Shadowed Passage, page 2
"I did not expect hostilities so soon," he muttered. Rowland turned to the Rickover's Captain. "Mr. Siebe, your evaluation."
His second-in-command perused the scans. "Imprecise targeting. The weapon's nature renders surgical aiming unnecessary."
"I agree. In a battle situation, the effort required to cauterize the advancing damage would cripple a ship and crew's ability to continue attack."
"Or mount a defense. An impressive weapon, sir."
"Further analysis and origin?"
Siebe sat down. He glanced at the on-screen summary and nodded. "Analysis. A single shot. Holed the Orson in jump and grazed Argosy Station and the two ships along the...projectile's path."
"Projectile or energy beam?"
Siebe shook his head. "Either way, it's beyond anything the Confluence has or is researching."
"Origin?"
"Orson jumped from Schoenfeld Eddy. There is the origin. Could be a ship, armed satellite or the Eddy dockyard."
Rowland kept his anger inside. The damn Realm wasn't content with bluffing for more power than they deserved. Independence wasn't enough, they wanted dominance. The Confluence was lucky they'd chosen him for first field, non-diplomatic contact over someone like Admiral Bakken. She'd be talking or retreating. This attack presented him with opportunity to restore disciplined command within the navy hierarchy and respect from politicians without. "This changes our charter."
"Sir?"
"Prepare to accelerate our jump schedule, Captain. The Indefatigable will secure Argosy Station and this quadrant. We will proceed to Slate's Progress."
"Why not the Eddy immediately, Admiral? Make our response hard and fast?"
"Swift action must be tempered by intelligence. Slate's is a hive of trade and ships going to and from Schoenfeld Eddy. We stop there."
"Shall I advise the Admiralty regarding our revised agenda?"
Rowland shook his head. "You know me better than that, Mr. Siebe."
"Proceed until apprehended." Siebe grinned. "Anything else, sir?"
"No. I'm expecting a visitor soon. I need to ensure she's ready to acknowledge her true loyalty."
Chapter 3
"Is our mission over before we've begun, Brother Pious?"
The pilgrimage leader read more than disappointment in Atone's question and expression. Atone wanted his fears confirmed. The other two brothers' faces were calm but looked to Pious. For guidance? As always, and the reason he couldn't relinquish his leadership yet though it must come.
"Despair is a sin to avoid, Brother Atone. We were interrupted once before at Slate's Progress. The resultant detour brought us the resources to proceed on a grander scale. Mr. Denz's arrest could be another opportunity." He couldn't see how at the moment. Perhaps the added responsibility would transform DualE from soldier to diplomatic commander. Or force Denz to rely more on skill and less on luck. They all had tests. "Don't lose faith."
Penance's interior closed tight upon him with the four pilgrims all awake, their post-cryo odors and the awareness of the vast space outside their hull. Pious tried to breathe deep but his lungs wouldn't cooperate.
Brother Remorse answered the message ping from the Crossed Swords. "Give us a few more minutes, DualE. Brother Pious is hearing our confessions after jumpspace exposure."
Pious nodded his approval. "DualE is a woman of action. To remain idle while she perceives the situation deteriorating runs contrary to her nature. Fighting the dual master of emotional response versus patient reason is a test for us all, myself included." Pious served many masters on this trek, not the least in nurturing required leadership qualities in each of them, the three brothers and their two protectors. Qualities which were currently undeveloped, were strong but clung to too many inflexible components or absent. Like DualE's patience. He also needed to fulfill the First Expansion Brotherhood's mission in the Eddy's wilds.
"Can we support her? Or influence the station on Denz's behalf?" Cardinal was the most logical brother of his fellows. His optimism lifted Pious.
"I wonder. The seeds we planted at Slate's Progress would help us there but here I'm not so sure. Being confined to the Penance is a handicap but a few electronic inquiries might give a clue." Pious needed energy he didn't have. "Atone, please recover my sermon from Slate's and prepare to broadcast it into Argosy Station. We'll measure the response and proceed from there."
"What about DualE? She's threatening to break quarantine."
"I'll speak with her. We don't want to lose the other half of our escort so soon. We don't know the situation in the Eddy, not with this apparent attack. We can trust in God's protection only to a limit. We must also rely on intuition and caution." Pious squeezed to the comm.
"DualE, this is Pious. Any word on Denz?" He activated video.
Her face strained to control her anger. He wished he was aboard her ship or she here.
"It's a brick wall. I'm not sure where he's been taken or under whose authority. I'm trying to contact the Rickover for intervention or information. If I had a diversion, I might sneak into the station and scout."
"Could we be the diversion?"
"You might. I was thinking of debarking my ship on autopilot and performing a crazy manoeuvre or two to distract the station's attention."
"Sounds like a way to have your ship destroyed if those in the station are as edgy as you."
She took a moment to respond. Pious could see the lines in her face smooth.
"You're right. There's more at stake here than my pride. Carver's arrest may be intended to distract me; push me to misguided and negative actions."
Pious was relieved by her verbal de-escalation. "You couldn't have stopped Denz from being arrested without being arrested yourself. That would have left the Penance and our mission in limbo. Our worst-case scenario at this moment is to proceed on to Slate's Progress and the Eddy with you as our sole guardian. That's preferable to none, given the potential volatility in the frontier. We didn't barnacle to Argosy Station to stop here." He must not stop here. The church would recall him and send others in their place. Pious couldn't allow that. He knew the Realm balanced on a knife-edge. Fear, reprisal, revolt, all the signs continued. Hope for the church to intervene lay with him; delay and changing missionaries meant changing the message so carefully crafted by his efforts.
DualE nodded. "Agreed. For now. Let me continue to dig from my end. I'll apprise you before I embark on any reckless course." A smile crossed her lips.
She'd backed down from immediate physical action. Good. She and Denz considered themselves protectors but Pious had a reciprocal role as well. "We will make our own inquiries, once we determine if any followers exist aboard the station."
Chapter 4
DualE broke contact with Penance and hailed the Rickover.
The navy ship's response came quickly. "Clear this channel, Crossed Swords. You are interfering with a naval operation."
She knew the voice. "Don't give me that crap, Lieutenant Brienne. I know the protocol. This is a civilian wavelength."
"In case you hadn't noticed, we're surrounded by civilians. Who are at risk. I'm flattered you recognize me, DualE, but recognition won't get you through to Admiral Rowland." Brienne's picture wavered then vanished.
"I don't need Rowland himself. Get me Captain Siebe or an aide with political muscle. I need someone in Rowland's command to run over the bureaucrat clowns running this station."
"Leave your message. I'll see what I can do."
DualE pounded her fist on the chair arm. Brienne was right, Rowland was too busy to take time for an ex-officer who'd already negotiated free passage from the Confluence. Now that she was an outsider looking in, the chain of command minimizing risk looked frustratingly inefficient. "All right, thanks. Message follows." She controlled her emotion and spoke evenly. "This is DualE of the Crossed Swords. My co-pilot, Carver Denz, has been arrested and taken off our ship by Argosy Station authorities. They claim the attack came from Schoenfeld Eddy and link Denz's former presence there to the attack. If they arrested everyone in the station who'd been in the Eddy at one time, the brigs would be overflowing. I want the real reason he's been detained and I want him released. I'll stand by." She began reviewing her station knowledge in case it came down to a one-woman retrieval operation.
"Message received. Don't call again. We'll hail you."
The inside of the Crossed Swords seemed smaller without Carver. She'd gotten used to sharing the craft with him and being part of a team again after too many months as a lone wolf undercover agent for Rowland.
The months she'd spent haunting Argosy Station had proven fruitless and her mission to determine the Realms' military strength would have failed entirely if not for her second role as Carver's anonymous protector.
While she scrubbed off the post-cryo effluvium, she scanned the messages careening within the station and set the listener program to tag any reference to Carver, herself, their ship or the Penance and its crew. She had little doubt she could sneak aboard the station and remain undetected for a day or two. She knew the station's every meter, nook and bolthole. Without knowing Carver's exact location, too much time would be wasted, increasing the likelihood of being caught. And she'd miss any message from the Rickover.
"Pious here, DualE. Any response from your former commander?"
"Nothing yet. I've left a message for Rowland. Any answer to your inquiries?"
"Like you, no worthwhile information. We're still searching for an ally if one exists. If this were Slate's Progress instead of Argosy Station, we'd have someone by now."
"Explain." She'd know they'd spent a brief time further out in the Realm. Long enough to gather a congregation?
"We had a successful gathering in Slate's and I believe the faith of one person in particular would be still active."
"There's been enough traffic between the two stations in the weeks we've been in Bohr that your follower could be among them and here now."
Pious cleared his throat. "Excuse me."
She heard another muffled cough then he resumed. "It's unlikely. Our recruit, Chels Harte, was stuck on Slate's. Too many trips through jumpspace had rendered Chels unable to psychologically survive further exposure to the universe's underbelly."
"I understand. I've had colleagues in the navy wash out before retirement because of 'Spook Syndrome'. Hope my time never comes. If it does, I hope I'm not stuck in a rathole like this station. I haven't visited Slate's, but I hear it's even grittier than Argosy."
"It is certainly chaotic. Less geometrically ordered. And the migrant inhabitants are a rougher lot." Pious rasped again. "I will leave you to your task with the Rickover. We'll be in touch if news of Denz surfaces."
Carver's escort was joined by two more uniforms as they entered the main docking area. Lights flashed, klaxons rang and station staff rushed in all directions. None of it seemed to accomplish anything except creating more panic. Why didn't those who were in one spot stay there, instead of exchanging places with those from another area?
They entered a narrow corridor leading from the main deck. The noise dropped and the light dimmed. Carver ducked when warned by the guard in front and watched his step on his own volition. Conduits dripping station fluids ran within the passageway. "Was this designed for plumbing first and humans as an afterthought?" he asked.
"Shut up."
Carver bit his lip and carried on. He was traversing parts of the station he'd not seen in his previous visits. This was the below-water portion of the Argosy Station iceberg. To complete his analogy, it was also cold. The corridor turned into a steep incline and his boots slipped. The leader grabbed Carver's tunic and pulled him along. They stepped from the tunnel into a public area. Carver tried to picture where they were but his weeks aboard Argosy hadn't brought him here. The odor of bad gin and worse beer told him they had to be close to Phyl's Fill, the basest bar on the station. The lowest geographically and socially.
Two distinct groups were in sight. Three possible patrons on their way to exchange credits for dicey alcohol and questionable goods or services in the tavern, and a pair of armed security officers who gave Carver's company a quick wave then returned to watching the civilians. The station was on edge but a few brave or reckless souls carried on their routine. Crawl from whatever hole one slept in, head for Phyl's and wash away or drown one's demons. Station attack was just another hurtle to get to the next day.
Before he could recognize any specific landmarks, they entered another maintenance tunnel. Ten minutes of ducking and hurtling deck obstacles brought the four to a formidable door, criss-crossed with decades of scars and dents. A knock with a baton spurred an opened slit occupied by a pair of eyes.
"Prisoner you're expecting," said Carver's lead guard.
The door clanged twice then opened. Carver was pushed inside and abandoned by his escorts.
The new guards pointed forward to a barred cell. "Through there." The door grumbled noisily, allowing Carver to squeeze inside. He wasn't the lone occupant; half a dozen dishevelled and tired men met his gaze with disinterest then looked away.
Carver turned around. "How long have you been expecting me?"
"No questions."
No questions from them either. The brig guards were prepared for him. The first escort hadn't contacted anyone in his presence. They must've radioed a heads-up before he re-entered the Crossed Swords. Or had someone known of his arrival before they docked? Given the near hour it took to reach here, and the fact there were three station guards ready for his EVA return, it was possible. Old enemies? New?
No interrogation because they didn't need information from him. They wanted him. Isolated from DualE and/or the brothers. Knowing what didn't help him determine why.
Carver mimicked the other prisoners, lowering his focus to the floor and shoving hands in pockets. He slumped on the crude bench to ponder past and present misdeeds.
Chapter 5
Zofie Ked sat in a booth in Phyl's Fill an hour before the bar's usual opening. Phyl granted her off-hours access for the privilege of having a confidant. 'It's us against the universe, girl.' The booth had become Zofie's informal place of business, though business had proved elusive.
The two partners Zofie recruited in the Bohr Confluence a fortnight ago had ditched her once the three of them reached Argosy Station. Her contribution to the alliance had been paying the two men's passage from Bohr to the Realm. More fool me, she thought. The old Zofie would've planned and exacted retaliation by now but the psychologically re-tooled Zofie, courtesy Brother Pious, had no such desire. Their punishment would come or it wouldn't, she would not be dragged into revenge.
Gar Kondradt had at least endorsed a charter to reactivate her brokerage enterprise. No doubt the watchful eye of the Confluence Navy had motivated his generosity. Kondradt had enough on his plate with the peace accord's enforcement not to bother with his former sub-legal commerce and intimidation activities. Rumors indicated he'd avoided conspiracy-to-commit-murder charges in the Confluence through Chancellor Mekli's intervention. His experience and lack of moral compass made him Mekli's ideal choice to deal with the navy's presence in the Chancellor's backyard. She figured Kondradt viewed her activities as a minor annoyance to the Confluence. He hadn't even met her in person; she was too minor a player or he was wary of a direct link. Add enough annoyances together and Kondradt could complete his greater agenda. Whatever it might be.
Kondradt's game was no longer Zofie's primary worry. She scrolled her update screen, looking for opportunities among the arriving and departing jumpfreighters. She tagged possibilities for further investigation. Public data was the first step. She launched her updated worms and burrowed deeper into lading lists. Excise blockers stopped her hacks for three freighters on her radar. She cancelled the inquiries and came in through a backdoor flaw. Two were classified shipments but the profit potential was limited. One had black market possibilities but the legality concerned her. She'd promised Brother Pious to stay legal. Hacking aside.
The lights rose in the tavern. She switched off the table lamp and acknowledged Phyl's arrival.
"Zofie, early bird, eh?" Phyl always looked fresh, no matter how late the customers stayed the previous night or how rowdy they got. The proprietress's red hair spouted like a flame from her head.
"Checking manifests. If I can exploit a few old contacts in the Eddy, I might have some prospects. Wish I had a clone to send to Slate's."
Phyl walked over to her, straightening tables and chairs on the way. "Trust me, Zofie. Neither this cosmos nor spookspace are ready for two of you. Anymore than it could handle two of me. We are unique, girl. I know enough crew who owe me that if you need any confidential messages carried through jumpspace to Slate's, let me help."
"Thanks, Phyl. I'll work up a proposal to send through. I don't mind being in your debt but call it if I overstep my limit."
"We'll stick together. By the way, those two morons you brought from Bohr have already showed their true worth."
"What do you mean?"
"They're in the brig. They picked a fight with the crew from a chartered freighter. You're better off on your own."
Karma showed up quickly, Zofie thought. She didn't have to make it happen. "Yeah. Seems like most days I haven't a choice."
Phyl moved away, humming an old prospector tune.
A new page popped onto Zofie's screen. An audible. She activated her earbud.
"What can I, a stranger in your midst and ignorant of your challenges, offer? I offer guidance, perhaps understanding."
"Pious," whispered Zofie. It shouldn't be a surprise; she knew the brothers were resuming their mission once Penance was refitted. She'd departed before them but now they'd arrived. A practice sermon or taking advantage of the stop-over at Argosy? If they were to be on-station for any length of time, she would pay a visit.
