Auberon (The Jessica Keller Chronicles Book 1) (23 page)

Jessica’s kind.

“I would.”

“Why?”

Jessica smiled. It was a smile First Lord Kasum had taught her, long ago, in an Advanced Tactics class. It was not warm. It was not friendly. It offered no solace to the weary. Cats often offered it to voles.

“Because your ship was captured in an active war zone providing assistance to enemies of the
Republic of Aquitaine
. You struck your colors honorably, and have served your ransom with honor and dignity.”

The doctor smiled slyly at her words.

“Your ship is another story.”

Jessica watched the Doctor’s face drop. That was what pure shock looked like.

“I could order all of your data banks wiped clean and upload just enough navigational data for you to get home in less than a year.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” the woman hissed. She leaned forward like a gladiator flexing.

Jessica leaned forward as well, mirroring her.

The two men sat perfectly still rather than draw any attention to themselves. The room was electric with tension.

“It would certainly be the end of my career if I did so, Dr. Alyona. We both know how highly you and your staff are esteemed by both
Republic
and
Empire
.” She tapped a finger on the table in rhythm with her words. “If I thought it was necessary, I would sleep fine afterwards. Right now, you are an enemy of the
Republic
.”

“And you are a pirate, Keller.”

“And you, Dr. Alyona, have never aided pirates before, have you?”

Jessica had matched her scowl for scowl, snarl for snarl, up until this moment. Now, the woman leaned back, blushing furiously as she breathed. Jessica broke the confrontation and leaned back as well.

She felt, rather than saw, Jež relax.

“I am a medical doctor, sworn to help,” Dr. Alyona whispered.

“I will hope,” Jessica continued, “that this action will not be necessary, because you and I can come to an agreement.”

She let the woman work her way through whatever thought processes were necessary to step back from her own brink.

It only took a heartbeat. Jessica was even more impressed with the woman.

“Okay, Keller,” she said with a calm, professional air, “that’s the stick. What’s the carrot?”

Jessica let go a breath she had been unconsciously holding.

“My staff can make a pretty good estimate as to what research of yours was directly related to the events on
2218 Svati Prime
, and not part of your general studies. All of that research on this planet, the data, the materials, the samples, the personal logs, will be transferred to
Auberon
and stored until such time as it is safe to release it to you and the Imperial College of Medicine. It will then be deleted from your records, your backups, everything.”

“And where does my oath come into this?” Dr. Alyona said quietly.

The room had gotten very small, very personal. Jessica could only imagine what it would have felt like in a smaller space.

“I want you to supervise the entire operation for me,” she said.

She watched the Doctor lean forward angrily, about to lead off with a string of profanities, or possibly something more prosaic, like
Are you out of your mind?

She subsided into silence instead and leaned back.

Jessica counted the heartbeats.

Dr. Alyona contented herself with sipping her tea, eyes watching Jessica over the rim like a rabbit spotting a hawk.

“Why?” she said finally.

Jessica decided to go with the most honest answer she could. It would help her sleep nights, that way.

“Because my staff is good, Dr. Alyona,” she said simply, “but we’re not up to your standards as a research university. And you would never forgive me if anything happened to that data. I can’t imagine it will be too long before I can return it all to you.”

Dr. Alyona got a cagey look in her eyes. “You’re up to something,” she observed.

Jessica shrugged grandly, mostly for her benefit. “We have been from the very beginning, Dr. Alyona,” she said. “You aren’t allowed to know what until this all done. Then, I promise I will make it all clear.”

For a few moments, Jessica wasn’t sure the woman would go for it. This was only partially a bluff on her own part. She could take the time to wipe those records, but if she made any mistakes, she would be answering the Senate rather than the First Lord. And she had many fewer friends there.

Dr. Alyona sighed and put down her tea. She held out her hand for Jessica to take.

“Okay, Command Centurion Keller, my bright–eyed, grown–up pirate,” she said, with the faintest taste of something. Warmth? Respect? Hard to tell. “You have my oath.”

Jessica felt the knot in her stomach let go. “Thank you, Dr. Alyona. Please, call me Jessica.”

“Jessica,” she replied, tasting the name. “Call me Yuda.”

Jessica smiled and took her hand.

She might just pull this whole thing off, yet.

Chapter XXXVII

Date of the Republic March 30, 393 Qui–Ping system

The pilot’s ready room, down on
Auberon’s
Flight Deck, was finally nearly empty.

Jessica waited with Dr. Yuda Alyona, reviewing their final checklists together. Around them, her crew grabbed the last few random crates and hauled them down into the storage chambers deep in
Auberon’s
bowels. She’d have compared them to an old wooden sailing ship’s bilge, but those ships were plagued by rodents and lacked climate controlled lockers.

Yuda penciled the last item and signed at the bottom. She handed the clipboard over and smiled. “Well, Jessica,” she said warmly, “it has certainly been an interesting week. You run a tight ship.”

“Thank you, Yuda. I wish we could have done this under less stressful circumstances. I would like to host you sometime for a formal reception, preferably one where I don’t have to worry about being stabbed by one of your scientists.”

“I’m sure something can be arranged, after all of your secrecy has died down.”

Yuda paused to study Jessica’s face closely. “Just how long do you expect we’ll be detained, Jessica?”

Jessica pointed to a young man who had been trying to stay unobtrusively against one wall. She gestured him to join their conversation. He had a courier’s bag at his waist with several key documents in it. Jessica didn’t trust this information being carried electronically.

“Yuda, this is Yeoman Naoki Ungaretti,” she introduced them formally. “Yeoman. Dr. Alyona of the
Canton
Hospital Ship
St. Albertus Magnus
. Give her all the respect and courtesy you would afford me, while you travel with them.”

“Aye, sir,” he said politely. He nodded to Yuda. “Doctor, it is a pleasure to meet you. I look forward to voyaging to
Ladaux
with you.”

“Yeoman,” Alyona replied carefully.

“I don’t know the current state of affairs back home, Yuda,” Jessica continued. “We’ve only been to a base once in the last six months, and then just long enough to pick up supplies. I am sending a complete and up–to–date report for the First Lord to read. Nils Kasum will treat you and your staff exceptionally well, and hopefully be able to give you a much better idea than I do. At the very least, you will be detained on the nicest planet in the Republic. More likely, the Republic will hire you to do things in a distant, internal sector while we wait. That was my recommendation.”

“I see,” Yuda said. “Thank you, Jessica.”

Jessica held out a hand, but the bigger woman stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug.

For a moment, Jessica just stood there, uncomfortable and unsure what to do. She took a breath and returned the hug.

When had she last hugged someone?

Jessica stepped back.

Yuda was about to say something when the intercom overrode all speech.

“Squadron, this is Strnad aboard
Auberon
. I have the Flag,” Tamara’s calm voice boomed out of every speaker in range. “All hands to battle stations.”

Ξ

Jessica took two strides as the voice died down and keyed a microphone on a nearby wall.

“Bridge. Keller. Status?” she said. Behind her, she noticed that Dr. Alyona and Yeoman Ungaretti had drifted along in her wake, pulled by invisible tides.

“Tactical here,” Tamara responded instantly. “Imperial Battle Fleet just dropped out of Jumpspace, right at the edge of the gravity well. Closing now.”

“How fast, Tamara?” Jessica asked urgently.

“Stand by, sir,” came the message, followed by a moment of silence. “Cruising speed, sir. Outer edge of firing range for the Primaries in about eighteen minutes if we sit still, which we aren’t. Transponder identifies the Batlteship
IFV
Amsel
at the center of the formation.”

Cruising speed? Wachturm? He should be coming down her throat as fast as his battleship could move. She would have.

“Roger that, Strnad,” Jessica said. “Pick a vector twenty degrees off of his course and start everybody running, emergency flank. Wake Denis up and turn things over to him so you can start planning your defense. I’ll be on the Flag bridge in a minute.”

Jessica cut the comm and turned to her companions. She held her breath for a second, weighing the options as the situation unfolded. If the Empire had finally found their little hide–out, it was truly time to go home. Just getting out of here alive right now was likely to be touchy.

And she owed Yuda and Admiral Wachturm both for their good opinions of her. Just because everyone was at war, they could still be civilized to one another.

Yes. That was how to handle it.

Jessica smiled at the weight off of her back. It hadn’t been much, but it was gone now.

“Yeoman, change of orders,” she said decisively. “Hand me your satchel and get to your station. You won’t be leaving today.”

“Aye, sir,” Ungaretti said, shedding the bag and fleeing the room at high speed.

Jessica turned to Yuda with a smile. She opened the satchel and pulled out the folder marked
Project Mischief
. She pulled out the six key pages that detailed what had been done at
2218 Svati Prime
, both times, and handed them to Yuda.

“Since it looks like you are about to be liberated from the terrible, evil pirates by the
Fribourg
Empire
, Yuda, I want you to take this with you, and explain everything to the Admiral. Thank him for me as well.”

Dr. Alyona studied the pages quickly. Her brow furrowed harder and harder.

She looked up at Jessica confused. “But this is…”

“This is the galaxy’s biggest practical joke, Yuda,” she said gently. “My evil engineering gnomes cooked it up for me.”

“You did nothing?”

“Hit them with a very slightly radioactive snowball. And a raspberry.”

“Why are you telling me this now?” the Doctor asked.

“Because we might be killed in a few minutes, and I would like you and the Admiral to know the truth if we are. One less thing on my conscience.”

“And you are just giving this to me?”

“You already suspected, Dr. Alyona,” she said, “I could see that in your eyes a few times. We didn’t act like depraved war criminals or blood–thirsty killers. The game is up. Time to wipe the slate clean and send you home. Good luck.”

Jessica took Yuda by the hand and led her through the door as she moved.

Out on the Flight Deck, crewmen were running in every direction as they prepared for the sudden eruption of chaos.

Jessica found the Flight Engineer already at her post. “Iskra, I’m clearing Dr. Alyona and her shuttle for departure. We’re leaving them here.”

Iskra raised an eyebrow at her as she pushed buttons, but kept her own counsel. She looked at the two women closely and shrugged. “Launch in forty–five seconds, Doctor. Better hurry.”

Jessica felt Yuda tug on her hand to face her. The noise around them was growing louder, so she almost had to shout, “Thank you, Jessica,” before she turned and raced to the waiting shuttle.

Jessica turned to her Flight Deck Commander. “How soon can we crash–launch everything we have, Iskra?”

“Two minutes after that. Make sure those folks have a working transponder, and let the Imperials know who they are.”

Jessica smiled. “They have two captured friendlies and three enemies in close formation. They won’t be launching missiles randomly into the mess until they can identify things. Alyona’s shuttle will be docked safely by then. I imagine her pilot’s going to move like a jackrabbit.”

“Agreed. Now what?”

“Now,” Jessica said as she turned, “we try to get out of here alive.”

Chapter XXXVIII

Date of the Republic March 23, 393 Qui–Ping system

“Enej, who’s out there and what are they doing?” she called across the space.

Jessica had started talking as soon as the door to the Flag Bridge opened enough for her to squeeze through and race to her chair.

Her Flag Centurion looked like he had just crawled out of bed, wearing sweatpants, fluffy wool socks, and his regular uniform tunic, which had probably been resting over a chair for the morning. This was just about the middle of his usual duty shift night, so she could forgive him. She was up very late herself, just to see Yuda off, so she was about two cups of coffee ahead of him.

“Confirm that we have
IFV Amsel
inbound, sir. That is definitely the Blackbird. Looks like the great white whale finally found us. There’s also an Imperial squadron with him. Tentative classification of three frigates and a light cruiser.”

“
Amsel
could kill all three of us herself, if she got close enough, Enej,” she said simply. “The rest are escorts to keep us from getting uppity.”

She slammed into her chair and hooked the various buckles. She didn’t always take the time to strap herself in, but there was a good chance they were going to lose power and the gravplates today. Best not to be floating off if that happened.

One finger found the conference function. All of her command staff were present a moment later, floating like light ghosts around the projection of the system.