by B. V. Larson
Hansen understood a moment after I did what was about to happen, and he broke ranks. He took a step forward, lifting his hands. I threw up an arm to bar his way.
“No,” I said. “Don’t interfere.”
“But—”
“This is their culture. It’s not our place.”
I felt Hansen step back, and I dropped my arm. Then, gripped by the dread of inevitability, I cleared my throat and called to the Star Force personnel in my best parade-ground voice: “Present—arms!”
My crew’s hands snapped upward in salute, and the marines presented their polished rifles with a textbook crash of boots on the deck. We stood that way while what I knew must happen, happened.
Klak saluted his comrades in arms. Then via the camera drones, all the people of his worlds living or watching this recording in the future were to see him commit ritual suicide. His tail curled forward between his feet and lifted. Reaching down with his hands, he pulled its spiked end upward to eye level, staring at it for a moment.
I dearly hoped no human would laugh because this stance did seem peculiar. I doubted they would be laughing in a moment, and I felt a lump form in my throat at what was to come.
Quickly, suddenly, without further ado, Klak opened his mouth hugely wide like a Tyrannosaurus Rex getting ready to seize its prey. Then he shoved the deadly end of his tail into his own mouth.
Klak bit down hard. The spikes penetrated the soft palate and pierced his brain, killing him instantly. He fell to the deck, stone dead.
None of the other Raptors moved for a long moment. Then an honor guard of eight unfolded a stretcher and ceremoniously placed Klak on it. They marched out with the body.
“Order—arms,” I called. Marching to the front, I turned to address my people. “Ladies and gentlemen of Star Force, you did one hell of a day’s work today. You saved many lives, but you couldn’t save that one. Klak’s life was his to do with as his honor demanded so none of you should blame yourselves. Aliens are aliens.” I swept my eyes across the ranks once more. “Dismissed.”
The formation broke up in melancholy conversation as people filtered back to their duty stations. Ritual suicide wasn’t something humans watched very often, and none of us had realized what was coming, although I should have.
Adrienne turned to me with tears in her eyes and embraced me momentarily, her sweet-smelling hair brushing my nose. I patted her awkwardly on the back a couple of times, still conscious of all the eyes on us. I figured this small slip could be forgiven due to the emotion of the moment.
“Okay, Adie, okay,” I said, grasping her arms gently. “People are watching.”
Adrienne sniffed, rubbing tears from her eyes. Then she stepped back, searching my face. For what, I didn’t know.
“It’s just about keeping up appearances,” I said. “You understand.”
“All right. Yes. Thank you, Captain Riggs. I’ll see you later.”
She turned to accompany Sakura out, putting her head on the stocky woman’s shoulder. I desperately wished it could have been mine.
We offered to help with the planetary relief, but we’d been turned down by every official. Even though we were heroes, I suspected that not every Raptor felt that way. People, especially those far removed from the action, always looked for someone to blame when disaster visited them. Klak had clearly pointed out the wisdom of staying away from a badly wounded alien world.
Klak. I’d only known him a short time, but I’d felt a kinship with him. He’d been a leader in a tough spot, and he’d done the absolute best he could with what fate had given him.
Back on the bridge I realized Marvin had dropped out of sight again. I almost suspected he’d developed a new stealth technology of some sort, something that made him hard for our sensors to see at long ranges.
“Keep looking,” I told Valiant. “He’s out there somewhere. Hansen, let’s start cruising slowly out toward Orn Six where the next ring in the chain must be. Take a looping course away from Kleed’s relief fleet.” With Klak gone, I’d rather avoid any of the local politics if possible. I had no idea what Kleed would be like.
“We can’t outrun them in this current configuration,” Hansen pointed out. “We’re ugly, unbalanced and underpowered for our weight.”
“Outrun them? We’re heroes.”
“That won’t help us against a hundred ships.”
“XO, you have a pessimistic streak.”
“Heroes turn into scapegoats awfully fast, I’m thinking. Just ask your old man.”
I thought about what Hansen had said and grunted, not willing to give credence to his speculations in front of the crew. “What makes you think the Raptors are anything but grateful?”
Hansen input a script from his helm station and something lit up in the holotank. I saw it was Kleed’s relief fleet.
“They’ve altered course to intercept us, sir,” he said.
I stared at the projected course lines. My lips tightened into a line.
“Ingrates,” I muttered.
-39-
I expanded the image of the relief fleet and saw Hansen was right. As we curved away to bypass them and head toward Orn Six—from which this fleet had just arrived—Kleed had turned thirty-two ships, about a third of his complement, to meet us. The rest were sliding into a protective orbit above their devastated homeworld.
“What do you think he wants?” I mused.
“If it was a friendly chat, would he need thirty warships?”
“Damn. Can we beat them?”
Hansen shook his head. “Not by the numbers. They might get tired of losing ships, but if they press the attack I figure they’ll lose ten or twelve and then kill us.”
“What if we fire first?”
“Then they lose twenty before we die.”
I sighed and went over Hansen’s data. I couldn’t find a flaw.
“How long until rendezvous?” I asked.
“About ten hours.”
I started running simulations, shaking my head. “I guess we’ll just have to see what Kleed wants, then.”
“I know what he wants,” Adrienne said as she stepped onto the bridge behind me. “Our factory.”
“Why?” I asked. I saw her point right away, but felt it was a good idea to let her explain it.
“Over the course of a few short days our weapons doubled the firepower of their home fleet. In their eyes, the factory worked magic. For whatever reason, they didn’t get a working factory from their encounter with the Nanos. When Earth got control of Nano factories, it could not only build amazing new technology, it could build more factories. It’s what launched us centuries forward and saved the human race. Now Kleed sees us floating off with the holy grail.”
“Yeah.” I rubbed my neck. “He doesn’t even have to be a bad guy to insist we give him a leg up. After all, if Klak was willing to sacrifice his ethics to save his people, Kleed will, too.”
“Klak did say Kleed’s honor was questionable,” Hansen reminded me.
I nodded, remembering. “Yes, he did. So what do we do? Can we come up with a detailed plan to construct a small factory for them? If we can give them a shopping list of the rare earths required and show them we can complete the project in a month or two, they should be convinced we’re serious.”
“Yes,” Adrienne said thoughtfully. “We can include cannibalized materials from their own structures and equipment. That would speed up the process when compared to mining raw materials.”
“That’s good. Valiant is a bit bloated anyway. We laid on the armor quite thickly. Let’s hope he’ll be happy with that. Go ahead and start prepping it. Make sure it doesn’t have the technology database, though. We’ll give them what they need when we decide to, as bargaining chips. Can your report be ready in ten hours?”
“Yes, easily.”
“Then compile the list! Recruit whoever you need to help.”
Adrienne saluted me wryly and left to carry out my orders.
“Why do I get the
feeling things won’t go smoothly?” I asked Hansen when she’d gone.
“Things never go smoothly with you around, sir,” Hansen replied.
I glanced at him, saw he was grinning, and returned the expression.
“It’s the Riggs curse, Mister Hansen.” I folded my arms and stared at the tactical situation. I’d hoped to see a solution, but there was none. “Order a crew rest period for everyone possible and notify them we’ll be at battle stations in about nine hours. That includes you. Make sure you get some sleep. I’ll take the first watch.”
“Aye aye, Skipper,” he said, and left. At least it was an improvement over constant backtalk.
When Hansen returned after four hours, I stopped by the marine spaces to drink a beer with the troops. I talked to Kwon in particular. I found him arm-wrestling playfully with Steiner, letting her use both her hands and her whole body while he used just one. The big woman flushed when she saw me and withdrew.
I smiled at Kwon. “Sergeant Major, you might get some real action soon.”
“Good!” he roared, rising and slapping me on the back.
“If you do, though, we’re going to be heavily outnumbered. The new Raptor boss is bringing more than thirty ships to the party.”
Kwon’s brow furrowed. “I thought we were heroes to the Raptors.”
“We are, Kwon, but there’s politics involved.”
“I hate politics.” Kwon slammed his ham fist into the wall to emphasize his point. He left a dent the size of a melon.
“Me too.”
“Can we beat them ship to ship?”
I shook my head. “No, but that’s where you come in. You need to be ready for anything—repelling boarders especially, but also a space assault with grenades.” By grenades, I meant the specialized small nukes marines used for anti-ship use.
“Why would they board?” Kwon asked. “Why not just blast us?”
“We think they want our factory.”
“Thieving bastards.”
I clapped him on the shoulder. It was like slapping a Brahma bull. “Just let me handle the diplomacy, my friend, but be ready to pull my nuts out of the fire.”
“That’s what marines do!” Kwon roared. “We’ll be ready, boss.”
“Good man.” Cheered, I headed to my cabin to catch some shuteye. It was always better to fight in a rested state.
When I reached my cabin and opened the door, I got another surprise. “Adrienne?”
She stood in the middle of my floor with her hands clasped oddly. She seemed a little nervous.
“Sorry,” she said. “I know this isn’t appropriate, but I wanted to see you.”
“Okay…” I said, moving to sit on the bunk.
She took the only chair in the room.
I smiled at her and felt oddly relaxed. “What’s up?” I asked.
Her hands continued twisting nervously as she gazed down at them, not meeting my eyes.
“You know, you’re a bit of a…” She faltered.
“Prick?”
“No,” she laughed nervously.
“Rogue?”
“Closer.”
“Rascal? Scoundrel? Stud?”
Her laughter became genuine. “How about ‘comedian’? No—that’s wrong. I just meant, you’re not my usual type. But...” She ground to a halt again.
I suddenly understood that I had this in the bag if I didn’t blow it. I decided to give her a little help.
“Look, Adie, we’ve been dancing around this thing between us for a while, but is this really the best time to talk about it? In a few hours we’ll have to face down an alien admiral and his fleet.”
Adrienne’s face rose, her eyes sharpened. “Damn it, Cody, we’re always hours away from some crisis or another. Don’t you think we’ll both do our jobs better if we get a few things settled?”
“Okay, point taken. What first?”
“First? I’m tired of playing second fiddle to the memory of my sister. When we talk, I can see it in your eyes. It’s like you’re gazing at a princess on a pedestal in your mind. Do you realize that we’ve been on this ship almost as long as you and Olivia were dating?”
I hadn’t thought of that before, and it wasn’t completely true—but she had a point. I’d been serious about Olivia, but we’d only gotten together for about a semester’s time. I decided quibbling wouldn’t be a good play, so I nodded in agreement.
Fortunately, that was good enough of an answer for Adrienne.
“She had her faults too, you know,” Adrienne continued, “but you’ve forgotten them all by now. I can’t live up to an idealized version of Olivia.”
I nodded encouragingly. “All right, I’ll try to keep that in perspective. Second?”
“Second?” she demanded. “There has to be a second? Is this a relationship by the numbers?”
“This is a relationship?” I asked.
“It—it could be.”
“Ah.” That was the elephant in the room, so big and obvious it was difficult to see and hard to get the mind around. “If that’s what you want, I’m helpless.”
She frowned at me quizzically. “Why are you helpless?”
I shrugged. “You’re in control of this situation. You always have been. How could I resist the advances of such an attractive young woman?”
“I’m not sure if you’re seducing me or making fun of me. You’re the captain.”
I smiled, realizing at that moment I wanted her. I’d wanted her for quite some time but had been too guilt-ridden to take the proper steps. At times I burned for her, lying there alone in my bunk. But I’d been desperately afraid that I’d screw my command up by bending my principles.
Adrienne’s voice grew thoughtful. “You know Cody, your problem is you worry too much about textbook solutions. This is your first command, but you need to relax. The Academy book never anticipated one ship and crew being lost and alone for months or maybe years. Valiant has become a society, and societies evolve their own rules. As long as they work, no regulation can say they’re wrong. If you really—”
I grabbed her and kissed her. I’d only been half-listening anyway, and the urge suddenly overtook my caution. She stiffened up for a second in surprise, but then relaxed. We kissed for thirty nice seconds, then pulled apart. I kept my hands on her shoulders and we looked into one another’s eyes.
“Looks like you made your choice,” Adrienne said, smiling. “So much for me being in charge.”
“Yeah,” I said. “You think the crew can handle it if we do this? You and me, my favorite girl, and my ops officer as well?”
“What the bloody hell do you care what the crew thinks anyway? You fly this ship however you wish. You spend more time with Kwon and the marines than you do with the Fleet people despite the fact you’re a Fleet officer. My impression is that Cody Riggs does whatever Cody Riggs wants to.”
“So I’ll ask again: what would the crew think about…about you and me?”
“Sakura and Hansen are already an item—then there’s Bradley and Johnson. Oh, and Kwon’s been shagging that tremendous woman from the missile deck. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t say that.”
“Tremendous woman?” I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Steiner is big. I think they’re a good match.”
“She’s probably the only female on the ship large enough to take him on without breaking,” she agreed. “Anyway, my point is it’s already happening all around you. You can’t stop it even if you wanted to.”
“This wouldn’t be the same. None of the others are pairing up with subordinates. That would be wrong. The problem is that as the captain, everyone is my subordinate.”
“I think that’s just an excuse.” Adrienne moved to sit on my bunk. We were almost touching.
“I think you’re afraid,” Adrienne said.
“Of what?” I scoffed.
“Of dishonoring Olivia’s memory. Of not measuring up to your father. Of disappointing the people who know you. Of failing to get us home. Cody, you’re jus
t like all of us. We’re full of worries, but that’s okay. We’re here to help each other overcome them.”
She was right, I realized. I’d been blind, standoffish, perhaps superficial. I’d had valid reasons, sure, but good intentions never kept anyone off the road to Hell. “I can see that. And maybe…maybe this could work. But how do we not go too far? This has to remain a military organization with discipline. If not, we’ll fall apart and never make it home.”
“But maybe it’s not just a military organization,” she insisted, taking my hand. “Think of this as a deep scouting mission. Or even a colony mission seeking a new home for humanity.”
The colony idea stunned me. What if we never found Earth again? What if we were destined to become a splinter colony, cut off from home and trapped on this highway of rings? I’d never considered the idea before now.
Her gentle touch brought me back to the here and now. She’d slid her hand up my right arm. This sent quite a powerful signal to my brain then down my spine again.
“We’re not comrades marching in lockstep,” she said, “or brothers in arms. We’re real people with open hearts. A family.”
“Every family needs a mother and father,” I said with a slow smile. I realized she had me now. I’d told her she had all the power in this relationship, and whether she believed it or not, she did. I couldn’t resist her.
“Grandpa Hansen and Grandma Sakura,” she snickered. “Who’s the batty uncle in the attic?”
“That would be Marvin,” I chuckled along with her, feeling easy for the first time in a long while.
Adrienne leaned forward to put her head on my shoulder, and I circled her with my arms. “What now, O Mistress of Valiant?”
Although the tension had broken, I found myself not wanting to move too fast for fear of ruining this fragile thing we were building.
“Now, you kiss me again,” she said, raising her lips to mine.
I obliged.
The kiss began gently, almost chaste, but rapidly progressed past lips to tongues and earlobes and necks. Then she finally pushed me away.
