by C. R. Daems
"I used my empathy with you to anticipate your movements, which led to finding Freeland. The Riss participated in the invasion to stop the killing, not for revenge. You are hated for the killing and many in the SAS craved revenge—many still do. The Riss are hated because they are not human. We, therefore, have mutual goals—to be treated as equals. If we can learn to trust each other, I believe working together we can achieve those goals." I looked around the table and held out my hand. Ni'Shay rose with a black bound book and waited until each elder nodded, then handed it to me.
"This book contains the information you requested. We give it to you as the leader of the Riss."
* * *
The next four months was a whirlwind of activity. The black-bound book confirmed what I had surmised years ago—the clans had over five hundred spies in the three empires. A third were in the military, a third permanent citizens of planets, including several government officials, and the last third were transients, who roamed each empire. And there was still one Light cruiser, the Asp, in UFN space. Now that I understood the situation, I released three merchant ships: the Far Horizons, the Lost Traveler, and the Wheeler. The Far Horizons was dispatched to the UFN with instructions to contact the Asp, telling them to return to Freeland with all weapons systems disabled. The Lost Traveler went to the JPU and the Wheeler to the SAS. Their main mission was to notify all clan members of the treaty. Those in the SAS were to stop all hostile activities and could, if they wished, return home. Those in the JPU and UFN were encouraged to continue spying but not to take any hostile actions.
To be safe, I counted on Thalia's photographic memory and returned the book to Ni'Shay as soon as I had thoroughly reviewed its contents.
CHAPTER FOUR
Confrontation with the Asp
"Captain, a ship has just exited the Wave," Lt. Commander Justano, the Saker's Radar officer, said, looking back over his shoulder at Lavett.
"One of those damn merchants?" Waldel asked, looking up at the overhead monitor. "I don't suppose they have one of their lasers active?"
"Sir, I don't think it's a merchant. It looks like … a Light cruiser! They are broadcasting they are the Asp."
"Battle Station!" Lavett smiled, as the Bridge's monitors lit and the ship's stations prepared for battle. "Tell Commander Bishop to launch his Strikers. They're to neutralize the cruiser. Tell Colonel Alden to prepare to board and secure the Asp."
"Captain, the Asp has no weapons active." Justano said, eyes glued to his monitors. Waldel leaned closer to Lavett.
"Captain, isn't the Asp the Light cruiser Captain Reese warned us would be returning to Freeland?"
"I don't care. It's a warship and they're all murderers."
"Sir, Commander Bishop reports all Strikers launched. Attack positions in four minutes. Colonel Alden reports two attack shuttles launched. Rendezvous with the Asp estimated at ten minutes." Waldel said, after checking the Navigation monitor.
"Missiles ready, Captain," Lt. Commander Olstein, the Weapons officer, said. Lavett could feel the Bridge throbbing with excitement, which matched his own. Walden leaned close again.
"Captain if you fire on them, Reese will court martial you. And if you're found guilty of firing without being fired on, you could spend time at the penal colony at Cyberus. She warned you the Asp was returning."
"That's why I sent the Strikers and army boarding shuttles. One of them is bound to elicit a response, which will justify military action. After all, wouldn't you think you were being attacked if you saw a swarm of Strikers approaching with weapons systems hot?" Lavett grinned.
Waldel walked over to the radar monitor and said something to Justano, then returned.
"Captain, the Strikers don't have their weapon systems active."
"WHAT? Bozich, contact Bishop. I want those Strikers' weapons active. NOW!" His foot tapped the floor as he waited.
"Commander Bishop said his rules of engagement from Commander Byer prohibit him from going active unless fired upon."
Lavett grabbed the Comm from Bozich. "Damn it, Bishop, you report directly to me. Go active!" His face flushed with anger as he listened to Bishop's response. "I'll have you court marshaled for disobeying a direct order." He threw the mike against the Comm panel, and stalked back to his chair. Several minutes went by as they waited news.
"Captain, Colonel Alden reports Wasps on board, the crew surrendered peacefully. The Asp is secure."
"Damn her," Lavett swore as he left the Bridge.
* * *
"Every fucking week it's something new." Lavett pounded his desk, causing wine from his glass to splash onto the desk. "First she puts the damn army in charge of the inspection teams. Then she allows merchant ships to go into the UFN and JPU, which shouldn't be allowed under the Treaty. Then that inevitable incident with that army … moron when you inspected the ship."
"That was embarrassing." Waldel's fist tightened around his wine glass. "That brain-dead gunny telling me I couldn't confine the crew while we inspected the ship. He had the nerve to refuse my orders and threatened me and my detail with force."
Lavett rose and filled his glass, then began pacing the room. "What fucking navy captain would put an army grunt in charge of navy officers? They don't contribute to running the ship. They're just excess baggage. And when I insisted Alden court martial that jackass soldier for assaulting an officer, he said the gunny was just following orders. He told me if I thought the gunny exceeded his orders, he would contact Captain Reese to convene an inquiry into the incident. You know how that would end."
"The bitch would probably promote him and reprimand me for not following orders." Waldel's voice rose with each word. Lavett gulped down his drink and refilled it, then continued pacing.
"Now she's allowing the Riss to visit Freeland but won't allow us. What difference would it make? I'll bet the planet is filled with prostitutes who would love to have the business. Probably a lot of free ass besides. I'll bet the army's getting some time down there under the pretext of conducting inspections." Lavett stopped pacing and turned to face Waldel. "She's not only unfit to command, she's in violation of the Treaty. I should relieve her of command before her policies permit those murdering bastards to start building warships."
"I agree, Captain. I think you have sufficient cause to act. She's allowed those bastard merchants free access to the JPU and UFN when the Treaty limited access to the SAS. She has the army hindering our inspections teams. Only the space gods know what they are smuggling in and out of Freeland. And what doesn't she want us to see on Freeland, by prohibiting us access?" Waldel nodded as if agreeing with himself. "But what about Commander Bishop and Colonel Alden? Will they cooperate?"
"We won't tell Bishop. We can't take on the Lynx with force, and using the Strikers would alert her to our intentions. We'll have to get on the Lynx and take her and the Bridge. With me in command of the Lynx, the rest will fall into place." Lavett sat back in his chair and switched on his SID.
"Colonel Alden, would you come up to my office, it's important." He smiled at Waldel. "He'll be right up."
* * *
Alden sat in a chair facing Lavett, frowning, his bushy eyebrows almost hiding his brown eyes. Although, his brown hair was showing signs of grey, his lanky physique looked all muscle. "I understand your concern, Captain. Some of Captain Reese's decisions do appear questionable, but I don't know that they justify relieving her of command."
"I think that is for me to decide. I'm the senior captain on station and I'll take full responsibility," Lavett said. "The senior officers on the Saker and Merlin agree with me. I only need the Wasps there to avoid anyone getting hurt."
"What about the Scorpions? They appear loyal to Captain Reese. If they sense trouble …"
"Commander Waldel has Colonel Seng's assurance that the Scorpions will stand down. He agrees she has exceeded her authority under the terms of the
Treaty. He asked the XO not to contact him further, since she has friends among his men. If one of them suspects anything, he may leak the information to Reese." Lavett settled back with his kaffa, watching Alden. Finally, Alden nodded.
"All right, if you're right, we won't need a large detail. It sounds like everyone is in agreement."
"They are. But you should round up the Riss and that Riss-human, and put them under guard until this matter is settled."
CHAPTER FIVE
Mutiny
I didn't know how I was going to survive Captain Lavett. His objections seemed to be getting more adamant, and he objected to most everything I did. That I could handle, but I feared his hatred of the clans could escalate into action. I had been lucky with the return of the Asp. From what I could determine, only Commander Byer and Colonel Seng's strong support of my orders kept the situation from escalating into a shooting war. They had passed on my orders, and they had made it clear there would be no deviation without their approval. Any resistance from the Asp could have unraveled the treaty when Lavett's version of the incident reached Eden. But my hands were tied. I couldn't relieve Lavett of command or send him back to Eden without him disobeying my orders and then it would be too late. And the six-month resupply squadron due in a month wouldn't help, since the Saker and the Merlin wouldn't rotate for at least one year.
This time, he wasn't content to send me a letter of protest. He wanted a face-to-face meeting. If I had more experience, I might know how to handle this, but I didn't.
I shuttered at the thought. Blackstone and his friend Owin had wanted me dead. Eventually they caught me alone and almost succeeded. Hate clouded people's minds and justified everything.
"Ma'am, Captain Lavett's shuttle is approaching. It's an army combat shuttle," Commander Lahar, the Radar officer, said frowning at the optical display.
"Weapons systems?"
"None showing. He probably believes the clans are going to attack him in transit," Commander Marken, the weapon's officer, said with a grin. "Sorry, ma'am."
"The docking sergeant reports only Captain Lavett, his aid, and another Lieutenant departed the shuttle," Gelman said. "The XO is escorting them to your briefing room."
Only the space gods knew what Lavett thought he could accomplish. He couldn't overrule me, and I doubted he thought he could change my mind. He probably had a written protest, which he planned to issue in person and threaten to send to SAS headquarters. And, of course, I would have to respond in writing—more paperwork.
"Scorpions!" I said, but too late. Lavett had a shard gun pointing at me, and his aide had one to Varisko's head. The Lieutenant had a military grade weapon pointing in the direction of my two scorpion guards. "Stand down, Scorpions. Drop your weapons." I knew they would die fighting to save me, but Lavett didn't seem like he wanted to kill any of us—his mistake.
"Lieutenant, signal the shuttle," Lavett said, smiling. "Captain Reese, I'm relieving you of command for being in league with the raiders to overthrow the SAS. Wasps are in the process of securing the Lynx, and the Saker is in position to fire on the Lynx should your weapon systems go on line."
"Captain, the wasps report they can't gain access to the Bridge. It's sealed. And Scorpions are advancing throughout the ship," Lavett's aide said.
"Tell the Bridge, I'll kill the Captain if they don't unseal the door."
"Even if your Scorpions interfere with the Wasps, I still have you, and the Saker has your Riss-human and the Riss under guard. You can't board the ship without using your missiles, which will kill hundreds of innocent navy and army personnel. Corbitt won't attempt to help you. He knows you’re a traitor, but he's just too scared to do anything without permission. And I'll order Waldel to kill your monsters one at a time until you surrender the Lynx. And if you don't care about us killing them, I wonder how long you can last if I began shooting different parts of you. Maybe start with your legs."
"And when you get control of the Lynx, then what?" I asked, curious to know the extent of his lunacy and to get it on the record.
"What you should have done, destroy the space station, repair facilities, and wipe out their government center and the town with everyone in it. Then destroy their merchant ships when they return. They need to understand they can never leave their planet again."
"What about the Treaty the SAS council has approved."
"I relieved you of your command because you incited the clan to attack us. I was only responding to their aggressiveness." He laughed. "Henry, retrieve those Scorpion's weapons on the floor and cuff their hands behind them. I doubt they care about Reese, but they might feel obligated because of their lesbian gunny."
That did it. Both Scorpions tensed ever so subtly, preparing to act. Terril was both respected and well-liked by her troops. Regardless, she was the Scorpion's gunny and sat at the feet of the space gods. Insulting her, insulted the Scorpions. Meanwhile, Thalia prepared our vehicle to fight and the people around me seemed to go into slow motion.
Before the Lieutenant could move, a barrage of shots could be heard outside in the corridor, coming from military grade weapons. As Lavett's head jerked towards the door, I threw myself onto the table, turning as I slid across and slammed into Lavett feet first. His shard gun flew toward the ceiling as he ricocheted off the wall. His two companions turned towards me, their guns coming around in my direction as the two Scorpions exploded into them, ramming them into the wall. It wasn't necessary, but they were in a bad mood. A few elbows to the head and spine and the two were in serious need of Regen.
Seconds later, the door lock exploded and the door flew open, Terril leading the way. Her head swiveled from left to right taking in the entire room.
"One of you could have saved someone for me to kill." She didn't smile. "You all right, Na … Captain?"
"Fine, Gunny. Is the ship secure?
"Secure and squeaky clean. Want me to throw these two out the air lock?"
"First see if Doctor Echart can put them back together. Your Scorpions took exception to their remarks about you."
"You were very gentle with the Captain." Terril nodded in Lavett's direction. He lay doubled up on the floor gasping for breath. The broken ribs probably didn’t help.
"He didn't say anything about you or the Scorpions." I grinned as I passed her and headed for the Bridge with Varisko and my permanent Scorpion detail, who were trying unsuccessfully not to grin.
"Captain on the Bridge," Marken said, with a quick glance in my direction. "Skipper, the Saker still has its weapons online."
"Gelman, dismiss the Ship Alert, call Battle Stations, and establish contact with the Merlin." I took the Captain's chair as the ship sirens and SIDs wailed. A minute later Corbitt's face appeared on the monitor.
"Captain Reese, Commander Marken told me
Captain Lavett had you captive and the Saker was part of the mutiny."
"Captain Lavett showed up with twenty Wasps and attempted to take control of the Lynx. He claims the Saker supports him, and he appears correct, since they have their weapons systems online. Continue your approach and declare Battle Stations. I hope Commander Waldel doesn't do anything stupid, but we need to be prepared for the worse. Don't fire unless the Saker does. It's a risk but I'm hoping Waldel will realize he can't win and trying will only result in hundreds of deaths."
"The Merlin will be in position within thirty minutes. Corbitt out."
"Gelman, open a line to the Saker."
"Captain Reese? Where is Captain Lavett? You will release him immediately, or your precious Riss-human along with the Riss will die." He raised a fist and his face flushed as he talked. I switched on my SID and opened a channel to Byer and Seng.
"Commander Byer release your Sharks and tell Corbitt to release his as soon as he is in position. Contact the Striker Commander on the Saker and order him to launch his Strikers. They are to leave the Saker with their weapons disabled." Waldel's face twisted in rage.
"I'll kill every one of your monsters if you don't produce Captain Lavett."
