Original: "The Remnant Fleet," Chapter 23
As it turns out, NOT tomorrow after all! ;)
Chapter Twenty-three
Cicero took the Sastruga along the curve of the Kuiper belt until the Quay was no longer on their sensors. When she was positive they wouldn’t be spotted, she set them to drift and summoned the crew into the common area. By the time she arrived, everyone else had gathered around the table. She detoured to the kitchen and found a box of ti so py. They were small round candies, about the size of a thumbnail, and tasted like chocolate mixed with dirt and ash. Humans seemed to be the only species that hated the taste, so she kept the stuff around. She took her seat at the head of the table and put the box down in the center.
Irias reached into the box and took out a piece. “I assume you didn’t summon us for a snack.”
“No. We need to have an official vote about what we’re going to do with the rock.” She had lied about stashing it somewhere safe. It had been a calculated gamble in the event she needed to get her ship and crew away from the station without hurting anyone’s feelings. The rock was actually stashed in one of the hollow support legs of the table they were currently sitting around. “We can turn right around and go back to the Quay, hand it over, and let whatever happens happen. Or I can suit up, go out, and chuck it into the Kuiper belt. No one will ever find it out there. You’ve all had a chance to think about this, but now we need a decision.”
Aryana, who hadn’t been present for the debate at the station, said, “I want to throw it out. I saw what it did to the Karezz man. Giving anyone the ability to do that to a whole species is just wrong.”
Irias said, “I tend to agree. I don’t like the idea of arming anyone.”
“We’ve armed people before,” Enatel said. “The difference is that now we know about it.”
Sery said, “And we’ll be directly affected by this. If the Wakerran aren’t stopped, they’ll wreak havoc on this sector. Who knows how many will die? What if we had something like this when the Cetidroi attacked? Thousands of lives could’ve been saved. The space around the Quay could be clear of debris. This is a chance to end the war before it can begin.”
Zennes said, “So we combat them by creating the very weapon they want to build? Right now it’s a hypothetical threat. If we take this rock back to the Quay, we bring it one step closer to reality.”
“Presumably this isn’t the only fragment out there,” Cicero said. “The Wakerran might end up with the weapon anyway. This rock may be the Aphelion Project’s only chance of leveling the playing field.”
Kela had remained silent through the debate, but she finally spoke up. “We can’t argue hypotheticals. We have absolutes. We have the stone. The Wakerran are coming. Admiral Reshef is counting on this plan. If we take it away, we leave the Quay defenseless until they come up with another defense. And if they’re not able to think of anything to fight back...” She shrugged. “There are infinite possibilities about what may happen in the future. But the course we’re on now, our options are handing over this stone or leaving the Quay to be destroyed.”
The crew fell silent.
Cicero said, “I vote we take the stone back.”
“Aye,” Zennes said.
Irias nodded. “Aye.”
Around the table, everyone marked their agreement. Cicero crouched and reached under the table to disconnect the hollow leg. It was heavy with the weight of the stone within. Relatively speaking, when it came to space debris, the thing was minuscule. She thought of the impossibility of its discovery on some forgotten world, buried in silt and topsoil. And then the procession of hands it had to pass through before it was delivered to her by a Karezz trader.
“The man who died,” she said suddenly. “The man who brought this to us. What was his name?”
Everyone looked at someone else, blank looks passing between everyone. Cicero remembered him mentioning it on the way back to the ship, but her mind had been on other things.
“Fine. To whoever he was, in his honor, we will take this back to the Quay and give them a fighting chance against our latest enemy.”
Cicero dismissed the crew back to their stations. Kela followed Cicero to the bridge and took a seat at the sensor display.
“We are doing the right thing, aren’t we?” Cicero asked as she entered the station’s coordinates.
“I don’t know if there is a right thing,” Kela admitted. “In a kill or be kill situation, you only do what must be done and hope you can live with yourself afterward. Giving the stone to Admiral Reshef is a choice I think we can live with.”
Cicero said, “I hope you’re ri--”
Kela interrupted her. “Company.” She swiveled her chair to face the sensors fully. “They’re right on the cusp of our range.”
Cicero said, “Identifiers?”
“It matches the Wakerran ship that attacked us earlier.”
“Communications?”
“We’re too close to the Kuiper belt. Too much interference to cut through. We could move out away from it, but it would take time.”
Cicero cursed under her breath. “We can’t afford to waste the time. Don’t bother coming about. Just turn the engines and push us backward. The second we’re within radio range, send them a blast to know what’s going on.”
“Full reverse blow. Dangerous...” Kela said, but she was already complying with the order. “The entire trip back to the Quay?”
“If you can see an opportunity to whip around without losing speed, take it. But otherwise, yeah.”
“Dampeners aren’t going to like that.”
Cicero turned on the intercom. “Everyone hold on tight. We’re about to have a very rough ride.” She looked at Kela. “Progress of the Wakerran ship?”
“They’re moving slow. If we push, we’ll be able to get back to the station in time to warn them.”
“Go, then.”
She was thrown forward as Kela accelerated, but she caught the arms of her chair before she fell to the floor. Something clattered in the body of the ship. Guilt was overwhelming her; she had wasted time Dr. Littlefoot could have been using on the weapon. If she’d skipped the debate and the vote... but then she wouldn’t be certain she had her crew’s support. And on the positive side, by being so far outside the Quay’s sensor range meant that they’d seen the incoming Wakerran ship long before anyone at the Quay would have.
She just had to pray the warning was delivered in time to make a difference.
#
Bauwerji was in the pilothouse, pacing up and down the center aisle between the wells for want of anything better to do. She felt in her heart that she hadn’t seen the last of Cicerone Drayton, but she couldn’t shake the fear. On Pelorum there were ceremonies, rituals that bonded one soul to another. She didn’t know if Cicero would be amenable to partaking in one, but she regretted that she’d never asked. Cicero, the thief. Cicero, the Human. Cicero, the conniving and dishonest smuggler. A woman who looked at Bauwerji, the soldier, the terrorist, the fugitive, and saw a kindred spirit. They were more than the crimes they had committed. She doubted she would ever meet anyone she loved more or who could understand her better.
A yeoman said, “Officer Crow, incoming message on the emergency bandwidth. It has the Sastruga’s call sign.”
Bauwerji ignored the fact her heart had just leapt into her throat and feigned calm. “That was quick. What’s their ETA?”
“She didn’t specify, but... stalif, they’re coming in quick. And... backwards.”
“What?” Bauwerji said. “Open the channel.” She heard the chime. “Cicero, what the stalif are you doing?”
“Wakerran ships, Bauwerji. I’m sending you their coordinates and bearings right now. They’re coming slow, but they’ll get there right behind us. Throw up your defenses now, Bauwerji, right now.”
“Do as she says,” Bauwerji ordered as she opened her communicator. “Admiral Reshef, high alert. We have a report that a Wakerran ship is incoming.”
Moments before the alarms began sounding, the lift delivered Selina Rogers to the pilothouse. Bauwerji grunted quietly when she saw the doors closing behind the Acapsian ambassador; the lockdown would prevent her from leaving.
“Miss Rogers, I’m afraid you have to find a place to sit down and be quiet until this crisis is over. We could secure you in one of the empty offices--”
Selina snapped, “Shut up, Bauwerji!”
Bauwerji’s attention was momentarily diverted. Selina, like almost every other Acapsian she’d met, was the epitome of calm, unflustered reserve. But now Bauwerji could see that Selina’s hair was unkempt. Her face was beet red, and her eyes were wide enough that Bauwerji could see the blues around her irises. She was trembling, her hands curled into fists at her sides. Admiral Reshef had come out of her office and was watching the standoff with concern.
“We don’t have time for this,” Bauwerji said. “Whatever is wrong with you, we can discuss it when things are a bit less hectic.”
“No, I don’t think we can.” She brought her hand up, and Bauwerji could see blood dripping from her palm onto the cuff of her sleeve. “I’m supposed to kill you. This voice in my head keeps telling me to kill you. And I... I’ve been able to stop myself so far. But I don’t know how much longer I can hold back. The longer I wait, the stronger the urges g-get. I tried to stop myself. I did.”
By now, a handful of yeomen had abandoned their stations to surround Selina. Bauwerji could hear another directing Cicero through the fleet of debris. Any minute now, they would have a Wakerran ship on their doorstep.
“I don’t know if I’ll hurt anyone else if they try to stop me,” Selina said, “but I think... I think they should try. I think they should try very soon...”
She was tackled from behind, and then the soldiers piled on. Bauwerji moved forward and wrestled her weapon out of the confines of her jacket pocket. “Move,” she said to a yeoman blocking Selina’s neck. She pressed the barrel against the ambassador’s neck and pulled the trigger. It was set to disable, and hopefully it would be strong enough to keep her unconscious until the threat passed.
Indira said, “What the hell was that all about?”
“Sorry, ma’am. I hadn’t gotten a chance to debrief you fully.” That was a lie. She’d been so distracted about Cicero’s departure that she’d forgotten to tell the Admiral about what she’d discovered. “The Wakerran has telepathic abilities. Dr. Littlefoot and I speculated that she might have gotten her hooks in someone. Mentally. Took control. I guess we know who she picked. Chau knows why her, but... I guess... someone I wouldn’t suspect? Someone I would let get close enough to hurt me.” She shrugged and gestured for a yeoman to take her away.
“Officer Crow,” another officer said. “The Sastruga is coming too fast. She’s too close to slow down and she doesn’t have the maneuverability to hit the docks flush. She’s going to crash.”
Indira called a warning to the docks to brace for the impact. Bauwerji stood up and watched on the screens as the Sastruga came at them like a bullet.
Bauwerji stood up slowly and tensed.
Indira said, “You know... it would be quite ironic if the station is destroyed by an accident moments before the Wakerran get here. They’d never find the stone in the wreckage. It would technically be a win.”
Bauwerji couldn’t help but laugh. “How Human of you, Admiral.”
Whatever response Indira might have made was drowned out as Cicero’s ship collided with the docks, sending a wave of tremors through the entire station. Bauwerji and Indira were knocked off their feet. The screens flickered blank seconds before the lights went out.
Chapter Twenty-three
Cicero took the Sastruga along the curve of the Kuiper belt until the Quay was no longer on their sensors. When she was positive they wouldn’t be spotted, she set them to drift and summoned the crew into the common area. By the time she arrived, everyone else had gathered around the table. She detoured to the kitchen and found a box of ti so py. They were small round candies, about the size of a thumbnail, and tasted like chocolate mixed with dirt and ash. Humans seemed to be the only species that hated the taste, so she kept the stuff around. She took her seat at the head of the table and put the box down in the center.
Irias reached into the box and took out a piece. “I assume you didn’t summon us for a snack.”
“No. We need to have an official vote about what we’re going to do with the rock.” She had lied about stashing it somewhere safe. It had been a calculated gamble in the event she needed to get her ship and crew away from the station without hurting anyone’s feelings. The rock was actually stashed in one of the hollow support legs of the table they were currently sitting around. “We can turn right around and go back to the Quay, hand it over, and let whatever happens happen. Or I can suit up, go out, and chuck it into the Kuiper belt. No one will ever find it out there. You’ve all had a chance to think about this, but now we need a decision.”
Aryana, who hadn’t been present for the debate at the station, said, “I want to throw it out. I saw what it did to the Karezz man. Giving anyone the ability to do that to a whole species is just wrong.”
Irias said, “I tend to agree. I don’t like the idea of arming anyone.”
“We’ve armed people before,” Enatel said. “The difference is that now we know about it.”
Sery said, “And we’ll be directly affected by this. If the Wakerran aren’t stopped, they’ll wreak havoc on this sector. Who knows how many will die? What if we had something like this when the Cetidroi attacked? Thousands of lives could’ve been saved. The space around the Quay could be clear of debris. This is a chance to end the war before it can begin.”
Zennes said, “So we combat them by creating the very weapon they want to build? Right now it’s a hypothetical threat. If we take this rock back to the Quay, we bring it one step closer to reality.”
“Presumably this isn’t the only fragment out there,” Cicero said. “The Wakerran might end up with the weapon anyway. This rock may be the Aphelion Project’s only chance of leveling the playing field.”
Kela had remained silent through the debate, but she finally spoke up. “We can’t argue hypotheticals. We have absolutes. We have the stone. The Wakerran are coming. Admiral Reshef is counting on this plan. If we take it away, we leave the Quay defenseless until they come up with another defense. And if they’re not able to think of anything to fight back...” She shrugged. “There are infinite possibilities about what may happen in the future. But the course we’re on now, our options are handing over this stone or leaving the Quay to be destroyed.”
The crew fell silent.
Cicero said, “I vote we take the stone back.”
“Aye,” Zennes said.
Irias nodded. “Aye.”
Around the table, everyone marked their agreement. Cicero crouched and reached under the table to disconnect the hollow leg. It was heavy with the weight of the stone within. Relatively speaking, when it came to space debris, the thing was minuscule. She thought of the impossibility of its discovery on some forgotten world, buried in silt and topsoil. And then the procession of hands it had to pass through before it was delivered to her by a Karezz trader.
“The man who died,” she said suddenly. “The man who brought this to us. What was his name?”
Everyone looked at someone else, blank looks passing between everyone. Cicero remembered him mentioning it on the way back to the ship, but her mind had been on other things.
“Fine. To whoever he was, in his honor, we will take this back to the Quay and give them a fighting chance against our latest enemy.”
Cicero dismissed the crew back to their stations. Kela followed Cicero to the bridge and took a seat at the sensor display.
“We are doing the right thing, aren’t we?” Cicero asked as she entered the station’s coordinates.
“I don’t know if there is a right thing,” Kela admitted. “In a kill or be kill situation, you only do what must be done and hope you can live with yourself afterward. Giving the stone to Admiral Reshef is a choice I think we can live with.”
Cicero said, “I hope you’re ri--”
Kela interrupted her. “Company.” She swiveled her chair to face the sensors fully. “They’re right on the cusp of our range.”
Cicero said, “Identifiers?”
“It matches the Wakerran ship that attacked us earlier.”
“Communications?”
“We’re too close to the Kuiper belt. Too much interference to cut through. We could move out away from it, but it would take time.”
Cicero cursed under her breath. “We can’t afford to waste the time. Don’t bother coming about. Just turn the engines and push us backward. The second we’re within radio range, send them a blast to know what’s going on.”
“Full reverse blow. Dangerous...” Kela said, but she was already complying with the order. “The entire trip back to the Quay?”
“If you can see an opportunity to whip around without losing speed, take it. But otherwise, yeah.”
“Dampeners aren’t going to like that.”
Cicero turned on the intercom. “Everyone hold on tight. We’re about to have a very rough ride.” She looked at Kela. “Progress of the Wakerran ship?”
“They’re moving slow. If we push, we’ll be able to get back to the station in time to warn them.”
“Go, then.”
She was thrown forward as Kela accelerated, but she caught the arms of her chair before she fell to the floor. Something clattered in the body of the ship. Guilt was overwhelming her; she had wasted time Dr. Littlefoot could have been using on the weapon. If she’d skipped the debate and the vote... but then she wouldn’t be certain she had her crew’s support. And on the positive side, by being so far outside the Quay’s sensor range meant that they’d seen the incoming Wakerran ship long before anyone at the Quay would have.
She just had to pray the warning was delivered in time to make a difference.
#
Bauwerji was in the pilothouse, pacing up and down the center aisle between the wells for want of anything better to do. She felt in her heart that she hadn’t seen the last of Cicerone Drayton, but she couldn’t shake the fear. On Pelorum there were ceremonies, rituals that bonded one soul to another. She didn’t know if Cicero would be amenable to partaking in one, but she regretted that she’d never asked. Cicero, the thief. Cicero, the Human. Cicero, the conniving and dishonest smuggler. A woman who looked at Bauwerji, the soldier, the terrorist, the fugitive, and saw a kindred spirit. They were more than the crimes they had committed. She doubted she would ever meet anyone she loved more or who could understand her better.
A yeoman said, “Officer Crow, incoming message on the emergency bandwidth. It has the Sastruga’s call sign.”
Bauwerji ignored the fact her heart had just leapt into her throat and feigned calm. “That was quick. What’s their ETA?”
“She didn’t specify, but... stalif, they’re coming in quick. And... backwards.”
“What?” Bauwerji said. “Open the channel.” She heard the chime. “Cicero, what the stalif are you doing?”
“Wakerran ships, Bauwerji. I’m sending you their coordinates and bearings right now. They’re coming slow, but they’ll get there right behind us. Throw up your defenses now, Bauwerji, right now.”
“Do as she says,” Bauwerji ordered as she opened her communicator. “Admiral Reshef, high alert. We have a report that a Wakerran ship is incoming.”
Moments before the alarms began sounding, the lift delivered Selina Rogers to the pilothouse. Bauwerji grunted quietly when she saw the doors closing behind the Acapsian ambassador; the lockdown would prevent her from leaving.
“Miss Rogers, I’m afraid you have to find a place to sit down and be quiet until this crisis is over. We could secure you in one of the empty offices--”
Selina snapped, “Shut up, Bauwerji!”
Bauwerji’s attention was momentarily diverted. Selina, like almost every other Acapsian she’d met, was the epitome of calm, unflustered reserve. But now Bauwerji could see that Selina’s hair was unkempt. Her face was beet red, and her eyes were wide enough that Bauwerji could see the blues around her irises. She was trembling, her hands curled into fists at her sides. Admiral Reshef had come out of her office and was watching the standoff with concern.
“We don’t have time for this,” Bauwerji said. “Whatever is wrong with you, we can discuss it when things are a bit less hectic.”
“No, I don’t think we can.” She brought her hand up, and Bauwerji could see blood dripping from her palm onto the cuff of her sleeve. “I’m supposed to kill you. This voice in my head keeps telling me to kill you. And I... I’ve been able to stop myself so far. But I don’t know how much longer I can hold back. The longer I wait, the stronger the urges g-get. I tried to stop myself. I did.”
By now, a handful of yeomen had abandoned their stations to surround Selina. Bauwerji could hear another directing Cicero through the fleet of debris. Any minute now, they would have a Wakerran ship on their doorstep.
“I don’t know if I’ll hurt anyone else if they try to stop me,” Selina said, “but I think... I think they should try. I think they should try very soon...”
She was tackled from behind, and then the soldiers piled on. Bauwerji moved forward and wrestled her weapon out of the confines of her jacket pocket. “Move,” she said to a yeoman blocking Selina’s neck. She pressed the barrel against the ambassador’s neck and pulled the trigger. It was set to disable, and hopefully it would be strong enough to keep her unconscious until the threat passed.
Indira said, “What the hell was that all about?”
“Sorry, ma’am. I hadn’t gotten a chance to debrief you fully.” That was a lie. She’d been so distracted about Cicero’s departure that she’d forgotten to tell the Admiral about what she’d discovered. “The Wakerran has telepathic abilities. Dr. Littlefoot and I speculated that she might have gotten her hooks in someone. Mentally. Took control. I guess we know who she picked. Chau knows why her, but... I guess... someone I wouldn’t suspect? Someone I would let get close enough to hurt me.” She shrugged and gestured for a yeoman to take her away.
“Officer Crow,” another officer said. “The Sastruga is coming too fast. She’s too close to slow down and she doesn’t have the maneuverability to hit the docks flush. She’s going to crash.”
Indira called a warning to the docks to brace for the impact. Bauwerji stood up and watched on the screens as the Sastruga came at them like a bullet.
Bauwerji stood up slowly and tensed.
Indira said, “You know... it would be quite ironic if the station is destroyed by an accident moments before the Wakerran get here. They’d never find the stone in the wreckage. It would technically be a win.”
Bauwerji couldn’t help but laugh. “How Human of you, Admiral.”
Whatever response Indira might have made was drowned out as Cicero’s ship collided with the docks, sending a wave of tremors through the entire station. Bauwerji and Indira were knocked off their feet. The screens flickered blank seconds before the lights went out.