The Splinter Alliance (Beyond the Impossible Book 2), page 29
“Move,” he told them, his pistol directing them toward the top of the stairwell. Ham positioned himself at the front of the trio.
“What are you planning, RJ?”
“I know what this device is for.” He held up the black egg. “When Scylla restarts, the rest will be easy. I found this attached to a core distribution tunnel in the Connector Bridge. I’ve had four days to do my research.”
“For all the rings, why would you want to destroy this ship? After everything we endured to take it?”
“This is the way it has to end. The ship is not safe. Plus, it was made for a new army. How many more are they making just like it? If I destroy this one, you can hunt down the others and take them out. It’s one less chance for another war. Then you can finish the search for the Inventor.”
Ham softened his tone.
“Ah. You intend for the rest of us to evacuate?”
“Of course. Why would I kill you? What purpose does that serve?”
“About as much as what you’re doing now. RJ, you’ve been alone with your thoughts too long. Have you decided to sacrifice yourself one last time?”
Ryllen gave away the hint of glee.
“When you put it like that, Ham, it sounds nice. One. Last. Time.”
“Death by atomization? I doubt an immortal could survive it.”
“You don’t believe me?”
“Yes, RJ. I suppose you might try. What puzzles me is why. This is not about what you lost, is it? Destroying this ship isn’t about eliminating a tool of war or protecting us from sabotage. I think, RJ, you want to be remembered for a spectacular closing act.”
“What?”
“Dying for others has less of an impact when the sacrifice is temporary. But something as legendary as taking out our galaxy’s first Worm-capable warship? Now that is dramatic.”
“You don’t understand me, Ham. You never did.”
Ham took a step forward. Kara whispered for Cando to pull him back. Ham objected with the wag of a finger.
“I understood the boy I met many years ago. I understood his desperation. I understood his need to find a place in this world. You returned to me hours after you crossed the divide. I could tell you were older, more experienced. Harder, so to speak. How was I to process the change? On that count, I failed. I never appreciated what the war did to you. But RJ, I will not allow that war to excuse this behavior.”
Ryllen tightened his aim. If Ham went down, he would do so with an incinerated heart.
“All I want you to do is leave me. I’m done. Can’t you see that?”
“I see you’re tired. Yes. I see you’re in pain. Yes. But RJ, you don’t want to die because of what you lost or because we somehow betrayed you or no longer appreciate all your efforts. A man can overcome these difficulties. A valley of despair is, by definition, surrounded by hills one might choose to climb. No, you wish to die before the full scope of your guilt becomes common knowledge.”
“What are you …?”
“Come now, RJ. You know of what I speak. You’re a traitor.”
Kara did not have time to process the accusation. The moves were blinding. Ham launched into the air like something with motorized flight, his limbs appearing to dissemble as he attacked Ryllen.
The pistol flew high and long over the platform’s edge. Ryllen grunted, spun, and was hurled off his feet. His head slammed into the bulkhead, leaving a bloodstain as he collapsed in a heap.
Ham cracked his knuckles and massaged his neck. Then, with a precision military spin, he faced Kara and Cando.
“I was a soldier of the Guard,” he said with casual flair. “We were taught many techniques. One does not unlearn those techniques.”
43
R YLLEN CUT A MISERABLE FIGURE. Crumpled like a rag doll, braids falling over his face, blood spewing from his left nostril. He did not deserve the black armor that shielded him from neck down. Kara thought there might be a tragedy to be told here, but she could not find a drop of sympathy.
“Is he dead?” She asked as Cando bent over Ryllen.
“Yes.”
“Good. He got what he wanted.”
“For the next few moments,” Ham reminded her. “Then we will have a more complicated issue.”
Cando turned swiftly. “Why did you call him a traitor?”
Ham reached down and collected the black device Ryllen held in his left hand.
“Good thing this did not react like a grenade. I studied it while he rambled. I thought the odds of detonation were acceptably low.”
Kara was floored. “Wait. You knew there was a risk we’d all be killed, but you attacked anyway?”
“I could have dispatched him before we arrived here, but I wanted to hear him out. I made my move when he was vulnerable. When I said the most hurtful of words. Traitor.”
“Why, Admiral? Why would you think RJ was a traitor?”
“He must have known the revelation would come soon enough. He knew the system logs gave us enormous details regarding Alliance members. You see, RJ could engender sympathy for losing Exeter, or simply for having a generally dreadful life. People have been horribly cruel to him from the start. But to play us all for fools and expect forgiveness? The possibility of this reveal, I think, corroded his mind the most.”
“Be straight, Admiral. What do you believe RJ did?”
Ham took a seat and moaned. “It is called kwin-sho. The technique I used on RJ. It’s a beautiful manipulation of bone and tissue, but I haven’t used it in twenty years. My knees require a break.”
Kara leaned in. “What do you know, Ham? Tell us.”
“I had hoped to do this in a more civilized fashion, Kara. An inquiry. Witnesses. All the usual theater. I’m afraid what RJ has done complicates this mission, with or without Scylla. Very simply, the attack on your wedding was misrepresented.”
Did she hear those words correctly?
“What do you mean?”
He shifted between Kara and Cando.
“Major, explain the case RJ laid out for taking the Taron estate.”
Cando frowned, clearly disturbed at where this was headed.
“RJ said the entire leadership of the Hokki branch of the Alliance would be attending the wedding. He said it was arranged by Hoija Taron, under the direct orders of her counterpart in the Swarm, General Hoija Taron. It was the strongest example of the Splinter’s devastating effect. We attacked to strike a blow against the general and take out the leadership of the Hokki branch at the same time. RJ’s contacts across the divide – the ones who gave us the means to travel here – said Hokkaido was a major transit hub for the Alliance. If we destroyed their leadership in one blow, we could set back the Splinter movement by years.”
Ham nodded. “This is, by and large, what RJ told you after the fact. Yes, Kara?”
“It never justified the horrors. But yes, I know his target was Hoija.”
“And the mission,” Ham said, “did accomplish its primary goal, despite the collateral losses. Most of the Hokki leadership is dead.”
Like always, Kara felt sick having to relive the day.
“Then what is this about, Ham?”
“RJ omitted certain important facts regarding the attack. These facts, unfortunately, may leave us at a difficult crossroads. Kara, Major, after Hiro’s initial review of the system logs, I had him forward the rosters of Alliance leaders. Naturally, I reviewed Hokkaido first. Most of the suspects were to be expected. Many we knew. Some died at Mangum Island or at the wedding. In fact, an extraordinary number of the guests who died were significant players. My attention went to the one who lived.”
Kara read his stare and sensed the lead weight falling before he said the name.
“Ya-Li Taron was not only listed among Hokkaido’s executive emissaries for the Alliance but also a founding member.”
“No,” Kara said. “That can’t be right. Ya-Li? He wasn’t involved in the family … he …”
“It’s OK, Kara. It never occurred to me either. He fashioned a brilliant cover. But I believe he had years of practice.”
“Why didn’t you tell me before now?”
“I wanted to spare you as long as I could. Your mind was focused elsewhere, and there’s not much we can do about Hokkaido at the moment. And, frankly, I needed more details before I brought the matter to the full crew. When RJ awakens, I’ll take him through a detailed interrogation.”
Cando fell back into a swivel.
“I’m not seeing the treachery, Admiral.”
“Or you don’t wish to. Major, there are four Hokkis listed above Ya-Li Taron on the executive board of emissaries. They were killed at the wedding, as were seven of the ten closest to him in rank. Did RJ give the Talons a kill list beforehand?”
“Yes. We were told they were the leadership and posed the greatest threat. We received data packages to ease identification.”
Kara felt faint.
“Ham, are you saying Ya-Li arranged their executions?”
“Kara, he arranged everything, including the date and time of your accelerated wedding. I believe he manipulated his grandmother, Hoija Taron, to think she was in control. Afterward, RJ and Ya-Li played an artful rendition of strangers meeting for the first time. But they must have been in contact long before the Talons crossed the divide. Either direct contact or through Ya-Li’s counterpart. How they did it, and why Ya-Li was allowed to slip the noose … these are matters I intend to discover when he awakens.”
I’m going mad.
Ya-Li looked into her eyes and stated his vows with a whole heart. He knew she didn’t love him, but he held out hope. He swooned for Kara. So kind, so naïve, so idealistic. Kara remembered her guilt as the attack began. How he fell to his knees, sobbing, disconsolate. Frozen.
He knew what was coming before I did.
“Why didn’t I see it?”
Ham sighed. “He wouldn’t have been a good traitor if you did. This is what the best do. They are practiced, disciplined, and patient. In Ya-Li’s case, we cannot dismiss the influence of the Splinter.”
“But … he was so tender. I never saw the first hint.”
“In time, you’ll reflect. You’ll hear his words; a pattern will take hold. Listen for the lies hidden behind the truth. That’s how he made his way. Ya-Li would have been an exceptional Chancellor.”
“What does this mean for the mission?” Cando asked. “Is Ya-Li Taron a threat?”
“The latter we’ll need to discern from RJ. Oh, look. I saw his fingers move. He’ll be awake shortly. As to the former, we will be faced with hard choices. The larger threat remains. This betrayal changes nothing in that regard. My immediate concern is the crew. Many Hokkis have already expressed their desire to go home. And the Talons? You can best speak to this, Major, but I doubt morale will be high when the truth is made known.”
She thought Cando aged years in minutes. He wasn’t the spirited optimist who carried her across the finish line with engine repairs.
“They can’t be told anything until we hear RJ’s side,” Cando said. “I refuse to believe he would knowingly deceive the Talons. He was the best of us.” He glanced at his fallen brother. “But after today, he’ll never wear the armor again. That much is certain.”
“And the unit? Any prediction on how they’ll respond?”
“Admiral, I can’t make sense of it, so I’m not about to speak for the others. RJ must be heard.”
Ham pushed himself out of the swivel and grimaced.
“Oh, that hurts. I think this was my final foray into kwin-sho.” He studied Ryllen, who squirmed. “It’s strange. I always wanted the best for him but feared the worst. Now that I’ve seen what’s he come to, I’m not sure whether to forgive him or space him.”
Kara had no such dilemma. She voted for an airlock.
44
I N SOME WAYS, IT FELT LIKE starting over. A series of revelations became prerequisites to choices about the future. The crew was held together by a fragile thread in the day after Ryllen’s madness and confession came to light. At times, Kara thought the mission had no way forward.
Many meetings laid out the options, opened the floor to new proposals, and gauged the commitment of both Talons and Hokkis. At times, the groups retreated to their original tribes, minus four dead, one missing, and another imprisoned. Ham presented his best argument to the full crew, but it fell to Cando and Yusef to rally the Talons, while Kara and Chi-Qua tried to make headway with the former Green Sun.
New perspectives on Ryllen arose in both tribes, mostly falling along the lines of “never trusted” or “always suspected” or “too good to be true.” Kara wasn’t surprised when the tone moved sharply against Ryllen; she did nothing to meet it halfway. However, she knew the sentiments were more a product of the moment than anything born out of truth.
The most damning information arose from Ryllen’s interrogation, which confirmed Ham’s suspicion: Ryllen and Exeter worked separately from their unit to communicate with Ya-Li through his counterpart. They developed the contacts who told them how and when to follow the spherical ship Invictus across the divide.
Ryllen saw no problem with his methods.
“I betrayed no one,” he told Ham, Cando, and Kara. “Ya-Li was my friend on the other side. He was the key to bringing us home. He knew the secrets of the Splinter, and he fought the Swarm. He contacted his counterpart on this side. They spent years learning from each other. We needed both to cross the divide. Ya-Li …” He glanced at Kara. “Your Ya-Li has big plans for Hokkaido. They’re beautiful plans. He deserved the reward. So I gave him the Splinter.”
“Why the games?” Cando asked. “Did you not trust your brothers and sisters to go along with your plan?”
“I love all of you, Cando. But I was afraid you’d hesitate if you knew we were going in there as assassins for another man’s agenda. I didn’t think you would agree with handing over the Splinter.”
“The thing you said had to be destroyed? You’re right, RJ. I think we would have had concerns. The truth is you didn’t want anyone to question your leadership.”
Ryllen didn’t argue the point. Ham took over.
“From the moment we reunited, I doubted elements of your story. You were vague about where you hid the Splinter. Your references to the role of relative time between the universes were superficial. Then there was the role Exeter played. It was the two of you plus Ya-Li Taron taking the game to another level. I’ll face a reckoning for not seeing the truth sooner.”
The new reality befell Kara in convulsive waves.
Rage. Shame. Disgust.
“My Father took his own life. He used the pistol I planted in my dress. Ryllen, you pathetic coit. He was going to be killed one way or the other. Wasn’t he?”
Ryllen closed those empty gray eyes. He didn’t try to argue.
“The choice was his,” Ryllen said of Perr Syung. “Ya-Li didn’t care so long as your father exposed Nantou’s president. They’re all bastards. Ya-Li has a better plan for Hokkaido. Now he has a clear path. I trust him.”
“What’s his plan?”
“You’ll have to ask him. That was the deal. No one else can know.”
No amount of follow-up questions or threats made headway. Soon thereafter, Ryllen shut down. Ham prepared to take him to an empty berth, but Cando had a different idea.
“First, we need a Recon tube.”
Along the way to Horn, Cando explained how codes could be entered into the comm stack to detach the body armor from its symbiotic mooring. However, the manual process required an hour. The Recon tube would sort the matter in less than a minute. He told Kara she didn’t need to witness the unsuiting.
“Will it be humiliating?” She asked.
“To a Talon? Yes.”
“Then I want to watch.”
Ryllen slogged along to the landing bay, with the silence of a man being led to a public execution.
This was not the first time she saw a tube in action, but it shocked her senses. The machine’s degradation of the body armor was quick and efficient, but the moment the black casing disappeared, Ryllen seemed smaller. He was not the ripped, muscle-bound monster she assumed lived inside the armor.
He was ordinary. If not for the colorful braids, she thought Ryllen Jee perfectly forgettable. A man in a lineup. A face passed on the street without mention.
Naked. Defenseless. A shell.
Also a psychopath and a traitor.
“This is each of us,” Ham told her. “This organic putty. Sculpted by so many competing forces. It’s a wonder we don’t all go mad.”
The next thirty hours tested everyone’s resolve. Many proposals were placed on the table for a vote. Ham promised to give a fair hearing to each. First, however, he wanted them to act as a single crew, knowing this might be the last time.
Hiro and Yusef devised a method for remote control of Scylla’s C&C. The team boarded Horn and took position a thousand meters from the stern. They watched as the commands were accepted by Scylla’s core AI.
“You made this possible, Kara,” Ham told her. “Give the order.”
Is this really about to happen?
Worst case? They overlooked any additional sabotage beyond what Ryllen found, and Scylla joined Herodotus in an orbital graveyard. Best case? Kara dared to hope. With anxious smiles from many, including Chi-Qua at her side, Kara said:
“Go for restart.”
Yusef threw open the largest holowindow Kara ever saw. It captured Scylla from bow to stern. Seconds after Yusef entered the commands, the Carbedyne nacelles wrapping around the hexagonal stern came to life in dazzling blue and green.
Kara watched the ship’s onboard energy schematics. The engine array was functioning at peak, the core systems rebooting.
Yusef ordered a shift in Scylla’s course, adjusting her orbital integrity, which had eroded ten percent since the original power loss. The ship responded.
“Can you take her out?” Kara asked.
“Anywhere special?” Yusef smiled.
“No. I just want to see the ship under system propulsion beyond the gravity well.”
“As you wish.”
After an hour of tests, Yusef announced:
