Birthright: Battle for the Confederation- Reprisal Read online

  “Well, hopefully this time we’ll be the ones conducting the violent play.”

  After a cursory long range weapons scan and agreement on how to handle docking fees, the transport was assigned a dock at one of the main orbital platforms. Merritt eased the ship into place and let it down onto its’ landing gear, and after the exterior bay doors of the dock had closed and pressurized, he proclaimed their mission to be underway.

  They left the ship, and no sooner than they had cleared the airlock into the cavernous main loading and service area of the station than they were approached by a youngish man that Loren would have guessed to be in his early twenties. The man was clean shaven with short but mussed up dark hair, and wore a tattered and grease stained mechanics jumpsuit, complete with pockets overflowing with tools and a few dirty rags.

  “Say there folks,” he said by way of introduction, “I don’t want to alarm you, but it sounds like one of your generators is not long for this world.”

  “They both sound fine to me,” Merritt replied.

  “Aha, you assume I don’t know anything about your type of ship. You only have one, and the way it’s whining, you won’t make it to your next port before you’re on backup power.”

  Loren studied the man carefully before replying. “And you can fix it, I suppose?”

  “No, but I can tell you where to get rid of that old ship of yours.”

  Loren paused one more time, then nodded and extended his hand to the man. “Loren. And you are?”

  “Nobody you need to remember,” he replied easily. “Come on, folks, if you’re happy that we all know the code phrases, I’ll get you to your uniforms so you can change. Gotta stay on schedule, after all.”

  “You just have to appreciate the cloak and blade routine, eh?” Web said to Cory, with more than a little excitement.

  Cory, on the other hand, was more amused by Web’s reaction than the exchange with their contact. “Are you excited to be on this mission, then, or because you’ll be seeing Halley in a couple hours?”

  “Who says it can’t be both?”

  Fifteen minutes later, they were leaving their contact’s quarters, now dressed in full livery of one of the in-system passenger transport companies. Two associates of their contact had taken the abducted actual crew and left with the transport that Loren and company had arrived in. As of now, they had no means of escape but to continue on with the plan.

  Their contact escorted them through the employee security area, where they merely flashed their (falsely) coded DNA badges and submitted to retinal scans whose database entries were also doctored. That accomplished, they were free to wander the station at will. Web insisted they eat at one of the cafes on the main promenade; he claimed that since their employee discount was so generous, it would be a waste to not take advantage of it.

  Once at the passenger terminal, they bypassed another checkpoint and, after their contact checked the company’s computer through his handheld link, made their way to Gate Forty-Three. Using a separate, employee entrance, they entered an empty, clean, and well lit docking hold. In the middle, looking awkward and cramped in the space because of its’ large size, was a popular passenger transport made by a company from Toral, Loren’s homeworld. The contact began preflighting the exterior while Loren and the rest boarded.

  They immediately went to the cockpit so Web and Merritt could sit down and take stock of the layout.

  “Recognize anything?” Loren asked. The two pilots had been given the manuals for the three versions of the ship that the company operated, since they couldn’t know for sure which one would be waiting for them.

  “Oh, my, Gods.” Web muttered softly. “This is not right…”

  “What?” asked Cory in alarm. “Don’t tell me you can’t fly this.”

  “Oh, never mind, found it.” Web replied. He proudly pointed to a small multi position thumb switch. “I found the seat adjustment. You know how hard it is to make a good landing without the right sight picture?”

  Loren couldn’t tell if Web was serious or not, but decided to let it go with a shrug to Cory as they continued storing their things.

  The transport was designed to fit the dimensions of most common docking bays while at the same time allowing for maximum internal volume, and as such was arrayed in a double decker configuration. The fuselage was short to the point of stubbiness, and four engines were faired into the rear of the fuselage, one on each corner.

  Soon enough, the passengers were boarded and Merritt, with their contact in the right seat, powered up the ship and, after receiving the proper clearances and an open docking bay door, backed the ship out into space. He slapped the small toggle that deployed the wings from their position folded against the fuselage. The wings pivoted twice, once against the hull high up on the ship just past halfway to the aft, once midway down the wing, and unfolded themselves gracefully. With the maneuvering jets in the wingtips now available, Merritt pivoted the ship and angled away from the station towards his assigned approach corridor to the surface.

  No words were said, and everyone rode down to the surface in thoughtful silence, the gravity of their mission becoming more apparent the closer they got to Callidor.

  Halley strolled casually down the street, as she had been doing for a good half hour now. After living for so long relying on her tradecraft to keep her alive, she examined almost everything in life as a tactical problem. She couldn’t go to the market to buy supper without identifying escape routes, potential threats, and two ways to demolish the whole building if need be. She briefly realized someday she’d need to calm down a bit or she’d scare off every date she managed to get. However, she also realized with a surprised grin that she doubted she could frighten Web easily. The thought of seeing him soon brought her spirits up, though she wondered how he’d get along with Garrett; she hoped everyone knew what was at stake and left the drama for a more appropriate time.

  Finally confident that she was not being watched or pursued, she entered the parking garage designated for the meet. It was the same place that she and the pilots of Avenger had exited through after leaving via the tunnels underneath the Enkarran Embassy almost seven months ago. She noticed with approval that someone had at least seen fit to completely cover up the covert entrance, using nothing less than structural grade armor plate. At least they took security seriously at this place.

  She noticed Garrett exactly where he said he’d be, leaning against the front fender of a blue hovercar on the second floor. He was apparently engrossed by something on his handheld data tablet, hot cup of a steaming drink in the other hand.

  “Bit warm out for a stim-caf, isn’t it?” she asked by way of greeting.

  Garrett smiled and put his datapad down on the hood of the hovercar. “Oh, I hate the stuff, never drink it.” He was enjoying the puzzled look on her face. “I keep it handy in case I need to throw it in somebody’s face. I assume you would just reach over and break my arm if I tried something on you, but since I’m not a soldier like you, I have to compensate with things like this.” He gestured with the cup.

  Halley smiled. “Never said I was a soldier.” She motioned to the cup. “Why not acid or a tranquilizer?”

  “I’m not always that smart; I might accidentally take a sip or have to prove I’m not carrying anything deadly.” He noted Halley’s nod of approval and continued. “As you asked, I’ve covered the site. Cameras in every corner of both levels, hooked into my datapad, with facial, clothing, and electronic recognition systems to keep an eye out for anyone who might seek to spoil our good time. I’ve placed two clean hovercars on the first floor by the South exit. You can use this one, too; it’s not mine.” He said the last with a smile. “I also have a code scanner that can unlock and start another half dozen vehicles in here.” He paused as Halley retrieved a small blaster from her back waistband, ensured the priming charge was lit, and returned it to the holster. “Expecting trouble?”

  “If I was expecting trouble,” she said deadpan, �
��I would have brought my rifle.”

  “So, when do I get to meet your friends?”

  Halley glanced at her chrono. “About thirty minutes.”

  Chapter 13

  The transport made an uneventful run to the spaceport, then disgorged its’ passengers through the checkpoint in the terminal where they were again inspected by joint Priman and Callidorian security. Merritt had just finished shutting down the ship when their mysterious contact made his way to the forward cabin where Loren and Cory waited for him with Web.

  “Well,” the man began, “this is goodbye. You follow me through the employee exit over there to the left of the passenger one. Once on the other side, I go left, you go right. Whatever you do after that is none of my business.”

  “Well, it’s been a blast working with you,” Web began, in what he hoped was a suitably sarcastic manner. The man’s dry attitude rubbed him the wrong way and he wasn’t exactly afraid to show it.

  “Sure. I’ve got plenty to do here after your little op is over, so I’m going to disappear now.”

  “I’m not inviting him to the victory party,” Web responded after the man had left.

  Loren and the rest left the spaceport without incident, split up, and took three separate taxis to the general vicinity of their parking garage meet location. They had each changed taxis once after initially heading in different directions. There was no reason for them to expect to be followed, but the precautions were understandable. After meeting up at their rendezvous point, which allowed them to check each other’s backs one last time, they proceeded to the parking garage.

  The garage was semi-private, in that the residential tower attached to it owned the underground levels, while the two upper floors were public parking.

  They proceeded into the structure and headed towards the second floor where Halley and whomever she was going to bring with her would be. Web offered to take point, and Loren relented in order to keep Web from nagging him into letting him go first anyway.

  They rounded the corner of the ramp to the upper floor, and Web knew it was her in an instant. He had vowed to remain professional in deference to the fact that he had no real idea if she would be as excited to see him as he was to see her; in addition, he figured that with everyone else around it might be a tad awkward if he got too chummy with her.

  He did, however, walk right up to her, flashed a beaming smile, and said, “Halley, it’s absolutely great to see you again.”

  She realized she was smiling herself, and responded as Loren and the group caught up. “It’s good to see you, too, Web.” She nodded to the rest in turn. “Loren, Cory, Merritt.” She turned a bit and indicated Garrett standing beside her. “This is Mr. Garrett Drayven.”

  “Oh damn,” Garrett stated. “You’re all Confeds, aren’t you?”

  If Commander Velk had known that he was on Callidor with a Confed team tasked with eliminating the DNA weapon his people had developed, he might have actually breathed a sigh of relief. As it was, he had just finished another meeting for his senior staff in his headquarters building, and was now alone. Alone was the way he preferred it more and more these days, what with his constant back-and-forth between the Council and his duties administering the conquest of Confederation and Talaran space.

  The truth was, he assumed the Council was preparing to replace him, which would put Representative Tash in charge of the reclamation of this galaxy. They appeared to have lost confidence in him, despite all of his accomplishments so far. He wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Part of him wanted to rail against the simple-mindedness of the Council, hidden away in the depths of a mothership so far behind the front lines and removed from the responsibility of having to make decisions about how to wage a war. Part of him, however, secretly entertained the idea that maybe it was time to step aside. He was starting to feel as though he had lost the drive he had when he first commanded the invasion. Seeing how the campaign was affecting his people and this galaxy’s native inhabitants, a tiny part of him wondered if there was a better way. Still, if he was ousted, it would be because of his refusal to use the DNA weapon, which was in his mind the worst case scenario. It would either wipe out the people the Primans claimed they wanted to embrace, or galvanize them into action in a way his people were most likely not prepared for.

  He wondered what the Confeds and Talarans would do if they knew what was around the corner.

  “What makes you think we’re Confeds?” asked Loren.

  Garrett looked them up and down once more quickly before continuing. “Loren, you’re as serious as a heart attack. Merritt, you walk like a soldier. Web, you blend in, you could work out. But you’re clearly a bit obsessed with Halley here, and that could make us stand out. We don’t need that kind of trouble.”

  “Whose side are you on, then?” asked Web.

  “Nobody’s, actually. Halley paid me to do a job. I am what we call a neutral party. Entrepreneur, private contractor, take your pick. I’m not out to save the Confederation, so I’d prefer to not have you three, Halley excepted of course, drawing enough attention to ensure our arrest.”

  “And what’s going on in the galaxy doesn’t concern you at all?” replied Loren. Halley shot him a gentle warning glance, but Loren wasn’t having any of it. If he was going to work with this man, he didn’t want to be worrying about his motives. Money and personal reward was perhaps the most pure and manageable of all motivations, but Loren needed to know that Garrett was being paid enough to be on their side, at least for now.

  “The Primans,” Garrett laughed. “They’ve actually been good for my business. But let’s take a look at it.” He gestured with his free hand, hot cup of stim-caf in the other sloshing a bit as his body moved around. “Are they good or bad, by some definition? By their rights, they’re just coming home. They’ve ruled peacefully on planets they’ve occupied, haven’t purged social, religious or ethnic groups, pretty much left the planets alone. Hell, they don’t even demand much tribute for their war effort. They’ve make everybody listen to their religious propaganda, but really, I’m just making an observation here: are they evil?”

  “What about all the people they’ve killed during the invasion?” countered Loren.

  “And Confeds have never killed anyone? To the galaxy at large, this isn’t such a clear cut issue, especially farther towards the galactic core and out on the other side where the Primans haven’t reached yet. What they see is that the Primans are leaving planets pretty much alone. Hell, Callidor just had elections and the candidate ran on a ‘less Priman involvement’ platform.”

  “We know how that one really works, though.” said Halley. “The elected officials talk tough, but soon they start to bend and compromise just a little bit here and there, and pretty soon they’re more worried about their positions, staying in office, and keeping the Primans happy with them personally.”

  “Aren’t we the pessimistic one? People, for the most part, want to be ruled. Whether it’s us, or the Primans, they want some stability. Perhaps they see the Primans as offering something Confed can’t right now.”

  “Remind us whose side you’re on again?” questioned Loren.

  “Right now? Yours. Personal politics aside, I took a job, and I always see my work through. This isn’t the sort of business where I can give you a list of references, but Halley seems to have checked me out. It’s bad business to turn on your clients, and I won’t start now.” He turned to Halley, taking a half step closer because suddenly he felt as though he needed to let Web know that Garrett was in the game for Halley as well. He realized he had never thought about her like that until just now. Jealousy was such an ugly thing.

  “Is there anything else you need, or shall we move on?”

  “I think we’re good. Head on down to the first floor, and we’ll meet at the parking booth before we get to the cars.”

  “I don’t like him,” Web began after Garrett was down the ramp.

  “He’s not so bad,” replied Halley, walking along
side him. She caught Web’s distressed look, smirked a bit as she realized what this was probably about. “Besides, he almost never asks me out to dinner anymore. I figured if you didn’t show up soon, I’d have to take him up on it.”

  They walked down the ramp and up to the booth and the attendant within. It was the same man Halley had disarmed and terrorized seven months ago when they’d first escaped the Enkarran Embassy.

  “Oh no, not you…” he began, and bolted for the door. Bouncing off the doorjamb, he ran for the street, not bothering to look back.

  “What did you do to that poor man?” asked Garrett to Halley.

  “I just took his gun away.”

  Garrett supposed there was much more to the story than that.

  “Alright, we’re finished here,” Halley continued. “Garrett, are you busy the next couple days if we need some last minute support?”

  “We’ll be fine,” Web commented.

  “Who’s in charge again?” asked Garrett.

  Halley gave him the eye, and he continued. “I’ll be around. Don’t know what the rates will be, what with the pending mayhem you probably have in mind. Still, if you need it, I’m available.”

  Back in Halley’s apartment, crucial decisions needed to be made. From her analysis of the data she had stolen earlier from the Priman lab, she knew they had done some of the DNA research on Callidor. The data mining virus she had planted when she had broken in was pointing to one location as a central repository, but she had not been able to verify or examine the research because the whole complex could only receive data, not broadcast. She had also traced transmissions and shuttle traffic to somewhere further out in the planetary system, but she wasn’t quite sure where she should go next.