The Empress Capsule (Audacity Saga Book 1), page 5
“Well… yes. She’s a good shot.” She was tempted to grin but restrained herself to the smallest smile just in time. Thankfully, Jenny trotted up just at that moment, saving her ass from further interrogation on the cursed poem. “You can, uh, ask her about it when we’re in the deep.”
“Of course.”
“Jenny, we got a… passenger. Show him to his cabin, please. 6A.”
Jen gave him a quick nod and turned to lead him off. Maybe it was misleading to the point of dishonesty to send him off with the short, freckled, sweet, and innocent-looking one. Hopefully he wasn’t judging their innocence or lethality, but if he were, she suspected he’d be surprised on both counts with Jenny. Most people were.
As his power armor thudded noisily out the door, he stopped and turned. “There was one more thing. Audacity?” He spread his hands, the gesture a mix of skepticism and curiosity.
“What, the name?” She’d returned to her seat at the terminal.
“Yes. Why that? More poetry?”
Yeah, no way she was explaining that name to him. But no point in crushing his hopes. She gave him a long, appraising look, partially in revenge for all the appraising looks he’d been sneaking at her.
“Stick around long enough and you’ll find out.”
Jenny led Kael to the first of a long row of cabins, all their hatches closed. The cabins lined the outside hull, facing more multipurpose and meeting rooms in the interior of the ship. A ladder well at the end of the hallway led up to another level.
Jenny was petite, freckled, and a delightfully shaped blessing to the olive-green jumpsuit she wore. She also didn’t flinch or give him a wide-eyed stare, although she looked several degrees less worldly than the others. Her lack of reaction was surprising—and a relief. This might be a ship full of women, but they’d clearly seen a battle or two.
Or five hundred.
“Oh, we got a new AI last week,” she said as she headed for the door. “Name is Xi.”
“She? What?”
“No, I don’t know, I think it’s Chinese? Say it sort of like ‘she’ but with a zing. It’s spelled X-I. Xi.”
He mouthed an “Oh,” and nodded. “Obviously. How could I have missed that.”
She grinned and left him to strap in for liftoff. Kael only stared after her for a second or two before shaking his head and shutting the hatch door behind him. He was twenty-eight, not fifteen, damn it. And the commander was more his type anyway.
Frowning, he sank down onto the bunk for just a moment and pulled his comm unit out of its slot in his chest armor. Even if he was within his rights to begin the lord regent’s mission straight away, he still needed to report what he was doing.
He dashed off a quick summary of the report to Carwin on the Genokai, detailing the attack and the orders he’d received from the lord regent. There. Now he’d have that record in place and Carwin informed in case someone wanted to start trouble for him over this. Of course, if they knew he carried an empress embryo, maybe they’d be less inclined to take issue, but that definitely wasn’t going into any official report. Especially not after how this attack had occurred in such close conjunction to the evac team. There was a leak somewhere, some crack in their security, and he’d have no way of figuring it out from here. Nor was that in his job description.
Even as he put the comm unit back into the armor slot, it occurred to him that maybe someone might accuse him of being that leak. Of course, if he wanted to kill the lord regent, it would have been much easier to do so before the other six showed up, so that hardly made sense. But he could see it happening anyway, given his quick departure.
All the better he’d sent off that report promptly then. Carwin should cover his ass. He owed Kael enough.
“Bunks recommended for liftoff, kids,” said a man’s voice over the comm system. He had a thick outsystem accent and a pilot’s snark. Damn, Kael should have taken off the armor for liftoff. Then again, maybe it was better this way. He couldn’t trust these people yet. Better to be ready for a fight.
Liftoff was quick and uneventful. Kael lay on his side on the bunk, waiting and watching the black planet and then its bluish atmosphere fall away. There was water somewhere on that hellhole apparently. Not that he’d seen any. Damn, he stank. Hopefully he’d have time to find somewhere to clean up when this liftoff was over.
The door beeped at him. He sat up and started to wave it open, then remembered Jenny’s instructions regarding the ship’s new AI. Might as well try to get used to it.
“Xi?” he asked tentatively.
“Yes, Passenger 6A?” came a sleek, feminine voice with just a touch of inflection missing.
“Uh, door open?”
Xi did not verbally acknowledge, but the hatch slid open to reveal Commander Ryu.
“Hey, is the Union gonna care about your boring plant genes?” She stepped inside the cabin and palmed the hatch closed. Heh. Not everyone was used to the new AI, huh? She folded her arms across her chest, frowning.
“Why? Do we have more Union incoming?”
She pointed at the windows, but he didn’t move to look. “Maybe. I thought you’d rather tell me here than over the ship’s comm.”
He hesitated.
“Or I can just let them search the ship?”
“Is that your normal protocol?” He narrowed his eyes at her. Very convenient that this threat had lain in wait until they were off the ground.
“No. But sometimes they aren’t worth the trouble of a fight. And sometimes they are easier to fight when they’ve divided their forces with half inside our ship.”
He grinned, but she didn’t seem to find that amusing. She didn’t seem to find anything amusing, actually. “I like the way you think, Commander. No one should be interested in these particular boring plant genes, especially not the Union. But to be on the safe side, it’d be great if they didn’t go looking for them. I’d prefer not to murder anyone in my first hour on your ship. And it may come to that, if they try to take my very special plants.”
“That would be a lot of cleanup. Might have to add that to your bill.” Was that sarcasm?
“And also a regrettable loss of life,” he added. He didn’t want her to think he anticipated slaughter. Many Theroki did, but not him. It was just a fact of life in this case, with the oath in place. Unfortunately. Handling an entire ship of Unionies alone would be a challenge, but it could be done. Nothing in his chip or upgrades prevented such total violence—only his conscience worried about that.
“I’ll do my best to frighten them off. They have no right anyway, out here. But I’d suggest hiding anything you don’t want found anyway, just in case.” She turned to go and palmed the hatch open, then stopped abruptly. She turned her head slightly toward him, so he could see her face in profile—a straight nose; thin, pink, controlled lips; the line of her eyes and cheekbones sweeping up toward her hair. He caught his breath.
Not many a sight like that on the Genokai.
“Stay armored up,” she said softly.
“Of course, ma’am.”
She nodded sharply, then disappeared down the hallway.
He let out his breath, not realizing he’d been holding it. He shook his head, trying to shake out the foggy cloud that had settled over his thoughts. He wasn’t used to this. So much interference with simple thoughts. Why had he wanted to feel things again? He sank to a seat on the bunk and dropped his head into his hands, rubbing his face. Just a moment, then he’d search somewhere to stash his burden that was less obvious than his pack.
A light on the desk communicator lit up, and he rose and poked it irritably. “You wanna join the party line, Theroki?” The voice sounded familiar. The one who’d greeted him with her rifle scope? Mo? She sounded cheerier. Glad to be off planet, probably.
“What the heck is a party line?”
“It’s an ancient number you used to—” started the pilot.
“Not time for trivia, Adan. It’s the main command channel, Theroki.”
“Uh, sure. If the commander allows it.”
“She ordered it. Just stay on the line and get some popcorn. This should be good. Muting you. Oh, and just kidding, we definitely don’t have any popcorn. Helikai was fresh out.”
He scanned the room. In spite of the nondescript hull of the Audacity, his quarters were a pleasant surprise. The far wall was a grid of portholes and metal, and the bunk wasn’t even a foldout one, but an actual permanent fixture with storage underneath. Lockers and shelves awaited belongings above the bunk, and a locker tucked in one corner looked like it might even fit his armor. Still, those were all predictable places for a search team to look. He needed somewhere less obvious.
He took a knee and inspected the floor. Huh. It was warm beneath his fingers. Was that an amenity, or was there something hot and potentially dangerous underneath his cabin? Yes, uh, put the Theroki near that malfunctioning reactor we’re all worried about… He’d have to find a ship map. Not that they’d likely give him one.
A vent in the far wall caught his eye. Next to it was a simple utility panel. He opened the panel, finding some tools and maintenance supplies.
A shrill, proper man’s voice came over the line. “Audacity, this is Union ship Parthenon, Lieutenant Saders speaking. State your purpose in this zone.”
Wincing at the tone of that demand, Kael grabbed the cold, steel canister and placed it inside the utility cabinet, piling a few small boxes and wrenches on top. Still not a great hiding place, but less obvious than a locker and near the floor. It would do for now. He gave it a soft pat. It hardly seemed like anything alive could be in there, let alone a baby, but he still hoped it would be comfortable here. And safe.
Memories of Asha threatened to flood back, but he shoved them down. Not now, with a potential battle in sight.
“Parthenon, this is Commander Ryu. Our ship’s details are public record. This is a humanitarian vessel supported by private donors, headed to the Rethki-Mahama zone to support the civilians during the fighting there. Which is more than I needed to tell you.”
Kael froze. Private donors? He should have pressed her harder. A humanitarian vessel had seemed odd but somewhat fitting. What else would a ship full of only women be doing? This was no nunnery, that was for sure. But he wished she’d mentioned the “private donors” when they were on the ground.
Hell, what were the chances that one of these crazy scientists—Dremer?—was a rogue and that was the real purpose of the outfit? He gritted his teeth. But he’d still have gotten on if that were the case. It wouldn’t have changed anything. Better than the evac shuttle.
“A humanitarian vessel, eh?” came a dry voice. “Sure. We’re stopping you on suspicion of smuggling. Prepare to be boarded.”
Kael strode to the windows to see the ship, no, three ships hovering in low orbit. What the hell? What were they all doing here? Did this have something to do with the empress? The devastated evac team? Was it the Enhancer cell they were after or something else altogether?
“You’re out of your jurisdiction, Lieutenant,” Ryu said. Luckily for her, she didn’t sound anywhere near as young as she looked.
“There is no jurisdiction out here. We will—”
“Damn right, there isn’t. We will not submit to boarding by you or anyone. This ship is authorized by our donors to defend itself from bullies while in freespace. And in case you were unclear, that means you.” Her voice carried all the weight of an asteroid. Holy balls. He’d had fifty-year-old grizzled field commanders with less guts. And what the hell kind of donors were these, to be willing to take on the Union readily? Some charitable Puritan faction? That seemed unlike any Puritan he’d ever met. They cared a lot about genetic purity, quite a bit less about human life. Or alien life. Or even plant life half the time.
“Ryu, be reasonable—”
“That’s Commander Ryu. Tell me, do you have a Colonel Tauber onboard?”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.”
“No, there’s no Colonel Tauber on this vessel. Prepare yourself for boarding, Comm—”
“I will not hesitate to fight back, Lieutenant. If you’re looking for a tangle, I can oblige. Shuttling doctors from star to star gets mighty boring, and my crew is itching for some tango practice. Shall we?” There was a hint of a wry smile in her voice. He imagined that feral expression he’d seen earlier, more a baring of teeth than a smile.
“More like evasive maneuvers,” the lieutenant grumbled. “One moment.” Union boy sounded irritated.
“Adan, get Simmons on this. Theroki, you hearing this? You hide your plant bits?” Ryu said. “Unmute him.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said. He glanced back out at the ship. A green light in the center bottom of their white, angular ship showed their grab beam heating up.
He grabbed the cabin’s comm unit from its holster, jammed it into the second comm slot on his upper left chest piece, and palmed open the door. The problem with voice-activated commands was they didn’t let you be too stealthy about leaving your cabin.
“What are you doing, Theroki?” came Ryu’s voice anyway. Apparently they had other ways of monitoring his location.
“Coming to help.”
“Did I ask for your help?”
“Do you want to be caught in their grabber?”
A pause. “Obviously not.”
“Well, what are you doing to stop it?”
“Presume much?” muttered the male pilot.
Another long pause. “We have our ways,” Ryu said stubbornly.
“If you have an extra turret, I can keep it from latching on in ten seconds flat.”
“Now that’s not even fair,” muttered the man again.
“Looks like you’re gonna get to dance, Commander,” a woman muttered from the bridge. “Maybe with more than one partner.”
The line was silent for a moment.
“What does that ship think we are, idiots?” Ryu said. She made a disgusted noise. “Xi, can the pirate do what he says?”
“Oh, I’m the pirate? Says the lady with the unmarked ship and patch-covered uniforms.” Kael took a few more steps forward and peered around the next corridor, hoping he’d luck onto one of those turrets on his own.
“Theroki telekinetic abilities are capable of being used in ship defense,” said the AI, “even without significant damage to the enemy ship, although they favor weapon-system defenses and prefer to aggressively destroy other ships instead whenever possible.”
Kael winced. That was not untrue of Theroki space-battle training and strategies, but it was certainly untrue of him. It was also right stupid. Only stupid pirates destroyed ships rather than looting them.
“All right, let’s see what you got, Theroki,” said Ryu. “But no weapons or loss of life. Got it? Also, you’re going the wrong direction.” Kael turned on his heel and continued briskly away from the forward bridge and toward the cargo bay instead. “Fern, go intercept him and take him to your turret. Defensive maneuvers only, Theroki, and that’s an order. No attacking that ship. We just want to neutralize their grab beam—beams—and get out of here.”
“Aw, Commander,” someone grumbled.
“And stand by the override in case Passenger 6A doesn’t follow orders,” she said to the grumbler. Was Fern a name? These people were… odd.
“Acknowledged, Theroki?”
“To be most effective, I should hook into the ship’s sensors directly,” Kael said, smiling. “And yes, I acknowledge.”
A few grumbles in the background.
“Xi, authorization granted to passenger Kael Sidassian for defensive exterior sensors only.”
“Affirmative, Commander. Access granted, Passenger 6A.”
Footsteps came running up behind him. Kael turned. A blond in a red flight suit stopped short and motioned him to follow her to her left, still grumbling. Fern, presumably. He followed her down a short hall and down a stairwell. So this ship had at last three levels, his cabin in the middle. A map was definitely in order.
“I swear she’d give that damn AI defensive control if it had the programming,” Fern grumbled.
“You know it can hear you, right?” he said.
She glared at him, although it seemed more playful than serious. “She’s already giving it to you.”
“Hey, I’m not artificial.” Not that the thumping of his armor made him seem terribly organic.
She must have agreed, for she looked him up and down.
“My intelligence is not artificial,” he amended. He did have a lot of other artificial parts, but not his brain.
She waved a hand, dismissing his objection.
“Well, that’s probably what the commander thinks too.”
She snorted. But then she stopped, the hatch door to the gun turret sliding open without a request. She glared at the ceiling. “Xi, was that you?”
“You were headed to your turret. Am I not being helpful?”
Fern didn’t reply and instead pointed inside. “Take the outside one, I’ll be right behind you. And don’t forget it.”
He nodded crisply, climbing up and in. “Where are the—”
“You will find several hookup options, Passenger 6A, depending on your make and model,” Xi announced.
He winced at that wording, plopping into the gunnery chair with a thud bordering on a crash. “I’m not a ship or a muscle car, Xi. Or a rifle.”
“Indeed, you are not,” she replied. Damn, no, the AI was an it. The pure and cold alto voice clearly wouldn’t have been male if it had had a body, though. After a slight pause, a panel popped open in the right armrest, a cable waiting somewhat tangled inside. “Given my analysis, this is the greatest speed option. Unless you’d prefer—”
“Speed is good, Xi. Thank you.” He didn’t particularly want the AI educating them all on his exact armor model and his specific upgrade capabilities if they hadn’t thought to ask. Although Ryu probably already knew better than he did, with the way they’d figured out the damage to his chip like it’d been written on his forehead.
He wasn’t one to feel ashamed of jacking in. Wireless connections were for cocky idiots who would rather look cool, or at least entirely human, than have submillisecond response times.
