Considering all that, one would be justified in thinking he lost his mind as Kepper started laughing.
Well done, Ms. Gaon. You played me brilliantly and I fell for it. He dropped back into his seat and sighed, even as his ship was pulled toward the hangar deck. Maybe I should have retired after all.
53
After the announcement came the celebration reception, catered at the hotel where Henry roomed them all. The large ballrooms, formerly host to all sorts of corporate functions, was festooned with gold stars and the flags of various Hestian parties in the liberation movement, as well as the national flag itself.
It went without saying that the entire crew was invited. Despite the occasion, they all chose to wear spacer outfits, save Tia herself, given the dignity of her new position. Brigitte defiantly kept her mohawk-and-cornrows hair style, although she adorned her hair with the colors of the Hestian national flag for today. They scattered about the reception, enjoying the food and talking with the other attendees.
All save Oskar. He remained to one side of the room, quietly enjoying a pastry and a glass of Hestian rice wine. After everything, his heart still felt heavy and twisted, and the weight causing it was Jan's.
His friend's betrayal and abuse of his technology continued to make him angry. Yet he couldn't stop mourning for him. Breivik's death didn't stop him from thinking of their old times together. The work they did, the confidences shared, all of their little attempts to show compassion in those hells… he couldn't just forget that.
But neither could he forget the way Breivik abused his work. Nor, for that matter, could he forget that it was his work in the first place. Would he have done such things if not for my work?
While he was in his own mind, he didn't miss the approach of Tia and Linh. Tia was in an elegant-looking women's business suit, blue jacket over white vest and shirt with blue pants, while Linh wore a more modest blouse over pants. "Doctor," Tia said. "Oskar. You don't look like you're enjoying yourself."
"I suppose I am still haunted by everything," he confessed. "But, please, don't let that detract from your party. This is your triumph, Tia."
"Thank you. Anyway, Linh and I had something to discuss with you."
"Oh?"
Linh indicated her metal right arm. "I know what you were trying before," she said. "I was lucky that my nerves were intact enough for the prosthetic to work. There are a lot of people who aren't, including some of the survivors of the revolution. Depending on the damage, some can't even have a clone limb replacement done. So I've been thinking about your technology and all of the people it could help if it was applied right."
Oskar pursed his lips for a moment. "Yes. That was my original intent. The nerve damage could be bypassed by a wireless interface between the brain and a prosthetic. But it's been so long, and I never got far due to my work being hijacked for the neural control project. With all of the data lost, I would have to restart everything anyway."
"Would you?" asked Tia.
You tempt me, my friend. Oskar considered the question silently. "It will cost," he said. "The electronics involved will be sophisticated, given the need for interfacing with the brain and nervous system."
"I'm not surprised, but the Hestian government should earn enough to get you started, at the very least," she answered. "As a humanitarian project, to help our people and those on other worlds."
The temptation wrestled with all of the guilt he felt. This technology is too dangerous, he protested to himself. Someone could repeat Jan's abomination!
Unable to decide yet, he peered into her eyes. "Why would you want me to? This work caused you so much suffering."
"It did, but I can separate that from what you'd do with it," she assured him. "A lot of what I'm trying to do here is about moving on from the past. I want to build a better world for my people, for their future. Your work can help with that. And it's a better way of dealing with the knowledge than dwelling on what Breivik did with it." She took his hand. "Oskar, you're a wonderful, compassionate man, and a worthy doctor and surgeon. Please, let me help you show that to the galaxy. Don't let your guilt over what happened hold you back."
He took in a breath. Even now the guilt filled him, as did his grief and anger over Breivik. His initial, instinctive reaction was to refuse, to have nothing more to do with the entire thing.
Yet his mind flashed back to that young man in Regensburg. The one condemned to a life without functioning limbs from one accident. It was for such people that he started this in the first place. How could he be a doctor and refuse the chance to do that work?
A small grin formed on his face. "I'd be honored, then, to accept your help, Tia."
"Thank you, Oskar," she replied. "It'll be for the best, I promise."
* * *
Over the course of the reception, the crew started to come back together. Standing in a group in one corner of the ballroom, Miri spoke up first. "So, it looks like this is it," she said.
"What?"
"Well, I think Tia might be thinking of offering Henry a commission, and having him command the Liberator and the whole cruiser squadron," she said.
"And Oskar's staying too," Brigitte added, standing beside Piper and sharing a plate of grilled meat with her. "She's going to have him working on medical research."
"So… we're breaking up the crew?" Samina didn't sound happy at that. "I mean, there's also the Venture Star."
"There is," Miri agreed. "If the Captain goes, command goes to me or to Piper."
"You," Piper said quickly, drawing an amused giggle from Brigitte. "First Mate's bad enough."
"I admit, I'd likely be signin' up with th' Captain," Cera confessed. She sounded only slightly tipsy. "I mean, those cruisers are beauts. On th' big side, but th' fusion drives are somethin' else. Ye'll not be addin' a fusion drive t' th' Venture Star."
"Oh, I don't know about that." Samina shook her head. "Chief Khánh's crews on Trinidad Station could manage it, with some work."
"So what about you, Samina?" asked Pieter. "Ready to give up on being an independent spacer and play with those proton fusion cores?"
"They are really awesome, and the design is ingenious," Samina confessed. "And the ship's so shiny and neat… I don't know, though. I'm not sure I can salute and stuff."
"I figure we've all got time to make our decisions," Miri assured them. "We'll need more hands anyway for the Venture Star, given we're so shorthanded." Everyone's eyes lowered at that, since the matter couldn't be separated from the loss of Yanik. Sensing that, she added, "I think Yanik would want us to stay together."
"He'd consider it a spiritual duty," said Vidia. "Fulfilling our obligations ta one another."
"We should talk to the Captain." Piper looked about. She noticed him in his own corner. She just about raised her voice to call out to him when she stopped. Despite the distance, she could see he was deep in thought, deeper than their circumstances would imply was necessary. Something important must be going on. I should leave him to it.
"Whatever happens, even if we split up, we'll still remember each other at least," Pieter said. "We'll have our memories of all the times too, good and bad. A toast to that?"
"A toast to the good times and the past." Piper smiled. "And to more to come in the future, sure."
The others echoed agreement. It was left to Miri to say the words, at which time they shared what might be their last toast together, knowing that whatever the future held, they were still family.
* * *
By the time the reception was over, Henry's thoughts brought him to action.
At his request, Tia hosted the meeting in the Palace of Government, in a secure conference room. He stood with her at the head of the table and waited for the invited people to assemble. One by one, they showed up—the Tokarevs, Dominguez, Dulaney, Mother Sarno and some of her subordinates—while Tia brought Linh with her. Lou showed up as well.
The last arrival was Kaiya. "Didn't take up CDF Intel's offer?" Henry asked
.
"No," she replied. "Sinclair tried to convince me coming home might work out for the best, but I don't trust Rhodes or Barton to live up to any bargains."
"Alright." While she took a seat, Henry went up to the head of the table where Tia was seated. He stood behind her. "Thank you for attending everyone. I know you probably want to see to other business, but I've been thinking about some things, and this is important."
"We trust your judgment, Captain Henry," said Dulaney.
Lou placed his elbows on the table and folded his hands together. "By all means, Captain, you have our attention."
"Alright. Let's get straight to it. We're in trouble." Henry kept his voice firm while his mind went over the points he wanted to make again. "The League sent an entire cruiser squadron, with two escort squadrons, this far into Neutral Space to back their operations here. They gave Felipe Xiu bombs and weapons, which he used to nearly kill us all. I think we need to face the fact: they're not done with Sagittarius. They're coming, and with the Coalition the way it is, we need to be ready to deal with them ourselves."
Now every face in the room was grim. "You are right, Captain." Pavel Tokarev spoke up first. "The League will not rest until it conquers us all. We will have to fight back."
That prompted a remark from Dulaney. "I can speak for Trinidad Station that we don't want the League nosing around anymore."
"Nor does Lusitania," said Dominguez.
Sarno nodded. "They want our Order dead, so we can't afford to ignore them either."
"After Lusitania and now Hestia, they're clearly a threat to Neutral Space as well as the Coalition." Lou fixed his eyes on Henry. "The question, then, is what we do about it?"
Tia spoke up. "We have to work together. We can't fight the League alone, but if we pool resources, we can gather a big enough fleet to make them think twice about pulling anything again, or to help beat them back if they restart the war."
"Prime Minister, it's going to require a lot of effort," Lou said. "Diplomatic and political persuasion, certainly. A lot of worlds might see a united force like you're suggesting as a greater threat than the League."
"Usually, yes, but with memories fresh of this battle, we've got an opening to persuade people." Henry walked about the table. "We've all got contacts in the independent spacer community as well. We spread the word that there's a threat. They know what happened here. They'll respond. Meanwhile our worlds, every world represented here, start working our allies into expanding this agreement."
"That includes those Rigault cruisers." Linh smiled. "I'm looking forward to the chance to fix them up and make them run right."
"There's the rest of Rigault's planned fleet too." Lou didn't change his position, but a bemused glint showed in his eye. "Honestly, I'm too stretched to run them by myself, but if other worlds and forces help, we can have two squadrons each of destroyers and corvettes functional in the next few months, all based on the advanced technology Rigault was using."
"That'll be the core of a good fleet, but we'll need the other worlds." Henry looked toward Dominguez next. "Lusitania will spend some time fixing Beja, but we could use her and the Lusitanian fleet as well. Do you think Prime Minister Ascaro will consider it? It's a lot more than a single intervention."
"It is, but we've seen what the League can do." He nodded. "And with you involved, she'll be up for it."
"That's going to be the important part." Dulaney turned his eyes to Henry. "We need someone to command this united fleet. And while I'd love to say I'm the best choice, I think we can all agree you are."
"Da, yes." Piotr scratched absent-mindedly at his chin for a moment, but his attention was solely on the conversation. "Captain Henry has experience fighting our enemies, perhaps more even than we of Cyrilgrad do. He has military training and clearly knows how to command fleets. He must be in charge for us to succeed."
Somehow I figured I'd end up here, Henry thought. But I have a feeling that's what God had in mind… "If everyone's up for it, we can do that. I'll fly my flag from the Liberator. We should also consider sending a message to Sauria. They've gone isolationist out of disgust for the peace, but I can't imagine they don't recognize the threat either. They may not give us ships like they used to give the Coalition, but they might provide some money and supplies. Diplomatic cover too."
"I can make appeals in the Coalition for officers," Kaiya said. "I can't promise many, but maybe some of those angered at the peace will be willing to serve your fleet and train your people."
"You'll have our aid as well," pledged Sarno.
"Ultimately, we need to give this a political dimension." Henry nodded to Tia, Dulaney, and Lou. "We need to get you three in a room with Prime Minister Ascaro and any other planetary leaders we can talk into it. A common strategy can be developed between us, as well as figuring out how much people can help us out, and how big we can make this fleet. As for other ideas for it…"
* * *
When the discussion ended, everyone departed the conference room except for Henry and Tia. He looked at her with the respect he always felt, now honed by seeing her reaching a potential he'd never dared imagine before.
She returned the look and grinned. "Things have changed a lot for us these past few weeks, haven't they, Jim?"
"Yeah. Feels like we've both got new lives now."
"More like we regained something we lost. You have your self-respect and faith back; I have my family back."
"How are they?" he asked. "Bringing them up?"
"I will, if they agree, but Xom Ling's been our home since the planet was settled. I can't guarantee they'll come." Tia sighed. "I suppose if this were a story, it'd fit having a happy ending. But there's no such thing as a happy ending, just more work."
"That's the way of the world. No happy endings, just another day, until you're out of days and get to rest. But we've got a lot of days left, I think."
He approached her. Each had the same thought as their arms spread and they exchanged a hug for what seemed like the first time in fifteen years. "I've never thanked you enough, Jim, over all these years. You saved my life when you brought me onto your crew. You and the others, you made me a better person. Someone worthy to lead my people. So thank you for that."
"We all made our own lives better for each other," he said. "Thank you for your share in that." He ended the hug. His voice took on a wry tone as he said, "Well, we'd better get back to work."
"We'd better," she agreed.
Epilogue
Henry's arrival at Lusitania came in the company of their returning squadron of ships. The Liberator made an impression on its way to port in Lusitania's Arsenal Station, the main facility for its fleet units.
First came the meetings where he joined Dominguez and the Lusitanian admiralty, then meetings with Ascaro and her Cabinet with President Vargas. But they were not the only reasons he flew down to Gamavilla.
After all his business was done, he made his way with some urgency to the western edge of the city, checking the local time on his link to make sure he arrived on time. It was to his relief that he did, indeed, make it with a few minutes to spare.
He walked through the doors of the Faith Outreach Mission in something other than formal clothing, but not the spacer jacket and suit he might've worn previously. The uniform he was in had a dark blue color tone to it, with a cap bearing an emblem of an archer on horseback. There was no insignia on display, only his medals from his Coalition service and those given him by the Lusitanian government.
He was met at the door by the Mission's pastor. Jules Rothbard had his late brother's wheat-blond hair, combed just as meticulously, and a strong resemblance to Felix. A look of pleasant surprise came to his face. "Jim. I had no idea."
"I know. I wanted it to be a surprise." Henry's smile turned wistful. "I thought you should know…"
"I already do," Jules said. "About Felix. The CDF informed Mom and Dad a few weeks ago. They're not likely to get the survivor's benefits due to the politi
cs of what happened."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Henry shook his head. Rhodes will have a lot to answer for. "I wanted you to hear it from me, Jules."
"Were you there, then? When he died?"
"Yes." Henry nodded. "Felix took my place. He died so I'd live, so that we'd all escape the League and what they were doing on Hestia."
"Ah." Pain showed on Jules' face, tinged with acceptance. "Well, I know he died for a good reason, then. And he was probably smiling, knowing he saved your life."
"Yeah."
Jules checked the time. Already several of the pews had occupants. "I know I should be reassured by how he died. 'Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.' But it still hurts. I miss him." Tears formed in his eyes.
"So do I. Charlie too." Henry gave him a reassuring grin. "But I know they're waiting for us, Jules. They're waiting for us to join them in a better place."
A soft smile came to Jules' face. "I hoped I'd hear you speak like that again." He made a tentative gesture with his open hand, beckoning Henry to enter. "My service is going to start in a couple minutes."
"I know." Henry reached under his left arm and pulled out the object he'd held there. The black surface of synthetic leather was fringed with bright red pages with a gold ribbon bonded to the spine as a bookmark. The front cover of the book read, simply "HOLY BIBLE," with the bottom announcing it was a King James edition.
Nothing more had to be said. Jules gladly escorted Henry to the front pew before rising to the pulpit.
* * *
The Brunweld System was home to mining colonies only, but for the moment, it was playing host to an unexpected sight. Out by the system's turquoise-tinted gas giant, a fleet of ships now numbering in the hundreds maintained a series of formations in relation to each other.
Breach of Trust: Breach of Faith Book Four Page 46
