Kane swiped over the planetary lists and overlaid a new set of data. Gasps and ah-hah’s dominated the responses.
“Salvation has never made a violent incursion on these twenty-six planets. Yes, we have planted refractors on several Ark Carriers above these worlds, but those quick-strike operations go unnoticed. To our knowledge, no refractor has been discovered. We also liberated ten percent of the immortal children from these worlds, but those were covert ops managed through third parties.
“The bulk of our operations have centered on these twelve worlds,” Kane said, throwing away the larger group of planets to emphasize the movement’s stomping grounds. “Any world where Brother James has cast his miracles or destroyed our enemies; any world where we have encouraged violent insurrection; any world where we have raided or where have we used Berserkers. On these twelve, they redeployed no one.
“We have received a variety of reports in recent days suggesting these twelve are increasing suborbital patrols and installing quick-strike bases along the perimeter of our incursions. It is my assessment, supported by our command officers and Admiral Valentin, that we suspend and reevaluate all further missions scheduled for these colonies. Thank you.”
James leaned back, much too casual for Valentin. He seemed neither impressed nor concerned, which did not particularly surprise his brother. In fact, James threw open the commentary to others. Nothing of consequence emerged, with no one other than Ulrich Rahm seeming to agree with the idea of a suspension. No one wanted to voice a clear opinion on the possibility James might disagree. That’s what Valentin hated about these strategy sessions – the hybrids held the clear majority and always voted in unison.
James spoke. “Major Kane, highlight Tamarind for me.” The XO brought the planet forward. Tamarind was one of the most beautiful colonies when viewed from orbit. Mostly blue, like finely cut gems, but for long striations of red flashes from the dramatic Stratospheric Storm Cycle over the eastern continents.
“I am returning there tomorrow to keep my promise to the Chinese,” James said. “They’re a critical part of our plans.”
Valentin jumped in. “I was going to speak with you about this, brother. The more we have analyzed Tamarind, the more we believe a return trip could be disastrous. We will not be able to provide an appropriate level of security given our other, more pressing military needs.”
James flexed an eyebrow. “More pressing? Based on whose judgment? Yours, brother? I alone know how we’ll defeat the Collectorate. You might be ordering the missions, but everything we do is my design. And my design says Tamarind plays an important role.”
Valentin held his chin high. “Tamarind plays one role, brother. Our victory does not hinge on any one colony.”
“But it does. Tamarind will play a crucial role after we expel the Chancellory. When Rayna and I visited ten days ago, I showed my light to the Mongol tribes, and Rayna destroyed a Guard facility reviled by both Mongols and Chinese. I promised the Chinese I would bring the same miracles to them on my next visit. If I don’t return, they will not trust Salvation. The Mongols and Chinese have been rivals for centuries. The Guard kept them under control. I will unify them as their common god.”
The hybrids, including Ulrich, applauded. James’s sons followed.
“I’ll not discuss godly issues here,” Valentin said. “My concern is ensuring military security. How do you know Tamarind will be important to us after we win?”
James stroked his beard. “I am the first day and the last day, brother. I don’t need to explain myself.”
“And if I said tomorrow might be your last day?”
“I would say you’re a lousy Admiral, and you’d best change your strategy to make sure I’m still alive when my sons become men.”
Valentin threw off a snarky laugh. “If we win this war, brother, will I receive even an ounce of credit?” Before any response: “No. Strike that question. I’ll leave it to history. Listen, James, we cannot risk losing you when we are this close to our final push. Major Kane’s report makes clear that the Admiralty has not forgotten us, despite the war on Earth.
“Special Services Division has undoubtedly studied our historical patterns and been preparing countermeasures. We have had a series of close calls in recent weeks, from Brahma to New Caledonia. Our accelerated timeline has been pushing us to our limits. We are one mistake away from revealing our hand. We have to delay Tamarind.”
He thought James would show the first hint of concern. Perhaps a nudge toward logic and reason. Valentin knew better.
“I say no delays,” James said, leaning back. “Do I have a second?”
Rayna and two pregnant hybrids raised their hands at once.
“Done and done.” James grinned. “I think a security configuration similar to Brahma should work. Make it happen, Admiral.”
Valentin stared in silence. The wave of disbelief fragmented his anger. He wondered. Is this it? Is this what you’ve waited for, James? The moment where it’s no longer a partnership?
Major Kane leaned in and whispered. “I’ll see to the details at once, Admiral. I’ll have updated reassignments within the hour.”
“What’s that, Major?” James said, leaning forward.
Valentin responded. “You’ll have a new security configuration.”
“Perfect.” He pointed to the holowindow. “Major, I’ve been wondering about something. You listed thirty-eight colonies in your report, but there are thirty-nine. Why the oversight?”
Kane stood. “Yes, Brother James. I did not include Hiebimini in the final report since it is uninhabited and has no strategic value.”
“Really? Hmm. That’s interesting. Does the Guard still maintain a blockade outside the system’s Nexus point?”
“As of our last survey several months ago. No peacekeeper battalions. Only a few quick-strike units to operate from Scramjets in the event of an incursion.”
“Right. And the Guard has maintained the blockade for twenty-seven standard years. Correct?”
“Yes, Brother James.”
“And no one has broken the blockade or landed on Hiebimini since then?”
“None, Brother James.”
James held tongue in cheek as he shared a knowing wink with Sister Rayna.
“This is what the Guard wants everyone to believe. The Fall of the Chancellory in 5320 wasn’t humiliating enough, so they cleansed Hiebimini by saying the death of brontinium would end the planet. After evacuating everyone by 5330, they closed off the system because they didn’t want their lie to be exposed.”
Valentin didn’t understand the sudden turn. “What lie, brother?”
“That not only has Hiebimini not died, it’s become something totally different.”
“Totally …? Brother, what are you talking about?”
Valentin saw the twinkle in James’s eye, like the canary waiting for the perfect moment to sing at last. The realization began to dawn on the Admiral. James stood tall and asked Major Kane to highlight Hiebimini. The image was twenty-seven years old, the last official surveillance. The planet was foreboding in shades of brown and yellow. Splotches of green were not flora but rather dead brontinium mines which littered the surface.
“Admiral,” James said, “as a compromise, I’ll suspend one mission not destined for Tamarind, so long as it is replaced by a surveillance expedition to Hiebimini. Major Kane, will you arrange the details?”
“Yes, Brother James. Will we need security apparatus?”
“No. The blockade has gone. The system is empty.”
Valentin interjected. “How can you know this?”
“Harrison has many contacts.” Malwood nodded to James’s compliment. “The rest of it, the Jewels of Eternity told me. That world,” he pointed, “does not exist anymore. But a paradise has been terraformed in its place. Unspoiled. Perfect. And waiting for us.”
Of course. Why didn’t I see it sooner? James always insisted they would never need to leave the Collectorate to find their home
world. That everything in his design would earn them a planet of their own. He always rebuffed Valentin’s follow-up questions, saying the final answers must wait until the right time. Trust me, James insisted.
As the reality dawned on everyone, tears of joy and shouts of stunned disbelief filled the room. Valentin and Kane looked at each other but found no words. They’d been thrown off their game from the outset. Valentin realized this was James’s purpose all along.
A hand grabbed his shoulder. Valentin pivoted and looked up into his brother’s fearsome, glowing eyes.
“Everything we do now was set in motion a million years ago,” James said. “Everything that happened on Hiebimini was a prologue to our story. After I killed Ignatius Horne and brought down SkyTower, I saw through time and space. That planet sang to me. The Jewels sang to me, brother. Don’t you see? This was ordained by gods for gods. This is where we will rise and where we will watch the Chancellory die.”
James kissed Valentin. “The dark will drown them all.”
49
O PHELIA MADE NO PROMISES TO RIKHI Syed and told him to go about his usual routine. “They can’t suspect,” she said. “Be a good boy. Obey every order. Now go.” She sent him to his studies with no idea how she’d pull this off but with a strong determination she’d never leave Lioness without Rikhi at her side.
I can’t save the others, she thought. Maybe you.
She arrived for dinner at the Commons as Magnus suggested: Ten minutes before the end of his shift. Few tables were occupied, none by immortals. She never saw hybrids here. They didn’t eat from the kiosks; they prepared meals elsewhere, using only the freshest produce grown onboard Greenland, the fleet’s converted agri-ship. It was Sister Rayna’s idea. Ophelia was there when she made the pronouncement a year ago:
“Gods must not eat among common people. Is bad look.”
Ophelia wasn’t hungry, and the kiosk options were limited. She chose the least bland combination and returned to her table, staring at the same meal consumed hundreds of times. When she looked up, ten minutes after her arrival, she saw few changes in diners. One visitor, however, she knew since the early days of the fleet, though she had not seen him for months. He stayed close to the Triumvirate; rumors said he traveled off-fleet as often as any hybrid or immortal.
Harrison Malwood seemed to be enjoying his meal, scarfing it down with rapid chews. She thought of saying hello, if only as a courtesy to a time when she believed there was still hope. Yet Ophelia rejected the notion.
Harrison wasn’t a pleasant man – curt, obsequious, and patronizing at various turns. During their first encounters, her skin crawled whenever she looked at his empty left eye socket. One day, he showed up with the white patch, saying he didn’t want to make her feel out of sorts. Over time, she saw him less often. Sometimes wondered whether he was still alive.
She shook off the chills in time for her company to arrive. Magnus nodded with casual indifference as he passed. A few others from his crew also arrived, and the spirit of the Commons rose with fresh voices. Magnus grabbed his meal.
“Would you care for some company, Dr. Tomelin?” He asked loud enough for those within a few feet to hear.
“Why yes, Mr. Levinson. I could stand some pleasantries.”
She allowed him to take the first bites of his meal before she turned her squirms into words, mumbled under her breath.
“The one I told you I wanted to bring? He’s a boy. Ten. Magnus, he’s an immortal.”
Magnus swirled greens onto the end of a fork.
“Why bring him? For leverage?”
“No. If we make it away, we take him someplace safe. The Chancellory will not get their hands on him. I won’t allow it.”
“James and Valentin have possessed those children.”
“Not this one. His conditioning never took hold. Please, Magnus. I need this favor.”
Magnus chewed slowly. “You won’t come without him. Will you?”
“No.”
Magnus coughed as he restrained laughter.
“Here we are in reverse. History never fails to amuse.” He caught her eyes. She knew where he was headed. “Seventeen years ago, you asked me to leave Catalan when your dream job came through. I said I would, if I could bring Elizabeth.”
“Magnus, don’t. I spent years trying to forgive you for that insult.”
“My son might be alive if I’d left. Or maybe he’d never have been born. I don’t know which of you I would have chosen, Ophelia. But I think our days of regret are over. Yes? Bring the boy.”
“Thank you, Magnus.”
He pointed his fork at her plate. “You need to eat. It doesn’t taste like much, but it is nutrition. You need a clear mind.”
She followed his advice, vowing she’d never eat from a kiosk again if they escaped Salvation.
“Just so you understand,” he told her, “leaving here and saving that boy will never change what you did. Yes, if you give them enough secrets, the hardliners might try to rehabilitate your history. But you’ll never be forgiven.”
She set down her fork. “I don’t want to be. I saw it happen, Magnus. A nuclear blast cutting through SkyTower end to end. It’s always there. It’s the last thing I’ll see before I die. But if I can do one good th …”
“Excuse me.”
She never saw him coming. Harrison Malwood stood at their table, hands behind his back, wearing a scowl of annoyance – as if he were the one being interrupted.
“Dr. Tomelin. Mr. Levinson. Might I join you?”
“Not now,” Magnus said.
Ophelia added, “I’m sorry, Mr. Malwood. This isn’t a good …”
“Thank you,” Harrison said, taking a seat. “I was surprised to see you both here. In public, I mean. Given your past.”
She turned cold, her eyes frozen on Magnus, who paled.
“I apologize,” Harrison continued. “That wasn’t fair of me. It was a trick I learned years ago. How to confuse and disarm.”
“Or perhaps how to be a cudfrucker,” Magnus said. “You weren’t invited to sit, Malwood.”
“No, I wasn’t. But it’s a moot point. I hope you’re not surprised I know about your past. You do know my role for Brother James?”
Ophelia nodded. “You run intelligence for him.”
“Yes. It’s an unofficial title. I try not to be obvious. I don’t want the crew to think I’m spying on them.”
“Then you’ve succeeded,” she said. “I always wondered why they kept you close, but they never gave me a straight story.”
“It’s been an adventure, I will tell you. Coming and going. I’ve traveled more light-years in the past five months than my entire life.” He turned to Magnus. “I run full background checks on anyone who might serve Salvation’s needs. If not for my report, they never would have taken you from Catalan, Mr. Levinson.”
“Are you looking for thanks?”
“No. But I have been waiting. You two have been a curiosity project. Of course, I already knew your history,” he told Ophelia. “When I researched you,” he turned to Magnus, “I discovered a curious overlap seventeen years ago. The rest wasn’t difficult to find. I’m surprised you took three months to touch base with each other.”
Ophelia held her anger in check. She knew this moment had to be far from coincidental.
“Our lives don’t concern you, Harrison. What’s your game?”
Harrison grabbed Ophelia’s beverage and sipped. He winced.
“No games. I’m aware you’re planning treason.”
She felt disoriented, as if balancing on unsteady wings.
Keep yourself in one piece. He doesn’t know anything.
“Treason?” She rolled her eyes. “Me? I helped Brother James survive SkyTower and I indoctrinated most of Valentin’s immortals.”
“Which makes you the ideal traitor. And now you have your ex-lover to assist you. Yes?”
Magnus silenced her. “No. Enough. We have done nothing but support Salvation’s
goals. I’ve said maybe ten words to you in my life, so I don’t know your game. But you need to leave, Mr. Malwood.”
Harrison looked askance. “Voice down, please. If you draw attention, I’ll have to create a scene.”
“No, you won’t,” Ophelia said. “If this was anything other than a bluff, Valentin’s soldiers would have arrested us.”
He sighed. “You misunderstand, Ophelia. I’m not here to arrest you. I’m here to help.”
“With what?”
“You won’t confess. I understand. But consider this, both of you. Most of my time in the fleet involves endless data study. I search holowindows for anything that’s not there. Yes? Brother James demands nothing escape his eye.
“I study every log in this fleet. Every communication. Every entry and exit. Every pattern. I see things where there is nothing. Another trick I learned long ago. In this case, nothing led me to Nathaniel Cay, who is living onboard Haven. He’s very conflicted.” Then to Magnus: “Especially under interrogation.”
Magnus rapped the table. “I’ve had enough. I’m leaving. Ophelia, I’ll speak to you later? Yes?”
“You’re not going anywhere, Mr. Levinson. I haven’t told you how I’m going to help you escape this fleet and become heroes to the Chancellory.”
She saw it in his surviving eye. The man she’d never been able to read came through this time. He’s sincere. I think.
“Why are you telling us this?” She asked.
“Many reasons. The first being that our interests align. You see, I’ll be coming with you. I don’t think any of us will be safe here much longer. Yes?”
“Why? What do you know?”
“More than either of you can imagine. They allowed me into their executive session today. I see the entire picture now.”
“Which is?” Magnus asked.
“In short, they’re going to win. Their plan is more comprehensive than I imagined. I suspect, in the coming days, we will see unprecedented galactic fireworks. And then … well, the farther we are away from Salvation, the better.”
The Impossible Future: Complete set Page 90
