by Gun Brooke
“I wouldn’t lose any sleep over an android knowing about my past.”
“In this case I’m more concerned that it might jeopardize the mission.”
“Not that I want to seem dense, or suggest that you are, Admiral, but what’s to keep me from making a run for it, once I’m out there on my own?”
“I thought you’d get around to asking that.” Pleased, Jacelon couldn’t stop from smiling. “You must have heard that we have obtained cloaking ability for our vessels.”
“Yes. I even saw the blueprints but didn’t have time to outfit the Viper with it before—”
“Before you crashed, killing and wounding hundreds of Disians on Corma.”
“Yes.”
“Well, we can transfer the same cloaking ability to other pieces of technology. You have the same implant under your skin that Ambassador M’Ekar had when he was confined to house arrest, with one clever upgrade.”
“You cloaked it?” Kyakh looked dumbfounded, to Jacelon’s satisfaction.
“We did. Given your technical skills, you would no doubt easily be able to bypass the poison-inducing feature, if you could find it. But since you won’t be able to locate it…” Jacelon shrugged. “If Madisyn Pimm reports anything that suggests you’ve gone AWOL or betrayed us, I won’t hesitate to activate it. This also happens if Madisyn Pimm is taken offline or otherwise destroyed. If something happens to her and you don’t report in within twenty-four hours…” Jacelon snapped her fingers. “Click. That’s it. The poison will invade your system, and unless you receive an antidote within six hours, you will die. And, oh, I should mention that the formula for this poison is brand new. In fact, you’re the lucky first customer.”
“I’m thrilled.” Kyakh stood rigid at Jacelon’s desk. “Guess I was more correct than I realized when I talked about an offer I couldn’t refuse.”
“Yes. I suppose so.”
“All right. I’ll carry out your assignment. Then I expect to regain my freedom.”
“All the legal documents are ready for your signature, and mine.” Jacelon watched as Kyakh meticulously read through the digital files before signing them with a retina scan. She hated this woman for what she’d done to her family, but also reluctantly admitted that Weiss Kyakh somewhat fascinated her. Much like a poisonous spider could be simultaneously beautiful and lethal.
A lot depended on how Kyakh managed to carry out this assignment, and Jacelon could only hope she hadn’t made a horrendous mistake by pitting one pirate against another.
Chapter Two
“Pimm!” Captain Podmer, tall, burly, and with a bluish-red complexion, roared from his command chair on the bridge. “Return fire!”
“Aye, Captain. Plasma pulse fire,” Madisyn Pimm answered calmly while punching in commands at the tactical station. “Direct hit to the Supreme Constellations vessel. Their shields are holding.”
“Damn.” Podmer gripped the armrests. “Arm the torpedoes.”
“Torpedoes armed. Initiating aiming sequence.” Madisyn made sure the torpedoes would disable but not destroy the SC ship. She kept scanning the information feed on her computer console. “Torpedoes locked.”
“Fire!”
“Targeting their weapons array.” The torpedoes hurtled through space in a low arc before they connected with the other ship. “Direct hit,” Madisyn said without emotion. “Their shields are failing and their weapons array has sustained damage.”
“Hit them again.”
“Aye, sir.” Madisyn obeyed, and this time the torpedoes crumbled what was left of the SC ship’s shields. The protrusion beneath its belly exploded in quickly dying sparks. “The SC ship is rendered defenseless.”
“That’s what I want to hear.” Podmer rose from his chair. “I’d have you blast them to atoms, but I don’t want to attract too much attention. We’ll have to settle for leaving them helpless.” Podmer looked disgruntled. “How far until our rendezvous point, Struyen?” he asked, turning to a young man at the ops station.
“Four hours and thirty minutes, Captain.” Lucco Struyen was a transporter brat. Born on a generational transporter ship, he had grown up in space and only rarely set foot planetside. He had joined Podmer’s band of pirates as a teenager and quickly proved himself indispensable. Madisyn had caught herself shuddering at the cold expression in his eyes. Something about Struyen made Madisyn never turn her back on him willingly.
“Pimm, you’ll be the liaison responsible for our new tactical officer.” Podmer favored handing out military ranks to his crew, which suggested that he might have a background in the Fleet. She would have to relay her suspicions to her SC contact at some point, but right now she could focus only on the new double agent she was supposed to work with. Madisyn wasn’t sure if she was relieved not to have to carry the entire burden alone aboard the pirate ship Salaceos or annoyed at having to bring a new operative up to speed.
“Captain,” Struyen said, interrupting before Madisyn could respond, “I don’t think Pimm is the best choice, considering she’s rather new aboard the Salaceos.”
“Really?” Podmer squinted at his senior crew. The bridge held five stations, including the captain’s command chair. “Are you volunteering your services, taking on this newcomer yourself?”
“I’m always ready.” Struyen smiled triumphantly at Madisyn, and she calmly kept an eye on her controls, not revealing how she despised the callous young man. Sometimes not being allowed to show emotions was the hardest thing of all.
“I’m sure you are,” Podmer now said slowly, “but I don’t think you’re ready for someone like Weiss Kyakh.”
“Kyakh?” Struyen’s voice nearly cracked, which would’ve amused Madisyn if she hadn’t been filled with such contempt for him that she had no room for any other feelings. “But I thought she was killed. Everyone thinks—”
“She was killed on Corma. She was badly hurt, but managed to escape the SC prisoner transport.” Podmer grinned. “She laid low for a while, and now she’s back and for hire again.”
“Have you met her, Captain?” Struyen asked, clearly not about to push the idea that he’d be the liaison anymore.
“No, not personally. Very few of her peers have. Her reputation is solid, but her elusiveness has kept her successful.”
“Until Corma.” Struyen shrugged.
“True, but the circumstances were very difficult, even for a seasoned pirate.” Podmer retook his seat. “Not only was she transporting a high-profile Onotharian prisoner of war, but she was involved with kidnapping some big-shot SC diplomat.”
Madisyn had to admit she was curious regarding Weiss Kyakh. Her masked internal sensor implant had received the intel she required to make a positive identification, and she had filed the information in her encrypted memory banks. The SC had outfitted Kyakh with a tailor-made history, making her a dream associate for someone like Podmer.
Madisyn forced her facial expression to remain unreadable as she browsed through the files. Images flickered through her mind of a tall, wiry woman with dark hair and light green eyes, reminding Madisyn of the vast glaciers on the Guild Nation northern pole. What would Kyakh be like in real life? Undoubtedly, she would regard Madisyn with the same standoffish skepticism as everyone else.
“Pimm!”
“Sir?” Chastising herself for allowing her mind to wander, Madisyn focused on her annoyed captain.
“You’re relieved. Go prepare your quarters. You’re sharing them with Kyakh.”
“Aye, Captain.” This last piece of information blindsided Madisyn. Her quarters were her only refuge aboard the Salaceos. Even after so many years, it still took a huge toll on her to play the part of true BNSL. In her quarters, she could relax and rest. Real BNSL androids needed sustenance to feed their biomatter, such as their artificially grown skin and other tissues. Madisyn required that, but also regular sleep, to rest her human brain. The special features her parents had outfitted her, their prototype, with also entailed small, elaborate internal force fi
elds to hide her secret.
To bunk with Weiss Kyakh, whose backstory indicated that she was as tough as they came, posed considerable danger to Madisyn on a personal level. Madisyn’s mother had constantly instilled in her that she could never tell anyone the truth. According to the world, Madisyn had passed away, the victim of a band of space pirates. The official version told the story of how her bereaved parents created the most advanced Bio-Neural Synthetic Life form to date, in her honor.
After her parents were killed, only Madisyn knew the truth. Madisyn sighed inwardly. She should be used to it, but it was utterly lonely to be the only one who knew that she possessed a human brain and spinal cord.
*
Weiss Kyakh stalked through the small, run-down space station. Located just outside the Supreme Constellations border, it was a popular stop for traveling scum, occasional shady SC citizens out to strike an illegal deal, as well as deserters and adventurers. She stopped by the window where the store owner, Madame Roja, displayed garments, jewelry, body art, face paint, derma reconstructers, and old-fashioned makeup. Dr. Meyer had done wonders with her scars, but she looked too polished. Weiss needed to look the part of a rough and seasoned fugitive before she joined Podmer and his crew. She browsed the long-lasting body paints and purchased a set and a derma reconstructer.
Back at the tiny quarters, she recolored the part of her hair that had turned white around a scar. She ran the reconstructer over her face, after making sure it was set to sharpen her features, thus erasing the lingering fatigue after her injury. The tired lines had softened her expression, and now she needed to look her normal edgy and unbreakable self.
Once she finished, she sat down and started her computer. Opting to forgo the normal voice-operated feature, she punched in commands, opening the encrypted SC document. She found the file containing the assembled intel regarding Podmer and his band of pirates, and her contact, Madisyn Pimm. Weiss studied the two images, one of Pimm’s face and the other a full-body picture. If Jacelon hadn’t told her, Weiss would never have known Pimm was artificial. Unruly blond curls framed a soft face, and long black lashes shadowed gentle blue eyes. She was slender but curvaceous, and obviously sculpted to look entirely humanoid. Zooming in on the picture of Pimm’s face, Weiss had to admire the engineering behind the artificially grown skin. Complete with pores and small hairs, it was indistinguishable from real skin.
Weiss’s subspace communicator, located in her epaulette, beeped softly via the internal audio sensor planted in her ear canal.
“Jacelon to Kyakh, come in.” Admiral Rae Jacelon’s voice was unmistakable even if some static distorted the signal.
“Kyakh here, Admiral. Go ahead.” Weiss placed a hand over her ear so she could hear better.
“Your chip places you aboard the Dasmach space station. Perfect. You will rendezvous with Pimm on the Salaceos at approximately 2000 interstellar time tonight.”
“Affirmative.” Weiss hesitated, not wanting to sound worried or weak while communicating with Jacelon. “I’m concerned that Podmer might have acquired scanning technology capable of detecting the communicator or the chip.” She hated having the chip implanted at an unknown location in her body.
“Doubtful.” Jacelon spoke curtly. “It’s made of an undetectable compound that isn’t available on the market yet. It’s a closely guarded military secret.”
“If you only knew how easily I’ve obtained ‘closely guarded’ military secrets over the years, you might be more understanding,” Weiss said disdainfully.
“I can only imagine,” Jacelon replied. “However, in this case, I don’t think it’s an exaggeration. The Guild Nation provided the formula only weeks after it was tested for the first time, and rather than putting it through more extensive trials, we decided to analyze its use in the field. The benefit should be obvious.”
“So are the downsides.”
“I understand that, but you have little choice.”
“So I’m chock full of Guild Nation technology and I’m hooking up with a Guild Nation android. Let’s hope these people are as good at tech stuff as rumor suggests.”
“Report back every two hours during the first twenty-four aboard the Salaceos, starting at 2200. If you’re unable to talk, use the nonverbal signal. Your reports will be cross-referenced with Madisyn Pimm’s.”
“Of course. Kyakh out.”
They broke the communication, and despite her dislike for the admiral, Weiss felt a little less lonely knowing Jacelon was a mere subspace call away.
*
Madisyn stood next to the crewman responsible for guarding the gate, keeping her eyes locked on the crowd of people passing across the concourse. She recognized Weiss Kyakh instantly when the tall woman appeared at the end of the corridor. Striding forcefully toward the gate where the Salaceos was docked, Kyakh wore a long, black leather-like coat that fanned out behind her like a cape. Her face revealed nothing as she calmly approached them, a set of high-end hover luggage following her.
“Weiss Kyakh,” she told Madisyn, and pressed a sensor on the remote control that halted her luggage. “Permission to come aboard.”
“Permission granted, Ms. Kyakh. My name is Madisyn Pimm.”
“Ms. Pimm.” Kyakh nodded politely.
“Call me Pimm or Madisyn, please. I’m not much for titles.”
“I’m Weiss.”
Madisyn motioned for Weiss to follow her and guided her through the narrow corridors to their quarters. “This isn’t very spacious, I’m afraid.” She wasn’t sure why she was apologizing, since it was hardly her idea to share quarters.
“It’s fine.” If Weiss disapproved, she didn’t let on.
“You can take the left bed.”
“You use a bed?” Weiss sounded surprised. “You sleep?”
Madisyn was used to misconceptions and prejudice against her kind. “Yes, of course. I need rest like everyone else, to recharge the batteries.” She laughed heartily at Weiss’s expression of discomfort. That joke never failed. “I’m kidding. I don’t run on batteries. Believe it or not, I digest nutrients to sustain my systems, just like you do.”
“Really.” Weiss looked doubtful. “All right. I better report to the captain.”
“Yes. We’re departing in less than an hour. You must meet him before then. His orders.”
“Very well.” Weiss hoisted the hover luggage up on the bed, then walked out of their quarters. “Lead the way.”
“It’s a big ship, but crew quarters are tight. Not a priority in our business to be comfortable.” Madisyn motioned for Weiss to follow her. “Podmer keeps a good game room, though, for the crew to use.”
“I see.” Weiss’s expression didn’t divulge anything as she walked next to Madisyn through the corridors. They used the elevator to reach the bridge.
“Captain. This is Weiss Kyakh.” Madisyn stepped aside, letting Podmer assess their new crewmember. Weiss focused on Podmer as she greeted him, making it possible for Madisyn to observe her. As tall as Podmer, Weiss looked twice as lethal as the burly captain. She stood there, wiry and strangely elegant, gazing calmly at him.
“Kyakh! I never thought I’d have the honor.” Podmer slapped Weiss’s shoulder hard enough to topple a physically weaker person. “You’ve always headed your own crew.”
“Things change.”
“Why don’t we have a drink in my quarters and discuss your duties?”
“Thank you, but I don’t drink.”
Podmer seemed taken aback, and Madisyn knew he would regard this as a character flaw, being quite fond of old-fashioned Earth whisky himself. “Nobody’s perfect,” the captain muttered. “All right. Guess we can postpone our chat, since we’re about to depart.” He turned to Madisyn. “Pimm. Show Kyakh around and introduce her to the new propulsion system.” He didn’t wait for Madisyn to respond, but turned back to Weiss. “You’ll see why venturing into SC space and hooking up with that disgruntled Guild Nation shipyard technician was worth it.” Podmer ordered h
is helmsman to initiate the undocking procedure.
“Come on,” Madisyn said to Weiss. “We have a lot to talk about.”
Chapter Three
“I miss you.” Kellen regarded her wife, Admiral Rae Jacelon, on the communication screen in her quarters aboard the cruiser ship Circinus.
“Oh, Kellen.” Rae sighed and her eyes turned a stormy, dark gray. “I’m so sorry, but I won’t be able to catch up with you like I thought.”
Kellen’s heart contracted painfully. “I suspected as much.” She tried to not let her disappointment color her voice. “You’re a senior member of the war council.”
“Not only that. I’m responsible for some of the covert operations that my father claims he can’t trust anyone else with.” Rae pushed a hand through her short-cropped red hair. “I’m not sure he’s right, but a lot is riding on this mission, and handled right, it can help shorten the war.”
“I’m sure Ewan wouldn’t keep us apart unless it mattered.” Kellen was fond of her spouse’s parents, and the fact that Admiral Ewan Jacelon outranked them all made it a moot point anyway.
“How’s my mother?” Rae asked, a knowing smile forming on her lips. “Has she recovered enough to drive you all crazy yet?”
“Dahlia is doing very well.” At first, Kellen had been against her mother-in-law using the journey to Gantharat as convalescence time after her ordeal of being kidnapped. She knew better than to underestimate Dahlia Jacelon and tried to push her concerns aside. Dahlia had surprised everybody aboard the Circinus. Captain Jeremiah Todd, Rae’s friend and former subordinate on the Gamma VI space station, was in command of their ship and ultimately of the entire convoy of ships heading for Gantharat space. “She’s taking every opportunity to go through her physical-therapy routine. Nobody could guess that she went through pure hell in the Disi-Disi jungle on Corma only a few months ago.”
