by John Walker
“If you hadn’t been destroying planets…” Niva stopped herself. “That doesn’t matter. Start on those repairs right away.” She watched him go then explained to Vesper and Tiller what happened. “So we should be fine as far as the ship’s concerned. Now, we can turn our attention to Alon… and what Lysa discovers.”
“What’s the Brekka going to do?” Vesper asked.
“Knowing Griel?” Niva shrugged. “I wish I could say. Part of me would like to think he’ll try to find us, but they won’t know where we’ve gone. And I doubt the transmitters work well on this thing. There’s no reason for them too. So we can’t exactly send a message. I’ll look into it after we know where we’re going.”
“Seems scary,” Tiller replied, “that we’re flying off to some unknown place. Can our shuttle get us home?”
Vesper shook her head. “No, it doesn’t have a long-range warp system. It’s meant for short missions.”
“We’ll figure something out, guys.” Niva smiled. She hoped her expression sold some measure of confidence. “I promise you, we’ll get home. But right now, keep your eyes on the door. There are plenty of hostile targets left on this thing. According to our friend over there, they aren’t under anyone’s command so… they might be prone to shoot without warning.”
“Perfect,” Tiller muttered. He turned to the door. “We’ve got it, Niva. Just make sure Alon makes it, okay?”
“I’ll do my best.” Niva returned her attention to the unconscious man.
God, I wish I could wait for the physician. But he won’t know specifically how to help a human. I’ve got as much chance of stabilizing him as anyone. Here goes. May whatever fates you believe in sit by your side, my friend.
Chapter 3
Renz retired to his private office. They were still in warp and would be for another couple hours. That gave him plenty of time to go over reports without the distraction of the bridge. Porth had plenty for his people to do and most of it required noise. He was already annoyed from having to run from Griel.
I don’t need them adding to the pot. The transponder on the Flotilla wouldn’t transmit for a while. The station likely wanted to get well away from that sector before they stopped anyway. Without the cloak of being a rumor, those criminal scum would be hunted by lawful organizations throughout the galaxy.
Despite some of those cultures enduring sieges from my people. Renz found it amusing how the different cultures they fought labored under the false belief they might win the war. None of them should’ve been making any plans. Fight as if they were in their final days. Maybe then they’d find themselves with some semblance of a chance.
But instead they treated the conflicts as if it was just one part of their lives. Intelligence reported their civilians still went to work, continued their mundane activities day in and day out. Renz found it baffling. Perhaps the propaganda kept them in line. Lies from their government, telling them the war effort was going their way.
We lie to our people; I should assume they do the same. The church tended to bolster victories, making them seem far more glorious. Renz had finished some of the fights the clergy sang about. He sat through their sermons about the Crusade. Their embellishments amused him. They sang my praises when I didn’t deserve it.
New officers often struggled with their egos as a result. Renz saw plenty of young men fall prey to the exaltations of the church. They became insufferable to their men. Embarrassments in some cases. Such people tended to be hard to follow. He suffered some of that himself.
Kivda happily reminds me. The thought of his friend soured his mood further. They were at odds of late. Each of them had different views of honor and of the military in general. This led to avoidance. Until this pilgrimage mission, they seemed to be on the same page. That changed once they operated without a real force.
A knock at the door brought him out of his reverie. Renz wasn’t expecting anyone. He called for them to enter. Inda Ushe, his technical officer, stepped over the threshold. She never came to him directly with a report before. Things had changed since he took an active role in their battles.
Perhaps she sees me in the same light as Porth, Renz thought. That would make things interesting. I wonder if I should be flattered or annoyed.
“My Lord.” Inda bowed her head. “My apologies for the interruption.”
Renz took a moment to look her over. He’d never paid her much attention beyond her efficiency in her position. She wore her black hair short and cropped close around the bottom. Brown eyes were keen enough, if a bit narrow. Her uniform hid any curves she might have, almost making her look frumpy.
Still, she had an exquisite jawline with a dainty nose, thin cheeks, long fingers. Not the ideal woman by his estimation but certainly worthy of notice.
“What do you need?” Renz asked.
“We’re about to leave warp,” Inda said. “Repairs will be finished within an hour. Some of them require the reactor to be at idle to be performed safely. I’ve finished the tracking program for the transponder. It’s transmitting even now like an FTL communicator. I have a course for them but where specifically they are going, we won’t know for a few hours.”
“How does that work?” Renz asked. He tilted his head, pointedly staring at her chest.
Inda shifted uneasily as she replied, “It taps into their systems, using a hardware encrypted… basically, they send the message themselves and it translates.” She shrugged. “To simplify it.”
“Very good.” Renz leaned forward. “Is that all?”
“Uh…” Inda nodded. “Yes, My Lord. I just wanted to let you know…”
“Take your uniform off,” Renz interrupted. “Start with the top.”
“Ex… excuse me?” Inda swallowed. “I don’t… think… did I…”
“You heard me,” Renz said. “Take it off.”
“But…”
“You didn’t come in here alone merely to give me a report. You were hoping for some other kind of attention. Now you have it. Take off the uniform.” She didn’t move. “Would you like me to throw in the words that’s an order?”
“I just…”
“Will comply.” Renz narrowed his eyes. “Now.”
Inda’s hands shook as she reached for the top button at her collar. She tilted her head back, staring him in the eye. He liked the defiance there; the pride. Breaking that down might be just the thing to work off some frustrations. It had been a while since he indulged himself. She’d do nicely.
The first two buttons revealed pale skin. The third showed a white shirt beneath, a low-cut affair. Her expression contorted briefly, taking on the frustration of a trapped animal. She didn’t want him but knew in her soul the price of defiance. Whatever punishment she faced wouldn’t be due to her refusal to have sex.
She knew full well how the Kahl military worked. Any number of regulations might be brought against a person if they defied their commander. Whether or not an order happened to be lawful didn’t matter. That would never come up. And who would side with her over a general?
She’ll regret this moment the rest of her life. Renz found it compelling to think that when he bent over the desk, when he roughly entered her, she’d think of that every single day. He’d likely forget but not her. That experience would change her for all time. So I’d better make it particularly unpleasant.
A knock at the door made her jump. Renz clenched his fist. The person didn’t wait for an answer, entering uninvited.
Kivda stopped abruptly when he saw Inda. Tears started falling.
“Straighten up,” Kivda said, “and take a break before returning to your post.”
Inda nodded, rushing out of the room without waiting.
“You just interrupted some fun,” Renz said. The door closed.
Kivda approached, leaning on the desk. “She didn’t seem to be having any. Is this how you choose to build morale? Torturing your best officers? You realize Inda may well be the best tech I’ve seen in a long time? You pushing her i
n that way might compromise her ability to perform. Especially with you around now.”
“Nonsense.” Renz rolled his eyes. “She’ll be fine. I was playing with her. That’s all.”
“You’re telling me you were not intending to get physical?”
“A naked woman is inviting something, don’t you think?”
Kivda sighed. “Renz… you are a friend so I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt. You’ve been through a lot. I was under the impression you were an honorable man. One who believed in our cause and the military code. None of that suggests anyone is there for you to exploit like that.”
“She would’ve been fine.”
“She won’t be fine now!” Kivda shouted. “Did you see her cry?”
“Because you denied—”
“Don’t finish that sentence,” Kivda barked. “I swear by all the clergy, if you finish that sentence, you and I will have real problems.”
“You mean we’re not having one now?”
“I suppose asking you to apologize to that woman is out of the question?”
Renz shrugged. “I think a commander shouldn’t have to apologize often.”
“But about this?”
“I genuinely think she would’ve liked it.”
“You’re lying.” Kivda sighed. “Renz, what is going on with you? Are you that frustrated about letting Griel go? Have you ever done this before? To a woman? Or a man?”
“Neither.” Renz shrugged. “I’m a general. She’s a subordinate. I can have her do anything.”
“The code I’m talking about defies what you’re saying! The people under your command are supposed to trust you. Each and every one of them needs to know you have their best interest at heart. Now, if she would’ve crawled into your lap, that would’ve been one thing, but it was clear she obeyed under protest.”
“Why did you come in here unannounced?” Renz asked. “What did you want?”
“I wanted to discuss our plans. What we’re going to do about the Prytin. Are we going to pursue them? Or are we after the pilgrimage? Because the priorities seem to shift.”
“Opportunities shift,” Renz replied, “and we have to be nimble. Right now, we are after the Flotilla. We’ll gather the data. We know Griel will come for it. He’s determined for whatever reason. So if we stick to this path, he’ll come to us. To that end, I intend to summon up a proper fighting force.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Multiple destroyers, another battleship. We’re going to annihilate them next time. It will not be a contest. Then, we’ll finish this information quest for my father before returning to the war proper. Hopefully in time to destroy the Rhulins.”
“At least you’ve thought it out, I suppose.” Kivda took a seat. “Don’t do that again with Inda. I’m charging you on our friendship. Give me your oath you will not push her.”
“I don’t like the way you tell me this. It’s almost as if you think you have power.”
“For the…” Kivda slapped the desk. “You’ve missed everything I’ve said for the past weeks! These people will live and die for you if you treat them with respect! She is going to struggle to be in your presence. Will you not at least acknowledge you’ve made a mistake? Do the right thing!”
Renz smiled. “Are you claiming her, Kivda? Would you take her with you if given a command of your own?”
“Is that what it’s going to take? Do you want me to call Vhel in and put her under my command? My protection? I’ll do that if it’s necessary.”
“It might be wise given the fact that she’s going to worry about me.” Renz shrugged. “Make the change. And while you’re at it, have Vhel draft up the resource request for our additional ships. I want them to meet us wherever we need to go. So they should muster as soon as possible.”
“I’ll work on it.” Kivda stood, pacing to the door. He stopped. “Whatever has changed with you, it hasn’t been for the better. I hope you know that.”
“You have changed as well.”
“No…” Kivda shook his head. “No, I’ve always felt this way. You never did anything to require me to remind you.”
“When this is over,” Renz said, “things will return to normal. You’ll see.”
“I’m afraid that’s not possible.” Kivda smiled over his shoulder at him. The expression looked… sad. Pitying. “We both know that.” He left without another word.
How dare he treat me like that, Renz thought. The condescending little… He closed his eyes. Is there truth in what he’s said? When did these changes take place? When we fought the Triton and the Brekka saved them. His pride took a blow that day. Fleeing in the escape module had infuriated him.
Then his father elevated the officers to his level, forcing collaboration rather than command. That undermined him further, pressing his ego even more. And now Kivda believes he can treat me like a peer. To give me advice and act as though he’s disappointed in me. I’ll make sure he understands which of us is a general.
Renz turned to his terminal, staring at the reports without seeing them. When we’re victorious, my father will know I was the one to bring this about. Not Kivda with his honor nor Vhel with his ridiculous adherence to rules and regulations. No, it will take cunning and command to work through this.
I’ll be the one taking the glory. And Kivda can return to his pathetic barracks with his supposedly elite troops. Renz rested in his chair, closing his eyes. Your days are numbered, old friend. Sooner than later.
***
Orla grabbed Klev, dragging him to the ground as a shuttle passed by some distance in the south. The hard ground was nearly frozen, biting through her clothes straight to the bone. After two hours of trudging through the forest, the temperature dropped as the sun dropped lower in the sky.
The coats they cast off wouldn’t have done much though she regretted tossing them all the same. She didn’t know where they were going specifically. Her plan involved putting distance between them and the Kahl forces slaughtering support personnel. Their escape may have been temporary as well.
Enemy forces scoured the area for stragglers. Orla recognized the sound of Kahl engines. She’d heard them only a few times before, but she’d never forget their distinct hum. It promised death to anyone unfortunate enough to be caught up with them. After surviving two separate raids, she wondered if her luck may have finally run out.
“What’re we doing?” Klev asked. “I’m freezing down here!”
“Waiting for them to finish their scan sweep,” Orla replied. “When we’re close to the ground in this cold, it’ll throw them off. Unless they happen to have an expert up there, we’re practically invisible.”
“Will it matter if we die from hypothermia?”
“We can warm up when they’re gone,” Orla said. “But we can’t recover from their turrets raining down on us. Now hush a moment!” She strained to hear. The ship must’ve been miles away. The engines made a distant rumble far off toward the horizon. “Okay, we should be good. Stand up and stomp your feet.”
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Klev muttered. He complied, dancing around while slapping his shoulders. “What’re we going to do? We can’t run around out here all night. We will freeze to death.”
“We need to find part of the colony settlement,” Orla replied, “or a cave. Unfortunately, a fire’s out of the question no matter where we go so we need a radiator. Something portable would be nice.” She checked her computer. It created a topographical map of the area. It had to operate on low power so as to not give away their position.
“Is there anything?” Klev drew close, looking over her shoulder. “I… don’t see anything. This forest is vast!”
“Yes.” Orla wondered if they might be better off heading for the camp. Would the Kahl occupy it? Or merely kill everyone and move on? We might risk it. But that’s a long way to go without knowing we’d have shelter. No, we’re pressing on. She checked for facilities in the area through the local database. “Maybe
someone did some logging out here.”
“That would make sense. These trees are huge!”
Orla paced as the computer searched for buildings in their area. It beeped twice, showing they were only five miles from a small settlement nestled at the base of a particularly large hill. The original colonists had set it up as a forward scout post for resources and logging… as they suspected.
“Five miles,” Orla said. “What do you think? Can you do it?”
“I don’t have a choice, do I?” Klev shrugged. “Maybe if we move swiftly, we can fend off the cold?”
“I agree. A run won’t do us any harm. Just pay attention to our surroundings and do your best not to trip. We can’t afford a sprained ankle or worse.” Orla took the lead, breaking into a job. “It’s this way. Through the dense part of the trees.”
Based on the foliage, she figured they wouldn’t be running for long. A hike without much of a trail promised to take a while. Her estimate came in at about three hours… putting them at the settlement roughly half an hour after dark. Once there, they wouldn’t have long to get warm before the night chill became unbearable.
After ninety minutes, Klev stopped her. He bent at the waist, breathing heavily. “How much farther?” He spoke between gasps. “I’m exhausted!”
“Then I have bad news for you.” Orla clapped him on the shoulder. “We’re not quite halfway there.”
“We’ll never make it!”
“Of course we will.” Orla grabbed his chin, forcing him to look her in the eye. “Don’t say that again. We’re going to survive this, young man. You and I will walk away from this situation. I don’t care what we have to do or who we have to kill, you and I are leaving this planet alive and whole. Do you get me?”
Klev nodded.
“Say it!”
“I get you!” Klev shouted, then slapped his hand over his mouth.
“Don’t worry. No one’s out here. I guarantee it.” Orla looked around. “Take a moment then we’ll start again but we have to be at the settlement as soon as possible.”
