Barnacle Passage, page 23
"Did I have a choice?"
"Our actions are proscribed by changing circumstance. I needed you here." Mekli locked his fingers together in one big fist. "Progress report."
"I could have given it to you without leaving Argosy Station."
"Words are only part of any message, Gar. The nuances of voice, expression and body language are helpful to me in interpretation."
Games, politicians were so enamored with games. Addressing him by first name to put him at ease, the overt game. The hidden one was intimidation, actions to acknowledge Mekli was smarter than him. Kondradt had practiced non-verbal communication most of his life. He'd give nothing away which he did not wish.
"Begin and end with Carver Denz," said Mekli, misinterpreting Kondradt's hesitation as...confusion?
"No confirmation. We have possible sighting and pursuit near the Eddy but you would know that."
The look on the Chancellor's face was not surprise. It confirmed Kondradt's latest intelligence. Mekli knew. From his own sources. "What? Surely an error. Your man was to drop Pollux off course not in the heart of our military assemblage."
"It's unconfirmed but I trust my sources. Perhaps another agency besides mine is active aboard Pollux. Regardless, it has jumped again, this time to the Confluence region."
"Are your trackers in pursuit?"
"To Bohr? Even privateers would have a difficult time disguising their true loyalties under navy questioning."
Mekli pursed his lips. "I merely wanted to confirm you would not do anything so foolish. I think it best for you to remain here until we know Pollux's fate for certain."
Don't dictate my actions. "If practical but you must assume and prepare for the worst. I am best positioned in Argosy." Mekli's body language betrayed him. The chancellor's usual skill dropped for a split-second when he questioned Kondradt's trackers. The Eddy had sent their own pursuit. Untraceable?
"You would retreat? Hide from the Confluence in your rat's warren?"
True colors, thought Kondradt. Mekli's attitude was easy to read. The Chancellor's contingency plan would be to escape and hide, leave Kondradt and others to shoulder the responsibility. Plan a triumphant reappearance when guilt had been assigned and settled. "No, Chancellor, not to secrete myself. To prepare for the Confluence's first salvo. Stop it if I can from reaching any further out. Save the Eddy, even this station." And replace you in the effort. Bohr will need a strong ally to keep the peace.
Mekli nodded, apparently satisfied Kondradt's sacrifice would give him time to flee.
Kondradt stood. "I will keep you apprised, Chancellor."
"As will I. The situation may not be as dire as you fear. I too have my resources."
The Chancellor's eyes glazed over and Kondradt felt invisible. Resources? This coward? Mekli dragged him here to satisfy the chancellor's agenda. Kondradt would use the circumstance, Mekli's words, to prepare his own contingency plans. Kondradt too had resources aboard Slate's Progress. Kondradt cleared his throat and Mekli's attention returned.
"Do not expect immediate replies, we must remain secure."
"I understand," said Kondradt though he struggled to decipher Mekli's mixed messages. He passed the guards on his way out, doubting he'd see Chancellor Mekli again. Not in this dimension. Perhaps the face would visit him in deep-sleep upon his return to Argosy Station.
CARVER SAT IN THE COMMAND chair on the bridge. He and DualE were the lone occupants. Pious and Cardinal had deserted Pollux days ago for their own ship while he and DualE had dealt with Zofie. With three deaths and one incarceration they didn't trust Carver or DualE? So much for faith in their fellow man.
"You sure you can drive this boat?" DualE performed her daily callisthenic routine.
"It pilots itself. Two weeks to go. The messages from Admiralty are piling up. Lots of debriefing. I'm tempted to unbarnacle and run with the brothers. Does Nightshade have room for two? I wouldn't trust that carcass I bought."
DualE glistened with sweat. She perched with her hands between her thighs, lifting her body from the deck, back and neck straight. She held the pose and then swung her hips away and up with a smooth, slow motion. She brought her legs together and came to a perfect handstand. She reversed the move and rested, wiping moisture from her eyes.
"You'll be a mess when we arrive," he said. "I recommend some kind of exercise regimen to get you back in tone."
"Funny. When's the last time you did a pushup?"
"I don't work for the navy any more. Or won't, once we sign off."
DualE walked over and sat next to him. "Are you sure? Settling down with your fiancé and staying put in the Confluence seems a boring waste of a man of your talents."
"Boring is the lifestyle I'm aiming for."
"Were you boring before you went to the Realm?" She toweled her hair.
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Come on, tell me. What did you do before Rowland recruited you?"
Carver checked their course for no other reason than to delay. "You don't know?"
"Wasn't elaborated upon in my briefing."
DualE poked him in the ribs.
"Ow."
"I won't stop until you tell me."
He rubbed the sore spot. The scar from Zofie's knife blade didn't itch any more but was tender. "I was a facilitator."
"You mean like group therapy? I find that hard to swallow. You're too much, not a loner per se, but a guy who has a very small circle of friends and doesn't want more."
"Not therapy hug session stuff. I facilitated companies and individuals who wanted to do business with the military."
"A fixer."
"I resent your tone. But yeah, a fixer. I run the red tape gauntlet and take my percentage."
"Upfront regardless if the applicant succeeds or fails."
"Of course. I'm doing the heavy lifting. Don't sound so judgmental."
"But you're not risking anything. You're a...a...a barnacle." She flipped the towel at his neck.
He grabbed for the towel but she was too fast. "I'm a barnacle. So what? Someone had to do it. If I get too bored, I can reactivate my career. Pick and choose my clients this time." No more favors for Helena's friends. "My share of salvage and ore mean I can keep as busy or as lazy as I desire. Helena will have no worries. There are plenty of sights and places to visit within the Confluence. I won't suffer deep-sleep or jumpspace again."
"You've got the rest of your life planned to the minute." DualE sounded disappointed.
"'No surprises Denz'. Look us up sometime. But give me plenty of notice."
"Didn't part of you find the last few months of your secret life exciting?"
"Exciting? Frightening. Disappointing. I mean, an ex-lover tried to spill my guts onto the deck. Add one more ghost to an over-haunted ship. What you call exciting I call 'no more of this, please and thank you'." He faced her. "What about you? You've got choices besides your commission with your share of salvage."
DualE shrugged. "Been trying not to get ahead of myself. I'm not like you, I've planned nothing. I can't be surprised because I expect anything could happen. I take advantage of the moment. I'll wait until the salvage settlement is certain, then think about the future. I'll always have a home and ready-made colleagues in the service. No family, no external ties. Maybe next trip to Argosy and beyond I can help deal with the threat from the Eddy." She kneaded her knee joints. "The threat could dissolve or be finished before I have the chance. Peace-keeping while the assets are divvied up. The Eddy's political leaders will prosper somehow, they always do. The only losers will be those who are already way past the Eddy, suddenly being shared by new masters."
"I get it, being a pioneer isn't worth it. You could be a valued observer. You've been there, you've seen how far men like Kondradt can be trusted."
"I'll see. I haven't been asked. Speaking of Kondradt and his duplicity, it's my turn to visit Zofie and make sure she hasn't killed another servo-unit."
"Our shrinking violent. I never saw her being so nasty. Looks deceived me, enough reason not to rely on my instincts as a spy. I trust too much."
"No, you don't. You thought physical intimacy meant loyalty. Zofie is what we call a honey trap."
"Another reason to pension me off. I was warned and I fell for the child-like innocence. Her loyalty was to her home, the Eddy. It treated her like a used rag and she still fought for it." He'd been on his guard in every other instance but Zofie had been a blind spot, exploiting his loneliness after the sudden separation from Helena. "Want me to come with you? Everything's under control here."
"No, I need the time to think. You could use the solitude too."
"I'm not the loner I used to be. Cardinal getting us here, you saving me from Zofie; I can see the advantage in being accountable."
"You just told me you and Helena were the only co-accountablity options you needed."
He nodded. "Yeah, my mind keeps flipping. But go ahead, Zofie tossed her food at me last time. Hate to think what she's saved for you."
"I won't lower the screen to check on a woman pretending to be sick."
"Have fun," said Carver to her retreating back as DualE plunged into the 'lock.
He heard the other door cycle and pictured DualE making her way downship towards the sole remaining conscious occupant. The Penance had blocked his attempts to communicate with the brothers, its AI informing him they would contact the bridge if and when they deemed communication appropriate.
He patted his slack stomach muscles, envying the rippled contours of DualE's. He stood and swung his arms. An exercise routine wouldn't be a waste during the final days aboard. A few knee bends and he began panting. Three pushups and he collapsed to the deck. "Good workout. See if I can improve tomorrow." He wondered what there was to eat and went to check the larder.
PIOUS EMERGED FROM his meditation. His consciousness observed his body from above before re-occupation of the shell. His anger at the girl's betrayal of Carver burned him. Of all the barnacles, Zofie had been the one he trusted most. She had fooled his experience and instinct, bringing in to question his impressions of many of the folk he'd encountered during their mission. The calming exercise helped. There were some people one could not take at face value. Or two-faced value.
"You continue to punish yourself, Brother Pious," said Atone.
"You are my confessor, Atone, whether I think to ask or not. I thank you. I do not punish myself. I question my judgment. Perhaps I should not be your leader. I get too passionate about our cause and that caused my misstep. The ones I should have trusted, Carver and DualE, I suspected."
"You must not abdicate your role, Pious. You demonstrate your leadership daily. We all are allowed mistakes. You make few. Your negotiation talent brought us resources beyond imagining. Your field experience navigates our task through dangerous environs."
Pious placed a hand on Atone's shoulder. "You inspire me, brother. Let us share tea with the others and discuss our plans for the future. The Eddy will expand. There will be new worlds to offer guidance. Our mission will be at the forefront with them. We must clear the way for our order to follow in greater numbers."
He roused Remorse and Cardinal from their somnolence. "Brothers, we near our destination. We shall discuss our return to the Schoenfeld Eddy. Our work has barely begun, we must not lose our momentum or faith. God has brought us through perilous passage. God and Brother Cardinal. Proof we can't separate faith from flesh."
Still, Pious thought, the warrior flesh of DualE would be a welcome asset to any mission. Recruiting her had been on his mind for the last week. The thoughts clamored for a change in the brotherhood's methodology. Could he reconcile alliance with a bodyguard who might not believe as they?
Chapter 39
DualE drifted along the passageway, humming to herself. She understood Carver's quest for solitude. The time she'd spent in Nightshade, tracking Carver, had been the most time she'd been on her own in years. One was always part of a team, relying on and being relied upon by the rest. She had demonstrated the skill to succeed on her own. DualE needed to evaluate this new reality.
She halted before the brig airlock. What distraction would Zofie present this time? Attacks had run their course. Pleading, whining, cries of innocence, threats and promises of redemption had all been attempted. DualE cycled inside, hand on her baton.
Zofie sat in the middle of her cell, surrounded by abandoned food trays, dried waste and the shredded remains of her cot.
DualE didn't raise the transparent barrier but rotated the speaking grid open. "Prison diet must agree with you, Zofie. I mean, to promote the energy it took to build this mess. You've done something to your hair. Not washing it. Do you hope Pollux will provide a nest-builder to infest this offal heap and keep you company? From your hair's current state, I'd say the bugs will need convincing. It must smell in there."
Zofie did not move nor acknowledge DualE's presence.
"Willful Damage to Pollux will be charged against our salvage value so I suggest you clean up your mess. Remember, until you are convicted, you are still a registered claimant."
Zofie raised her head. She ran her tongue around her lips then spat at the wall. "You think I can use it to buy my freedom? Bribe a judge or two? Thanks for the tip. I won't need it. The power above me will make my crimes disappear."
"More likely they'll make you disappear. If they exist."
"Leave me alone."
"Shall do. We wanted to make sure you hadn't done yourself an injury. Carver was all for me leaving something lethal in your cell," she lied. "He can't accept how wrong he was about you. He doesn't recognize how you could love him with one part of you and plot to kill him with another. Body and soul, not always in syncopation, are they, sister?"
"You wouldn't know, would you DualE? I doubt you've ever loved or hated with any part of you. You dance to commands and automatic training reactions. A simple stimulus-response organism. The more passion you have, they more you see how it can be manipulated." She rose and dragged her filth-encrusted body to the wall. Despite her outward appearance, Zofie's eyes shone confident, defiant. "I regret Ellick. Thought he was stronger. Thought his greed would sustain him. I respected his honesty about that." She slumped to the floor, a hand pressed to the clear surface. "You've never had to make a tough decision, every answer you need is prefaced by an order. I've had to make decisions with consequence as long as I can remember." She tapped her head. "It's because I can envision all the possibilities, can't shut down the imagination."
"I'm sorry, Zofie." The girl had made her decisions and now had to live with the consequences. Internment and conscience.
"Don't pity me. I feel sorry for you. You've never had the thrill of coming out the other side of something because of your ability alone. Go away. Don't bother sending Carver either. I'll be here when the time comes to debark. Wallow in your own poison, not mine." She turned her back to DualE. Scars from long ago crisscrossed Zofie's shoulders. Even in her full-on sexual assault on Carver, she'd kept them covered while exposing everything else. This wasn't modesty, this was horrible memories she couldn't share with anyone.
DualE set the cleaning timer to engage before docking. Give the girl some respect.
"We have two weeks of clear spacing ahead, Zofie. Use the time and solitude to reach peace with yourself. No distractions."
DualE's radio buzzed. "Carver. What's up?" She could hear an alarm wailing in the background.
"Cryo, the crew's waking up. I'll meet you there."
"No distractions?" said Zofie. She was still laughing when DualE left the brig.
It was a lonely trek to the crew chamber. Who knew, maybe Zofie would buy clemency? What could DualE buy?
CARVER RELAYED THE news to the naval escort. "Crew is coming out of cryo. Can we get a doctor aboard Pollux? I'm not confident we can handle any medical complication arising from the aborted previous revival."
"No expertise here either, Denz, we're a system patrol. Never jump. We can move closer in case you need to evac anyone but medically you're more familiar with cryo than any of us."
He might need protection once Captain Aswan found out his ship was under salvage contention. "That may help, thanks. I'll keep you posted."
Carver scanned the bridge for a possible weapon but found nothing. DualE confiscated Zofie's blade. He'd have to rely on her if Aswan took exception to their presence and actions.
Carver prayed this was his final round-trip inside Pollux. Zofie's crazy added to the spook mix inside the aging freighter. Salvage resale might turn into dismantling. Tough on Aswan and his crew but they should've had better security.
Carver found DualE waiting outside the 'lock of the crew chamber.
"Anything from inside?" he asked.
"Don't know," she said. "I thought I'd wait for you. Two against six is better than one."
"My fear too," said Carver. "They could be hostile."
"I was thinking disorientation and post-sleep psychosis but I see your point. No need to inform them of our salvage claim. If they find out, let it be through official channels. Ready?"
"No," he said and cracked the outer door.
Three minutes later, they stepped inside the chamber, expecting a half dozen messed up or dead crewmen. There was only one.
"Aswan's the sole coffin on green," said DualE. "Didn't the alert tell you?"
Carver recalled the alert signal. "It may have, I couldn't tell. I assumed it meant everyone but protocol out of deep-sleep would have the captain revived first and his decision to awaken the others."
"Protocol would revive them two hours after him if something went wrong with his revival."
"Let's make certain than doesn't happen," said Carver. "I wish we had Zofie's system expertise for this."
"Look." She pointed. "The canopy's lifting on its own."
They moved to the coffin and stood by while Aswan's fluids were replaced, his lungs drained and body temperature increased. Carver checked the remaining coffins. Solid orange. No immediate revival. Would he prevent Aswan from awakening them? He had no right and it could be interpreted as a hostile act if he did.
