Birthright: Battle for the Confederation- Consequence (15 page)

              She tapped the button to open the hatch and saw the deck was once again full of senators.  That wasn't part of the plan, either.

              She walked up to the first one she saw and asked him what was going on.

              "I assume the plans have changed," he said, managing to regain his composure, though he did seem a bit put-off by the blood, both hers and otherwise, on her uniform.  "There was some sort of commotion on the lower deck where we were waiting, and now your comrade has the Dalgas woman tied up at gunpoint."

              Halley couldn't help but lighten up, if just a little bit.  Web was alive and improvising, apparently.  She nodded and walked to the big pass-through in the center of the deck, then took the thin metal staircase to the lower level.

              The crowd parted for her as she made her way to where she had seen Web from her vantage up on the stairs.

              Forgetting decorum and what any of the gathered leaders might think, she walked up to Web and kissed him, then wrapped him in a gentle hug.

              "Glad to see you're ok," she said quietly.

              "Same goes for you."

              They turned and surveyed the crowd.  Halley noticed Beka Dalgas sitting on the deck, hands and feet tied up, along with two of her guards, though one of them was sitting with his legs straight out.  Well, one of his legs wasn't exactly straight.

              "Anything unusual to report, dear?" Halley asked Web with a grin.

              "Well, Dalgas turned ugly and figured she'd just claim all this for herself.  Best thing I could do was drag her in here and lock the door with her goons outside.  We had words, you could say things escalated, and now here we are."

              "You want me to pull that knife out of your leg?"

              Web looked down and back at Halley in surprise.  "Wow.  You know, I completely forgot.  I mean, it hurts like hell, but I simply forgot that I have a knife buried in there."

              Halley knelt down and studied the wound before getting back up.  "Looks like you did ok, at least.  Right at the bone, probably, but definitely not near the artery.  I can just yank it out..."

              Web was about to ask for a second to collect himself but she had already pulled the dagger free.

              "Hot damn, woman!" Web barked.  He wiped his forehead with his sleeve as he surveyed her own injuries.  "Can I stick my finger in that bullet wound of yours, too?"

              "Maybe later."

              Senator Thyatt slowly approached, wringing his hands and appearing nervous.

              "Are you two going to be alright?  We still have a lot of work to do and I wondered if you need serious medical attention."

              Halley looked Web over one last time.  "No, we just got shot and stabbed a little bit.  We're good.  Let's get everybody staged at the airlock."  She turned to look at Beka.  "It's time we concluded our negotiations." 

              Beka stared back, but the fire was gone from her gaze.

              "Here's what we're going to do," began Halley.  "You're going to call off your troops aboard ship.  Tell them we've reached a deal.  We transfer over to the ship you brought, you keep this ship; everything is just the way we agreed way back when, minus a few of your people that got in the way."

              Beka only took a second, then nodded.  Halley held out the woman's comm device and she ordered her people to that effect.

              "Senator Thyatt," Halley called as she stood up again.  The senator arrived in a seconds.

              "Yes?"

              "You watch Ms. Dalgas here."  Halley handed over her blaster, then grabbed the spare she'd stashed earlier in her belt.  "She stays until last.  Web and I are going to get the transfer started.  It's not that we don't trust her people, it's just that we don't trust her people."

              Thyatt gave an understanding nod, then stood a safe distance from the woman.

              "Come on, Web," Halley said.  "Let's get this wreck of a day wrapped up."

              The other transport docked at the starboard airlock where Halley's initial fight had been an hour ago.  She'd been forced to seriously mangle the port side lock in her bid to secure it, so the starboard side had been freed up by jettisoning the shuttle there and letting it float away before the other transport docked.

              The airlock opened and the pilot stepped out, weapon drawn.  He immediately pointed it at Halley, who had her gun in her hand but not up and ready.  Web, on the other hand, had his confiscated weapon pointed at the man in turn.

              "Where's Beka?" he demanded loudly.

              "She's back in the cargo hold," Halley replied simply.  "Your mission was to deliver us the ship you flew over and you've done a splendid job of it.  But you can go now."

              "What say I just blast you and go see for myself?"

              "Um," Web stated from off to the side, "the problem is that I'll shoot you down and then we'll get our ship anyway.  How about we all be reasonable?"

              "How about I step over there and see if you can make me do that?"

              Halley bristled and holstered her weapon, dark look in her eyes a warning that Web had seen before.

              "He didn't mean that, Halley," Web cautioned as she adjusted her stance and flexed her fingers.

              "If any of you have a weak stomach," the pilot called mockingly to the gathered senators behind them, "you should turn away."

              The man turned to Halley as he finally noticed her getting ready to charge, when a blaster bolt hit him in the upper leg.  He went down screaming.

              "What did you do that for?" Halley said crossly to Web, who still held his blaster on the man as he settled to the ground.  "I was ready to handle it."

              "Yes, I know.  And in your state you probably would have killed him.  He didn't need to die, just see the error of his ways.  Look at him; he understands now."

              Web took the few steps over to the man and disarmed him, then dragged him over to the side of the corridor and tied him up with items of convenience from his own uniform.

              Halley deflated a bit and crossed over to Web, touching his forearm as he surveyed the senators walking by to board the ship.  "Thanks."

              "No problem.  Say, think we can call in sick tomorrow and just lie around sipping fancy drinks and trading pain medication while changing each other's bandages?"

              "That sounds like a wonderful time.  Let's go get these people back where they belong first."

Nine

              After a quick but thorough inspection of the transport to confirm no booby traps or other surprises, Web broke off their new vessel away from the captured Priman ship and headed away from the meeting location.  Halley was with him on the bridge as she established links to Beka's mothership as well as the comm unit they'd left with her in the passenger hold of the Priman vessel.

              "Ms. Dalgas and whoever is in charge of your mothership," Halley began.  "I assume you can hear me."

              The comm link in Beka's lap showed her face.  Impassive, no emotion.  Halley wondered what the woman was thinking.  On the other half of the split screen was the face of a gray skinned Trin.  She was on the high end of middle age, her features fading from the deep bluish gray of mature Trin to pale, almost white highlights in areas. 

              "This is Soth," the woman stated.  "Where is Beka Dalgas?"

              "Let me show you," Halley replied.  She tapped a few commands and the viewscreens were shared among all parties involved.

              "Are you ok, Beka?" asked Soth.

              "I'm fine.  These people, on the other hand, I'm not sure what their status will be."

              "I think we'll be ok, too, Ms. Dalgas," Halley continued.  "We have all of your people that survived your attack on us tied up in various places aboard your new Priman ship.  Web was also nice enough to rig a very large remote-detonated self destruct charge to the engines and fuel cells.  Coincidentally, the range of the transmitter is just about that of the distance we'll need to clear your ship's small gravity shadow and jump into hyperspace.  Short version, in case you're having trouble figuring it out: we leave, and Web's finger stays on the trigger until that happens.  Mess with us in any way, and your captain and that fine piece of valuable technology goes poof.  Can we all live with that?"

              Beka's face softened, something that surprised Halley.  "You are formidable people, Halley and Web.  I'll do business with you any time.  Your terms are accepted."

              The connection ended and Halley looked at Web.  They both suddenly felt exhausted.                "That is one complex woman," was all she could say as he rooted around in a small med kit someone had found aboard.

              "That's just a nice way of saying she has issues."

              "Oh, she's seriously messed up.  Still, interesting case study."

              "Think of the great story we'll get to tell Garrett next time we see him."

              The wait for their audience was stressful on Loren, to say the least.  They had all decided it was best for him to remain in his Confed uniform.  Velk likewise acquired a clean Priman military uniform that fit, while Representative Ravine and her father would simply wear the formal tunics of their position as senior family members in the greater governing body of the Priman culture.

              Representative Ravine had called for a special session of the council, something she was allowed to do but whose actual practice among Representatives was rather rare.  It implied something very important was in the works, and she expected a full house.

              Knowing that people were always watching, she had Loren and Velk travel to the council's chambers in a separate vehicle, to remain hidden until they were beckoned to enter.  They were accompanied by a dozen of the Ravine family's most senior and trusted guards.

              The council chambers were a relatively faithful recreation of the large room on the Commander's mothership, built as a new facility from the ground up on Callidor shortly after the planet had been secured.  In keeping with tradition, it was not an immense and grand structure; it was only five stories tall, and the chambers themselves were devoid of windows as it sat in the center of the structure.  The rest of the building held offices for the council members and facilities for administrative staff.  Troubling to Velk was Ravine's admission that staffs were growing fast, often including material trappings like expensive hovercars, supplemental housing for 'retreats' and conferences, which simply translated to acquired land holdings for those who could find a way to grab them.  It was this materialism and move away from the unadorned and clearheaded life Primans had led for the last thousand years that worried Velk.

              Ravine had arrived very early and spent almost an hour simply standing in the middle of the council chamber.  The room was three stories tall, ceiling vaulted in the middle.  The council sat behind an ornate desk-the original piece itself-moved down from the mothership, on a raised dais at one of the long ends of the slightly rectangular room.  There were twelve chairs waiting, though she didn't know for sure how many would attend.  There was a seat for the Commander, should he choose to attend meetings, though he was not considered a decision maker on Council level affairs since he took his orders from them.

              Along the long sides of the chamber were tiered seating for guests and spectators.  This made for a long aisle that people who approached the council members must walk down, passing their peers on the way to address their superiors. 

              The lights were low, as they often were during meetings.  Ravine pondered her decision.  This was a career changing moment regardless of what happened next.  If Representative Velk was to be believed, Tash and some of the council had conspired to change the course of her people, even going so far as to attempt an assassination of their former Commander, Velk.  On the other hand, if this was not the case, and Velk was being dishonest with her in order to get an audience, she would most likely be associated with whatever consequences came down and her time as a Representative would be done.  She wouldn't know for another hour or so whether she'd made the right choice by getting Velk and the Confederation soldier their time in front of the Priman ruling body.

              Eventually, people began filing in.  They were mostly gallery occupants, and as the room accumulated bodies Ravine moved to the row of simple chairs that sat facing the council's raised stage.  The chairs were deliberate in their role and construction; simple, wooden, they often creaked when an occupant shifted their weight.  They were intended to make obvious the fact that they were simple petitioners before the council, behind their polished antique artifacts on their own custom designed, comfortable chairs.  Ravine sat with her back straight, eyes forward as she focused her thoughts and waited for the meeting to start.

              Soon, Council members began arriving.  Many acknowledged Ravine in some way, to which she replied in kind.  Several very pointedly did not make any contact with her.  She wondered if these were the Commander's allies, somehow put onto her plans for the day?

              At last there were ten Council seats filled, and the members stood in unison.  Everyone else in the chamber did the same.  Ravine noticed that the Commander's seat off to the side was vacant.  The Council member in the middle, an aged female with close cropped gray hair, spoke. 

              "Gathered Priman citizens, we are here at the behest of one of our esteemed Representatives.  She has requested a special session of the Council to present an article of interest.  Representative, you have the floor."

              The Council sat and focused on Ravine.  She stood, approached the middle of the table, and began as tradition dictated.

              "Council, I am Representative Ravine, advisor to the Commander and next in line for the position as mandated by our laws.  I am here to introduce two beings who I feel will have a great impact on our war effort, and in fact on our civilization as a whole." 

              The gallery was silent.  Ravine expected some murmurs, maybe someone who objected; anything, really.  Instead, just expectant silence.

              She turned and beckoned to her family's chief of security at the back of the hall.  He in turn nodded to someone out of sight in the dark corner of the room behind the seating gallery.  A door opened, bright light spilling out and ruining the acclimated vision of those in the room. 

              A tall figure strode out and began walking down the center aisle towards Ravine and the Council.

              Now there was a reaction; it was Representative Velk.  People talked, not bothering to whisper in hushed tones, unconcerned that those around them hear their comments.

              The Council chairwoman smacked her hand, palm flat on the surface of the table, repeatedly to gain order.  The acoustics favored any noise from the raised stage, and eventually the many voices died down just in time for Velk to walk up to and stand even with Ravine.

              "Silence!" barked the chairwoman.  "I expect better of us than that."  She turned to Velk and eyed him up.

              Ravine, on the other hand, had spent the time of Velk's passage studying the faces of the Council.  Three of the assembled eleven had looked shocked, even a bit scared.  There was none of the relief or surprise shared by most.  No, those three were threatened by Velk's arrival.  They were also now at the top of her list as potential collaborators with the Commander.  Velk's story was starting to seem more plausible every minute.  Had her people really started the slide to dishonor he had warned of?

              "Representative Velk," the chairwoman began slowly.  "Your appearance is a surprise.  You were reported kidnapped at the hands of the Confederation from a military installation."

              "That is correct."

              The Council sat there impassively, and the chairwoman nodded for him to continue.

              "I was there at the orders of the Commander to oversee our various weapons programs.  A small Confederation commando team infiltrated the base and captured me, in the process destroying much of the facility."

              "And here you are now.  Please fill in the blanks for us, Representative."

              Velk drew a deep breath and began his recap.  "After my capture, I was taken to Delos, the Confederation capital.  There I remained for a time, occasionally interrogated by various parties.  I was treated in accordance with the Confederation's policies and treaties regarding prisoners of war.

              "Eventually, I was contacted by a Priman operative, Tana Starr.  She was working as Senator Dennix's contact and handler.  She used her leverage to gain access to me on multiple occasions.  One one such visit, she told me to expect a rescue attempt.  Soon enough it occurred, and she along with a small team affected my escape.  We were pursued through the streets and upper levels of Delos by the same commando team that had captured me in the first place, who by coincidence happened to be near.  They eventually found our safehouse and staged an assault.  I was captured, along with  Ms. Starr.  They conducted a field interrogation of her, and the information she had was," a pause, uncharacteristic for the gifted public speaker, "unsettling.  She made allegations which I will detail shortly.  I also have proof of her confessions.  First, I was on hand to hear them, and second, they were recorded from the viewpoint of the person who conducted the operation."

              At that, there was enough startled talking to give Velk pause.  The Council itself broke into several separate conversations, and as Velk looked around the chamber he saw much the same among the gathered people.  This, he thought, was actually a good thing.  It meant people were truly listening and taking to heart what he said.  He'd need that willingness to listen as his story unfolded.

              The noise died down and he continued.  "At that point, Ms. Starr was taken into custody and I was removed by the commando team.  Based on what they'd heard from Ms. Starr, they elected to hide me in a secret location, hidden from even their superior officers.  They didn't trust their chain of command or government itself after what we'd all just heard."

              "And what did you hear?" asked the chairwoman.  She was trying to look impassive, but her body language said otherwise.  She was leaning forward just a bit, one hand supporting her chin while the other laid stretched out ahead of her, as if reaching for the answers.

              "Ms. Starr admitted that the Commander had sanctioned the mission personally.  The goal was not to retrieve me, however; the goal was to have me die in the escape attempt."

              Now there was an uproar.  The gallery, the Council itself; everyone started talking at once.  There were even a few loud exclamations directed at him, that he must be lying because a Priman Commander would never do such a thing.

              "Representative," the chairwoman said severely, "that is an incredibly serious allegation  against our highest military officer.  I hope you have some sort of evidence, because otherwise even you will not be able to avoid repercussions."

              "I am prepared, chairwoman.  May I continue?"

              "There's more?"

              Velk only nodded, and she waved her hand to carry on.

              "I eventually spent time among several Confederation officers, as well as a private contractor who kept me hidden.  I eventually met with some of their most senior military leadership and we reached a consensus; both of our leaderships were failing us.  They are aware of the bargain their Senator Dennix has made with us to stay in power as he allows our people to rule the Confederation.  And I have realized that the Commander is more focused on wiping out every humanoid in this part of the galaxy than finding a place for us to call home again."