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ANOTHER TEXT-ONLY MESSAGE had come in from Ironhorse and el Bahari, despite standing on the command deck of the Vimy Ridge, had taken the risk of reading it. The message had been short and simple:
Khaifa meeting with expert in constitutional law (Babacar, Amadou) and ex-CSID investigator (Van Der Berg, Truus). Upshaw appointed Deputy PM, appears unconstitutional. Unsure of next step, but suspect potential leadership challenge.
Though el Bahari had done her best to maintain her calm, she hadn't been entirely successful.
"Everything all right, Commander," asked Owens.
He was starting to be a little too perceptive for her own good.
Was everything all right? Of course it wasn't. Everything was precisely the opposite of all right and, if Ironhorse was correct—and she trusted his judgement without hesitation—things were about to get significantly more complicated. And dangerous.
"We're currently surrounded by three icaran warships, an infamous Soviet destroyer and a pair of udukiin cruisers, Owens," she said instead. "Two years ago this would have been the makings of an absolute slaughter. Old ways of thinking die hard."
"That was a long time ago," he said. "They're allies now."
"Now," she said with a derisive snort. "But for how long?"
Owens frowned.
"Have you always been such a pessimist?"
"I'm not a pessimist, Owens—I'm a realist. Someone on this ship of fools has to be," she said. She was angry now, and too tightly wound to hold it back. "Two years is not 'a long time ago.' Do you know what was actually a long time ago? Slavery. World War II and the Holocaust. The Terror Wars. And we, as a species, are still grappling with the same fear and racism and bigotry that brought us all those things. Now we have outside forces to aim them at instead of just each other."
She pointed toward the sand table, where holographic representations of all the ships hovered around the Carncastle Gate gas giant.
"Do you honestly believe that this will continue? That if we manage to defeat the ril-galas and drive them from Earth, we will all be one big, happy family? Because, Mister Owens, I would point out that humanity's track record for keeping peace with each other, let alone keeping peace with alien governments, is exceptionally poor."
"People can change, Commander."
"Some people can change," she corrected. "Not all. Not most. Even now we're working against each other."
"What do you mean?" he asked, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Oh, don't be naïve. Radko is doing this all on his own authority, isn't he? Against orders to have no communication with the Soviets and icarans? And what happened with Lieutenant Cortez is, I would say, humans working against each other. ATC Castle chased and shot down the shuttle carrying Sigurdsson to the Shattered World and, as you yourself told me, they're now making a major move against Hajek."
"Radko is also bringing people together."
"Of course he is. But it remains that he is—rightly or wrongly—creating a faction within humanity that is and will continue to be at odds with other factions. I want to be clear, Owens, I don't doubt the Commander's motives," she said, putting extra care into her enunciation. "But I feel the game he's really playing is far more dangerous than the game he thinks he's playing."
"And what game do you think he's really playing?"
"I don't think he's aware of it, I believe him when he says what he's trying to accomplish," she said. "But I fear that he's inadvertently laying the groundwork for civil war."
"Radko does not want civil war, Commander."
Taking a deep breath, she willed herself not to snap at him.
"You aren't listening," el Bahari said, with a level of patience that surprised even her. "I don't believe he wants it, but he is creating the conditions under which a civil war could arise and no one on this ship is willing to admit it or question it. Loyalty is admirable, Owens—blind loyalty is simply stupidity under another name."
She was saved from any continuation of the debate by an announcement that Radko's shuttle had returned—and by an urgent ping from her tablet. Given the content of the last message, el Bahari couldn't help but open the message, and when she did, she swore.
"The Adirondack has broken off from the group at Casandra Hajek and is pursuing the Azrael's Tear," she said, looking back up at Owens. "Singh is supposed to be part of this rendezvous, is he not?"
"He is," said Owens, but he was looking at el Bahari with open suspicion. "How do you know what the Adirondack is doing?"
"Oh grow up Owens—do you think Finn Radko is the only person who can have friends in interesting places? I would think the greater concern should be that Singh is leading an ATC Castle ship right to us."
"The Azrael's Tear has LiDAR-masking-"
"Yes, LiDAR masking armour plating. And as per Cagliari's report, the Adirondack still seemed able to track it."
They both turned as Radko and Cagliari walked onto the command deck.
"Commander," said el Bahari. "You're still alive, so I take it the meeting went well?"
"It did," he said. "As it turns out, Kaigor Kai Rii is Freyja Sigurdsson."
She stared at him. Blinked twice. Owens looked equally shocked.
"What?" they said, almost in perfect unison.
"Long story. The short version is that those two udukiin ships and the soldiers they carry are now part of our task force. Owens, please let the Tianlong and the icaran ships know."
With a nod, Owens set off to do just that.
"Commander, we have a problem," said el Bahari. "An additional problem. It seems the Azrael's Tear attempted to return to its base on Casandra Hajek, but ATC Castle had several ships there in a blockade of sorts."
"Why would they blockade the pirate moon?"
"My guess? They thought you were there or they think you'll be headed there. But the important issue here is that the Azrael's Tear fled and is being pursued by the Adirondack."
"And Singh is supposed to be joining us here."
"Which will lead the Adirondack here."
"Because the Adirondack can somehow track the Azrael's Tear despite the armour plating."
"So we need to intercept the Adirondack," said Cagliari. "Stop them before they get here and blow the operation."
"Agreed," said el Bahari. "As much as I'm loathe to attack another human vessel, the Adirondack must be either destroyed or disabled before it reaches Carncastle Gate."
"I can take Outlaw Squadron," said Cagliari. "Our armour is more advanced than the stuff on the Azrael's Tear—the Adirondack couldn't see us at all."
"We'll go. The Vimy Ridge, I mean," said Radko. "We can get to the Tear faster than your fighters can under their own power. You can launch Outlaw once we're in range."
"With all due respect, Commander, we need to be here, at Carncastle Gate," said el Bahari. "We—more specifically you—are the lynchpin to this whole operation. You can't leave now, you need to coordinate things with our recently-acquired allies."
Cagliari nodded.
"She's right, you need to stay here. But you're right about us getting this done quicker if we launch on-site. Maybe one of the icaran ships?"
"No," said el Bahari, shaking her head. "The second an icaran ship showed up on their LiDAR, Vossek would report back about an incursion into Commonwealth space and it would be flagged as an act of war."
Sighing, she glanced at the small translucent ships floating above the sand table. There was really only one solution that made sense to el Bahari, and she didn't much care for it.
"Sigurdsson," she said finally. "Ask her to transport Outlaw Squadron on Her Glorious Vengeance. The Adirondack violated udukkin space and took aggressive action within the Priex—they can't claim innocence and they can't classify it an act of war when the confrontation, as far as anyone will know, was provoked by ATC Castle."
It struck el Bahari not for the first time that she was becoming quite good at that type of subterfuge, at twisting things just enough that they remained technically true but became enough of a deception to increase the odds of a favourable outcome. She was, she realised, playing her own game, apart from the games being played by Radko and Upshaw.
Radko, much to el Bahari's relief, nodded his agreement.
"I'll contact Freyja. Cags, get your fighters ready."