This time Valerie shrugged. “You’re not. When I was reprimanding you over Cest, there was no fear in either of you.”
“We know you won’t do anything to harm us,” Deni said and Hanna thought back to the briefing before kidnapping Pomykala. For an instant, Hanna really feared for her life.
“And that is all that matters to me,” Valerie pointed out. “As long as the rest get the job done, that’s the important thing. Besides, none of it will make any difference once we’re off planet.”
“What about in the Legion?” Hanna asked. “Did they fear you as well?”
The pause this time was much longer and Valerie gave out a long sigh before answering.
“No. I was... I was different then. They were proud of me. They never said it to my face but they had a nick-name for me. Battleborn.” She gave out a slight chuckle. “Even soldiers and sailors, who didn’t know my name, had heard of me. There were many times I heard tales of the Battleborn while sitting in Legion bars. I think my troops took pride in passing on the stories. Oh, there were never any locations or anything able to lead back to me, but they were still recognisable, if you knew the full picture.”
Surprise was Hanna’s first reaction, but as her brain caught up with her emotions she realised it wasn’t true. Ever since Hanna met Valerie, she sensed something buried beneath all the pain, a person truly caring for those around her.
“I can see it, I really can,” Hanna told her. “It’s what the Crew see in you.”
“Yeah. They do,” Deni agreed.
“That’s appreciated, but it doesn’t matter anymore. The Legion part of my life is long over and so will the Crew be soon.” There was no harshness, but the finality of it was clear in Valerie’s voice. The girls stayed quiet for the rest of the trip.
The expanse of the city gave way to the surrounding red plains, interspersed occasionally with an exclusive Privileged village or the more common factory towns. Air traffic around them was sparse and Hanna could see vast flights of pterodactyls. They were made up of dozens of animals, each with a wingspan from two metres all the way up to six. In the city Hanna had only seen the human sized one’s Valerie and her emulated during their first Heist. Out here, they grew much bigger. Hanna couldn’t help grinning as she watched them.
The plains rose up into the foothills. They passed over Mishizen national park and entered the Ginormican mountain range itself. Valerie maintained the aircars height. The mountains seemed to reach for them until they were flying in amongst the peaks.
“Erm... Valerie. Shouldn’t we be gaining a little more altitude?” Deni asked somewhat worriedly, the ground getting closer and closer to them.
“No. If someone is tracking us, the carbon and iron here will hide us from their sensors.” Valerie told her. They were now only metres from the ground. “That’s one of the reasons why the clans are so difficult to find up here.”
“You know the clans?” Deni asked. Hannah caught a distinct edge in the other girls voice. Her friend was always anxious to hear details about the nomadic clans.
“I was briefed on them some years ago and I passed through the Mulgrew clan when I first arrived on Blaze. They’re good people.”
“What are they like? How do they live?”
“Simply, is the best answer I can give,” Valerie explained. “They herd Tofu, hunt for game and rare plants up in the mountains, before making their way across the central desert trading. Not as much as they used to. Most of the mining facilities out there are owned by the big corporations. Their supplies are delivered by air. There are still a number of independents, making it worth the clans while.”
“What about the people?”
“Each clan is a close knit community of around a thousand people, more or less. They rely on each other to survive. Trust and honour are integral to the clan’s survival. If you lie or try to cheat a clansman or woman, they’ll kill you.” Valerie seemed to sense Deni wanted more and continued.
“When I visited the Mulgrew clan, they invited me to sit by their fire and share a meal with them in the evening. They have a tradition of people telling stories. At the time I didn’t really appreciate it. It was only weeks after the attack on my family.” Hanna heard a hitch in Valerie’s voice. “And I was very wrapped up in myself, but now I look back, I can see the good it did for the clan. People told stories about something that happened to someone else on the day. They weren’t told to belittle anyone in any way, but to show the group they weren’t alone, others were going through the very same difficulties and troubles.”
“Oh,” Deni said quietly.
“Why do you want to know?” Valerie asked gently.
“I’m originally from the clans. My Granddad brought me to Inferno when I was only four years old. Our clan was wiped out in some sort of war and we were the only survivors. He died about the same time as Hanna’s mother. He didn’t really have time to tell me much about what life was like or my parents. Granddad actually made me promise to never tell anyone our clan name. He thought we would still be in danger. Hanna’s the only one I‘ve told, we met on the streets and she’s the closest thing I have to a sister.”
For a while Valerie was silent and continued to pilot the aircar close to the ground. It rose and fell with the ridges and valleys of the mountain range.
“I knew the two of you were close, but I didn’t realise it went back that long.”
“We kind of ran into each other. Neither of us had anyone and we helped each other out.” Hanna said. “When Tern took us in and put us to work, we stuck together. We’ve been that way ever since.”
“I had a bond like that once. Shannon Forlani. I ran a specialist Commando company and she was my first recruit. Over the years and numerous battlefields, we became comrades in arms. I knew I could always trust her to watch my back.”
“What happened to her?” Hanna asked. “Was she on Furioso?”
There was a sharp intake of breath from Deni. The look her friend gave her clearly asked if she had taken all leave of her senses. Hanna trusted her instincts where Valerie was concerned, though she couldn’t help holding her breath.
This time it looked like the entirety of Valerie’s body froze into place. The silence stretched out longer and longer. She might have actually gone too far this time. Finally the former soldier took a long deep breath and answered in a very quiet voice.
“No. My company were all on leave at the time.”
Not wanting to push her any further, Hanna didn’t say any more. From the look Deni was giving her, she knew she was going to get an ear-bashing.
Fortunately she was saved from the awkward silence as the aircar came to halt before descending into a steep valley. Along the base Hanna could see large caves and there was no sign of any human habitation.
“Wow. You couldn’t have found a more remote place to hide your stash?” she asked.
Getting out of the pilots seat, Valerie ignored Hanna’s question and pulled out three re-breathers. She tossed one to each of the girls and strapped hers to on.
“The air’s very thin out there so put these on.” Valerie’s voice sounded slightly muffled through the mask and Hanna did as she was told.
Air rushed out of the car when Valerie opened the door. Hanna heard a hiss from her re-breather. It pulled in more oxygen per breath, to compensate for the thin atmosphere. Valerie stepped out onto the rocky ground with Deni behind her and Hanna followed. Outside it was cold and dry. She was glad she wore her warmer clothes.
Valerie led the three of them to one of the largest of the caves. The sun was high in the sky, shining directly down into the valley. The cave’s interior was hidden in deep shadow. It wasn’t until they stepped inside Hanna made out the large black shape.
“That’s a bloody space ship!” Deni exclaimed, echoing Hanna’s own surprise. “Where on Blaze did you get that?”
This time Valerie did answer. “It’s how I got off Furioso and to Blaze from Olympus.” She activated something on her wr
istcomp. A ramp lowered itself from where it sat flush against the smooth hull.
“If you have this, why don’t we use it instead of a freighter?” Hanna asked.
“Partly because the Spectre isn’t hyperspace capable,” Valerie said as she headed up the ramp. “I piggybacked a freighter to travel between systems. Mainly though, there’s nowhere to hide it on Olympus, the planet is too heavily populated to lose a ship in, the way I did here.”
Inside, it was surprisingly small, and Valerie was bent over an open crate of some sort. Glossy black and almost three metres long, it said MAJOR VALERIE CARTER in blocky white script on the lid. Hanna could see various guns, armour and equipment inside. Something didn’t look right to her. She was looking at it from an angle, but it didn’t seem deep enough.
“You didn’t need Sneaker’s armoury last year. You’ve got enough guns there to storm a fortress!” Deni said.
“More than you realise, Deni.” Valerie took out some thirty centimetre long boxes, slid them into her coat pockets and shut the lid. Activating the crates anti-gravs, it floated up into the air. Valerie spun it on its axis to bring the base round to the top. She lowered it back down and opened the lid.
Hanna couldn’t help gasping out loud. Inside lay a matt black mechanical suit tied into the crate by various leads and umbilical cords, feeding it power. It looked similar to the Legion’s Fully Powered Body Armour, Hanna saw in holovids, but it was sleeker and smoother, with less protruding edges. Inside the lid of the crate sat a number of weapons. Plasma, Blaster, Missile and Quad Pulse cannons, were all there.
“Oh wow. Why didn’t you use that on Tumbler’s place?” Hanna asked.
“You remember what Troll said last year about Sneaker’s Plasma rifle?”
“Yeah, Zeus Police will send in their biggest guns.”
“If they ever saw the gangs with Legion FPBA’s, it wouldn’t be the Police you’d have to worry about. Commando Rangers would be kicking down doors throughout the Ghetto until they found it. If I was seen with this? They would send in at least a company of Devil’s and believe me, that would be the last thing anyone would want.”
“But you’re going to take it with us aren’t you.” It wasn’t a question from Deni but a statement.
“Yes, Trovare has already procured me a smugglers crate for it. I think we’re going to be meeting much tougher opposition and besides, they already know I’m coming. Different rules apply. Speaking of which, that reminds me. Wait here for a moment.” Valerie turned away and headed along the corridor, going up a ladder at the end of the small crew space.
“Do you know what, Hanna?” Deni said. “I never quite realised just what we were getting into until now.”
“You’re right, nor did I,” she looked at her friend in concern. “Do you want out?”
Shaking her head with a smile, Deni answered firmly. “Not a chance.”
“Good,” Hanna grinned back. “Nor do I.”
Valerie came back down the ladder and handed Hanna a code key, one not dissimilar to an aircars.
“What’s this?” Hanna asked.
“The key to the Spectre.”
“Eh?”
“I need you to break the encryption and copy it to Deni and your wristcomps. Then bury another copy in your system back at the Sun, so only Sneaker can get to it. Even then, he can’t be able to stumble over it. It needs to be set so deep he can only find it, if he’s told to go looking. Can you do that?”
“Hiding something from Sneaker is a tall order. How good is the encryption?”
“The best the Legion have. This ship is a one of a kind, top secret prototype.”
“Whoa! I’m good but come on, Valerie. You’re asking a bloody lot here. Why? You’ve hidden the ship pretty well out here and if it’s as hot as you say, it’s not as if the Crew can sell it. Why do we need to be able to access it?”
“I need a failsafe, someone who can come up here and shut it down. This ship has an anti-matter reactor.”
“Anti-matter!” Deni exclaimed. “And you brought it planet-side? What if it explodes?”
“It’ll leave a hole about three kilometres wide and the earthquake will be felt all the way to Inferno.” Valerie stated matter of factly. “That’s not going to happen. It’s designed to last for years in its current shut down mode. It’ll sit here for over a decade and no one would be any the wiser. At some point, it will begin to fail and it’s why I need someone else to have the code key. I hope you two will survive. Failing that, I’m leaving instructions for Sneaker, only to be opened if we don’t return. Can you do what I’ve asked, Hanna?”
“Erm.” Hanna’s stomach felt sick with the pressure Valerie was putting her under but there was also a thrill as well. To pit herself against the best encryption the Legion could devise would normally be the biggest challenge of her life. Valerie was asking her to go up against her mentor. Sneaker taught Hanna everything she knew about Hacking.
“Honestly, until I upload the code into my system I don’t know. When I’ve had a chance to look at it properly I can give you a better answer. I’ll give it my best shot though.”
“I can’t ask more than that,” Valerie acknowledged with a nod. “Let’s get back to Inferno. You can fly this time, Deni.”
With the ship sealed behind them and Valerie’s crate floating alongside her, they strolled back to the ship. Hanna found herself looking at the aircar then glanced back at the Spectre, hidden in the deep shadow of the cave. Vertical jagged stone cliffs surrounded them on all sides as far as Hanna could see.
“Valerie?” she asked.
“Hmm?”
“How did you get out to Inferno? With the living quarters on the ship being that small, it didn’t have room for an aircar, did it?”
“Hah. No. Well thought out. I used my grav-belt to get to out of the valley and walked. It’s how I ran into the Mulgrew Clan.”
“Oh. Alright then,” Hanna could only reply. She shook her head. She well remembered the harsh terrain she saw on their way here. Every time she thought she had some idea of Valerie’s limits, the woman surprised her.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Grand Admiral Cestari, Madam Secretary Soetemeyer is expecting you. You may go right in.” The personal assistant said, as though he could stop Antonio if it wasn’t convenient for the Secretary of the Interior. It was one of those bureaucratic nonsenses he got used to in his long career. He was the head of the Legion. The only office he couldn’t enter without permission was the President’s. Though, if he did enter Secretary Interior’s office without her permission, there would be consequences, but not as bad as would have been the case two years ago.
“Admiral Cestari, thank you for coming.” The Secretary said as he walked through her door into what was a fairly conservative office for her position. Like him, she seemed to prefer functionality over opulence. When you were one of the most powerful individuals within seven hundred light years, there was no reason to proclaim it to everyone.
Given their long history of animosity, it had been many years since last he was in this room and it had changed little.
“Not a problem, Secretary Soetemeyer. I fully understand the scheduling pressure you’re under. It was just fortunate mine was not quite so full this afternoon. I much prefer to discuss this face to face.” He told her and actually meant it. Since Furioso, Antonio’s relationship with Petra Soetemeyer thawed considerably. While he and the iron-grey haired woman were still feeling out the boundaries of their political alliance, they found much in common over the past two years.
They shook hands and Antonio indicated the woman who followed him in. “I don’t believe you have met my Chief of Staff, Admiral Wioletta Standring.”
“No, I haven’t. A pleasure to meet you, Admiral.” The two women shook hands and the Secretary waved to some chairs set around a low table to one side. “Please, both of you. Won’t you take a seat.” The three of them arranged themselves on the luxury chairs and Antonio leaned forward.
<
br /> “The PLN Wasp’s Sting arrived yesterday with Noomi Pomykala. She was transferred to a secure but comfortable location, in Mountnessing. My team of Devil’s ensured she was kept fully sequestered throughout her journey. Even they only knew I wanted my people to speak to her directly, due to my name being raised during her abduction. Admiral Standring, with a small team of Legion Intelligence specialists, questioned her overnight. Please tell the Secretary what you found out, Wioletta.”
“I’m afraid, Madam Secretary, Miss Pomykala didn’t have much more to add to what your Grandson already passed on to you. We were able to confirm two things. First of all, this is undoubtedly Major Valerie Carter. We showed Noomi a holopic line up and she positively identified the Major three times out of three. Secondly, Carter is not working alone. She has put together a very well organised team who helped her with the kidnapping.”
“They must be more members of the Legion. What of her old Company?” Soetemeyer accused, much as she had done for years, and Antonio held back his own instinctive and abrupt retort. He took a deep breath before answering.
“We don’t believe so. We can account for Shadow Company’s movements over the past two years. We’ve spent millions training them in counter-surveillance, so our watchers have been quite removed. Nonetheless, we have been keeping them very busy. Most of that has been off system and, purely by coincidence, none of their missions have been anywhere near Blaze. After you contacted me last month, I sent them on a training mission here in Olympus on New Titan. There is no way they would have been able to help Carter on Blaze.”
“As far as we are able to determine,” Wioletta interjected. “They have no idea she is alive. My investigators have been through Carter’s record thoroughly. Only a handful of those she has worked with are stationed in the Blaze system. None of that handful, or any of their associates, matches the descriptions of Carter’s accomplices.”
Soetemeyer gave a short jerk of her head, stopped, and smiled a little ruefully.
“I’m sorry, Admiral. That was rude of me. Old habits die hard. OK. She hasn’t recruited anyone from the Legion and it does not seem to be consistent with Bacc’s rebels. Where did she find these people?” She paused and frowned thoughtfully. “Also you said descriptions. That implies eye witnesses and not holo images.”
Crusade For Vengeance (Dark Vengeance Book 2) Page 7
