Messiah (9 page)
Authors: S. Andrew Swann
She hadn’t had the time to investigate the
Wisconsin
herself, so she wondered what its role had been in peacetime. It almost looked like a tourist destination, hotels and all. But what kind of tourists came to Bakunin?
Wisconsin
herself, so she wondered what its role had been in peacetime. It almost looked like a tourist destination, hotels and all. But what kind of tourists came to Bakunin?
The more she thought about it, the queasier she became.
Of course, the main attraction is the fact that there is no law. If you have money, and tastes for things that are frowned upon on your home planet...
The hotel they approached radiated luxury the way a burning engine gave off toxic fumes. The walls arced upward, polished granite shining, windows glinting from behind brass frames, an intimidating mass of wealth that contrasted with the scene on the ground greeting them.
The landscaping around the hotel was trampled into a uniform soggy mess; fences and handrails had been broken and replaced by only token repairs. A bench had toppled over. A geometric fountain had been shut off, and its basin was filled only with a film of dirty water dotted with trash. As they closed on the hotel, she saw several broken windows covered with reflective plastic sheeting.
Their guide led them to a long queue that seemed much more orderly than the damaged scenery led Toni to expect. The order was enforced by a dozen stone-faced guards wearing blue jumpsuits and carrying nasty-looking laser carbines. At the head of the line, people filed slowly in front of a row of desks. Above the desks, a hand-lettered sign read, “Please wait in line until you’re registered and issued a badge.”
Karl asked their guide as she turned to go, “Have you been having refugee problems?”
“Nothing security can’t handle,” she responded, leaving them in line.
“Looks like they had a riot,” Karl said under his breath.
It took an hour to get through the line, and have the
Wisconsin
’s
bureaucrats satisfy themselves and issue the four of them ID badges. The bored functionary that processed Toni showed only a brief flash of human emotion when he registered some obvious surprise that Toni had been issued space in one of the hotel’s penthouses. Apparently, though, his existence was dreary enough that the expression only lasted a few seconds, then he handed her the ID and called, “Next.”
Wisconsin
’s
bureaucrats satisfy themselves and issue the four of them ID badges. The bored functionary that processed Toni showed only a brief flash of human emotion when he registered some obvious surprise that Toni had been issued space in one of the hotel’s penthouses. Apparently, though, his existence was dreary enough that the expression only lasted a few seconds, then he handed her the ID and called, “Next.”
When the priest’s ship had arrived from Salmagundi, the nominal reason the pirate Valentine bitches had for taking Mallory’s refugees on board was in order to render aid to their wounded. The
Khalid
had brought them the first casualties of the priest’s war against the Antichrist. Stefan knew their names as Shane and Abbas. Shane was part of the odd tribe of men from Salmagundi, an old bald man bearing more tattoos on his scalp, it seemed, than all of his countrymen put together. Abbas was a much younger woman who had apparently been the highest-ranking member of the Caliphate soldiers Mallory had following him.
Khalid
had brought them the first casualties of the priest’s war against the Antichrist. Stefan knew their names as Shane and Abbas. Shane was part of the odd tribe of men from Salmagundi, an old bald man bearing more tattoos on his scalp, it seemed, than all of his countrymen put together. Abbas was a much younger woman who had apparently been the highest-ranking member of the Caliphate soldiers Mallory had following him.
They were both severely injured, and had yet to regain consciousness. The two took up most of the
Daedalus’
limited medical resources, and a few hours after the so-called “command staff” left, a medical from the
Wisconsin
came up to transport the wounded to an actual hospital. Since Stefan was the only crew left who knew the medbay design, he didn’t even have to ask to be the one to assist the
Wisconsin
medics. The pirate bitch running his ship had no idea that he’d
want
to help move the wounded. Or that he had very good reasons to want to.
Daedalus’
limited medical resources, and a few hours after the so-called “command staff” left, a medical from the
Wisconsin
came up to transport the wounded to an actual hospital. Since Stefan was the only crew left who knew the medbay design, he didn’t even have to ask to be the one to assist the
Wisconsin
medics. The pirate bitch running his ship had no idea that he’d
want
to help move the wounded. Or that he had very good reasons to want to.
Stefan met the medics and showed them the control systems on the two enclosed medbays housing Alexander Shane and Sergeant Abbas. Both victims were barely stable, and the medics were loath to take either out of the bays to transport.
The medics were gratified when Stefan showed them how the medbay pods had been updated to be movable. Both had internal systems that could run independently of the
Daedalus.
With a little effort they could transport both Shane and Abbas to the hospital without disconnecting their life support.
Daedalus.
With a little effort they could transport both Shane and Abbas to the hospital without disconnecting their life support.
And Stefan was more than happy to accompany them.
They moved the massive medbays out of the
Daedalus
and down to the Beta habitat level. When they reached the ground level of the habitat, a truck was waiting for them, a tracked flatbed cargo mover, since a standard ambulance couldn’t accommodate the large medbays. Stefan rode with the driver as the vehicle wove through a dense glass-walled city, windows shining with the hundreds of Kropotkins the
Wisconsin’s
mirrors reflected down on them.
Daedalus
and down to the Beta habitat level. When they reached the ground level of the habitat, a truck was waiting for them, a tracked flatbed cargo mover, since a standard ambulance couldn’t accommodate the large medbays. Stefan rode with the driver as the vehicle wove through a dense glass-walled city, windows shining with the hundreds of Kropotkins the
Wisconsin’s
mirrors reflected down on them.
The medics were concerned with their patients, so Stefan talked to the driver, asking about how things were on the
Wisconsin.
Wisconsin.
“You might not see it here, but things’re a mess—”
Stefan listened attentively as the driver told him how much things had gone to hell. The Beta habitat was largely given over to the administrative and operations staff of the
Wisconsin
. Alpha and Gamma were the tourist areas; hotels, casinos, brothels, and the sorts of entertainment one came for if one came to Bakunin for entertainment. Attractions with an additional premium attached for being safely out of the chaos down on the surface.
Wisconsin
. Alpha and Gamma were the tourist areas; hotels, casinos, brothels, and the sorts of entertainment one came for if one came to Bakunin for entertainment. Attractions with an additional premium attached for being safely out of the chaos down on the surface.
“Never should’ve let the refugees in,” the man told him. The place had been overwhelmed. Most of the security force on the
Wisconsin
was in the Gamma habitat trying to keep things under control with all the “diplomacy,” going on. The driver spat the word in a derisive tone that exactly matched Stefan’s feelings.
Wisconsin
was in the Gamma habitat trying to keep things under control with all the “diplomacy,” going on. The driver spat the word in a derisive tone that exactly matched Stefan’s feelings.
But Stefan had no intention of being a party to some war that had nothing to do with him.
The hospital was overcrowded and understaffed, and no one paid any particular attention to Stefan. He followed along as the medics pushed the medical bays from the
Daedalus
into the emergency room. Removing Shane and Abbas from the safety of the medical sarcophagi was a tense process, but a successful one—in large part because the medical readings from each bay had been slightly altered to downgrade its occupant’s condition.
Daedalus
into the emergency room. Removing Shane and Abbas from the safety of the medical sarcophagi was a tense process, but a successful one—in large part because the medical readings from each bay had been slightly altered to downgrade its occupant’s condition.
The medics wouldn’t have known from the readouts, but it probably would have been perfectly safe to remove both patients when they’d still been on-board the ship. But had they done that, Stefan and the two medbays would have remained on the
Daedalus
.
Daedalus
.
Stefan quietly moved the medbays out of the way of the medical staff as they went to work on Shane and Abbas. No one paid him any attention.
It was clumsy for one man to move the units, but they were powered and could roll with just one hand directing them. Stefan took the pair of units back outside to the waiting truck, the driver leaned out the cab and said, “That was quick.”
Stefan nodded. “Let me secure these and we can go back to the elevator.”
The driver remained in the cab as Stefan eased both units onto the back of the truck. Then, out of sight of the driver, he opened a small access panel near the bottom of one of the medbay pods. Inside, nestled among a small arsenal of carefully packed weaponry, the handle of a military-grade stun rod was just within reach. He withdrew it, checked the charge, and sealed the compartment shut.
When Stefan got in the cab with the driver, the man turned to say something to him, and his jaw connected with the stun rod. The driver jerked and flopped over, falling across the passenger seat.
Stefan crawled over the man and sat down behind the controls, leaving the man in a drooling heap on the passenger seat. Stefan smiled and pulled away from the hospital.
He knew that he couldn’t be the only person here who didn’t accept the idea of becoming a sacrifice on the altar of some idiot’s theology.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Unbeliever
“More collateral damage has been done around a conference table than has ever been done on the battlefield.”
—
The Cynic’s Book of Wisdom
The Cynic’s Book of Wisdom
“When a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.”
—SAMUEL JOHNSON
(1709-1784)
Date: 2526.8.4 (Standard) 350,000 km from Bakunin-BD+50°1725(1709-1784)
Father Francis Xavier Mallory stood alone in a penthouse suite on top of one of the
Wisconsin
’s many hotels. He faced the window, looking down the long axis of the Gamma habitat. He could see half of this self-contained world from where he sat, and from a perspective high enough that the viewer could ignore the scars the influx of refugees had left, and the ubiquitous presence of blue-suited security guards.
Wisconsin
’s many hotels. He faced the window, looking down the long axis of the Gamma habitat. He could see half of this self-contained world from where he sat, and from a perspective high enough that the viewer could ignore the scars the influx of refugees had left, and the ubiquitous presence of blue-suited security guards.
He stared out at the view and prayed for himself, and for the souls of everyone in Adam’s path. His hands shook slightly, and he clenched them into fists to quiet them. He didn’t remember the last time he had slept, but it had been before he had boarded the
Savannah
to command his attack on the ghostly presence of Adam in Bakunin’s outer solar system.
Savannah
to command his attack on the ghostly presence of Adam in Bakunin’s outer solar system.
When he closed his eyes, he could still picture the fiery hell that he had wrought, sterilizing the nanomachine cloud that was Adam’s foothold in this solar system. That moment was the point where he realized the weight upon him, the responsibility.
He was certain it was God calling him to do this, to lead the defense of this planet in the face of a power barely within human comprehension. That faith should have given him comfort, but instead it filled him with an emotion akin to panic. His faith in God was strong, but his faith in himself became thinner with each passing moment.
He was here to negotiate a unified defense of the system, but his one victory had placed him, and those that followed him, at a steep disadvantage. He might have some credibility throughout the refugee fleet because of the tach-comm from the Vatican, but he had thrown away half his own fleet’s numbers to destroy Adam’s cloud. His Centauri fleet was now half the size of the next smallest group here.
Worse, there were many people dead set against him because of the damage that attack had caused their own tach-drives. He had broadcast a warning for all ships in the system to power down their tach-drives—but the failure of some to listen did not make them blame Mallory and his people any less.
He squeezed his fists and felt the pulse raging in his neck.
I should see a doctor,
he thought. He had old implants from his marine days, designed to optimize the performance of his body in combat. Normally, their effect should only last a half hour or so . . .
he thought. He had old implants from his marine days, designed to optimize the performance of his body in combat. Normally, their effect should only last a half hour or so . . .
It felt as if the implants had been jacking his body for days.
I don’t have the time to see a doctor.
The next twenty-four hours would be crucial in presenting a unified front when Adam made his eventual appearance. And, for all they knew, Adam’s attack could be in the midst of tach-space right now, on its way to claim another planet for its insatiable god.
“After the negotiations,” he whispered to himself.
Behind him the penthouse door whooshed open, and he turned to face the new arrivals. The four other members of the
Daedalus’
command staff walked into the suite.
Daedalus’
command staff walked into the suite.
Karl Stavros, still the nominal owner of the
Daedalus
, looked at Mallory and said, “Father, you look like hell.”
Daedalus
, looked at Mallory and said, “Father, you look like hell.”
Mallory turned to Toni Valentine, the de facto captain of the
Daedalus
and asked, “Any problems getting here?”
Daedalus
and asked, “Any problems getting here?”
Toni shook her head. “None. Though they seem to have a large refugee problem here. I can see why they refused us docking rights when we first showed up. Downstairs is a mess.”
Mallory had seen that mess himself on arrival. The first floor of the hotel had been a casino and ballroom. Some time after landings stopped on Bakunin, they had stripped the floor clean and set up hundreds of cots. Now the lobby level was home to about seven hundred people.
“What exactly is the plan here?” Karl asked.
“We’re trying to negotiate a unified defense. A common command to fight Adam.”
“You think you can manage that?” Karl asked. “I think you have better chances against Adam.”
The Caliphate man behind him said, “Once they know what we fight, they will join together. They have no choice.”
God willing,
Mallory thought.
Mallory thought.
Four hours later, Mallory stood in front of the bathroom mirror to get ready for the first meeting with representatives from the other fleets. He barely recognized the man staring back at him. In the stark light his hair looked more white than gray, and every crease in his face seemed deeper. Staring into his own eyes, he saw something stark and frightening—looking into the eyes of a prophet or a madman.
Or a man on the third day of an adrenaline high...
He cut himself twice shaving with a shaking hand, but the wounds barely bled. Even without the stubble, the face looking back at him was not one he expected the other representatives to listen to.
I’ve done what I can.
Someone knocked on the door. “Father Mallory?” Toni’s voice.
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