And ac.u.men she held in abundance.
aI see you recognize me, sweetness.a Her sultry, almost naughty tone and the breathless chuckle that came with it, so incongruous with the walking a.s.sa.s.sin standing in the doorway, pulled a return chuckle from him before he could stop himself.
She looked pointedly toward Jesup.
Petr stood, turned to look at Jesup and watched a war between confusion and horror on his face.
What in the Founderas name is going on? Jesupas unasked question practically rang out in the silence.
The implications of Jesupas response crashed down on Petr like a tsunami. Sharing a coquettish chuckle with an obvious spheroid special forces intel agent? A dishonorable a.s.sa.s.sin? Aff, that would go over very well indeed with his Aimag. If Jesup was having a hard time buying it, he shuddered at the thought of the rest of them swallowing such behavior.
But head come this far, trusted this much. Events were moving too quickly for regrets. Like a true Clansman, he simply moved to seize the moment. Perhaps her sudden appearance heralded the ability to act, not just react.
He turned back to her. aWhy have you come, Snow?a She casually stripped off her mask, her wet locks framing her face, those amazing eyes. A grunt from behind brought Petras head around again to see the look of extreme distaste Jesup wore.
Petr slowly turned away from Jesup and his mind illuminated with an epiphany. Much to his astonishment, at some point, he had stopped seeing her as he did at their first encounter. Though this was only the third time they had meta"their banter, her obvious intelligence and military abilitiesa"they all stacked up to change his perception. She was not, could never be, beautiful, or even pretty. But she had transformed from his initial impression of ugly to astriking.
Those smoky eyes.
Her gentle smile told him she had read his emotions on his face. And with no Clansman able to see his face, he did not care; he returned the smile for a moment.
A shared promise for a future they both knew could never be.
The rumble started low and then built to a crescendo, rocking the vehicle gently, an illumination briefly flaring outside, before fading. The second DropShip lifting off brought them both back to the reality of their situation. Of the here and now and the responsibilities they could not ignore.
aWhat have you brought for me?a aOh, a fine wedding present, sweetness. A mighty fine present. You just wait a moment and Iall be back.a She slipped into the night as though parting shadows. The sudden silence in the vehicle felt louder than the burn of the DropShip.
aThataa"Jesup broke the silence after only a handful of breathsa"ais where you have been getting your information.a aSweetnessa hung suspended in the air between them as though carved from aMech armor.
Petr had never heard Jesup speak in such a deadpan voice, as though his emotions had been stripped and painfully flayed from within. Petr did not turn, not wanting to face it. Responded softly.
aYou have trusted me through honor and disgrace, across a dozen worlds and more. You must trust me now.a Years of taking this companion, this friend, for granted yawned before him.
He felt he might shatter from the stillness. He should have brought Jesup in from the beginning. Should have done so many things, which had escaped him.
Which he took for granted.
Shaas face rose before him. Though he still emphatically believed Sha to be heading down an irredeemable path, some of his words held truth. Petr was lying to himself. Placing his desire above that of his people. Above his Aimag.
Above his friends.
For a moment, he embraced the ache that blossomed and threatened to overwhelm him. He luxuriated in the pain, finally understood the depth of the redemption he would have to undertake. Then he took the ache and wrapped it around and back down, spiraling it, sending it down into the depths, to be dealt with another day.
A day when the fate of his entire Clan did not hang in the balance.
Just then the darkness split asunder and Snow returned, moving fully into the vehicle. Behind her, wearing nothing but short briefs, an elemental stepped up and into the HQ, rocking the vehicle as much as did the DropShip. He bent over considerably to fit through the door. Though his head would have brushed the ceiling if he stood straight, the man bowed himself, as though his mental spine (his self image) were shorn away, torn from him. Slack lips formed a perpetual aOa of surprise, and his eyes darted this way and that, like Tidinicas, trying desperately to escape, but with the full, horrifying knowledge none existed.
Petr looked in dismayed revulsion at a Clan elemental, bearing few physical marks, reduced to such a state. Snow snapped her fingers and the elemental immediately went to both knees, cradling something in his hands. Jesupas grunt of disgust echoed his own.
He looked at the smug expression on Snowas face and once again found himself torn between two emotions. He felt awe for her ability to break an elemental, and revulsion at seeing the epitome of the Clan eugenics program brought low by a spheroid.
Smoky eyes.
If he thought about those conflicting emotions too long, he knew which side he would come down on. The rest of his Aimag would never understand.
aWhata isa this?a The slow, drawn-out words from Jesup sc.r.a.ped across the room, heightening the tension. Petr could almost feel Jesupas hands reaching toward Snowas neck with delusions of snapping it; there could only be one outcome to such a gesture, and Petr would hate to lose a friend he only recently came to appreciate.
A chair sc.r.a.ped loudly across metal as Snow pulled it out from under the vehicleas holotable, placed a booted foot on it. aThis is the proof you have so desperately been seeking.a She raised her chin, a clear challenge to Jesup.
He did not rise to it, though Petr swore he could hear Jesupas teeth grinding.
aSnow,a Petr said, trying to refocus the moment, awhat is it?a In all their eyes, the elemental had lost his human status.
aThis is Corin,a she said, caressing his head as though petting a favorite dog. aHe and I have had many long, long talks. You Clanners are so stoic, but once I get to know you, you canat shut up.a She batted her eyes in his direction. aRight, sweetness?a Petr cleared his throat, actually uncomfortable. Could she make it any worse? aPlease, Snow, get to the point.a aOh, the point,a she began. aWell, that would be the fact that this here fine specimen happened to accompany ola man Sha on his sabbatical to the Falcons.a aWhat!a both men cried simultaneously. With avid hunger, Petr appraised the elemental in a new light. Proof! The proof he needed.
Then he contemplated saKhan Sennetas reactions. His probing questions. Any answer can be dragged out through torture.
Snow smiled a look of pure triumph, which transformed her face. Victory made anything, anyone, beautiful. She gently tapped him on the head, and the elemental opened up his hands, raising what he held. The dim lighting of the flickering holotable revealed a small, mechanical plug-in, like a small noteputer memory cartridge. It took a moment for them to recognize what they were seeing.
aSavashri!a Petr growled, triumph washing over his face. He looked at Snow again and once more they shared a fleeting moment, her blazing eyes matching his, their emotions raging across the short distance between. Though the storm still blew in, they just might have found the shield to ride it out.
A battle armor ROM memory corea"the elemental had worn his armor during the meeting.
26.
Location Unknown 12 September 3134 The uniforms gleamed in the sun, royal garments for the homecoming ceremony.
Two DropShips were already aloft; the third loaded the final aMechs and vehicles, battened down hatches, performed final systems checks and secured vehicles into their bays in preparation for liftoff.
The forces had gathered from across dozens of light-years to this rendezvous point: an out-of-the-way world, with no working HPG, the only inhabitants subsistence farmers on the northern continent who would not know a landing DropShip from a falling star, much less an ascending one.
Secrecy.
The commander hated it, yet understood the need. She wanted to crow to the stars that, after long decades, the return had begun. Wanted to shout about the successes achieved so far. Could feel the need churning, the desire to challenge someone, anyone.
Soon, soon enough.
The men and women chosen for this mission shared her desire: the snap of eyes, quick movements, lips firm with resolve. Knowing the prize they reached to grasp, fully aware of the difficulty of the challenge.
But victory, oh, victory would be sweet.
Would teach the renegades a lesson they would not soon forget.
After decades of enforced peacea"a peace that benefited only the despotic and the moneyloversa"the time had come to challenge, to grasp the fruit from the forbidden tree.
Time to seize destiny. Time to shake the universe. Time to reclaim the honor lost.
Time for war.
27.
Clan Sea Fox CargoShip Voidswimmer Nadir Jump Point, Adhafera Prefecture VII, The Republic 21 September 3134 Warning Klaxons blared down the length of the CargoShip, strident, demanding instant action to avoid catastrophe. The tone and frequency of the bursts sent personnel running in every direction. Some took up emergency stations with practiced calm, others fumbled in confusion; aside from drills, such a warning had not been heard in the lifetime of most of those aboard.
Incoming JumpShipa Voidswimmer within the projected KF-drive emergence bubble.
aWhat in the Founderas name is happening? How is this possible?a Petr bellowed from the bridge of the CargoShip, forgetting the impropriety of such an outburst on Star Commodore Konneras vessel. His status as ovKhan did not excuse his behavior.
The bridge personnel ignored him. Unlike so many of the civilians on board the vessel and in the pod communities on the attached DropShips, they knew their jobs by rote and responded with instant action.
In a pendulum counterpoint to Petras bellow, Konneras voice remained calm, cut through the bridge hubbub and the siren like a diamond through gla.s.sa"a sound that could not be ignored. aFull thrust on my mark.a The collective indrawn breath of those present filled the bridge with the pummeling heartbeat of the entire Clan Sea Fox Voidswimmer community. In an instant, the tens of thousands on board his community paraded before Petras mindas eye; their scramble to prepare for impact or thrust would not be enough. Regardless of shipboard discipline, such an event simply had not occurred in too many years and people had no time to take the correct precautions. Things would not be completely stowed. Individuals would be unable to sufficiently secure all items, including themselves.
There would be damage.
Numerous injuries.
Fatalities.
aThree, two, one. Engage, maximum thrust.a As though driven by the vocal synapses of Konneras voice, the pilotas arm responded instantly, cascading across a series of switches and b.u.t.tons, before initiating a full burn: maximum power.
Like a beast suddenly thrown into heat, the entire ship thrummed, shook; vibrations undulated the length of the keel, sending secondary reverberations out along the main struts on each deck, the shockwaves whipping out into the skin, which oscillated well beyond allowable stress levels.
Small breaches on two decks occurred immediately.
As the mammoth interplanetary drives pummeled the ship forward under gravities not experienced in decades, three more small breaches occurred, while power failures plunged several decks into darkness.
The ma.s.s of the CargoShip made the move seem almost miraculous. Petr imagined he could see the fabric of s.p.a.ce splitting along the bow of the ship: a snarling swirl of raging s.p.a.ce water, torn from its placid calm and thrust into a maelstrom that arced around the ship and into violent vortices in the shipas wake.
Seconds ticked by as the behemoth vessel tried to slough off the chains of gravity and inertia and launch itself into motion.
At a command from Konner, the main viewscreen split into two sections: the left side showing forward, the right showing rearward toward the incoming JumpShip, toward their potential doom.
Petras hands clenched the edge of his jumpseat. Though he was the ultimate leader of the community, in such crises the shipas commander took absolute authority. Petr hated feeling helpless.
Though the crew attacked their tasks relentlessly, with Konner issuing numerous commands sending personnel toward hull breaches and power failures, all eyes stayed glued on the rear viewscreen.
Not enough thrust. Petr ground his teeth, his muscles aching after so many days at double gravity to reach the jump point quickly.
For the first time, he regretted downgrading the Voidswimmeras ma.s.sive drives, now striving through old grit and disuse to push out a paltry two gravities; the disharmonic pings and odd thumps reaching his ears reminded him (as if the bucking of the vessel itself did not) that the Voidswimmer might not survive such abuse. Slowly, achingly, she picked up forward momentum.
Sweat beaded across his face and fell toward the back of his head.
The seconds ticked into minutes and then long minutes. Velocity increased. Though wretched, horrible sounds still spanned the length of the CargoShip, Petr could feel it acclimatizing to the punishment, adjusting to the pounding rhythm of the fusion drives.
As Petras mental clock reached fifteen minutes, a wretched smile stretched his face. When the tortured time dilation tipped the scale at twenty minutes, he began to laugh out loud a wheezing of tormented air. Though he knew his laughter was raising hackles around the room, he could not stop; his was the laughter of the d.a.m.ned.
Delicious irony. The man I am most desperate to see arrives days ahead of schedule and might just kill us all in the process.
His frenzied laughter reached a crescendo, filling the bridge as the universe vomited an ArcShip from its belly, tearing at its only reality, spewing forth an emergence wave of pain, suffering, anguish, before sealing its wounded sh.e.l.l and vanishing once more from human perception.
Delta Community (the Celestial Thirst, an aging Behemotha"cla.s.s DropShip attached to the Voidswimmer for long decades) took the brunt of the damage. Most of the casualties occurred there and the docking ring, regardless of its carbon-carbon reinforced struts, crumbled and partially tore, shifting the entire ship during the mad forward thrust. Then, as the incoming emergence energy shattered atoms all along the front of the wave, the ship actually lurched forward, for a brief burst obtaining a velocity it never achieved even before its transformation. Though the hard work of Fox Clansmen engineers in decades past kept the ship from completely tearing away, it listed radically, throwing objects and personnel from their stowed positions. These became projectiles fired as though from a gun, causing ma.s.sive damage inside the old ship and hundreds of casualties. Though the other DropShip communities and the Voidswimmer itself sustained some damage, of the four hundred and thirteen injuries, more than three hundred of them occurred in Delta Community; of the twenty-seven deaths, nineteen.
They all got off lucky.
For the second time within as many months, Petr moved along the corridors of the Poseidon. Blind to the humanity around him, he swam with the relentlessness of the hunter. Ignored the sights and smells in which he usually took such pleasure.
The almost death of a good portion of his Aimag opened his eyes.
As with the epiphany concerning Jesup, Petras eyes were opened to the uncompromising truth of his own hypocrisy. For so long Petr had believed himself to be doing the best for his Aimag.
When in reality, he worked for himself.
That Delta Aimag truly prospered under such leadership meant nothing. Such thinking by Sha was how they arrived at this day, this hour. This moment in time.
The ends justify the means. Or in this case, my means justify the ends.
Stripped of every charade and rationalization by such a close brush with the annihilation of most of Delta Aimag, he could not avert his eyes from his own selfishness. From the way he took his own people for granted. Their cares, their worries and fears, their honor and contributions to the Clan: all cast aside and ignored. By him. The ovKhan!
Now, as he pushed off one last stanchion and sailed toward the saKhanas main office on the Poseidon, he did not ignore the people around him because their regard was nothing more than his due, but because of a duty to fulfill, a mission to accomplish.
A fine line, but one that made all the difference in the world.
Petr rapped sharply on the hatch, which swung in almost immediately. A haggard face greeted him; head never see saKhan Sennet look so terrible.
aovKhan Petr, what occurred,a he began, holding up a hand as though to stay a strike of condemnation. He paused, continued. aI cannot begina"a asaKhan,a Petr cut him off. aWhat almost occurred was a mistakea but it is the past. We must now move quickly to the future. We must move, or our Clan may be sundered beyond redemption.a He risked much with his words; one did not cut off saKhan Sennet midsentence without good reasona"accidental near-annihilation of Delta Aimag or not. His rage visible in his eyes, saKhan Sennet angrily demanded, aWhat are you talking about?a aovKhan Sha, saKhan. He lifted from Adhafera a week and more past, and we are giving chase. He must be stopped.a Petr stood just inside the hatch, his strained muscles pounded by multiple gravities for endless days calling out for rest. For sleep.
Disgust swam out from deep eyes to envelop the manas face; a giant hand flicked, as though to cast away an unseen filth. aNot this again,a he began, the scorn in his voice a mirror of his visage. aYou risked what you did on a whim? On your own a.s.sumptions of inept.i.tude? I have never made such an error before, but with youa a Trial of Grievance, here and now, is the only way you might survive this disaster.a Though the volume did not change, his voice hardened like endomorphic steel extruded from one of their many orbital factories; worlds might shatter against such a force of will.
Petr took the verbal whipping without a wince and walked past saKhan Sennet, his magnetic boots clanging softly, to the other manas desk. Reaching into a hip satchel, he pulled out the battle armor ROM memory core along with a small reader. He placed the machine on the desk, where it audibly clicked with suction. Fitting in the core, he flicked the switch and took one step back. He did not turn toward the saKhan, unwilling to watch his reaction, his surprise.
Hopefully, surprise.
Petr tried not to think of the ramifications if this were not a surprise. Of the quick and brutal death at the other manas hands if he guessed wrong.
The scene played out. He had only been able to bear to watch it one time before this. The art of it, a thrust to the midsection.
Audacious. Brilliant. Brutal. Terrific, and terrifying.