by Taylor Smith
“Aye, girl,” Mallian said with a scowl. “You think we’re bad? The Deshi kill. The Deshi rape. And the Deshi don’t be carin’ one bit. At least Clew has a purpose, an obligation ta’ these people. A sense of humanity.”
“But why?” Haley finally asked. “Why would you live like this? These people would be so much safer in Alliance territory.”
“Aye,” Mallian ground out sarcastically. “Because the Alliance be so noble and kind hearted.”
“My great, great grandfather,” Andy said, “founded Clew because of the deceptions and lies of the Alliance. You may have heard of him. He commanded the Leviathan along the Alliance border several centuries ago. During his tour, he met a woman and her family. They were part of an expeditionary colony in the Bonnell System.” Andy held his finger up to emphasize, “An Alliance colony, outside of Alliance territory. The Leviathan was assigned to the area to secretly guard the Bonnell colony as well as several others against any threats they may face. At least that’s what they were told.”
“Then the Deshi came,” Haley said, nodding in understanding. “But it wasn’t an Alliance colony. That wouldn’t have been legal due to the treaty with the Deshi Combine.”
“That be the trick,” Mallian said.
Andy nodded to his father and continued, “The Alliance had made that treaty with the Deshi Combine that prohibited expansion into that region of space. But if an existing, non-aligned colony wanted to join the Alliance, there was no stopping them.”
The pieces started falling into place for Haley. She looked to Mallian and said, “So the colony was secretly funded by the Alliance for the sole purpose of adding Bonnell to the Alliance at some point in the future?”
“Aye, she gets it,” Mallian agreed and nodded. “The Deshi musta’ gotten a whiff o’ that. They attacked Bonnell and the Leviathan was ordered not ta interfere, which went against their entire reason for bein’ there. Ya’ see, girl? The Alliance sent those families there, and then abandoned them.”
“We aren’t the good guys,” Cade added. “But neither is the Alliance.”
Haley didn’t agree with that. Sure the Alliance had made some mistakes in the past, even some underhanded choices, but it didn’t make them evil.
“Julian Neese,” Andy continued, “saw enough needless bloodshed that day to last a lifetime, as did his crew. More than half his crew rebelled with him. They saved what was left of the colony and founded Clew with the survivors.”
“After devastating Desh,” Haley finished. She shook her head trying to absorb it all.
“After destroying the planet’s military infrastructure, yes,” Andy said. “Since then we’ve been in open war against what’s left of their military, the Deshi Combine. They move from system to system, but we’ve kept a close eye on them. They’ve tried to raid many of the non-allied colonies beyond the border, trying to rebuild, but we’ve been able to stop them from gaining too much of a foothold.”
“Don’t you see?” Haley asked meeting each pirate’s gaze in turn. “The Alliance and Clew are the same at heart.”
Mallian scoffed loudly in surprise. “And how do ya propose that, my girl?”
Haley stared at him for a moment realizing he didn’t see it. “When Earth’s government fell, and the theocracy, The Church of the Divine Voice, was built in its place and demanded that all twenty-five colonies bow to its gospel, what happened? The colonies went from freedom to subjugation in a day. Did they stand for it?”
Cade shook his head and laughed. “She’s got a point. The Alliance was formed by the colonies to counter the oppression of Earth’s new government. Clew was formed to counter the treachery of the Alliance.” He looked back to Haley with a quizzical expression and asked, “So if Clew is the new free people fighting its oppressors, where do you stand?”
Haley looked to Saundi, who simply stared back. “I stand with you, but I’m not giving up on the Alliance. I still honor my oath.” She wasn’t sure what she could do, but after seeing all the people here and knowing what was coming, she knew she had to do something. “What can I do to help?” She finally asked with a determination to try and make a difference.
Andy smiled, as he said, “Nothing. It’s not your fight, Haley. Once our repairs are complete, we’ll be taking the Reaper to Stormcall to contact and recall all Clew ships. You’re welcome to come. You can contact your Alliance from there.”
Haley grimaced. “Why can’t I just contact them from here?”
Andy’s smile faded a bit as he looked to Mallian and Cade. “Clew is a dark station.” He explained. “There’s no long-range communication here for security’s sake. Anything with that ability on board could give away our position. It’s simply not allowed.”
Saundi groaned aloud. “Stormcall is worse than Clew,” she said then looked back to the pirates who surrounded her. “No offense.”
“None taken,” Mallian said with a devious grin and took a step toward Saundi. “Cause’ you’re not goin’.”
“Now wait just a damn minute!“ Saundi blurted out.
Haley stared at Saundi who was as uncomfortable with the idea as she was. “You’re keeping her for insurance? For what? So I’ll come back? That’s just underhanded.”
Andy shook his head and said, “Stormcall is in the opposite direction of the Alliance and definitely not somewhere safe to drop you two off. We’re taking the Reaper back out with a skeleton crew. Once we get back, we’ll put you two on a hauler bound for a non-aligned world and closer to Allied space. You have my word.”
“Just go,” Saundi said with crossed arms and a heinous look toward the group of pirates. “Not like you can get us out of this one with an escape pod.”
Haley just stared at her for a moment then finally sighed, knowing they didn’t have a choice. She was going to Stormcall and Saundi was staying at Clew. At least Saundi would be safer than Haley would be.
Chapter 15
Cade fired three quick shots at the target that sat twenty feet away. All three rails landed fairly close to the center in a tight group. He was starting to get the hang of the targeting system that came with his artificial eye, though he still found it difficult to trust it since he’d never actually shot a gun before. Andy had told him that it was a blessing since he didn’t have to unlearn any skills to compensate for his eye’s advantage.
“Not bad,” Andy commented, then depressed a control that moved Cade’s target back another five feet. “Try again.”
Cade took a deep breath and raised the black VogerCorp R2 sidearm that Andy had given him. He fought with himself not to use the sights on the barrel, which seemed so natural, and only rely on his new targeting system that didn’t feel natural at all. He squeezed the trigger. Three small rails, two millimeters in diameter, burst from the weapon and landed in a larger grouping around the center of the target. He was still surprised at the feel of the railgun in his hands as it fired. He actually enjoyed it.
“I still say you’re cheating,” Andy said with a sneer. “Do that without your targeting system engaged.”
“Not a chance,” Cade replied with a smirk and shook his head. They’d come to Clew’s gun range at Andy’s request. Cade really didn’t have any interest in coming but once he started in, he couldn’t remember why he had such negative thoughts about learning to shoot. Maybe it was the stigma that surrounded all weapons, or even just his nerves.
He fired several more times before a small indicator on the gun lit up. At the same time, his implant alerted him of the need to reload. Cade took another stick of rails from his belt and inserted it into the bottom of the gun. “Andy, how are we going to fight the Deshi?” he asked directly. He’d been worried about the coming attack, and was even more chagrined about the fact that they couldn’t do anything about it until the Reaper was repaired.
“Well,” Andy said as he fired several rounds into his target and nodded satisfactorily. “The station isn’t defenseless, Cade,” he said turning to him. “It’s fairly well protected
, but doesn’t have much in the way of offensive weapons unless you consider the Leviathan.”
Cade squinted at Andy. “But it can’t undock.” He suddenly realized he was learning more about his home than he’d ever known. It wouldn’t surprise him to learn that the great warship atop the station could actually leave its cradle and fight, contradictory to what was considered a known fact. He eyed Andy sideways and asked, “Or can it?”
Andy shook his head. “Naw. It’s been fused to the station for a century, but it still has its guns. Not much is going to get through to the upper hemisphere of the station.” He suddenly grinned. “And anything that comes close to that beast will get a mouthful of capital rounds.”
“Oh,” Cade said as he tried to picture it. He agreed with Andy that anything trying to get through on top, where the battleship rested, would be in for a hell of a shock. He never knew it was still able to fight though, being part of the station and unable to maneuver. “What about the lower half of the station that the Leviathan can’t protect?”
Andy turned back to his target and emptied an entire clip before he pointed to Cade’s belt and said, “use your autoloader next time you need to reload. It’s quicker and you need the practice.”
Cade looked down at his belt. There was a small indention in the square pouch that held his ammo. Taking a look at his railgun, he noticed a similar device next to the manual loader on the bottom of the grip. “Ah. Ok, so the bottom half of the station?”
“Right,” Andy replied and put his weapon on the table next to his lane. “That’s where the ships come in.” He crossed his arms and leaned back on the table. They were the only two on the range now, so it wasn’t so hard to carry on in conversation. “We have the Reaper. Then there’s No Quarter, the Black Saber and Tyrant that are our combat capable cruisers. I think we have about six frigates here now. We’ll have more once we get the recall out.”
Cade nodded, wishing the Grim Shoals was part of that list as Andy turned away and began cleaning his sidearm. His friend didn’t seem worried, which made him feel a little better.
“Everyone is going to be moved away from sections near the station’s external hull,” Andy continued. “The armor’s thick, but we’re bound to be breached at one point or another. Still, there’s a lot to get through to crack Clew’s creamy center,” he turned with a smile. “Don’t worry so much.”
“Yeah,” he said and unloaded his new railgun and started to clean it as Andy had showed him. “I just wish we knew what the Deshi were bringing.” Cade had never been one for military tactics, but it seemed to him that it didn’t matter how well you prepared for something when you had no idea what you were preparing for.
“They’re squatters,” Andy said as he reassembled his gun. “Nomads. We’ve been watching the Deshi for a long time, Cade. They don’t have much more in the way of a war machine than we do. If I’ve learned anything about them, though,” he stopped what he was doing to look at Cade squarely, “we shouldn’t underestimate them. They’re kind of crazy, and hate everything about Clew.”
“Have you ever had to deal with them?” Cade asked, as he holstered the railgun at his hip.
Andy paused and for a brief moment Cade thought he’d pushed a bad button. “Yeah. Once. Like I said, they’re crazy,” Andy replied and jerked his head toward the exit. “Let’s get out of here.”
They made their way out onto the second level of Clew and toward the lifts. It was early morning and Cade knew they had the entire day to burn since the Reaper was still under repairs. He’d pressed Mallian and Andy to let them take another ship to Stormcall, but every available vessel was either preparing for the battle or being updated so it could fight. Some ships had been sitting unused for years and were being brought back to life. Also, the sudden need for experienced crew was spreading people thin.
Andy turned to Cade and said, “I want to show you something.”
After a short walk into the heart of Clew, Cade found himself in the memorial hall. Its entrance wasn’t marked, flashing its name and wares as most other places, but every person on Clew knew where and what it was.
They walked down the short hall and entered a large, dimly lit space with booths lined up against the wall and in the middle of the room. Cade remembered visiting here with his parents when he was a boy. Each booth held a memorial for those lost in the service of Clew. Most booths honored ships and their crews, but there were a few, like the very first booth, that had nothing to do with a starship.
Cade stopped at that first cubicle labeled “Bonnell Colony” and watched as the presentation activated. A holographic display flickered to life in front of him and then surrounded him with pictures and stored video of the colony itself and the people that had lived there. He knew this was the place that started it all and the people shown here were the same colonists that the Deshi had attacked. Julian Neese had saved many of them and founded Clew but even so, they were long dead.
Andy led him through the displays and stopped in front of an area labeled “The Night’s Pride”. The memorial activated and presented Cade pictures of a cruiser that looked much like the Reaper. The images and video flew by as he watched, until an image of Andy appeared. Cade held his hand up and the presentation froze. He looked to the date and found it to be almost seventeen years ago.
“I was five,” Andy said solemnly. “That’s my dad. He Captained the Pride.”
Cade looked at Andy for a moment, then lowered his hand to allow the display to continue. It showed him more faces, including a young woman holding a child that had to be Andy. “You were on board,” Cade said.
Andy simply nodded without looking at Cade and stared at the display.
More images of crew and of the ship itself floated by and then the epitaph in text appeared. He stopped the display again and read, “Attacked during a colony protection assignment. More than half the crew killed by Deshi boarders. The Night’s Pride was lost.” He continued down through the names and found two that held his attention. “Jeremy and Kathrine Neese.”
Andy nodded and said, “My big brother and sister. They were a lot older than me at the time, about our age now. I don’t remember much about them, but I remember that they were overprotective of me.”
Cade watched his friend for a long moment as Andy stared at the wall of text and their names. He didn’t seem outwardly sad, but Cade could tell there was a lot of pain there. Finally he asked in a respectful whisper, “What happened?”
Andy took another moment before answering, “The Deshi were thought to be raiding a small colony out on the fringe, so the council, and my grandfather sent the Pride to head them off since we were the closest ship. Several others were sent, too, but couldn’t make it before they hit the colony. It was an ambush. They boarded and,” Andy faltered for a moment before continuing. “I remember that very well. They were horrible. Vicious. Crazy.”
Cade shook his head and lowered his hand so the text could continue and finish. “I’m sorry,” he said quietly.
Andy shrugged. “Jeremy and Katie shoved me and my dad, kicking and screaming into a pod that was already too full and launched it. My father always blamed himself for what happened to them and that drove us apart for a while.” He turned to Cade and smiled. “I think that’s why he’s taken such a shine to you so quickly. He has two sons again, and it must heal something inside.”
Cade nodded in understanding. “He’s helped me a little, too.”
Andy took a deep breath and said, “Come on.”
He followed Andy to the end of the row, passing several other ship names that he recognized, until they finally came to an empty booth. Cade read the name and tried hard not to lose it. The display title read “The Grim Shoals.”
“It’ll be completed in a few weeks once the caretaker gets everything ready,” Andy mentioned and placed a hand on Cade’s shoulder. “The sooner you come pay your respects, the better. Don’t wait around. It just makes it harder on you.”
Cade nodded slo
wly and stared at the empty space. “After we finish what we started.”
***
The main thoroughfare of Clew wasn’t as crowded at this late hour. People still moved about, running home after a long day or still preparing for the upcoming attack, but most were tucked away comfortably in their beds. Cade hoped they would still have beds after this was all over.
He breathed in the night air and sighed as he sat comfortably on the fourth level of the spacious habitat of the station. It was close to midnight, Clew Time, and it almost felt like he had the whole place to himself. He’d walked aimlessly for several hours as people bustled past and tried to take it all in. This was home, but he found it quite alien as he noticed little things here and there that he’d never seen. Over the past ten years he’d spent most of his leave on board the Grim Shoals with Asaya and now that he didn’t have her to spend time with, he was rediscovering his home for what seemed like the first time.
“There you are,” came a voice he was becoming more and more familiar with as Haley walked toward him.
He leaned back on the bench he occupied and smiled. “Hello,” he greeted her and watched as she went straight to the rail overlooking the grand promenade and looked down toward the bottom floor, then up to the six levels above them. His curiosity was piqued. “Strange seeing you walking around without an escort,” he said casually. “This isn’t the safest place for a midnight stroll.”
She turned to smile at him. “It seems safe enough. Plus everyone keeps telling me,” she made a mock tough-guy face and said, “you’re being tracked.”
Cade chuckled and nodded. He knew there were several people in the command center keeping a very close eye on both Alliance Officers and everything they did. But he doubted they would lift a finger if she found herself in trouble. Still, he had hoped to be alone tonight, but he welcomed the company.
