The Scorpion's Fire (Beyond the Impossible Book 8), page 22
“The Perons have spent years building alliances in both the civilian and military sectors. Their informal payroll casts a wide net far beyond Esperanza. I believe they had my brother killed as part of a long-range plan. Kara, we call ourselves the free worlds, but there’s no freedom. There never has been. The illusion of freedom is built on decisions made inside the Actuarium.”
“You wish to change it?”
Abby shook her head.
“I want to find balance before all voices but one are silenced. The system we have is too entrenched. I can’t simply unravel it.”
“We can’t help you with that,” Yusef said, his tone firm. “All we can do is fight the Swarm.”
Abby reached inside a suit pocket and displayed a hand-comm. Kara recognized the design.
“Lt. Cambria retrieved it on the Admiral’s orders. You’ll be able to contact your ship for short conversations without detection. Some in the Peron bloc might construe this as treason. I want you to see I’m acting in good faith on your behalf.”
“What do you want in return?” Yusef said.
“If you’ll recall, I said your arrival was a miracle on two counts. The first was to turn the tide militarily against the Swarm and the Perons. The second is larger. A terrifying mystery some of us are trying to solve. If you help on both, I’ll do everything in my power to see to it your mission succeeds and you leave here safely.”
“A mystery? About what?”
Abby pursed her lips and closed her eyes for a moment.
“Contrary to what you heard in Council, many believe in other universes. It’s all been theory until today. People will be stunned, but not nearly as much as when they hear what our scientists recently discovered. The Peron bloc silenced the data from going public. They claim it’s nonsense. I need you to tell me it’s not.”
“You’re being vague,” Kara said.
“Only because I wish it were nonsense. You four are travelers. You crossed between universes. If anyone can verify our findings, I think it will be you.”
“Findings about what?”
Abby sighed.
“The end of the universe.”
22
SGC Sturgeon
Rally Fournos system
E MPRESS CHASTAIN HAD A LIFELONG fondness for milk. Unfortunately, milk did not like her. Doctors devised remedies for the gas, yet nothing worked. They advised she abandon milk when she replaced her grandmother on the throne. She’d never want to experience discomfort or seek relief at a public audience. No?
She prayed to God to end her gastronomic confusion. He did not find time in his busy schedule to respond. Of course, Chastain was being selfish to ask such a thing. Prideful. Yet the punishment seemed grossly unfair, especially given her grandmother’s obsessive, overblown diet of cheese.
Which is why she often indulged in a small, cold glass when she retired to her private suite and settled into her evening dress. Two hours of quiet reading and devotionals passed with little fanfare, save the occasional burst. By morning, the problem dissipated.
Tonight, Chastain felt the embarrassment approach when a chime interrupted her peace. Outside the curtain, her secretary waited with bowed head, as if preparing to have it removed.
“Unless God himself stands at my door,” she said, “I see no reason for this interruption.”
“With all apologies, Empress. You asked to be disturbed if Agent Whitehall reported in.”
“Whitehall? He’s outside?”
“No, Empress. He remains on Esperanza. He says the matter is urgent. I have his full message on glass.”
“Leave it on the stand.”
“Yes, Empress.”
Whitehall? He came through, after all.
From her installment, Chastain told Division LM her plan for infiltration would work, even in the heart of the Confederation. DLM had a dreadful record developing deep-cover spies. True scorpions couldn’t handle the rigors of reconditioning. It needed to work the other way around: Sculpt the minds of trusted figures in the free worlds. No one of great power; mostly those in the middle. Suitable enough to gain access while being overlooked.
So began a quiet program of capture and release.
She received updates on her agents. Severn Whitehall won her heart after he secured a plum security role inside the Actuarium. He was the only agent given a direct link to Chastain.
The Empress retrieved a tablet lying on a service stand outside her bedroom. Her secretary had queued it to play.
Whitehall was a chiseled man with a life spent in the security sector after a tour with the Talons. However, he spoke with a pillow-soft, reverential tone.
“Empress, I hope God has bestowed you with the blessings of good health and His Light.”
She passed gas and resumed viewing.
“Empress, I must report most urgent developments. Hours ago, a warship of unknown origin and design appeared in our system. I have accessed the initial transmissions for your viewing. This warship sent a delegation to the Actuarium. They passed my security station and entered the Chamber House. The Administrative Council heard their proposal. Though I do not have the details, it would appear they are inviting the Confederation to join an alliance against you and your Great Crusade.”
Everything else – from the transmissions of the delegates’ faces to a vid of the warship called Lightfoot – proved anticlimactic.
Chastain contemplated the timetable for strikes on the free worlds, Esperanza, and Alpha universe. At last update, Supreme Admiral Horowitz said all the pieces would be in place in four days.
Chastain changed into her full habit, unleashed a short volley of gastric excess, and entered her office, where her secretary waited.
“I just spoke to his aide, Empress,” the secretary said. “He’ll have to be wakened.”
“Tell his aide: If Horowitz is not on holo with me in five minutes, he will join his predecessor on a greased pole.”
Horowitz, somewhat disheveled, appeared four minutes later.
“Empress, how may I serve you?”
“You may serve me, Supreme Admiral, by adjusting your plans.”
* * *
“I’m being dramatic,” Abby Duma said. “Even my brother thinks so. I hope you can shed some light.”
Kara shared a glance with Yusef when Abby said the words “end of the universe.” Of the four delegates, only they knew what Amayas Knight claimed to have discovered at The Hold. The whole thing seemed farfetched. Eight universes collapsing? He claimed the overuse of Splinters would accelerate the collapse and end all outside threats. The Genesis Defense, he called it.
Abby opened a tablet and threw up a holographic image. They saw an infinite field of stars and galaxies. Nothing unusual.
“This image was taken five years ago. It’s from a deep-range telescope at the Korrath Research Station. It’s designed to study the origins of the universe. The faintest light you see is 16.2 billion years old. At least, that’s what we thought.”
“What changed your mind?”
“Not mine. The lead astronomer at Korrath, Eton Evander. His team found discrepancies over the past few years. I’ll show you a sequence of ten images of the same starfield.”
She lingered on each for a few seconds, not enough time for a discerning eye to make out any so-called discrepancies.
“Now I’m going to show you all the images overlaid, starting five years ago and working forward to three months ago, when Evander first reported his findings to the Council. The oldest image contains seven thousand galaxies.”
She tapped the tablet, and the sequence played out. At first, Kara saw nothing unusual. By the sixth image, her eye detected anomalies. Were stars twinkling out? By the final image, she saw enhanced space between certain star clusters. Very nuanced – until Abby tapped the screen once more.
Red pinpricks filled in the gaps where stars once flickered. They dotted every region of the most recent image.
“What does it mean?” Kara asked, although she suspected.
“The final image contains sixty-two hundred galaxies.”
The team stared at each other in awed confusion.
Rikard spoke for the group: “You’re saying that in five years, this universe lost eight hundred galaxies?”
Abby shrugged. “I know it seems impossible. Evander’s team has verified these images. They are the identical coordinates. You saw the overlays. He’s also verified that we no longer see the oldest light. The first galaxies are gone.”
“You’re sure it’s not an optical illusion?” Yusef asked.
“He’s certain. They simply disappeared. There’s no remnant, no remains whatsoever.”
Kara hesitated to ask. “What’s his theory?”
“Evander’s team believes the universe is contracting. This was always a theoretical possibility, but the speed makes no sense.”
“What do you mean?”
“Evander says contraction should occur at roughly the same rate as expansion. Even if the universe were dying, so to speak, he believes we shouldn’t be affected for billions of years.”
“How fast is this happening?”
Her deep sigh suggested the words were unbearable to speak.
“He says it’s accelerating at an exponential pace. If it doesn’t slow, we’ll be measuring our fate in decades. Or less.”
“It’s stunning.” Yusef gazed at the overlay and then at Abby. “It’s unimaginable.”
“According to most of the Council and a few others who were made aware, it’s also ridiculous,” Abby said. “Evander’s own team does not support his hypothesis of a super-rapid contraction. I think they’re scared. If this gets out, there will be panic.”
“I assume the Council silenced him.”
“I fear for Evander and his entire team.”
Kara’s fleeting glance with Yusef said she’d take it from here.
“Abby, I appreciate your situation, but I don’t know how you expect us to help you.”
“Your technology is comparable to ours, Kara, maybe even better, and you crossed universes. I was hoping you’d have some means to study the data and reach a definitive conclusion. Maybe compare it against your own universe.”
“We have astronomers who do this sort of thing. But we’d have to return home with the data and possibly send them back here. You see where I’m going?”
Abby nodded. “An extension to our alliance. What I hoped for.”
“If we could talk to Lightfoot, and you could get a more definite timeline on the Council meeting, maybe we’ll be able to meet in the middle. I’m sure you don’t want the Council to get wind of this.”
“No. Not at all.”
“We’ll do the best we can, if you do the same.”
Kara rose from the chair and extended her hand. Abby shook then surrendered the hand-comm.
“If your devices have a scrambling capability, you can extend your interaction to three minutes,” she told Kara. “If not, keep them short. No more than a minute.”
“Understood. Thank you, Abby.”
“I’ll be in touch soon. If not me, then through Cambria.”
She started for the door then whirled around.
“We’re not good people here, but some of us are trying to do right. Have faith in us. I don’t think your arrival is a coincidence.”
Abby left with Lt. Cambria.
“I’ll be damned,” Yusef said after an awkward silence. “Amayas was right. The bastard was right.”
Kara nodded. “It’s all ending. He said reality would just … end.”
Henri interjected. “I apologize, but I am confused.”
“You’re not the only one,” Rikard added.
“I’m sorry,” Yusef said. “There are things you don’t know about Amayas and the Splinters. Only a few people do. You weren’t told because it didn’t seem relevant. The data is locked away with SI.”
“Huh.” Henri poured a glass of water. “Now that the conflicted Councilwoman has bared her dramatic news, I suspect the data is relevant. I’d like to know more about how reality is ending.”
“Theirs,” Yusef said. “Not ours.”
“Good. I’d like to enjoy my retirement years.”
* * *
Abby heard a mouthful from Angel, to which she responded with “what’s done is done.” They argued in his executive office.
“You made promises you cannot keep,” he said.
“I will if you work with me, Angel. I seem to be the only one trying to expedite the next hearing. Harkness is ready to present. If he believes the Perons are plotting against him, he’ll make his move with the other Admirals.”
Angel threw back the last of his liquor.
“What will we gain? A divided fleet. Potentially a civil war. How long before we lose our seats? I asked you to show patience.”
“I had a notion, and I ran with it.”
“Oh, yes.” He turned his back on her. “You and your notions. What did you expect to gain by telling them about Aden?”
She grabbed his shoulder and slung him around.
“Confirmation. Everyone on Hokkaido heard about the incident. They all believed it was suspicious.”
“No, Abby. They believed it was unusual. We’ll never know if the Perons were involved. All you’ve done is shown the delegation how weak our hand is. The Perons have eyes everywhere. They’ll know you visited.”
“The visit, yes, but not context. I acted as a good host.”
She saw fear in his eyes, but he wasn’t tense. Perhaps he still had some fight left over.
“A good host?” He chuckled. “You showed them Evander’s work. We agreed to hold off until we had leverage.”
“Angel, we can’t keep doing business the same way. Between the Swarm and Evander’s findings, we face new realities.”
“I don’t disagree. Abby, I spoke with Tarrance, Cleo, and Prea. They don’t want to push the Perons. They’re not sold on the proposal. Frankly, they suspect a Swarm influence even though Harkness cleared the delegates.”
“That’s it then? No chance of meeting tonight?”
“Not unless Liv and Garruth have a change of heart.”
Abby shrugged. “Fine. I’ll knock on their doors myself.”
“Not a chance. They’ll smell your desperation.”
“Nonsense.”
“I already do.”
“That’s genetics talking, brother.”
“It’s screaming. Abby, go to your quarters. Get some rest. The Council will reconvene in the morning.”
Apparently, she was wrong. He’d run out of fight.
“If the Perons make a move against Harkness before morning?”
Angel shook his head and yawned.
“I see no reason. They hold too strong a hand.”
“Which is why they wouldn’t be afraid to strike first.”
He didn’t disagree, which Abby thought telling. What happened to the steel-spined brother who used to love playing the game? Losing Aden hit him worse than she realized.
Abby developed a notion after she left Angel’s office. She walked the corridor with Lt. Cambria.
“Do you know the security profile on the dock, Lieutenant?”
“Somewhat.”
“If our guests were to leave, they’d have to pass through two waves of security to reach their shuttle. Correct?”
“Yes. Two stations, each manned by three guards.”
“If one of us accompanied the guests, would security request clearance from their superiors?”
Cambria stopped and gazed the quiet hallway with suspicion. She whispered her response.
“Is this a hypothetical, or do you have something in mind?”
Abby said, “Will I have your full cooperation, Lieutenant?”
“Of course. Adm. Harkness says you’re on our team.”
“So, what will happen if we escort the guests to their ship?”
“Access will be denied, by order of the Council.”
She cursed under her breath.
“We never issued such an order. I can guess who did. Follow me, Lieutenant.”
They walked to the first security post at the dock. Argo waited in a slip fifty meters away. The guards greeted by tipping their hats.
“Good evening, gentlemen,” Abby said. “Which of you is the supervisor?”
“That would be me, Council Duma,” a guard in a tight brown uniform said. “How may I help?”
“I apologize. I’ve seen you often, but I can’t place the name.”
“Whitehall, Council Duma. Sgt. Severn Whitehall.”
“Oh, yes. Sergeant, is there a standing order regarding the guests brought in on the shuttle Argo?”
Whitehall thought for a moment and smiled.
“Their ship is locked down, order of the Council.”
“Even if I were to accompany them …?”
“Afraid not, Council Duma. We’d need a full countermand.”
One notion led to another.
“Sergeant, might I see the order?”
The crease in his polite smile dissolved.
“Truth is, Council, we didn’t receive a written order. It was verbal. Well within his authority to do so. State security.”
“I see. Who gave the verbal order?”
“Adm. Harkness.”
It wasn’t the answer she expected. Abby tried not to flinch.
“Thank you, Sgt. Whitehall. Good work.”
“I’m here to protect and serve. Good night, Council.”
* * *
“It’s a clever plan, Captain,” Col. Van Parish said from his starboard office on Lightfoot. “Three in five chance it will work. Hope you never give the order.”
Exeter studied the holo along with his Hornet commanders.
“I hope we never reach that point, Colonel, but I need the teams to be ready. Can you four turn this over in time?”
The Commanders stood tall, their voices loud.
“Yes, sir.” “Count on us, Captain.”
“It’s not what the crew trained for, but the Swarm might not be our most pressing enemy.”
Van nodded. “My only concern is the order to disable rather than destroy. Restraint may lead to hesitation, and that puts our pilots at greater risk.”
“You wish to change it?”
Abby shook her head.
“I want to find balance before all voices but one are silenced. The system we have is too entrenched. I can’t simply unravel it.”
“We can’t help you with that,” Yusef said, his tone firm. “All we can do is fight the Swarm.”
Abby reached inside a suit pocket and displayed a hand-comm. Kara recognized the design.
“Lt. Cambria retrieved it on the Admiral’s orders. You’ll be able to contact your ship for short conversations without detection. Some in the Peron bloc might construe this as treason. I want you to see I’m acting in good faith on your behalf.”
“What do you want in return?” Yusef said.
“If you’ll recall, I said your arrival was a miracle on two counts. The first was to turn the tide militarily against the Swarm and the Perons. The second is larger. A terrifying mystery some of us are trying to solve. If you help on both, I’ll do everything in my power to see to it your mission succeeds and you leave here safely.”
“A mystery? About what?”
Abby pursed her lips and closed her eyes for a moment.
“Contrary to what you heard in Council, many believe in other universes. It’s all been theory until today. People will be stunned, but not nearly as much as when they hear what our scientists recently discovered. The Peron bloc silenced the data from going public. They claim it’s nonsense. I need you to tell me it’s not.”
“You’re being vague,” Kara said.
“Only because I wish it were nonsense. You four are travelers. You crossed between universes. If anyone can verify our findings, I think it will be you.”
“Findings about what?”
Abby sighed.
“The end of the universe.”
22
SGC Sturgeon
Rally Fournos system
E MPRESS CHASTAIN HAD A LIFELONG fondness for milk. Unfortunately, milk did not like her. Doctors devised remedies for the gas, yet nothing worked. They advised she abandon milk when she replaced her grandmother on the throne. She’d never want to experience discomfort or seek relief at a public audience. No?
She prayed to God to end her gastronomic confusion. He did not find time in his busy schedule to respond. Of course, Chastain was being selfish to ask such a thing. Prideful. Yet the punishment seemed grossly unfair, especially given her grandmother’s obsessive, overblown diet of cheese.
Which is why she often indulged in a small, cold glass when she retired to her private suite and settled into her evening dress. Two hours of quiet reading and devotionals passed with little fanfare, save the occasional burst. By morning, the problem dissipated.
Tonight, Chastain felt the embarrassment approach when a chime interrupted her peace. Outside the curtain, her secretary waited with bowed head, as if preparing to have it removed.
“Unless God himself stands at my door,” she said, “I see no reason for this interruption.”
“With all apologies, Empress. You asked to be disturbed if Agent Whitehall reported in.”
“Whitehall? He’s outside?”
“No, Empress. He remains on Esperanza. He says the matter is urgent. I have his full message on glass.”
“Leave it on the stand.”
“Yes, Empress.”
Whitehall? He came through, after all.
From her installment, Chastain told Division LM her plan for infiltration would work, even in the heart of the Confederation. DLM had a dreadful record developing deep-cover spies. True scorpions couldn’t handle the rigors of reconditioning. It needed to work the other way around: Sculpt the minds of trusted figures in the free worlds. No one of great power; mostly those in the middle. Suitable enough to gain access while being overlooked.
So began a quiet program of capture and release.
She received updates on her agents. Severn Whitehall won her heart after he secured a plum security role inside the Actuarium. He was the only agent given a direct link to Chastain.
The Empress retrieved a tablet lying on a service stand outside her bedroom. Her secretary had queued it to play.
Whitehall was a chiseled man with a life spent in the security sector after a tour with the Talons. However, he spoke with a pillow-soft, reverential tone.
“Empress, I hope God has bestowed you with the blessings of good health and His Light.”
She passed gas and resumed viewing.
“Empress, I must report most urgent developments. Hours ago, a warship of unknown origin and design appeared in our system. I have accessed the initial transmissions for your viewing. This warship sent a delegation to the Actuarium. They passed my security station and entered the Chamber House. The Administrative Council heard their proposal. Though I do not have the details, it would appear they are inviting the Confederation to join an alliance against you and your Great Crusade.”
Everything else – from the transmissions of the delegates’ faces to a vid of the warship called Lightfoot – proved anticlimactic.
Chastain contemplated the timetable for strikes on the free worlds, Esperanza, and Alpha universe. At last update, Supreme Admiral Horowitz said all the pieces would be in place in four days.
Chastain changed into her full habit, unleashed a short volley of gastric excess, and entered her office, where her secretary waited.
“I just spoke to his aide, Empress,” the secretary said. “He’ll have to be wakened.”
“Tell his aide: If Horowitz is not on holo with me in five minutes, he will join his predecessor on a greased pole.”
Horowitz, somewhat disheveled, appeared four minutes later.
“Empress, how may I serve you?”
“You may serve me, Supreme Admiral, by adjusting your plans.”
* * *
“I’m being dramatic,” Abby Duma said. “Even my brother thinks so. I hope you can shed some light.”
Kara shared a glance with Yusef when Abby said the words “end of the universe.” Of the four delegates, only they knew what Amayas Knight claimed to have discovered at The Hold. The whole thing seemed farfetched. Eight universes collapsing? He claimed the overuse of Splinters would accelerate the collapse and end all outside threats. The Genesis Defense, he called it.
Abby opened a tablet and threw up a holographic image. They saw an infinite field of stars and galaxies. Nothing unusual.
“This image was taken five years ago. It’s from a deep-range telescope at the Korrath Research Station. It’s designed to study the origins of the universe. The faintest light you see is 16.2 billion years old. At least, that’s what we thought.”
“What changed your mind?”
“Not mine. The lead astronomer at Korrath, Eton Evander. His team found discrepancies over the past few years. I’ll show you a sequence of ten images of the same starfield.”
She lingered on each for a few seconds, not enough time for a discerning eye to make out any so-called discrepancies.
“Now I’m going to show you all the images overlaid, starting five years ago and working forward to three months ago, when Evander first reported his findings to the Council. The oldest image contains seven thousand galaxies.”
She tapped the tablet, and the sequence played out. At first, Kara saw nothing unusual. By the sixth image, her eye detected anomalies. Were stars twinkling out? By the final image, she saw enhanced space between certain star clusters. Very nuanced – until Abby tapped the screen once more.
Red pinpricks filled in the gaps where stars once flickered. They dotted every region of the most recent image.
“What does it mean?” Kara asked, although she suspected.
“The final image contains sixty-two hundred galaxies.”
The team stared at each other in awed confusion.
Rikard spoke for the group: “You’re saying that in five years, this universe lost eight hundred galaxies?”
Abby shrugged. “I know it seems impossible. Evander’s team has verified these images. They are the identical coordinates. You saw the overlays. He’s also verified that we no longer see the oldest light. The first galaxies are gone.”
“You’re sure it’s not an optical illusion?” Yusef asked.
“He’s certain. They simply disappeared. There’s no remnant, no remains whatsoever.”
Kara hesitated to ask. “What’s his theory?”
“Evander’s team believes the universe is contracting. This was always a theoretical possibility, but the speed makes no sense.”
“What do you mean?”
“Evander says contraction should occur at roughly the same rate as expansion. Even if the universe were dying, so to speak, he believes we shouldn’t be affected for billions of years.”
“How fast is this happening?”
Her deep sigh suggested the words were unbearable to speak.
“He says it’s accelerating at an exponential pace. If it doesn’t slow, we’ll be measuring our fate in decades. Or less.”
“It’s stunning.” Yusef gazed at the overlay and then at Abby. “It’s unimaginable.”
“According to most of the Council and a few others who were made aware, it’s also ridiculous,” Abby said. “Evander’s own team does not support his hypothesis of a super-rapid contraction. I think they’re scared. If this gets out, there will be panic.”
“I assume the Council silenced him.”
“I fear for Evander and his entire team.”
Kara’s fleeting glance with Yusef said she’d take it from here.
“Abby, I appreciate your situation, but I don’t know how you expect us to help you.”
“Your technology is comparable to ours, Kara, maybe even better, and you crossed universes. I was hoping you’d have some means to study the data and reach a definitive conclusion. Maybe compare it against your own universe.”
“We have astronomers who do this sort of thing. But we’d have to return home with the data and possibly send them back here. You see where I’m going?”
Abby nodded. “An extension to our alliance. What I hoped for.”
“If we could talk to Lightfoot, and you could get a more definite timeline on the Council meeting, maybe we’ll be able to meet in the middle. I’m sure you don’t want the Council to get wind of this.”
“No. Not at all.”
“We’ll do the best we can, if you do the same.”
Kara rose from the chair and extended her hand. Abby shook then surrendered the hand-comm.
“If your devices have a scrambling capability, you can extend your interaction to three minutes,” she told Kara. “If not, keep them short. No more than a minute.”
“Understood. Thank you, Abby.”
“I’ll be in touch soon. If not me, then through Cambria.”
She started for the door then whirled around.
“We’re not good people here, but some of us are trying to do right. Have faith in us. I don’t think your arrival is a coincidence.”
Abby left with Lt. Cambria.
“I’ll be damned,” Yusef said after an awkward silence. “Amayas was right. The bastard was right.”
Kara nodded. “It’s all ending. He said reality would just … end.”
Henri interjected. “I apologize, but I am confused.”
“You’re not the only one,” Rikard added.
“I’m sorry,” Yusef said. “There are things you don’t know about Amayas and the Splinters. Only a few people do. You weren’t told because it didn’t seem relevant. The data is locked away with SI.”
“Huh.” Henri poured a glass of water. “Now that the conflicted Councilwoman has bared her dramatic news, I suspect the data is relevant. I’d like to know more about how reality is ending.”
“Theirs,” Yusef said. “Not ours.”
“Good. I’d like to enjoy my retirement years.”
* * *
Abby heard a mouthful from Angel, to which she responded with “what’s done is done.” They argued in his executive office.
“You made promises you cannot keep,” he said.
“I will if you work with me, Angel. I seem to be the only one trying to expedite the next hearing. Harkness is ready to present. If he believes the Perons are plotting against him, he’ll make his move with the other Admirals.”
Angel threw back the last of his liquor.
“What will we gain? A divided fleet. Potentially a civil war. How long before we lose our seats? I asked you to show patience.”
“I had a notion, and I ran with it.”
“Oh, yes.” He turned his back on her. “You and your notions. What did you expect to gain by telling them about Aden?”
She grabbed his shoulder and slung him around.
“Confirmation. Everyone on Hokkaido heard about the incident. They all believed it was suspicious.”
“No, Abby. They believed it was unusual. We’ll never know if the Perons were involved. All you’ve done is shown the delegation how weak our hand is. The Perons have eyes everywhere. They’ll know you visited.”
“The visit, yes, but not context. I acted as a good host.”
She saw fear in his eyes, but he wasn’t tense. Perhaps he still had some fight left over.
“A good host?” He chuckled. “You showed them Evander’s work. We agreed to hold off until we had leverage.”
“Angel, we can’t keep doing business the same way. Between the Swarm and Evander’s findings, we face new realities.”
“I don’t disagree. Abby, I spoke with Tarrance, Cleo, and Prea. They don’t want to push the Perons. They’re not sold on the proposal. Frankly, they suspect a Swarm influence even though Harkness cleared the delegates.”
“That’s it then? No chance of meeting tonight?”
“Not unless Liv and Garruth have a change of heart.”
Abby shrugged. “Fine. I’ll knock on their doors myself.”
“Not a chance. They’ll smell your desperation.”
“Nonsense.”
“I already do.”
“That’s genetics talking, brother.”
“It’s screaming. Abby, go to your quarters. Get some rest. The Council will reconvene in the morning.”
Apparently, she was wrong. He’d run out of fight.
“If the Perons make a move against Harkness before morning?”
Angel shook his head and yawned.
“I see no reason. They hold too strong a hand.”
“Which is why they wouldn’t be afraid to strike first.”
He didn’t disagree, which Abby thought telling. What happened to the steel-spined brother who used to love playing the game? Losing Aden hit him worse than she realized.
Abby developed a notion after she left Angel’s office. She walked the corridor with Lt. Cambria.
“Do you know the security profile on the dock, Lieutenant?”
“Somewhat.”
“If our guests were to leave, they’d have to pass through two waves of security to reach their shuttle. Correct?”
“Yes. Two stations, each manned by three guards.”
“If one of us accompanied the guests, would security request clearance from their superiors?”
Cambria stopped and gazed the quiet hallway with suspicion. She whispered her response.
“Is this a hypothetical, or do you have something in mind?”
Abby said, “Will I have your full cooperation, Lieutenant?”
“Of course. Adm. Harkness says you’re on our team.”
“So, what will happen if we escort the guests to their ship?”
“Access will be denied, by order of the Council.”
She cursed under her breath.
“We never issued such an order. I can guess who did. Follow me, Lieutenant.”
They walked to the first security post at the dock. Argo waited in a slip fifty meters away. The guards greeted by tipping their hats.
“Good evening, gentlemen,” Abby said. “Which of you is the supervisor?”
“That would be me, Council Duma,” a guard in a tight brown uniform said. “How may I help?”
“I apologize. I’ve seen you often, but I can’t place the name.”
“Whitehall, Council Duma. Sgt. Severn Whitehall.”
“Oh, yes. Sergeant, is there a standing order regarding the guests brought in on the shuttle Argo?”
Whitehall thought for a moment and smiled.
“Their ship is locked down, order of the Council.”
“Even if I were to accompany them …?”
“Afraid not, Council Duma. We’d need a full countermand.”
One notion led to another.
“Sergeant, might I see the order?”
The crease in his polite smile dissolved.
“Truth is, Council, we didn’t receive a written order. It was verbal. Well within his authority to do so. State security.”
“I see. Who gave the verbal order?”
“Adm. Harkness.”
It wasn’t the answer she expected. Abby tried not to flinch.
“Thank you, Sgt. Whitehall. Good work.”
“I’m here to protect and serve. Good night, Council.”
* * *
“It’s a clever plan, Captain,” Col. Van Parish said from his starboard office on Lightfoot. “Three in five chance it will work. Hope you never give the order.”
Exeter studied the holo along with his Hornet commanders.
“I hope we never reach that point, Colonel, but I need the teams to be ready. Can you four turn this over in time?”
The Commanders stood tall, their voices loud.
“Yes, sir.” “Count on us, Captain.”
“It’s not what the crew trained for, but the Swarm might not be our most pressing enemy.”
Van nodded. “My only concern is the order to disable rather than destroy. Restraint may lead to hesitation, and that puts our pilots at greater risk.”
