Loyalty to the Cause (TCOTU, Book 4) (This Corner of the Universe)

by Britt Ringel

  “Yeah,” Heskan murmured. “Looks a little like the planet I grew up on.”

  “Are you ready to see my home?”

  “Hollara. Is it safe for my people?”

  “Of course,” Lombardi replied. Then, she said after further consideration, “Well, I hope so.”

  Chapter 20

  The nine days of travel through the Terra Mater, Picus and Kujata systems passed quickly. As Hussy neared the Hollaran Commonwealth border, each day seemed to distort into mere hours for Heskan. The pressure placed on Hussy’s environmental systems eased with only her standard crew of thirty-five on board, comprised of the Brevic pilots, Heskan’s inner circle, Komandor Lombardi, and enough Hollaran volunteers to fill out Hussy’s needs. Kapitan Romano had stayed on the Vox station to lead the remaining one hundred ninety-four Hollarans during their transit home.

  Hussy’s middle hold had been transformed while docked to Vox. The cargo compartment had additional living quarters installed using quick-setting foam construction walls. A recreation room had also been created with large wall screens connected to the latest entertainment systems. Hussy had superficially become a real luxury ship containing even a tiny gym erected in the corner of the compartment. In essence, the elderly tramp had been treated to a makeover.

  When Hussy dove into tunnel space toward the frontier Commonwealth system of Dea Dia, Heskan proposed a change of command to Hollaran authority. Lombardi adamantly resisted his gesture and insisted that Garrett Heskan would be the captain of the ship that brought her home. She agreed, however, to speak on behalf of Hussy while traveling through Commonwealth space.

  Similarly, it was Heskan who balked when Lombardi suggested they travel through to Hollara proper under their guise as a standard, tramp freighter. It seemed an unnecessary ruse when Lombardi could easily announce who she was at Dea Dia and be escorted back to Hollara with an honor guard. It was only when Lombardi privately expressed the depth of her concerns about revealing Hussy’s true identity that Heskan withdrew his objections. The profound concern in her voice convinced him that Lombardi’s discretion might be more reasonable than his own valor.

  He had been thinking of his own Republic as the enemy on this mission and had nearly forgotten his Brevic crew were still enemies of the Commonwealth. This realization cast him even more adrift as the moment he simultaneously hoped for and dreaded finally arrived.

  “Attention, crew of Hussy, prepare for tunnel dive in ten seconds,” Selvaggio warned. The chronometer counted down and Heskan reflexively squeezed his eyes shut. Familiar queasiness passed through him and he swallowed several times to resist the urge to deposit his stomach contents onto the deck. When he could, he opened his eyes to look upon Hollaran space.

  Dea Dia’s only habitable location centered on the moon of a gas giant. The system’s F3IV star burned much hotter than Sol, creating a goldilocks zone farther out from the star. All of the interior terrestrial planets were broiling infernos, but the largest moon around the second gas giant contained an atmosphere suitable for human life.

  Dea Dia’s shipping lanes thrived with activity. Freighters of all shapes and sizes traveled in orderly sequence under the watchful eyes of nearly a dozen system defense ships. A large weapons station orbited with the Kujata tunnel point. The platform, while impressive, was not nearly the size of the defense citadels Heskan’s task group had encountered in Helike. Compared to those behemoths, the station 4ls from Hussy looked like a child pretending to be a sentry.

  A descending warble from Truesworth’s panel indicated an incoming voice message. “CSV Hussy, this is orbital control. Welcome to Commonwealth space. You are cleared to navigate out of the tunnel point pattern. Please declare your intended travel route.”

  Lombardi answered matter-of-factly, “Greetings, control, this is Hussy. We will transit the system en route to Vica Pota with a final destination of Hollara. Request clearance to the Latana tunnel point.”

  Minutes later, the request was granted. “Acknowledged, Hussy. I am embedding your route into your beacon. Please notify the nearest controller if you change your destinations. Understand that all non-Commonwealth traffic is subject to inspection at your first port of call. Safe journey.”

  “Tenente, please follow the prescribed route into Hollaran space.”

  “It’s a heck of a lot easier this time around,” Selvaggio mumbled as she used the freighter’s thrusters to orient her toward Latana.

  “Seems too easy,” Heskan agreed.

  “Do not fool yourself,” Lombardi countered. “We will be watched and scanned by at least one defense ship while traversing the system. When we do dock at an orbital, our ship will be thoroughly inspected not only for contraband but also for invasive organisms, and some of the crew could be selected for random health checks. Hollara’s borders are open to trade but that does not mean we do not take security seriously.”

  “Yeah, but to just tunnel in and say, ‘We want to go to Hollara,’ seems wrong,” Heskan confided. “No secret handshakes or passwords needed, you know? This could be a Republic system if not for the accents.”

  Lombardi looked at Heskan with an arched eyebrow. “Is it really so surprising? Both the Commonwealth and your Republic use the same constructs of interstellar commerce as the Federation. Why should our procedures be so different from yours?”

  “Good point,” Heskan admitted. “I’m beginning to regret staying up well past my bedtime to witness this.” He yawned. “I think I’ll turn in.” He checked the wall chronometer quickly. “See you in three hours, Isabella.”

  “Buona notte.”

  * * *

  If Dea Dia had been a letdown, the dead system of Latona was an utter bust. Hussy merely tunneled in, requested permission to continue toward Vica Pota and drove her replenished engines to .15c. After two more days of the quiet of tunnel space, Hussy’s arrival at the Vica Pota system was met with an equal, casual indifference. This time, tunnel point controllers questioned if Hussy would be docking in-system. When Lombardi politely informed them she would not and wished to continue to Hollara, the controllers seemed almost happy to let the freighter pass through their space unhindered. Judging by the incredible number of civilian ships swarming about in the district system, Heskan could understand the eagerness to remove one responsibility from their burgeoning plate.

  Hussy reentered tunnel space toward Hollara proper after spending eight hours and twenty-two minutes crossing Vica Pota. Her second to last dive gave Heskan chills for he knew that when the freighter next emerged from tunnel space, the heart of the Commonwealth would lay before his eyes. A fitful three nights of sleep haunted Heskan and most of the Brevic crew, each withdrawing inside themselves as they waged nightly battles with indoctrinated fears.

  * * *

  “Dive confirmed, we are in the Hollara system,” Selvaggio said quietly and with a perceptible shudder.

  Heskan felt it too; his arms had broken out in gooseflesh. Ahead of Hussy, just 46lm away, lay the water world bearing the same name as its star. The name had come to represent aggression and betrayal throughout Heskan’s Republic. On countless planets in countless star systems, Brevic children were playing “soldier,” fighting against make-believe “Hollie” marines who dared to invade their planets. In the evenings, those same children would be cajoled with vague threats that Commonwealth founder Anton C. Brennan himself visited naughty Republic children who stayed up past their bedtimes. Heskan’s own mother died shortly after childbirth and he had no recollections of his father resorting to such tactics, but the gravity inside Hussy seemed to have tripled upon their dive. Heskan stared at the system plot. It’s just wrong to be so close to Hollara and everyone here knows it. Diane practically whispered just now.

  Truesworth’s panel chirped, causing him to jump. He looked sheepishly around the bridge and Vernay began to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. Truesworth responded with a grin. “I guess I’m making this into a bigger deal than it is,” he admitted.

&
nbsp; “It’s okay, Jack,” Heskan said. “We all feel it. We are strangers in a strange land.” He glanced at Lombardi. “Well, most of us.”

  Lombardi smiled gently and soothed, “Commander, you have succeeded. You have led your people, and mine, from imprisonment and into safety. Please, there is no need to fear here.”

  Truesworth played the incoming message; it was simple clearance to proceed in-system. Due to heavy commercial traffic at the primary orbital, there would be an estimated five-hour queue to dock once they reached the station.

  Lombardi acknowledged and then explained to the Brevics that certain docks were allocated for inbound freighters that would have to undergo inspection. Had Hussy already endured an inspection in an earlier system, they would have been cleared to dock at a different part of the orbital with less of a wait.

  As Hussy made way for the central nexus of the Commonwealth, Heskan asked, “When will you tell Hollaran authority who we are, Isabella?”

  “Not quite yet,” she replied. “I want to approach close enough to Hollara to have a conversation with my aunt. I want to tell her first and listen to what she recommends.”

  “Komandor,” Vernay asked, “is there a chance we’ll have the same type of reception you received in the Republic?”

  Lombardi’s uneasy look did little to calm Heskan. Despite her expression, her voice remained certain. “I will not permit that, Lieutenant.” Then, she hedged. “Although we may avoid having to explain who you are entirely. My aunt works in Procurement but she has many friends in Intelligence because of Zio.”

  “Is that wise?” Vernay said in a distrustful tone. “Do we really want to get Hollaran Intelligence involved?”

  Lombardi nodded. “I think it is. I hope so anyway. Zia Samanta will have a tremendous amount of support. Zio Teodore was widely respected and he argued against the attack on Sponde. When he was overruled, he still insisted that he accompany the task force.” She sighed forlornly in remembrance. “Despite official intelligence projections that your carriers were not ready, Zio predicted they would make their appearance on the battlefield within weeks. Sadly, other admirals thought differently.” She shook her head slightly. “I believe many of Zio’s former colleagues will help us. Zia will know better than me.”

  Hussy’s wall screen flickered. The system plot shunted to the left while the right half of the screen showed the optical through the fixed array. A brilliant, greenish-blue planet appeared before Heskan’s eyes. A massive hurricane looked to be slowly spinning near the planet’s terminator. Chills ran down Heskan’s spine again.

  “It’s brighter than I thought,” Vernay said in awe.

  “Greener too,” Selvaggio added quietly. “Why is your water so green, Komandor?”

  Lombardi’s eyes misted over at the sight and she casually wiped at their corners. After clearing her throat, she answered, “The water has high concentrations of iron. Scientists say it will be many more millions of years before the oxygen in our atmosphere rusts the iron out of the water and turns it completely blue.”

  “How much land covers the planet?” Truesworth asked.

  “Roughly twenty percent but there are vast, shallow continental shelves we can use. In fact, many of the structures we build on those shelves rise above the surface of the water.”

  Heskan stood and walked next to Lombardi. “Your world is beautiful, Isabella.”

  She reached for his hand and held it. “Thank you. For everything, thank you.”

  * * *

  Hours later, as Hussy approached Hollara, Heskan and Lombardi were returning to the bridge after taking a meal together in the galley. “Isabella, it’s not my place,” Heskan protested.

  The komandor’s fiery demeanor returned as she shot him a stern look but continued marching down Hussy’s main hall. “You will be next to me when I speak to her, Garrett.”

  “But it’s a family matter,” he persisted.

  “I will have plenty of time for personal encounters with Samanta later,” Lombardi replied. “For now, you will be present at every meeting while we figure out what to do with your people.”

  Heskan stared at her in frustration but Lombardi pressed forward. “Do you remember when the ‘Vics started sending coded messages to you in the Tarvos system? I was terrified. And what did you do?” She began to smirk.

  I decrypted them and forwarded them to you, he recalled but remained silent.

  No verbal answer was necessary. “Exactly,” Lombardi said delightedly. “No secrets, Garrett. Not between us,” she promised.

  Heskan broke for his captain’s chair as they entered the bridge. Before he could step away, Lombardi’s hand shot out and grasped him by the arm. She pulled him toward his cabin but stopped. Heskan saw a curious expression sweep over her face.

  “Lieutenant Vernay,” Lombardi announced firmly, “I am placing Captain Heskan and all of you ‘Vics under Hollaran arrest.”

  Chapter 21

  Stunned faces gaped at the komandor in mute astonishment. Lombardi grappled to maintain her stern expression before breaking into animated laughter. After drawing in several breaths, she said, “Kidding, Stacy, but would you not have been disappointed if you traveled all this way to Hollara and not been threatened with arrest?” She moved quickly toward Heskan’s cabin, dragging the reluctant captain by her side. “We are going to talk to Zia now.”

  Heskan was too dumbfounded to resist.

  Once inside the captain’s quarters, Lombardi once again broke into a fit of laughter. “That was priceless! The look on her face made all these last months worth it.”

  “You’re crazy,” Heskan declared. I’m never going to understand her sense of humor. Lombardi had already seated herself at his console, rapidly entering commands.

  “It is evening on her island.”

  “What’s the planet’s rotational period?” Heskan asked.

  “Twenty-two hours. We take it out of our sleep,” Lombardi responded. She finished typing a string of codes and hit the transmit key. “I feel bad about using my personal account to call her but I guarantee she will respond to it.”

  Hussy was 6ls from the planet. The wait for a reply was fourteen seconds.

  An aged beauty appeared on the tiny monitor in front of Lombardi. The woman was easily in her sixties but the hand of time had favored her. Silver-streaked hair and brilliant, olive skin contrasted a fierce expression on the woman’s face. Her tone of voice matched the frigid temperature of space itself. “You are using an account code that is restricted and when I find you, your violations of the HCT laws will be the very least of your troubles.”

  Lombardi pressed to accept and open a two-way communication. “Zia, it is me!”

  Twelve seconds later, the woman’s ferocious expression melted beyond bewilderment and into elation. Large tears began to roll openly down her timeworn cheeks. “Izzy? Come è possibile questo?”

  “English, Zia,” Lombardi requested.

  A dozen seconds later, the woman asked, “How can this be, Izzy? Your ship was reported missing in action and then the ‘Vics said it was destroyed.”

  Lombardi’s own eyes glistened. “Phoenix is gone, Zia. Along with much of my crew.” She turned slightly to glance at Heskan. “The rest of us were taken into ‘Vic custody but this man saved us.”

  Venerable brown eyes turned toward Heskan. He felt the power of her stare from 6ls away. “Who is this man, Izzy?”

  Lombardi reached up to touch Heskan’s elbow as she spoke. “He is a Brevic officer who stood up against his government’s injustice. He and his friends risked everything for my crew, Zia. He has saved my life, more than once.”

  De Luca’s eyes widened upon hearing her niece’s words. She half-whispered urgently, “Please tell me that you have not made their identities public to the Commonwealth.”

  The desperation of those words scared Heskan.

  “No, Zia, I have not. I am worried that with the war people will only see the ‘Vic and not the hero.”

&
nbsp; Relief washed over De Luca’s face. “Teodore would be proud, Izzy. Teodore was proud,” she corrected. “Let me terminate this connection and create a new, more secure one.” Inspiration struck her. “Better yet, I will send a shuttle up to bring you home. I need to hug you to make sure this is real.”

  “Garrett will accompany me.” Lombardi asserted.

  Before De Luca could respond to the statement, Heskan placed a hand on Lombardi’s shoulder. “Isabella, I can’t leave my people right now. We’re all nervous about our futures. I need to be with them.”

  Disappointment flickered over Lombardi but she nodded in grudging acceptance. “I understand. I will contact you as soon as I can.”

  * * *

  The promised shuttle rendezvoused with Hussy three hours into her five-hour wait for permission to dock at Hollara’s primary orbital. Before leaving, Lombardi posted a junior Hollaran officer on the bridge to ensure no complications arose when Hussy finally gained clearance to moor.

  The docking process was eerily similar to Brevic standard procedure. There were minor variations to be sure; some of the codes were slightly different, a secure hard dock was indicated with blue lights instead of green, but Selvaggio had little trouble positioning the old freighter next to the orbital. The docking tube was extended and Hussy breathed a slight sigh of relief as attachment lines were secured.

  The Hollaran junior officer requested a delayed inspection, explaining to the station officer that after over a week of sailing, Hussy’s crew needed several hours to recuperate and prepare for Hollaran inspectors. The request, not an unusual one, was granted with the proviso that the freighter would remain sealed until completion of the inspection. This suited Heskan fine; he wanted Lombardi’s reassuring presence back on the freighter when the time came to allow “actual” Hollarans on board.

  His fears of complications were unfounded. Forty minutes into the inspection’s postponement, Truesworth announced that orbital customs had waived the standard inspection and needed, only, the non-invasive particulate analysis of their ship’s atmosphere to ensure no exotic contaminants were present. The news removed much of the growing tension on the bridge and buoyed Heskan’s hopes that Lombardi was making inroads regarding their situation.