Infinitys end, p.8
Infinity's End, page 8
Cas just shook his head.
“Don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. Keep in mind, I know all about the Claxian exchange program. But your officer was the first of his kind to leave their home world on a semi-permanent basis. He’s not exactly unknown, at least not to those of us higher-ups.”
Cas seethed at Rutledge’s words. He hated the man had figured it out. The more Rutledge knew, the more he could exploit it for his own gain.
“I’ll assume he’s injured, given your urgency.”
“Yes,” Cas replied. “If we don’t get him back to Claxia Prime within a week, he may die.”
“Then we’ve just found your way in. It will require some paintwork,” Rutledge said, putting his hands on his hips. “But I instead of a merchant vessel, we’ll send the ship in as a medical transport. It will be perfect; they’ll provide direct access to Claxia Prime’s surface. You won’t get better intel than that.”
“A medical transport?” Cas asked.
Rutledge ran his tongue over his teeth beneath his lips. “Yes. As long as they don’t find any humans aboard, they’ll let the ship right through. Your people will be able to scan the entire system for Athru ship deployments and capabilities. It’s the ultimate weapon: information.”
Cas hated to admit it, but he might be right. Going in disguised as a ship trying to return Sesster to his people would be riskier; but they were much less likely to be refused and could get close to Earth and the other planets in the system. Cas could even find out if the orbital outposts surrounding the inner planets were still active.
Zenfor stepped from around the edge of the ship. “Well?” Cas asked again.
“It can be done,” she replied.
“Very good,” Rutledge replied. “Tos.” The N’galian stepped toward the ship.
“Wait, what’s going on?” Cas asked.
“Tos will pilot the ship back to Tempest so you can begin modifications,” Rutledge said. “And he’ll be accompanying your crew on their journey.”
Cas felt the heat rising in his cheeks. “That wasn’t part of the original deal.”
“Robeaux. You know me well enough to know I cover all my bets. You don’t get the ship unless one of my people goes with yours. I’m not asking you; I’m telling you. That’s how it is.”
Cas ground his teeth, stealing a glance at Vrij then Zenfor. This was precisely what he hadn’t wanted to happen. He’d wanted the crew to be comprised of only people he trusted—which was part of the reason he’d rebuked Evie. But what was he supposed to do, call the whole thing off? Now that Rutledge knew how badly they needed that ship he knew he could exploit them. But Rutledge didn’t know about Evie’s abilities—at least Cas hoped he didn’t. Which meant they might still have the upper hand.
“Then I guess that’s how it is.” Cas stuck his hand out to shake Rutledge’s. The former admiral’s eyes flashed at Cas as he still cradled his injured appendage. “Oh, right. Sorry. I forgot.”
12
Evie winced as the needle penetrated her shoulder. “Don’t worry, this is totally benign,” Box said. “I mean, I assume it is. Your mother is a genius at genetic manipulation. Did you know she could have engineered you to come out with two more arms? Just like Xax over there! The amount of power she yielded in—”
“That’s enough, Box.” Xax walked over.
“I know, I know,” Box replied. “It’s just the violation of all this genetic material is fascinating. She’s been giving me some great insight into what really makes—”
“Box,” Xax snapped, inspecting Evie’s injection site. He finally shut up. She turned back to the display showing Evie’s vitals. “I’ve never seen DNA like this before. Tell me again how you managed to keep this from us?”
Esterva stood at the foot of the bed, her hands interlaced in front of her. She scoffed. “I didn’t do anything to her DNA. It was all about fooling your scanning techniques. Osborn helped me understand how Coalition systems work and we devised a way to subvert them. It was a simple matter of installing the correct hardware to counteract your equipment with a false signal.”
“Oh yes, of course,” Xax said, but there was something hard in her voice. Evie guessed she didn’t like being deceived, especially not in her given profession. This was the first she’d heard of hardware being installed. She didn’t like the sound of that. “And these new devices will obscure her from the Athru bio scanners?”
“Fortunately for you, I know how the scanners work,” she replied. “And because they scan organic tissue using a different method from yours, we must use a different type of bio blocker to inhibit them. If they do not see her in-person, all their instruments will tell them she’s a full-blooded Athru.”
Evie rubbed the place on her arm where she’d been injected. “And once we’re done?”
“We can deactivate them any time,” Esterva said, her lips in a fine line. Evie bet she didn’t like someone questioning her capability in her chosen field either. It was strange sitting between these two, being pulled back and forth. She looked to Box for support, but he was too engrossed in the medical reports Esterva’s technology had uncovered.
“The Coalition used to use nanites for medical purposes. Some of the outer worlds still do—did,” Xax said. “It’s not like we don’t know how to look for them.”
“Nanites is too cumbersome a word,” Esterva replied. “These are much more sophisticated as they cannot be discerned from the cells in her body. Go on, attempt to take her pulse. You’ll find your equipment is very confused. But their equipment will only show one possibility.”
“Can anyone use this technology?” Xax asked. “Could we provide them to the entire ship, make it look like the rest of the crew are Athru as well?”
Esterva narrowed her eyes. “I don’t know about some of the other species, but I know humans do not handle it well. They become sick easily and prolonged exposure can lead to permanent damage.”
“But not Evelyn.”
“No,” Esterva replied, pride replacing her annoyance. “Because I engineered her that way.”
Xax grumbled something about ethics as she turned away from Evie to monitor the distribution of the signal blockers through Evie’s body. Evie couldn’t say she blamed her. The Coalition used to have strict guidelines about genetic manipulation. What Esterva had done spit in the face of everything Xax believed in.
Evie was ready to be done with this. For the past hour she’d felt like little more than a science experiment being passed back and forth and she was tired of being talked over. Cas had commed down to let her know Zenfor was working on the ship and if she was serious about going on this mission, she needed to get her team together. She swung her legs off the bed, feeling no different other than a patch of soreness from where she’d been injected.
“Doc, we’re going to need to get Sesster on that transport once Zenfor finishes the modifications,” she said, rubbing her shoulder.
“I know,” Xax said still examining the display. “I’ve already lined up some anti-grav generators to help us move him. We’ll have to use the access corridors to get him down to the bay due to his size. He won’t fit in the hypervators.” She turned to face Evie. “By the way, I’m coming with you.”
Evie furrowed her brow, then shot a quick glance to Esterva. The woman’s face didn’t betray a hint of emotion. “Do you really think that’s necessary?”
“What if something goes wrong, or his condition worsens on the way? You need someone who is versed in Claxian physiology. I want to make sure you get him to Claxia Prime without any hiccups. I’ll just be along to monitor and assist if anything goes wrong. Plus, I have always wanted to see the planet; it is said to contain some of the vastest libraries anywhere in the Coalition.”
“There’s really no need,” Esterva replied. “I’ll be accompanying my daughter and can watch over the Claxian. I have detailed notes on their species and will make sure he arrives intact.”
Xax stared at the woman. “Showdown,” Box whispered without taking his attention from what he was doing.
“With all due respect, you’re not a member of this crew and I cannot turn over a sick patient to someone I have not vetted. Especially when that patient is a crew member,” Xax said, the strain apparent in her voice.
Evie needed to step in before this blew up in her face. “Okay, fine. Doctor, you’ll accompany us on the ship. Mother, you’ll stay out of Xax’s way. Sesster is her patient, understand?”
“Of course,” she replied, a sweetness in her voice Evie decided she didn’t like. With both of them on the ship it would make for an interesting trip.
“Wait, does that mean while you’re gone…I’m the Chief Medical Officer for the ship?” Box asked, his eyes shuttering.
Xax huffed. “I suppose, since you have more combined knowledge than any of the rest of the medical staff—but it’s just temporary, you understand. This will be a trial run. If I get reports from Menkel or any of the others you’re abusing your power—”
“Doctor, I am shocked,” Box said, pushing his chest out again. “You’re looking at the recipient for the Coalition medal of honor. I would never abuse my position.”
“I’m not questioning your ethics, Box, just your demeanor. Remember all the work you’ve done on your bedside manner. I don’t want to come back and find you’ve regressed in less than a week.”
“Not possible,” Box replied. “They are deeply encoded into my cortex. You can trust me; I’ll perform my duties to my best ability. When you return, you’ll be so impressed you’ll want me to take over for you full time.”
“Somehow I doubt that.” Xax returned her attention to Evie. “You’ll notify me when we’re ready to move Sesster?”
Evie nodded. “As soon as we know something.” Now that the procedure had been completed this was becoming more real. Evie couldn’t decide whether she was excited or terrified. One way or the other, she was going to see her own people for the first time since being taken prisoner on that planet. She needed to make sure she was ready. Not for the first time she was thankful the sword had been destroyed.
As she and Esterva exited sickbay her mother leaned down. “You handled that well. And I believe you will handle our people just as deftly. You’re the one thing they’ll never see coming.”
Evie wasn’t sure how to take that. But instead of dwelling on it, she forged ahead, intent on making sure this operation went off without a hitch.
***
Zenfor was on her back, elbow deep in engine components when she heard the approaching footsteps. At first, she thought it was Tyler or maybe Lieutenant Sophie Denna, coming to ask if they could help. Sophie had been on her team to redesign the hand-held weapons and Zenfor got the feeling she’d felt scorned after being dismissed from the team. The truth was Zenfor had dismissed everyone from the team because she just couldn’t think with so many different voices arguing all the time. But in the end, she had finally decided on a design and sent it down to matter processing so they could begin upgrading all the weapons. In the three weeks since she’d finished, Lieutenant Tileah reported every weapon on the ship now had the capability to fire both projectiles and energy weapons, which gave them a lot of versatility and should prove harmful, if not lethal, against the Athru, should they need them.
But as the footsteps grew closer, she realized they were too heavy-footed to belong to a human. Or any Coalition species that was, except for perhaps those long Derandar. No, they could only belong to her own people and Zenfor cursed over and over as she replaced one of the primary undercurrent emitter coils in the guts of the ship.
“Zenfor of Kantor, move or be moved.” The words came across in her native language. Zen drew in a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment, then extricated herself out from under the ship’s engine. Before her stood two Sil, neither of whom she knew, and both with impassive looks on their faces.
“I am working,” she said as calmly as she could.
“You are to be relieved. The humans have communicated to the Sil the desire to have this ship match the capabilities of Tempest and the reasons why. We’re here to make sure that technology is installed properly and in as little time as possible.” The two Sil were shorter than Zenfor, but not by much. She could tell they were both engineers by birth; that they’d been bred for specifically that purpose and no other. It was clear the Sanctuary didn’t trust her to do the job, since she’d been bred a Consul.
“I’ve already replaced one of the primary undercurrent emitters,” Zenfor said, knowing arguing with them was useless but pursued it anyway.
“Your work will be stripped. This mission is too important to be left to hands that may not be…experienced,” the one on the left said. Zenfor couldn’t place her accent, but she could tell she was an on-worlder. Sil designated to ships generally didn’t like to be without their artificial suits, no matter where they went. She’d always found the suit comforting, but also—if she admitted it to herself—suffocating. Ever since she’d removed it, she’d felt better, though anyone would have had a hard time convincing her of that in the beginning. Returning to all her normal bodily functions after so long in the suit was…jarring. At least for the first few hundred sqirms.
“Move,” the other Sil snapped.
She considered for a moment what might happen if she raised a hand to them. The Sanctuary would no doubt change its mind about allowing her to remain on Tempest and would bring her in for judgment. They would probably bring up all the charges against her and she’d be summarily killed in a judgment chamber within hours of the infraction. There was little she could do, except step aside and allow the Sil to work.
She complied, moving out of the way and the two Sil shoved past her, one maneuvering himself under the ship where she’d just been while the other walked aboard and disappeared inside. Zenfor glanced around to see some of the Coalition maintenance crews in the bay staring at the confrontation. A deep scowl forming on her face, Zen stormed from the Bay to the closest hypervator.
“Bridge,” she shouted as soon as she was inside. As the hypervator moved she could feel the anger bubbling up inside her and she couldn’t tamp it down. All the peace and tranquility she’d found while the ship had been hers was gone, replaced with nothing but fury and frustration. Before she might have cared, but no longer.
The doors slid open and she took in the bridge for a moment, not seeing her quarry. “Where is he?” she demanded.
Graydon, the first officer turned to her. “He’s in the Command room, but he’s—”
In three steps she was across the bridge and at the door. She didn’t bother using the call button, instead she forced her fingers between the slits in the door and shoved them open. Inside, Cas was staring at a display of tactical information. He glanced up, but when he saw her his eyes went wide. Good, she wanted him afraid.
“I’m sorry, sir, she just—” Zenfor spun around. Graydon had followed her in. While he was large for a human, she still dwarfed him and could easily dispatch him from her sight.
“Zen!” Cas yelled. She glanced over her shoulder to see he’d stood, a scowl on his face. “It’s okay, Commander, you can return to the bridge.”
“Are you sure?” Graydon asked. She didn’t see fear in his eyes, only resolve. This was a human she liked.
“Yes, it’s fine,” Cas said.
Graydon backed away, not taking his eyes off Zenfor until the doors closed between them again. She noticed there was a small dent where she’d forced them open.
“What’s the problem?” Cas asked.
She faced him again. “You know what the problem is; I was just removed from my job.”
Cas’s face fell and he took his seat again, turning off his display. “Dammit. I was hoping they wouldn’t do that.”
“I knew this was your doing.” She approached his desk. It would be so easy to reach across and yank him up by his throat.
“What was I supposed to do? The Sanctuary sent Evie a message asking why we’d been transferring ships back and forth. I had to tell them our plan because it’s the only way we’re going to get their full support on this. When the ship comes back with the tactical data—”
“I don’t care about tactical data,” she yelled, smashing her hand on his desk. A spiderweb crack spread out on the glass from the impact. “This was supposed to be my job, so I could make sure he gets there safely.”
Cas gave her a hard stare for a moment. There was a time when he would have shrunken away from an outburst like that, but either he’d seen it enough to expect it, or he was being reckless. “I know it was your job,” he said, his voice soft. “And I hoped the Sil wouldn’t interfere in what is an internal issue for us, but the fact is we need them. And if they think they can make the modifications faster then I’m not going to argue. Every minute we save here is another minute closer to getting Sesster back home.”
“You took away my involvement!” she yelled. “I was supposed to be the one who helped him, who woke him back up. He trusted me. And then you tell me I can’t go on the mission because they will detect me, despite the fact that Athru woman has some kind of technology to confuse their scanners—”
“Listen to me. We don’t know how Esterva’s bio blockers would work with your system. They could be harmless, or they could kill you. And right now, we have too much on the line to be taking stupid risks. I’m sorry you can’t go with them, but we need you, here, alive and functioning. We can’t do this without you.”
She leaned over his desk. “How would you feel, if Chief Jann was sick and you were barred from helping her in every way possible? How do humans deal with that sort of disconnection? Do you just shrug it aside?”
“That would be terrible. And I would hate every minute of it,” Cas admitted. “But this is the only way we have to help him. I know you two were very close. You don’t have to tell me about losing someone.” A memory of the onboard funerals hit Zenfor. She remembered seeing Cas, hunched over in one of the front rows as people gave their favorite memories of Commander Blohm. It had taken him a long time to process his guilt over losing her. Maybe he did understand, at least in some superficial way. Trying to explain to everyone the connection she’d formed with Sesster was like trying to take a hold of smoke…or fire. It was impossible and burned every time.
