Birthright: Battle for the Confederation- Pursuit Page 18

  "Ok, then, follow me and I'll show you what we have."

  They walked through engineering, finally entering some access spaces that grew tighter and tighter until Loren had to crouch as his shoulders rubbed the walls. He noted that his uniform was getting greasy where it contacted metal surfaces, but the chief was dirtier and more tired than he, so he didn't complain.

  "Alright," the chief said as they stopped at an inspection station that carved out a small habitable space among the ductwork and machinery. The chief pointed to a scratched and somewhat cloudy transparent armor viewport only about as big as a data pad, through which Loren squinted to see beyond.

  "In there is Engine Room Two. Well, what's left of it, anyway. The hyperdrive reactor is just gone, vaporized back to the elements. It took a lot of associated machinery with it when it let go, but I think everything's been logged and discovered now. So, we're up to about sixty percent speed for the hyperdrive. I can maybe get that up to around sixty-five, but that's about it. We have enough capacity in the machine shops, printers and materials tanks to seal up the outer hulls and repair the main structural elements. We can probably rebuild a laser battery or two as well. We should be able to repair most of our combat ability enroute; it's just a matter of how much time we have. Forward torpedoes should be first, then port side laser batteries. Aft torpedo launchers work, but we're going to have to build a temporary loading track to get the weapons from the magazines up to the launchers." The chief finished and waited for Loren's reaction.

  "Ok," he said simply. "Thanks for the update. You know we appreciate your hard work down here. Just let us know if you need anything."

  "Snagging an asteroid or two for metals wouldn't hurt, I suppose," the chief suggested.

  "That would be nice, I agree," Loren admitted. "I wouldn't expect that sort of thing until after we leave Faaria, though. We'll be there in about fourteen more hours; we had to make some course changes to do our best to avoid more Primans."

  "Yes," agreed the chief, "let's keep avoiding them, please."

  Loren returned to the bridge and found Captain Elco hard at work at his console. He offered the chief's report and sat down at his own station to make some entries himself.

  Elco turned to Loren and gave him a conspiratorial look. "Loren," he began in a quiet tone, "when we get to Faaria, we're going to try to pick up where we left off. You're going to take your team to the surface and go find us some AIs. But when you're down there, I want you to use a private comm device and make a call to a friend of yours."

  Loren quickly put the pieces together. "My friend with the past shrouded in mystery who happens to be babysitting another mutual friend?"

  "Exactly. Get in contact with Garrett Drayven, and keep it off the books. Here's what I want you to ask."

  The Solar Venturer completed her transit to Callidor without incident. Web and Halley made it a point to be seen together some more as well, and when they both put in for roster spots to run surface relays, nobody was surprised.

  A handful of crew were milling around the main cargo control center as they went through the process of uncoupling pods and maneuvering them for delivery. Some jetted off under their own power for waiting cargo haulers in close proximity. Others floated off to the queue for inter-orbit trans-shipping. And a handful held close station to the Venturer while she powered up her two orbit-to-surface haulers. They were ugly, beastly looking ships; a small crew compartment with a framework that held two pods in tandem followed by a bank of six huge engines. The undercarriage was all repulsor and supplementary lift engines as well, since the idea was to drop cargo right off at the delivery stations which often tended to be on rooftops or other confined spaces.

  Halley was in one now, preflighting the cockpit as Web ran one last check of the cargo manifest on his data pad while standing next to the ship.

  "Lucky you two managed to get on the flight schedule together, eh?" asked Lodoc of Web in an unusually good manner. The grizzled old engineer gave Web a look that was somewhere between suspicious and something else, Web realized. Maybe envy?

  "Well," Web said easily with a faintest of grins, "someone with my computer skills should be able to maneuver myself onto the same flight crew as her, wouldn't you think?"

  "And since you'll be part of the ground crew that's supervising ten pods over five round trips to the same drop point, you'll have plenty of time to get to know each other."

  "That's the idea, I hope," Web replied, trying to play up the puppy love routine he'd been showing for the crew's benefit.

  "Interesting woman like her, though," Lodoc continued, "maybe she's had all the adventure she hopes to find with a bunch of old freight dogs like us. Maybe you'll get bored, too."

  "I have to admit, being a Fixer was less dangerous than being part of this crew for the last few days, what with rampaging pirates and all."

  Lodoc seemed to ponder that for a minute, then started to say something but stopped as another pair of crewmembers walked by and into the airlock.

  "All I'm saying is, a woman like that gets it in her mind that it's time to move on, a guy like you would be left with a choice to make in regards to whether to stay and finish out his contract here or see where she's willing to take you."

  Web looked at Lodoc out of the corner of his eye but said nothing.

  "And if such an offer were to be made," Lodoc finished, "I think a guy like you would be pretty dim to not drop what you're doing and follow her to wherever she was headed. Might even be people on the ship that would wish you two well and not notice your failure to return for a while."

  Web smiled but quickly wiped it off his face. Apparently Lodoc was warming up to them after all. Well, probably just Halley, but if Web was her choice maybe the engineer thought that it meant he wasn't that bad, either. He did some quick calculations about where the Venturer was headed next and what her itinerary was before replying.

  "If that were the case, there would probably be a nice bar tab waiting for someone who looks a lot like you at the orbital station bar above Dekhana when the Solar Venturer got there in a couple days."

  Lodoc nodded sagely. "Well then, I hope for both of these hypothetical people that things go that route. Good journey," he said by way of departure, then turned to head down the corridor back into the cargo center, leaving Web standing by the docking hatch with his thoughts.

  Web finished up his manifest, entered the hauler and quickly ran across Halley.

  "I think Lodoc just talked me into bribing him into not noticing us taking our leave of the crew once we get to the surface."

  Halley looked a little surprised but hid it well. "That man's full of surprises."

  "I think he has a bit of a crush on you as well," Web ventured.

  "You don't need to challenge him to a duel or anything, right?"

  "No, but I do need to fix him up with a big bar tab at the main tavern on the orbital station above Dekhana by the time Venturer gets there."

  "Good choice. You can try expensing that when we get back," Halley warned as she put her hand on his shoulder before she turned to get back to work, "but I have a feeling nobody's going to reimburse you."

  Avenger made orbit over Faaria on her revised schedule. There had been one Priman cruiser prowling the reaches out of the system's sovereign boundaries, and Lieutenant Caho had been quick to point out a half dozen Faarian warships shadowing it well inside their system limits. The planet was part of a moderately powerful alliance and was apparently not going to pass up a chance to show that they were capable of defending themselves. She did pass on the disturbing news that there was traffic between the two forces, however, on what looked like civilian and diplomatic frequencies. It made Elco wonder if the Primans intended to play the fake-treaty game in places other than the Confederation. That would be something Admiral Bak wouldn't enjoy hearing.

  Elco asked Loren to meet him in the C3 briefing room before the XO headed to the surface. When the captain got there, Loren was already sitting at
the port side briefing table going over plans and logistics. Elco took a seat and poured himself a glass of water from the carafe sitting in the center.

  "Almost ready?" Elco asked. Loren nodded as he finished up some notes, then set the data pad down.

  "All set, Captain," he replied. "We have an arrival slot in an hour. All our transports have been destroyed, though, so we're going to have to take a Prowler, which means we'll have to land at a military base for a dropoff and have the Prowler return to Avenger. Not a big deal, just extra time spent on paperwork, declarations, and introductions before we can leave. Then we'll get a place and start following up on the leads the admiral left us for the place; two groups, both very ardent supporters of AI rights, some of the loudest in this part of the galaxy. We just have to find out if they know anything of value or if they're simply enthusiastic fans. And then I need to make that call to Garrett, of course."

  "Excellent. You'll also be happy to know the Faarians recognize our Confederation credit line and will be refueling us and subcontracting out some minor repairs. Chief Fyr was thrilled to let them rebuild environmental units so his people could work on other projects."

  "I can imagine. Well, wish us luck. Maybe this place will actually produce something useful."

  "They've approved you as our emissary, Representative," Captain Vol said in a pleased tone. Vigilance had beaten Avenger to the Faaria system and made an official petition for diplomatic status so they could open discussions with the collective that Faaria was a member of. While his orders didn't technically forbid him from engaging in diplomatic relations with local systems, it wasn't exactly encouraged. However, after talking with Representative Ravine, they both agreed it was a step worth taking, and she had applauded his initiative. Now he could send a small team to the surface. A few cosmetic disguise kits and his people would be able to pass for locals and attempt to track and perhaps kill the Avenger crew that would be headed to the surface.

  "I'll keep them wrapped up in meaningless talk as long as you need, Captain," she purred. "Now you will have your chance to deal with Avenger on your terms."

  "Cory," Merritt urged from the corridor. "You coming out anytime soon?" He was standing outside her squadron ready room, something that was almost unheard of these days since she'd really never used her office for much more than storage space. They always slept in her quarters, but in the day or so between escaping the Caradan system and getting here he'd hardly seen her. She had grudgingly gone to see Dr. Elrad, the chief medical officer of Avenger, about her EVA, but she'd disappeared after that. He didn't think much of it at first; being the CAG meant she had a ton of responsibilities, but after deciding to bring her a meal he realized she wasn't anywhere to be found. He'd run into her in the officer's mess; the Aft Quarter dining hall was still open to space, though apparently the damage control crews promised to have it ready to use again in a day.

  They'd had a silent meal during which she didn't talk much. He figured she was just tired, but when they'd parted afterwards she seemed more distracted than anything. She was an independent, confident person, and Merritt knew enough to not push her for anything yet, but she was obviously letting something drag her down. He just wished she would tell him what, though he had a damn good idea; it was the fact that she kept surviving.

  He'd watched her take chances, always confident in her ability to pull through and make the right call. She'd had some amazing results, but along the way had lost more than her normal share of squadron pilots. There was never any problem filling the billets; there were actually enough requests for transfer in to fill up the squadron a dozen times over. The problem was that not all of them had her luck. Every squadron has one or two charmed pilots, those that seem to always make it back by the skin of their teeth. Cory never paid it much mind, but had to realize over time that the rest of her pilots weren't as lucky as she was.

  Now Merritt feared it was taking its toll. She'd been quiet, trying to avoid contact with people, even him. Of all people on the ship, she had to know that he would listen and try to the best of his ability to understand, but he knew to not press the issue. Still, he wished she wouldn't hide.

  "I'll be a few minutes yet," she replied over the intercom. "You can head on without me. I won't be long."

  "If you're sure," he said slowly. "If you change your mind or want some company, let me know, ok?"

  "Will do," came the neutral voice over the intercom. "Thanks."

  Merritt arrived in the hangar bay and saw Loren preflighting the Prowler.

  "You sure you remember how to do that?" Merritt asked good-naturedly. "Want me to read you a checklist or something?"

  "I want you to go get me some stim-caf," Loren said with a smile. "We're good to go, though, so as soon as Cory gets here we'll be on the way." He looked around before returning his gaze to Merritt. "She's usually the first one here. What's the hold-up?"

  Merritt paused, not sure how to answer. For most people on the ship, it would be none of their business. As their XO, Loren could down-check Cory if he felt she was not going to be able to do her job, but Merritt also knew that as their friend he would want to help.

  "I think this last round of losses is really hitting her," Merritt said softly, glancing around to make sure nobody was close enough to hear. "I just think she's taking it personal all of a sudden. She's been pretty quiet since we got back."

  Loren just nodded. "I'm glad you told me," he started. "We'll keep an eye on her, ok? She can still keep up, right?"

  Merritt nodded. "I don't think it's a permanent funk, and once we get going she'll have other things to occupy her. It's probably best if we keep active. I know it doesn't fix the problem but it will hopefully keep her from fixating on it."

  Loren agreed, and a minute later Cory appeared. She walked confidently, but seemed distracted, looking straight at the shuttle and not taking in the surroundings like she normally would.

  "Ready to go, Commander," she said as she pulled up to a halt with Loren at the hatch to the Prowler.

  "Good to see you," Loren replied and gestured to the interior of the ship. "Merritt's inside getting our gear stowed. Head in and we'll be out of here in a minute."

  She nodded and went inside. Loren could see it in her; she was troubled, but as long as she didn't lose her spark she would be ok.

  An hour later, Loren, Merritt and Cory were in a spacious suite in a mid-quality hotel chain in the heart of the southern continent's capital city. They'd changed and started to set up shop, and it was time for him to make a vid call. He stepped into one of the bedrooms, closed the door, and sat at a small desk to make the call.

  The connection picked up at the other end and Loren recognized the surroundings; it was the main living space of Garrett Drayven's well-appointed ship. Seated at the head of the table was the man he needed to talk with.

  "Mr. Stone," said Garrett easily. He seemed genuinely pleased to see him, though Loren knew it could have been an act as easily as truth. "How are things?"

  "Oh, the usual, I guess," Loren replied. "Confeds and Primans, chasing each other all over space, trying to blow each other up. How about you?"

  "Business is, well, booming, you could say," Garrett admitted. "Someone in a line of work such as mine-"

  "You mean the corporate relocation business?" Loren said in jest.

  "Exactly. Things are going well. There are all sorts of parties who would like access to my company and its resources. I've had to expand a bit, though I am held back by my quirky need to micromanage most of my affairs. It's just hard to find people you can well and truly trust, you understand? Now, if maybe you or one of your associates would ever like to consider a change of employment, my previous offers still stand."

  "I'll pass that along, thank you, but I've called for other reasons. First is to check on our mutual friend- your houseguest."

  "Ah yes. He's doing well, actually. We've moved around a bit, trying to keep a low profile. I've done a little remodeling on my ship; I knocked out th
e wall between my two guest quarters and made his lodging larger. It's the least I could do, but he is getting on about heading home sometime in the near future. Any news on that front?"

  "Yes, actually," Loren admitted, though he couldn't give away all that much. "We have some people working on getting the data we'll all need right now. I hope to hear from them soon, and when that's complete we'll be able to get your friend on his way."

  "He'll be happy to hear that."

  "Next is a request from the captain. You're recording this call, I assume?"

  Garrett looked insulted. "When do I not?"

  "Alright then," Loren continued. "This line is secure?"

  Garrett looked at a panel next to him and tapped in a few commands. "It was, and I can give you another three or four minutes of guaranteed time before someone who was trying might start to grab encryption keys."

  "Ok, here it is. The captain needs to contact Admiral Nodam Bak. You remember him?"

  "We met on the carrier Thunderbird when I brought our friend in."

  "Exactly. You two already know each other, but just so he knows this is current and coming from me, tell him I'm still jealous of the paint job on his new toy. He'll know what it means. In any case, tell him we need backup at Faaria. We're being pursued by at least three Priman cruisers and have taken a hell of a beating. We might be able to get away, but they know our itinerary and we need to put an end to this. I know it would take days on end to get any forces here even if there are any hulls available, but we have to ask."

  "Might I ask as to why you aren't just using those expensive quantum-encrypted military transceivers on your ship?"

  "Like I said, somebody knows our itinerary. I don't trust anyone any more. I do trust you, though, because we have an understanding about what our relationship is, and I trust Admiral Bak because his greatest joy in life is taking it to the Primans. Anyone else not on Avenger or known to me personally doesn't make the cut right now."