Randolph Lalonde - Spinward Fringe Broadcast 08 - Renegades (58 page)

By the time Jacob got
the codes out of the young ship captain, Clark was thoroughly
disappointed by Valent, but more importantly, he didn’t understand
why Eve was showing the terrorist recording to her audience, and why
she didn’t change what Jake said when he stated, “I’ll fight my
way through every captain and soldier in the fleet to get to the real
war and they won’t even leave a stain on my memory.”

That was so potentially
damning that Clark was utterly outraged. It made it seem like Jacob
Valent barely regarded the Order of Eden as an obstacle, and revealed
that he was fully aware that the Edxi were at the centre of the
Order’s involvement. That statement may not mean much to the
average soldier, but the higher ranks, the few thousand who knew
everything about the balance they were trying to maintain in the
galaxy, could panic. Most of them were former businessmen, or from
wealthy families granted governorship in trade for resources.

The playback ended with
the young ship captain giving up her command codes, leaving Eve’s
audience with the worst mental image she could offer – that of
weakness and surrender. The image dissipated and Eve stood alone on
the stage. “This is one terrible man who thinks that he is powerful
because he overtook a small ship on a training mission. While we
should mourn for the people we have lost, we should also have faith
that this villain is the perfect target for us to show the rest of
the galaxy that senseless terrorism won’t diminish our message or
our mission. We are blessed by fate, and that will not be taken from
us. This is only a test, and we will overcome it. You go with my
love, my trust, and my faith.”

The lights dimmed as
Eve retreated from the stage. “What? What does she think she’s
doing?” Clark cried aloud. “You’re helping him! This is exactly
what he wants!” He scanned through the data stream and found the
original recording of the boarding action, and was even more enraged
to see that Eve hadn’t used the most helpful part of the recording.
Moments after taking the command codes, Jacob Valent collapsed, and
the internal sensor logs from the destroyer cited a nanobot
infestation as the cause. It was a trap Clark had set months before,
adding a nanobot system to Order Knight framework systems so the
specialist soldiers could be destroyed if they were captured or
turned against their masters. It hadnt’ even occurred to Clark that
the nanobots in the Order Knight’s armour would attack other
unauthorized and unregistered framework systems if they were
encountered. Jake, and possibly Alice, were infested with nanobots
that would destroy all the framework technology from within their
bodies, deactivating the systems and most likely killing them both.

“This is what they
should see,” Clark said as he mentally ordered his chamber to be
drained of all fluids. He set the chamber so only he stood in light,
darkness surrounding him, and he looked at the shifting colour of his
carapace. The jagged shards of his outer armour were every shade of
red and black as his blood pressure rose and renewed the corpulent
silhouette he’d grown to hate. In this moment, he accepted it as a
helpful aspect of his appearance. It was time to confirm his presence
to all Order of Eden followers.

With a gesture and a
thought, he commanded the holographic systems in the room to show a
projection of the entire Order of Eden Fleet drifting in space behind
him, and he began recording. “I am the Beast, Master of the Order
of Eden War Fleet.” He could feel the grinding of his facial armour
as the shards moved with his speech. “You’ve just seen our
spiritual leader, Eve, speak about the terrorist Jacob Valent. He is
a misguided man from a military organization that has never made a
significant mark on the galaxy. His corrupt sense of justice has
already led him to a bad end. In an attempt to extend a peaceful
gesture to our enemies and attract people who are suppressed by them,
Eve neglected to show you the very moment when Jacob Valent fell to
our superior technology. I’m showing you this now.” With a
thought, Clark started the playback of Jacob Valent collapsing and
his friend rushing to his side. “What you have just seen is a
weapon we use to counter stolen immortality systems. Jacob Valent
used our technology to bolster himself, to overcome his innate
weaknesses. We have turned this against him, and he is dead. His
people are now in retreat, taking refuge in a place called Haven
Shore, well outside of our space. They pretend that the Order of Eden
does not exist because they know they are powerless against our
superior might, and that a few people have as much a chance to stop
us from embracing our fate as they have at stopping a tide from
rising. Our destiny will be fulfilled, and every one of you is
powerful enough to defeat pathetic beings like Jacob Valent.” He
mentally ended the transmission and ordered a communications block
for Eve and her command carrier. She would only be able to reach him;
as far as the rest of the galaxy was concerned, she had been gagged.

Another message
appeared in his mind’s eye, this one was from Shozo. “My
Dominant,” she began, “you were wise to direct us to Lorander.
After reviewing our situation, and taking the state of the galaxy
into account, we have been led to Haven Shore, where they went to
great expense in creating good conditions for us to settle with
people you admire – Ayan Anderson and other people from your place
of birth, Freeground. I am pleased to announce that we are already
beginning to mix the clean fresh water with our habitat aboard the
Fallen Star, and expect to be swimming freely within a week. I will
be able to send you messages in the future, but the people here tell
me I must use their systems, so they can be sure we do not reveal any
important information. I do not object, since you did not want us to
fight in this war, and they won’t be forcing us to take up arms
against you, either. In my most beautiful dreams you are with us,
founding a new clutch, building the glory of your House, and I hope
that can become a reality soon, when you have brought peace to the
galaxy.”

The recorded
transmission ended, and the Beast was struck still, silent. He should
have armed the Fallen Star and his House, and sent them to an
unexplored sector where they could search for a place that was
entirely new, not directed them to Lorander. They used them as a
pawn, an extra layer of protection for Tamber and Haven Shore. They
tricked Shozo and now House Fallen Star was out of reach.

He could not clear his
head of anger and doubt. He could barely think. “Pilot, take us
back down,” he commanded through the comm system.

The Beast felt his ship
touch down, back in the cavern, and he commanded the platform in the
middle of his private chamber to lower. “Lower the troop generation
pod and activate three hundred framework soldiers,” he said to the
officer in the disembarking room as he was handed his Order Knight
rifle. The monstrous weapon would see some use.

“Yes, Sir, your
soldiers will be ready in sixteen minutes,” said the armoured
lieutenant. Even as he tried to stand straight, it seemed like the
soldier wanted to shrink away from the Beast, and it irritated Clark
to no end.

“Make sure they are
all recording this engagement,” he said. “The Order of Eden needs
an example.”

Warlord Triumphant

“This is not what I
expected at the end of my tour of the Triton,” Lacey whispered to
Ayan as they sat down in the middle of the main bridge. At a glance,
Ayan could see that the crew was busy managing multiple repair
operations as well as normal management. She hadn’t realized how
much she missed the nerve centre of the great ship Triton until then,
and was surprised at how comfortable the place was to her.

A look towards the ramp
leading to the Flight Deck was enough of an indication to the ship
that she wanted to see the large control centre beneath her feet, and
the floor became fully transparent to her. Anyone else not looking
towards the Flight Deck would see mostly opaque floor beneath their
feet. The Flight Deck had become a fleet control centre for the small
percentage of air and orbital space Triton Fleet had taken direct
control of. The Haven Shore Navnet, fighter wing command, and several
other space organization tasks were under way, keeping thirty
officers busy, several of whom were in training. She decided to show
Lacey the flight control centre later; there was barely enough room
to move down there.

If it weren’t for the
British Alliance’s help with the monitoring and control of the Rega
Gain System, there would be chaos. Ayan’s work in politics wasn’t
over. She was due to discuss the timeframe Triton Fleet would get for
taking over full management of the solar system, and she hoped the
British Alliance would take governance of a few worlds for two years
at least. Anything to guarantee their continued presence in the
system would be a positive step forward.

“I’ve never felt
more conspicuously out of place in my life,” Lacey said.

“I hear you’re a
logistics master,” Oz said as he emerged from the officers’
entrance to their right. He crossed to the centre of the bridge and
sat in the middle command seat. “Good morning. Coffee is on the
way, the real stuff,” he said to Ayan. “Thanks to Haven Shore’s
pickers. Too bad you’re leaving your political career there,
opinion is changing in your favour since you announced that Haven
Shore was going to be run by the military again.”

“I think it was what
you said about your dreams for the place,” Lacey said. “I’ll
see that happen while you’re up here.”

“I still feel like
I’m abandoning Haven Shore,” Ayan said.

“You gave us the
blueprint, that’s what’s important.”

“Half of the social
blueprint is a direct rip from old Freeground lifestyle, I can’t
take much credit,” Ayan said. “The rest is either a result of our
situation or Liam’s input.”

“Stop avoiding
credit, Commodore,” Oz said with a knowing smile. “You take more
responsibility than you should. It’s about time you let someone pat
you on the back.”

“He’s right,”
Lacey said. “Carl is taking his place as governor of Haven Shore
seriously. It’s early yet, but it looks like he really loves it.
He’s happy you’re up here too, we’re all winners here.”

Ayan didn’t know what
to say, and felt some relief despite the sensation of being ambushed
by Oz and Lacey. “I’ll just shut up and be happy then,” she
chuckled. “Let’s finish the tour, I want to see what the
Botanical Gallery looks like now, I hear there were changes.”

“Make sure you take a
walk along the aquatic section on your way there, the Issyrian
habitat is almost finished,” Oz said. “There’s a new Botanical
Gallery child care section too, I’m sure they’d like a visit. You
can’t miss it.”

“Sir, we have
unencrypted data coming in from the edge of the Iron Head Nebula,”
announced an older looking gentleman at the communications station.
“It’s being broadcast on all emergency and news bands, addresses
the Order of Eden, Regent Galactic, and partners.”

“That’s strange,”
Oz said. He brought up the data stream and Ayan’s heart jumped as
the header information finished coming through and she read the
origin point: The Warlord. “Obviously Jake wants everyone to see
this.”

“Is it just me, or
does he really like grand-standing?” Lacey asked.

“He uses publicity on
the networks as a tactical tool, and the British told him to
terrorize everyone on the wrong side of this conflict. This could be
difficult to watch,” Oz warned.

The footage began to
play back, starting with the image of the Warlord’s guns hammering
a pair of Order of Eden patrol corvettes. The warship preyed on the
similarly sized, but lesser armed ships as though they were nothing
more than cargo carriers. Starfighters swept by, adding their
firepower to the exchange as missiles from unknown origin points
swept in and exploded against the escort corvettes’ hulls.

“I thought the
Warlord only had a few fighters?” Lacey asked.

“They probably
dropped weapons platforms using mine launchers,” Oz replied. “A
section of the machine shop aboard the Triton was used to put some
together.” They watched in silence for several moments as the
exchange continued. The Warlord stopped firing as the pair of
corvettes lost power. Time itself seemed suspended as the victorious
ship’s activity ceased for long seconds, as though it was deciding
for or against mercy.

Ayan was surprised when
the railguns aboard the Warlord flared back to life, ripping the
hulls of the battered corvettes wide open from stem to stern. Only
three escape pods made it off those ships. The last shots on each
corvette struck their reactors, removing any possibility that the
ships could be repaired. The Warlord disappeared, not waiting to
strike their next targets.

“No prisoners?”
Lacey asked. “They’re not even going to recover the escape pods
that made it?”

“The Warlord and her
captain don’t seem interested,” Oz said. “Besides, I think this
battle is only beginning. The stream is over an hour long.”

They watched as the
battle progressed and the recording followed the agile Uriel
fighters, the brutal mauling the Warlord inflicted on the strange
decloaked Edxian newcomers, and boarding operations led by Remmy
Sands, Moira McFadden, Jacob Valent, and Stephanie Vega. Half way
through the transmission, while Stephanie entered a compartment with
her team and sent several guided disintegration grenades ahead,
instantly killing four guards and six crewmembers from behind, Lacey
stood up. “This isn’t something I need to see,” she said
quietly. “I’ll meet you in the Botanical Gallery.”

“I’ll see you
after,” Ayan replied. The broadcast from the Warlord was assembled
like a Freeground visual report; there was no consideration for any
viewer who hadn’t seen combat or didn’t know the brutality of
real war. The lengths the Warlord crew went to during the fight
didn’t shock Ayan, but she immediately understood that the
unapologetic report would force the vast majority of civilians to
turn away.