“But you—” His mouth silenced the rest.
“When you put it like…unh….” With his thumb he traced circles on her bare breast beneath her shirt, delighting in how she trembled at his caress.
As her fingers snaked up his spine, he dropped both hands to her hips and hoisted her up—
—and winced as the shredded ligaments in his left shoulder screamed in protest and refused to comply.
Instantly she drew back to regard him suspiciously. Her lips were swollen once more, this time from his abuse of them. “You are such a liar. You are not ‘fine.’ You can barely stand.”
His eyes squeezed shut as passion and pain waged war, his body the battlefield. His voice came out half frustrated, half graveled. “You exaggerate. I can stand fine. I am fine…” he sank into her arms “…or I will be.” Seeing the earnest worry animating her face, he brought a hand up to run gently along her jaw to the curve of her neck. “I promise.”
She sighed and kissed him, so wonderfully soft and tender and poignant. They remained there for untold seconds or minutes or hours, before he pulled away a fraction.
“Tell me what happened to you?”
33
NEW BABEL
INDEPENDENT COLONY
* * *
THE FIRST THOUGHT OLIVIA HAD when Marcus’ figure shimmered into existence was, he looks frazzled.
He did his best to conceal it, donning a poised mien and ostensible confidence. But she had observed him in this precise setting a number of times now. He was cracking beneath the pressure.
She hadn’t believed him so weak, so easily broken. Perhaps there was more at work than merely a galactic war and an alien invasion.
“Olivia. You said it was urgent. You need to discuss something?” His tone came out clipped. Strained.
“Yes, Marcus. We need to discuss the small matter of the aliens tearing up the eastern half of settled space. They represent a small kink in our plans, wouldn’t you say?”
“Admittedly, it is a complication. I’m working to resolve the matter as quickly as I can.”
Suspicion flared in her gut. “Resolve the matter? If it’s all the same to you, as your partner I’d like a few details. You’re now the most powerful person in the galaxy, so how do you plan to ‘resolve the matter’? Do you enjoy a direct line to the alien leadership to negotiate a truce?”
His eyes flickered. Something akin to fear passed across them. A blink and it was gone. “No, of course not. But—”
“Son of a bitch, you knew. How long have you been keeping your little secret from me? A week? A month? A year? Did you know they were coming when you presented your plan to me?”
“Olivia, you must realize—”
“The Alliance-Federation war was supposed to increase my power—and yours—in the galaxy. Instead the war has weakened our ability to defend against aliens currently wreaking havoc on over a dozen worlds, and something tells me they’re just getting warmed up. At this rate the galaxy will be left in ruins. Marcus, I stand to lose everything.”
His head shook as if to deny the veracity of her claims. “I can convince them to stop. It was the whole point of rising to this position. I can get them to understand we won’t be a threat to them. You simply need to give me a little more time.”
She only barely prevented her jaw from falling open in naked disbelief. “Are you telling me you really do have a direct line to their leadership?”
For a beat his usual confidence returned in the twist of his mouth and set of his chin. “In a manner of speaking.”
“Oh, you dirty, conniving little snake. Did you lie to me about everything or solely the part where the war would be to my benefit?”
“Olivia—”
“You required me to make the war happen, so you used me for your own ends.”
“We used one another. That’s how the world works. I thought you of all people understood this.”
“Nice try, but no. You used my resources, my people, my money and my influence for purposes contrary to those you presented.”
He brandished a visage so malevolent he’d never dare show it in public. “Would you have believed me had I told you aliens were talking to me?”
“You could have tried me.”
“I think I was correct to refrain from telling you or anyone else.”
Would she have believed him? She supposed it depended. “So what was the actual plan, then?”
He exhaled heavily, his shoulders dropping as the momentary arrogance abandoned him. “My contact warned me we needed to stop expanding to the northeast—toward the Metis Nebula, as it turns out. It threatened dire consequences if we continued.”
“‘Dire’ can mean a number of different things, Marcus.”
“Well this time it meant extinction, all right? Something none of us want. But Seneca controls the northeast region of space. Perhaps the aliens should have chosen someone in the Federation government to approach, but they didn’t. They chose me.”
Bitterness now dripped from his increasingly hoarse voice. “The war was intended to distract everyone—to focus our attention inward rather than outward and pause our expansion. Ultimately the Alliance wins the war and under a united government expansion efforts are redirected west and south.”
“United under your leadership.”
“I assumed that went without saying. Unfortunately, events moved too rapidly. The Senecans lobbed a probe into Metis and Ms. Solovy got nosy. The aliens began to move before we were ready. But there’s still time. I can still make this work. I can convince them to back off and give me an opportunity to win the war.”
Her weight settled on her back foot as she crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him, now legitimately baffled. “How delusional are you, aliens in your head notwithstanding? The war we launched is going to make things worse, not better. If these aliens intend to exterminate us, we probably ought to consider fighting them instead of one another.”
“The media doesn’t yet have the footage from the first colonies hit, but I’ve seen it, and I’m not at all sure we can fight them. Besides, it’s too late to go back. If we try to reverse course now it will only cause more chaos and confusion.”
He implored her in a weak attempt at persuasion; it definitely wasn’t his best work. “Please, let me handle the situation.”
She should have known, those many years ago in Rio. She should have known when the feral kid smiled at her with such chilling conceit that she could not, under any circumstances whatsoever, trust him.
“I don’t think so, Marcus. You lied to me. You manipulated me. You betrayed the core underpinnings of our arrangement. You’re blinded by your own ego and pride and you will get us all killed. Good luck, Mr. Prime Minister. I’m out.” She cut the link.
If she ever saw him in person again, she would kill him. She might kill him anyway. But first things first—she had to figure out what she was going to do to save her organization, her life’s work.
It occurred to her then it might take saving their entire damn civilization in order for her to do so.
34
EARTH
EASC HEADQUARTERS
* * *
MIRIAM CONSIDERED THE MIDMORNING SUN outside the window. She could almost see the autumn chill in the air.
Will Sutton, a Senecan spy? It seemed impossible, yet she had witnessed the undeniable proof laid bare in front of her own eyes, and in dramatic fashion.
She couldn’t fathom what Richard was going through. Following the odd, almost surreal conversation with the Senecan Intelligence Director, Richard had bolted with Will chasing after him, and she hadn’t as yet been able to talk to him about it all. The stark truth was this might represent the best chance they had to restore sanity to the galaxy, but she wished it hadn’t come at such a cost to her dearest friend.
“Admiral, there’s a Lt. Colonel Jenner here to see you.”
She welcomed the interruption from the troubling thoughts. “Good. Send him right in.”
/> Malcolm gave her a sharp salute on entry. “Admiral. It’s a pleasure to see you again.”
She returned the salute, then instead of sitting behind her desk, motioned him over to the small table she had managed to squeeze into the office and sat opposite him. “You have had a most exciting few weeks, Colonel. Yet you’ve managed to not only stay alive, but save others’ lives while comporting yourself with honor.”
“Thank you…I’m sorry, did you—”
“You’re getting a promotion. You should receive official notice in the next hour or two. You’ll also receive a special commendation eventually, but as you can expect the bureaucratic channels are a bit tied up at present.”
He sounded somewhat stunned. “I’m honored, ma’am, but I was merely doing my job.”
“Yes, and better than most.” She poured a glass of tea from the pot on the table. It was one of the few acts of respite she allowed herself in a time of war. “I understand you find yourself without a ship to command.”
“Yes, ma’am. Northwestern Command is losing ships even faster than soldiers.”
“Your impressive tactical decisions at both Orellan and Desna have not gone unnoticed. It’s your choice—and won’t impact the promotion or the commendation—but I need to ask you to risk your life once more.”
“We’re at war on two fronts, Admiral. We’re all risking our lives.”
Her chin dipped in acknowledgment. “Fair point. Admiral Rychen has a mind to retake Messium from these aliens or at least buy some time and opportunity for survivors to escape. I’d like you to assist him in this endeavor.”
Malcolm’s eyes widened briefly before he restored professional decorum. “I’d be gratified to help in any way you or he sees fit.”
“Good. He is assembling his forces above Scythia as we speak. I’m sending you a full report containing everything we know about the aliens as well as the resources Rychen has at his command so you can be fully up to speed when you arrive. He is an excellent leader and an honorable man, but he needs capable commanders who can think for themselves and instinctively grasp the nature of battle. I believe you will work well together.”
“I’m confident we will. He has a sterling reputation, and based on your endorsement I expect he’s earned it.” It was a ceremonial statement delivered in the finest military tradition; but having done so, his manner lost a measure of formality. “I can’t tell you how relieved I was to learn Alex has been absolved of involvement in the bombing. How is she?”
Her gaze drifted to the mediocre view out the window. “I’m afraid I don’t know.”
“Ma’am?”
She forced herself to refocus her attention on her guest. “She’s been unreachable since shortly after the accusations were made public. I don’t know where she is. Given the state of our relationship—of which I imagine you’re aware—this may not come as a shock. But to my knowledge no one knows where she is.”
His own gaze leapt away at the news, but even in profile she saw his face fall. “I’m sorry. I don’t…I’m sure she’s all right. She is…extraordinarily resourceful.”
Miriam’s response was tainted by sorrow. “Yes, she is.”
Awkward silence lingered for a moment, and she simply didn’t have the will to end it.
Finally Malcolm cleared his throat and stood. “If you don’t need anything else, I’ll be going. I need to run home and kiss my wife, pack a new bag and catch a transport for Scythia.”
“I won’t keep you. Everything should be in order, but please don’t hesitate to contact me directly if you run into any problems.”
She hesitated for a beat, then gave him a wistful smile as she stood. “I remember those days, when David would dash through the house on his way between assignments. Don’t feel guilty if you linger a few extra minutes.”
“In that case, I may do so.” He turned to the door…then back to her. “Permission to speak freely, Admiral?”
“Granted, of course.”
“She’s more like you than you realize.”
Her lips pursed in puzzlement. “I don’t follow.”
“Forgive me if I’m off-base, but I suspect you believe Alex is her father made over. And though I regrettably never knew him, as I understand it she definitely inherited his adventurous spirit and irreverence.
“But in truth, she’s your daughter through and through. Driven, determined and supremely confident in her abilities. Expecting others to meet the highest standards or else they’re not worth her attention. Refusing to show weakness no matter how difficult the situation. And…well, perhaps a tiny bit wary of letting others get close. I say this as someone grateful to have been allowed to get close, for a time.”
He shrugged, wearing a sheepish look. “I just thought you might want to keep that in mind when you see her again.”
A parting salute and he was gone. She was left standing there, stunned into silence.
Why would he say that? Why would he think that? She had assumed he knew Alexis better, seeing as they were together for nearly three years. Perhaps time apart had clouded his memories.
Regardless, she and her daughter had never shared so much as a favorite food in common; they shared nothing except burgundy hair and a complete inability to hold a civilized conversation with one another.
And possibly a formidable drive and level of determination once their minds were set on a goal. And…
…was Malcolm right? He was right that Alexis had inherited David’s adventurous spirit and, as he noted, irreverence. Might he have been correct about the rest? No, he couldn’t be.
When she looked at Alexis, David stared back at her. But where David had been open, carefree and vibrant, her daughter regarded her coolly, closing off whatever spirit she possessed behind shuttered eyes and a defensive bearing.
Just like herself. “Oh, David….”
“…looking for the commanding officer?”
Miriam waved the medic off and pressed the medwrap to her neck as she twisted around in the direction of the voice. “Can I help you?”
“Captain David Solovy, 3rd Regiment, 1st Brigade, NW Region. Apologies, ma’am, but the information I was provided stated a Commander Llahso oversaw the station here on Perona?”
The captain stood twenty centimeters taller than her. She made an effort to straighten her shoulders in spite of the fracture in her collarbone, which she decided was a fairly stupid thing to do when a jolt of pain screamed down her arm.
“He does—or did.” She gestured over her shoulder with her uninjured arm at the row of medical cots behind her. “He took a TSG to the chest three hours ago. The doctors don’t know if he’ll survive. I’m the XO, Major Miriam Draner.”
“That’s unfortunate for him. I hope he recovers.” A sly smirk pulled at the man’s lips. “Less unfortunate for me, however. It is a pleasure to meet you, Major.”
She realized she was staring and schooled her expression. “What can I do for you, Captain Solovy?”
“Ah, right. My mission. I lead the tactical assault detachment to the EAS Trafalgar. We’re the reinforcements the Commander requested. I’m here to help you dig these gandonov out of their hole.”
The medwrap must be secure by now, so she dropped her hand from her neck. She had caught the edge of a Daemon beam in the doomed push which had taken out Llahso. The proximity of the wound to her carotid artery meant it had been a close call, but she didn’t have time to dwell on it now.
She indicated for Solovy to follow her and headed out of the med tent. “Excellent. I’m glad your team has arrived. We nearly took out their primary turret in the last offensive, but we failed and are down seven soldiers as a result.”
He matched her step for step through the center of the hastily erected forward operating post as they crossed to the command center in the opposite corner. “What’s the background? My briefing was scarce on details.”
She shrugged, which was also a fairly stupid thing to do. A cringe followed it. “Your standard over-
committed radicals. In this case I believe they imagine Perona will be better served by a Leninist utopia, but they—”
“Goret etim pidarasam v adu….” He cleared his throat. “Apologies, ma’am. Please continue.”
Interesting that the memories of the damage inflicted on Russia still lingered more than three hundred years later in its descendants. “Yes. Well. As I was about to say, they are exceedingly well armed and have fortified their compound with a noteworthy amount of ballistic weaponry. How they got their hands on such weaponry is a matter for another day, but suffice it to say we were not prepared for the extent of it.”
“Is that why Commander Llahso was injured?”
“No. He was injured because he was showing off for the soldiers in an attempt to compensate for his innate insecurities. By the point he insisted on leading an incursion we were fully aware of the terrorists’ capabilities.”
“Then I’m even more glad you’re in charge now.”
She frowned as they reached the command center, unsettled by how familiar the man was being, but was interrupted by three separate subordinates arriving to update her on various details. Finally she succeeded in activating a large screen above the center table.
“The primary obstacle is one of vantage. Their compound lies in a depression at the base of the mountains and there’s no way to get to the two large turrets they’ve set up behind the outer wall without exposing ourselves. Our drones are shot down before they can lock and fire.”
“A couple of shots from a fighter would take them out. But I’m guessing you’re trying to avoid the collateral damage sure to result.”
“Those are our orders, yes. The Peronan governor doesn’t want a bloodbath, lest he be accused of slaughtering ‘freedom fighters.’ It is complicating matters.”
Vertigo: Aurora Rising Book Two Page 23
