Original: "The Remnant Fleet," Chapter 25
Closing in on the end! Lots of ground covered, lots of POV shifts.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The Med Center had been locked down since the impact, operating on emergency power that cast everything in a pale green glow. Cordwainer was running tests on the Roadblock tech to make sure there weren’t any bugs to work out. Down the hall, near the Wakerran woman’s cell, at least a dozen soldiers were standing guard in the event of a power failure. Cordwainer doubted the woman would be able to move under her own power even if the force field did collapse, but she appreciated the extra protection.
Jocia was pacing nervously. Every few minutes she would move to the screen and try to contact someone for an update, but it never responded to her tapping. When she walked over to it again, Cordwainer bit off a sigh.
“It’s obviously broken.”
“I know that, Dway.”
“Then why do you keep trying?”
“Maybe they fixed it.”
Cordwainer couldn’t hold back hir sigh. “I believe they have more pressing concerns to deal with first, darling.”
“What does it hurt to try?”
“Because you are making me anxious.”
Jocia said, “At least you have a project to keep you occupied.”
“Yes, I am very grateful for this doomsday weapon to keep my mind busy.”
Jocia went to the sink and ran the water. She cupped her hands under the flow and closed her eyes. After a moment she brought her wet fingers up and touched the tips to her face. Small droplets rolled over her features before dripping off her chin. Other tributaries ran down her palm, under the cuffs of her gown. She lowered her hands and breathed in the scent of the water. It was different here than it was on Ladrona. Filtered and purified. She licked her lips.
“I’m sorry, Cordwainer.”
“Don’t be,” ze said. “The stress... the not knowing. It’s getting to me, too.”
Jocia moved closer and began to reply, but she was startled by the door being flung open. She didn’t think before she acted, lunging to stand between Cordwainer and the running Human who had just appeared. Jocia, who had spent her entire life dedicated to non-violence, threw out her arms in anticipation of stopping the attacker by any means possible, her heart thudding against her chest as she envisioned all the ways someone could hurt Cordwainer.
It was only a moment before she recognized Captain Drayton. The Human recoiled at the sight of an attacking Ladronis, pulling the bundle she carried tighter against her chest as her eyes widened in surprise more than fear. Cordwainer put a hand on Jocia’s shoulder and gently urged her to one side.
“It’s all right, Jocy. Thank you.”
“I... was only afraid for you.”
Cordwainer smiled. “I know, darling. I know.”
Cicero held out the bundle to Cordwainer.
Jocia’s breath caught in her chest as she realized what it was. “That’s the stone? The... the piece from the beginning of the universe?”
“Not exactly,” Cordwainer said as ze took it. “It’s one of the fragments that seeded life in this corner of the galaxy. Hopefully there’s enough genetic material left on it to use as a deterrent for the Wakerran.” Ze looked at Cicero. “Admiral Reshef warned us that time is short. How close are they?”
Cicero said, “They’re extremely close.”
Cordwainer turned back to hir work. “Then I should get to work.”
“You don’t need me here for that, do you?” Cicero asked.
“No. Why? Where are you going?”
“There are two other Wakerran ships out there somewhere.”
Jocia said, “You won’t be able to leave. Admiral Reshef will never clear it.”
“Then maybe I just won’t ask Admiral Reshef. I’m not in her chain of command. You need the Karezz and Paisian fleets here to protect the Quay. You also need a pair of eyes out there making sure you don’t get piled on.” She went to the door but stopped just before she passed through into the corridor. “Look... it goes without saying that I don’t want you saying anything to anybody about this. But... Bauwerji in particular. If Bauwerji comes looking for me, just say you don’t know where I am. I made her a promise about something I’m not sure I can keep. But tell her I love her.”
“She knows,” Jocia said.
Cordwainer said, “But we’ll tell her anyway.”
“Thank you, Dr. Littlefoot. Ephor Wison. Good luck to you both.” She tapped her knuckles against the door and then was gone in a flash.
“Reckless and foolhardy,” Jocia said softly.
Cordwainer said, “Yes. They deserve each other.”
Jocia grinned and touched Cordwainer’s shoulder. Cordwainer had carefully unwrapped the stone to examine its craggy surface. To think of the potential horrors this simple rock could unleash made her shudder, and she squeezed her lover’s shoulder in a show of support.
“Is there anything I can do?”
“Pray.”
“As hard as I possibly can, darling.”
Cordwainer took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and then ze got to work.
#
The docks were still hectic enough that Cicero knew she’d have no trouble launching without being noticed. Her crew was still standing around the ship like evacuees waiting to see the building they’d just fled collapse before their eyes. Kela saw Cicero coming and moved to meet her halfway. “Rough,” she said in response to Cicero’s unasked question. “Extremely rough. It would be the worst ride we’d ever taken. But it’ll hold together.”
Aryana joined them. “We’d vent atmosphere in a lot of places. But I can minimize the effect it would have on us by shunting it through unused portions of the ship. We’d have to be very careful about where we went and what doors we didn’t open, but we could make it.”
“Sensors?”
Enatel said, “Uh... how sensitive would you need them?”
“I want to follow the Wakerran energy signature back to where they came from.”
He rubbed his chin and bared his teeth as he considered her request. “Yeah. That’s a definite. We might have to be a bit tunnel vision about it. Staring straight ahead while ignoring behind us and to the sides.”
Cicero said, “What would our top speed be?”
“Snail’s pace,” Aryana said. “The engines really didn’t like being pushed backward like that. It’s going to take everything I have to nudge them back up to a bare minimum.”
“Do what you can. I have faith in you, Yana.” She walked over to the crew with Kela and Aryana trailing her. “I don’t necessarily need the entire crew for this job. I just need eyes and a few hands at the controls. So if anyone wants to stay behind, play it safe, there wouldn’t be any judgment. Your place on the crew would still be there when we came back.”
“If you come back,” Zennes said.
“Right.”
Enatel said, “All due respect, ma’am, but where exactly could we stay behind and play it safe? Here at the Quay, with a Wakerran ship bearing down on us? If I’m going to face death, it’s going to be aboard the Sastruga, just like my wife always warned me.”
Cicero smiled as the rest of the crew agreed with him. “Then okay. Climb aboard and buckle up. As an ancient Human once said, fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.”
#
The overhead lights came back on first, followed quickly by the yeomen getting back full control of their stations. Indira tried to find some relief in those facts, but she could only think about Bauwerji’s confession. Heely was dead, murdered while attempting to assault the station’s second-in-command. Who knew how many other people were under the Wakerran’s control? Were there dozens of time bombs all around her just waiting to go off?
She looked at the screens. Three Paisian ships were hovering just beyond the debris field. Seven Karezz warships had also arrived and were lined up with three to port and four to starboard. The Wakerran vessel was now visible, but it was remaining at a discreet distance. She didn’t know if they were waiting for the other two ships, or if the Socigines they had in custody was supposed to send a signal. Either way, every screen was filled with the promise of doom and another war.
“Ma’am,” one of the yeomen said, “we have an energy signature near the docks. Someone is taking off without clearance.”
“Could it be left over from Bauwerji’s departure?” She crouched behind the man, remembering his name was Sior.
“No, ma’am. This is much larger. They’re trying to hide themselves.” His fingers danced across the control panel. “It’s the Sastruga.”
“What the hell?” Indira muttered. “Can you open a channel?”
Sior began to shake his head. “Wait... yes. Possibly.” He typed again. “They’re trying to block any communications, but I can use the emergency channel override to punch a hole through.”
Indira said, “Quick thinking, Yeoman. Remind me to put you up for a promotion when this is all over.”
“Please don’t, ma’am. I like my job too much.”
She smiled. “A commendation, then.”
“Thank you. Channel is open.”
Indira said, “This is Admiral Reshef calling Captain Drayton. Can you please tell me what in the hells you think you’re doing?”
“Trying to make up for breaking your station, Admiral. Leave this channel open for us and we’ll tell you where the other Wakerran ships are and when you can expect them.”
“Damn it, Cicerone...”
Cicero said, “We’ve all got to do our part, ma’am.”
Indira rubbed one knuckle against her lip. There was no point in arguing or trying to make her turn back. They could have sent some towships to bring her back by force, but it wasn’t as if they had soldiers to spare. “The Aphelion Project thanks you for your assistance, Captain Drayton. Consider any punitive measures for what you did to the Quay cleansed from your record.”
“Thank you, Admiral.”
“Sahrah nahsiba, Cicero.”
“You need the luck more than I do.”
“There’s enough to go around. Besides, the Wakerran are nothing compared to what Bauwerji would do if she found out I let you leave.”
Cicero laughed. “You may have a point there. Going mute, but I’ll still be here if we find anything. Sastruga signing off for now.”
Indira put a hand on Sior’s shoulder. “Guide her through the wreckage, alert the Paisian and Karezz ships to let her through. Monitor that channel and let me know if she provides any updates.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She straightened and walked back down the aisle. She wanted to know how Cordwainer was doing with hir dreadful project, but she also knew giving constant updates would only delay it. She didn’t know what the Wakerran were waiting for, but she was positive that their patience would run out sooner rather than later.
#
“We’re clear of the debris field,” Kela reported.
Cicero nodded to her and faced forward. “The other ships?”
“They’re not reacting to us. Maybe because they think we’re one of the wreckages that broke loose.”
“A possibility,” Cicero said.
“There’s another ship out-- Captain, it’s Bauwerji’s Sprinter.”
Cicero stood up and moved closer to the screen. “What? What the hell is she doing out there?”
“It looks like she’s heading directly toward the Wakerran ship.”
“Bauwerji, you stupid stubborn faihjoh...” She put her hand on the corner of the screen where a small yellow dot indicated the ship of the woman she loved.
#
Bauwerji looked at the screen as another ship broke away from the debris field and set a course away from the blockade. She almost ignored it, focusing entirely on the Wakerran ship ahead of her, but something clicked in her mind and made her recognize it for what it was. The size and shape matched. The trail of heat and energy in its wake indicated near-critical levels of damage... without a doubt, it was the Sastruga.
“Cicerone, you stupid stubborn bijesan...”
She turned off her communicator in case Cicero was trying to talk her into going back, but the Sastruga took a different bearing. Bauwerji couldn’t waste the brainpower trying to think of what she was doing. She focused on her mission, which began and ended at getting herself to the Wakerran vessel. It had looked huge from the docks, but each passing second proved just how massive it truly was. She scanned its hull for any weaknesses she could exploit, specifically weapons ports she could disable. That was how they’d finally defeated the Cetidroi.
Unfortunately, it seemed as if the Wakerran weren’t going to be quite as accommodating. She pulled up under its curved belly and let her sensors pass across the expanse. Nothing. She picked up a few hatches which she assumed would open in the event of a firefight, but there was nothing so could exploit with the Sprinter’s weapons. She pushed her right foot back, picking up speed as she neared the stern of the enemy vessel. The engines were exposed. But there was no weapon on her ship that could do any damage to them.
No weapons on the ship... but the ship itself?
She tightened her grip on the controls. “One last hurrah,” she said. “We said this would be our last war, Biju. Might as well make it count. Add a Wakerran vessel to the remnant fleet.” She wet her lips and plotted a course that would bring her around to fly directly into the engines. She didn’t know what it would do, necessarily, but there was no technology that could survive a kamikaze run like that. She had her finger poised to enact her flight plan when all of her systems died. Sensors went dark, the running lights flickered and left her in the dark, and she could feel the air grow still.
Her ship was dead, but it was still moving. Backward. She lifted her head and looked through the canopy to see the Wakerran ship growing large again.
“Shit. They hooked me.”
She jabbed at her communicator and, in a last ditch effort, grabbed for her ejector. She would have preferred dying in the vacuum to whatever the Socigines had in mind, but it was no use. It seemed that she was going to be getting a front-row seat to the first battle of their new war.
Chapter Twenty-Five
The Med Center had been locked down since the impact, operating on emergency power that cast everything in a pale green glow. Cordwainer was running tests on the Roadblock tech to make sure there weren’t any bugs to work out. Down the hall, near the Wakerran woman’s cell, at least a dozen soldiers were standing guard in the event of a power failure. Cordwainer doubted the woman would be able to move under her own power even if the force field did collapse, but she appreciated the extra protection.
Jocia was pacing nervously. Every few minutes she would move to the screen and try to contact someone for an update, but it never responded to her tapping. When she walked over to it again, Cordwainer bit off a sigh.
“It’s obviously broken.”
“I know that, Dway.”
“Then why do you keep trying?”
“Maybe they fixed it.”
Cordwainer couldn’t hold back hir sigh. “I believe they have more pressing concerns to deal with first, darling.”
“What does it hurt to try?”
“Because you are making me anxious.”
Jocia said, “At least you have a project to keep you occupied.”
“Yes, I am very grateful for this doomsday weapon to keep my mind busy.”
Jocia went to the sink and ran the water. She cupped her hands under the flow and closed her eyes. After a moment she brought her wet fingers up and touched the tips to her face. Small droplets rolled over her features before dripping off her chin. Other tributaries ran down her palm, under the cuffs of her gown. She lowered her hands and breathed in the scent of the water. It was different here than it was on Ladrona. Filtered and purified. She licked her lips.
“I’m sorry, Cordwainer.”
“Don’t be,” ze said. “The stress... the not knowing. It’s getting to me, too.”
Jocia moved closer and began to reply, but she was startled by the door being flung open. She didn’t think before she acted, lunging to stand between Cordwainer and the running Human who had just appeared. Jocia, who had spent her entire life dedicated to non-violence, threw out her arms in anticipation of stopping the attacker by any means possible, her heart thudding against her chest as she envisioned all the ways someone could hurt Cordwainer.
It was only a moment before she recognized Captain Drayton. The Human recoiled at the sight of an attacking Ladronis, pulling the bundle she carried tighter against her chest as her eyes widened in surprise more than fear. Cordwainer put a hand on Jocia’s shoulder and gently urged her to one side.
“It’s all right, Jocy. Thank you.”
“I... was only afraid for you.”
Cordwainer smiled. “I know, darling. I know.”
Cicero held out the bundle to Cordwainer.
Jocia’s breath caught in her chest as she realized what it was. “That’s the stone? The... the piece from the beginning of the universe?”
“Not exactly,” Cordwainer said as ze took it. “It’s one of the fragments that seeded life in this corner of the galaxy. Hopefully there’s enough genetic material left on it to use as a deterrent for the Wakerran.” Ze looked at Cicero. “Admiral Reshef warned us that time is short. How close are they?”
Cicero said, “They’re extremely close.”
Cordwainer turned back to hir work. “Then I should get to work.”
“You don’t need me here for that, do you?” Cicero asked.
“No. Why? Where are you going?”
“There are two other Wakerran ships out there somewhere.”
Jocia said, “You won’t be able to leave. Admiral Reshef will never clear it.”
“Then maybe I just won’t ask Admiral Reshef. I’m not in her chain of command. You need the Karezz and Paisian fleets here to protect the Quay. You also need a pair of eyes out there making sure you don’t get piled on.” She went to the door but stopped just before she passed through into the corridor. “Look... it goes without saying that I don’t want you saying anything to anybody about this. But... Bauwerji in particular. If Bauwerji comes looking for me, just say you don’t know where I am. I made her a promise about something I’m not sure I can keep. But tell her I love her.”
“She knows,” Jocia said.
Cordwainer said, “But we’ll tell her anyway.”
“Thank you, Dr. Littlefoot. Ephor Wison. Good luck to you both.” She tapped her knuckles against the door and then was gone in a flash.
“Reckless and foolhardy,” Jocia said softly.
Cordwainer said, “Yes. They deserve each other.”
Jocia grinned and touched Cordwainer’s shoulder. Cordwainer had carefully unwrapped the stone to examine its craggy surface. To think of the potential horrors this simple rock could unleash made her shudder, and she squeezed her lover’s shoulder in a show of support.
“Is there anything I can do?”
“Pray.”
“As hard as I possibly can, darling.”
Cordwainer took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and then ze got to work.
#
The docks were still hectic enough that Cicero knew she’d have no trouble launching without being noticed. Her crew was still standing around the ship like evacuees waiting to see the building they’d just fled collapse before their eyes. Kela saw Cicero coming and moved to meet her halfway. “Rough,” she said in response to Cicero’s unasked question. “Extremely rough. It would be the worst ride we’d ever taken. But it’ll hold together.”
Aryana joined them. “We’d vent atmosphere in a lot of places. But I can minimize the effect it would have on us by shunting it through unused portions of the ship. We’d have to be very careful about where we went and what doors we didn’t open, but we could make it.”
“Sensors?”
Enatel said, “Uh... how sensitive would you need them?”
“I want to follow the Wakerran energy signature back to where they came from.”
He rubbed his chin and bared his teeth as he considered her request. “Yeah. That’s a definite. We might have to be a bit tunnel vision about it. Staring straight ahead while ignoring behind us and to the sides.”
Cicero said, “What would our top speed be?”
“Snail’s pace,” Aryana said. “The engines really didn’t like being pushed backward like that. It’s going to take everything I have to nudge them back up to a bare minimum.”
“Do what you can. I have faith in you, Yana.” She walked over to the crew with Kela and Aryana trailing her. “I don’t necessarily need the entire crew for this job. I just need eyes and a few hands at the controls. So if anyone wants to stay behind, play it safe, there wouldn’t be any judgment. Your place on the crew would still be there when we came back.”
“If you come back,” Zennes said.
“Right.”
Enatel said, “All due respect, ma’am, but where exactly could we stay behind and play it safe? Here at the Quay, with a Wakerran ship bearing down on us? If I’m going to face death, it’s going to be aboard the Sastruga, just like my wife always warned me.”
Cicero smiled as the rest of the crew agreed with him. “Then okay. Climb aboard and buckle up. As an ancient Human once said, fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.”
#
The overhead lights came back on first, followed quickly by the yeomen getting back full control of their stations. Indira tried to find some relief in those facts, but she could only think about Bauwerji’s confession. Heely was dead, murdered while attempting to assault the station’s second-in-command. Who knew how many other people were under the Wakerran’s control? Were there dozens of time bombs all around her just waiting to go off?
She looked at the screens. Three Paisian ships were hovering just beyond the debris field. Seven Karezz warships had also arrived and were lined up with three to port and four to starboard. The Wakerran vessel was now visible, but it was remaining at a discreet distance. She didn’t know if they were waiting for the other two ships, or if the Socigines they had in custody was supposed to send a signal. Either way, every screen was filled with the promise of doom and another war.
“Ma’am,” one of the yeomen said, “we have an energy signature near the docks. Someone is taking off without clearance.”
“Could it be left over from Bauwerji’s departure?” She crouched behind the man, remembering his name was Sior.
“No, ma’am. This is much larger. They’re trying to hide themselves.” His fingers danced across the control panel. “It’s the Sastruga.”
“What the hell?” Indira muttered. “Can you open a channel?”
Sior began to shake his head. “Wait... yes. Possibly.” He typed again. “They’re trying to block any communications, but I can use the emergency channel override to punch a hole through.”
Indira said, “Quick thinking, Yeoman. Remind me to put you up for a promotion when this is all over.”
“Please don’t, ma’am. I like my job too much.”
She smiled. “A commendation, then.”
“Thank you. Channel is open.”
Indira said, “This is Admiral Reshef calling Captain Drayton. Can you please tell me what in the hells you think you’re doing?”
“Trying to make up for breaking your station, Admiral. Leave this channel open for us and we’ll tell you where the other Wakerran ships are and when you can expect them.”
“Damn it, Cicerone...”
Cicero said, “We’ve all got to do our part, ma’am.”
Indira rubbed one knuckle against her lip. There was no point in arguing or trying to make her turn back. They could have sent some towships to bring her back by force, but it wasn’t as if they had soldiers to spare. “The Aphelion Project thanks you for your assistance, Captain Drayton. Consider any punitive measures for what you did to the Quay cleansed from your record.”
“Thank you, Admiral.”
“Sahrah nahsiba, Cicero.”
“You need the luck more than I do.”
“There’s enough to go around. Besides, the Wakerran are nothing compared to what Bauwerji would do if she found out I let you leave.”
Cicero laughed. “You may have a point there. Going mute, but I’ll still be here if we find anything. Sastruga signing off for now.”
Indira put a hand on Sior’s shoulder. “Guide her through the wreckage, alert the Paisian and Karezz ships to let her through. Monitor that channel and let me know if she provides any updates.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
She straightened and walked back down the aisle. She wanted to know how Cordwainer was doing with hir dreadful project, but she also knew giving constant updates would only delay it. She didn’t know what the Wakerran were waiting for, but she was positive that their patience would run out sooner rather than later.
#
“We’re clear of the debris field,” Kela reported.
Cicero nodded to her and faced forward. “The other ships?”
“They’re not reacting to us. Maybe because they think we’re one of the wreckages that broke loose.”
“A possibility,” Cicero said.
“There’s another ship out-- Captain, it’s Bauwerji’s Sprinter.”
Cicero stood up and moved closer to the screen. “What? What the hell is she doing out there?”
“It looks like she’s heading directly toward the Wakerran ship.”
“Bauwerji, you stupid stubborn faihjoh...” She put her hand on the corner of the screen where a small yellow dot indicated the ship of the woman she loved.
#
Bauwerji looked at the screen as another ship broke away from the debris field and set a course away from the blockade. She almost ignored it, focusing entirely on the Wakerran ship ahead of her, but something clicked in her mind and made her recognize it for what it was. The size and shape matched. The trail of heat and energy in its wake indicated near-critical levels of damage... without a doubt, it was the Sastruga.
“Cicerone, you stupid stubborn bijesan...”
She turned off her communicator in case Cicero was trying to talk her into going back, but the Sastruga took a different bearing. Bauwerji couldn’t waste the brainpower trying to think of what she was doing. She focused on her mission, which began and ended at getting herself to the Wakerran vessel. It had looked huge from the docks, but each passing second proved just how massive it truly was. She scanned its hull for any weaknesses she could exploit, specifically weapons ports she could disable. That was how they’d finally defeated the Cetidroi.
Unfortunately, it seemed as if the Wakerran weren’t going to be quite as accommodating. She pulled up under its curved belly and let her sensors pass across the expanse. Nothing. She picked up a few hatches which she assumed would open in the event of a firefight, but there was nothing so could exploit with the Sprinter’s weapons. She pushed her right foot back, picking up speed as she neared the stern of the enemy vessel. The engines were exposed. But there was no weapon on her ship that could do any damage to them.
No weapons on the ship... but the ship itself?
She tightened her grip on the controls. “One last hurrah,” she said. “We said this would be our last war, Biju. Might as well make it count. Add a Wakerran vessel to the remnant fleet.” She wet her lips and plotted a course that would bring her around to fly directly into the engines. She didn’t know what it would do, necessarily, but there was no technology that could survive a kamikaze run like that. She had her finger poised to enact her flight plan when all of her systems died. Sensors went dark, the running lights flickered and left her in the dark, and she could feel the air grow still.
Her ship was dead, but it was still moving. Backward. She lifted her head and looked through the canopy to see the Wakerran ship growing large again.
“Shit. They hooked me.”
She jabbed at her communicator and, in a last ditch effort, grabbed for her ejector. She would have preferred dying in the vacuum to whatever the Socigines had in mind, but it was no use. It seemed that she was going to be getting a front-row seat to the first battle of their new war.