“When Minister Dinata finds out, she’s going to burn you all.”
Noo had passed into that state somewhere beyond both mental and physical exhaustion hours back. A nap aboard Amazonas, and another as they’d climbed back through the embattled skies to the station, hadn’t come close to restoring her energy. The shocks encountered once they’d docked with the station—the scenes of destruction, limited though they were, Fathya pulling her aside to give her the news about Daniel’s condition, and now Mizwar’s revelations—it was simply too much to try to take in.
So don’t, came the whisper. You are a daughter of the Huntress. Do what you do best.
“When Minister Dinata finds out...”
“Waitaminute,” Noo croaked. Faces turned her way and she cleared her throat. “Zheng. Follow up. He said ‘when Dinata finds out’. Does that mean he didn’t tell her that last bit yet?”
Zheng probed, and Mizwar confirmed that their surprise raid had prevented his team from communicating their latest finding up to Iwan Goleslaw. The maneuvers that kept the warship away from the orbital forces of either Ileri faction had kept it out of position for Mizwar to share what he’d learned.
It was as if someone had swept a curtain away, and the fogginess in her mind she’d grown so used to over the last day blew away like atmo from a compartment venting into space. For a few seconds she felt like she was outside her own body, observing herself while someone else ran the program that was Noo, and then there was a sudden rushing sensation, a feeling of being carried along, and then she was back looking out from her eyes again.
Some part of her wondered if she was having an adverse reaction to the pharmaceutical cocktail the medics had dosed her with. She pushed that thought aside in favor of a death-grip on her newfound clarity.
“Then we can still stop them.” Her voice rang out clearly this time.
“Which them?” Fathya asked. Noo looked at her partner, and that detached portion of her brain noted that Fathya Shariff suddenly looked old.
“All of them. Well, that goat-fucker Miguna and his pals, the plague-ridden, and those Saljuan shit stains.” She raised a finger. “The nanoware is on the station. We find it and destroy it, and it doesn’t matter what this turd-brain knows.” She pointed at the monitor from which Mizwar grinned nonsensically at them. “We can show the Saljuans that Ileri’s not a fucking nano-plagued shithole and if your people,” she jabbed her finger at Meiko, “show a little backbone, then we can probably keep those dustbrains from starting the Third Cluster War.”
“About that.” Meiko hopped up from her chair, pawing through personal AR windows. “About the plague agent on the station, I mean. I came across something the other day.” She found what she was looking for, and her eyes slid across the text. “One of my contacts mentioned that he was trying to get a shipment of medical aerosol moved to the south ring.” She glanced at Toiwa. “It was the day after the assassination. The Constabulary was all over the Fingers, and all their illicit goods shipments were disrupted.”
“Why does that matter?” Teng asked.
“Because I think the conspirators were using the Fingers to move their goods,” she said.
Toiwa frowned. “That’s quite a leap.”
“Ask them,” Okereke said. “They can tell us about the shipment. If it matches, we’ll know.”
“Did I just hear correctly that you wish to involve the Fingers in this?” a new voice Noo didn’t recognize interjected.
There was a few seconds’ silence. Fathya caught Noo’s eyes and then jerked her head at Toiwa. The message was clear: Let her handle this.
“Prime Minister, I didn’t realize you’d joined the link,” Toiwa said.
Oh shit.
“Just in time to hear the last comment, though my staff has given me an overview of the situation,” Vega’s disembodied voice said. “And I’ve just now seen the memo you sent earlier today, sketching out your agreement with M. Loh.”
Noo darted a look at Toiwa. “You cut a deal with Pericles?”
Toiwa squared her shoulders. “It is an extraordinary move, I grant you. But in my judgment, it will be impossible to retake the station without their help.” Noo saw the tendons in Toiwa’s neck standing out. “We can’t match the rebel’s capability without substantial assistance that’s not available from any other source.”
“Perhaps we should discuss that later, Governor,” Vega said.
Wherever her surge of energy was coming from, Noo was strapped in for the ride. She seized control of the conversation back. “We need to find and destroy the nano and rescue the Commonwealth scientists, so they can help us deal with the people who are already infected.”
It seemed the Prime Minister was already up to speed on that aspect. “I concur with your overall assessment, M. Okereke,” Vega said. “Retrieving the Commonwealth scientists might also help influence Captain Gupta to provide more open support, which would simplify operational matters in orbit.”
“We’ll need to retake the infonet if we’re going to mount an operation of that scale,” Ogawa cautioned.
“Noted,” Toiwa said.
“I have M. Loh standing by,” Valverdes said, somehow not managing to sound smug about it.
“Put him on,” Toiwa said crisply. Noo saw the look Fathya shot at the governor, recognized as one her partner had given her countless times over the years.
You resent that you’re stuck relying on people with dirty hands. I love you like a sister, but if you pull your righteousness act here, I’m going to smack you.
Fortunately, everyone present, in person and virtually, maintained the veneer of civility. Toiwa briskly summed up the key points of discussion for Loh, keeping the momentum going. “What support can you offer in support of these objectives?” she said.
“Some aspects are easier than others,” Loh replied. “Getting a strike team to a data junction so you can retake the infonet is straightforward enough, if dangerous. Getting to the Commonwealth delegation is a bit trickier. We believe they’re held at a location that’s not particularly convenient to one of our ingress/egress points. That team will require substantial firepower.”
Noo was still riding her wave of energy. “What about the nanoware, Pericles?”
“I will need to confirm it, but if I’m correct, it’s taking a roundabout route.”
“Spit it out, Pericles,” Noo said, as she hunched forward. Loh hesitated, and Noo could almost picture his expression. This is something he doesn’t want to give up. “Come on. Your shorts are already on the floor, time to get it wet.” Someone choked back a giggle at her vulgarity.
“Calliope always said you were pushy,” he complained. “But as you crudely put it, we are intimately engaged—”
“Cut the shit. Where is it?”
“Traversing the outer surface of the station,” he said, sounding peeved. “More specifically, being hauled by a bot across the outside of the hub to the southern spindle. Which is, unfortunately, very firmly in rebel control.”
There was silence while everyone processed this. “If it’s on the surface, can the Navy hit it?” Noo asked.
“Not without damaging the station,” Vega said. “I’m sure they can target it, but the collateral damage would be huge. That might be a measure of last resort, though.”
Zheng had left Mizwar to the medics and slipped into the observation suite. “I’ve done EVA combat ops before.” She grinned. “And I’ve got the right party wear for it, thanks to Captain Gupta.”
“I have experience with free-fall combat as well,” Meiko said, nodding at Zheng. “If any of your maintenance people have an engineering hardsuit I can borrow.” Major Biya chimed in that he could support them with a team from his tiny force in the hub.
“That leaves the data junction and rescuing the Commonwealth team,” Noo said.
“I can send Okafor and a team, if Loh’s people can guide them,” Toiwa said, and Loh agreed.
“That leaves the boffins for me, then,” Noo said. Teng volunteered to join her, and both Toiwa and Loh committed to support them.
Fathya put her hands up. “Out of the question. You’re played out. And you’ve done your part.”
Noo popped up out of her chair to confront her oldest friend. “We’re not done yet, Fathya,” she said. “Not while these turds can turn us all into zombies. Or give the Saljuans a chance to use the rest of their bombs.” She pointed at the screen where Mizwar’s face still loomed. “You heard him, heard Dinata. They’ll burn our world down to the mantle if they have to, if that’s what it takes to quiet their fears.” She lowered her hand. “And besides, I need to pay these shits back for Daniel.”
Fathya opened her mouth to say more, but Toiwa cut her off. “Your service is accepted, pending clearance from the medics.” She gathered them all by eye, then spoke to the room. “We have our operational concept. Time is short. Let’s turn this into an actual plan.”