Battle Cruiser (32 page)

Everyone looked at her in surprise. I felt my face burn slightly. She wasn’t supposed to speak at such a meeting. Hell, I should have been keeping my mouth shut as well.

“Go on, Zye,” Cunningham prompted.

“We must use
Defiant
. There is no other effective defense. Send the battle cruiser out to stop them. Miners in converted craft won’t stand a chance against her.”

There was a certain note of pride in Zye’s voice, and I couldn’t fault her for that.

“That’s what we’ve concluded,” Cunningham said. “But the trouble is we don’t know how to fly her. Our technicians have begun the work, but to take a colonist ship into battle—we don’t have time to figure out its operation and train a crew. The flotilla from the rocks will be here in two days.”

I sensed this was my moment. I sucked in a large breath, then plunged ahead.

“Admiral,” I said. “I hereby volunteer to captain
Defiant
and take her into battle against the rock rat fleet.”

Everyone looked at me. None of them spoke for a moment. Even Halsey seemed impressed, if annoyed.

Halsey had clearly wanted one of his captains to command the battle cruiser. But since all his seasoned veterans were off-planet with Admiral Hedon, that wasn’t an option. They were searching the rocks for an enemy that had already left.

“And now you know why I called you here, Commander Sparhawk,” Cunningham said.

Halsey jumped back into the conversation. He appeared flustered.

“It can’t be done,” he said. “In fact, I hereby demand that Sparhawk be removed from CENTCOM entirely. His presence here is a constitutional violation.”

Everyone stared at him for a moment.

“What are you talking about, Halsey?” Cunningham asked.

“You
know
what I’m talking about. He’s a sitting Public Servant. It’s illegal for a Servant to hold an active military rank at the same time he’s in office. Check the amendments, if you must.”

“I don’t need to reread our constitution,” Cunningham said tightly. “I know it by heart. Sparhawk is the son of a Servant, an heir to power, yes, but—”

“No!” shouted Halsey suddenly. He was smiling now. “I’d hoped it wouldn’t come to this. I’d hoped you’d see reason and put one of our better men aboard
Defiant
. But you’ve forced my hand. I apologize for any embarrassment this may cause, but—”

“Halsey, explain yourself or shut up.”

“Very well,” he said primly. “Sparhawk’s father is ill. He is, in fact, legally in a coma at this moment. That makes Sparhawk the Younger the acting Servant.”

I swallowed hard. He was right. He was a full-fledged bastard for bringing it up, but he was right.

Cunningham turned at me, frowning. “Is this true?”

“The last time I checked with House Sparhawk, my father was in the state he describes. He is expected to recover, however. I didn’t—”

“Your family is a pack of budget-slashing, power-hungry hacks, Sparhawk!” Halsey snarled. “You can’t know how much your commission irritates the upper echelon of CENTCOM. You should have been drummed out of the Guard entirely—”

“You forget yourself, Halsey!” Cunningham barked.

Halsey shut up and glowered at the screens.

She turned to me. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I was unaware of your status. Please accept my apologies for our rudeness, but Halsey is correct. Your commission is suspended until your Father recovers. My condolences are with you and your family. Many have died in this rash of assassinations.”

Stunned, I was at a loss as to what to say. I’d been so preoccupied with
Defiant
, and Chloe, and everything else—I’d forgotten the rules.

They were right, of course. It was a technicality, and as far as I knew, it had never come up before. But no one could be
both
a supreme member of the governing body and a member of Star Guard at the same time. As I recalled from civics classes, our world leaders had specified that restriction.

The founders had formed a government from ashes after the Cataclysm, and they’d feared a military dictatorship. It had been a wise move—but right now, it was a major disappointment to me personally.

The admirals immediately fell to wrangling about who should fly
Defiant
instead of me. I was heartsick to hear them.

Finally, Halsey turned toward me and Zye. “Sparhawk? Are you still here? You have to leave, man. Was that somehow not made clear?”

“Yes sir,” I said.

“And on the way out, surrender that uniform—please.”

“Of course, Admiral.”

“Wait!” Cunningham said as I moved toward the exit in stunned silence.

I halted, and I dared to hope, turning back toward the group.

“We need the Beta,” she said. “Could you direct her to serve another in your stead?”

My mouth opened, and then it closed again.

“I guess—I think I could—”

“It’s the wrong decision,” Zye said to me loudly. “These officers are fools. No one knows how to command
Defiant
better than you do.”

“Zye,” Halsey said. “We’ll give you a commission. You’ll be an accepted officer in the fleet. What can we make her, Admiral? A lieutenant? It’s a battlefield promotion, after all.”

“I suppose,” Cunningham said. She wasn’t looking at me any longer. She sounded disappointed.

Halsey, on the other hand, seemed almost gleeful. He threw out a half-dozen names. All of them were favored staffers of his, I had no doubt.

Right then, I realized I had a very difficult decision to make. During the span of several thoughtful seconds I made a choice, and I told myself I could never look back.

“Admiral?” I asked, stepping up to Cunningham and standing at attention.

“What is it, Sparhawk?” she asked. “We’re very busy here.”

“Madam, I could do a lot of good for the navy as a Servant,” I said. “I could help secure the emergency budget you need. But that’s a long term solution to Earth’s problems.”

“Could you get to the point, son?” Halsey demanded. He was glowering at me again. “And then get out?”

Admiral Cunningham raised her hand, halting Halsey’s attack.

“Go on,” she said to me.

“I think I can do more for the war effort directly, right now. After careful consideration, I’ve decided to serve the Guard rather than the public at large. I hereby resign my seat in the Ministry, effective immediately. I’m no longer a Public Servant. I’m now willing and able to serve the Guard in whatever capacity the Admiralty sees fit.”

They all stared at me. Halsey’s jaw hung low. Taranto was noticeably angry.

Only Admiral Cunningham smiled. It was the first time I’d seen her do so since I’d arrived.

“I accept your generous offer, Lieutenant Commander,” she said. “You are hereby directed to take the sky-lift up to
Defiant
and take command of her. You’ll be relieving—”

“Think, man!” Halsey interrupted. “You’re giving up your father’s seat? House Sparhawk will crumble!”

I didn’t even look at him. “Admiral Halsey, if you value my father’s seat so highly, you can run for it yourself in the elections next spring.”

There were a few rude laughs from the assembled officers. Halsey reddened, and I knew I hadn’t made a friend. But then again, I sensed he was never going to be my friend anyway.

“William Sparhawk, I hereby promote you to the rank of Captain,” Admiral Cunningham said gravely. “Your new rank comes with all the honors, responsibilities, and prerequisites thus granted.”

“Thank you, Admiral. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must stop an invasion.”

I turned on one heel and walked smartly away. Zye followed me closely.

“That was strange,” she said in a whisper. “I can’t imagine that level of disagreement and discord in a similar meeting among Alphas. They would most likely all agree on the best course. And if our written rules threatened our survival—we’d change them immediately and unanimously.”

Nodding, I understood her bewilderment. “You see, Zye, Earthlings don’t always get along. Not even with our closest comrades. But at times strength can be found in arguments. When a set of conflicting ideas is presented to a group, they will often choose the best option in the end.”

“Yes Captain. I see your point, they chose you and that was the best option.”

That hadn’t been what I was getting at, but I liked her conclusion, so I didn’t argue with it.

“In this instance Zye, I hope you’re right for all our sakes.”

-44-

We traveled to the base of the sky-lift then rode upward in the first available car. Strangely, the entire platform was vacant except for a few other uniformed guardsmen.

As the ride took several minutes, I decided to take the opportunity to talk to the other passengers.

“Zye, could you stay here by the window, please?”

“Certainly,” she said. “You can’t get far in this contrivance.”

I walked away from her, but then I glanced back. Sometimes, her attitude was improper, in my opinion. She seemed to view me as some kind of infant in constant need of care.

“Gentlemen,” I said to a trio of officers. “I couldn’t help but notice we’re the only personnel aboard the sky-lift. I can only assume the station has been closed to civilians, is that right?”

The group looked me over briefly. The leader among them was a commander named Durris.

“That’s right,” Commander Durris said. “We’re on our way up to man that wreck of a battle cruiser, if you can believe that.”

“Really? Is it ready to fly?”

He snorted. “No. Not if half of what I hear is accurate. It was damaged or something on the way to Earth. What’s the point of even trying to fly an alien ship into battle against a pack of rabble? That’s what I want to know. A team of pinnaces could clean up these rats in twenty minutes.”

I nodded gravely. It was always good to hear honest words from new crewmen before they knew who they were talking to. My cloak had covered up my nametag, but not my rank which rode on my cap. The rank was incorrect, of course, as I hadn’t had time to refit myself. I’d planned on doing so when I reached the station.

“Go on,” I said, “I happen to be assigned to the same ship.”

Durris leaned toward me conspiratorially. “That’s not the worst of it. From what I hear, they just assigned a green captain to command her. Talk about a waste of talent. They might as well leave us here on the station, swabbing the decks with the yard-dogs and bots.”

“An interesting situation,” I said. “Do you know what’s wrong with the ship?”

“Not really. I’ve just heard that they can’t get it to fly. Not at all. The computer is locked up or something.”

I frowned. I’d flown
Defiant
without difficulties. Sure, we’d been hit hard and suffered damage, but the ship had been left space-worthy.

Zye took that opportunity to walk up and join the group. The officers gaped. Apparently, they hadn’t seen her full size until now. She’d been sitting next to me near the glass.

“Gentlemen,” I said with a sweep of my arm. “Allow me to introduce one of my bridge officers. This is Lieutenant Zye—newly commissioned.”

“She’s—you’re the Beta, aren’t you?”

“She is indeed a Beta,” I said. “She’ll get this ship flying, rest assured.”

They looked at me again with a new expression. “You’re Sparhawk?” Commander Durris asked.

“Yes. I’m Captain Sparhawk—newly promoted. When you get to the station, gentlemen, don’t dawdle in a bar. We’re leaving within three hours after arrival. I want all hands aboard and ready to fly her.”

“Yes…yes, sir!” they stammered. After that, they quickly retreated.

Zye looked at me with a glow of pride on her face. “I see that I have had some positive influence on you. Your deception was admirable.” She nodded with approval.

The lift was reaching its apogee. Zye stared upward as the station loomed. This time, we were entirely within the shadow of Earth, and the station was as black as pitch. Only a few running lights outlined the hulking form.

Next to the station,
Defiant
herself floated. There was a wand-thin tube connecting the station to the ship. I expected traffic between the two to be constant. I was surprised that I didn’t see the pods zipping back and forth, carrying new crewmen, supplies and the like aboard.

“That’s our ship,” I said. “She’s a pleasure to behold, isn’t she, Zye?”

“In a way,” she said. “In comparison to Earth, I will feel at home aboard her. But she was also my prison in space, familiar or not.”

I looked at Zye with upraised eyebrows. She rarely made such a thoughtful speech.

She returned my scrutiny. “Although I admired your skill when hiding your rank and tricking those men,” she said. “I’m still puzzling as to your purpose. Why did you do it?”

“To gain information. The lower ranks often hide their true feelings from their superiors. I wanted to hear what they really thought.”

Zye shook her head. “So odd. A Beta wouldn’t want to know what an underling thought—not unless the underling was an Alpha or a rogue like myself. Even then, an officer would probably have no curiosity about the honest opinions of others.”

“Well, you’ll get used to us in time, I suppose.”

“Yes. If these rebels don’t destroy us all.”

“They won’t—not with your help.”

She looked at me thoughtfully. “What do you mean, Captain?”

“You disabled the battle cruiser somehow, didn’t you? When we left? That’s why they can’t fly her without our help.”

She looked troubled. “I didn’t think you’d figure that out.”

I laughed. “You might be subtle and tricky, Zye, but I’m beginning to know you pretty well.”

The truth was that Zye’s “tricks” were often ham-handed stunts. She pulled them off mostly through the application of sheer gall. I thought that her high rate of her success when attempting deceptions had to be due to her normally stolid demeanor. People just didn’t expect anything but very flat-footed behavior from her. She was the ultimate straight-man—except when she wasn’t.

Zye looked down into my face wearing an odd expression. Was she blushing or was it just the angle of the light?

The sky-lift’s great calipers were applied. A groaning, screeching sound was created, and the floor vibrated under our feet. Less than a minute later, we docked with the station.

The doors swept open, revealing a group of very serious technicians. They were mostly yard-dogs—bosun mechanics and bosun’s mates.

Among the group was a single individual who put a smile on my face. It was none other than Rumbold.

“Captain Sparhawk, sir!” he said, stepping forward. “If you could follow me—there’s literally no time to waste.”

“Agreed. Let’s go.”

We marched in a large group around the outer torus of the station. Here, the centrifugal gravity was stronger than at the center of the disk-like station where the ships were docked. When we reached the correct spoke of the central wheel, we moved inward.

When we reached the pier where
Defiant
was docked, it looked like the dock itself was under construction. There were welding-bots, laser cutters and panels with exposed wires lying everywhere in the workspace outside the primary airlock.

“Here she is,” Rumbold said with a flourish. “Pier 39. Would you like to do the honors, sir?”

He waved vaguely at the heavy hexagonal doorway. I frowned at him.

“What do you mean ‘do the honors?’” I demanded. “Open the door, Rumbold.”

He took in a deep breath. He and the other techs eyed one another in defeat.

“Honestly, sir, we were hoping…the truth is we can no longer get past the door.”

“What are you talking about?”

Rumbold's demeanor switched from sheepish to angry in one second, a behavior pattern of his I was very familiar with.

“It’s the ship’s damnable AI, Captain! I don’t understand it. We were working at a good pace, repairing systems, taking those battle scars off the hull—but then the computer took over and kicked us all out! It won’t even allow pressurization of the docking tube, and the collar at the other end indicates it’s been decoupled. I’ve never—”

To stop his tirade I put up my hand, palm out.

“I see,” I said.

And I
did
see. When we’d arrived down here at Pier 39, I’d been under the impression the pier itself was under some kind of construction. Now I realized the ship was obstructing them, and the techs had been attempting to dismantle the ship-to-ship universal interface from the station’s side.

“Did you try a space-walk?” I asked, surveying their efforts.

“Of course,” Rumbold huffed. “We did that in the first hour. Nearly lost two good men in the attempt. The frigging thing just shut us out. Every time we get close to one of its external hatches, it shuts the damned thing closed tighter than a—”

“I understand,” I said.

Pretending it was only an afterthought, I turned at last to Zye.

She loomed quietly nearby. She’d remained silent up until now. I didn’t want anyone to discover and report her sabotage, so I hoped she’d be smart enough to play along at this point.

“Zye,” I said, “do you have any suggestions?”

“I must approach the interface,” she said.

The technicians had formed a throng around us. They were clearly in a bad mood, but they let her walk past them and up a ramp to the open control panels. She began to look them over closely.

While she did so, I engaged the crew in conversation. “So, Rumbold, have you been assigned to
Defiant’s
crew?”

“No sir,” he said sadly, “I’m working the station yard like the rest of these sad-sacks. But if you were to put in a kind word, that might change.”

Suddenly, the huge door Zye had been fooling with sprung open behind us. There was a sucking sound as the vacuum in the tube was filled from the station’s air supply.

“That crazy bitch!” Rumbold shouted.

Zye and I both looked at him, startled.

“Uh, sorry sirs. I meant the computer. She let you right in, didn’t she? What was it, a password?”

“You have to initiate the procedural steps to docking with a Beta ship in a specific order,” Zye said. “The AI is programmed to detect any pattern other than the one that’s required. A misstep will shut down all systems.”

Rumbold’s eyes narrowed to slits. “
What?
What specific order? All we ever do is attach the tube, marry the universal collars and pressurize the tube!”

“Ah,” Zye said, putting up a large finger. “I see the problem already. You’re supposed to depressurize the tube after pressurizing it—cycling the air in and out twice.”

Rumbold’s jaw sagged. “That’s insane, wasteful and downright dangerous. Explain to me why any ship would require such a procedure!”

I took a step forward, interceding myself between them. “Let’s keep in mind the door is now open.  With luck, the AI will stop obstructing us.”

“I don’t get it,” muttered Rumbold. “Something funny is going on around here.”

My mind raced. The other yard-dogs, and more importantly the trio of officers who’d been observing from the back, were all looking suspicious. Commander Durris, in particular looked like he smelled a rat. Leave it to Rumbold to not let something go.

“I will explain,” Zye said, stepping forward. “The ship is trying to keep out the Stroj.”

“The
what?
”

“The Stroj are creatures,” Zye explained, “cybernetic beings. They were behind the rash of assassinations on Earth.”

The men looked from one to another, confused and alarmed.

“We haven’t heard of any such beings, sir,” said Commander Durris from the back. He was addressing me, rather than Zye. “As far as we know, the rock rats are behind the attacks on officials as part of a general rebellion.”

I nodded sagely. “That’s the cover story. But I’ve personally met and fought with the Stroj. The Betas—like Zye here—are constantly under attack from their worlds.”

Rumbold gawked at me. “That robot thing! The one that attacked your father! That was a Stroj, wasn’t it?”

“Yes,” I said.

Zye spoke up again. “My point is that my people have had to go to great lengths to make sure we’re not infiltrated. We have patterns, codes of behavior the Stroj don’t know about. If an enemy were to attempt to enter this ship, for example—”

“I get it,” Rumbold said excitedly. “They’d be identified. It’s like a passcode. A behavioral passcode.”

“That’s right,” Zye said.

Commander Durris stepped up to Zye. “Is that true, Lieutenant?” he asked. “This ship has behavioral security?”

“Yes,” Zye said flatly.

“Then why didn’t you inform us? Our crew has wasted days fooling around—”

“She’s been with me, Commander,” I said, intervening. “We’ve been battling the Stroj on Earth, in fact.”

That got everyone to shut up. Before they could ask any more incriminating questions, I herded them aboard the battle cruiser. I kept telling them there was no more time to waste, and there would be a thorough investigation later.

I didn’t like to mislead people, but sometimes it was necessary when the stakes were so high.