by Ryk Brown
“I appreciate your seeing me, sir,” Jessica replied.
“What can I do for you, Lieutenant Commander?”
“My men and I have been tasked to provide security for Captain Scott’s sister, while she undergoes critical treatment in Doctor Symyri’s medical facility,” Jessica explained.
“Yes, Doctor Symyri’s personal assistant has made me aware of this patient. I believe she has been registered as Dorremonte, first name of Alyssa, for security purposes.”
“I wasn’t aware that the doctor’s staff shared this information with Sanctuary Security,” Jessica said, one eyebrow raised. “Just how many people under your command are aware of her true identity?”
“Only a select handful,” the commander assured her. “Myself, the captain and the lieutenant, and three other watch commanders. As Doctor Symyri treats a number of, shall we say, renowned individuals, many of whom constitute increased risk to this station, he is required to notify us when doing so.”
“Understandable, I suppose,” Jessica said, obviously not happy with the idea.
“You stated that you and your men have been assigned the task of providing security for Captain Scott’s sister,” the commander commented.
“That is correct.”
“Who exactly are…these men?” the commander inquired.
“They are my men,” Jessica replied, “under my command.”
“And what type of training do they have?” the commander pressed.
“Their training is more than adequate,” Jessica assured the commander. “In fact, their training is vastly superior to my own.”
“And yet, you command them.”
“I do.”
“And what is it that you require from me, Lieutenant Commander?” the commander asked, suspicion tainting her words.
“Security at Doctor Symyri’s facility is woefully inadequate. Captain Scott has many enemies. Furthermore, this station is regularly visited by persons of questionable background…persons who might see the captain’s sister’s presence as an opportunity.”
“Hence the need for you and your men,” the commander surmised.
“Precisely.”
“You do realize that Sanctuary Security is designed to protect everyone from those very people you speak of?”
“I do.”
“No person is allowed to bring a weapon into Sanctuary,” the commander continued. “We have cameras in every corridor, and every compartment, and automated stunner turrets capable of reaching ninety percent of the station’s interior spaces, all of which are controlled from this facility, I might add. Now, while the presence of you and your men may make Captain Scott feel more at ease, I assure you that his sister is safer here than anywhere else in the galaxy.”
“No disrespect intended, Commander, but I think you’re underestimating the rest of the galaxy. My men have already hacked the stunner systems in Doctor Symyri’s facility and taken control for themselves. They have also demonstrated that the good doctor’s card-lock system is easily hacked, as well.”
“That’s impossible,” the commander insisted. “We would have been alerted if control over any part of our system had been lost.”
“Not if properly hacked, you wouldn’t,” Jessica replied.
“I must warn you, Lieutenant Commander, tampering with station security systems constitutes a crime for which I could arrest you on the spot. After all, you did just confess.”
Jessica stared confidently at the commander, saying nothing.
“What is it you came here for, Lieutenant Commander?” the commander wondered. “Was it just to confess to a crime, or was there something else you were hoping to accomplish?”
“I was hoping to get permission for my men and myself to carry weapons in the performance of our duties,” Jessica stated.
Perhaps it was the nature of the request, or possibly the matter-of-fact way in which the lieutenant commander presented it. Either way, the commander couldn’t help but laugh. “Even if I had the power to do so—which I don’t, by the way—why would I arm a bunch of men I know nothing about?”
“Because your responsibility is the security of not only this station, but of everyone aboard it,” Jessica explained.
“I am well aware of my responsibilities, Lieutenant Commander,” the commander scowled as she pressed the small button under the edge of her desk.
Jessica noticed the odd movement of the commander’s hand, but did not react.
“Furthermore, I take your insinuation to mean that we are incapable of protecting ourselves and our visitors…apparently from the likes of you and your men.”
The door suddenly burst open, and the first of four men charged into the room. Jessica shifted to her right, toward the first man, widening her stance slightly and putting her weight on the front pads of her feet as she reached out with her left hand, grabbing the first officer’s gun hand. She pulled it hard as she spun in a semi-squatting position and drove her left knee into the first officer’s gut, folding him over so she could then drive her right elbow into the base of his skull.
The officer’s weapon discharged, stunning both Lieutenant Jordu and Captain Stegarat. Jessica released the now-unconscious officer, spinning all the way around to her left, driving her left foot into the face of the second officer as she grabbed his stunner from his hand. The officer fell backwards into the third officer, giving Jessica the time she needed to reset and bring her weapon to bear on them.
Two shots rang out, striking the third and fourth officers, rendering them unconscious and dropping them into a pile atop the second officer.
Jessica sensed the commander coming toward her from behind and dropped down one hand, kicking one leg out, catching the commander in the chest and sending her tumbling back into her chair.
Now on the floor, Jessica used the pile of unconscious officers as cover and opened fire with her stunner. One by one, she dropped the other officers charging toward the commander’s office, until finally she had cleared the room.
Jessica jumped to her feet, leaping over the pile of officers and charging out into the middle of the room in preparation for the additional officers she knew would rush in at any moment. But instead of getting into a safe firing position, she dropped her weapon and stood in the middle of the room, her hands high above her head, in a position of surrender.
As expected, more officers responded. Every one of them had stunners in hand, ready to fire, but the shot that rendered Jessica unconscious came from behind.
Jessica fell to the floor and was immediately put in restraints.
“Put that bitch in holding,” Commander Manderon barked, standing at the doorway to her office, stunner in hand.
* * *
Vol Kaguchi had never been on the Aurora’s command deck and was surprised to see that it was smaller than he had imagined. It was a short walk from the top of the main ramp to the bridge; past the elevators, the security and intelligence office, then a left and a right, and past the captain’s quarters.
His escort stopped at the outer port entrance to the bridge. “End of the tunnel, then an about-face to your right. The guard will direct you, sir.”
“Thank you,” Vol replied, entering the short tunnel. He made his way past the emergency lockers in the tunnel and through the inner hatch at the far end.
The interior of the Aurora’s bridge was a wondrous sight; a shining example of form, function, and efficiency. Its ceilings were irregular, with electronic conduit and ventilation ducting running in all directions. Both sides of its back half were covered with displays clustered around workstations, and its back wall had a large, wraparound console with three communications officers behind it. In the middle of the back half was a massive, stand-up tactical station with multiple clear screens on which all manner of information w
as displayed.
But it was the front half of the bridge that really took his breath away. It was a few steps lower than the back half, and was surrounded by a semispherical view screen that looked like a window to space. Were it not for the various data windows seemingly floating on the massive view screen itself, Vol might have believed that it was indeed a window. “Wow,” he muttered to himself.
“You said it.”
Vol looked at the guard, his mouth still agape.
“It has that effect, the first few times you see it,” the guard agreed. “The captain is expecting you, sir,” he added, pointing aft.
Vol made an about-face to his right, as instructed, and walked the few steps to the captain’s ready room, passing the communications station along the way. The hatch was open, so he stepped inside. “You wanted to see me, Captain?”
“Mister Kaguchi,” Nathan greeted, rising from his seat and coming around his desk to shake the Gunyoki’s hand. “It is good to see you again.”
“It is good to see you, as well, Captain. Forgive me in saying so but, technically, it is Master Kaguchi,” Vol corrected.
“Of course. My apologies, Master Kaguchi,” Nathan replied, gesturing for his guest to sit.
“To what do I owe this honor?” Vol wondered as he sat.
“During my short time with him, Master Koku spoke highly of you. As I found him to be an incredibly brave and honorable man, I have the utmost faith in his opinion. Because of this, I would like to ask if you would be willing to serve as wing commander of the Gunyoki.”
Vol looked surprised. “You wish me to be Gunyoki Shenzai?”
“Shenzai no rido kai,” Nathan replied, his Rakuen accent near perfect. “Anoto gai yorokondi irunaro ye.”
“I am impressed, Captain. I did not realize you spoke Raku.”
“I started studying it a few weeks ago.”
“And your accent is nearly perfect, already. Again, impressive,” Vol praised.
“I’m a quick study,” Nathan replied. “So, will you accept the position?”
“Where will I be based?” Vol wondered.
“On Rakuen. Now that your people have signed the charter, the Gunyoki will be based at the race platform, after repairs and modifications have been made.”
“Modifications?” Vol wondered.
“Beefing up its defenses, changing some of the spectator areas into support facilities, remodeling the team bays to accommodate a greater number of fighters at one time, among others.”
“I see.” Vol thought for a moment. “I assume I can select my own staff?”
“Of course,” Nathan assured him.
“And what would our primary tasking be?” Vol wondered.
“The defense of the Rogen system will always be the Gunyoki’s primary task,” Nathan promised. “In addition, we will likely call on some of your forces to aid us in our campaign against the Dusahn, but we will never ask you to leave your world inadequately defended in the process.”
“I would be honored to accept the assignment,” Vol told him. “However, I do not think the race platform is capable of supporting the Gunyoki in the numbers necessary to defend the system.”
“Which is why our R and D people are investigating the possibility of fitting the Gunyoki with anti-gravity lift systems that would allow them to respond to an attack from the surface, nearly as effectively as from the race platform,” Nathan explained.
“Interesting. Have you considered how such a device might affect the Gunyoki’s unique handling characteristics?”
Nathan smiled, remembering those unique characteristics. “Like I said, we are investigating the idea, among other methods of improving the Rogen system’s ability to defend itself.”
“Such as?”
Nathan paused a moment, unsure of how to broach the subject. He had no idea if Vol was aware of the existence of the Orochi, and if so, how he might react to the news. “We are looking for alternatives to placing jump missile launchers on the surface of Rakuen and Neramese.”
“You are concerned about the political ramifications of putting such weapons on Neramese?”
“Both worlds, actually,” Nathan admitted. “However, I am more concerned with the ease of which the Dusahn could destroy those defenses, as well as the collateral damage that might occur. It would be better all-around, both strategically and politically, if we could put those launchers on jump-equipped ships, making them more difficult to target.”
“It seems that your flatbed pod haulers would be most suitable for that purpose,” Vol suggested.
“Yes, they would be,” Nathan agreed. “But we only have six of them, and we use them quite a bit, as it is.”
Vol thought for a moment. “Have you considered the Orochi?”
“The Orochi?” Nathan replied, pretending to be unfamiliar with them.
“When Neramese first attacked Rakuen, we had no offensive capabilities. Our Gunyoki had been designed to protect our world, not to attack another. After several years of defending ourselves against the Nerameseans, our leaders decided to build carrier ships, to transport our Gunyoki to Neramese, in order to take the war to their world, instead of ours. The Orochi carrier ships are what won the war for Rakuen. I believe Rakuen still has twenty of them in storage, in case they are needed for defense.”
“Actually, I am aware of the Orochi,” Nathan admitted. “I apologize for the deception, but I was not certain if you knew that the Orochi still existed.”
“A logical precaution on your part,” Vol agreed, appearing unoffended. “It was a contentious issue during the peace negotiations. Rakuen agreed not to advertise that twenty Orochi were kept in reserve, not even to our own people. Tension and distrust has existed between our worlds for more than a century, Captain. Well before the wars began. While Rakuen was unwilling to leave herself defenseless, we also did not wish the Nerameseans to live in constant fear of the Orochi.”
“Understandable,” Nathan agreed. “Do you mind if I ask, was the war really about water?”
Vol sighed. “You and I both come from worlds where water is abundant. And you also have the advantage of having seen just how much water is truly available in space. When the Rogen system was first settled, it was by two ships. The Neramai and the Rakai. The colonists from both ships were predominantly Asian, with the majority being from the Earth nations of Japan and Korea. The leaders of the Neramai colonists feared that the lack of arable land on the third world in the Rogen system would restrict growth, while the leaders of the Rakai colonists had similar concerns over the lack of water on the fourth world. It was decided that each would settle independently, and that what remained of our colony ships would be combined to provide transport and trade between our two worlds. Alas, both groups were correct in their fears, but the problems of each were overcome through trade. Rakuen’s water was shipped to Neramese to irrigate their crops, which in turn helped feed everyone. But eventually, both worlds became greedy, and when a compromise could not be found, each cut the other off. Rakuen’s food supply dwindled, as did Neramese’s water supply, and therefore its food supply. Rakuen found other solutions. We moved our cities from the land to the oceans, freeing up soil for crops. Then we moved dirt from mountainous terrain to our floating agricultural platforms and began turning sea plants into food sources, creating massive sea farms to increase our fishing harvests. We had been correct in choosing a water world, the Neramai had chosen poorly, and they despised us for their mistake. The result was war; one which they began, I might add.”
Nathan sighed. “It is easy to identify which side fired the first shot, but history shows that in most cases, both parties involved in a conflict shared equal blame.”
“I’m sure you are correct,” Vol agreed. “However, the people of Rakuen will always remember the day that Neramese first a
ttacked our world. Still, we were able to forgive them and find peace.”
“As long as they remained defenseless,” Nathan pointed out.
“I do not seek disagreement with you, Captain. I am a warrior, not a statesman. My duty is to protect the Rogen system, as best I can. Not just Rakuen, but the entire system, Neramese included. Those were the terms of the peace agreement between our worlds, and that is why Neramese eventually capitulated and allowed us to keep twenty Orochi carriers.”
“Then, Neramese will be neither surprised nor upset when we pull the Orochi out of retirement and press them into service,” Nathan surmised.
“Their leaders will not, but the people of Neramese may not be pleased. However, I suspect that once you explain how the Orochi will greatly improve our own ability to defend both worlds, the Nerameseans will accept their existence. Despite our past history, personally, I find the Nerameseans to be pleasant, reasonable people.”
“You don’t know how happy I am to hear that,” Nathan admitted with relief.
“I assume the Orochi will be commanded by both Rakuens and Nerameseans?” Vol asked.
“Commanded and crewed, fifty-fifty,” Nathan assured him.
“As they should be,” Vol agreed. After a moment, he spoke again. “May I ask a question?”
“Of course,” Nathan replied.
“Am I to be given a rank within your Alliance?”
“Of course, Commander.”
Vol smiled. “Commander Kaguchi. It has a nice ring to it, does it not?”
Nathan also smiled. “It surely does.”
* * *
There were few things more painful than the hangover from a full-on stunner blast. Even worse was the humiliation of being manhandled by a bunch of security guards whom she could have easily subdued. The fact that she had let herself get captured didn’t help.
