“I’ll check. In the meantime, contact me or Dean if anyone finds him. Them.”
The mercenary captain was supervising the clean-up of the debris and damage resulting from the battle with Monty and his wives, and when Steg joined him, he said, “They put up a good fight. However, they were totally overwhelmed. I thought he’d have more sense than to take on all of us.”
“You have a point. I wondered. Maybe he panicked. It’s one thing to sit back and plan strategy, but it’s entirely different to be threatened with direct action. Did he think the Xesset were closer? Or did he expect support from Attwood?”
Dean said, “Either or both. Too late now. We don’t know enough about him to determine whether this was typical behavior. He was interested in our culture and philosophies and totally reserved when it came to his. We talked a few times. He would never tell me anything about his race or origin.”
Steg said, “He questioned me, over and over. It was one-sided; he didn’t disclose background details, at all. I have another task, if you can spare some men? We’ve lost sight of the colonel and his companions. We need to know where they are at all times. It’s worrying when they’re silent. They could be planning something as nonsensical as Monty’s escapade.”
“Should we restrain them? We can organize three cabins and tell them to stay there. Guards on the doors would keep them locked away.”
“Agreed. In the meantime, can you arrange for a couple of small work parties to start sweep-searching Wasp? I’ll go visit their priestess and see if she knows anything, assuming she’ll talk to me.”
Steg walked almost the length of the starship, towards the stern, to the cabin occupied by the Charion priestess. It was located past the E deck storage areas where bays and shelves held items a starship might never need, and when it did, the ship would be days away from the nearest way station. Replacement parts, spars, coils of metal for engineering, all measures of nuts and bolts and nails and screws, spare parts and raw materials for the 4D printers, shuttle and air-v spares, computer components, and other items filled the shelves. The crew of Wasp, when carrying out repairs, couldn’t visit the nearest starship chandler for a missing part or component; it either was here, in the stores, or there was a template for its manufacture by the printers.
Aware there were another three decks holding similar supplies, he realized Wasp had a comprehensive inventory of supplies and spares.
Power saving lights switched on as motion sensors detected his transit and turned off after he passed by. Gradually, odors from the industrial mix of oils, lubricants, and other materials typical of a starship were replaced by a new and strange odor that strengthened as he continued. It was, he assumed, incense from the priestess’s ceremonies. As he neared his destination, he observed the walls of the corridor were no longer painted starship gray; instead, broad sweeps of vibrant primary colors spread from floor to ceiling. The floor was rainbow striped, the colors separating and merging in waves, only to separate again. Now, battle scenes replaced the broad sweeps of color on the walls. They portrayed men and aliens fighting, some together, some against each other, with ancient weapons, spears and swords and slings, and showed men dying, turning into skeletons and being resurrected to fight again. Finally, slowly, gradually, all colors merged until there was only one color: black. Now the floor, walls, and ceiling of the corridor were one.
Steg almost stumbled as the lights, which had been growing dimmer, were suddenly extinguished. Ahead, a soft glimmer of light filtered its way through a heavy curtain. He had, he assumed, reached the quarters of the priestess. He stopped at the curtain. There was no bell, no signs, nothing to use to announce his presence. He wondered what the polite protocol was for gaining admission.
“Steg de Coeur.” The speaker had a soft, feminine voice with an unexpected vibrancy. He suspected it was electronically enhanced. “Please enter. Your presence is welcome, if unexpected.”
Steg pushed aside the curtain and entered the room. It was furnished as a small sitting room, with six soft and inviting chairs, two small tables, lighted incense sticks, and rugs hanging on the walls. Oil lamps provided a flickering illumination. The incense odor was stronger, almost oppressive. The rugs portrayed battle scenes of individual death and destruction; they were separate and smaller replicas of the scenes on the corridor walls. The ceiling was painted black. The floor was decorated with a large and extremely lifelike painting of an inferno. He looked down and it seemed the flames were reaching up, enveloping his legs. He shook his head and looked away. The multidimensional challenge of the flames faded.
An alien stepped out from behind a curtain at the end of the room; he did not recognize her species. Her face was heavily made up with a red ochre or colored dye applied to her cheeks and lips. Her head was wide; her brow was heavy and overhung her face. Her mouth extended from one side of her head to the other, and when she smiled, Steg saw two serried rows of gleaming white teeth, pointed and sharp. Her tongue was split, lizard-like, and it flicked out and back as she walked towards Steg. She wore a heavy gown-like garment; it reached to the floor, covering and hiding her body. He was unable to see her legs or feet, and her hands were hidden inside the folds of her long sleeves.
“Yes, I’m Steg de Coeur.”
“As I said, welcome.” Her tongue flicked out and back again. “As you probably realize, I am a handmaiden of Charion, god of war and eternal life. You may address me as ‘Priestess’, if you like. What can I do for you?”
Steg wondered if the priestess was able to smile. Her facial structure and expression was dark, foreboding, and almost threatening. He restrained a shiver of unease.
“Priestess, I am seeking one of your followers, Colonel Attwood.”
“Aah. My dear colonel. He’s a troubled man. No, I haven’t seen him for at least twenty-four hours. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
“No. Nothing else.” Steg began to back out of the room, observing, as he moved, changes in the floor painting. It now showed skeletons, warriors, trying to climb away from the center of the vivid red inferno, up and over the edge of the painting, into the room. He stepped backwards, brushing past the entrance screen and into the corridor. He sensed the priestess was a threat of some kind. He turned and walked back along the corridor, glad he was returning to the more frequented areas of the starship. He couldn’t help his reaction: he shivered.
As he returned along the painted corridor, he sensed an electronic disturbance and searched for the source. He contacted the commander on his comunit.
“Gillespie.”
“Commander, the Charion priestess has access to a powerful computer with external communication capabilities. Can you arrange for Engineering to disconnect power to her area of the starship? Leave her with enough for minimal domestic needs.”
“Certainly. Did you find the missing colonel?”
“No. I take it Dean’s search has also been fruitless?”
“You may. Two teams are still searching. So far without success.”
“I’ll join them and see what’s happening.”
###
Steg caught up with one of the search teams. It was led by Sergeant Riddell, and he and three marines, all with heavy weapons, were in continuous communication with the second team led by Kirby as they searched along corridors and checked unused and vacant cabins and empty storage bays.
“No sign of our missing officers?” Steg asked.
“No, sir. No trace, anywhere.”
“Has anyone checked the shuttles?”
“Do you think?”
“It’s a possibility if no one’s seen them. They can’t just disappear. Perhaps our missing passengers want to join with the Xesset. The colonel probably thinks he can steal a shuttle and contact the Xesset and warn them of our ambush. It’ll be his death, if he tries. He doesn’t understand they’ll either kill him and his friends or use them as slaves.”
“You know these Xesset?”
“I helped in freeing a plan
et captured by them.”
“Tough?”
“Very. The inhabitants were regarded as slaves and the Xesset killed them out of hand if they disobeyed.”
“We’ll make sure we win against them, sir. I’ll continue the search along this corridor and when we’ve finished, I’ll report to Captain Dean. I agree, we should check the shuttles.”
“Good. Be prepared for stupid behavior. They may try desperation tactics. Something like opening a lock while you’re searching the shuttle bay.”
“We’ll seal the bays first, in case of tricks like that, and set the locks to manual. They’ll be forced to have someone exit their shuttle to open the lock doors.”
“Good. Tell Dean I’ll be on the bridge. Keep me informed.”
“Yessir.”
*****
Chapter 21
The starship was running quiet, and the subdued voices of the bridge shift added emphasis to everyone’s concerns when Dean joined Steg on the bridge.
The young captain said, “I heard there’s no sign of our missing colonel.”
Steg replied, “No. I checked with their priestess. That was an experience. She’s certainly portraying a corner of some kind of warrior hell. Unfortunately, he wasn’t there.”
The commander sniffed and said, “I can smell Charion incense.”
“It was in full flow when I entered her quarters. I think she has cameras monitoring the corridor so she can prepare for visitors.”
“Engineering has cut off her power. You were correct. We checked the power usage records. There’s been some hefty power drains, so she has something happening there. As you said, either computing or communications, or both. I’ve made a decision to have her removed when we get to the next way station.”
“Time to clean ship, yes?” Thi Baan, the chief engineer said.
“Definitely,” Gillespie confirmed. “So where do you think our colonel is hiding?”
Dean said, “I’ve instructed Riddell and Kirby to check the shuttles. They may be hiding aboard one, waiting for an opportunity to exit. I can imagine Attwood thinks he can do a deal with the Xesset, even more so if he reveals our ambush.”
“Damn the man,” Gillespie said. “What’s happened to him? He’s been an effective leader until recently.”
“When did the Charion priestess join the ship?” Steg asked.
The commander reflected for a moment. “Two years ago. It was after we completed Monty’s modifications for his tank habitat. Attwood invited her. I suspect now Monty may have managed it somehow. She kept very much to herself. She had only four or five followers, I believe. The Charion philosophy doesn’t appeal to many—it’s all death and destruction.”
“So the colonel’s had two years or so of combined Monty and Charion influences, to which we can add the Xesset effect. There’s your nexus.”
“You’re probably right.” She shrugged. “Nothing we can do now, except clear the ship. Can Kirby let us know when he’s ready to check the shuttles?”
Dean said, “I’ve arranged it with the two teams.”
###
The shuttle bay cameras relayed their images to the wide screen in front of Gillespie. She and the bridge team concentrated on the display. Kirby and Riddell with their two teams had entered the shuttle bay and sealed the hefty doors that gave the craft their access to space. The men took only minutes to shut off the automated and electronic controls, and now the doors would require manual intervention before they could be opened. Three shuttles were parked in the bay, tethered with tie downs, silent and still, all seemingly unoccupied. A whining alarm, announcing lack of air in the bay, was audible on the bridge.
Sergeant Riddell, accompanied by armored marines, approached the first shuttle and plugged a lead into a communication port beside the rear entry door. This connection gave him visual and audio access to the shuttle’s internal systems. He included the bridge in his audience as he as he broadcast his message.
“This is Riddell. The bay doors are sealed and manually locked down. All the air has been pumped out of the bay. I’m going to open the rear door of shuttle three. Please advise if anyone is on board before I do so.”
The sergeant waited for a minute. No one responded to his message. He keyed in the manual code. The door swung wide. He ordered two marines forward, and they entered the shuttle. After three or four minutes they exited the craft and conferred briefly with the sergeant. He closed the shuttle door.
He updated the bridge. “Empty. Kirby, your turn—check shuttle two.”
Kirby and his team moved forward to the adjacent shuttle. Riddell held his team back, their weapons at the ready.
Before Kirby reached the second small spacecraft, its rear door swung open and two men jumped out, with weapons firing haphazardly, presumably targeting the approaching team. Kirby immediately returned fire. The two attackers fell, wounded, and were surrounded by four Ebony Company marines. A third man exited the shuttle, his hands raised. It was the missing colonel. He was followed by Major Fowler, also with his hands in the air. All were wearing oxygen masks.
“I think Kirby found the missing men. I wonder what they thought they were doing. I’m going to the bay,” Dean said.
“I’ll come with you,” Steg said. “Commander, we’ll provide an update as soon as we have details.”
###
Steg and Dean waited for Kirby and his captives to exit the shuttle bay via the air lock. The marines were carrying or assisting the two wounded officers. Four Fain from the medical unit were also waiting; they were tasked with triaging the wounded men and escorting them to the medical unit. They had rushed to the lock with two gurneys when they heard details of the encounter. The third person through the lock was Colonel Attwood and finally Fowler; they both were wearing restraints. When Attwood saw Steg, he voiced an explosive diatribe.
“You. This is all your fault. If you hadn’t criticized Monty, we’d still be working with him. Now two of my fellow officers are injured. It’s all your fault.” He caught sight of Dean. “And you, you’re a traitor, too. I’ll have you all shot.”
One of the Fain touched Attwood on the arm, and he quietened in seconds. She held up a blast injector for Steg to see and then escorted the now subdued colonel towards the medical unit. She was speaking to him with a soft soothing voice. He seemed to have forgotten all about Steg and Dean. Kirby and his team accompanied the two senior officers and their Fain attendants to the medical unit.
“They’ll need to keep him under observation,” Steg said. “He’s lost his props. We’ve taken away his power base. He may need professional help. We’ll have to arrange treatment for him when he leaves Wasp.”
“Agreed. Sad, I think. I’ve worked with him for nearly three years.”
Steg turned his attention to Riddell. “Any idea why they reacted like that?”
“No, sir. They were stupid. That’s all I can say. Stupid. They’re not experienced enough to succeed with an attack against armored men. When Kirby returned fire, he tried not to kill them. Unfortunately, the young lieutenant may not survive. The other one will live, according to the Fain.”
“Both teams did well. Write up your report. Ask Kirby to do the same. If either of you need to debrief with myself or Captain Dean, we’ll be available.”
“Thank you, sir.” Riddell and his team rushed to catch up with the Fain who were guiding the gurneys transporting the two wounded men.
“Your men did a good job,” Gillespie said to Steg and Dean when eventually they returned to the bridge. “The young officers are lucky to be alive. Kirby could’ve killed them both. I’ve read the preliminary report from the medics plus the action reports from the two sergeants. It seems Attwood’s in need of psychiatric care, which is beyond our capabilities. We’ll arrange treatment for him when we complete this contract.”
“It’s a pity. He’s been a good leader of the Stingers.”
“I agree. We’ll need to rethink their future after this contract. With luck, we wo
n’t have any more trouble.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“I’ve a suggestion for you. You’re more aware of Fain capabilities then most of us. Could one of the Fain persuade Monty’s surviving wife to talk with us?”
“An interesting idea. I’ll see what they think. I’m going to confine the priestess to her quarters. I’ll have Dean position a twenty-four hour guard on the access corridor. Do we have anything else to worry about?”
“Only two Xesset starships due to arrive in about four hours.”
“A minor issue.”
The alarm sounded three hours later, an hour before the expected arrival of the two Xesset fighters. Steg swung off his bunk and hit the reply button.
“Yes, Commander?”
“Can you come to the bridge? One of our shuttles just launched. I suspect it’s our passengers. Or, I should say, our ex-passengers. I’m running security tapes to check.”
“On the way. Contact Dean.” Steg covered the distance to the bridge in record time and joined the commander and her senior team. Dean arrived seconds later.
“What happened?” Steg asked.
“We’re gathering the details. Minutes ago the shuttle powered up, the bay door dropped, and they launched. It seems the Charion priestess left her cabin before the guards were in position. We think she released Attwood and his men. Anyway, they’ve all gone. Two Fain nurses who were on duty were knocked unconscious. Stacia says there’s a strong incense odor in the medical unit.”
“Damn. We should have been more alert,” the mercenary captain said.
“I didn’t think the priestess would rescue her followers. That’s a surprise,” Steg said.
“We’re tracking the shuttle. They’ve hit the burners, and I think they’re preparing to jump.”
“See if Weapons can get an idea of their heading,” Steg suggested. “Can Security tell us who’s in the shuttle? They may have taken Monty’s widow, if you can check?”
They all watched the security tape replay. A relatively tiny space-suited cephalopod figure accompanied the Charion priestess to the shuttle bay. A few moments later, Attwood wheeled in a gurney carrying the seriously injured lieutenant. He was assisted by the other lieutenant and Major Fowler. The colonel unlocked the shuttle door release and waited while his companions boarded the shuttle, two of them controlling progress of the gurney. Attwood followed them up the small shuttle gangway. Within minutes the bay doors opened and the shuttle launched.
Fracture Lines (The Glass Complex Book 2) Page 14
