BattleTech, page 17
Nadine and Lyric had done just about every single thing they could do to make sure what they were about to attempt would succeed. The communication devices had been tested. Their blood had been drawn. Nadine had informed Jasper of the slight change in plans. All they could do now was wait. If neither of them had a bad reaction within the prescribed window, then what Nadine had dubbed “Operation Falling Star” was a go.
Lyric nudged her foot. “What are you smiling about?”
Like her, Lyric was restrained in her seat’s harness inside the escape pod. While the pod had been designed for four seated people, the two floating teenagers got in each other’s way in a big hurry. It was easier and safer for each to belt herself into a seat to wait out the rest of the time.
“I was smiling?” Nadine asked, smiling all the more.
“Yep.”
She shrugged. “I’ve been calling this crazy plan Operation Falling Star. Sometimes I wonder why anyone follows the plans I lay out. I mean, really. Sometimes I wonder about me. And everyone else.”
Lyric considered this. “If I remember correctly, you wanted to take the aerospace fighter neither of us could fly. It was the captain’s choice to stick us in the escape pod. In any case, if we go out, we’ll do it in a literal blaze of glory.”
Nadine snorted, trying to not think too hard about what a “literal blaze of glory” would feel like while it was happening. “And look good, too?”
They fell into silence. It was both uneasy and comfortable. They were used to being in each other’s company, not talking, but there was a sense of something coming that tightened the lines around their mouths and made their hands unconsciously clench and unclench. It was the waiting that killed Nadine. She’d always hated it. Now, it was the only thing left to do.
She examined their escape pod for her latest impossible idea. As escape pods went, this one wasn’t bad. Four harnessed seats—one of which hid a privy. One never knew how long one would be floating in space, waiting on a rescue. The other three seats hid compartments with food and medical gear. Five small porthole windows showed the outside of wherever you were. It was functional and relatively comfortable in the grand scheme of actually needing to use an escape pod for its intended function.
One thing was certain, it would not be an ideal coffin. Just the idea of the escape pod becoming her final resting place chilled her. The only saving grace was that Lyric would be with her…
Lyric nudged her foot again. “You remember what Captain Gabrielli used to say about waiting?”
Nadine shook her head, but smiled. Of course Lyric would know what she was thinking about. She did it enough times that part of Nadine wondered if Lyric had a preternatural sense.
Lyric roughened her voice. “‘Waiting is life. Get used to it. If you’re waiting for something, you’re alive. Figure out a way to pass the time. Think, sleep, meditate. I don’t care, but make peace with the idea of waiting, because you’ll be doing a lot of it.’”
“‘It’s part of your job,’” Nadine finished with her.
“You do remember.”
Nadine nodded. “I do now. I’m just not very good at waiting when I’m not in control. When I’m in control, I can keep a running list in my head of the things I’ve done and the things I will do. Things that other people need to do. I’m just not good at that waiting-in-the-moment thing.”
Lyric shrugged and fell silent, closing her eyes as she did so. For a long, few moments, Nadine watched her, memorizing every centimeter of her girlfriend’s face, from the pixie blond hair to her elfin face. Lyric was a conflict of image versus skill. Below that fragile beauty is a killer, Nadine thought. I guess we all have our baggage. Someday you’ll tell me.
If someday ever came. At this very moment, she regretted not asking Lyric more about her background. She’d respected her girlfriend’s reticence about discussing her life before she made it to Emporia. Now, they might never have the chance to talk about it, or anything else, ever again.
“I’m scared,” Nadine whispered. The words forced their way from her hindbrain and out her mouth before she could stop them. She was far too aware that every word she spoke was listened to.
Lyric didn’t open her eyes. “I know.”
“Are you?”
“Yes.”
Nadine appreciated that Lyric listened and didn’t judge. It was like she knew what Nadine was thinking, and gave her an unjudging ear to confess her fears. “Sergeant Placket always said fear meant you were alive. She’s dead now.”
Lyric tilted her head, but didn’t open her eyes.
“I wish I could tell her thank you.” Nadine surprised herself with those words, considering the contentious relationship the two of them had had. “I hated that woman and she hated me, but I learned a lot from her.”
“There will be time enough to mourn and recite the names of the dead later.”
“What if ‘later’ never comes?”
Opening her eyes, Lyric smiled. “Then those who love us will miss us.”
Surprised, Nadine shook her head. “You astound me.” She reached a hand across the escape pod to Lyric and grasped the other girl’s hand tight. “If we survive this—”
“When,” Lyric corrected.
“When…after…we survive this, I want to take a break. I want to spend it with you.”
Lyric laughed. “If…” She paused, then corrected herself. “After…we survive this, we’re gonna be too busy running everything and putting the academy back together. A vacation would be nice, but not likely.” She squeezed Nadine’s hand again. “And you know you wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Nodding, Nadine smiled again. “Yep. You’re right. I’m not happy unless I’m in the middle of everything. And I’m going to help put Emporia back together. This planet gave me and Jasper a home when no other place would. I owe it to Emporia and its people.”
This time, when the silence fell, Nadine felt lighter and more confident. Probably because not only was Lyric correct in her assessment, she’d admitted being just as nervous as Nadine was. It was that little bobble of saying “if.” Somehow, that made her feel better, less alone, and that was worth everything. Now she had someone else to focus on. If Lyric was scared, it was up to her to be brave.
As movement outside the escape pod caught her attention, Nadine thought about what Aoki and Nakata had said. The biggest one was that cadets were Yoshizawa’s weakness. It was something she would have to use. She just didn’t know how right now.
Captain Morse’s voice came over the earpiece without preamble. “So far, so good, cadets. Your bloodwork seems stable. How are you two feeling? Anything we should be aware of?”
From Lyric’s twitch, she had also heard him. She mouthed, “I’m fine,” then gestured to Nadine to answer for both of them.
“We both feel fine, sir. No fevers or chills or anything. How much longer do you want us to wait?”
“The full two hours, Cadet Roux. Then we’ll pilot you out and send the escape pod to the coordinates you gave us. Is there anything else you need to know from us or our guests?”
“No, sir.”
“All right then. T-minus thirty minutes.”
“Thank you, sir.” When the captain didn’t answer, Nadine thumbed the earpiece off. Once they were on the planet, he wanted the earpiece to remain active through the rest of the mission. In the meantime, she didn’t feel like having him listen to her and Lyric talk. Some things were best left private. If he really wanted to talk to them, he could do it through the escape pod’s radio.
Lyric followed her lead and thumbed her earpiece off. “Thirty minutes. A blink of an eye in the grand scheme of things. This is the time to ask Aoki or Nakata any last-minute questions, if you have them.”
Nadine sat up. “I do, actually.” Reactivating the comm device, she asked, “Captain, can I get patched into Fume Aoki’s escape pod? I have a question for her.”
There was a pause then Corporal Crispin answered. “All right. When you’re done, just close the channel. Do note, we’ll be listening in.”
“Noted.”
There was a pause, then Fume’s voice came over the radio. “Yes? How may I help you?” She sounded tired and a little disoriented. Most likely the drug used to question her was still working its way through her system.
“I need to know about the cadets who defeated Yoshizawa’s predecessor.”
“It was on Sakhara V.” Though Fume spoke slowly, she sounded more awake now. “Yoshizawa saved us at a great cost to the Seventh Ghost Regiment.”
“What was that commander’s name?”
Fume paused. “I…don’t remember. We haven’t been allowed to speak his name in so long that I’ve forgotten it.”
“Was that at Yoshizawa’s command?”
“Yes.”
Nadine bent her head, thinking hard. This was another psychological bit of warfare she could use.
“Is there anything else, Cadet Roux?”
“No. Thank you.” Nadine thumbed the channel closed and gazed at Lyric. “Something else to use when we get home.”
Lyric nodded. “Yep. Good to see you’ve decided we’re going to survive after all.”
“No point in borrowing trouble. Either this will work, or it won’t. If it doesn’t, we won’t have any problems left to deal with.” Nadine clenched her hand and nodded to herself. If cadets were Yoshizawa’s weakness, then that was what she was going to use.
The minutes flew by. After that, it was a matter of hurry up and wait as Corporal Crispin covered the final checklist with them before Captain Morse got on the radio.
“Cadet Roux, you will remain in contact with us until you report back in on the Endeavor’s Run, escorting the Ritzas. We will be at the evac point around midnight local time if it is at all feasible. If your escape pod is shot down, we will contact someone on the ground to attempt to continue the rescue operation. I expect you to be with the Ritzas when they board. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Final questions?”
“No, sir.”
“Good luck, cadets. Over and out.”
Nadine took a deep breath and held it for a count of thirty. She let it out as she felt the escape pod begin to move. Both she and Lyric craned their heads to watch out the small windows. The single bay door opened onto the black. There was light from the side, sunlight reflecting off the planet’s atmosphere.
Pressure pushed Nadine and Lyric against their harnesses. Lyric bared her teeth in a fierce grin of excitement and terror. Nadine felt an identical wild grin spread across her own face. This was the point of no return. Either they would make it back to Emporia or they would die.
“Here we go.”
25
NEKOHONO’O-CLASS DROPSHIP FUJINAMI
LOW ORBIT, EMPORIA
FEDERATED SUNS
18 APRIL 3150
1600 HOURS
Yoshizawa sat in his council chambers, looking over the reports of troop movements on the ground. Ona Nanba had stepped into her new position as his second-in-command in a satisfying way. She received all the reports that came in and delivered them to him at regular, hourly intervals. In the last five hours, they had managed to pull 70 percent of the remaining viable troops on the ground—just over five squads; too few by far, but it would have to do—into moving toward the Emporian drop point. Most of them wouldn’t make it in time, but it would make gathering them afterward all the easier.
His door chimed. From the monitor, it was Chu-i Brian Lo. The man looked tired, but not nervous.
Yoshizawa allowed the door to slide open. The doctor entered and bowed. He held a small, white box that had a biohazard warning symbol on it.
“Have you done what I asked?”
“Yes, Tai-sa. I have Doc—Sumiko Nakata’s extensive notes on her work, and used it to re-create the vaccine to the best of my ability. I believe this will work as she planned. But we’ll need to have some of the infected brought onboard. Or, have some of the vaccine sent to the planet to test its effectiveness on those already ill.”
Yoshizawa gazed at him. “Have you inoculated yourself yet?”
“No, Tai-sa. You asked for me to report to you as soon as I had something. Here I am.”
“Is that it?”
“Yes, Tai-sa.”
“Inoculate yourself.”
Brian looked startled. “What? Now?”
Yoshizawa kept his face implacable. “Yes. Inoculate yourself. Here and now, in front of me. I assume you brought inoculations for myself and Chu-sa Nanba. I would be remiss if I didn’t insist that you also inoculate yourself. If everything works as expected, you will take Sumiko Nakata’s place as the Seventh Ghost Regiment’s chief medical officer. With that comes a promotion and all of the position’s responsibilities and perks. I will not allow my head doctor to get ill when he has so much work ahead of him. Thus, I need you to inoculate yourself.”
Brian nodded and knelt. He placed the box on the table with care and opened it. Held within were six single-use injectors. He chose one at the end and held it up.
Before he could inject himself, Yoshizawa raised a hand. “Let me see that.”
To his credit, the doctor did not hesitate. He handed over the injector and waited. Yoshizawa pointed to a different injector. “Use that one.”
“Yes, Tai-sa.” Brian took the injector Yoshizawa indicated and held it up for both of them to see. Then, without hesitation, he injected himself in the biceps.
They both waited.
Yoshizawa watched Brian’s face. The man did a good job of hiding any anger or discomfort. He remained seated and waiting, shifting his gaze around the room from artwork to the table to Yoshizawa’s face then back down to the vaccine. When it was clear that the injection did no harm, Yoshizawa used the injector he held to administer the vaccine to his biceps as the doctor had done, then handed the spent injector to him.
“How quickly can you create more of this?”
Brian started to shake his head then stopped. He gazed at Yoshizawa and said, keeping his voice level, “It depends on how quickly we get the raw material we need for it. I have enough for most of the officers onboard now. But not nearly enough for the rest of this ship, much less the regiment as a whole.”
“Send Chu-sa Nanba orders for whatever you need. Mark it highest priority and deliver the requisition orders personally. This is your single priority until you have enough for all of our people.”
“Yes, Tai-sa. Will there be anything else?”
Yoshizawa dismissed him with a hand wave. While he pretended to become engrossed in the reports on his noteputer once more, he paid keen attention to the man’s body language and attitude. This would tell him much about the man he would be entrusting the health of the Seventh Ghost Regiment to.
With abrupt but careful motions, the doctor returned the used injectors to the box upside down to make it clear which were spent and which were not. This said that while Brian Lo was angry at the question to his honor, he was still in control. Another careful motion snapped the top back on the box louder than necessary, continuing to show the man’s control and anger. Finally, Chu-i Lo stood and bowed once. He left the box on the table as he turned to leave.
To Yoshizawa’s mild surprise, Brian paused halfway out of the door. “Tai-sa?”
“Yes, Chu-i Lo?”
“If we are going to begin this formal relationship with so little trust that you would suspect me of poisoning you, perhaps you should look for another within the regiment to become the chief medical officer.”
Inwardly, he smiled. Outwardly, he grunted his agreement. “Perhaps I should. I trusted Dai-i Nakata. Look where it got me.”
“I am not her,” Brian said, glanced out the door, then nodded to the person coming toward him and slipped away before Yoshizawa could respond.
Ona appeared in the doorway, glanced between Yoshizawa and down the hallway with a quizzical look on her face. “Something I should be aware of?”
Yoshizawa frowned as he shook his head. “You have much on your plate as it is. Chu-i Lo seems to have inherited some of his predecessor’s abruptness.” He gestured to the white box. “Four injectors of the vaccine for the Emporian virus. One for yourself and three for those of your choosing. Be wise with your choices. Supplies are limited.”
“Indeed they are, all over the ship.” Ona took the box and made it disappear into one of the voluminous sleeves of her tunic.
Yoshizawa examined the statement for brief moment of suspicion, then gave it up for a lost cause. Ona was too careful and protective of her new position to do anything untoward. “What do you have for me?”
She waved a noteputer. “Reports. Thoughts of strategy. The shortwave radio has been silent since last night.”
“Yes. We’re hours away from the first rendezvous stop. Only after the heir’s recovery is confirmed do we need to move.”
Ona took a seat at his right side. Not immediately next to him—there was no need for that, she was his only councilor left—but close enough to bask in his power and feel like she shared it.
“We are going planetside, then?” she asked once she was settled.
Yoshizawa did not answer. He looked at and through the table before him. In truth, he had not decided for certain if he would go. Though part of him itched to be back in his ’Mech while the most cautious side of him counseled against it.
When he did not immediately answer, Ona continued her thought. “I think it would be the right thing to do. You should be there at your moment of triumph. You should enjoy the victory as you take matters in hand once more. You did take the vaccine, yes?”
He grunted and nodded, thinking about her words. “What is happening with the Federated Suns DropShip?”
Ona did not act surprised by the question. “Nothing at this time. There has been no movement since they took the aerospace fighter on board. Oh, there have been bursts of encrypted messages to and from the planet, but they have been brief. There seems to be no real external reaction.”
As soon as she stopped speaking, Yoshizawa’s comm chimed three times, alerting him to an emergency. Activating the radio, he asked, “Yes, what is it?”
Lyric nudged her foot. “What are you smiling about?”
Like her, Lyric was restrained in her seat’s harness inside the escape pod. While the pod had been designed for four seated people, the two floating teenagers got in each other’s way in a big hurry. It was easier and safer for each to belt herself into a seat to wait out the rest of the time.
“I was smiling?” Nadine asked, smiling all the more.
“Yep.”
She shrugged. “I’ve been calling this crazy plan Operation Falling Star. Sometimes I wonder why anyone follows the plans I lay out. I mean, really. Sometimes I wonder about me. And everyone else.”
Lyric considered this. “If I remember correctly, you wanted to take the aerospace fighter neither of us could fly. It was the captain’s choice to stick us in the escape pod. In any case, if we go out, we’ll do it in a literal blaze of glory.”
Nadine snorted, trying to not think too hard about what a “literal blaze of glory” would feel like while it was happening. “And look good, too?”
They fell into silence. It was both uneasy and comfortable. They were used to being in each other’s company, not talking, but there was a sense of something coming that tightened the lines around their mouths and made their hands unconsciously clench and unclench. It was the waiting that killed Nadine. She’d always hated it. Now, it was the only thing left to do.
She examined their escape pod for her latest impossible idea. As escape pods went, this one wasn’t bad. Four harnessed seats—one of which hid a privy. One never knew how long one would be floating in space, waiting on a rescue. The other three seats hid compartments with food and medical gear. Five small porthole windows showed the outside of wherever you were. It was functional and relatively comfortable in the grand scheme of actually needing to use an escape pod for its intended function.
One thing was certain, it would not be an ideal coffin. Just the idea of the escape pod becoming her final resting place chilled her. The only saving grace was that Lyric would be with her…
Lyric nudged her foot again. “You remember what Captain Gabrielli used to say about waiting?”
Nadine shook her head, but smiled. Of course Lyric would know what she was thinking about. She did it enough times that part of Nadine wondered if Lyric had a preternatural sense.
Lyric roughened her voice. “‘Waiting is life. Get used to it. If you’re waiting for something, you’re alive. Figure out a way to pass the time. Think, sleep, meditate. I don’t care, but make peace with the idea of waiting, because you’ll be doing a lot of it.’”
“‘It’s part of your job,’” Nadine finished with her.
“You do remember.”
Nadine nodded. “I do now. I’m just not very good at waiting when I’m not in control. When I’m in control, I can keep a running list in my head of the things I’ve done and the things I will do. Things that other people need to do. I’m just not good at that waiting-in-the-moment thing.”
Lyric shrugged and fell silent, closing her eyes as she did so. For a long, few moments, Nadine watched her, memorizing every centimeter of her girlfriend’s face, from the pixie blond hair to her elfin face. Lyric was a conflict of image versus skill. Below that fragile beauty is a killer, Nadine thought. I guess we all have our baggage. Someday you’ll tell me.
If someday ever came. At this very moment, she regretted not asking Lyric more about her background. She’d respected her girlfriend’s reticence about discussing her life before she made it to Emporia. Now, they might never have the chance to talk about it, or anything else, ever again.
“I’m scared,” Nadine whispered. The words forced their way from her hindbrain and out her mouth before she could stop them. She was far too aware that every word she spoke was listened to.
Lyric didn’t open her eyes. “I know.”
“Are you?”
“Yes.”
Nadine appreciated that Lyric listened and didn’t judge. It was like she knew what Nadine was thinking, and gave her an unjudging ear to confess her fears. “Sergeant Placket always said fear meant you were alive. She’s dead now.”
Lyric tilted her head, but didn’t open her eyes.
“I wish I could tell her thank you.” Nadine surprised herself with those words, considering the contentious relationship the two of them had had. “I hated that woman and she hated me, but I learned a lot from her.”
“There will be time enough to mourn and recite the names of the dead later.”
“What if ‘later’ never comes?”
Opening her eyes, Lyric smiled. “Then those who love us will miss us.”
Surprised, Nadine shook her head. “You astound me.” She reached a hand across the escape pod to Lyric and grasped the other girl’s hand tight. “If we survive this—”
“When,” Lyric corrected.
“When…after…we survive this, I want to take a break. I want to spend it with you.”
Lyric laughed. “If…” She paused, then corrected herself. “After…we survive this, we’re gonna be too busy running everything and putting the academy back together. A vacation would be nice, but not likely.” She squeezed Nadine’s hand again. “And you know you wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Nodding, Nadine smiled again. “Yep. You’re right. I’m not happy unless I’m in the middle of everything. And I’m going to help put Emporia back together. This planet gave me and Jasper a home when no other place would. I owe it to Emporia and its people.”
This time, when the silence fell, Nadine felt lighter and more confident. Probably because not only was Lyric correct in her assessment, she’d admitted being just as nervous as Nadine was. It was that little bobble of saying “if.” Somehow, that made her feel better, less alone, and that was worth everything. Now she had someone else to focus on. If Lyric was scared, it was up to her to be brave.
As movement outside the escape pod caught her attention, Nadine thought about what Aoki and Nakata had said. The biggest one was that cadets were Yoshizawa’s weakness. It was something she would have to use. She just didn’t know how right now.
Captain Morse’s voice came over the earpiece without preamble. “So far, so good, cadets. Your bloodwork seems stable. How are you two feeling? Anything we should be aware of?”
From Lyric’s twitch, she had also heard him. She mouthed, “I’m fine,” then gestured to Nadine to answer for both of them.
“We both feel fine, sir. No fevers or chills or anything. How much longer do you want us to wait?”
“The full two hours, Cadet Roux. Then we’ll pilot you out and send the escape pod to the coordinates you gave us. Is there anything else you need to know from us or our guests?”
“No, sir.”
“All right then. T-minus thirty minutes.”
“Thank you, sir.” When the captain didn’t answer, Nadine thumbed the earpiece off. Once they were on the planet, he wanted the earpiece to remain active through the rest of the mission. In the meantime, she didn’t feel like having him listen to her and Lyric talk. Some things were best left private. If he really wanted to talk to them, he could do it through the escape pod’s radio.
Lyric followed her lead and thumbed her earpiece off. “Thirty minutes. A blink of an eye in the grand scheme of things. This is the time to ask Aoki or Nakata any last-minute questions, if you have them.”
Nadine sat up. “I do, actually.” Reactivating the comm device, she asked, “Captain, can I get patched into Fume Aoki’s escape pod? I have a question for her.”
There was a pause then Corporal Crispin answered. “All right. When you’re done, just close the channel. Do note, we’ll be listening in.”
“Noted.”
There was a pause, then Fume’s voice came over the radio. “Yes? How may I help you?” She sounded tired and a little disoriented. Most likely the drug used to question her was still working its way through her system.
“I need to know about the cadets who defeated Yoshizawa’s predecessor.”
“It was on Sakhara V.” Though Fume spoke slowly, she sounded more awake now. “Yoshizawa saved us at a great cost to the Seventh Ghost Regiment.”
“What was that commander’s name?”
Fume paused. “I…don’t remember. We haven’t been allowed to speak his name in so long that I’ve forgotten it.”
“Was that at Yoshizawa’s command?”
“Yes.”
Nadine bent her head, thinking hard. This was another psychological bit of warfare she could use.
“Is there anything else, Cadet Roux?”
“No. Thank you.” Nadine thumbed the channel closed and gazed at Lyric. “Something else to use when we get home.”
Lyric nodded. “Yep. Good to see you’ve decided we’re going to survive after all.”
“No point in borrowing trouble. Either this will work, or it won’t. If it doesn’t, we won’t have any problems left to deal with.” Nadine clenched her hand and nodded to herself. If cadets were Yoshizawa’s weakness, then that was what she was going to use.
The minutes flew by. After that, it was a matter of hurry up and wait as Corporal Crispin covered the final checklist with them before Captain Morse got on the radio.
“Cadet Roux, you will remain in contact with us until you report back in on the Endeavor’s Run, escorting the Ritzas. We will be at the evac point around midnight local time if it is at all feasible. If your escape pod is shot down, we will contact someone on the ground to attempt to continue the rescue operation. I expect you to be with the Ritzas when they board. Is that clear?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Final questions?”
“No, sir.”
“Good luck, cadets. Over and out.”
Nadine took a deep breath and held it for a count of thirty. She let it out as she felt the escape pod begin to move. Both she and Lyric craned their heads to watch out the small windows. The single bay door opened onto the black. There was light from the side, sunlight reflecting off the planet’s atmosphere.
Pressure pushed Nadine and Lyric against their harnesses. Lyric bared her teeth in a fierce grin of excitement and terror. Nadine felt an identical wild grin spread across her own face. This was the point of no return. Either they would make it back to Emporia or they would die.
“Here we go.”
25
NEKOHONO’O-CLASS DROPSHIP FUJINAMI
LOW ORBIT, EMPORIA
FEDERATED SUNS
18 APRIL 3150
1600 HOURS
Yoshizawa sat in his council chambers, looking over the reports of troop movements on the ground. Ona Nanba had stepped into her new position as his second-in-command in a satisfying way. She received all the reports that came in and delivered them to him at regular, hourly intervals. In the last five hours, they had managed to pull 70 percent of the remaining viable troops on the ground—just over five squads; too few by far, but it would have to do—into moving toward the Emporian drop point. Most of them wouldn’t make it in time, but it would make gathering them afterward all the easier.
His door chimed. From the monitor, it was Chu-i Brian Lo. The man looked tired, but not nervous.
Yoshizawa allowed the door to slide open. The doctor entered and bowed. He held a small, white box that had a biohazard warning symbol on it.
“Have you done what I asked?”
“Yes, Tai-sa. I have Doc—Sumiko Nakata’s extensive notes on her work, and used it to re-create the vaccine to the best of my ability. I believe this will work as she planned. But we’ll need to have some of the infected brought onboard. Or, have some of the vaccine sent to the planet to test its effectiveness on those already ill.”
Yoshizawa gazed at him. “Have you inoculated yourself yet?”
“No, Tai-sa. You asked for me to report to you as soon as I had something. Here I am.”
“Is that it?”
“Yes, Tai-sa.”
“Inoculate yourself.”
Brian looked startled. “What? Now?”
Yoshizawa kept his face implacable. “Yes. Inoculate yourself. Here and now, in front of me. I assume you brought inoculations for myself and Chu-sa Nanba. I would be remiss if I didn’t insist that you also inoculate yourself. If everything works as expected, you will take Sumiko Nakata’s place as the Seventh Ghost Regiment’s chief medical officer. With that comes a promotion and all of the position’s responsibilities and perks. I will not allow my head doctor to get ill when he has so much work ahead of him. Thus, I need you to inoculate yourself.”
Brian nodded and knelt. He placed the box on the table with care and opened it. Held within were six single-use injectors. He chose one at the end and held it up.
Before he could inject himself, Yoshizawa raised a hand. “Let me see that.”
To his credit, the doctor did not hesitate. He handed over the injector and waited. Yoshizawa pointed to a different injector. “Use that one.”
“Yes, Tai-sa.” Brian took the injector Yoshizawa indicated and held it up for both of them to see. Then, without hesitation, he injected himself in the biceps.
They both waited.
Yoshizawa watched Brian’s face. The man did a good job of hiding any anger or discomfort. He remained seated and waiting, shifting his gaze around the room from artwork to the table to Yoshizawa’s face then back down to the vaccine. When it was clear that the injection did no harm, Yoshizawa used the injector he held to administer the vaccine to his biceps as the doctor had done, then handed the spent injector to him.
“How quickly can you create more of this?”
Brian started to shake his head then stopped. He gazed at Yoshizawa and said, keeping his voice level, “It depends on how quickly we get the raw material we need for it. I have enough for most of the officers onboard now. But not nearly enough for the rest of this ship, much less the regiment as a whole.”
“Send Chu-sa Nanba orders for whatever you need. Mark it highest priority and deliver the requisition orders personally. This is your single priority until you have enough for all of our people.”
“Yes, Tai-sa. Will there be anything else?”
Yoshizawa dismissed him with a hand wave. While he pretended to become engrossed in the reports on his noteputer once more, he paid keen attention to the man’s body language and attitude. This would tell him much about the man he would be entrusting the health of the Seventh Ghost Regiment to.
With abrupt but careful motions, the doctor returned the used injectors to the box upside down to make it clear which were spent and which were not. This said that while Brian Lo was angry at the question to his honor, he was still in control. Another careful motion snapped the top back on the box louder than necessary, continuing to show the man’s control and anger. Finally, Chu-i Lo stood and bowed once. He left the box on the table as he turned to leave.
To Yoshizawa’s mild surprise, Brian paused halfway out of the door. “Tai-sa?”
“Yes, Chu-i Lo?”
“If we are going to begin this formal relationship with so little trust that you would suspect me of poisoning you, perhaps you should look for another within the regiment to become the chief medical officer.”
Inwardly, he smiled. Outwardly, he grunted his agreement. “Perhaps I should. I trusted Dai-i Nakata. Look where it got me.”
“I am not her,” Brian said, glanced out the door, then nodded to the person coming toward him and slipped away before Yoshizawa could respond.
Ona appeared in the doorway, glanced between Yoshizawa and down the hallway with a quizzical look on her face. “Something I should be aware of?”
Yoshizawa frowned as he shook his head. “You have much on your plate as it is. Chu-i Lo seems to have inherited some of his predecessor’s abruptness.” He gestured to the white box. “Four injectors of the vaccine for the Emporian virus. One for yourself and three for those of your choosing. Be wise with your choices. Supplies are limited.”
“Indeed they are, all over the ship.” Ona took the box and made it disappear into one of the voluminous sleeves of her tunic.
Yoshizawa examined the statement for brief moment of suspicion, then gave it up for a lost cause. Ona was too careful and protective of her new position to do anything untoward. “What do you have for me?”
She waved a noteputer. “Reports. Thoughts of strategy. The shortwave radio has been silent since last night.”
“Yes. We’re hours away from the first rendezvous stop. Only after the heir’s recovery is confirmed do we need to move.”
Ona took a seat at his right side. Not immediately next to him—there was no need for that, she was his only councilor left—but close enough to bask in his power and feel like she shared it.
“We are going planetside, then?” she asked once she was settled.
Yoshizawa did not answer. He looked at and through the table before him. In truth, he had not decided for certain if he would go. Though part of him itched to be back in his ’Mech while the most cautious side of him counseled against it.
When he did not immediately answer, Ona continued her thought. “I think it would be the right thing to do. You should be there at your moment of triumph. You should enjoy the victory as you take matters in hand once more. You did take the vaccine, yes?”
He grunted and nodded, thinking about her words. “What is happening with the Federated Suns DropShip?”
Ona did not act surprised by the question. “Nothing at this time. There has been no movement since they took the aerospace fighter on board. Oh, there have been bursts of encrypted messages to and from the planet, but they have been brief. There seems to be no real external reaction.”
As soon as she stopped speaking, Yoshizawa’s comm chimed three times, alerting him to an emergency. Activating the radio, he asked, “Yes, what is it?”
