The Refugee (The Korvali Chronicles Book 1)

by C. A. Hartman

  CHAPTER 21

  Eshel’s gone. Catherine was rendered speechless for several moments as she sat before Yamamoto and Ferguson, her mind sprinting from one thought to another. Last night, Eshel hadn’t been trying to warn her to protect his data, or to protect herself from Steele… he’d known he was in danger. “They took him,” she finally said.

  A look of recognition made a fleeting appearance on Ferguson’s face. She took a deep breath and flicked the escaped strands of hair away from her face. “Grono Amsala just contacted us. Sunai vessel logs show that a ship left Suna last night around the time of Eshel’s disappearance. The same ship was detected at Station Ten.”

  “They’re taking him to Korvalis,” Catherine said.

  “It looks that way.”

  Catherine turned to Yamamoto, eager to see a face that would comfort her. And that’s when he spoke. “We didn’t ask you here just to tell you what’s happened. We have an interplanetary alert out for Eshel. It is imperative that we attempt to retrieve him, and the sooner the better. The Alliance has offered its full support. However, to do this, we must ask you some questions, questions you may find difficult to answer.”

  Catherine nodded.

  “Based on your former relationship with Eshel, and your knowledge about him, do you have any reason to believe that his disappearance was planned by him in some way?”

  “No.”

  “You believe he was taken by force.”

  “Yes. He knew this could happen.”

  “When Tom found Eshel’s contactor, it lay on the ground, out in the open. There was no indication that any data had been downloaded from the device, suggesting that his abductor was not a cracker.” He paused. “As I said, we must attempt to retrieve Eshel. However, to have the Alliance’s support, we must do so without conflict. The ship carrying Eshel has too much lead-time on us and will enter Korvalis’s atmosphere before we can catch up. Thus, we’ve discussed various methods of retrieval, each riskier than the last.” He paused, leaning forward in his chair. “Catherine, do you have any information that could give us an advantage in this operation?”

  Catherine looked at her mentor. She nodded.

  “Not over my dead body, Suko!” Ferguson said.

  “Janice…” Yamamoto began.

  “We can’t send a whitecoat to do a soldier’s job!” she shouted, her face red. “She has no field experience! And I won’t risk the life of a scientist and one of my best soldiers with this ridiculous plan, Suko.”

  “She has volunteered—” But Ferguson cut him off. “Let me finish, Janice,” he hissed. She reluctantly stopped talking and let him speak. “She has volunteered, knowing the risks. So has Tom. An F-6 will get them to Korvalis in one day instead of three, giving them an advantage. The Alliance has made it very clear we’re responsible for getting him back, and that we must do so without conflict. This is the only way to achieve that end. We have no other option.”

  “Yes, we do.”

  He shook his head. “That will risk more lives, damage our relationship with the Alliance, and it could start a war with the Korvali. We cannot risk war.” He paused. “I know you don’t like Eshel, or trust him… but you know his character. He would not entrust those he cares most about to a foolhardy plan.”

  “How do you know he cares for them? He doesn’t seem to care for anyone.”

  “I believe he does, in his own way.”

  “The Alliance has no goddamn business telling us how to handle this,” Ferguson said. “They aren’t the ones with the burden of protecting him.”

  “I agree. But they didn’t ask us to take him under our protection, either.”

  “No. Headquarters did. And where are they now? Enjoying crab cakes on the Chesapeake Bay!” She gestured toward the window.

  Yamamoto didn’t respond. Although Ferguson’s way of handling their difficult situation was different than his, he couldn’t disagree with any of her sentiments.

  Ferguson heaved a great sigh and ran her hands over her face. “I’ll authorize this plan. But Tom should lead this op, not Finnegan. He’s far more qualified.”

  “I tried that. Catherine insisted that it must be her.”

  Ferguson glared at him. “Who is she to insist?”

  “She’s the one with the information. I leaned on her, Janice. She would not relent. It seems she has something necessary for the operation to succeed.”

  “Like what? I want the details.”

  “So do I. But it’s clear that Eshel is protecting something. And given who he is and where he comes from, are you surprised?”

  “Tom hates not being in charge.”

  “Tom’s wishes aren’t what’s important here. Getting Eshel back is. And we’ll make it clear to Tom that if the op goes awry, he’s authorized to take over.”

  Ferguson nodded absentmindedly. “We have a whitecoat rescuing a Korvali from the Forbidden Planet he escaped from, using methods only they know, while one of my best soldiers goes along as nothing more than a babysitter. All under my goddamn watch.” She shook her head. “You can’t make this stuff up. I hate this, Suko. I don’t trust Finnegan. If it weren’t for Tom, I’d kill this ridiculous plan.”

  “Unfortunately, this is one of those situations when we must relinquish some control,” Yamamoto told her, knowing full well she would hate that answer.

  Ferguson rolled her eyes. “Let me guess. Now you’ll tell me there’s no point in worrying about it, that worrying solves nothing, right?”

  “Janice, it is extremely easy for the less worried person to lecture the worrier on the ills of worrying. I know Catherine better than you do. She’s not a soldier, but she’s a skilled fighter and tough in her own way. It isn’t her character to embark on challenges she cannot handle.”

  “Well, Suko, it’s your faith in her that I’m relying on. You haven’t let me down yet.” She walked to her window and looked out. “Why would Eshel entrust such information to her if they haven’t been on speaking terms, especially after what he said about using her to acclimate to us?”

  “I don’t know. There are aspects to Eshel, and his people, that are a mystery to us all.”

  “How much do you want to bet he’s shared more than this with her?”

  Yamamoto didn’t answer. He couldn’t think about that now.

  Catherine quickly climbed the stairs to the hangar deck, where Tom waited for her. He too was dressed in full field uniform. She wanted to tell him everything, just to share the burden with someone she trusted. But she couldn’t. Eshel had made it clear to tell no one else what she knew.

  “Do you have the units?” she said.

  “Yup,” Tom said, reaching into his pack. He retrieved six black devices and handed them to her. They were small, only a couple of centimeters in diameter. “Be careful not to lose them. You’ll get five hours out of these. Six at most. Keep your eye on the light—it’ll blink when it’s getting low on power, about once per second, then faster once it gets really low. Change out when it’s one per second. Don’t take any chances.” She put them into her pack and looked at Tom expectantly. “Oh,” Tom said in recognition. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a larger flat, rectangular device. “Be careful with this one. It can do some damage.”

  Maintenance had just finished preparing the F-6 “Mosca” for launch. Snow emerged from inside it. “She’s ready to go,” he said. He’d spent hours making modifications to it, using the directions Catherine had given him. “Are you going to tell us what the modifications are for?”

  “Yeah,” Tom added. “And what are the little black devices for?” He glanced at Snow. “I tried one out and nothing happened.”

  “We have to go,” Catherine said.

  “Let me come with you,” Snow said. “You don’t have to tell me anything. But if something goes wrong with the Mosca…”

  “Sorry, buddy,” Tom said, slapping Snow on the shoulder. “Captain’s orders.”

  Snow shrugged. “Worth a try.” He came over
and hugged Catherine. “Kick some ass.”

  When he released her, she looked over and saw Ferguson and Yamamoto enter the hangar bay. Both looked right at her; she saluted. She’d managed to convince them to send her to Korvalis. But she no longer felt the confidence she’d conveyed.

  She turned to Tom and Snow. “Promise me, and Eshel, that you’ll both keep quiet about what you’ve found out. Promise on your tattoos.”

  The guys looked at one another and touched their left shoulders, where each wore the emblem of military social services, and put their hands up briefly.

  “Are you sure you’re up for this?” Tom said, eyeing her. “I’m telling you, I can take the lead. I know how to keep a secret. Just say the word.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “We’ll get him,” he said, putting his arm around her. “I’m a soldier, C, and soldiers never leave a comrade behind.”

  As Catherine and Tom got into the craft, Snow left them and went to stand with Ferguson and Yamamoto behind the glass barrier. The bay doors opened. Catherine felt a bit lightheaded from the craft’s motion, which felt quick and dynamic compared to that of Cornelia.

  In the initial hours of their journey, they reiterated their plan again and again. They divided the operation into multiple steps, hashing out minimum and maximum time estimates for each step. The Captain and XO issued a time limit for the entire operation, at the end of which they must report back. They planned for every contingency and every what-if, including what to do if they were detected at any point. These conversations were helpful to Catherine. They must have helped Tom as well, as he repeated their plan multiple times and made her do the same. But after many of these repetitions, there wasn’t much else to say.

  So Tom, whose chatter often did much to ease tensions, told stories. He recalled memorable wins and losses from their many poker games, including the one where they wound up with Eshel’s sick bay duty shifts. He talked of the brawl between him and Haus, and the one between Eshel and Middleton, and even the argument he’d had with Greta, who’d gotten angry when she asked to join his game and he told her that poker and romance don’t mix. Catherine smiled at the memories, although they did little to ease her worry. And Tom noticed. “What’s the matter?” he said.

  Catherine shook her head. “How did this happen, Tom? I was just talking to him last night at the party. It was the first conversation we’d had in five months. At least until you showed up.”

  Tom let out a sigh. “Yeah… sorry about that. Eshel told me he wanted to go back and talk with you. He didn’t?” She shook her head. “That’s my fault, too.”

  “How’s that?”

  Tom’s face clouded over. “We got into an argument. A bad one. I had a few too many… said some shit I shouldn’t have. Not that he let me get away with it, believe me,” Tom added. “But I gave him a hard time about talking to you.”

  “Why?”

  “Because,” Tom said defensively. “Because of everything that happened with you guys. I was trying to look out for you. I don’t always let on, but I look out for you.”

  “I know you do.”

  Tom’s jaw clenched. “I should’ve kept my mouth shut.” He glanced at the time. “Get some sleep. You’ll need to be rested for this.”

  “I can’t sleep.”

  “Take this.” He tossed her a small box. “When it wears off, you keep watch and I’ll get a few hours in.”

  She took one of the pills and lapsed into a heavy sleep. But before she was asleep long, someone shook her. “Catherine. Wake up.”

  “What’s wrong?” she said, her mind foggy. She heard music.

  “Nothing’s wrong. I gotta get some shuteye before we get there.”

  “How long was I out?”

  “Six hours.” He adjusted his seat. “If you see anything—anything at all—wake me up. Otherwise, give me five hours. Five, okay?”

  After Tom drifted off, Catherine turned off the music and watched everything with vigilance, looking for the slightest problem. But none came, leaving her with her thoughts.

  She looked out into the blackness, awed by the impressive velocity they were able to achieve in the F-6, while simultaneously struck by how slowly they seemed to progress when having to travel over such a great distance. People—that is, those who’d never gone to space—often remarked at how long it had taken to discover the Korvali. But from her own standpoint, it made perfect sense. There was nothing out here, no phenomena of any kind. Only the most tenacious would venture this far into nothingness.

  Catherine tried to fill the time by thinking about her work with Holloway, about the progress they’d made. But all thoughts on that topic evaporated quickly. All thoughts of any kind evaporated quickly, except for those of Eshel.

  Stay alive, Esh. We’re coming to get you.

  After what seemed an interminable amount of time, Catherine whistled to wake Tom up. They reiterated their plan several more times, identifying any remaining concerns and working out solutions for them. And just when Catherine thought she would go crazy if Tom said another word about it, a bright, shining mass came into view. The Gernoly star system. Korvalis’s home.

  She recognized the gleaming white from the long-range images that explorers had taken. Korvalis’s cloud cover reflected its sun’s light, making it easily visible from a great distance. The cloud cover didn’t completely encompass the planet, however. As they drew closer, through openings in the clouds one could see the vivid blue of its massive oceans.

  “We’re near the boundary,” Tom said, his eyes scanning the positioning system display. “Once we cross, eyes and ears.” He entered a code into the console to deploy Snow’s modifications.

  They crossed. Catherine and Tom were silent, Catherine holding her breath, waiting for detection, for the sight of Guard ships, for any warning. They remained silent for several minutes, beyond the amount of time necessary for the Guard to detect and detain them. Catherine looked at Tom, and Tom at her. He lacked his usual grin, but she could see the excitement on his face.

  How did you know how to do that, Esh? No geneticist knows such things.

  “Shit,” Tom said.

  “What?”

  “Two ships, heading our way.”

  Catherine saw the boxy, austere Guard station in the distance, as two clunky-looking ships moved in their direction. “Don’t load weapons,” she said, seeing Tom eye the weapons console.

  The ships passed them. Tom smiled. “They’re heading for where we crossed the boundary. They know something’s up, but they can’t see it.”

  The craft shook as they entered Korvalis’s atmosphere. But just when it began to get too jumpy, they broke through. And after a brief period of good visibility, they entered the thick mass of clouds that temporarily blinded them and surrounded them in white. It made Catherine nervous. She glanced over at Tom, who looked calm, trusting his instruments to steer him in the correct direction.

  After emerging from the clouds, Korvalis came in to full view. Among the vast oceans, muddy blue under the muted light of the clouds, there were verdant, hilly landmasses with outcroppings of dark gray rocky peaks. The land masses narrowed into countless peninsulas or broke off into clusters of keys, some of which were extensive in their reach. It was one of the most beautiful places Catherine had ever seen.

  “The Forbidden Planet,” Tom remarked. “Looks small. And wet.”

  Catherine nodded.

  Tom glanced at his sensors. “No sign of pursuit. Give me the coordinates again. Read them out loud.”

  Catherine reluctantly took her eyes off the planet and read off the coordinates for the navigation system. The craft slightly shifted its heading, aiming for one of the larger landmasses that, from their view, still appeared rather small compared to the enormous seas sprinkled with keys and archipelagoes. As they got closer, Tom decelerated more, bringing the engines to a quiet hum.

  They landed just south of Felebaseb, behind the cover of a thick wooded area. The Korvali couldn
’t see them, but they would hear them if Tom landed too close to the city. Catherine removed her contactor and put it aside. It would be of no use to her without the satellite network it relied upon. Instead, she donned a new instrument that Tom had loaned her to keep time and offer solar-based navigation. After Catherine checked her gear for the fourth time and got ready to leave, she and Tom reiterated their plan one last time.

  “If you have any trouble—any trouble at all—come back here,” he said. “You hear me? Back here. No matter what happens, we’ll take care of it.”

  Catherine nodded.

  “Promise,” he ordered.

  “I promise.”

  They started their timers. She hugged Tom, and he held her a little tighter than usual. She picked up one of the six black devices Tom had made and turned on the power switch, placing it in the chest pocket of her jacket before she zipped it shut.

  As she exited the craft, she realized suddenly that she was, to her knowledge, the first non-Korvali to ever set foot on the Forbidden Planet.

  Catherine quickly walked north toward Felebaseb, the cool, humid air refreshing her. It smelled moist, like rain, grass, and sea. After finding the hidden sun’s location, she realized it was early morning. Once she entered the forest they’d hidden behind, it was almost as if the sun had set. The forest enveloped her, its dense dark trees with their tapered leaves towering over her and blocking the day’s light. She glanced at her instrument to ensure she was still heading north. Soon, to her relief, Catherine emerged from the forest.

  She went over the plan in her mind again, recalling the contents of the storage drive Eshel had given her. His tipping her off at the party, intended or not, had sparked her curiosity and given her the opportunity to prepare in advance. She recalled her dubiousness at Eshel’s intricate, detailed rescue plan; she hadn’t believed that the Korvali had the ability—or the sheer audacity—to snatch Eshel from under their noses. She, and many others, had been wrong. Eshel was right. He was always right.