Sothcide did not enjoy being away from Jalith and the Twin Sister. The Maeyar fleet granted her dispensation according to her rank of Wing Commander, but as a wing officer he was granted no such leeway and his loyalty had been called into question by the human vessel’s attack on his fighter. His heart increased in flow as he recalled the wash of targeting radar painting his hull and the missile alarms painting the interior of his fighter in flashing ultraviolent tones.
"There is little cause to be nervous, Wing Officer."
The voice belonged to Banner’s second wing lieutenant, records docket tucked beneath the arm of his flight suit. Now aboard the Banner, Sothcide would have to account for Victoria Marin before the Maeyar Fleet Operations commanders. And Victoria herself was being brought aboard. He had a few questions for her as well, such as why his wingman was scattered across the Oort Cloud by her comrade.
"I would say over a thousand Gavisar ships give plenty cause to be nervous," said Sothcide.
The lieutenant missed a step. "Ah, um, yes sir," he said. Only shy of two hundred Maeyar Warships and their assorted logistical and support craft had mustered in Pedres in response to the staging outside Juna. Fewer would leave the homeworld undefended. Outnumbered five to one, most of those had been pulled back to defend the planet itself. Even for the fleet near the skirmish line, attitudes seemed more of disbelief, as though the number of invading vessels was so high that it could not possibly be true. Desperation would have been more appropriate, but ever optimists were the Maeyar.
The corridor had been built with a vaulted arch reminiscent of Southern styles, the soft luxurious sweeps informative of their owner’s station. The fleet commanders rose so from families just as soft and filled with luxury. Beyond the metal archways the ship widened, and Sothcide was led through a hatch to a room wherein a half-dozen Maeyar stood, three fleet commanders and their spouses. At their head was Senior Wing Admiral Yadus, also a former interceptor pilot long since risen to command the fleet at Pedres. Now he directed fleet movements from the Banner, his wife responding to runners while he reviewed information on an advanced screen built into his podium. The device could be controlled by touch, using a series of lasers in a grid array projected over the glass. Yadus looked up briefly and gave him a respectful nod as he came in, rocket jockey to jockey. Theirs was an elite club. Yadus’ first duty was to the Maeyar fleet though, and his professional affectations would grant no leeway if his perception of the human betrayal extended to the Condor and her captain. The cockpit of an interceptor tended to hammer out the weak, and hardened onyx skin around the Senior Commander’s features and fingers reflected a face used to grimace and a tight grip on the flight controls.
"Wing Officer Sothcide, enter and attend. You stand witness to a wartime betrayal and offensive action upon Maeyar Fleet vessels by non-Maeyar military. Missiles from the Union Earth Hudson River tracked and destroyed a fellow squadron fighter craft. Is this an accurate recounting of the events?" asked Wing Commander Arda, a subtle breach of protocol from the mistress of the Third Battlegroup. Her silk uniform was crisp and glittered subtly as she shifted, reflecting in her eye as she glanced briefly at the hatch.
Sothcide placed his helmet on the desk before the small metal chair. "The stars of my night sky asks after your health, Wing Mistress."
"You may tell Jalith that I am fine, Wing Officer. Pl-"
"She will be overjoyed to hear it. She often speaks of your time at the command school together."
"Answer the question, Wing Officer," said Arda curtly. Before he could reply, the hatch opened and in sauntered Victoria Marin, captain of the Union Earth Condor. Her hip was empty of the heavy human slug-thrower she favored on the occasions he’d seen her away from her ship. At her side was a pair of security officers with handheld lasers to keep her in line, though both had tight eye motions that belayed their nerves. Though primitive their warships might have been, the reputation for deadliness the Privateer warriors had garnered was well in mind. Humans captured crews as often as ships.
The Banner’s second lieutenant leaned over. "The Fleet Wing Admiral brought the humans aboard? I hope he tightened the bolts on the laser arrays first."
"Captain Marin," said Yadus, not even lifting his eye from the display. "Please join us. I am given to understand that your culture also partakes in the practice of marriage. Is your husband well?"
Victoria scratched at the short stubble on the back of her neck. "I never quite made it that far," she said. This caused some disturbance among the assembled captains and first officers, though Sothcide stepped in on her behalf.
"Humans have a phrase that translates in Kossovoldt to ‘married to the job’ to describe those who eschew personal bonds in favor of advancing their field. I heard it used aboard the Condor to describe Captain Marin during my time aboard her vessel."
"Surely she could find a suitable male within her command structure," said Wing Commander Vehl, who thus far had been content to only open her ears. Her husband was looking over reports beside her, soft and light of skin. He too had a silk uniform. How quickly the Maeyar assimilated the textile, though the display of a full uniform was a statement of nearly obscene wealth. These were the defenders of Pedres?
"In fact," said Victoria, "Regulations strictly prohibit interpersonal relationships within a chain of command. Union Earth believes it creates unequal power dynamics and incentivizes special treatment of subordinates."
There was a pause. Vehl’s eye spun slowly in its socket. "Yes? And?"
"We are straying from the subject at hand," Arda interjected, cleaving her hand through the air. "Wing officer, your report."
Victoria had taken a far-away look in her eyes that he’d noticed of the humans on more than one occasion when he cast her a sidelong glance, so he turned back to Arda and began. "It’s true that I and my wingmate were fired upon by missiles along a bearing similar to that of the Hudson River, whereupon we engaged the human vessels before being forced to retreat. The Hudson River then engaged a faster-than-light engine and escaped to the interior of the Pedres System."
Arda leaned forward in her chair. "Please clarify, Wing Officer. Was it a bearing similar to the Hudson River or was it the Hudson River?"
"Impossible to say, Ma’am, though spectral analysis does suggest aluminum oxide in the exhaust trails consistent with observed human weaponry," said Sothcide.
"So you agree that the trader and its escort fired upon you."
Sothcide’s eye muscles constricted, and he let more frustration than he intended slip into his tone. "As I said, it is only evident that someone—"
"Thank you for your recounting, Wing Officer."
Victoria looked surprisingly nonplussed in her metal chair. Those soft pink faces typically showed so much foreign emotion, but her expression was as flat and level as he’d ever seen. "The Hudson River’s magazines were empty following the battle, Wing Commander. I’m forwarding the communication recording to your staff now. Unless Bullock managed to grow a few missiles between here and Pedres," she said, "Ones with enough acceleration to actually catch one of your interceptors." Her flippant tone suggested that she was used to explaining simple concepts to superior officers, probably on more than one occasion. "But if what you’re saying is true, you murdered over a dozen crew on that freighter while I was off pledging humanity’s support behind your war by dipping into Juna’s upper atmosphere for intel."
Arda sputtered, her black eye focusing on Victoria. "As though your communication could not be doctored or faked. Need I remind you that your people opened fire without provocation?"
"Illegal detention isn’t fucking provocation?" Victoria interrupted. "Because on Earth we fight wars over that."
"Illegal according to whom? Mayar Fleet Operations is in command of this system’s territory, and they ordered your people to stand down. You submit that the Hudson River’s weapon banks were empty. But a dead pilot remains, and if a Union Earth Navy missile could not have done it, what did? Perhaps a Privateer variant? We cannot account for your whereabouts on your alleged intelligence gathering."
"Alleged?" asked Victoria. "Oh I was there alright, close enough to throw a god damned rock at a Gavisar envoy shuttle. But I didn’t bring any rocks, so I had to settle for a squad of marines and some comms equipment. Turns out most of those incoming ships are beat all to hell. Something chased them out of Gavisar. Hell, nine in ten aren’t even warships."
"The space walkers have been busy, Arda," mused Vehl. Her snout rested on her hand as she gave the other fleet commander a bored wave. "Perhaps your righteous indignation is misplaced."
Sothcide braced himself as he watched the anger build tension in Wing Commander Arda’s shoulder muscles as the diaphanous membranes framing her face grew darker.
"Be that as it may," she snarled, "It still stands that the human fleet fired upon our ships of war, and here before us stands a human military captain. Until redress can be made, it is only appropriate that we hold her for questioning until after we defend Pedres."
Sothcide stood abruptly, in part before he realizing he had done so. Flying full burn at enemy battleships had never made him as nervous as standing before a panel of commanders, and now he had the attention of three of them.
"Pardon the interruption, Wing Commander, but it appears you have been misinformed as to the nature of the Privateers. They are not part of the human military chain of command and Victoria holds no formal military rank. She is a civilian explorer granted certain privileges often extended to military vessels. Victoria is here at my express request, and by extension, Wing Commander Jalith’s. If the Condor is to be considered a military asset, for all intents and purposes it is a Maeyar military asset, not a human one, and under the envelope of the Twin Sister. Any and all disciplinary action rests in the will of my sun and sky."
He glanced at Victoria, whose two eyes were both wide as they flitted between him and Arda.
"He has you there, Arda," said the Wing Admiral. Yadus lifted his gaze from the screen long enough to peer at Sothcide. "I don’t know how much you’ve read up on the humans, but they’re an odd cluster. The wing officer is technically correct; all disciplinary action should fall to my cousin."
Sothcide let out a breath. "Thank you sir," he said.
"Don’t thank me yet. I agree with Arda’s assessment. Beyond any doubt, and for whatever reason they held at the time, human warships bore arms against us in time of war and proceeded to flee the system, an action which by any metric is unacceptable. Now I don’t necessarily believe them to be Gavisar spies, but this is not the action of an ally."
"Captain Marin, as it happens, I too believe something happened at Gavisar to drive the fleet here. And if whoever or whatever it was hurt them as badly as you say then time is now critical and we must push the attack to slow their advance while we shore up the defenses at Pedres. My strategists are analyzing the imagery you provided and we will determine the best way to execute an offensive."
Victoria stood, nodding her head. "If I could just gain access to the Yakima’s logs I could find out what really happened aboard those two ships."
"More space walker lies," said Arda, but a hand from Yadus stilled her.
"Perhaps," offered the admiral, "You can stop on your way to meet with the Malagath envoy. She asked for you by name. Well, by ship, if I am to be truthful."
The color drained from Victoria’s face all at once, a vestigial camouflage mechanism. Sothcide had only ever seen it after poker bluffs were exposed.
"Come again?" she said.
The weathered frills on the side of the admiral’s face fluttered with mirth. "Part of why I believe the Gavisar are not here willingly is that a Malagath delegation en route to Maeyar have decided to investigate an anomaly detected by their interstellar sensors. They are preparing to jump to Gavisar in a few hours’ time, and as a Maeyar fleet asset, you will be joining them. I am sending the Twin Sister to join the defenses at Pedres, and you will accompany Jalith."
For once, the smart-mouthed human seemed to be at a loss for words. Sothcide could not blame her, to gain the attention of the Malagath was to invite death. He had not even been aware they were in the system, likely having jumped past the conflict all the way to Pedres. When she finally mustered enough of her senses, she offered a weak protestation. "Hold on now, this isn’t what I signed up for when I agreed to come along."
Eru Vehl trilled a high note of laughter through her proboscis. "You came to perform reconnaissance, did you not, Captain Marin? It would seem to me that this is exactly what you signed up for. May the swift wind of the north be at your wings."
Yadus Turned to Sothcide. "You’ll not be returning to Pedres just yet. Wing Commander Vehl’s squadrons took substantial hits during the first wave of the invasion, and she needs an experienced wing officer leading her fighters for this counteroffensive. I’m temporarily reassigning you to the Starscream."
Victoria covered a cough beside him that sounded suspiciously like human laughter. "Wing Admiral, with all due respect—"
"All respect due to me would be not questioning my orders, Wing Officer. I know your place is with the Twin Sister. Once we cripple the key Gavisar ships you can rejoin her. As for you, Captain Marin," he said, his eye swiveling to the human. He shut down the monitor in his station and leaned back. "I know you’re not here out of an altruistic desire to help the Maeyar, nor as a special favor to a friend. You’re looking to solidify a formal defense pact. Wherever your planets are, it’s safe to say you think we’d make strategically relevant partners, yes? Having fired on those interceptors sets that goal back, but do this for me and my weight will be behind your alliance."
Sothcide had been around humans long enough to recognize her scowl. But she would have to accept. She had no choice, the alternative was losing her ship and being forced to sit out the conflict entirely. And Victoria would never abandon the Condor. Humans proved a stubborn sort.
"If I may," he said, "I would like to escort Captain Marin back to the Condor."
"As you wish, but report to me aboard the Starscream within the hour. I think we’re settled here, yes?" said Vehl.
Arda lifted her eye in submission. "It appears we are. But know this, Human Victoria: if I smell one whiff of treachery, I’ll have your ship scrapped for parts and see you resigned to the void for the life of my pilot."
Before the human could say something flippant, Sothcide ushered her through the hatch and away from the fleet commanders. After a brief discussion with her security escorts he steered her back toward her ship with a light touch on her shoulder. Her boots could have left prints in the metal composite decking for how hard she stomped back to the docking facilities of the Banner, but by the time she approached the airlock tunnels she deflated somewhat.
"I’m sorry I got you wrapped up in this, Southside. That you were fired on, and that you lost a wingman."
He took his hand from her shoulder. For humans, interpersonal contact seemed a necessity to forming bonds, though it still made him uncomfortable.
"I lost two more when we first arrived, and perhaps would have been more were it not for your targeting data and the Hudson River’s final volley. This is not to marginalize the loss of Dat Un, but such an event draws the attention away from the full cost of this invasion. I do not think Wing Commander Arda wants to face the true cost. It’s easier to fixate on a problem for which you can see a solution, even if it is not where your attention should be."
"You’re going to be part of the counteroffensive," said Victoria.
Sothcide flourished his flight helmet. "I am, and for the first time in a long while, it will be someone other than my wife’s voice in my radio."
Victoria nodded, then leaned in. "Be careful. I won’t know for sure until I get a look at the Yakima’s logs, but I think Jones may have piggybacked on our horizon jump. I maybe caught a whiff of him off that first active sweep Jalith did, but haven’t seen sign of him since."
Sothcide thought back to his meeting with the man, and to his encounter with the Hudson River. "When the missiles were launched, my bearing to the point of origination did not match my firing solution to the Hudson River. It was offset by a few degrees, though for the sensors of my wingmate it was correct. At first I dismissed it, but if the measurements were accurate then the missiles could have come from almost a hundred kilometers beyond your destroyer."
"He’s dangerous, Southside. I don’t know what his game here is, but you can bet it doesn’t line up with ours. He’s a prat, but he’s the cold kind of vicious that leaves holes in your ships. Not all Privateers are interested in waiting for ships to be disabled."
"That is why I chose you instead, Human Victoria. Fly safe, and may your safe return mark the day of our victory."
Victoria extended a hand to him, a gesture he’d experienced several times aboard the Condor. He extended his own, slender fingers wrapping her comparatively small hand. "Good luck out there. If you can, make contact with my marines, they may be an asset during the counteroffensive."
Sothcide bowed his head. "I will try. What frequency are they broadcasting on?"
A corner of Victoria’s mouth dropped, revealing white grit teeth. Ghastly things, teeth. He never understood how so many species were able to talk around a mouthful of them. "They haven’t actually begun broadcasting yet. But I’m mostly sure they’re still alive."
Sothcide blanched. "I, I see."
"Don’t tell Arda," said Victoria, winking as she ducked through the docking ring and into the airlock.