by Daniel Gibbs
"With help," Caetano said. "There are other spacers we can rally. Those who hate the League as well. Maybe even some pirates will join in. The ship disappearances have hurt them just as badly."
"And they're going to believe me because I ask nicely?" Henry's voice was thick with sarcasm. "These are people who spend their time running from government fleets because their ships don't have the firepower to go up against a proper warship. We know the League's got a few of those around."
Caetano met his eyes, and it was as unsettling a look as Henry felt during their first meeting. "You're frightened.”
"I have every right to be," Henry replied. "What you're asking for is such a long shot… even if we got a fleet together, even if everyone agreed to fight, we don't know where we're going. There are dozens of star systems the League could use as a base for these ships."
"I can guarantee you they're coming here," Caetano said. "Whatever Vitorino's up to, that fleet is part of it, and they'll be brought here."
Miri spoke up. "She's right." She nodded to the other woman. "Vitorino was trying to get a recording of me to use in fabricating a confession."
"Right." Caetano narrowed her eyes, apparently thinking over what Miri said. "If he's going to permanently assume leadership, he'll need something more than the bombing. An immediate threat will let him take full control of Lusitania's government. A staged invasion would work. If these stolen ships are outfitted with the disabling weapon you're talking about, they may even pose a threat to our defense fleet."
"Or could be made to appear to pose one," said Miri.
Caetano glanced at Miri before she returned her attention to Henry. "Either way, we know they're coming here, and the sooner we get off-world, the more quickly we can rally a fleet to fight them when they come. That's where you come in."
"You're asking me to commit my crew to a fight we probably can't win," Henry said. "To throw everything I've got left into this."
"From where I sit, Captain, you have little choice." Caetano shook her head. "Even if you escape Lusitania intact, you and your crew will be hunted to the ends of the galaxy by them."
"Li will make sure of that," added al-Lahim.
Henry believed him. The League officer was a holder of grudges. More so, he thought of how Oskar described the League's attitudes. As a state, as an ideology, they couldn't stand people opposing or undermining them.
We could still make for the Jewel Box, came the thought. But even as it came, another one followed. So can the League. Maybe not a fleet, but agents. Assassins. We'll never rest.
"Jim?" Jules motioned with his head toward the pulpit and altar. "A word?"
The others said nothing, allowing Henry to follow his friend's brother to the altar. They stopped and stood in front of it. "I'm not going to tell you what I think you should do, Jim," Jules said, his tone soft.
"Thank you," Henry answered. He looked back at the rest of them. "This whole thing—"
"—is difficult, yes." Jules smiled, sadness evident in his eyes. "And I'll understand if you're angry with me over it."
Henry glanced at him with some confusion. "Why would I be angry with you? You didn't do anything."
"I did," Jules said. "I could’ve left here a year ago. I could’ve recommended Faith Outreach send someone from one of the other neutral worlds, or see if there was Lusitanian clergy able to take the mission. You wouldn't have gotten mixed up in this then."
Henry crossed his arms and shook his head. "No. No, I don't think it would've mattered. Caetano knew about me already. She'd have found something to force me into it, and Vitorino would've asked me regardless. So would al-Lahim." He sighed. "I'm more to blame. I let Vitorino bring me in, make me more and more reliant on his jobs for big paydays. If I'd stayed away, we'd never have gotten involved in this." He glanced at Miri. "Although… God knows what would've happened to her."
"Yes, He does," Jules said. He went over and sat on the steps leading up to the pulpit. Henry joined him. Jules looked over the room. "I did all of this because I felt Him asking me to," he said. "Coming out to neutral space to minister, to witness for Him. To spread the love of Christ."
"You were always the strongest believer of us all," said Henry. He grinned a little. "I respect it."
"You used to believe it too. You and Felix."
"Yeah." Henry bit down on his lip. "We did. You kinda have to when you're in the CDF."
"I don't know, despite the saying, I remember a few atheists were in the foxholes, so to speak," Jules said. "Although, then again, I was never in a battle."
"That's not what I meant," Henry said. "I mean, the odds against us out there. Fighting the League day after day, year after year. Beating off one attack and two more launched right after it. They just keep coming." Henry held his hands together, folding them in his lap. "A lot of us had to believe we had God's help, because if we didn't, what hope did we have? It wasn't just having faith, but needing it."
Jules nodded quietly. He said nothing, but his look was thoughtful.
"Then the Laffey happened, and it… it just seemed like one big joke by the universe," Henry continued. "Everything was against me, even more than what it felt like to be fighting the League. It was the same choice the CDF makes every day: give up, or fight and probably lose."
"So you gave up." Jules patted Henry on the shoulder. "And you've never forgiven God or yourself for it."
"It's not like that," Henry said. "God doesn't have to answer to me, if He's out there. That's… that's the thing about it. He didn't hear me, He doesn't hear us, because—why would He? Why would He keep paying attention to us? We must be the most disappointing part of Creation He's ever dealt with. The rules He laid out, the important ones, were simple. Stuff like 'don't kill,' 'don't steal,' and we keep screwing them up anyway." He let out a small chuckle. "It must have been so painful watching us torture and slaughter each other. Knowing that He gave us so much, and we've pissed it away."
Jules nodded quietly. "Well, I guess it's humanity you need to forgive, then."
"You can't forgive humanity," Henry scoffed. "Humanity's not a person. It's a construct. It's a bunch of individuals deciding to do these things, and a lot of them don't want forgiveness." He bowed his head. In his thoughts, he considered the last decade of his life, and what he'd just told Caetano. A distant, familiar sense of disappointment came over him. The memory of young Lieutenant James Henry stared at him from across twenty-three years. He saw all of the corruption Captain James Henry had participated in, the bribes and smuggling and violence done just for a payday, and he bristled at the thought of what he’d become.
Jules saw the look in Henry's eyes. He shook his head. "You can't start healing until you forgive yourself," he said. "Until you reconcile with the part of your soul that still wears the CDF uniform."
Henry lowered his head and shook it. "Yeah, well, he was pretty disappointed with the CDF, and I'm the result. A spacer with a crew to care for and jobs to do if I'm going to keep my ship flying."
"You're still out looking to take responsibility for others," Jules pointed out. "I think Spacer Jim and CDF Jim are a lot more alike than you say." He gave Henry a knowing look. "Which is why you're so upset right now, since Spacer Jim wants to walk away, and CDF Jim's yelling at him that he has to step up and stop the League. It's the responsible thing to do."
Henry rolled his eyes at that, but he couldn't keep the disbelieving look on his face. Jules had him pegged. Deep down, he knew he and his crew were in this deep, and the only safe way out was by seeing it through. More than that, he knew the League had to be opposed. Had to be stopped. The attempt must be made, at least. "Sometimes, I hate being responsible," he sighed. He reached over and took Jules by the shoulder. "Well, if I'm doing this, I'm bringing you with me this time."
Jules shook his head. "My place is here. With the mission, and the people who rely on it."
"That's not going to save you or them from Vitorino or Li," Henry said. "Even if Vitorino doesn't c
ome after you, Li will. Felix and I are going to need clear heads for this. If you're away from Lusitania, it'll make that a hell of a lot easier."
"Language, Jim," Jules chided in a light tone. Nevertheless, he smiled slightly. "I suppose that I can't say no to that. I can't endanger my flock."
"Good. So get your things together." Henry stood up and glanced at Miri, Caetano, and al-Lahim, who were all staring at him with some expectation. "We need to get going."
Li arrived at the spaceport in a foul mood. He had no faith that Vitorino's people could catch Gaon or Captain Henry. Especially not if local Coalition intel assets were helping them, and that was virtually a given. Now he had to face Admiral Hartford and tell him Gaon was not in custody.
A part of him wondered if the Admiral would suspend the operation over this, given his history with her. He immediately dismissed this idea as too foolish for a man like Hartford to think about. Their timing demanded they act.
Now he waited as his car, a self-driving anti-grav unit sent by the embassy, pulled up to the hangar where his ship was kept. The hunt for Gaon and Henry aside, Li needed to be with the fleet to commence the final phase of the operation. He couldn't afford to be late. Over a year of careful work was riding on the events of the next week. And the League would not, could not, tolerate failure.
The vehicle passed through various groups of spacers and port workers as it journeyed toward the hangar. The lockdown meant that the former couldn't leave, and the latter would have little work. Li watched them and frowned. On an orderly League world, they would already be shifted to work elsewhere, fulfilling their Social duty to labor for Society. To do otherwise was to be a parasite on Society. As the saying went, idle hands became idle thoughts, and idle thoughts could prompt anti-Social behavior.
The sooner our conquest of the Coalition is over, the sooner I will get rotated back home. Then I can be away from this individualist madness.
The numbers of jumpsuited workers idling around dwindled as Li approached his hangar, one of the ones at the outer edge of the hangar area. The vehicle stopped finally, and he got out. He looked around and noted only one other figure nearby, a jumpsuited technician working on a nearby comm-unit. Li felt satisfied at seeing him: at least someone on this miserable world understood the need to do their work no matter what.
He punched a code into the hangar door and entered. The middle of the space was taken up by the personal transport issued to him by League External Security. Its surface was a silvery-white and meant to partially absorb and refract various electronic emissions, making the craft hard to target for attack. Twin pulse cannons built into the front and a handful of auto-turrets provided some self-defense, but in truth, the transport was never meant for combat. It was designed to survive long enough to jump away.
That was the real secret of the ship. Although it was only a little larger than a heavy fighter, it had its own Lawrence drive. It was one of the smallest models of vessels to carry one, and a shining pinnacle of superior engineering inherent in the Society.
He climbed aboard and ran through his systems checks. When that was done, he took the main cockpit seat and called the spaceport tower. The controller wasn't one of his suborned people, but he didn't need any of them for this. Vitorino's codes would get him through the lockout.
With launch approval given, Li focused himself upon finally getting off the planet he hated.
The machinery of the hangar was ear-splittingly loud as the roof opened in preparation for Li's imminent departure. It covered up the sound of the side door as it was forced open.
On the other side of it, Allan Kepper adjusted his "borrowed" technician jumpsuit before bringing up his sniper rifle. He made a last check on the rounds loaded within it before focusing on his target. The crosshairs fell on a stabilizing fin for atmospheric flight, just beside the plasma drive engine nozzle on the right side of the craft. He grinned in amusement before pulling the trigger.
The round did not directly damage Li's ship. It merely deposited a micro-QET there, one to track Li across Sagittarius if need be.
A pity I didn't get here a few minutes earlier. Then, Kepper pondered, he could’ve taken his time with Li, as was his desire. But there was a consolation prize, one that would give vengeance just as sweet as stabbing Li to death with a dull knife.
The ship's launching thrusters fired. It accelerated vertically into the air until it was clear of the hangar. The main engines kicked in, and the League ship started accelerating toward the upper atmosphere until it became nothing but a speck in the twilight sky.
Kepper pulled out his tablet and activated the tracking program. Once he loaded the micro-QET's signature, he watched with satisfaction as it showed a blinking red light pulling away from a rendered image of Lusitania.
Well, Li, you wanted to question my skills? Now you'll find out just how good I am.
Kepper put his weapon away and started walking along. He'd have to return the jumpsuit. And then, he had somewhere to be.
Al-Lahim's car glided across the roads of Gamavilla. Inside, the CIS officer remained calm behind the wheel, while beside him, Jules watched the long yellow and orange shading of the twilight.
In the back seat, Henry sat behind Jules, Miri in the middle, and Caetano beside al-Lahim. All three had injuries, although Henry's was by far the least of the three, simply the remnant bruising and cuts from his battle with Li. Miri's leg was beginning to regain mobility. Caetano still looked fairly battered.
It was not a comfortable ride for them. While al-Lahim's vehicle could shift color and even had a few different IDs on its traffic control transponder, it was still likely the state security services would find them. Henry's gun was in his right hand and settled on his lap, the safety engaged. Within a few seconds, he could fire, if it came to that.
Not that it would do much good. If it came down to a shootout, they were unlikely to get away.
Gradually, the heart of Gamavilla fell away, and they approached the spaceport. Each entrance was now under guard, with portable particle barriers in place to forbid access or departure without the guards' assistance. Henry swallowed. Vitorino stepping up the security was expected, but it could still be terrible for them.
Al-Lahim avoided one entrance and then the next before pulling up to one that went directly toward the hangars. A single sentry challenged him.
"Identification?" she asked, her word spoken with a distinct Basque accent. "For all occupants."
Al-Lahim used his tablet to provide the fake IDs to hide them from the systems. Here was the moment the entire ride had built up to. A clean getaway required not being noticed until they were already on the ship and ready to launch. If they were identified, all would be for naught.
Henry shifted his fingers and prepared to release the safety on his Danfield-Colt.
The woman handed the tablet back to al-Lahim. "Proceed.” She stepped back and, with a stroke of her finger, keyed the particle barrier to lower, allowing the vehicle entry.
Once they were clear, Henry asked, "What was your plan if she saw something wrong with those IDs?"
"Trade secret," al-Lahim answered, a sly little grin forming on his face.
Caetano chuckled lightly in response. While she felt warmer and more personable now, Henry couldn't help but think of her persona as the feared leader of the PdDN.
They pulled the car up to Hangar 3-B and found a flatbed truck pulling out of the hold. Henry noted Pieter was at the controls. Undoubtedly they'd just finished unloading their new fuses and other replacement parts. Al-Lahim didn't bother stopping, weaving around the truck to pull his vehicle up into the hold.
Henry immediately threw open the door and got out. Even as fast as he was, he found Tia, Felix, and Brigitte all hefting their pistols toward the car. "Whoa! Stand down," he ordered.
The three showed visible relief. "Where've you been?" Felix demanded. "Your commlink's down and… Jules?"
Jules was already half out of his door. He waved at Felix
and smiled. "Good to see you." He looked around. "So this is the ship Jim's Uncle Charlie picked out, huh?"
"Jim, what is—what the—" Tia stared in recognition at Cristina Caetano as she slipped out of the rear door on the other end.
Felix noticed her too and quickly recognized her. His weapon started to come back up and only stopped when Jules stepped in the way. "What the hell is she doing here?"
"Saving you," Caetano said. "Vitorino will be after the Shadow Wolf soon enough, and I can get you off-world without having the military shoot you down."
That brought confusion to Felix's face. "What? How? Why would—"
"It's a long story," Henry said, interrupting Felix, "and we'll explain when we're safe." He turned to Tia. "What's our status? Can we launch? Make a jump?"
"I think so," said Tia. "I mean, Pieter wanted to take things offline to begin full repairs, but we can go if we need to."
"We need to," Henry said. "Vitorino's not just trading with the League, he's outright working with them. We've got to get off Lusitania before he sends security forces for us." He nodded to Caetano. "She's got the codes we need. Get her up to the—"
"Captain!"
Henry and the others turned to see Pieter walk up the ramp. He was not alone. A light-skinned human man stepped up with him, wearing a set of casual business clothes. There was a visible bulge on his waist from a holster. "He wants to talk to you, sir," Pieter said. "He said something about—"
"You!" Miri's eyes widened. "That's the man who attacked me in Sektatsh!"
Everyone in the room with a firearm leveled it at the man. He held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. "The name's Allan Kepper. I'm not here for a fight."
"Then what do you want?" Henry asked. "Better yet, why should we trust you?"
"Because, Captain, I'm a professional," Kepper said. "And Chantavit Li tried to have me killed. Since we've got that in common, I figured we could make a deal."
