Atlantia Series 3: Aggressor (41 page)

‘You’re not one of them,’ Taron said. ‘You’re more like me.’

‘Is that so?’ Evelyn almost laughed.

‘You’re brave, forthright and you know what you want,’ Taron said.

Evelyn faltered, suddenly feeling exposed as though Taron could see right through her. The smuggler looked her up and down appraisingly.

‘You should definitely come with me,’ he said. ‘We’d make a good team.’

‘Really?’ Evelyn asked flatly. ‘I doubt that.’

‘Then why’d you come down here?’ Taron challenged, that grin still on his face. ‘Couldn’t stay away?’

Evelyn chuckled in disbelief. ‘Wow, Taron, you’ve really got your mojo in overdrive, don’t you? I came here because I want you to stay, because I think you’d be good for us.’

Taron leaned against one of the Phoenix’s landing struts and watched her for a moment.

‘Why bother?’ he asked. ‘We’re all dead in the long run, so why worry about all of this?’

He gestured casually to the Atlantia around them, and his laconic grin was suddenly annoying to Evelyn.

‘It’s fatalism like that that will destroy us,’ she replied. ‘We’re stronger together.’

Taron rolled his eyes. ‘Ugh, I can almost hear my dear old dad.’

Evelyn clenched her fists by her sides as she walked up to Taron, her face barely inches from his as she spoke.

‘I saw your dad,’ she whispered. ‘I was one of the last people to see him alive, or what was left of him.’

Taron’s casual mirth slipped away and his eyes turned hard. ‘I hope you hard-duked the son of a bitch for me.’

Evelyn shook her head slowly, a bitter smile curling from her lips.

‘If you’d seen what had become of your father, of what the Legion did to him, you’d be leading every charge at every battle we’ll ever fight.’

Taron stared at Evelyn long and hard and then he shook his head. ‘I’d walk away, because you can’t change the past.’

Taron turned his back to Evelyn and strode back toward his ship.

‘No, but you can change the future,’ Evelyn said.

She turned and walked away, but this time Taron did not call after her.

‘He’s not one of us.’

Evelyn came up short as she realised that Andaim was standing nearby and had watched the entire exchange.

‘He’s as human as we are,’ she said defensively.

‘That’s up for debate,’ Andaim shrugged, and then he smiled. ‘I guess I owe you one.’

‘We’re even,’ Evelyn replied. ‘You had my back, I’ve got yours.’

‘Which is what makes us different from him,’ Andaim said as he gestured at Taron Forge. ‘He’s only interested in himself.’

‘He came back,’ Evelyn pointed out. ‘We could never have got everybody off of Chiron IV before the bombardment if it were not for him.’

‘He’s got a conscience,’ Andaim conceded. ‘Good for him. I don’t think it often gets ahead of his pragmatism though.’

Evelyn peered at Andaim. ‘Why are you so keen to put him down?’

‘Why are you so keen to big him up?’

‘We need every pair of hands we can find, right?’

‘What we need,’ Andaim said as he moved closer to her, ‘are people who are willing to fight for
each other
, not for themselves.’ The CAG was looking down at Evelyn and she realised with some panic that she could not avoid his gaze as he went on. ‘Loners have no future in this cosmos now.’

Two passes in one day was too much even for her. Evelyn draped a thin veil of amusement over her nerves. ‘Is that your idea of a proposition?’

Andaim’s eyes quivered in their sockets as his nerves overcame his bravado. ‘It’s…. It’s a fact.’

Evelyn felt a wash of relief drench her soul as she realised that the CAG was not about to bare his soul in front of a hundred technicians and a smuggler on the landing bay. Mischief ran through her mind as she realised that Taron was watching them with interest. She reached up on tip-toe and kissed Andaim briefly on the lips.

‘Thanks for being there,’ she said.

Evelyn walked past the CAG and strode with far more confidence than she felt toward the bay exit, and she felt sure that she could sense the eyes of both men watching her as she left.

*

‘So, can we use it?’

Mikhain, Bra’hiv and Captain Sansin stood in Meyanna Sansin’s laboratory as they looked down at the shimmering veil recovered from Taron Forge. Sealed in an air-tight cylinder, the veil seemed partially transparent and constructed of something between a liquid and a gas, like plasma but even more ephemeral.

‘It’s impossible to handle physically,’ Meyanna explained. ‘It can only be deployed by machinery, but so far it is effective on all biological species tested. It can render them unconscious for as long as required. I don’t know how useful it would be in battle though. It seems extremely delicate otherwise.’

Mikhain looked at the captain. ‘What are you thinking?’

Idris inhaled a deep breath and expelled it as he put his hands on his hips.

‘We don’t know anything about this technology or who created it,’ he said, ‘and neither does the Word. There could be technologies out there beyond the Icari Line that could render the Legion useless or even dead. We’ve just proven it possible with Devlamine.’

‘There’s also the small matter of crossing the Icari Line,’ Mikhain pointed out. ‘It’s there for a reason: we don’t know what lurks beyond it.’

‘We know what lurks
within
it,’ Idris replied, ‘and it’s what we’re trying to defeat. Even though we’ve doubled our strength we’re still no match for the Word. It has control of the entire Colonial Fleet and we’ll be annihilated the moment we try to enter the Etherean system.’

‘You’re advocating a change of plan?’ Bra’hiv said. ‘Most of the crew believe we’re heading home to take on the Word.’

‘We are,’ Idris said. ‘But we may be well served by taking on a diversion and seeking new allies and weapons to aid us in the fight.’

A silence descended as they digested the possibilities of such a course of action.

‘What’s out there beyond the Line may be more dangerous than what we’re leaving behind,’ Mikhain reminded him. ‘Most ships that have crossed the Line have never been seen again.’

‘But some have,’ Idris insisted. ‘Salim Phaeon spent half of his career beyond the reach of Colonial forces. All we need is a suitable guide.’

‘But who would know where to go and how to…’ Mikhain winced. ‘Oh no, surely not
him
?’

Idris smiled but said nothing.

‘We spent weeks tailing a Veng’en cruiser and it nearly destroyed us,’ Bra’hiv pointed out, keeping his voice reasonable. ‘Now you want to follow a man who despises us and stands against everything we’re trying to build?’

They turned as Evelyn tapped on the glass wall of the laboratory and Meyanna hit a switch to let her in. Evelyn walked inside the laboratory and up to Captain Sansin as she shook her head.

‘He didn’t buy it,’ she said. ‘He’s leaving at the first opportunity.’

‘Taron Forge is his own man,’ Idris replied.

‘We should convince him to stay somehow,’ Evelyn protested. ‘He’s a good pilot and somewhere inside of him there’s a good man, I can see it.’

‘That’s no good to us if Taron cannot see it himself,’ Idris pointed out.

‘We should let him go,’ Bra’hiv agreed. ‘The man’s a menace, just like Qayin was.’

‘Qayin was misguided,’ Evelyn shot back, ‘so is Taron, but that doesn’t make them our enemies.’

‘It does when they start betraying our own people,’ Bra’hiv snapped.

‘Hang on to every soul, isn’t that what you’ve been saying captain?’ Evelyn challenged.

Idris sighed.

‘Yes, but not every soul can be saved,’ he replied and looked at Mikhain. ‘Allow Captain Forge to depart as soon as he wishes.’

‘Aye, cap’ain,’ Mikhain replied and walked toward the exit.

‘Then report to the bridge,’ Idris added. ‘We’ll talk there.’

Mikhain nodded, curiosity swimming behind his eyes, and then departed.

‘Taron will not be easy to track,’ Bra’hiv warned as the XO left the laboratory. ‘He’s used to evading Colonial ships and will no doubt want to disappear as fast as he can.’

Idris nodded as he looked at Evelyn. ‘You planted the tracker?’

‘It’s in place, attached to their stores,’ Evelyn nodded. ‘It’ll be packed deep inside the Phoenix’s holds by now.’

‘You bugged him?’ Bra’hiv stammered in surprise. ‘How the hell did you manage that?’

Idris looked at Evelyn and smiled. ‘You have the most remarkable ability to get under the skin of men and make them drop their guard, Evelyn.’

Evelyn shrugged but said nothing.

‘Aren’t you forgetting something?’ Meyanna asked the captain. ‘We have an extra thousand souls with us now. If we’re about to go galavanting into uncharted space, don’t you think they should have their say?’

‘I don’t know what they could offer,’ Idris replied. ‘They don’t know what’s out there any more than we do.’

‘All the more reason,’ Meyanna insisted, ‘to allow them to speak. Mikhain organised their vote for a new spokesperson, somebody to replace our lost councillors.’

Idris sighed and rubbed his temples. ‘And you think that will placate them, remove some of the issues we’ve been having?’

‘It’ll be a damned good start,’ Meyanna replied. ‘These may be military vessels but the majority of the people aboard are civilians and that’s never going to change. You need to accept that and start engaging with the populace before they reject you entirely.’

‘I doubt that any mutiny will occur for a while now,’ Evelyn said. ‘Word travels fast aboard ship and they’re already talking about how the captain killed Salim Phaeon with his own hands. There are about a thousand slaves who’ll gladly follow you to hell and back right now.’

Idris smiled briefly at Evelyn, but he put his hands behind his back and nodded to his wife.

‘Very well,’ he said finally. ‘Count the damned vote, and I’ll announce to the people who will speak for them.’

***

‘Salim is dead, and so is Qayin.’

Mikhain’s whisper was harsh as he walked and the big Marine alongside him nodded with satisfaction.

‘We are better and stronger without them,’ Djimon said as he walked.

‘I see you got your rank back,’ Mikhain observed, noting the Sergeant’s flash on Djimon’s shoulder.

‘Reinstated after Qayin’s betrayal of his men,’ Djimon confirmed. ‘Captain Sansin suspected Qayin of dealing Devlamine from the start, and pulled me out of the cells to be derployed with Lieutenant C’rairn as his escort. General Bra’hiv has now handed full control of Bravo Company to Lieutenant C’rairn, while I support the general at Alpha Company.’

Mikhain walked slower as he approached the captain’s quarters.

‘We lost Kordaz,’ he said.

‘That was to be expected,’ Djimon replied without concern. ‘All Veng’en deserve nothing but death, it’s the only language they understand. With Salim now also dead there is nobody to know what happened.’

‘Except you,’ Mikhain pointed out.

Djimon’s broad jaw fractured with a thin smile. ‘Your secret is safe with me,’ he replied. ‘Mutually assured destruction, I think we can call it. Agreed?’

Mikhain frowned.

‘The captain suspects something. He knows that Kordaz was betrayed, and only believes Qayin’s involvement because of one pilot’s witness testimony and the fact that you obtained Qayin’s holopass. If Qayin is not dead…’

‘He’s gone either way,’ Djimon insisted. ‘He’s not going to come back and even if he did nobody would believe him, not even his own men whom he also left behind. Qayin is history and so is Kordaz. We must focus on now.’

Mikhain stopped outside the bridge and turned to face Djimon. ‘The captain’s killing of Salim Phaeon has won him a new league of devoted followers. They all think he’s a damned hero for killing Salim.’

‘He is, in a way,’ Djimon replied. ‘But one act does not a great man make. All you have to do is maintain support among the military staff and win them over one man and one woman at a time.’

‘And if he knows?’ Mikhain snapped. ‘If he knows what we have done?’

‘Then we must deal with it one act at a time,’ Djimon insisted. ‘But if you try to hang me out to dry in there, I swear I’ll bring you down with me.’

‘What makes you think the captain will listen to you?’

‘I’m the only one who knows exactly how you set Qayin up and betrayed the captain,’ Djimon replied.

‘That isn’t enough,’ Mikhain smirked. ‘You’d face maroon protocol before the day was out.’

‘Not if I can prove it,’ Djimon sneered back.

Mikhain opened his mouth to protest but Djimon hit the button beside the bridge doors and backed away as the access request was granted and the doors slid open.

Mikhain turned and faced the door as he struggled to compose himself. Djimon watched him walk inside and then turned and marched back the way he had come. From the pocket of his fatigues he retrieved a small, portable recording device. He looked down at it as he walked, and accessed two saved files that he watched.

The sergeant smiled as he relived Mikhain betraying Kordaz to Salim Phaeon in the War Room, and their conversation of moments before. Sergeant Djimon slipped the device back into his pocket and kept walking.

*

‘XO on the bridge!’

Captain Idris Sansin did not look up at Mikhain as he stood to attention before the command platform. Mikhain watched as Idris finished reading a report and then set it down before him and folded his hands behind his back.

‘How long have we known each other, Mikhain?’

‘Twenty six years,’ Mikhain replied, ‘give or take.’

Idris nodded, his expression sombre as he finally made eye contact. ‘Long enough, I think, to know when something is amiss.’

Mikhain swallowed as apprehension flushed like ice water through his veins. ‘I’d say so.’

Idris stood up from behind his chair and moved to stand before it, confronting Mikhain. The XO tensed slightly, uncertain of what to expect. The bridge around them had fallen silent, all eyes watching the two men.

‘We have a traitor aboard, Mikhain.’

Mikhain nodded without thinking. ‘Qayin,’ he replied, ‘but he’s gone.’

‘No,’ Idris said as he walked past Mikhain and folded his hands behind his back. ‘Qayin was a criminal and frankly a fool, but he possessed a twisted sort of loyalty beneath the bravado. This wasn’t the sort of thing he would have done.’