsiri and asked him to help Lee sleep. The doctor had protested, citing his oaths and honor before agreeing to help the captain.
Alice kept working with Melaina, Preston and Lellda to decipher the strange design the projection had taken. It was a long night, with each person contributing their expertise. At times, Alice wondered why she had stayed and what help she could provide. She was, after all, just a mechanic with no special skills or training, but as they delved deeper into the engineering decks of the ship, she was able to see patterns the others could not. The sensation of knowing things about a design she had never seen before was strange, but the perception of knowledge was less like a revelation and more like a memory of something. Melaina was the real genius in the room. When Alice, exhausted and drained, finally left the room, she was still running simulations and solving exotic equations.
Alice was careful not to disturb Lee as she shed her flight and pressure suits. She noticed the sheen of sweat on her skin and knew she was in desperate need of a shower. As silent as possible, she moved into the small shower station and closed the door. She turned the faucets to high and hot, enjoying the steam against her cold skin. The water felt exhilarating and she stood under the tap for a long time. Finally, she ran her hand under the small nozzle and got soap. As she lathered, she thought again about the design embedded in the data.
The idea that Chang would hide the design for an alien ship design was strange, but in context not out of character. Breaking the data up and using the activation of all three to release Chang’s message was also unusual, but even Lee would be forced to admit the admiral had been acting strangely. He had added some information about the Gizzeen to the discussion, but it confused matters even more. Dalton’s veiled references to monsters and ghosts made Alice think about her father and the stories he would tell her after her mother died and he was in a bourbon soaked haze. He would talk about creatures which could materialize from the air and snatch little girls who didn’t obey their fathers. It was all too much for her to take, and she shook her head and tried to concentrate on the shower again.
An extra hand reached past her, startling her enough to let out a yelp. As Lee put his arm around her, she giggled. She had been so lost in her thoughts she had not heard him enter. He stepped into the water and let the heat run down his back and legs. As he dipped his lips onto her neck she stopped giggling. His arms were strong and held her close as he continued the kisses down the center of her back. It seemed like so long ago they had been in the repair bay and they had…
“That was a bad thing to do,” Lee said, talking into her left ear. “You asked the doctor to give me one of his sleeping potions while I was injured. I should have him court-martialed for mutiny or something.”
“Oh, Lee, ple
ase don’t do anything to him,” Alice said, turning in his arms to look into his eyes. “It was my fault entirely. I was worried about you and you were being so angry and—”
“So I should punish you?” he replied, looking back with a serious gaze. “I wonder what form of punishment would be best. I hear twenty lashes used to be the norm, but I think I left my lash back with Lira.”
“You’ve never had a lash,” Alice replied, smiling her most seductive smile. “It isn’t in your make-up. You’re too much of a good guy.”
“Good?” Lee said, his expression changing to his arrogant smile. “I’m just good?”
Alice leaned in close and planted her lips against his. As he pulled her in, she could feel the warm water and his attention beginning to work their magic. Her legs felt soft, and when he lifted her from the shower and carried her back into their bedroom, she did not protest. He was careful to cover her body as he laid her on the mattress and saw the goose-flesh along her arms and legs. She began to feel warm again even as he slipped into bed with her. The feel of his hands caressing her body put all thoughts of the design and their mission out of her head.
When they finished, she showered. Afterwards, he took his turn under the water again. Their ration of water ran out, though, and he emerged dripping and cold with a towel around his waist. To Alice, he had never looked more attractive. He went back into the shower room for a moment and she found her underpants and one of his uniform shorts. When he came out of the shower, she was sitting up, looking at him with a quizzical expression.
“Why aren’t you asleep?” Alice asked. “Demsiri has some pretty good drugs in sickbay. Have you developed a resistance to poisons, as well as new and wonderful powers of seduction?”
“Demsiri’s good, that’s true. While he was treating my skin he kept wanting to give me a sedative. I wouldn’t let him,” Lee replied, pulling on a pair of military issue briefs and sliding into the bed with her. “He’s a good doctor, but a terrible liar. In the end, he told me what he was trying to do.”
“I was just worried about you, Lee. You’ve been under so much stress and … wait, you knew?”
“Yep,” he said, rolling over to put his arm around her. “I realized you were right. I really needed the sleep, so I came back here and nodded off.”
“I’m glad you did,” Alice said, nuzzling her head up under his chin. “I was afraid you were starting to lose it. After you left, Connor and Henry started to talk and they—”
“They won’t do anything. I trust those two men with more than just my life. Just like you, they’ll worry but they’ll stay loyal. It’s Chang I’m starting to worry about.”
“Chang?”
“The more I go over what Dalton said, the more I start to see it. The last time I spoke to the man he was distraught. I thought it was the stress of the Alliance, but maybe I was just seeing what I wanted. This whole thing has been about him and his loyalty to the Alliance.”
“You don’t think he was really behind the bombing at the peace conference?” Alice said, propping herself up on one arm to look back at him. “He wouldn’t have wanted to kill your father or anyone else. He was on the podium too. I don’t think he was suicidal. Do you?”
“I just don’t know. This new Alliance isn’t really what we fought for, is it? I mean, look at what they did to the Ixloab, and those people were just speaking out against the Tonal government. What would they do if someone actually opposed them? I’m just not sure anymore.”
“Then why are we going after him?”
It was the question Henry and Connor had asked them. Lee had become obsessive about his loyalty to Chang, but the destruction of Xyphlic base and the Raoists had caused them to question the ultimate goal of their mission. It seemed more and more likely that Ronald Chang, although not necessarily at fault for the bombing, was somehow implicated in something which had cost the lives of hundreds, if not thousands, of people so far. The data they had recovered was revolutionary if they could decode it, but not worth the cost to retrieve it.
“I need to know, Alice,” Lee finally said. “I need to know for certain whether the man I trusted above all others could have been the one who betrayed us all. My father always used to tell me I should find one horse and ride it to the end of any trail, just to see where it ends. I owe it to him, I guess, to see where the trail ends.”
“That is one of the most valiant and ridiculous things I have ever heard, Lee Pearce,” Alice said, lowering herself down to kiss him again. “And I love you all the more for it.”
“Of course,” Lee said with a grin. “There’s still the matter of your punishment…”
Alice grabbed one of the two pillows on the bed and swung it hard. Lee laughed as the soft roll hit his face. She began to pull her arm back for another swing when the comm sounded in their cabin. Both of them stopped the laughter that had begun to overwhelm them and looked at the wall panel. A yellow light blinked in time with the tone. Lee took a long breath and looked back to Alice.
“I’ll need to answer that,” he said, reaching up and putting his hands on her shoulders to draw her down. “I expect you to wait and take your punishment like a good little officer.”
Alice let out a giggle which sounded more like something sad as she rolled off him. He slid off the bed and walked over to the comm panel. The light blinked green as he slapped the button.
“What is it, Farthing?” Lee asked the wall.
“Captain?” The felinoid commander’s voice betrayed surprise. “How did you know it was I?”
“Because you have the worst timing in the whole galaxy,” Lee replied, looking back at Alice, who had stripped off his shirt and pulled the covers up over her. “What is it?”
“I believe I have a lead on the whereabouts of Admiral Chang,” replied the voice. “He has been transferred to Nottingham station and is awaiting transport to Earth.”
“Nottingham?” Lee asked. “That’s strange. Ganymede is an agro-research facility. They aren’t set up for a trial. Why didn’t they take him straight to Earth?”
“I believe the solar storms disrupted the M-space portals in-system. The news service is expecting it to clear within the next three hours. He will be placed on a transport at that time.”
“Any idea which ship is taking him?” Lee asked.
“I have discovered they will place him on a courier ship,” Farthing replied. “They are alerting the news services he will be arriving with the destroyer escort Ivanov. It is a ruse to keep them from noticing his real arrival. The only way I discovered it was the absence of transmissions from Nottingham and the re-routing of the courier to an unknown destination. He was being taken by Mars until they disappeared from the network. The Alliance thinks the best way not to alert people is to not tell them anything. Decoding the system is relatively easy if you think like one of my people. I have been keeping track of the admiral since he was taken from Vadne. His code name by the Alliance, by the way, is Chien Long.”
“So we only have a couple of hours to get there and get him off that station,” Lee said. “Get the team in the tactical room and have the fire teams ready. I don’t want to have to destroy anything on our way in, but we will light up every board in the sector when we come out of M-space.”
“Aye, sir.”
“And Farthing…” Lee said, looking down at the panties which had been flung to his feet a few moments ago. “Tell the team twenty minutes.”
25
Nottingham Agricultural Research Station – Ganymede
The ride to the surface of Ganymede was rough. The ship’s engineers had damaged the Ixloab shuttle enough to make it look natural and unfixable. Baron, piloting the shuttle, was struggling to keep the ship from flipping as it sliced through the thin atmosphere of the moon. Errant magnetic fields and radioactive streams were assaulting the small ship from above and below. It was the best plan they could come up with on short notice and Gregor was happy.
His team was crammed into the ship, armed
to the teeth, and wearing the bulkier kind of assault suit that made him feel like a walking tank. Baron’s voice was shrill as he fought to keep the ship steady. He had put in an emergency distress call to the research station, telling them the ship was breaking up and requesting immediate assistance. As expected, the station, now half occupied with Alliance forces, denied the ship any safe harbor. Alliance fighters were swooping in low to escort the damaged vessel away, but Baron kept it on course. Despite his missing arm, the man was still a better pilot than most. The troops held tight to the rigged straps from the ceiling or netting along the interior walls.
There was a terrible impact as the shuttle dipped a flank against the ice along the surface of the moon. Pieces of hull broke off and spiraled away from the ship as it sped onwards towards the Nottingham station. Gregor just hoped the pilot could keep the ship together long enough to land near the station. He liked walking in the suits, but he hated having to travel any longer than he had to.
On schedule, the fighter escorts broke away, chasing another target of much higher value. According to Baron, the new target would be the Sweet Liberty Too, dropping her cloak and emitting a loud signal. Their job was to distract the air support while Gregor and his men took out the ground troops. It wasn’t elegant but it would do. At the very least, it was action, and Gregor liked action. He checked the charge on his pistol again, ensuring his weapon would not fire explosive shells in the civilian station. Tearing a hole in the station walls while carrying the admiral would not be a successful end to his mission, and would probably end his career—assuming he had one after all of this.
Resolute Alliance (The War for Terra Book 6) Page 20
