Gunship (22 page)

“So do you want to rescue Marek, or should I?” Duv asked, still watching Marek’s horrified expression as the woman began to plant kisses along his neck and face.

“A beautiful woman belongs to everyone, but an ugly one is yours alone,” Chang offered in his typical stoic fashion. Duv shook his head and pointed him towards the dance floor.

“Rock, paper, scissors to decide?” Chang held out his fist.

—————

The ship creaked and groaned as Reilly walked the decks. Periodically, she would touch a wall or look into a room or down a hallway and pause, remembering. The long dent, now buffed out to a faint scar, on one side of the upper level of the cargo bay that reminded her of the dud missile that they had caught in a battle right after she pinned on Captain. The wall at the back of the common room that used to be covered in thick, scarred cork for dart throwing, where she learned from Chang how to best throw a knife. The corridor outside the armory where, as a new lieutenant, she had had to stand up to a hardheaded sergeant named Joby Ty who had issues with following a woman into battle. Reilly shook her head and smiled, remembering the trick right hook she had caught him with that had brought him to his knees and earned her the chance to prove to them all how well she could lead on a battlefield. She walked quickly past the medical center, thinking of those who had died, those she had had to say goodbye to as they left this world for the next. She climbed slowly up the stairs and paused outside the officer’s quarters.

Tentatively, she reached up above the door and felt around. Her fingers touched a ring of metal and she stood on her toes, head down, eyes closed, and traced the key that had melted into the door frame. And she remembered. She could see Jeremy in his uniform, tired but still looking sharp and handsome, his lopsided grin, the way his eyes lit up when he saw her. She remembered the day the ship went down and they fought and fought and fought until finally someone rescued them from hell. Reilly could still see his eyes mirroring her own, the fear, the pain, the sadness, and the ghosts that wouldn’t leave. Knowing with just a glance he could tell what she was thinking, trying to match him in hand-to-hand combat, her speed to beat his strength, and laughing when her latest trick failed. And remembering how he made her feel, made her smile, made her a better person, and how when she had lost him, it had ripped a hole in her that nothing could heal. She slowly pulled her hand back, away from the pain and the darkness and how badly she had wanted to die. How she would’ve died except her crew wouldn’t let her, how they fought to keep her alive and helped her find her way back. She owed them a lot, her little space-bound family. She carefully wiped at her eyes and leaned in the doorway for a moment, remembering Jeremy’s warmth, how it felt to be held by him. No one had ever gotten that close to her before and no one would ever again. It was too painful and the darkness still too real.

The crew had tried to convince her to date again, but Reilly wasn’t interested. Her life and her experiences very few men would understand or accept. Some would feel threatened by her, others would try to change her or make her a pet. Her lifestyle kept her apart, and she was fine with that. In fact, she preferred it. The last time they had tried to set her up, it had been a disaster. They had meant well and so she had agreed, but it was too much, too soon. The eligible bachelor tried too hard and Reilly knocked him out, which resulted in a bar fight of epic proportions. Reilly got thirteen stitches, Chang got a black eye, and Ty got his jaw broke…again. She spent the next three days drinking until Gunny found them a job that required all of her focus and helped get her back on track. No one had brought up dating to her again.

Reilly looked up from her black reverie as she heard the others returning. It was only 10:30, but it sounded like they had had a very good time. She moved down the hall to refill her coffee cup and then sat at the common room table to continue working on the ledgers with a frustrated growl.

The cipher was still a mystery. She had tried all of the programs and ciphers she knew, but so far nothing had worked. Footsteps clattered up the catwalk. Duv and Holly came in the far door giggling like two kids, followed by Chang and Marek. They drew up short when they saw her.

“Uh, hey Captain. We didn’t know you’d be here,” Duv said awkwardly while Holly peered over his shoulder at Reilly.

Reilly was not in the mood. “Where the hell else would I be, Jackson? It is my ship, isn’t it?” She shot a steely-eyed gaze in their direction.

Duv started to stutter out an answer, but Reilly shook her head and stopped him. “Go on already. I hope he’s worth it, Holly!” She waved at them impatiently and they scooted through the room towards Duv’s cabin.

Duv glanced back once they were out of sight. “You know the Captain?” Holly shook her head. “Well, she knows you.” Duv gulped at that thought and reminded himself to set his room alarm a bit earlier than usual.

Marek rapidly excused himself, said goodnight to Chang, and disappeared back the way he had come towards his room.

Chang, unperturbed by Reilly’s mood, walked over and poured himself a cup of coffee and then joined her at the table. She glowered at him for a moment until they both broke into laughter.

“So, do I still have it, Gunny?” Reilly smiled tiredly and looked down the hall in the direction Duv and Holly had disappeared.

“Yes, ma’am. Did you see their faces?” Chang laughed again then did an impersonation of Reilly—“Where the hell else would I be, Jackson?”—and they cracked up again.

The wily old knuckle dragger never ceased to amaze her. Reilly had been glad when he decided to become part of her crew. His twenty-eight years of service in the ISUs made him a formidable warrior, and his experience had helped them survive some of the more challenging missions they had faced. Reilly still was learning from him. In the evenings, they talked strategy and tactics. In the mornings, she pushed to keep up with his latest workout routine or avoid collecting fresh bruises in sparring practice. Chang was an invaluable asset, a good friend and mentor. Reilly owed him her life at least a couple times over. Of course, he could say the same of her.

They both caught their breath and then sobered up. Reilly gathered her thoughts and pointed to the ledgers.

“These ledgers—I haven’t been able to do a damn thing with them yet. I know they hold the key to whatever was going on with the Welch brothers, maybe even to what is getting ready to happen. I just wish I could break this cipher, but it’s like nothing I’ve ever seen before. I’ve tried at least twenty different encryptions, but none of them have even so much as cracked a symbol on it.” She rubbed her eyes.

Chang pulled a ledger over and flipped it open, turning through the pages absently. Reilly noticed.

“Something on your mind, Gunny?”

“We have a new recruit for Sunday’s crucible. She approached Duv tonight at the Iron BAR about the electronics expert slot. She’s well-armed and was confident enough to want to take Ty on in front of a bunch of armed locals, even with us there.” Chang paused, his forehead wrinkled as he thought of how to best tell the Captain. “She didn’t recognize me, but I recognized her. I’m pretty sure she’s working for Zain.”

Reilly set her coffee mug down. “What are you telling me, Gunny?”

“She’s a Gaiden, Captain.”

Reilly stared at him. “What did you say?”

—————

“The scores continue to look good, sir. But I did want you to know he is showing some signs of stress due to the advanced pace. To push an operative through two of the holoprograms in a week is a lot. We’ve seen him complete four in three days. I would recommend that you delay the deployment of holoprograms Echo and Foxtrot. His mind needs time to recover.”

Zain shook his head emphatically. “You know we are on a very tight timeline, Doctor. I have to get him through the first ten before Campbell leaves in order to avoid detection. This way, we are still close enough that we can retrieve him if he suffers a mental break. How serious is it?”

“The facial tremors are becoming noticeable, and the headaches will also become more acute, perhaps even debilitating without rest and a control program.” The doctor paused. “Perhaps if you implement the control program now, it will help to limit some of the impulses and focus his mental state. Only a two-day break would be necessary, and then you would be able to proceed with the remaining programs. That should limit most of the negative effects.”

Zain drummed his fingers. Time was everything, and he had so little of it. This boy was going to be the lynchpin in his plan without which everything would fail. If that happened, Welch would be unstoppable. But it would all be for nothing if the kid crashed because he had been pushed too hard.

“Do it, then. Load a control program for him, and I want scans twice a day for the next two days. As soon as he is stabilized, I need to know so we can recommence the training—am I clear?” Zain looked sternly at the doctor.

“Yes, sir. I will do everything I can to get the boy’s recovery time down to a minimum. I do understand his importance to your mission. His brain waves are still functioning at a high enough level that I can run the control program now on audible before he enters deep sleep.”

“Very good, Doctor.” Zain rubbed his face and yawned, feeling stubble along his jaw. He needed to shave, and a shower probably wouldn’t hurt either. He looked back at the doctor. “I know you understand the importance of our work. Without your assistance, our galaxy wouldn’t have a shot in hell right now. Your service is saving lives.”

The doctor smiled brightly. “Thank you for saying so, sir. I’m just glad that I have the opportunity to make a contribution like this on behalf of my government. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go see to the boy now.”

Zain inclined his head as the doctor walked out of the room. The man had no idea how important this operative was to his plans. In fact, nobody except Zain even knew the full plan. And nobody else ever would if it worked.

—————

It was turning into a late night, but Welch didn’t mind. So many good things were happening! He opened a second bottle of wine to celebrate as his mainframe came to life again.

“Mr. Welch,” said a voice.

Razam turned to face the screen, glass in hand. “Ah, good evening, Mr. Ashati! What a pleasure it is to make your acquaintance! I see you have met my director of operations, Mr. Dobbin. I assume that he has explained everything to you?”

Seven men stood before him on the screen. All of them were core AOC members, including the current defense minister, Aref Ashati, and the AOC commander-in-chief, Carlisle Bolton.

“Yes, Mr. Dobbin explained that you will be contacting us from time to time and that we will receive instructions on how we should proceed. We are very honored and excited to be working for you, Mr. Welch. We are very much looking forward to reuniting the galaxy again under a singular central government.”

Welch smiled contemptuously at the men. They were nothing but puppets now. All of their honor and excitement was a side effect of the new implants Dobbin had fired into the base of their skulls earlier that day at a luncheon. Ridiculously easy, really, to turn these men who believed they were untouchable into his gophers.

“Very good, Mr. Ashati. Now I have some important information to share with you that you should act upon at once. Dobbin will assist you in carrying out this task, but it must be accomplished within the next week in order to ensure that AOC security is kept intact.”

“Please, Mr. Welch, we are at your disposal. Whatever you require, we will ensure that it gets done immediately. We are so looking forward to the day when our security concerns have been dealt with so that we can announce you formally and you are finally able to accept the humble position we have offered.”

Welch grinned broadly. “I, too, cannot wait to join you. I am honored to accept the post of AOC commander-in-chief.”

Another man leaned forward. “Indeed, Mr. Welch. I only hope that I can uphold the position in the time remaining to your satisfaction. I look forward to the day when I can relinquish my command of the AOC to you.”

“You are too kind, Mr. Bolton. You have served well as the people’s elected commander, but they will need strong leadership in the days to come as we face very serious threats to our interplanetary government. I am pleased to be able to step into that role. Now, gentlemen, let me inform you of the most recent threat. A new alien biological agent has been released, and some of the colonies have already become infected. In order to best maintain security, it is imperative that we institute an immediate vaccination program for all of our military personnel to protect them against this vector. Dobbin has brought a case of vaccines with him to begin the process. I think we should begin with the ISUs and then move to the main fleet. This must be done immediately.”

“We understand, Mr. Welch. We will begin at once.” Mr. Bolton stepped back into line.

“Once you have the ISUs taken care of, contact me again for further instructions. I’ll be in touch.” Welch turned off the screen, smiling to himself, and lay back on the divan once again. Everything was very much going according to his plans.

—————

“A Gaiden? You’re sure? I thought they were all dead.” Reilly paced around the common room.

Gaiden were a thing of the past. Reilly remembered hearing about them when she had first joined up, special troops trained to protect senior Quorum members by the Personal Security Directorate. Gaiden were used to carry out assassinations, one-way missions, and other unsavory jobs that the government didn’t acknowledge. They were usually put into training at a very young age under the guise of joining a religious guild which was a front for the official government program. No one knew very much about what went on, except that the trainees learned several different martial arts styles and were usually qualified weapons experts. Some people refused to believe the Gaiden were real, but Reilly knew otherwise. Her work in the ISUs had taken her into some very specialized areas. She had read classified reports that had confirmed their existence and their use in some of the more clandestine programs. She had never gone so deep in as to have to work with one, though.