The Splinter Alliance (Beyond the Impossible Book 2), page 24
“I think it’s easy to assume he must have some connection to the Aeternans, directly or otherwise. Why else would he feel the need to block their system from wormhole travel?”
“We did have a similar theory.”
“One last annoying detail. How did your people learn the necessary algorithmics? It’s one thing to have a ship with Worm capability, but quite another to know how to fly it.”
Siobhan’s grimace demonstrated her surprise at the question.
“Algorithmics? No one. The drivers require only a finishing coordinate on the GPNM. The program handles the math.”
Cando jumped in. “What’s this, now? Push button Worm travel?”
Ham responded to Siobhan’s shrug.
“That’s his ‘miracle.’ The Aeternans have had Worm for years, so the tech itself is not a great leap. His magic lies in the user interface. Imagine, for a moment, the possibilities. Any fool, no matter the motivation, can set a target anywhere in the Collectorate, jump out of Worm, and fire those weapons straight away.”
Kara turned cold. “That’s terrifying. Why would he design this?”
“It’s why we stole Scylla,” Siobhan said, expression unchanged. “It was going to be our shortcut.”
“Your honesty is refreshing,” he told Siobhan. “I’ve never heard a Chancellor speak for so long without swerving from side to side.”
“When I was a child, I was taught how to use truth to disguise a lie. I despised it, and I’m tired of the verbal warfare. I’ve told you what I know because no matter what happens today, the fight for Aeterna will go forward. There are thirty thousand Chancellors on twenty-five ships across twelve star systems. We are committed.”
“Very good, Siobhan. I’m sure we’ll have endless questions. For now, I’d like to consult with my team. You’re free to wait in C&C or retire to your quarters.”
Siobhan showed the first hint of surprise at the abrupt dismissal.
“What did you think?” He asked Kara after the door slipped shut.
“Direct. Well spoken. Knows her mind.”
“Was she lying?”
“I don’t think so.”
He turned to Cando and Yusef. “Lying?”
“If she is,” Cando said, “she gave us a master class.”
Ham nodded. “What she said about being taught to disguise a lie inside a truth is standard practice. I’d like to think we’ve found the one honest Chancellor among the stars.”
“But you don’t?” Kara said.
“I see Siobhan as decent, idealistic, and circumspect. But she shot her captain between the eyes. She did not seem bothered by her father’s death. This is not someone to trust. There are gaps in her story. Subtle, but in need of filler.”
He turned to Cando. “Recall Ryllen. Have him meet us here. We have a very difficult conversation ahead of us. And that’s after I tell him about Exeter.”
36
ES Transport Persephone
Inside the Fulcrum
E XETER’S ARM DID NOT GROW BACK. New flesh sealed the stump. Exeter would have preferred a final death to this half measure. The punishment also wasn’t enough for some Chancellors; he saw the blood in their eyes. They wanted his head. They wanted the rest chopped into bits and scattered across space. Yet when Scylla’s evacuees realized they were making the long journey home with Exeter onboard, they replaced disdain and loathing with a quiet resignation befalling anyone who finds cause to ally with an enemy.
They held him in isolation in the transport’s bowels. The room wasn’t much bigger than a utility closet. Two chairs. Table the size of a nightstand. The single panel light was blue, and it hummed. He wanted to fall asleep and hope never to wake up, but the light refused.
He curled up in a corner and wallowed in self-pity.
Why did they have to come back to this universe? Yes, the war against the Chancellor Swarm was bloody, endlessly exhausting, and paid itself off in body counts, but Exeter was a good soldier and a great killer. He learned discipline, efficiency, and remorseless slaughter of mortals whose day was guaranteed.
He recalled each battle. The terror of the early days turned into a type of freedom and at times, an exhilaration. The things he could do with a weapon in each hand …
RJ showed him the art of war and the intensity of love.
Couldn’t they have stayed forever? They were guaranteed each other, long past the Swarm or the Talons. Why did RJ insist their destinies were tied to their home universe? Why did Exeter believe revenge against one man justified the return?
Exeter knew it in his heart: Home would find a way to break their love. RJ would put his obsessions before Exeter.
The door slid open. A Chancellor girl brought him a tray. She set it on the table without comment and left.
Meat, vegetables, stew, bread. The smell drew him out of the corner. Steam rose. It was a feast, like something from a real kitchen. Not rations or imitation. Exeter drooled.
Somewhere during the meal, he wondered if the food was drugged, but the suspicion couldn’t compete against his hunger. He was mopping up the last of the gravy with a roll when the door slid open again, but it wasn’t the girl returning for the tray.
The tall woman filled the doorway with a commanding stance. She tucked her hands behind her back and studied Exeter with curious eyes and a half-smile. Her red hair was close cropped, and she wore a two-piece body suit in muted tones – a far cry from the exotic finery most evacuees sported.
“May I join you?”
It wasn’t actually a question, so Exeter didn’t bother to answer. She took his non-cue and stepped inside.
“Did you enjoy your meal?”
He wiped his lips. “Yes.”
“Good. I wanted to make sure you had the best. The truth is, the rest of us are living on strict rations until we return to the fleet.”
“When’s that?”
“A few days. Do you mind if I sit?”
Again, no need for an answer. She set the tray aside.
“I do apologize for the living conditions, Exeter. Our passengers are quite particular about their lodging. And you understand, we can’t allow you into common areas until the temperature settles.”
“You mean until no one wants to kill me on sight?”
“Not that they could kill you for long. I hate to be so bold, but what is your typical regeneration time?”
“You could shoot me now and find out.”
She laughed. “I only ask out of morbid curiosity. But if you’d rather not, we can move on.”
“Who are you?”
“Ah. We’re moving on then. My name is Angela.”
“What do you want from me?”
“Honest answers.”
“You have to tell me one thing first.”
“Which is?”
“Why do you care so much that I’m immortal?”
“I think anyone who will die someday would like to know your secret. Yes?”
“I don’t even know my secret. Except I can’t grow my arm back when it’s been cut off.”
“Then it’s a very good thing you confessed before Captain Romilius sliced off the other one. But to your question, Exeter: Your immortality in and of itself is not of interest. I know how you were created and by whom. Your mother and father, so to speak, were acquaintances. Their work was destroyed, and the process cannot be duplicated. So, my curiosity is not about learning how to live forever. It’s about bringing to justice all those who will.”
“What? Why?”
“No, Exeter. I answered your question. Now you must answer mine. It will be painless. Shall we begin?”
Angela tapped her right temple. A holographic cube drifted before her eyes. She stretched it into a thin window. Exeter saw blurs where she read text and graphics.
“Exeter, have you ever lived on Aeterna?”
“No.”
“Did you belong to the terrorist group known as Salvation?”
“No.”
“Do you remember your first years on Earth?”
“No. Just flashes.”
“How old were you when you were placed with a colonial family?”
“I don’t know. I think maybe four.”
“On what planet?”
“Everdeen.”
“Interesting. I’ll bet you didn’t fit in well among the Caribs.”
“I never saw much of them.”
“Why?”
“I was kept in chains most of the time.”
“Interesting. We’ve heard reports of indigos who took the stipends and kept the child out of sight. Shameful behavior. Yes? Did you live anywhere else before your time with the Inventor?”
“They moved me around on Everdeen. Mostly between estates.”
“Did conditions improve for you?”
“Sometimes I had my own room and I could move around a bit. But there was always a tradeoff.”
“What did they expect in return?”
Exeter felt a surge of hot terror when he tried to answer despite having come to terms with it long ago. Those years with RJ buried the humiliation.
“They wanted me to be waiting and not resist.”
Angela shaded her eyes when she caught on. He saw the disgust; she wasn’t expecting it to go this way.
“How often did this occur?”
“Every day.”
“I trust at some point you escaped.”
“When I was ten, a woman named Katherine Woolsey found me. She worked for a Chancellor Sanctum. She was touring a hospital when she rescued me. She thought I was a Chancellor’s child that had been kidnapped. A few days later, the Carriers were attacked. We didn’t get off world in time. We had to hide during the reprisals. That’s when Amayas Knight found us. He snuck us away.”
“A fortunate turn, Exeter. That explains why you were never found by the Aeternans after they sent out the call to the colonies.”
“What call?”
“Hmm. After they took over the Aeterna system, they recovered most immortal kids planted on the colonies. They had a database to draw from. They found little resistance from the indigos. Usually, children like you did not fit in with people like them. And immortality was considered freakish rather than a gift to be envied.”
“I didn’t know what I was until Amayas cast me out.”
Exeter was hearing this for the first time. He wondered how RJ avoided being found. After all, he grew up in an elite household.
“So, Katherine Woolsey and Amayas Knight raised you for the next several years?”
“They did. They taught me about my Chancellor heritage. I wanted to fight in the Earth civil war, but it ended too soon.”
“I see. A patriot. Of course, you now understand your heritage only extends as far as a laboratory. Yes?”
“I do.”
“If you were a true patriot, you certainly would not have killed everyone onboard the Herodotus. Yes?”
“I made a choice. Amayas showed me the universe. My only loyalty was to him.”
“So, you didn’t hate the Chancellors you killed?”
“No. I pressed a button. I killed strangers. It wasn’t hard.”
“I understand. In my previous career, I ordered the deaths of many strangers. Killing from a great distance lacks an emotional immediacy. You confessed earlier of traveling through the Splinter to another universe. You said you were a soldier. Including the Herodotus, how many humans have you killed?”
“I didn’t keep count. I’d guess five thousand. Maybe six.”
“Did you take a certain measure of joy in killing the enemy?”
He wondered if this was a trick question. Dare he answer with the truth? Dare he explain how the love of another man kept him sane? And how that same man turned away when Exeter needed him most?
“Yes,” he told her. “I came to enjoy it.”
“Is it in your blood even now? This desire to kill?”
“Yes.”
“That might be your Chancellor heritage talking. Ironic, given how most of your victims have been Chancellors. But Exeter, I hold you blameless. You have been violently abused and neglected most of your life. Whatever tender mercies might have come your way, they were followed by disillusion, betrayal, and heartbreak. Yes?”
She wasn’t wrong, but Exeter couldn’t bring himself to admit it.
“You don’t have to answer,” Angela said. “I see the truth in your eyes. You are capable of deep, abiding love and you are loyal. But these qualities only apply to those who reciprocate them. You’re tired of the neglect and betrayal.”
“I’m just tired.”
“Aren’t we all? In summation, it appears you are in no way tainted by the Aeternans, but you are deeply scarred by an endless series of traitors, including those who surrendered you without a fight. I have a proposal, Exeter: A new life with a guarantee of love and peace for all the centuries you will live.”
“You can’t make guarantees.”
“I disagree. First, I guarantee we will provide you with a new arm. We have the phasic tech in our fleet to build you a synthetic arm that, frankly, will be stronger and more durable than your right. Consider it a down payment.”
“For what?”
“A new home. For you. For us. Help us correct the most shameful episode in the Chancellory’s history. Do this, and you will find love, home, and hearth. You will stand revered as both a Chancellor and an immortal. Your praises will be sung throughout Aeterna.”
“How? I’m nobody.”
“Then you join us in good stead. We are all nobodies. Our enemies made it their mission.”
“I’m one man.”
“One man in search of purpose and a place to belong. I think you’ll see we are perfectly matched.”
Angela pushed back her chair and stood. She extended her right hand. Exeter knew the choice he was being given: Join or die.
“If you betray me, I’ll kill you,” he said, shaking her hand. “I’ll kill you all.”
“I would expect no less, Exeter. You’ve made the right decision. My name is Angela Poussard, and I was the last Supreme Admiral of the Unification Guard.” She bowed as if speaking to a superior. “You will be under my direct protection and supervision. Now, about that Splinter you say was hidden on Hokkaido. My friends would appreciate the details.”
37
Warship Scylla
Two hours after surrender
R YLLEN DID NOT TAKE THE NEWS WELL. Ham worried about his silence, a quiet burn without expression. This wasn’t the worst possible news, yet the tension felt funereal.
“We have to rescue him,” Ryllen said at last. “What’s your plan?”
“There is none,” Ham said, surveying the table that included Cando, Yusef, and Kara. “We have no way of knowing his location.”
“Bullshit. We have two dozen prisoners. They know where the other ships are.”
“Some might. However, Siobhan Morrow said there are twenty-five ships scattered across twelve systems. There are thirty thousand Chancellors on those ships. We can’t repeat what we did to Scylla twenty-five times – even if we knew their coordinates.”
“She’s lying, Admiral, and you know it.”
“Lying? Yes. About some things. This? I doubt. Colonel, they have taken Exeter to use in a campaign to claim Aeterna for themselves. The Splinter Alliance and the Inventor is not their focus. But it is ours. We do not have the resources to wage war against what’s left of the Chancellory.”
Those gray eyes seemed emptier than usual. Ham saw them last during the height of Ryllen’s serial spree against the team that ambushed and killed his first lover, Kai Durin. As Ryllen hunted them down one at a time and killed each with considerable relish, he claimed his overriding purpose was to find the man he considered most responsible: Shin Wain. The man who gave the orders.
Ham couldn’t help but wonder: Am I the new Shin Wain? If he can’t rescue Exeter, will he take out his rage on the man who surrendered X to the Chancellors?
Ryllen turned to Cando and Yusef.
“You’re my brothers. X is our brother. Will you help me find him?”
The pilots looked at each other as if to say, “You go first.”
“Colonel,” Cando said. “You’ve given everything for us, and X has been a brilliant Talon. We don’t leave our brothers behind. We will find him, but I agree with the Admiral. This is not the time, and we don’t have the resources for such a mission.”
Yusef groaned. “I’m fond of X. I am. You see, Colonel, it’s not that I don’t want to bring him home. I don’t see how we can.”
Ham hoped agreement from Talons might settle Ryllen.
He was wrong.
“How many times have I died for you?” He turned to Kara. “Or you?” His saved his loudest for Ham. “I worked harder than anyone to drill us out of that planet. I slaughtered these cudfrucking coits to save X because you promised we would. So, I’m going to keep working. But this time, I’m going around to these assholes one by one. They tell me what they know, or I hurt them. They still don’t talk, I kill them.”
That’s quite far enough, RJ.
“Yusef. Kara. Major. The Colonel and I need the room. We won’t be long. Thank you.”
They left without objection, but Ham saw their apprehension. When the room cleared, Ham pushed back his chair and examined a shelf of plantings up close.
“You have lost perspective, RJ.”
“This isn’t about my emotions, Ham. It’s about doing what’s right.”
“Torturing and killing our prisoners is not right. Expending our resources with little hope for success is not right. RJ, I am truly apologetic for losing Exeter. It was a calculated gamble, and I lost. But it also gave us the best chance to survive. For that, I will offer no apology. What concerns me is your emotional stability and how it might endanger this mission.”
“My mind is clear. I know the mission.”
“There you’re wrong. RJ, I watched the battle on the landing bay. I saw how you behaved at the end. The way you taunted those soldiers. They surrendered, but you gave them no mercy.”
Ryllen reared up and stalked toward Ham until firmly in the Chancellor’s face.
“There is no mercy in war. I never took a prisoner fighting the Swarm, and I won’t take one now.”
“We did have a similar theory.”
“One last annoying detail. How did your people learn the necessary algorithmics? It’s one thing to have a ship with Worm capability, but quite another to know how to fly it.”
Siobhan’s grimace demonstrated her surprise at the question.
“Algorithmics? No one. The drivers require only a finishing coordinate on the GPNM. The program handles the math.”
Cando jumped in. “What’s this, now? Push button Worm travel?”
Ham responded to Siobhan’s shrug.
“That’s his ‘miracle.’ The Aeternans have had Worm for years, so the tech itself is not a great leap. His magic lies in the user interface. Imagine, for a moment, the possibilities. Any fool, no matter the motivation, can set a target anywhere in the Collectorate, jump out of Worm, and fire those weapons straight away.”
Kara turned cold. “That’s terrifying. Why would he design this?”
“It’s why we stole Scylla,” Siobhan said, expression unchanged. “It was going to be our shortcut.”
“Your honesty is refreshing,” he told Siobhan. “I’ve never heard a Chancellor speak for so long without swerving from side to side.”
“When I was a child, I was taught how to use truth to disguise a lie. I despised it, and I’m tired of the verbal warfare. I’ve told you what I know because no matter what happens today, the fight for Aeterna will go forward. There are thirty thousand Chancellors on twenty-five ships across twelve star systems. We are committed.”
“Very good, Siobhan. I’m sure we’ll have endless questions. For now, I’d like to consult with my team. You’re free to wait in C&C or retire to your quarters.”
Siobhan showed the first hint of surprise at the abrupt dismissal.
“What did you think?” He asked Kara after the door slipped shut.
“Direct. Well spoken. Knows her mind.”
“Was she lying?”
“I don’t think so.”
He turned to Cando and Yusef. “Lying?”
“If she is,” Cando said, “she gave us a master class.”
Ham nodded. “What she said about being taught to disguise a lie inside a truth is standard practice. I’d like to think we’ve found the one honest Chancellor among the stars.”
“But you don’t?” Kara said.
“I see Siobhan as decent, idealistic, and circumspect. But she shot her captain between the eyes. She did not seem bothered by her father’s death. This is not someone to trust. There are gaps in her story. Subtle, but in need of filler.”
He turned to Cando. “Recall Ryllen. Have him meet us here. We have a very difficult conversation ahead of us. And that’s after I tell him about Exeter.”
36
ES Transport Persephone
Inside the Fulcrum
E XETER’S ARM DID NOT GROW BACK. New flesh sealed the stump. Exeter would have preferred a final death to this half measure. The punishment also wasn’t enough for some Chancellors; he saw the blood in their eyes. They wanted his head. They wanted the rest chopped into bits and scattered across space. Yet when Scylla’s evacuees realized they were making the long journey home with Exeter onboard, they replaced disdain and loathing with a quiet resignation befalling anyone who finds cause to ally with an enemy.
They held him in isolation in the transport’s bowels. The room wasn’t much bigger than a utility closet. Two chairs. Table the size of a nightstand. The single panel light was blue, and it hummed. He wanted to fall asleep and hope never to wake up, but the light refused.
He curled up in a corner and wallowed in self-pity.
Why did they have to come back to this universe? Yes, the war against the Chancellor Swarm was bloody, endlessly exhausting, and paid itself off in body counts, but Exeter was a good soldier and a great killer. He learned discipline, efficiency, and remorseless slaughter of mortals whose day was guaranteed.
He recalled each battle. The terror of the early days turned into a type of freedom and at times, an exhilaration. The things he could do with a weapon in each hand …
RJ showed him the art of war and the intensity of love.
Couldn’t they have stayed forever? They were guaranteed each other, long past the Swarm or the Talons. Why did RJ insist their destinies were tied to their home universe? Why did Exeter believe revenge against one man justified the return?
Exeter knew it in his heart: Home would find a way to break their love. RJ would put his obsessions before Exeter.
The door slid open. A Chancellor girl brought him a tray. She set it on the table without comment and left.
Meat, vegetables, stew, bread. The smell drew him out of the corner. Steam rose. It was a feast, like something from a real kitchen. Not rations or imitation. Exeter drooled.
Somewhere during the meal, he wondered if the food was drugged, but the suspicion couldn’t compete against his hunger. He was mopping up the last of the gravy with a roll when the door slid open again, but it wasn’t the girl returning for the tray.
The tall woman filled the doorway with a commanding stance. She tucked her hands behind her back and studied Exeter with curious eyes and a half-smile. Her red hair was close cropped, and she wore a two-piece body suit in muted tones – a far cry from the exotic finery most evacuees sported.
“May I join you?”
It wasn’t actually a question, so Exeter didn’t bother to answer. She took his non-cue and stepped inside.
“Did you enjoy your meal?”
He wiped his lips. “Yes.”
“Good. I wanted to make sure you had the best. The truth is, the rest of us are living on strict rations until we return to the fleet.”
“When’s that?”
“A few days. Do you mind if I sit?”
Again, no need for an answer. She set the tray aside.
“I do apologize for the living conditions, Exeter. Our passengers are quite particular about their lodging. And you understand, we can’t allow you into common areas until the temperature settles.”
“You mean until no one wants to kill me on sight?”
“Not that they could kill you for long. I hate to be so bold, but what is your typical regeneration time?”
“You could shoot me now and find out.”
She laughed. “I only ask out of morbid curiosity. But if you’d rather not, we can move on.”
“Who are you?”
“Ah. We’re moving on then. My name is Angela.”
“What do you want from me?”
“Honest answers.”
“You have to tell me one thing first.”
“Which is?”
“Why do you care so much that I’m immortal?”
“I think anyone who will die someday would like to know your secret. Yes?”
“I don’t even know my secret. Except I can’t grow my arm back when it’s been cut off.”
“Then it’s a very good thing you confessed before Captain Romilius sliced off the other one. But to your question, Exeter: Your immortality in and of itself is not of interest. I know how you were created and by whom. Your mother and father, so to speak, were acquaintances. Their work was destroyed, and the process cannot be duplicated. So, my curiosity is not about learning how to live forever. It’s about bringing to justice all those who will.”
“What? Why?”
“No, Exeter. I answered your question. Now you must answer mine. It will be painless. Shall we begin?”
Angela tapped her right temple. A holographic cube drifted before her eyes. She stretched it into a thin window. Exeter saw blurs where she read text and graphics.
“Exeter, have you ever lived on Aeterna?”
“No.”
“Did you belong to the terrorist group known as Salvation?”
“No.”
“Do you remember your first years on Earth?”
“No. Just flashes.”
“How old were you when you were placed with a colonial family?”
“I don’t know. I think maybe four.”
“On what planet?”
“Everdeen.”
“Interesting. I’ll bet you didn’t fit in well among the Caribs.”
“I never saw much of them.”
“Why?”
“I was kept in chains most of the time.”
“Interesting. We’ve heard reports of indigos who took the stipends and kept the child out of sight. Shameful behavior. Yes? Did you live anywhere else before your time with the Inventor?”
“They moved me around on Everdeen. Mostly between estates.”
“Did conditions improve for you?”
“Sometimes I had my own room and I could move around a bit. But there was always a tradeoff.”
“What did they expect in return?”
Exeter felt a surge of hot terror when he tried to answer despite having come to terms with it long ago. Those years with RJ buried the humiliation.
“They wanted me to be waiting and not resist.”
Angela shaded her eyes when she caught on. He saw the disgust; she wasn’t expecting it to go this way.
“How often did this occur?”
“Every day.”
“I trust at some point you escaped.”
“When I was ten, a woman named Katherine Woolsey found me. She worked for a Chancellor Sanctum. She was touring a hospital when she rescued me. She thought I was a Chancellor’s child that had been kidnapped. A few days later, the Carriers were attacked. We didn’t get off world in time. We had to hide during the reprisals. That’s when Amayas Knight found us. He snuck us away.”
“A fortunate turn, Exeter. That explains why you were never found by the Aeternans after they sent out the call to the colonies.”
“What call?”
“Hmm. After they took over the Aeterna system, they recovered most immortal kids planted on the colonies. They had a database to draw from. They found little resistance from the indigos. Usually, children like you did not fit in with people like them. And immortality was considered freakish rather than a gift to be envied.”
“I didn’t know what I was until Amayas cast me out.”
Exeter was hearing this for the first time. He wondered how RJ avoided being found. After all, he grew up in an elite household.
“So, Katherine Woolsey and Amayas Knight raised you for the next several years?”
“They did. They taught me about my Chancellor heritage. I wanted to fight in the Earth civil war, but it ended too soon.”
“I see. A patriot. Of course, you now understand your heritage only extends as far as a laboratory. Yes?”
“I do.”
“If you were a true patriot, you certainly would not have killed everyone onboard the Herodotus. Yes?”
“I made a choice. Amayas showed me the universe. My only loyalty was to him.”
“So, you didn’t hate the Chancellors you killed?”
“No. I pressed a button. I killed strangers. It wasn’t hard.”
“I understand. In my previous career, I ordered the deaths of many strangers. Killing from a great distance lacks an emotional immediacy. You confessed earlier of traveling through the Splinter to another universe. You said you were a soldier. Including the Herodotus, how many humans have you killed?”
“I didn’t keep count. I’d guess five thousand. Maybe six.”
“Did you take a certain measure of joy in killing the enemy?”
He wondered if this was a trick question. Dare he answer with the truth? Dare he explain how the love of another man kept him sane? And how that same man turned away when Exeter needed him most?
“Yes,” he told her. “I came to enjoy it.”
“Is it in your blood even now? This desire to kill?”
“Yes.”
“That might be your Chancellor heritage talking. Ironic, given how most of your victims have been Chancellors. But Exeter, I hold you blameless. You have been violently abused and neglected most of your life. Whatever tender mercies might have come your way, they were followed by disillusion, betrayal, and heartbreak. Yes?”
She wasn’t wrong, but Exeter couldn’t bring himself to admit it.
“You don’t have to answer,” Angela said. “I see the truth in your eyes. You are capable of deep, abiding love and you are loyal. But these qualities only apply to those who reciprocate them. You’re tired of the neglect and betrayal.”
“I’m just tired.”
“Aren’t we all? In summation, it appears you are in no way tainted by the Aeternans, but you are deeply scarred by an endless series of traitors, including those who surrendered you without a fight. I have a proposal, Exeter: A new life with a guarantee of love and peace for all the centuries you will live.”
“You can’t make guarantees.”
“I disagree. First, I guarantee we will provide you with a new arm. We have the phasic tech in our fleet to build you a synthetic arm that, frankly, will be stronger and more durable than your right. Consider it a down payment.”
“For what?”
“A new home. For you. For us. Help us correct the most shameful episode in the Chancellory’s history. Do this, and you will find love, home, and hearth. You will stand revered as both a Chancellor and an immortal. Your praises will be sung throughout Aeterna.”
“How? I’m nobody.”
“Then you join us in good stead. We are all nobodies. Our enemies made it their mission.”
“I’m one man.”
“One man in search of purpose and a place to belong. I think you’ll see we are perfectly matched.”
Angela pushed back her chair and stood. She extended her right hand. Exeter knew the choice he was being given: Join or die.
“If you betray me, I’ll kill you,” he said, shaking her hand. “I’ll kill you all.”
“I would expect no less, Exeter. You’ve made the right decision. My name is Angela Poussard, and I was the last Supreme Admiral of the Unification Guard.” She bowed as if speaking to a superior. “You will be under my direct protection and supervision. Now, about that Splinter you say was hidden on Hokkaido. My friends would appreciate the details.”
37
Warship Scylla
Two hours after surrender
R YLLEN DID NOT TAKE THE NEWS WELL. Ham worried about his silence, a quiet burn without expression. This wasn’t the worst possible news, yet the tension felt funereal.
“We have to rescue him,” Ryllen said at last. “What’s your plan?”
“There is none,” Ham said, surveying the table that included Cando, Yusef, and Kara. “We have no way of knowing his location.”
“Bullshit. We have two dozen prisoners. They know where the other ships are.”
“Some might. However, Siobhan Morrow said there are twenty-five ships scattered across twelve systems. There are thirty thousand Chancellors on those ships. We can’t repeat what we did to Scylla twenty-five times – even if we knew their coordinates.”
“She’s lying, Admiral, and you know it.”
“Lying? Yes. About some things. This? I doubt. Colonel, they have taken Exeter to use in a campaign to claim Aeterna for themselves. The Splinter Alliance and the Inventor is not their focus. But it is ours. We do not have the resources to wage war against what’s left of the Chancellory.”
Those gray eyes seemed emptier than usual. Ham saw them last during the height of Ryllen’s serial spree against the team that ambushed and killed his first lover, Kai Durin. As Ryllen hunted them down one at a time and killed each with considerable relish, he claimed his overriding purpose was to find the man he considered most responsible: Shin Wain. The man who gave the orders.
Ham couldn’t help but wonder: Am I the new Shin Wain? If he can’t rescue Exeter, will he take out his rage on the man who surrendered X to the Chancellors?
Ryllen turned to Cando and Yusef.
“You’re my brothers. X is our brother. Will you help me find him?”
The pilots looked at each other as if to say, “You go first.”
“Colonel,” Cando said. “You’ve given everything for us, and X has been a brilliant Talon. We don’t leave our brothers behind. We will find him, but I agree with the Admiral. This is not the time, and we don’t have the resources for such a mission.”
Yusef groaned. “I’m fond of X. I am. You see, Colonel, it’s not that I don’t want to bring him home. I don’t see how we can.”
Ham hoped agreement from Talons might settle Ryllen.
He was wrong.
“How many times have I died for you?” He turned to Kara. “Or you?” His saved his loudest for Ham. “I worked harder than anyone to drill us out of that planet. I slaughtered these cudfrucking coits to save X because you promised we would. So, I’m going to keep working. But this time, I’m going around to these assholes one by one. They tell me what they know, or I hurt them. They still don’t talk, I kill them.”
That’s quite far enough, RJ.
“Yusef. Kara. Major. The Colonel and I need the room. We won’t be long. Thank you.”
They left without objection, but Ham saw their apprehension. When the room cleared, Ham pushed back his chair and examined a shelf of plantings up close.
“You have lost perspective, RJ.”
“This isn’t about my emotions, Ham. It’s about doing what’s right.”
“Torturing and killing our prisoners is not right. Expending our resources with little hope for success is not right. RJ, I am truly apologetic for losing Exeter. It was a calculated gamble, and I lost. But it also gave us the best chance to survive. For that, I will offer no apology. What concerns me is your emotional stability and how it might endanger this mission.”
“My mind is clear. I know the mission.”
“There you’re wrong. RJ, I watched the battle on the landing bay. I saw how you behaved at the end. The way you taunted those soldiers. They surrendered, but you gave them no mercy.”
Ryllen reared up and stalked toward Ham until firmly in the Chancellor’s face.
“There is no mercy in war. I never took a prisoner fighting the Swarm, and I won’t take one now.”
