Audacity (Warner's World Book 5) (33 page)

Crystal swallowed hard. She didn’t like the sound of spending two months or who knows how long on a rogan planet all by herself. Her feelings manifested on her face in a frown. It wasn’t missed by John.

“I’ll do it Sir” piped up John. Dave turned to John, glanced back to Crystal whose expression had changed to one of shock. But guilt was making a late rush onto her face. He returned to face John and said “OK thanks John. You will need to set things up tomorrow morning, both of you, before we warp away. Don’t worry you won’t be alone Art and Sue are staying too.”

Guilt won out on Crystal’s face. She blurted out “No I should do it.”

Dave turned to her and smiled “Next time.” He got up and headed back up to his office. As he paced out he had a smile on his face.”

Chapter 30. Phantom over Cheklin 1920, 15 August

They had bounced around the system’s outer planets all afternoon and now had come out on far side of Cheklin where no sunlight could assist the enemy laser scanners. This time it was 1
^st
Lt Tola Puchanski in the back of Whiskey 8 as it launched out into the night.

The warthog would take the shallow glide in via the pole and make its way to Alpha 1. Amanda was still quite tense though and Guillaume hadn’t said a word all afternoon. He nodded his way through the pre-flight briefing and wherever possible had avoided eye contact with everyone.

So no one said a word as Amanda aimed for the pole. Her eyes were on the glide path and the threat analyser. There were four enemy fighters on cap in two pairs. One pair was in a race track over the northern hemisphere and another over the south. They had active radar and ladar scans going but neither was going to be in a position to make a visual detection of Whiskey 8 as it headed for the pole in the dark.

Tola adjusted her position in her seat. She was in her combat fatigues. She tugged on her shirt which was pulling at the back. She recalled all those years back when she had just started high school and her older brother said she looked stocky in her new school uniform. A growth spurt the next year put a lie to the moniker but she was hurt by the remark at the time and even to this day hated wearing anything which tended to emphasise her fulsome breasts. Right now though, the fatigues didn’t emphasise anything. The word sack and fatigues were virtually interchangeable.

She finally wrested the shirt free and eased back into the chair. She thought about how close to dying she had come today and here she was now going into danger again – though hopefully this would be just a brief in and out. Like so many times during the last couple of weeks, she found herself explaining in her mind what had happened to her today to her Tom. She missed him, his touch, his warm heartedness, his tenderness and his humour. ‘Ten weeks, almost ten weeks’ she said to herself.

“Just detected their beacon” hailed Amanda.

‘Oh’ thought Tola. She checked the time. It was 2130. She realised she had been back on Polaris the whole ride from the pole. “Right” she acknowledged.

They had landed in the small field, amongst the forest, where the beacon was. Guillaume was in the turret scanning the area. They waited. Ten minutes passed before the lone figure emerged at the tree line and flashed the required signal.

Chapter 31. Lewista 2000, 15 August

Meelanda had been grateful her name had not appeared on the list of suspects being broadcast. Only one of her group was wanted publicly. He was now in hiding. But that didn’t mean they were above suspicion or that they were not under surveillance.

The five people gathered in the conference room of the Likta Corporation’s HQ were all second tier aristocrats, all in key positions in important corporations. Meelanda had known them professionally and personally for twenty years or more. She trusted them and they trusted her. That was evident by their presence here tonight.

“Thank you all for coming” she said. “Time is of the essence. I have a proposal for your consideration….”

An hour and a half passed with much discussion, not on the broad objectives or on the overall course of action, but on the detailed resourcing and timing of each task within the plan.

Three floors above them Bakun Likta had finished with his crisis for the day. He pecked at some of the food that had been brought in to him earlier. But he had no appetite. His stomach was still churning from the encounter earlier with that Agent Torine.

He had made some inquiries about her and what he learned had made him anxious, very anxious. He knew she would keep digging and that she had the authority for the ultimate sanction. He stood up and went to the window and looked out over the city. It used to be a picture of wonder to him. Now, with the security patrols and media broadcasts it looked odious. ‘What has become of us?’ he asked himself.

His communicator rang from back on his desk. Reluctantly he walked back to it, picked it up and answered “Likta.”

“Bakun, it’s good to hear you my friend” said Aras Leptude.

Bakun thought he was going to have a heart attack and nearly dropped the communicator. He slumped back down into his chair. “What do you want?”

“Some information. The details are in a message you should already have. It’s urgent. Get back to me tonight.”

Bakun was grateful Aras had terminated but he knew there was now every likelihood his communications were being monitored. He argued with himself for a minute on whether they would be able to link Aras Leptude with Meeka Sallusam and discounted it. He thought about whom to ask for the information needed. ‘Meelanda!’ he said to himself.

He rang her number but no answer. He checked the register and she was still in the building. He grabbed his communicator with the details of the message and headed out to find her. Her assistant had left for the night. In fact the entire floor was dark except for the security lighting and the light on the wall outside the conference room which indicated the room was occupied.

He knocked on the door. Inside no one heard the knock because of the heated debate going on. Bakun, knocked again more forcefully. Finally he tried the door but it was locked. He used his pass key to open it.

There was shock all round. Bakun recognised each of the people around the table and he was absolutely sure about what he heard before they stopped speaking. In a moment of inspiration, he knew exactly what he should do. He stepped in, closed the door and ensured it was locked. Meelanda and her cohorts were all frozen.

Bakun smiled. “Very interesting, you will need transport. I can help there.”

Meelanda was still in a state of shock but she recovered the quickest, though ‘recovered’ was not the correct description. “Mr Likta?” she said surprised as she got to her feet.

“Indeed. Don’t worry. I want to join you not betray you. But first I need your help Meelanda. It’s most urgent – even more than this. I promise I will help you with this directly after.”

Meelanda was still dumbstruck. She looked around at the others while what had just happened sunk in. Her wits were returning and now her mind was accelerating. “What is so important?” she asked.

Bakun explained about the need to find out who developed a device which could exchange energy for mass. Meelanda took a step backwards. “How do you know about that?”

“What, you know of such a device?” countered Bakun. Meelanda nodded. “Well?” he asked.

She explained about the activation of the device in Qwantum. Bakun sought the assistance of an empty chair and collapsed into it. “My god!” he said. “He wants to use it.”

“Who?” demanded Meelanda.

“Aras Leptude” said Bakun, though he wasn’t really focussing on the conversation. His mind was already off following another thread.

“Who is he?”

“Oh Meeka Sallusam, the former Admiral of the Fleet.”

“What?”

Bakun refocussed and looked straight into Meelanda’s eyes. “It’s a long story but I helped him get a new identity and now he wants me to help him acquire this device…this weapon. He has a hold over me and I’m afraid he will release some information which will see me shot by the Imperialists. You see I have every reason to see an end to this rotten system. Please trust me. I can help you. I have nowhere else to turn.”

Meelanda had known Bakun for many, many years. She had never seen him like this, so vulnerable and so open. In that moment she believed him. “I am prepared to trust you” she said and turning to her fellow conspirators added “but it’s not up to me alone.”

There was an anxious moment for Bakun who was placed in a position he had never been in before, one of being dependent on the assessment of others. He was relieved when the consensus was to trust him for now.

“Thank you” Bakun said “I won’t let you down.”

There was a minute of silence while their minds all focussed on different things. They all started asking their own question at the same time. “After you” said Meelanda to Bakun.

“Thank you. I cannot …we cannot allow Sallusam access to this device. Yet I…we need to buy some time. It’s going to take some time to prepare and mount this operation of yours…ours. We need to remain in our current positions till then. So I need to give Sallusam something. Do you know who has developed it and where?”

“I may but I think it best I keep that information to myself at this stage. I am certainly not going to release it to Sallusam.”

“So your trust has its limits then?”

“Yes it does for now Mr Likta. Tell him that you have a lead but it will take more time.”

“He will want more than that.”

“Probably but that is all he is going to get for now.” Meelanda pondered and then added. “Where is he?”

“Why?”

“There are other ways of dealing with this problem” she said coldly.

Her chill reminded him of the icy look he received from Torine earlier. He pondered telling them about her but decided against it. “He’s in Dyritka, Margvon. He’s the manager of our office there and goes by the name of Aras Leptude. He has a new visage.”

“You paid for that didn’t you and gave him the position?” asked Meelanda. Bakun nodded. “Do you have his new image?” Bakun nodded again. “Give it to me and I will see what we can do about him.”

“I need to get back to my office. We can adjourn to there if you like.”

So they rose together in the elevator and made their way to Bakun’s office. Bakun showed them Aras’s identity pictures and transferred these along with all other relevant information about the thorn in his side that is Meeka Sallusam.

Bakun rose and went over to the panel in the wall, touched it and retrieved two bottles of ice cold wine. Two minutes later they raised their glasses. “To the Resistance” said Meelanda.

A few minutes later as the effects of the alcohol mellowed those around her, Meelanda joined Bakun as he looked out through his window to the landing pad. His hopper glistened under the lights.

“Do you have permission to fly that?” she asked.

“Yes. Why?”

Chapter 32. Alpha 1, Cheklin 2315, 15 August

It was a very tired Tola that waved goodbye to Felis. The door of the hopper closed. Tola could just make out Meelanda’s face in the window before it rose and accelerated away. She patted her pocket where the memory stick now resided with details that just might bring some human justice to Meeka Sallusam.

“All right folks, mount ‘em up and move ‘em out” she said to Madge and Judy. Whiskey 7 with the marines on board was already rising into the night sky. Whiskey 8 was powering up.

As she sat back in the cloaked warthog Tola reflected on her day. ‘Well Tom you won’t believe what happened to me today.’

Chapter 33. Phantom to Chelora 0700, 16 August

Aubrey’s eyes were definitely open now and despite the fact that she had declared today a rest day, being their first in what would be two weeks of warp, she couldn’t rest. She had sent the signal off to Dave and the Admiral prior to warp. It had been a brutally honest report.

She had insisted Tola and the Commodore sign off on it. Despite her fatigue Tola read it as the ship’s clock ticked past 0200. Tola said there was no need to mention certain facts on her account but Aubrey had insisted.

The Commodore had already had his quiet chat with her during the evening while they waited for the Whiskeys to return. ‘Impetuous’ she said to herself. ‘I have never seen myself as impetuous.’ She recalled his words.

‘There’s a fine line between audacity and recklessness and you crossed it today. Learn from this. Recognise the boundary and check yourself before you act. You have an XO for a reason and it’s not to handle the administration. Tola has a good head on her shoulders. Use her. Sound out any plan with her. If it gets past her then it’s probably not impetuous.’

As Aubrey lay on her back staring at the cabin sensor on the roof flicker its tiny red light she realised that yesterday had been a tough ride, especially for her ego. She knew in that moment that it was in part due to her ego. She admitted to herself that her desire to protect Evie had a good deal of self interest in it. She did not want their death on her hands under her watch ‘and I was prepared to risk the death of so many others to avoid that.’

She rolled over onto her side and pulled her pillow in tight. How she wished she could curl up in Brennon’s arms right now.

Chapter 34. Rollinium 1100, 16 August

They had been at it since 0800 deploying the BMS. The radar and ladar arrays were bolted in outside the terminal. The portable terminal was setup in the basement in what had once been an office, though John could not think of anyone working down here without a window. But then he realised it was no different to a ship.

It was time to do the final test. “You ready Chad?” hailed John.

“Give me a minute to remove the safety locks on the laser” he replied. He was currently outside on the small rise where they had setup the laser for the ladar system. The sun was beating down and he couldn’t wait to get under some shade.

“Crystal” hollered John.

“Coming” she hollered back from the main corridor of the basement where she had just secured the ruggedised cases.