Chapter Eighteen

Zeric regretted asking about the ship almost as soon as he’d done it. Across the table from him, Saracasi had launched into a long, detailed explanation about the unique design of the frigate she had captured. She had been working on it and talking about it almost non-stop for the last month. He had only asked about it because he had never seen a ship like it. He didn’t really care.

Beside him, Gu’od nodded politely as Saracasi talked. To him, the Liw’kel seemed genuinely interested. Maybe he was, Zeric thought. He didn’t understand his friend sometimes.

For instance, Asirzi, sitting next to Saracasi, was giving Gu’od some very overtly flirtatious looks. Despite the mechanical arm, the girl was quite attractive. Even with Gamaly sitting beside him, Zeric didn’t understand how Gu’od could fail to notice.

Maybe Gu’od had just gotten used to people falling all over him. Every Liw’kel female they had met lately had practically thrown themselves at him. Gamaly and Asheerah still couldn’t be in the same room with each other. Strangely, Gamaly did not appear to take any notice of Asirzi, aside from a small frown. It was the same polite, but distant, attitude she had shown toward Sienn’lyn.

What really made Zeric wonder, was that he had been under the impression that Asirzi and Saracasi were together. In between casting Gu’od suggestive looks, Asirzi would turn to smile at Saracasi, and he felt sure the pair of them had started holding hands under the table as soon as they had finished eating. He supposed Asirzi could be interested in both men and women, but Saracasi didn’t show any signs of being bothered by the flirtation, either. It was as if he was the only one who was aware of what was going on.

“You have no idea what I just said, do you?” Saracasi asked.

The fact that he was now the center of attention keyed Zeric in more than the words themselves. Saracasi had stopped talking and was looking at him expectantly. Gu’od’s expression had changed to a slight smile, the one he got any time Zeric embarrassed himself. Gamaly just frowned at him.

“Um, no. No, I don’t.”

To his relief, Saracasi just shrugged. “That’s okay. I was rambling, anyway. I can tell the rest of you aren’t as interested in the ship as I am.”

“Too bad Chava doesn’t seem to ever be as self-aware,” Asirzi said with a sigh, which got a small laugh from Saracasi.

Zeric hadn’t spent much time with the Kowwok shipwright, so he had no idea what the two women were referring to. All of his time lately was spent training marines. Another batch of new recruits had arrived on a transport from Irod a few days before. Also aboard had been Lahkaba and a few other delegates from the congress, but he hadn’t had any time to catch up with him. This meal was the first one he hadn’t eaten while working.

“We should get going,” Gamaly said, standing up.

Gu’od did the same, and from across the table, Asirzi batted her eyelashes and puckered her lips as if blowing a kiss. Unexpectedly, Gu’od looked embarrassed, while Gamaly’s frown was replaced by a small smile. After the two Liw’kel walked away, Saracasi and Asirzi let out quiet giggles.

“Okay, what was that all about?” Zeric said, finally confused enough to ask. “I didn’t think you were interested in men. Why are you flirting with Gu? You’re not the only one, either. Sienn’lyn and Asheerah are all over him.”

Asirzi smiled and just shook her head, giving a little laugh—clearly at his expense. Saracasi joined her for a moment but then took pity on his bewildered expression.

“It’s a Liw’kel thing.”

“Yeah, I gathered that,” Zeric said, knowing he sounded testy.

“When Liw’kel women get pregnant, other women around them try to steal their mate. It’s an evolutionary thing. Apparently, the pregnancy proved the male was fertile and more desirable. And it was up to the pregnant female to keep the male. It’s evolved to a social thing, where nowadays the male proves his loyalty to his mate by not giving into the offers of sex from every female he meets,” Saracasi explained.

Zeric felt like his eyes should be popping out of his head in shock. “So every Liw’kel female is going to try to sleep with Gu, and he has to prove his love by refusing? Damn, that’s harsh.”

He suddenly felt sorry for his friend. Previously, he had been jealous of all the attention Gu’od was getting. But now that he knew it was a test that he had to resist, he appreciated his friend’s willpower. Then the implication of what Saracasi had said fully sank in.

“Wait, you mean Gamaly’s pregnant?” he asked suddenly, turning in his seat to watch Gamaly walk out of the small cafeteria.

“Yes. They’re probably off to get a checkup from Dr. Istru,” Saracasi confirmed.

“But she doesn’t look pregnant. Why did they tell you and not me?” Zeric asked, hurt creeping into his voice.

“They haven’t told anyone,” Asirzi said. “Liw’kel, women and men, give off a telltale flicker with their antennae after a baby is conceived. It’s a hormonal thing. Liw’kel can pick that up, so we all know. I told Saracasi. I didn’t want her to get jealous when I tried to flirt with Gu’od. I don’t think I did a very convincing job, although it was quite fun.”

Zeric ignored the two women as he mulled over the revelation. Gu’od and Gamaly were going to have a baby? Now? In the middle of a war? On the other hand, he considered, would it have been any better when they were just criminals?

Was that why Gamaly had refused any formal position in the marines? Were they going to disappear—go buy a house somewhere and live a normal life? A thousand questions raced through his head.

While he pondered, something interesting must have happened, because he noticed that Asirzi and Saracasi had stopped laughing. They were intently looking at the video screen on the wall of the cafeteria. All conversation in the room had stopped, and everyone was watching.

Turning in his seat, Zeric looked up at the monitor. The text display indicated that a packet ship had just arrived with an important announcement from the Alliance. Another moment went by before the screen changed as the message was transmitted over Kol’s planetary data network.

The scene changed to reveal an older Terran female wearing an Alliance admiral’s uniform. Short, with silver-grey hair, the woman looked more like a grandmother than a warrior. But Zeric instantly recognized her and knew both were true of her.

“Attention, Alliance citizens. I am Fleet Admiral Katerina Sartori, newly appointed commander of Alliance forces in the Kreogh, Trepon, and Loisa sectors. I have been sent here by the Alliance high command to address the rising levels of terrorism among the colonies. As many of you are aware, I was last here during the Colonial War with the Dotran in which my fleet defeated the Confederacy.

“What you may not be aware of is that the Alliance Congress recognizes that they over-reacted to the earlier demands made by the legally elected representatives of this sector. In calling for the dismissal of all planetary governing bodies, they went too far. As such, I am calling for new elections to return these bodies to power on their respective worlds. Democracy will return to the Kreogh sector.

“Now, while the Alliance will uphold democracy, it will not stand for rebellion among its citizenry. The recent assaults against Alliance personnel on Sulas, Dantyne, Enro, and Ailleroc will not go unpunished. We have in custody some of the terrorists who recently attacked Alliance bases on Ailleroc. We also have one of the culprits from the first attack on Sulas.”

The scene shifted, and what appeared caused Zeric to gasp. The screen showed Fracsid Relis, his crew, and some of the marines who had been aboard his ship. But what shocked Zeric was the Terran who stood with them—Jairyd Kil’dare. Jairyd had been one of the small group that had helped him and Maarkean break into Olan Detention Center on Sulas months previously. Jairyd had not returned from that mission, and everyone had assumed that he was dead.

Admiral Sartori returned to the screen and resumed speaking. “These individuals are currently being held as terrorists and traitors. As such, they will be executed in thirty days from the transmission of this message. However, if the following orders are carried out, they will instead have their rights restored and be granted full trials. While I have no doubt as to their guilt, the courts may decide to grant them leniency and sentence them to prison instead of death.

“First, the body known as the Kreogh Sector Congress must disband. All its members must publically refute their previous calls for rebellion. Second, Alliance personnel held prisoner on Enro are to be released. All individuals involved in the rebellion there are to turn themselves over to Colonel Cage and await trial. Third, all involved in the attack on Olan prison and all escaped prisoners are to turn themselves in to stand trial for their actions. As those groups comprise a large number of individuals, only the leaders must comply before my deadline.

“Maarkean Ocaitchi, Zeric Dustlighter, Lahkaba, Halin Corte, and Lei-mey Darshawn must all turn themselves in within one month. If all of these orders have been carried out, martial law will be lifted from the cities where it is being enforced on Cardine, Sulas, and Ailleroc. All prisoners will be subject to full and fair trials by a jury of their peers.

“If these orders are not carried out, the prisoners we have in custody will be executed as traitors. All individuals involved in attacks against Alliance personnel will receive the same treatment when, and I mean when, they are apprehended.”

The intense gaze Sartori gave on the monitor as she spoke reinforced the conviction of her words. Zeric felt himself cringing slightly. Sartori certainly had a presence, even in a recorded message.

“It is my hope that the misunderstandings that have occurred can be resolved amicably. The Alliance stands for peace and democracy. Let us return to that state and work out any disagreements like a civilized society.”

With that, the image terminated and was replaced by another bit of text. The text was a link to where a copy of the message would be stored on the network, along with a complete list of prisoners that must turn themselves in to Alliance authority.

Around him, the cafeteria remained quiet for a moment. All eyes were slowly turning toward Zeric. To himself, he cursed that Admiral Sartori knew who he was. Outwardly, he tried to project confidence. He tried to think of something defiant and reassuring to say.

“It looks like the Alliance has become desperate enough to resort to threats. They obviously can’t back up those words and are hoping we’ll just roll over for them,” Zeric said.

Several people in the room nodded in response, and the noise level started to climb again as they all started talking about the message amongst themselves. Grateful that attention had drifted off of him, Zeric leaned in close to Saracasi. “We need to go find your brother.”

Maarkean hurried across the desert compound on Kol toward the large headquarters building. For the last week, he had been aboard the Defiant Glory, working with Davidus and the pilot recruits on training exercises in their newly captured fighters. They had returned a few minutes ago, and it was only then that he learned that several members of the Kreogh Sector Congress had been on Kol waiting for him for several days.

The training session had progressed moderately well, though now he wished he had not extended it an extra day. Almost all of their recruited pilots had been as good as their word in having some experience, though not much combat experience. Surprisingly, the former bounty hunter Jerik Needa, who had tried to collect him as a mark just a few months before, was shaping up to be a good candidate for a squadron leader.

As Maarkean stepped inside the large headquarters building, he found the congressional delegates in the foyer waiting for him. Lei-mey sat calmly in one corner by herself. The Notha named Owrik stood beside Lahkaba, talking quietly. The last delegate, the Kowwok Valinther from Kol, was kneeling at a shrine that occupied one corner of the room.

The shrine was an offering to the Great One, the supreme being in the Kowwok’s dominant religion. Chavatwor had set it up after taking up residence here, and some of the Kowwoks would occasionally visit it. Valinther was either praying or meditating, or whatever it was Kowwoks did to the Great One. Curiously, Lahkaba seemed to be watching Valinther with a deep frown on his face.

Maarkean had heard his friend mutter an exclamation to the Great One on occasion. It was common to most Kowwok. They had never discussed religion, a topic generally avoided in public across the Alliance, but he had always assumed Lahkaba to be a follower of the Great One like Chavatwor, Htaretter, and, apparently, Valinther. The frown suggested otherwise.

Putting aside his thoughts about Kowwok belief systems, Maarkean put a smile on his face and said, “Allow me to apologize for my tardiness in meeting with you. I have been on a training exercise and was only just informed of your arrival.”

All of the delegates turned toward him as he spoke, Valinther standing up from the shrine and moving to join the others. Maarkean braced for the firm squeeze of a hug from Lahkaba, which was his usual form of greeting, but he merely inclined his head. The others greeted him in similar fashion, a cold and distant atmosphere coming from them.

“General Ocaitchi, is there a place we can speak in private?” Lahkaba said formally.

Curious, Maarkean studied the Kowwok for a second before replying, “Of course. Follow me.”

He led them down a flight of stairs to the basement level that Chavatwor had entirely given over for the military to use. There was one room, which occasionally served as a conference room, that was large enough to hold them all. Once inside, they all took seats around the small table before anyone spoke again.

“Major General,” Lahkaba said, speaking stiffly again, “on behalf of the United Kreogh Sector Congress, we are here to formally censure you for your unauthorized actions on the world of Ailleroc. Your attack against Alliance facilities was not cleared with General Numba or the Ailleroc delegation. Congress wishes you to know that they do not approve of your independent actions.”

Maarkean frowned. Censure by the congress for taking action against the Alliance? The loss of Fracsid and the marines had been hard enough to deal with.

He debated his response, but he held his tongue for the moment, mainly out of respect to Lahkaba. He wasn’t sure what he could say that he wouldn’t regret later. These delegates were here to deliver a message; they weren’t necessarily the ones who had drafted it.

His patience paid off, because after a moment, Lahkaba said, “Now that that is out of the way, allow me to say that I thought the whole idea of a formal censure was ridiculous.”

Maarkean smiled with relief. “It sounded a little forced. But why did they have you deliver it?”

“We managed to convince the others that it would be better received by people you know,” Owrik said, sitting in his chair at an uncomfortable angle. The cheap chairs that had been placed in the room had not been designed to accommodate Notha tails.

“Regretfully, we won that point only in exchange for an affirmative vote,” Lei-mey grumbled.

“It’s a meaningless gesture anyway,” Valinther added. “It carries no actual weight.”

Silently, Maarkean disagreed. Even without any formal consequences or punishment, to be censured by the congress meant something to him. It meant that he had failed them. Either that, or they weren’t the stellar body of democratic virtue that he hoped they were.

“General Numba wanted to replace you and planned to send orders relieving you of command. Fortunately, most of the delegates really did support your actions. We reminded the general, in no uncertain terms, that he may be your superior officer in grand strategy, but all matters in regard to naval and marine operations were entirely under your jurisdiction.

“A raid against an Alliance base on an uninhabitable moon qualified,” Lahkaba explained. “The censure vote was mostly to appease his ego and that of the Ailleroc delegates. I do wish you had notified us beforehand so we could have headed this off in advance.”

Maarkean nodded. “If it wasn’t a ten-day round trip to Irod, I probably would have.”

“But this is not the main reason we are here,” Valinther said tersely.

Curious, Maarkean looked at the Kowwok, who continued, “The Confederacy has sent a representative to meet with Congress.”

This news left Maarkean feeling like he had been punched in the stomach. He had gotten over thinking of Kowwoks or Dotran individuals as enemies, but the Dotran Confederation itself would forever remain an enemy in his mind. They had waged a war of aggression across this sector of space, trying to claim every world for themselves. He no longer considered the Alliance blameless in that war, but the Dotran had started it. And they had killed many of his friends.

“For what purpose?” Maarkean asked, trying to keep his voice level.

Lahkaba cast a weary look toward the others before answering. “They have offered us membership in the Confederacy in exchange for their protection against the Alliance.”

“Of course,” Maarkean fumed. “That way they can gain control of what they failed to in the last war.”

“I expect they see our rebellion as a perfect opportunity to grab up some star systems without effort,” Lei-mey said.

“Oh, it will take effort. Us siding with the Dotran will cause the Alliance to respond with the full might of their military. I’m sure that war would dwarf the last one,” Maarkean said forcefully. “I assume you told them to get packing?”

Lahkaba bowed his head, an embarrassed look on his face. “No. I have managed to delay any discussion of the offer for the time being. But I cannot stall for much longer. Some of the delegates are considering it. They seem to think that with the Dotran on our side, the Alliance will back down.

“We’ve been trying to convince the others that we don’t need the Confederacy,” he continued. “In a way, your adventure on Ailleroc both helped and hurt our efforts. Your success against them showed that you can win at least some fights. Of course, until we arrived here, we only had Alliance propaganda, which suggested that you had suffered more losses than the Alliance. Returning with a full report will help.”

Maarkean nodded sheepishly. He probably should have sent a report to Congress after returning to Kol. The PR war was not something he was used to dealing with. The Alliance certainly had been quick to cast the engagement in as positive a light as they could.

“So what is your plan?” he asked.

“Even with the ships you have captured, your naval forces are far inferior to the Alliance,” Lahkaba began. “The Confederacy offers us a full-strength, powerful navy, but with some unacceptable terms. But there are other powers out there.”

Curious, Maarkean tried to figure out where Lahkaba was going. He spoke with a self-satisfied smile, which Maarkean took to mean that the Kowwok thought his idea was especially clever.

“There’s also the Black Market.”

When Lahkaba said no more, Maarkean realized that must have been the climax he had been building to. Not wanting to dampen his friend’s enthusiasm, Maarkean said, “The Black Market is now a criminal marketplace, not a warship. It’s unlikely the Fox has kept it in peak military order. And I doubt he’d be willing to let us borrow it.”

“He did let you go the last time you were onboard. He sent Novastar to meet us, and you said he expressed sympathy with our cause,” Lahkaba argued.

“Sympathy is a far cry from letting us use his livelihood to wage war with.”

“But it doesn’t hurt to ask,” Lahkaba pressed.

Maarkean sighed. He knew how much the romanticism of the Black Market had appealed to Lahkaba. A powerful warship, stolen and used as a criminal hub. But that very romanticism was blinding him to the reality that the Fox was a crime lord with a lot of power. He didn’t offer help out of the goodness of his heart.

“Regardless of whether the Fox would be willing to side with us, how do you think that would sway the Congress to believe that we don’t need the Confederacy?” Maarkean asked, changing tactics.

“Why are they even considering it? I thought the purpose of this rebellion was to convince the Alliance to change their ways, not to completely separate from the Alliance.”

“It’s too late for the Alliance to simply apologize and let things go back to normal,” Lei-mey said, her usual level of passion in her voice. “They have shown that they do not believe in their own principles.”

“So why not simply declare independence?” Maarkean asked.

As if in response to his question, Zeric and Saracasi barged into the room, both looking flushed. Maarkean stood up, prepared to chastise them for interrupting, but Zeric spoke first.

“There’s something you need to see.”

Giving his friend and sister the benefit of the doubt, Maarkean sat back down as Zeric went to the room’s video monitor. Zeric accessed the planetary network and brought up a video recording.

“This was just transmitted to the planet by a packet ship. We assume the same message has been sent to every world in the sector.”

Zeric activated the message, and Maarkean watched as Admiral Sartori appeared and laid out her plans for dealing with the people in the sector. When she mentioned her prisoners, Maarkean was shocked and relieved to see Jairyd and Fracsid alive. The emotion was temporary, however, as she laid out her intentions to execute them.

“This is bad,” Lei-mey said when the recording ended. “Very, very bad.”

Confused, Maarkean looked at her. “While I agree that her plan to execute our people is bad, at least they are alive. For the last year, we all thought Jairyd was already dead.”

“I don’t mean that,” Lei-mey snapped and then moderated her tone. “Although you are correct. I am quite happy to see Jairyd alive.”

“That admiral is a crafty one,” Owrik said quietly, adding to Maarkean’s belief that he had missed something.

Lahkaba must have noticed, because he explained, “She appears to be offering us everything we claim we want. Returning power to each planet’s representative body and offering fair trials to everyone. But what she is really doing is nothing at all.”

“If we turn ourselves in and accept new elections, we will be admitting that the Alliance had the right to disband the governments in the first place,” Lei-mey added. “If the Alliance had not disbanded them, there would be no need for elections. And by requiring Congress members to turn themselves in, when the only crime they committed was meeting together, she’s saying that we don’t have a right to meet as a sector and send a united list of desires. We will, essentially, be required to repudiate everything we have done. All the while, she gets to appear to the public like she is bowing to the will of the people. It’s a subtle distinction, but an important one.”

“Some of the delegates may wish to take this deal,” Owrik said, casting a glance at Valinther. “Most of them were not on the list of people required to surrender themselves. With the prospect of open warfare growing, many of them are beginning to forget why we started this fight in the first place. People were imprisoned without trial. Our rights were being curtailed one by one.”

The room was quiet for a moment as the new information sank in. Maarkean glanced over to Saracasi, who had nodded in agreement with everything the delegates had said. She understood political nuances and maneuvering far better than he did.

While all of that sounded bad, his main concern was the people slated for execution. By the expression on Zeric’s face, he guessed that the Terran agreed with him. As callous as Zeric could be sometimes, he knew that the man felt responsible for those marines.

“Perhaps we should take Maarkean’s suggestion,” Lahkaba said quietly.

Turning his head, Maarkean wondered what suggestion he was referring to. Fortunately, Lahkaba explained. “You asked why we didn’t just declare independence. It would solve several problems. If we declare our worlds independent of the Alliance, we can cast the Alliance’s actions as a war of aggression, instead of a war for stability.

“It won’t make much of a difference, but it might matter to some. It will also allow us to appear to keep the door open to the Confederacy. Not that we want to join them, but if we’re independent, we can buy some time before they come at us in force, at least.”

Lei-mey and Owrik nodded in agreement, though Valinther did not look as convinced. Lei-mey said, “Then we should return to Irod and convince the Congress to do this. They will not have received this news yet. It will be best if we can be the first to deliver it.”

“And we’ll see about rescuing those prisoners before Admiral Sartori’s deadline hits. It’s a five-day journey there by packet ship. That gives us twenty-five days to get to Ailleroc and rescue them,” Maarkean said.

“Are you sure you wish to conduct another raid on Ailleroc so soon after being censured?” Lei-mey asked.

Maarkean narrowed his eyes as he replied. He didn’t like the idea of leaving those people to die simply to avoid a black mark on his name. “Those people deserve our every effort to rescue them.”

“Very well,” Lei-mey said, bowing her head.

Since her friend was one of the ones to be rescued, Maarkean would have expected more enthusiasm from her. But her feelings on the matter were of little consequence. He would go with or without Congress’ approval.

“I believe I should continue with my plans to meet with the Fox,” Lahkaba said. “Gaining the support of such a powerful ship will only help our efforts. Maark, I think it would help if you would return to Irod with the others and try to drum up support. You can also explain your rescue plans so that the Ailleroc delegation is not taken by surprise again.”

Maarkean frowned at that. Apparently, Lahkaba would not be easily swayed from his plans for the Black Market. But he should have known that. Lahkaba did not give up easily.

“No, I’ll go to the Black Market,” he said.

“Aren’t you banned?” Zeric asked.

“I’ll figure something out. The Fox is more likely to listen to a criminal than a politician. No offense, Lah,” Maarkean said.

The Kowwok did indeed look slightly offended but inclined his head. “You’re probably right.”

Giving Lahkaba an appreciative look, Maarkean turned to Zeric. “Zeric, you’ll lead the operation to rescue the prisoners. I’m sure Solyss will be happy to provide transport. Have him select one other gunship, but no more. You’ll need to try to be stealthy.”

Zeric nodded, and Lahkaba added, “Also, Kaars Aerinstar, our Alliance turncoat, has recently gone to Ailleroc to gather some intelligence for General Numba. I’ll tell you how to get in contact with him. He can probably be of assistance.”

Things were going to get interesting, Maarkean thought. Assuming the Fox didn’t vent him into space.