Hellhole Inferno (31 page)

Sophie smiled at their obvious discomfort. “Oh, I would dare, but it wouldn't be worth the headaches—at least not right now.” She indicated the man. “This is Peter Herald, the assistant manager of Slickwater Springs.”

He said, “I call myself Peter-Arnex, to reflect the Xayan who lives inside me.”

“Yes, Peter is one of our shadow-Xayans. I work very closely with him. We're here to escort you to your living quarters, where you'll be held under guard. I have arranged rooms fit for a Diadem, in a nice bungalow, the best we have to offer.” The hatred oozed out of Sophie's voice. “It was good enough for your daughter Keana when she joined us.”

“My daughter was a vapid, gullible woman. I am the leader of the Constellation.” Michella was clearly angry. “Keep me away from that contamination.”

“Then I suggest you don't try to escape. Who knows where you might wander, how you might accidentally be splashed. It would be a pity.”

Sophie pointed out converts who swam in the shimmering water and called out in excited tones. Quieter clusters of people who had not yet immersed themselves stood at boardwalk railings to observe the activities. As they watched, one couple made their final decision and jumped into the water together from the edge of a boardwalk.

Standing close to Ishop, Peter Herald said, “You can learn much more if you just immerse yourself.” He looked at Michella. “And you, as well.”

“I will not!” The old woman's expression was defiant. “I'm not going near those pools! You will not force me to become possessed by an alien.”

Herald smiled with his generous mouth. “We force no one.”

Sophie said, “I choose not to expose myself either, but most of the converts are perfectly satisfied with taking the plunge.”

Two more shadow-Xayans came near, a young couple. The woman said, “It's important for us to get as many converts as possible.” She and her companion took a side path toward the large main lodge building.

“Commodore Hallholme will not be bothering us with his warships, and General Adolphus will defeat him soon enough. Everyone is more nervous about another faction of the aliens, who are determined to destroy this planet,” Sophie explained. “They recently bombarded Candela, and now the Xayans are convinced they will hurl asteroids here, too.” She gave the Diadem a sharp smile, taunting her. “You should hope the Constellation comes to us with acceptable terms soon. You'll want to be away from here before the asteroids come. The Ro-Xayans won't care whom we have as hostages.”

“Why should I worry about imaginary enemies when this place is crawling with aliens right here?” Michella asked bitterly. “I hate you all.”

Peter Herald seemed agitated. “The Ro-Xayans are not imaginary. And they are much more of a threat than the Constellation will ever be.”

Guards led them toward the low, individual buildings where visitors stayed pondering whether or not to immerse themselves. Ishop glanced up at the dusty sky, knowing that Commodore Hallholme had been ready to launch his strike against this planet. Surely a rescue force would be on its way … but he and Michella had been trapped here for days. The Commodore couldn't be that far behind.

On the other hand, after Michella knowingly blew up the Sonjeera spaceport and part of Council City, would the Constellation be so eager to rescue her?

Ever since Enva Tazaar had betrayed him, Ishop had tried to decide if he was better off throwing in his lot with the Diadem, or convincing the rebels that he wanted to side with them against her. Indeed, by stunning him and imprisoning him with Michella, Enva made it seem that Ishop was still the old Diadem's lackey. Enva had treated him like garbage—just as the other nobles had when he'd presented his case for his bloodline to be recognized. He had
saved
Enva, secretly rescued her from the Sonjeeran prison and her imminent execution, and she still used him, abused him, betrayed him. So many people did!

His anger turned to anguish as he thought of how Laderna had been his partner, with the same goals, dedicated to helping him achieve success. And what Michella had done to her …

Ishop heard shouts of alarm from one of the slickwater pools and turned to see people pulling a limp man out of the water. He didn't respond to any of their rescue efforts, and Sophie let out a groan. “A bad reaction happens every once in a while. Some recover, while others do not.” Distressed converts carried the limp man onto the boardwalk and laid him on his back. Sophie looked at the Diadem. “There's still a chance for him. Your own daughter slipped into a coma at first, but she recovered.”

“Keana did
not
recover—she is possessed by an alien! Take me away from this horrible place. If you're imprisoning me, at least have the decency to shield me from danger.”

Sophie gave her a look that showed how much she despised Michella, but she controlled herself with obvious difficulty, reminding herself of her duty and her promises.

The prisoners were delivered to adjacent bungalows, separate units with guards stationed at the doors. The overhanging leaves of a strange, droopy tree made tinkling sounds when the wind moved them.

Sophie warned, “Don't try to escape. Even if there were no guards, Hellhole itself is enough to crush you if you dare go out into the wilderness. If you doubt me, I can show you images of a growler storm. You don't want to be in one.” She raised her eyebrows. “Mr. Heer experienced a growler himself when he was a guest at the General's headquarters. He did not, however, have any firsthand experience with cannibal beetles, quakes, volcanic eruptions, or razor rain. This is not a pleasant place. Best if you accept our hospitality.”

As Sophie ran through her litany of warnings, Ishop watched Michella. The pampered Diadem would never make it alone out on rugged Hellhole.

“This is beyond what I can endure.” Michella squared her bony shoulders, gestured toward Ishop with a spidery, ringed hand. “Do something to get us out of here, Ishop! If you do, I will reward you handsomely.”

She had made promises to him before. Ishop felt bile rise in his throat, hating her, remembering what she had done to Laderna and to him. “I will do my best for you, Eminence. As always.”

He thought about the list that he and Laderna had developed together. A Duchenet still needed to die for those old crimes. On this dangerous planet, there were countless ways to kill her. That was something he could look forward to at least.

 

40

General Adolphus put the Hellhole stringline hub on high alert as he prepared to launch his preemptive strike against the Constellation fleet. Commodore Hallholme could be on his way already, depending on how extensive the sabotage had been at the Tehila terminus ring.

Adolphus summoned the DZDF ships that patrolled Hellhole orbit and launched many other combat-ready battleships from the Ankor spaceport. By now, he had consolidated the Constellation vessels he had captured from Redcom Hallholme's retaliatory fleet. Many of those warships had been damaged in battle, as well as by the destructive computer virus Major Crais had installed in their command systems, but most had been salvaged and repaired, then placed back into service.

Whenever the commandeered warships had come back online, Adolphus had dispersed them as peacekeeping ships throughout the vulnerable Deep Zone worlds. He didn't have time to recall them from all the other frontier planets, so he would have to make do with what he had here … even if it meant leaving Hellhole less defended than he would like. It was a gamble. He had to move against the Commodore as soon as possible, and George Komun had promised to bring additional ships from Umber.

Fortunately, Captain Naridar had not yet departed on patrol with his fifteen ships from Hossetea, and so those ships, along with the thirty-five that Adolphus normally kept in place around Hellhole, would comprise a decent surprise attack force against the Commodore's beachhead on Tehila. The combined force would not be quite equivalent to what his old nemesis had gathered, but Adolphus would have the element of surprise, as well as his own sheer boldness.

He'd said his good-byes to Sophie before she took the two political prisoners off to the Slickwater Springs compound, and now he could focus entirely on the military operational plan.

Before launch, Tanja Hu and Ian Walfor joined him aboard the shuttle that was heading for Adolphus's flagship, the
Jacob
, which waited at the stringline hub. “We're going with you to Tehila,” Walfor said.

Tanja tossed her long dark hair over one shoulder. “If you're taking that planet back, we want to be there.”

“But you just escaped from it.”

Tanja's expression hardened. “Many Candela refugees are still on Tehila. Being a refugee is bad enough, but being a prisoner is far worse. My people understand how you tried to save as many people as possible before the asteroids struck Candela—even while your own planet was under attack. I can rally them to our cause. While you worry about the military engagement in orbit, I might be able to assist in fomenting an uprising on the ground.”

They sat back as the shuttle accelerated, leaping toward orbit. Over the rumble of the engines, Adolphus said, “That would be fine with me. But what's your role in this, Mr. Walfor?”

The former Buktu governor shrugged. “Military adviser. Consultant. Whatever vague term you prefer. Personally, I'd like to stay with Tanja, unless you have other pressing needs for me.”

Adolphus had no objection to that. The two worked well as a team.

Around the stringline hub, commercial ships and passenger transports came in along the iperion lines from other Deep Zone planets. None of the captains were prepared for the sudden high alert, but word spread quickly. Many of the ships rushed off, to be away from Hellhole as swiftly as possible. Other captains offered to stay.

As the shuttle docked with the
Jacob,
Adolphus called for Captain Naridar to be briefed aboard the flagship. The two captured Constellation stringline haulers were brought to the bustling hub so they could be loaded with DZDF military craft as well as another dozen or so private support ships. He couldn't be squeamish or hesitant now. He would throw everything he had into the operation.

Commodore Hallholme was a complex and even—by some definitions—honorable man, now that the General knew more about him. But Hallholme didn't know when to give up. It was time for Adolphus to deliver a mortal blow to the Constellation fleet. It was the only way the Deep Zone could remain independent—and intact.

Once he arrived on the
Jacob
's bridge, the General felt at home. The flagship was named after his father, patriarch of the Adolphus family, noble ruler of Qiorfu before it had all been taken from them. That planet should have gone to his brother, Stefano, while Tiber Adolphus went off to Aeroc to study in the military, as excess noble sons usually did. He had never intended to lead a rebellion, but when the corrupt Constellation betrayed him—not once, but multiple times—Adolphus had been left with no other choice. Now, the Deep Zone depended on him, as did the Xayans who were striving so hard toward
ala'ru
before their enemies arrived. Surrender was not in his vocabulary.

The deputy officer on duty, Clayton Sendell, relinquished the command seat and displayed a report summarizing the available DZDF ships as well as the civilian captains and crews who had contributed their vessels to the liberation of Tehila. Adolphus scanned down the records, highlighted particular vessels. Even though these ships weren't military, he might need all the assistance he could get.

“I'll leave five DZDF ships here in orbit so Hellhole isn't completely undefended.” He summoned a calendar grid. “Mr. Sendell, do we have a projected date when George Komun's reinforcements will arrive from Umber?”

Sendell had the information ready at hand. “Minimum of eight days, sir, given travel time from our stringline hub to Umber and back. Add an extra day or two for him to gather them.”

Adolphus said, “That'll have to be good enough. I want to launch our fleet within six hours. At maximum speed it'll still take almost four days to reach Tehila.”

“Four days, seven hours, sir,” said Sendell. “With all due respect.”

Adolphus concealed a satisfied smile. He liked this young man; maybe Sendell would earn more responsibility before the operation was over. “That's allowing for standard deceleration. I think we can tolerate a few aches and bruises if we use extreme braking. Time is of the essence.”

Sendell gave a quick snap of a nod. “Yes, sir.”

Adolphus called for his DZDF ships to load into the docking clamps. The most impressive-looking military vessels were interspersed with volunteer commercial transports. “The civilian ships don't have any military punch,” Adolphus said, “but we can use them to pad out our stringline haulers. Commodore Hallholme will see a huge fleet coming at him—he won't know that many of the ships are just cannon fodder.”

Next to him, Tanja frowned, as if doubting the tactic. “Decoys.”

Adolphus nodded. “We'll find some use for them.”

Captain Naridar arrived on the bridge, and saluted as he presented himself. He seemed energized, proud of his position. “Thank you for including me, General. This is more important than a peacekeeping patrol.” He shook his head. “When I think about how Commodore Hallholme seized Tehila, I can't help but be reminded that Hossetea wanted to do the same thing. If I hadn't acted when I did, that planet would have fallen as well.”

“I don't intend to surrender any of my Deep Zone worlds without a fight, Captain,” Adolphus said. “The DZ has fought hard and shed blood for freedom. We won't simply give up, I promise.”

Meanwhile, a group of five civilian ships, cargo haulers and passenger transports, clustered on another node at the stringline hub, ready to depart along a line that had not been used in two months—the path to devastated Theser.