Broken Halo (Wayfarers)

by Debenham, Kindal

  “Answer me, Captain! Or so help me, I will—”

  “Blubber like a child, Nevlin?”

  The cool, detached voice cut across the Admiral’s fury like a knife, and Wong froze as a flicker of recognition raced through him. He’d heard that voice before, from transmissions captured during this very operation, but it was impossible. She’d be insane to come here, and there was no way she’d survive it! Yet even as the other bridge officers began to react to the presence of the intruder, she turned, her dark-eyed stare sweeping across the command deck until it rested on Wong, and his mouth went dry as he recognized her face at last.

  “My apologies, Captain. Admiral Nevlin is a remnant of my former mistakes, I’m afraid. I sometimes wonder, in my weaker moments, if it would have caused the Known Worlds less trouble and harm if I had just let us die in Riaskat rather than saving his cowardly hide.”

  Wong stared in shock at Susan Delacourt, the supposed traitor. Admiral Nevlin had gone paper white. The rest of the officers on deck had a range of expression that went from sheer, unfiltered astonishment to instant suspicion and rage. He himself had to keep from murmuring an oath as he quietly drew his sidearm. “Ms. Delacourt. How did you come aboard my ship?”

  He made his voice low and lethal as possible, but he saw her mouth twitch as if she were restraining a smile. Delacourt glanced down at his pistol, a clear recognition of the danger she faced, and then brought her unworried gaze back up to meet his own. “It’s Admiral Delacourt, Captain, and I would not try anything like that if I were you. There would be unfortunate consequences. As for how I came to be here …” She waved the question aside. “Suffice it to say that my capabilities have been much improved since we last met.”

  Her tone was deceptively casual, to the point where she almost won a nod of grudging respect from Wong. It was obvious that she had new cards in her hand, and it would take far more than such a simple question to wring the information from her. All the same, Wong kept the pistol ready and moved his eyes about the command deck, checking for other intruders. He wasn’t about to allow himself to be taken unawares a second time.

  Admiral Nevlin, on the other hand, now had a new target for his rage. He had recovered from the surprise of the intrusion and stabbed one indignant finger toward Delacourt. “Captain, she’s the traitor we’ve come here to kill! Put her in the brig immediately.”

  Wong motioned for the nearest soldiers to comply, but they hesitated as Delacourt responded, her tone light. “Why, Admiral, I am surprised to hear of my supposed treachery from you. I understand fully why you would want to kill me, but the Directorate should have very little cause to hunt us down. We have nothing that belongs to them.”

  “Lies.” Nevlin took a step forward, as if he wanted to reach for her throat himself. “You stole the Concord from us. That ship is our legacy, not yours. A true Directorate officer would have died before taking it.”

  Delacourt waved a mocking finger at him. “Ah, but you and your cronies made sure I was no longer a Directorate officer, Nevlin. Something about guaranteeing a consistency in the records from Riaskat, I believe.”

  Wong heard a sharp intake of breath from his exec, and he caught sight of Commander Hummel out of the corner of his eye. She glanced quickly at him and then composed herself, but he could understand her surprise. A great many things made far too much sense about the discrepancies between the stories of Nevlin’s greatness and his current actions. Yet he still fought those suspicions, keeping his attention on the traitor before him.

  She had not paused for long. “Besides, the Concord was never Directorate property. According to the records we have available, she was always the property of the Keeper—or so Keeper Schreiber assured us. He is ready and willing to make that same assertion again, of course, whenever it would be convenient for you.” Another whisper of shock ran through the bridge crew, and she gave the listeners a slight smile. “I’m sorry. Did you not recognize the Compass among our other civilian craft? I suppose you were all working too hard to kill us all to notice, but your sensor records might be able to validate his presence with our fleet.”

  This time, Wong could not restrain a glance to his sensor officer. The man was hard at work, obviously pulling up records from the contact with the enemy fleet. His eyes went wide, and when he looked up, Wong saw all the confirmation he needed in the watchstander’s striken expression.

  Wong shook off his own horror and turned back to Delacourt. He forced his own cold words past his dry throat, hoping he did not sound hoarse. “The Concord is not the only evidence of your treachery, Delacourt. You bombarded Eris before you left. Millions are dead by your hands.”

  Her eyebrows rose in surprise, and he silently congratulated himself on a hit at last. He managed to celebrate only until she spoke again, her voice as cold and formal as his own. “I see. The Directorate has managed to do a fairly decent cover-up of that incident as well. I did not expect that, but it hardly comes as a surprise. Well done again, Nevlin.”

  Nevlin burst in again, having once again recovered from his apoplectic fury. “What are you talking about? There was no one else you could blame for your despicable—”

  Delacourt waved the man to silence with a deliberately casual gesture. “I believe you have had the chance to view some of our cruisers, Captain. You have sensor recordings of the various ships under my command?”

  Almost unwilling, Wong nodded.

  She smiled. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed a discrepancy among them. You see, the majority of them consist of purpose-built defensive cruisers, like those of the force defending the civilians. Others, such as those of the detachment you chased, are heavily modified Guard cruisers.”

  Wong’s eyes narrowed, and he nodded again. The difference had seemed unimportant at the time. What was she aiming at?

  Delacourt began to saunter toward Wong, her strides nearly a predatory stalk. “You see, during their time on Eris, the Wayfarers were under attack by a force of mercenaries. Bennett Securities, I believe they were called.” She glanced at Admiral Nevlin as if expecting him to confirm her statement. When he only stared at her, she continued. “Their forces included quite a few modified Guard cruisers, though by the time we were done with them, only those with us were left. They also had a battlecruiser, one armed with a particular piece of equipment.”

  She met Wong’s eyes. “A mass driver, in fact.”

  He felt his breath catch, and she started to walk around him like a feline circling prey. “If you are looking for culprits, I am afraid you’ll have to search for the mercenaries’ former clients, though. Bennett and most of his crew were killed before we left the system.” When she reached the part of her circle where she stood closest to Nevlin, Delacourt stopped, staring at him intently. “The records we captured on the remainder of their ships were quite informative. Quite informative indeed, Nevlin.”

  “Enough!” Nevlin’s shout carried a trace of panic in it now, and Wong felt a chill run down his spine as he recognized the fear in Nevlin’s eyes. It couldn’t be true. It had to be a lie. Yet why would she bother coming here in person if it was false? Why take the risk? Despite everything that duty and honor called to him to do, Wong found himself almost convinced that the traitor was the true victim here.

  Then Nevlin shouted again, and the tone of command had been restored to his voice. He pointed at Delacourt, his finger unwavering. “I have had enough of this woman’s foul slander. The penalty for treachery against the Directorate of Defense is death, and there will be no need for trial here. Her own actions stand as witness enough.” He looked beyond Delacourt to Wong, who still held his pistol in one hand, and his voice grew hard. “Shoot her, Captain. Now.”

  The order was delivered in a hate-filled snarl, but Wong brought his pistol up regardless. He pointed it directly at Susan Delacourt, who now turned to face him. Her eyes were unworried, as if the loaded weapon aimed at her chest was a passing concern. She met his gaze and shook her head, the braid swaying sli
ghtly. “Your choices are hard ones, Captain. I know them well. I can assure you that the Wayfarers mean no harm to the Known Worlds, and that if you leave now, we will not attack or molest your forces in any way. You will never see us again. Stay, and your destruction will be assured.”

  The ultimatum was delivered in a calm, direct voice that held no hint of bluster, and Wong felt himself grow still. There had to be some deception here. No self-respecting officer of the Directorate, no matter what type of discharge, would have risked her life on such a gamble. It was insane.

  “Shoot her, Captain! You have your orders!” Nevlin’s rage was intense now, and his red-faced, sweating expression was twisted with incredible fury. The soldiers who had been about to arrest Delacourt stirred; Wong could hear Hummel readying her own weapon, as if meaning to do the deed herself. He waved them away with a gesture, his weapon still aimed at its target. The responsibility for the act would be his.

  Then he met Delacourt’s eyes again and stopped. He looked past her to where Admiral Nevlin stood, and then back again. Realization dawned, and Wong tightened his grip on his pistol. “Admiral, get out from behind her, please.” Nevlin began to respond, and Wong cut him off with a glare. “Now, sir.”

  Confused, the Admiral stepped aside. Delacourt, for her part, was relatively indifferent. Her lips twisted slightly, as if rewarding him with a small smile. Then Wong fired.

  The bolt of plasma seared straight through her and into the console beyond, shattering its casing. Wong’s supplies watchstander yelped in alarm and ducked away from the ruined station, and Wong’s hand shook. She hadn’t even moved, as he’d expected. The bolt had gone right through her, as if she wasn’t even …

  Delacourt sighed, as if disappointed. “A shame, Captain. I did warn you that such action would be unfortunate.” She glanced at Admiral Nevlin, whose once-again pale face showed his shock clearly. “Though it might have been far more fortunate a moment before.”

  The admiral shook slightly, as if his rage was pushing him through the surprise, but Delacourt gave him no time to respond. Her dark-eyed gaze returned to Wong, and her voice grew deadly serious. “Another encounter between us would be far more catastrophic, Captain Wong. My warning to you stands. Leave without further attempts to destroy us, or you will face the consequences.”

  Then she vanished. One heartbeat she stood there, calm and deliberate as she threatened them with destruction. The next, there was only empty air. Wong stared at the spot, hearing the stunned murmur of his officers and the sparks from the ruined console. What kind of monster were they facing?

  Then his communications watchstander shouted from his station, his voice rising above the chaos. “Sir! I think we’ve got something!”

  Wong shook himself free of his stupor. He looked at Hummel, and she stared back at him for a moment before moving to calm the commotion. Then he swept past Admiral Nevlin, who continued to stare at the spot where Delacourt had been. The man issued no orders; Wong did not wait for any.

  When he reached the station, the watchstander pointed at a signal on his display. “Sir, there was some kind of transmission from that spot. Seemed like nothing but background scatter before, but it shut off right when she …” He trailed off and waved at where Delacourt had been.

  Wong nodded. “Good. That must have been the signal behind her little trick. Tell the task force to form up on the Imperious.” He looked to the helm watchstander. “Take us in. We can’t let her escape again.”

  Then he looked at Admiral Nevlin, who was still pale as a sheet, and wondered how much had been true and how much a lie.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Gabe stood outside the OMNI chamber, waiting. He looked up and grinned as the door opened. Susan matched his smile with a weary one of her own as she strode out. “So how did it go, Admiral?”

  “Well enough.” She glanced at the guards to either side of the door, and he nodded at her unspoken concern about listening ears. Gabe walked beside her down the corridor, passing the ranks of guards until they reached another part of the ship where they could use an unoccupied conference room away from prying observers.

  There, she turned to look at him, a momentary pang of vulnerability clear in her eyes. “It was Nevlin. Admiral Nevlin is leading the task force.”

  Gabe’s eyes widened. She’d explained, of course, about the man who had been behind her court martial. He took a half step toward her, hoping Nevlin had not somehow harmed her further. “He was there?”

  Susan nodded, and contempt filled her expression. “He was, but he hasn’t been the officer behind the strategy. I think he’s been relying on his flag captain for that, since he lacks the native genius.”

  Gabe blinked. “That does sound like him. Did they listen to your warning, or no?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. They think that we’re the ones who bombarded Eris. They didn’t even know the Keeper was with us, or that he’d given us the Concord. Whoever is backing Nevlin has covered up everything they could reach, Gabriel. We must be monsters in their eyes.”

  He sighed. “I guess that explains why they’re so determined to come after us. We should have expected that.” Susan looked at him curiously, and he continued. “The Directorate couldn’t afford to have the truth about Eris come out. The fact that a mercenary unit—one they’ve apparently hired in the past—had done such damage on a rear-echelon world would have set off an uproar throughout the Known Worlds. You’ve said that nearly half their defenses rely on those kinds of units.”

  Susan nodded, her lips pursed. “You’re right. Without those units, the border wouldn’t likely be able to hold. They’d be overrun.”

  “Maybe that’s why Nevlin’s been sent to deal with us. They want us hunted down as scapegoats, and this way, their little mercenaries are safe.” Gabe tilted his head as her expression changed. “Susan?”

  “That’s not everything, Gabriel. When we were talking, I mentioned Bennett Securities.” She glanced at him, and then turned her gaze away. “Nevlin reacted. He knew the name—and so I might have gotten a bit creative. I pretended that we had been able to salvage the mercenaries’ records, including their client list.”

  Gabe’s eyes widened. That sort of data had eluded their investigations; apparently Liliburn Bennett had been so paranoid and dedicated to secrecy that the list of clients had been kept only on his flagship. There hadn’t been enough left of that battle cruiser to fill a thimble after the battle, and so Gabe had given up on ever learning precisely who had hired the mercenary firm to destroy him and his people. He spoke slowly. “And how did he react?”

  Susan grinned, her expression allied with an ironic tilt to her voice. “Like he’d seen a ghost from the grave. I think he was behind them, Gabriel—or at least, that he was one of the people behind them. The prisoners always referred to multiple clients, but he may well have been one of them.”

  Gabe whistled in amazement. “That’s going to make him want to find every last copy of those records and destroy them. He’s going to come after us blind, wanting blood.” He smiled. “That’s perfect.”

  “I know.” Her grin faded slightly. “But I can’t help but wonder how many of the murders those mercenaries committed were because of me, because he hated me enough to hire them. How many people died just because I was there?”

  The guilt in her voice stung Gabe to action. He put his arms around her and drew her close. “Don’t, Susan. There are people alive today—me among them—who wouldn’t have had a chance if you didn’t come to us. You helped save us from total destruction, and if an evil man tried to have you killed for it, that’s one more sin he’ll have to answer for when the Lord judges him. It’s not your fault, and never will be.”

  Susan pushed away to stare up at him, a wry smile on her face. “You’re not just saying that, are you? Just to comfort me?”

  Gabe shook his head, and then grinned. “Why? Would you not appreciate a bit of comfort?”

  She swatted him on the chest and stepped
back. “Stop it, Gabriel.” Then she fell silent, though he could tell amusement was bubbling just beneath the surface. Her eyes went distant for a moment, as if she was replaying the entire incident again, going over the exchange and evaluating it. Then she sighed. “A shame. Things would have been much simpler.”

  A little off balance, Gabe frowned. “What?”

  Susan grinned. “I nearly convinced Nevlin’s flag captain to shoot him.”

  Gabe’s jaw dropped, and he stared at her in surprise as she laughed. “No, not like that. You see, once I started to talk about the mercenaries, Nevlin ordered me shot.” Her eyes sparkled with mischief, and Gabe caught the edge of the joke.

  “And you just happened to position yourself so he would take the hit.” Gabe chuckled at the thought of an astonished Directorate officer standing over an equally shocked, slightly singed Admiral Nevlin. He waggled a finger at her. “You are one devious Admiral, Susan Delacourt. I’m going to have to watch myself around you.”

  She stepped forward and kissed him. For a moment, strategy, intrigue, and the universe entire were lost. When she drew back, Gabe saw her smile. “That’s a given, Captain Miller.”

  Then her expression went professional again, and she looked around the conference room as if she was expecting a witness to burst in at any moment. “They sent the decoy signals as planned, correct?”

  Gabe nodded. “If those Directorate guys are any good at all, they picked them up. They’ll be coming right for us.”

  “Good.” Susan’s face settled into a grim expression, and she straightened her uniform. “Then let’s be ready for them, Gabriel. It’s time to finish this fight once and for all.”

  Hours later, Gabe flew through space in his newly refurbished CTR, hoping the experience would not end as badly as the last flight had.

  The Foundry had worked overtime to finish the repairs to his rig, and their haste showed. Some of the interface’s software had yet to fully integrate with the newly patched and replaced systems, which led to a few twitches during flight. All the same, he had plenty of time to sort out those issues before contact with the enemy.