Unfaithful Covenant

by Michael Anderle

  “We’re not that far out yet,” she continued, “so we won’t be losing much time.”

  “Why?” Erik set his fork down. “If this is about someone noticing the fight, we already talked about that. They’ll burn hard to find a bunch of rubble, and if it’s pirates, we’ll take them down. If it’s Fleet, we’ll explain and send the coded credentials from Alina over. If it’s a smuggler, we’ll tell them to mind their business, and we’ll mind ours. They’ll be far less interested in an unnecessary fight.

  Malcolm nodded quickly. “I like the part where we tell the other ships we’ll mind our own business. I hate the idea of dying early in space.”

  Erik laughed. “Dying on a planet is better?”

  “Yes. It’s how nature intended things.” Malcolm nodded firmly. “Not the early, necessarily, but the planet.”

  Jia shook her head. “Pirates operating with impunity only a couple of days out from New Samarkand isn’t a good sign. I’ve been thinking about it. I doubt those were the only two pirates out there. Depending on how good they are at running silent, they could have a whole fleet out here.”

  Malcolm shrugged. “If more show up, just blow them up. Problem solved?”

  Erik pointed his fork at Malcolm. “The man does have a way of getting to the point.”

  “It’s not us I’m worried about.” Jia folded her arms. “I don’t think a runaway program, a scientist, and a couple of engineers are enough to protect the jumpship, not with pirates and who knows what else prowling out there.”

  “The jumpship has even more guns than this one,” Malcolm protested.

  “But not a true crew.” Jia sighed. “It’s not good enough, not with so many factors unclear. The main reason we didn’t jump straight to the planet was to protect the ship, but without a dedicated pilot, we can’t risk leaving the Bifröst undefended. The pirates don’t have to fight it. They just have to board it. Once they’re aboard, do we really think Raphael, Janessa, and Wei can fight them off?”

  Emma materialized in a Fleet admiral’s uniform. “Oh? What do you intend, then? Do you plan to jump directly to the planet after all? That might create its own issues, but I’m not going to claim I disagree with your analysis.”

  Jia shook her head. “The situation on New Samarkand is too fluid for us to show up with the jumpship. For all we know, the Core has a weapon set up on the surface, and they’re waiting for us to show up in that ship so they can blow us away in orbit.”

  Erik furrowed his brow, confused. “What, then? You saying we should abandon the mission until we have a Fleet escort?”

  “For right now? No. But I’d love it if we could achieve that.” Jia scrubbed a hand down her face. “Even if we set aside all the secrecy, that’s not practical until they have other jump drives and navigational AIs. Otherwise, we’d always have to leave our escorts behind.”

  Emma smirked. “It’ll be a long time before the Defense Directorate has more like me.”

  Jia looked her way. Given what the AI was doing to the jumpship’s AI, it might not be as long as anyone expected, but that didn’t solve the immediate problem or erase her worries.

  “We can’t walk away, Jia,” Erik commented. “The military will retake control of the colony, but if the Core’s here, we need to make them pay, and we need to get intel from them. It’s the only way to stop this from happening again, and this is a rare opportunity when we know exactly where and how they’re striking.”

  “I know.” Jia put up a hand. “Trust me, I know. When we get back to Earth, I think we should ask Alina about getting a dedicated crew and security force for the jumpship. I don’t care about the politics. A couple of Army squads would be best. It’s a military ship, anyway; they’re only letting us borrow it.”

  Emma frowned. “You want to load the jumpship up with uniform boys?”

  “Why not?” Jia scoffed. “The jumpship sits in a Fleet base most of the time. If they wanted to take it, we couldn’t stop them. If anything, bringing more military people on board would make the DD trust us more, not less. We need to start thinking beyond what Alina can do for us and being tools of the ID. This is about taking down the Core, and to do that, we need to make sure we keep all the tools that give us our advantage.”

  “Okay.” Erik nodded slowly. “I agree with all that, but there’s nothing we can do now. We’re already a month behind on this. We can’t jump back to Earth and waste a week or more getting people to agree to staff the ship. Shit, we can’t even jump directly back to Earth without them getting upset. We’d have to jump to Penglai, then fly to Earth and back. Too much time lost.”

  “We also can’t leave the jumpship out there by itself.” Jia looked at Emma. “But I’ve got a good temporary solution. I think we should leave Emma on the Bifröst. If she’s aboard, she can pilot and defend the ship at full capability. In the worst-case scenario, she can make a run for it and jump somewhere else in the system. Janessa, Wei, and Raphael are aboard, so she has all the engineering help she needs. They just need a quality pilot and gun crew, and she’s all that in one.”

  Erik stood, an incredulous look on his face. “If we park Emma on that ship and keep it where it is, we’re not going to be able to communicate with her without a big delay on the mission. We lose a huge advantage.”

  Emma walked over beside Jia and gestured at Malcolm. “You’ll have Mr. Constantine. While he obviously lacks my overall capabilities, he is quite talented for a fleshbag.”

  Malcolm fluffed his shirt. “Yes, I am quite talented for a flesh… Hey!”

  “You agree with this plan, Emma?” Erik asked, sounding surprised. “You want to sit out the mission.”

  “I have…optimizations I need to perform.” Emma gave him a sly smile. “And Jia’s analysis about the risk to the ship isn’t off-base.”

  Jia hadn’t even thought about trying to recruit Emma by appealing to her desire to spend more time in direct contact with the jumpship’s systems, but she wasn’t going to turn down help. They couldn’t always depend on luck to save them. Anticipation was part of winning wars too.

  “If Emma’s there, the ship is safe,” Jia declared. “We can’t guarantee there isn’t a whole pirate fleet hiding this far out and looking for targets.”

  Erik turned to Malcolm. “That means all the systems work on-planet is on you. Are you ready for that?”

  “I might not be a multi-billion-credit experimental AI built using ancient alien technology, but I do have a keen fashion sense, and I’m good at what I do.” Malcolm rested one arm on the back of the chair and gave a cocky smolder his best shot. He failed miserably.

  “Keep in mind that might mean you need to come with us into the field,” Erik explained. “We have no idea how good the networks are there, and that’s before worrying about jamming.”

  Malcolm’s smile faltered. “Being in a warzone isn’t on my list of favorite things, but Jia’s right. We need to protect our ride home. I’d rather not spend months in space heading back to Earth.”

  “That’s not the angle I’m worried about,” Jia replied. “But I’m not going to complain about more evidence in favor of my argument. This only hasn’t been an issue before because we’ve never gone somewhere infested with pirates.”

  “It sounds like we have a half-decent plan,” Erik announced. “Emma, turn the Argo around and burn hard for the jumpship. Next time, we’ll just have to make sure there is a squad of assault infantry and a new pilot on board.”

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  October 15, 2230, Gliese 581, Approaching New Samarkand, Aboard the Argo

  Erik’s jaw tightened as he stared at the magnified image of the Fleet cruiser flanked by two destroyers. The ships bristled with turrets, cannons, and launchers. These ships weren’t refitted spy craft designed to deliver a surprise lethal strike. They were designed to win a galactic war against dangerous aliens, many of whom possessed superior technology. He’d seen and flown in many Fleet ships throughout his career, but for the first time, he h
ad to worry about what they might do to him.

  The Argo packed a punch, and it might be able to take out a destroyer in a one-on-one duel, but the small flotilla in front of them was more than enough to annihilate their ship. If they’d had the jumpship, the fight would have been more even, but it didn’t matter. It wasn’t like attacking Fleet ships was an option, but Erik also couldn’t allow them to take the Argo or interrupt the mission.

  It was time for something Erik disliked. It was time for diplomacy.

  The ships had undoubtedly detected them a long time ago, but the Fleet flotilla had made no move to intercept them. Jia’s course took the Argo straight toward them, giving them little reason for intercept, and Erik had participated in enough antipiracy and anti-smuggling ops to know the Fleet never made an unnecessary move.

  Jia and Erik had chosen to fly toward the cruiser, assuming it contained the highest-ranking officer off the planet. They’d detected other destroyers in orbit above the planet, and at least one heading toward an HTP with a group of three small transports.

  Criminals were often overconfident and believed they could talk their way past a blockade. That made life easier for the Fleet since it was far more efficient to disable a ship sitting right in front of them than chase it halfway across a system. Letting suspect ships get close also offered other tactical options, all of which flooded Erik’s mind and fueled his paranoia.

  Erik frowned. “What do the sensors say about their launch bays?”

  “All open, with heightened readings across the board,” Jia commented before pinching in a display and spreading her fingers out. An enlarged image displayed a launch bay on the bottom front of the cruiser. Four fighters were positioned near the front, already loaded with missiles, ready for quick launch. There wouldn’t be any escaping the Fleet.

  “They’re hailing us,” Jia announced, taking slow even breaths as she fired the thrusters to slow the Argo to a near-crawl. “Turrets and shields active. Not taking any chances, are they?”

  “We were running quiet,” Erik replied. “They have every reason not to trust us. If we even look like we’re going to go hostile, they’ll launch those fighters, if not blow us away with a cannon. This isn’t a normal Fleet patrol. These are people trying to stop reinforcements and supplies from reaching an enemy force. This is war.”

  “Let’s see what they have to say and if Alina’s influence means anything this far away from Earth.” Jia’s hand hovered over a comm receipt button, hesitating before she pressed it.

  “Unidentified vessel, this is Captain Rala of the UTS Guandao. Travel to and from the New Samarkand colony is currently restricted, and the entire planet is under martial law. You may not land without the explicit preauthorization of the colonial government. Your flight path does not appear to be from either HTP, and you have not transmitted proper identification.”

  Jia cleared her throat. “Guandao, we have a reason for that. Please stand by for transmission of our clearance. We will hold our position until you’ve had time to process our documentation.”

  “Standing by. Please send clearance immediately. Do not attempt to leave, or you may be fired upon. Any attempt to activate weapons will be considered a hostile act, and you will be fired upon.”

  Erik sat there, waiting in silence, unsure of what was happening on the bridge of the other ship. They might be staring at the encoded credentials, utterly confused, or maybe they were slowly filling with anger, the captain trying to figure out the best way to seize the Argo without destroying it. Dying at the wrong end of Fleet cannons would be an ironic twist for the Army veteran. He would never hear the damned end of it in the afterlife.

  Jia stayed quiet as the seconds stretched into minutes. Erik considered running down to the cargo bay and grabbing stun rifles for them. Killing military personnel was far from an option, but getting thrown in a cell wasn’t either.

  The comm crackled to life. “You are cleared to land, agents. We’re transmitting landing coordinates, a temporary clearance code, and a suggested descent flight path. Please begin broadcasting the code immediately. I wouldn’t deviate from the marked descent plan if I were you. We’ve got most of the areas outside the dome under control, but the rebels have hit ships before. Don’t want any of our pilots to get confused, either. We’ll give you the comm code for the local garrison.”

  “Agents?” Jia mouthed.

  Erik shook his head and leaned over to whisper, “No reason to confuse them with the truth. The important thing is they don’t know exactly who we are, which means they can’t tell anyone you and I specifically are coming.”

  “Thank you, Guandao,” Jia replied.

  “Don’t thank us yet. It’s dangerous down there, especially for ghosts, but it looks like you took some hits before you got here.”

  “That’s affirmative, Guandao,” Jia replied. “We encountered pirates out on the edge of the system.”

  “They’re like roaches out there. It’s like they knew something was going to happen, and a lot of them infiltrated the system with disguised ships but didn’t start attacking people until the rebels made their move. We can only spare ships to protect the flight paths to the HTPs and the stations. Judging by your approach path, you went the wrong way.”

  “Something like that,” Jia transmitted. “Well, there are two fewer pirate ships to worry about. They were disagreeable.”

  A light laugh came over the comm. “Finally, ghosts doing something useful.”

  Jia kept the Argo on the suggested flight path. Fleet fighters patrolled the skies outside the domes in angry little swarms, dancing on the edge of the radar readout. Overkill, perhaps, but as long as the military had control of space and the upper atmosphere, they could smother the rebellion with enough time and reinforcements. If they did it quickly, there might be something left to save.

  Pinpoint bombardment was an option for an open-air colony, but the domes complicated the situation. Unless the government was prepared to evacuate everyone from the colony, blowing massive holes in the dome guaranteed a proportionally massive number of civilian deaths. All that available Fleet power meant nothing if it couldn’t be used.

  “I’m really missing Kant and Anne,” Jia admitted. “Given the reception we got up there, things are still pretty bad.”

  “Perspective,” Erik countered. “Based on the number of ships we’ve seen just around the planet, they’ve received reinforcements. They also didn’t say the planet was interdicted, just that travel was restricted. That means they’re still allowing some activity. I’m guessing if the Core wasn’t involved, they would have already put down the rebellion.”

  “Which means there’s an opportunity for us to help end this quickly.”

  The Argo continued its smooth descent, Jia’s face a mask of determination. Admirable, but potentially misplaced. Erik wouldn’t mind helping end a pointless rebellion, but he doubted it would be that easy, given the Core was involved.

  Sogdia’s complex of domes came into view, connected by narrow aboveground tunnels. Following the course sent by the Guandao, the Argo descended toward one of the larger domes near the center of the city, an opening pulling back to allow them entry.

  “If the Core hadn’t already been here for a month, I would have suspected an attack on the domes or the oxygen fields,” Erik commented.

  Jia didn’t speak until the Argo cleared the passage and the dome had sealed behind them. “Simple terrorism would have been a lot more straightforward. Maybe they decided it wouldn’t work for them.”

  Erik shook his head. “I get the feeling terrorism’s always been a sideshow or a way to cover things up, like when they paid terrorists to come after me, but it doesn’t matter. Every Elite we take out and every Core operation we mess up slows them down and gives us a chance to catch up.”

  They both fell quiet as they surveyed the ruins spread out before them. That was the only way to describe the blasted wasteland covering half the city. All the effort spent colonizing the planet, and
it was being destroyed. Drones and flitters were conspicuously sparse in the air. Smoke curled into the sky from multiple locations. Their target hangar was in a nearby area that only looked half-destroyed.

  “We better get on the ground quickly before someone fires a missile at us,” Jia muttered. She glanced to the side. “At least we have decent net connections now.”

  “Rebels blow up the colony, but the net continues to live.” Erik chuckled. He tapped his PNIU and flicked through feeds until he found a local newsfeed and sent it to a new data window in front of him.

  A weary-looking newsreader sat behind her desk, bags under her eyes and her brown hair on the border of unkempt. “Again, please be mindful of the curfew and comply with all Army and militia patrols. The colonial governor has released a formal statement noting additional reinforcements will be arriving within the next week, but he also wanted to make it clear that the rebels and their mercenary allies continue to show little restraint or concern for civilian casualties. For your own safety, please do not attempt to bypass any government checkpoints, and immediately report suspicious activity to the authorities. Together, we can end this brutal insurrection.”

  “What good is a rebellion that destroys their own home?” Jia muttered.

  “I’m sure they’ve convinced themselves they’ve got great reasons for this, or at least they did in the beginning.” Erik swept the data window away with his hand and stared grimly at the city below. “At this point, they’re fighting because they’ve invested too much into it to stop. I’m not going to defend the rebels, but they’re a tool in the service of a greater evil. We need to do what we can with what we have. Let’s get on the ground, get settled in, and see if we can get hold of our contact.”

  Jia sighed. “What do we do if they’re dead?”

  “Let’s hope the Lady’s on our side.”

  “She’s certainly not on the colony’s side.”