Randolph Lalonde - Spinward Fringe Broadcast 08 - Renegades (23 page)

The desk in the middle
of the port building was large enough for a staff to attend to people
coming in, and security gates stretched out to the sides, splitting
the whole floor of the building into two halves. Haven Shore security
in dark blue armoured vacsuits stood guard as people passed through
the scanning gates.

Ayan met with
Lieutenant Davi and Remmy at the bottom of the ramp, where they were
waiting at the desk. Alice couldn’t help but feel deep envy as she
watched Remmy from a distance. She heard he got to lead the soldiers
who took the last Order of Eden garrison on Tamber, maybe in the
entire Rega Gain Solar System, and wished it were her. She fought
numerous frameworks on her own – what had he done? “Would have
been nice to be there, at least,” she muttered under her breath. He
was twenty-three years old, finished Freeground Fleet Academy early,
and got himself recruited into Fleet Intelligence right away. After
meeting him several times during Ranger training, she couldn’t see
why. He was a brat, with a sense of humour that she found more
annoying than funny. She watched him, Lieutenant Davi, and Ayan at
the Port Control desk.

Ayan was all smiles at
first, shaking Lieutenant Davi’s hand then Remmy’s. Her
expression became serious within seconds, however, as Remmy took his
time awkwardly telling her something.

“Ayan!” Shouted a
gravelly voice so suddenly and loudly that, judging from the reaction
of the crowd, you’d think a bomb went off. Frost marched into the
main port building straight for Ayan, who was flanked by two security
officers in an instant. She stayed them with a gesture.

Alice had never seen
Frost so furious. Even in moments when machines refused to cooperate,
he didn’t look like that. He didn’t look murderous. “Time for
you to wake up and take notice: there’s a war on, and you’re
keeping the crew we need from signing up. We can’t fight with a
crew of seven.”

“Easy, Shamus,”
Ayan replied. “That’s up to the Council and the people of Haven
Shore.”

“You’re at the head
of that table, this overgrown sand-castle was your idea, and you’re
actin’ like we’ve already won when there’s a war just
starting.”

“I’ll be happy to
talk about-“

Frost drew his sidearm
and rapid fired several shots over everyone’s heads. His pulse
shots burned through the metal effortlessly and he dropped his weapon
back into its holster. By the time he’d finished, every guard and
soldier had their weapons drawn on him. “Your plastic walls can’t
stop a round from my smallest shooter. Your little city would be
slagged in a real attack. You need to face reality, girl: all our
enemies know exactly where to find us, and when the Order comes for
this system, the Brits will turn tail, and this city will be a mass
grave with your name on the stone.”

“Frost!” shouted
Jake as he stormed into the port. “Stand down!”

“They’re all dead,
Jake. Not just my kin, but Stephanie’s, maybe Ashley’s,” Frost
raged, tears dripping from reddened eyes. “Someone’s got to make
them pay for it. More of them need to step up before trouble comes
here.”

“I know,” Jake
said. “Trust me, I know.”

Stephanie closed the
distance between her and Frost before anyone else reached him, and
she turned towards two security guards that were creeping up behind
him. “Leave him alone. Goddamned children looking to pin him now
that the moment’s over. Fine army you’ve got here,” Stephanie
spat at Ayan as she took Frost in her arms. “Could use some
seasoning, yeah?”

“It’s over,” Ayan
said to the guards standing at the ready. “Jake, can we talk?”
She didn’t wait for him to respond, but started walking towards a
side passage.

Alice followed them,
unseen, into a covered walkway that led to an incomplete shuttle pad.
No one would bother Ayan and Jake there, and Alice made sure her suit
wasn’t pinging her position to the security network, so they
wouldn’t know she was there.

Ayan listened silently
as Jake told her about Frost’s family and the fate of their home.
The Order made an example of the entire family and the city around
them, razing it to the ground then making sure everyone was dead by
sending soldiers down to search the place and execute survivors on
foot.

The Irish Union worlds
were ravaged by the Order of Eden when they decided to expand their
territory, and the Hell Shrike was one of the last ships from their
defence fleet. All the nearby systems had fallen, and it was possible
that Stephanie’s family as well as Ashley’s friends were all
captured or killed. The Order of Eden destroyed the military presence
in those systems, dismantled governments, and executed the families
of resistors. The surviving populace was reduced to refugees and
prisoners, ordered to repair the damage to their world after the
Order was sure they’d won.

The scope of loss and
unstoppable nature of the Order made Alice feel as though everything
she’d done with the Rangers over the previous months was
meaningless. What were a few rescues and victories over wandering
frameworks compared to the fight the Hell Shrike crew just escaped?
It felt as though she had been wasting her time on a moon tucked
safely behind larger planets. She should have stayed on the Warlord,
even though her father encouraged her to join the Rangers for the
experience, where she might help people like Frost’s family, or at
least fire a shot at Order soldiers in the field.

“I couldn’t be
sorrier,” Ayan said, nearly in tears. “I feel for them, I truly
do.”

“What’s happening
down here, Ayan?” Jake asked, his tone non-confrontational.

“The Council is
pushing a colonist’s agenda. Victor Davis and I are the only ones
in support of a more military approach.”

“Victor? Your
bodyguard from the Pandem refugees?” Jake asked.

“Former bodyguard. He
and Iloona are both pushing with me to get out from under our
contract with the Carthans and to quicken progress. It’s been hard,
and we’re mid-reformation so I won’t have a seat again for a day
or two.”

“It’s too soon for
that kind of democracy,” Jake said. “The details of this
government don’t matter, you have to see that. Give the people
representatives, fine, but take control and get the people willing to
fight for the support they need.”

Ayan looked at him,
looking a little surprised. She didn’t reply right away. “Maybe.
Probably, but it’s too late now.”

“Yours is still the
only name on the Sovereignty agreement – that gives you all the
power here if you want it. Just overrule the Council and militarise.
So what if a bunch of ungrateful colonists get pissed and leave. They
shouldn’t be here anyway; chances are the war is coming here next.
The rest will see things your way, they’ll have to.”

“You say that as
though that wouldn’t betray the very idea of democracy,” Ayan
replied. “We were both raised to believe that the people should
control their destiny.”

“Survival comes
first, and that takes direction, power. You could turn Haven Shore
into a military base in a couple days, especially with the Rangers in
hand. They don’t take orders from the Council. This pretend oasis
isn’t what people need, and there’s no way you’re happy playing
politician.”

Alice watched the scene
unfold in disbelief. Jake had to know that his words were falling on
Ayan like physical blows, but he was relentless, verging on angry.
Ayan was looking smaller by the moment, staring off towards a distant
ocean instead of peering back at her old flame. After a moment of
silence, Alice was surprised to hear Ayan say, “I hate you for
being right. Not forever, but right now, I hate this. I put so much
work into this place, and it just doesn’t feel like I’m needed
here, like I’m wanted here.”

Alice wanted to see
Jake put a comforting arm around Ayan so badly she was tempted to
pick his limb up and drop it in its proper place herself, but her
father didn’t move. “I’m sorry, and I’m sorry about Frost. He
bolted ahead and got into a shuttle. No one gets a head start like an
old ship thief.”

“I know he wasn’t
aiming for me, maybe I needed a little gunfire to get the point,”
Ayan said. “I feel like an idiot for not fighting this civilian
spectator attitude harder.”

“I haven’t been
here for awhile, so I’m not up to date on everything, but is this
really the best place for you?” Jake asked.

Ayan practically
scowled at the question. “I thought so a while ago. I don’t spend
all my time worrying about the Council; most of the time I’m
directing the construction. I have the education for it, remember?”

“I’m only wondering
if you wouldn’t be happier off-world. If you’re looking for a
place where you’re wanted, there are a lot of places for you in
orbit. I know Oz wants you on the Triton, and we’re taking the
Warlord out again soon, capturing another ship and following a few
big leads. You could come with us, you’d be great out there.”

She looked up at Jake.
It was so obvious that Ayan found his offer tempting. Alice silently
hoped she’d take it. “I might not always get my way with the
Council, but there are so many people in trouble left on Tamber. The
society we make down here is more important than any of the buildings
we put up. But then I look at you and what you’re doing with the
Warlord and can’t help but think that’s where the real effort
should be. Not for everyone, but for people like me. People who can
survive on a ship like that.”

“People like us,”
Alice caught herself muttering. She was immediately thankful for the
cloaking technology that stopped her foolish third party
participation from giving her away.

Ayan continued a moment
later. “Everything is so…” she sighed and looked towards the
broad foundation of the permanent port building. “So complicated.”

“The invitation will
always be open,” Jake said.

“Thank you,” Ayan
replied. “And good try. If I’m to be honest, I have to say I’m
tempted. Oz just gave up trying to get me aboard the Triton full
time. He teases, but I know there’s a serious offer in there. Are
you looking to poach a few people?”

“You’re the first
I’ve tried to steal,” Jake said. “On this trip, at least.”

“Well, you didn’t
hear this from me,” Ayan said, “but try for more. Port Rush is in
bad shape. There are thousands of stranded crew from ships that will
never fly again all through there. I was going to tell Oz, but you
should go first. Just don’t get caught by the Carthans. Actually,
if you brought the Warlord down when you recruited, you could
probably teach the Carthans a lesson about trying to stand in your
way when they send a patrol to stop you from recruiting. I wouldn’t
mind seeing a few of them with bloody noses.”

Alice was deeply
surprised, and grateful for her suit’s sound suppression when she
couldn’t hold back a giggle.

“That’s pirate
thinking,” Jake said, grinning.

“You’re a bad
influence,” Ayan replied. “Speaking of which, I have to get my
day started. I’m meeting with my father, so I’ll ask if he can
spare some Rangers for the Warlord.” She looked back to the north,
where they could see the ocean to the right of a mountain peak. “I
have a lot to think about here, and I get the feeling I don’t have
much time to make some changes before the Council gets back together.
More and more, it seems like I shouldn’t be on it when they return
to the table. Either way, I think leaving on the Warlord is
premature. It was good seeing you, Jake. Good luck.”

“I’ll check in when
I get back,” Jake said as he watched Ayan leave.

He crossed to the
railing and looked out over the broad foundation of the permanent
port structure. It was over five hundred metres across, and it would
take weeks longer to finish the foundations with their single deep
drilling machine. The metres thick stabilization systems were being
built off to the side under a temporary roof to protect them from
rain. “I can see you, Alice.”

Alice disengaged her
cloaking systems and joined Jake at the railing, nervous at the
trouble she might be in. “Sorry, it’s become a hobby.”

“I don’t think
anyone else saw you, I’m linked with my scanners and Crewcast,”
Jake replied. “The only reason why I guessed you were there was
because the spot you were standing in read blank, the only place I
couldn’t see properly through the scanners.”

“Huh, didn’t think
of that,” Alice said. “Sorry.”

“I’ve missed you on
the Warlord,” Jake said.

Alice retracted her
faceplate and pulled her headpiece down, deciding to tell him the
worst news right then and there. “I got in trouble, was kicked out
of the Rangers.” Her embarrassment and fear at his disappointment
overwhelmed her as quickly as she could say the words.

He turned to face her
with an expression she couldn’t quite read at first. It seemed as
though he was about to smile, but he looked sad at the same time. “I
know, it’s all right.”

“I still can’t
believe I screwed it up,” Alice said, frustrated at the tears that
threatened to well up.

Jake took her into his
arms and asked, “You thought you were making the right decision at
the time?”

“You read the
report?” Alice asked.

“No way Anderson
would give me access, I’m just guessing here.”

She hugged him back and
gripped the back of his suit. Next to her father, she felt so small,
safe, and like she was with the only person who could understand her.
Those were things she forgot when she decided not to follow the
Warlord nearly two months before, but she couldn’t help but
remember them then. To make things worse - or better, she wasn’t
sure yet – her father’s anger at her being kicked out of the
Rangers had completely failed to materialize. “I feel so stupid,”
she sobbed.

“I don’t keep
stupid people on my ship, and you have a bunk waiting on the
Warlord,” Jake said as he stroked her back.