The Empire's Corps: Book 05 - The Outcast

by Christopher Nuttall

  “You’re beautiful,” he whispered, as he started to kiss his way down to her breasts. “You really are.”

  Part of Sameena wanted to squirm away as his tongue flicked at a nipple, the rest of her wanted him to keep going. Her hands, seemingly of their own accord, pulled at his uniform tab until it joined her dress on the deck. She couldn't help noticing that his shipsuit was tighter than hers, with a hard bulge over his groin. It came off as he pulled her towards the blankets, revealing his naked body.

  She’d seen Brad naked a few times, back when they’d been on the same ship, but this was different. This was her husband. Suddenly, some of the whispers she’d heard on Jannah made sense. He was going to penetrate her, to enter her body, to ... the thought overwhelmed her, her body stiffening against his. For a moment, she was frozen, unable to move, as memories of Rosa flickered through her mind. They hadn't raped her, but she had still felt violated. And the judge ... whatever he had told her father, he would have seen her as nothing more than a pleasurable diversion. A powerless girl who could never escape his clutches. She would have been his slave.

  And then the feel of Jamie’s mouth on her body melted the ice.

  “Be gentle,” she whispered, as his mouth moved down to the space between her legs. “It's my first time.”

  It wouldn't be his, she knew. The Imperial Navy crewmen used the brothels on Madagascar as often as the traders, particularly as there were strong regulations against relationships with someone else on the same crew. Jamie might not even have been sixteen by the time he’d lost his virginity, perhaps to a girlfriend ... or a whore. She had carefully refrained from asking, if only because she didn't want to know. It would bother her for no logical reason.

  There was a brief pause, so brief that she couldn't help wondering if she had imagined it, then his lips kept working their magic. The universe melted away in a flurry of strange new sensations, until they were completely alone. For the moment, she thought as she gave in to the feelings, everything was well with the universe.

  Interlude Three

  The attack came out of nowhere.

  Captain Cassie Horsham was blown out of her chair when the first missile slammed into the rear of her freighter. The gravity failed a second later, sending her flying across the compartment and into the bulkhead with stunning force. Alarms rang – too late – throughout the hull, seconds before half of the consoles simply failed. The lights flickered, then dimmed as emergency power came online.

  “Enemy starship, right on top of us,” Hart snapped. Her co-husband sounded cold, but she heard the undertone of rage in his voice. “It was lying doggo!”

  Cassie caught hold of the handles on the bulkhead and used them to pull herself back down to stare at his console. The enemy, whoever they were, had taken no chances. Instead of trying to negotiate, or simply demanding her surrender at gunpoint, it had fired as soon as the freighter entered point-blank range. She had to admire their dedication; they could have been certain of an intercept if they’d used their main drives. Instead, they had to have used gas thrusters to inch their way into attack position.

  “The entire aft section is gone,” Jazz said. The youngest co-wife looked terrified, but her voice was steady. “Dear God; the kids!”

  Her words hit like a kick to the belly. Nellie and Penelope, James and Lucas; they’d been in the aft section, learning from another of Cassie’s co-husbands. The entire family was a tangled mass of relationships and they liked it that way. But now the kids were dead, along with her husband and perhaps a co-wife. The oldest had been merely ten years old.

  “They’re launching shuttles,” Hart reported. “Two of them, both military-grade.”

  Cassie stared at the display. She'd heard the reports, she’d known that some Imperial Navy ships had gone renegade ... but she hadn't quite believed them. Not that the shuttles proved anything, she had to admit. There was more second-hand or junked Imperial Navy equipment pressed into service along the Rim than anyone was prepared to admit. She thought desperately, trying to think of a way to turn the situation around, but there was nothing. Their main drive had been smashed. Escape was impossible.

  She wanted to destroy the ship, but she couldn’t even do that any longer. The missile had been very precise.

  “I'm sorry,” she said, to her remaining crew. “I'm so sorry.”

  On the display, the pirate shuttles continued their advance towards the drifting hulk.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  That is, but just one example. Independent freighters were largely forced out of the Core Worlds by cartels controlled by the interstellar shipping lines, who effectively set the prices for all interstellar shipping. One might expect the independents to help force the cartels to keep prices low. Instead, the cartels manipulated shipping authorities to levy fines on freighter operators who made small mistakes. These fines, at the very least, ensured that prices remained high.

  - Professor Leo Caesius. The Science That Isn’t: Economics and the Decline and Fall of the Galactic Empire.

  “That's the latest report from Maxwell,” Commander Sidney Peterson said. “Pirate raids are definitely increasing.”

  Sameena stared down at the display, nodding slowly. The pirates had been slow to realise that the Empire was definitely gone, but when word had finally reached their lairs attacks had skyrocketed. A dozen freighters had been reported destroyed in the last two weeks, as well as three worlds attacked and pillaged by pirate ships. And she didn't have the resources to cover all of the possible targets.

  “And famine is striking Dueller,” she muttered. “What sort of idiot puts a couple of million settlers on such a world?”

  “They didn't actually realise that a native crop-eating bug could make the jump from one biological system to another,” Peterson said. He’d been the squadron’s junior intelligence officer before his superiors had fled, leaving him behind. Since then, he’d shaped up nicely as her intelligence officer. “It isn't actually common.”

  Sameena scowled. Six months had passed since she'd convinced the traders to back her plan – and she’d married Jamie – and the sector’s decline was becoming alarmingly evident. It was simple enough to keep Rosa afloat – it could feed itself, if nothing else – but other worlds had been dependent on the Empire for supplies. As the decline picked up speed, failures she had never even imagined were starting to take place. And now two million colonists were on the verge of starvation.

  The Empire could have handled it, she thought sourly. A team of biochemists and genetic engineers could have hammered out a disease-resistant strain for that particular world ...

  It was absurd, she had thought, to think of disease as something that spread between star systems. But if rats and cockroaches could make it from world to world, why couldn't a disease? Most humans had some manner of improved disease resistance engineered into their bodies, but the same couldn't be said of their crops. If the disease on Dueller reached Rosa, it would wipe out their entire farming sector. And Dueller was begging for help.

  There were times when she wondered if the Grand Senate had deliberately intended to leave the sector to wither on the vine, now that they had been separated from the Empire. For every world like Rosa, there were three or four colonies that couldn't even feed themselves, let alone sell their products. Marigold’s Folly had narrowly escaped catastrophe only a month ago, when two air processors had failed simultaneously. It was easy to believe that the Grand Senate had been guided by malice.

  “We can gather enough supplies to keep Dueller ticking over until they set up algae farms,” she said. Naturally, the colony’s founding corporation hadn't bothered to set up algae farms of their own, no matter what Imperial Law said. They’d probably seen it as a needless expense. “But getting them there is going to be a pain.”

  “Pirates might see what we’re doing and come after us,” Peterson agreed. “Maybe we could use it to set a trap.”

  Sameena was still considering it when she went home, back t
o the quarters she shared with Jamie. She hadn't realised, somehow, that taking on the job of coordinator for the new government would mean that she would have to stay at Madagascar. There were plenty of jobs she could hand down to someone else, but that still left her with hundreds of issues that required her personal attention. In hindsight, perhaps she should have offered the post to Captain Hamilton instead.

  Madagascar, thankfully, was blossoming again after a month of difficulties. Interstellar trade was picking up; with most of the convoys rotated through the asteroid’s system its denizens had a chance to make money. And then there were the vastly-expanded training programs to produce new starship crews, engineers, doctors and everything else the new government might need. Given time, the system might well be able to stand on its own two feet.

  She stepped through the hatch and smiled as she saw Jamie sitting on the sofa, reading a datapad. Neither of them had much time to relax, even when they were technically off-duty; the squadron required as much of Jamie’s attention as the rest of the government did from her. Six months of frantic activity had put five of the older craft back into commission, but it wasn't enough to cover the entire sector. They'd been reduced to bolting weapons onto freighters and hoping for the best.

  “Good to see you again,” Jamie said, as if they hadn't last seen each other in the morning. “I brought home dinner.”

  Sameena nodded and sat down next to him, taking his hand in hers. “The people on Dueller are starving,” she said, softly. “We're going to have to send food stocks from here to there.”

  Jamie took a moment to consider it. “Gathering so many freighters in one place would be a tempting target,” he pointed out. “The pirates will definitely hear of it.”

  “I know,” Sameena said. “There’s no way to keep it hidden.”

  She scowled. Most of the traders might have agreed to go along with the new government, at least for the moment, but there were plenty who hadn't been involved with the decision and saw no reason to be bound by it. And then there were true independents, and grey colonies, and ... she knew that there were plenty of links between the pirates and her growing economy. They would definitely hear of the planned shipment.

  “And we will tie up at least six of our destroyers escorting it,” Jamie said. “That means that they won’t be available elsewhere.”

  “I know,” Sameena admitted. The pirates might go somewhere else, convinced that the chances of interception would be lower. And they’d be right. “Is there any way we can do both?”

  Jamie scowled. “Steve has been working on a possible solution,” he said. “He turned a couple of medium freighters into q-ships. They’re not exactly warships, but they wouldn't have to be.”

  Sameena lifted an eyebrow.

  “They don't need to move any faster than the average freighter,” Jamie explained. “It isn't uncommon for freighters to have military-grade sensors, so the pirates won’t see anything odd about them until they get into firing range. And then we blow them away.”

  “Or try to take them alive,” Sameena said. “If we could hunt down their bases, we might be able to put a crimp in their operations.”

  She scowled. “But will they take the bait?”

  “We would only send two destroyers with the convoy,” Jamie said. “If nothing else, we would have four more available for duties elsewhere. The pirates might even consider that they could take two destroyers. It wouldn't be impossible.”

  “It would be a stupid pirate who tried,” Sameena muttered. “How long until the ships are ready?”

  “A week, from what Steve said,” Jamie admitted. “How long will it take to load up the other freighters?”

  “At least that long,” Sameena said. She thought about it, briefly. “We do have a pirate problem out at Maxwell too. Maybe we can use that attack as an excuse to cut down on the convoy escorts.”

  “Then have the destroyers called away as soon as they reach Dueller,” Jamie suggested. “That would leave the field clear for the pirates to engage the convoy.”

  Sameena considered it. If they got a clear shot at the pirate ships, it was worth a little risk ... but losing the convoy would be disastrous if the operation went wrong. Dueller couldn't be left to starve. And the pirates would know that too. Leaving the convoy uncovered would look very suspicious to their eyes.

  “We could have the destroyers race ahead,” Jamie said. “They desperately need the food production equipment, if nothing else.”

  “I know,” she said. That would at least look plausible. She made her mind up. “I’ll go with the freighters.”

  Jamie stared at her. “You’ll go with them?”

  “I have to show my confidence in the scheme,” Sameena pointed out. “Besides, I should be there to show the people of Dueller that we haven’t forgotten them.”

  “It isn't the only planet that needs help,” Jamie said, with the air of a man who knows that he has already lost the argument. “But if you go, I should command the destroyers.”

  “You can't,” Sameena said. “One of us definitely has to remain here.”

  Jamie sighed. It was funny, but the only times they really argued was when they were on the verge of separation, even for a few days. Each of their trips out to the interstellar factory had been punctuated by arguments. Maybe it would get worse as they grew older, Sameena had wondered. Jayne and Paddy had had some arguments that had been audible even outside the locked hatch.

  “Just take care of yourself,” he said, firmly. “It’s you that’s holding this mess together, you know. Not me.”

  Sameena gave him a hug, then stood up and walked over to the kitchen. The pleasure of cooking her own food was something else she’d had to give up; now, they could only take food from the Navy kitchens and reheat it in the microwave. Jamie swore that the Imperial Navy’s cooking course was the hardest in the Empire, if only because no one had ever passed it. Sameena had needed several minutes to get the joke.

  “This mess will endure, I hope,” she said. Fifty-seven planets, thirty of them Earth-compatible, had signed up with her government. Compared to the Empire, her yoke was very light – and almost non-existent groundside. The only restrictions were certain limits on how planets could treat visitors from off-world. “We just have to hang on until we start producing new warships.”

  She scowled. Steve had been doing his best, but production of planetary defence systems was an immensely slow project. The Imperial Navy, he’d commented when they’d last met, had designed defensive systems that were hard to construct, if only to deter planets from producing their own. They'd prefer that planets were defenceless if they ever alienated the Grand Senate. He’d started designing cheaper platforms, but they tended to be easier for the enemy to take out.

  The microwave dinged. She removed the tray of food, separated it out onto two plates and then passed one to Jamie. He took it and smiled gratefully, picking up a fork and using it to eat with gusto. Sameena eyed her food – a mix of watery potatoes and stringy meat – and reminded herself that beggars couldn't be choosers. Besides, she shouldn't be dining out in style when too many people were forced to eat ration bars. It would leave a bad impression.

  “I’ll organise the convoy tomorrow,” she said, distracting herself from the taste. Jamie was right. Clearly, the catering course was too hard for anyone to master. “Can you assign two destroyers to the escort force?”

  “There are six in the system at the moment,” Jamie said. “I can have two of them assigned to you and send a further two out to Maxwell. That should suffice for the deception plan.”

  Sameena nodded. They’d publically determined that they would keep at least two destroyers in the Madagascar System at all times, just to ensure that the universe knew that Madagascar was safe. No one would see anything suspicious if they only sent two destroyers with the convoy.

  “Good,” she said. She put the plate aside with a grimace. “How can you eat that crap?”

  Jamie chuckled. “It's amazing
what someone will eat if they’re starving,” he said. He sobered, his face turning grim. “They’ll be eating themselves on Dueller soon enough.”

  Sameena shuddered. One mining colony, not too different from Marigold’s Folly, had gone silent. When a starship had finally investigated, they’d discovered that the food production system had failed and the inhabitants had resorted to cannibalism. The handful of survivors had reported that they'd drawn lots and the chosen sacrifices had accepted their fate, but Sameena suspected that the truth was far darker. No one really wanted to think about having to go the same route.

  “Cheerful thought,” she said, sarcastically. “Is there any better news?”

  “We came across a stranded mercenary company on Sungai Buloh,” Jamie said, “After some negotiation, they agreed to join us rather than remain there indefinitely.”

  “Good thinking,” Sameena said. “Why were they there?”

  “There was a civil war on the planet,” Jamie reminded her. He smiled with some private amusement. “They moved in and joined up with one side as soon as the Imperial Navy pulled out and helped them win the war, just in time for the Empire to collapse. Evidently, there was a second round of civil war and their transports were destroyed.”

  “Careless,” Sameena said. Most mercenary outfits had their own transports, although the Empire had tried to prevent them from obtaining any actual warships. That restriction had been destroyed now, along with the Empire itself. “Can we trust them?”

  “I believe that they will be interrogated thoroughly by Paddy,” Jamie said. There might be a good-natured rivalry between the Navy and the Marines, but there was a great deal of respect too. “He’ll make the final decision.”