Rebel Alliances (Targon Tales Book 3) Page 9

  “And that’s difficult.”

  “Very. The non-Delphians that can do it would probably fit in this room, in case you need confirmation that your brain is special. But even for you it takes a lot of energy and concentration to do this. And it’s expensive because of the coolant we use to keep the ship’s processors running. Those help with the math and of course we need the ships to shield us during the trip. Not all ships are equipped for this sort of travel.”

  “And so those ships use the regular jumpsites.”

  “Yes. Like the one you came through to get to Dannakor. When we find a keyhole in a useful place, we chart its exits and turn it into a jumpsite by recording and sharing the information needed to get through it. It becomes a door. It’s actually more like a funnel. Entrance on the narrow end and a whole bunch of exits on the wide end.”

  “So there is a keyhole outside this ship and nobody knows how to get back in it?”

  “We can go into it. But I have no idea where to leave it again because no one’s mapped the exits yet. I don’t have the ability to find the right one. We were hoping this new interface will let us do it.”

  “But the interface does not work?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t think so. A miscalculation would have torn the ship apart, or left us in the breach, not kill the navigator. There are safeguards for that. The ANI is designed for communication. Everything else is speculation. Likely, they weren’t even ready yet to test it for any jump, never mind one like this into an uncharted site.”

  “Then it seems a dangerous thing for you to try.”

  “Yes,” said. “It is. But there is no other way.”

  “You don’t think we’ll be found? Won’t someone come after us from the other side?”

  “They’ll try. But jumping through sub-space leaves no trail to follow. They won’t know where we came out.”

  Just then the door opened and the Centauri returned. He threw a box of medical supplies and a few food packets at Jovan and then stood outside the door, his back turned to them.

  “Listen,” Jovan said to him, again using the supercilious tone that had worked on this rebel before. “This woman needs to clean up properly. There is a decon chamber just over there.”

  The Centauri turned briefly and grunted his assent. “Don’t be babbling in that Delphian. Talk so I can understand you.”

  Jovan moved between Nova and the rebel and looked meaningfully at her neural interface. Guessing his intent, Nova nodded. He hesitated before lifting his hands to place his blue-nailed fingers onto the nodes. He closed his eyes until he had created his link to her.

  How did you know this would work? she asked when she felt his tentative touch in her head.

  More rumors in the enclave. That you can share the khamal because of the interface. About Shan Tychon teaching you things. Maybe things he shouldn’t.

  He’s been respectful, if you’re worried about that, she replied. And he’s not a Shantir. This will give you a big headache, by the way.

  I’m already there.

  They sidled past the Centauri’s gun and across the corridor where Jovan waited outside the little chamber while she cleaned up.

  “This is crude,” she commented through the door.

  “I noticed,” he replied. “There isn’t even a hygiene program for Delphians. I had to use the one for you people. I itch.”

  “That one works perfectly fine,” she assured him. “Although when there isn’t an option, Tychon likes the Centauri decon. He says it works better for your hair.”

  “I really don’t need to know about Shan Tychon’s bathing habits.”

  “Hey, it’s educational. You want to keep your tail trail nice and soft for the ladies,” she added mischievously, using Delphian slang for the narrow line of hair growing down his spine. It was a most sensitive part on any Delphian’s otherwise hairless body.

  “You are outrageous!” he exclaimed.

  I need you to do something, Nova projected.

  Oh? came the cautious reply.

  Do you know what they did with the other pilot, the one that died on the bridge?

  Yes, they took all the bodies into one of the cargo pods. To freeze them.

  Nova opened the door to the room. “Need you to come in here and fix my shoulder, Jovan,” she said loud enough for the Centauri to hear. “It’s bleeding again.”

  Jovan stepped inside, looking nervous when she pushed her shirt from her shoulder. She turned her back to him and he carefully placed a clear patch of tape over her injury. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Delphian blush,” she smiled. “Does this bother you?”

  “Of course not,” he said, forcing a careless tone. “I have touched a woman before, you know.”

  “I’m sure you have,” she grinned. Delphi’s permissive society ensured that all youths received instruction by more experienced mentors before choosing their lifemates. It was another part of Delphi’s culture that few outsiders were aware of. She pulled her shirt back up. “But not a Human one.”

  “Certainly not!” he said before catching himself. “I’m sorry. I sound... I know how I sound. I meant no offense.” He cocked his head when some revelation seemed to strike him. “I know what you’re doing. You think I’m traumatized and your teasing will distract me like some child lost in the woods.”

  “Is it working?”

  “Actually, yes. Although your brand of humor is a strange thing, Human.” He backed out of the coffin-size room. What do you want me to do?

  Huh? Oh. Right. I need you to find Captain Luce’s body and retrieve his neural implants.

  His eyes widened. You can’t mean that!

  Yes, I do. See if you can find that cargo pod. Just make sure the temperature in there hasn’t bled out too much. If you can get in there, break the external parts off his head. They will come away from the taps fairly easily, especially if he’s cold.

  That is sickening!

  Nova looked into his horrified face and berated herself for her callousness. This was no soldier. This was a Shantir to whom corpses were still sacred vessels. Can you do this?

  He pressed his lips together until they formed a thin white line. I’ll try.

  The Centauri in the corridor looked Nova up and down when they returned to her makeshift cell. She crossed her arms when his eyes lingered too long on her body as he perhaps considered last night’s unfinished assault. His violet eyes gleamed in the fleshy folds of his scarred face but when he saw her glaring at him he addressed Jovan as though she wasn’t there. “Don’t go back in there. She’s going to see Rakh on the other ship.”

  “She is not well,” Jovan reminded him. “She is weak and badly disturbed by your behavior. I suggest you let her eat something.” He retrieved some of the emergency food packets the rebel had tossed at him earlier and handed them to Nova. She did not have to pretend to be famished and broke into the packaged and tasteless rations with more enthusiasm than she thought possible.

  I need to break this khamal. Jovan grimaced. My head is going to explode.

  Try to get some sleep. It’ll help. Then make sure to find the nodes, she reminded him. Destroy them when you do. Just hit them with something hard. Should be enough to damage the contacts.

  He sent his reluctant agreement and quickly touched the side of her head to release her from his mental link.

  “Come on, come on.” The Centauri grabbed Jovan’s shoulder and shoved him aside. “That way, Human.”

  Nova was pushed and prodded along the central corridor of the cargo ship to the docks. They stepped through the umbilical and boarded the rebel vessel which didn’t look in much better shape that the Terius. It, too, had seen too many battles, too many badly-navigated jumpsites and too many crew members who cared nothing about denting and defacing the interior. The gravity here was something to get used to and the air quality smelled of extreme conservation.

  She stumbled when her guard grabbed her arm to stop her from walking past a door. “In there. And watc
h your mouth around Rakh. He’s not in a mood to piss around with Union scum.”

  “Maybe I’ll tell him you broke my interface. See if that improves his mood.”

  He raised his fist as if to backhand the insolent Human but then seemed to think better of what consequences that may have. He punched the door’s entry panel instead. It slid aside to reveal the battle cruiser’s bridge.

  Nova stepped ahead of the guard into the dim space. Her eyes adjusted to reveal Rakh, the Centauri rebel leader, and a few others seated around the bridge. Surprisingly, Sao Lok, the Azon technician who had claimed to be an Arawaj rebel, was among them. To her left, against the wall, knelt three of the civilians from Dannakor, their heads down and their hands tied.

  Rakh swiveled in his bowl-shaped chair when the light from the hall momentarily brightened the space. He sprawled lazily, apparently not concerned about further damage done to the scuffed captain’s chair by the boot he had drawn up on the seat. He studied her for a moment. “Looks like you haven’t been having any fun.” He grinned at her guard and waved him out of the room.

  She scowled at him. “Are you Arawaj, too?”

  “Watch your mouth. This is a Shri-Lan ship.” He glanced at Sao Lok and then equally sternly at the other rebels here. “And I’m the commander and can choose who I want to work with.”

  He turned his chair and his back to her. The others were not so incautious and he probably knew it. Several guns pointed her way. “We’ve been having a look around,” he said. “We’re precisely nowhere. There isn’t even a planet around that we’d reach in a lifetime. Unless you like swimming in melted iron. The only way back is through that breach.”

  “I’m just a chartjumper,” she said, as if talking to someone with limited comprehension. “That keyhole is uncharted. I can’t get us back to Trans-Targon any more than your own navigators can. I’m sure you’ve been trying for hours. It could kill me if I used the ANI for this.”

  “I’m not concerned about your health,” he replied. He turned around again to hand her a data tablet.

  She studied the display. The keyhole was definitely stable, which offered some hope. She would be able to open it and hold it for the ship’s passage. But then what? She linked her interface to the computer to test the processor. Considerably more powerful than the one aboard the Terius, it was still just a processor, no more able to discern one exit from another without the guidance of a conscious mind.

  “I’m sure you’re plenty concerned about your own hide,” she said and handed the unit back to Rakh after breaking her link with it. She glanced at Sao Lok. “This is suicide.”

  “Just yours,” Lok said. “If you do it wrong. But you have more brains than your recently deceased colleague. And more experience. Don’t forget that I am quite familiar with the workings of the ANI.” He directed a friendly smile at the three civilians huddled near the wall. “As are some of these individuals who have graciously supplied us with information.”

  Nova glared at the Caspian. “Even if I live through that I am not likely to drop us anywhere near where we want to be. I just don’t see how.”

  “I will tell you how,” Rakh said. He raised his hand and she saw a gun, now pointed at the civilians.

  “Stop!” she snapped. “Don’t do this!”

  “Too late,” he said. “A lesson must be taught.” He smiled as if driven by some perversity when he trigged the weapon and shot one of the men precisely between the eyes. The other two screamed in terror and cowered back against the bulkhead. Rakh swiveled back to her. “Did you understand the lesson?” When she did not immediately reply he aimed his gun again.

  “Yes!” she said. “I understand.”

  “That does make me happy,” he said. “I think we’re going to need some of our hostages for later. Would be a shame if you wasted them all.” He came to his feet and gestured at the helm. “Take us home, Captain.”

  “What? Now? I can’t! I need to study this thing.”

  Rakh glanced at Sao Lok who nodded. His almost congenial expression shifted into anger territory. “How much time will that take?”

  She shrugged. “Days, probably. Depends on your sensor range.”

  Rakh turned to a Centauri manning a console near the front of the bridge. “How much time do we have?”

  There were some calculations, some thought, some discussion with a Human sitting next to the rebel. “If we cut the freighter loose, got rid of a few more breathers, maybe three days. We have air for more, but if she’s going to ramp up the processors we’ll have little power left for basic life support. Might have to give up gravity.”

  The rebel leader nodded. “You heard him, Human. You’ve got two days and then we jump.”

  Nova’s mind churned with rapid calculations. Assuming that Rakh was using standard time, two days will have given Air Command time to figure out what had become of them. Surely there were survivors, video records, even. Tychon would have been notified and would be mobilizing the entire Vanguard to turn the keyhole inside out. Would they reach them in time? “I’m going to need the Delphian,” she said.

  “Who? What for?”

  “He’s a whelp,” Sao Lok said. “What do you need him for?”

  “He’s a Shantir and you know it,” she said. “He can make all the difference in finding our way through this.”

  “Fine. Whatever. Find the Delphian. Lock them up until they get their heads together.” Rakh loomed dangerously over Nova who refused to back away. He had to step around her to reach the door to the corridor. “I want you back here and mapping day and night or you’ll have more blood on your hands.”

  “I will try. That’s all I can promise. Just keep your rapist goons away from me. I can’t concentrate if I have to worry about getting beaten up at every turn.”

  His hand shot out and clamped around her neck. “You are not in a position to make demands.”

  “She’s got a point,” Sao Lok interjected. “Let’s see what they can come up with. There’s nothing to be gained by harming the girl.”

  Rakh snarled. “Get her out of my sight.”

  Nova left the bridge, aware that Sao Lok followed her and the guard that soon pushed her into a narrow cabin on the lower deck. They passed a number of rebels, both male and female, of Centauri, Feydan and Human origin. Few of them were Caspian. Sao Lok stepped into her new prison and closed the door behind him.

  She looked around the room, seeing nothing but a set of bunks and a metal storage bin here. At some point someone had scribbled something on the wall and someone else had tried to erase it. She stared at the incomprehensible words, fuming silently. At last she turned to face him. He had discarded his lab coat and now wore only a loose pair of breeches to fully display the swirling patterns on his gleaming hide. “Whatever you want, Lok, I’m not in the mood to discuss.”

  “I can understand that you’re angry.”

  “Angry?” she said. “You played me! What was the point of that? Do you always get friendly with your targets before you carry out your mission? A few games of Points to pass the time? Trade baby pictures before you stab them in the back?”

  “Captain, I assure you that I enjoyed our time together on Dannakor. I had not expected you to be quite so interesting. Please, I want you to believe me.”

  “I don’t give a damn what you want. You gave me up to that Centauri bastard without a second thought.”

  “My only thought was of you! He’s killed all of your Air Command colleagues. You’d be dead now if Rakh hadn’t immediately grasped your value to all of us.”

  She frowned. He was probably right. “And what you said is true? You’re Arawaj? A rebel?”

  “That is what you call us.”

  “What’s your interest here? You had no idea the Shri-Lan were coming to raid the station, did you?”

  “No, I did not. I was there to, ah, invite you to visit with us a while and to obtain the schematics. Unfortunately, you blasted the lot before I had a chance.”

 
“Pity.”

  “But I still have you. That’s a whole lot better. You will be of great service to the Arawaj. Once we find our way home, that is.”

  “Arawaj!” she scoffed. “Your group is a pitiful faction of dissidents hiding in holes on Caspia. You don’t have one tenth of the Shri-Lan’s fire power.”

  “That is not going to matter much longer. The Shri-Lan are surviving only by making use of whatever hardware remnants were left in the wake of Tharron’s passing. Once his group crumbled there was no one left to keep the ledgers balanced.”

  “You’re talking about Pe Khoja. The only one of Tharron’s people with any sort of vision. Even in a demented rebel sort of way.”

  “There is no need to resort to name calling,” he said primly. “But, yes, when we lost Pe Khoja we lost much of what gave any sort of cohesion to our battle against your Union, our oppressors. We splintered, and now we fight among ourselves instead of rising up against your control of our worlds. That must stop.”

  Nova shook her head and sat on one of the narrow cots in the cabin. “Caspia is allied. We don’t even have a base there. No one wants to control your planet. And the Shri-Lan have as many Humans and Centauri as they do indigenous members. They don’t want freedom. They have no ideals. They want to take over everything that the Union has built in Trans-Targon.”

  “What the Centauri have built. Foreigners whose home planet is so far away that most of them have never even been there. Who flattered and bribed those who actually belong here into joining their empire. Followed by the murder of those who refuse. It’s not a Union. It’s exploitation.”

  Nova threw her hands up, a tired gesture. She was well aware of the Union’s shortcomings and their reliance on Air Command to keep enemies at bay. But it was still largely a trade organization and most worlds prospered by their membership in the Commonwealth. And the pirates, thieves and rebels who helped themselves prospered, too. “I’ve heard all this before. You even sound like Pe Khoja. Did he leave notes?”