SWNOVELS Chapter 17
“Tell Captain Elsberg the prisoner is awake,” the medic spoke to the guard.
“Prisoner?” I could hardly believe my misfortune.
The door slid open and Camelia entered looking as if she had just stepped out of a beauty salon her pale rose dress had been slashed at the sleeves showing yellow underneath. Jewels glittered on her fingers and around her neck, the only thing that looked at odds was her medallion.
“Prisoner?” I accused her.
“No,” she replied giving the medic and the guard a withering look, “how are you feeling I was really worried about you?”
“I’m fine,” surprising myself with my answer I did feel fine which wasn’t how I should have been. My last memory of pain was when I hit a column. I thought at the time I had broken my back but it looked like I was wrong about that. “Fit if a little stiff from lying here but other than that I have no other problems.”
Camelia glared at the two Terrans. “Leave us now.” Adding. “Stop,” she pointed at the guard, “inform Mr Dabos that Lady Sandra is ready for her fitting.”
The guard thudded his hand to his chest. “As you command Lady Broaden.”
Camelia sat in a chair next to my bed and sighed. “I’ve had to do the best with what’s here.”
“What happened?” I asked her.
“That’s the question I was going to ask you?” she said, “so much happened in those few seconds before you killed Colonel Franklin. He was about to kill Ellie. What happened next I don’t understand?”
“You don’t understand. It should be I don’t understand?” my thoughts were of Marsha and the Havok, “where’s the Havok?”
“Disabled.”
I felt a shiver I already had a cold feeling in the pit of my belly. “Disabled?”
“The engines were damaged hopefully a Confederacy ship will answer their distress call.”
“Marsha, my squad?”
“Uninjured.”
“Where am I?”
“Aboard the ‘Santiago’ a capital class heavy cruiser and to your next question we’re heading to Earth,” she looked to the door, “once you are dressed we can talk properly somewhere more secure. Ellie wants to speak to you she’s found out a few things.”
With the cover from the bed wrapped around my body I sat on the bed too many questions whirling around in my head. “How did I get here?” I asked finally.
“A question we can talk about later,” Camelia looked thoughtful, “walk about for a while.”
“What?”
“Walk about for a while you have been lying there for the last five days.”
“Five days? I’ve been out that long?”
“Yes. Now please stretch your legs.”
I threw off my cover and did a few warm up exercises aware of Camelia’s discomfort. “Well I was hardly going to do so with that cover wrapped around my body,” I told her.
“Hardly the thing for a lady of your status,” she remarked.
“My status?”
The sound of the door opening had me grabbing for the cover. Hastily I wrapped myself in it. A tall pale faced man with a neatly trimmed pointed beard entered carrying several large plastic boxes.
He gave me the barest of looks before bowing to Camelia. “Is your dress up to your high standards my lady? If I had more time I would have done a better job,” he sighed theatrically.
“I couldn’t have asked for better in the time I gave you.”
The man beamed. “That’s all I needed to know,” he bowed again.
“Do to you have Lady Sandra’s uniform ready.”
“Yes my lady,” he placed the boxes on one of the bed and opened the top, “do you wish me to dress Lady Sandra?”
“No that will be quite adequate thank you.”
“I’ll take my leave then,” he bowed again to Camelia and exited the room.
I breathed a sigh of relief when he left. Curiosity getting the better of me I opened smallest of the boxes. It contained several pairs of underwear in muted colours something I was glad to see. Changing into a pair of lavender panties and bra I felt more in charge of myself. The next box wasn’t something I had expected. I found myself staring at a Terran dress uniform in pale green. The cuffs were dark green while the stiff high-necked collar was purple and edged with gold. Where two maple leaves would have been there were two crowns.
“What this!” I cried, “I can’t wear this?”
“I had I made for you. You must wear it. I’ve put it about that you are an imperial agent.”
Colour drained from my face. “A Terran agent?”
“No, I said Imperial Agent. Stop thinking like a Confederacy officer. Put it on.”
Muttering under my breath I dressed finding a sidearm in one of the boxes. I checked the weapon before strapping the holster to my waist. I felt less uneasy about walking around in an enemy uniform.
Camelia stood and smoothed down the front of her dress. “Ready?”
“As I can,” I replied.
“Follow me.”
I followed Camelia through a maze of corridors hopelessly lost after the first turn. Several soldiers saluted me as we passed using that chest thumping Terran salute I responded the same mindful that I was one against many. Camelia paused before a door with a guard in front of it. I didn’t recognise the young sun tanned blond haired man until he spoke.
“Your daughter is within my lady.”
“Thank you captain see we aren’t disturbed.”
“Yes my lady.”
Without another word Camelia walked past him and entered the room. It was large larger that I could ever expected from a warship. A blue deep pile carpet covered the floor. There were three doors at the back of the room. A room so large you could have parked a shuttle in here and still have room to walk around it. A number of cabinets lined the wall. On one were a number of scientific instruments. In the centre there was a brown leather like couch that filled three sides of an open square and in the centre was a table. Ellie sat on the couch a datapad in her hand while several others littered the table and the couch around her. Her dress was a lot plainer than her mother’s without the flashy jewellery and of the same pale lavender as my scanties were. The only thing that was at odds with her finery were the feathered earrings. I knew why she wore those. They were a reminder of her dead friend. Her face as she studied her datapad was melancholy.
“This is one heck of a room?” I stated trying hard to sound cheerful for Ellie.
“Unlike Confederacy warships, Imperial warships are sometimes sent on diplomatic missions and diplomat needs better accommodation,” Camelia replied with a wave of her hand as if it meant nothing to her.
Ellie glanced up at the sound of my voice and smiled looking relieved to see me. “Please be seated Sandra,” she said putting her datapad with the others on the table, "I’m so glad to see you.” She patted a clear space next to her.
Sliding into a seat next to Ellie, Camelia sat beside me. I was flanked and I hadn’t even noticed. Ellie picked up a hand held medical scanner from amongst the clutter on table.
“So sorry Sandra I just need to check something,” she said as she played the beam of the scanner over my body.
I felt humiliated and insulted but I held my tongue remembering all she had gone through.
“Incredible like it never happened,” Ellie remarked putting down the scanner, “when we brought you in your vertebrae was cracked. But you are fine now.”
“We were so worried about you,” Camelia added.
I drew a deep breath I didn’t want to dwell on that. “Ok what now?”
“In my search of the archives I found a number of things not all of them good,” she paused, “to allay your fears I’ve told the Confederacy the locations of all wormholes in their space.”
Suddenly she leaned forward her hands moving aside several datapads. “There it is!” pulling out an object the same shape of her medallion if a lot smaller, “hold out your hands palms up.”
Reluctantly I did as I was told aware of the symbol etched deep in my hand.
She placed it over the mark. “If I hadn’t seen it I would have never believed.”
I stared. It matched the mark exactly. The concave sided diamond felt cold on my skin. The item was pale cream in colour and flecked with something dark and was heavier than I expected. “You found another medallion.”
“Not quite. I thought these were symbols but I now know the truth. They’re weapons.”
“Weapons?” I weighted it in my hand the edges were sharp. “It’s heavy and the edges are sharp?” I queried her.
“It’s called a shuriken or throwing star I must admit it looks nothing like the shuriken from old Japan.”
“Shuriken?”
“The Japanese word means, ’concealed hand sword.”
“How did you find that out?”
“I saw you throw it,” Camelia stated.”
“I threw it?”
Ellie gently picked it from my hand. “You made it and threw it?”
“Impossible!” I snorted.
“It’s true I had it analysed, it contains your DNA. The main constitute is your bone with other elements mixed in. As soon as I found out I had mine analysed it contains organic elements. I believe the Guardians…” Ellie glanced at her mother, “mother told me everything you told her. They turned you into a weapon against the Rhosani.”
I blinked shaken. “You said what?” I glared at my hand at that moment I wanted to cut it off. I couldn’t and wouldn’t do that. “Damn it why me?” I pressed my finger behind my ear.
“Lottie?”
“Lottie?” Ellie asked.
“What I call my implant. It’s in my skull,” I tapped the side of my head where Lottie resided.
“If you had one it’s gone. Scans of your skull revealed nothing but bone,” Ellie sighed, “I’m sorry.”
I was sick to my stomach it felt as if I had just lost a close friend. Strange as to how it appeared I wanted to weep at her loss. I shouldn’t have felt anything for a piece of technology in my head yet she was a friend I considered her so. I took a deep breath and calmed myself down panicking wasn’t helping I was better than that.
“So what did happen to the Havok?” I’d rather have been aboard the Havok than stuck on an enemy ship.
“We were followed into the wormhole I should have guessed that,” Ellie said wryly.
“How come it didn’t appear when we did. Marsha waited around for it to appear?”
“Time dilation,” Ellie told me.
“Time what?”
“You’re getting that blank look again Sandra. Just say they were slower than us.”
“Luckily for the Havok they suffered from Ellie’s mistake. They overshot it gave the Havok enough time to get the shields up after their passing shot took out the engines. They were travelling too fast to take advantage of it. By the time they stopped they were almost in orbit above the planet. Fortunately for the Havok too far away to attack.” Camelia grimaced. “Apparently we were deemed the greater threat,” she gave my hand a reassuring pat, “I reckon they were going to go back and finish of the Havok once it dealt with us.”
“Who?”
“The Rhosani agent Colonel Franklin you killed,” Camelia said her eyes on her daughter.
“Rhosani agent but he looked human?”
“Human he wasn’t,” Ellie said with a shiver, “there must have been someone human before but once the Rhosani took over his body his fate was sealed. He became a husk, a hollow being held together by will alone. When you killed him black smoke poured out of his mouth and the rest of his body just crumbled like old cloth.”
“I remember firing but my rounds didn’t do any damage.”
“He had a kinetic shield,” Ellie said, “Rhosani Tech no doubt but it wasn’t poof against your shuriken.” She shuddered again. “Had you not come along when you did he was going to cut my throat.”
“And your captain?”
“He didn’t have the power to resist. The Rhosani are telepaths. Telepathic abilities no matter how weak disrupts them. We assume it was the reason Kelly was killed.”
“Humans can’t be Tepe’s.”
“There are human telepaths, not many and not as strong as any T’Arni but there are some. It’s not generally known and they are an underground movement. Who do you think smuggled me off Earth?” Camelia told me.
I had to ask the question. “Why not kill you straight away?”
Ellie went pale I felt sorry about asking that. “Cruelty is part of the Rhosani nature,” she said.
“But what made it follow us?”
“That I don’t know,” Camelia admitted.
The thought of that brought me to the other thing that was troubling me. “Why are we here on an enemy ship,” I glanced at Ellie, “considering the emperor wants your heads?”
“Usurper!” Camelia replied hotly, “Captain Elsberg was under Rhosani influence. So much so that the creature had the captain execute his own wife. I suspect she was a latent telepath so couldn’t be influenced. Unfortunately the captain remembers it all he was a wreck. He confronted us when the shuttle docked prepared to take our lives until we told him that the creature was dead.”
“Creature?”
“The shell that was once human.”
“I surprised the captain still didn’t throw you in to the brig?”
“I told him we had the means to stop the fall of the empire. Although I didn’t tell him the exact details it was enough to get his co-operation. I don’t fully trust him but he will do for now.”
“I had to show him the wormholes,” Ellie said.
“He never believed it at first but as soon as we entered he became a believer. Before he thought he just followed us through. He is determined to get his revenge which may make him a problem so I’ll have him watched,” Camelia said, “I have a couple of agents aboard they’ll inform us if there’s any change.”
I said nothing Camelia must have had some heck of a spy network to have agents on this ship. It explained how she was able to keep one step ahead of her enemies.
“What makes you think the Rhosani are on Earth?” I spoke directly to Ellie.
“It’s all there I didn’t see the pattern until I patched into the Archive. Forty thousand years ago the Rhosani took over the T’Arni in exactly the same way. It was quiet at first key ministers were eliminated or replaced. Then the T’Arni were committed to several devastating wars of conquest.”
“Enari, Fandaran and Orsini. We learned that in school but not that the Rhosani were behind it?”
“The T’Arni edited Rhosani involvement out.”
“I can see why they did. But in the histories the Rhosani invaded and took over the T’Arni?”
“Not strictly true but the Archive showed me the true story.”
“Could it be wrong?”
“No. The Archive showed me it all, the whole story. As I was saying the Rhosani weakened the T’Arni Navy until it was barely able to hold its own. It’s the way they work subvert the government and weaken any effective resistance.”
“If as you say they were telepaths and other telepaths are resistant to their influence so why didn’t they stop the Rhosani before they started?”
“The T’Arni weren’t telepaths then.”
“What?” I couldn’t have sounded more surprised.
“After the Elder Wars one of the Ancients gave them the ability. I matched that with official records of the time. The Elder Wars were well documented and all notes about telepathy were dated from this time.”
“So based on your data the Rhosani are on Earth but what about disappearing worlds and that image of a Rhosani ship?”
“I don’t know how that fits in, yet but I will.”
“Whatever happens we have to get to Earth and stop them,” Camelia interrupted, “we can speculate on the other later. Our objective is to stop the current war and to do that we will have to get into the palace and only I can get you in.”
“We are going alone?” I didn’t like that prospect without an army behind me.”
“Too many people too many things to go wrong. Three people I can get in easy. I have contacts on Earth and I’ll need to call in some favours. But we will do this.”
“Ok you win?” I guessed I was going to see this to the end. Com Ops hadn’t really given me a choice. “What happens next? You’ll be arrested as soon as we land?”
Camelia smiled. “You Sandra will be as you are dressed an Imperial Officer on leave. I’ve got all the IDs set up. You are Major Sandra Anders,” she passed me a datapad, “read and learn.”
“Ellie?”
“Will go under a veil, it’s the latest fashion and dressed in morning black she will pass as a widow of the war.”
“And you?”
Camelia stood and walked away from the table. Her hand reached to her side. She wavered and flickered replacing it was the hologram of a soldier. It wasn’t perfect Camelia’s dress poked out of the image.
“It’s not perfect,” I told her.
“I know, but dressed in the right clothes it will be.”
“Where did you get that?” I felt chilled if Terran spies could use something like that then the Confederacy was in danger.
Camelia must have read my thoughts. After what she had revealed, perhaps she could. “It belonged to Constantine he often wished to hear the comments of his ordinary subjects and this was the only way he could talk to them with being noticed.”
I heard the deep sadness in her voice. “You must have loved him deeply.”
“I did and that’s why I’m fighting so hard to protect his legacy.” She turned off the hologram projector. “We need to rest,” she pointed to the door on the left, “That’s your room. We’ll share the other.” She waved her hand to the back of the room. "That’s the kitchen area. Your bedroom has a bathroom on suite. Get some rest we’ll finalise our plans in the morning. It’s another four days until we reach Earth.”
I woke early or I assumed it that it was early my body was still running on Confederacy time. I picked up the datapad Camelia had given me last night. Her plan didn’t make sense as far as I could see it. Too many variables too many things to go wrong. Turning it on I stared at the information it contained. Camelia had assured me that the disguise I was going under would do. I just had to memorise my background repeat it if anyone asked. After a while I put the datapad down a headache forming the Confederacy was too deeply ingrained into my psyche. I seriously doubted that I could pull this off. Ellie was at the table in the centre of the living room when I walked in from my quarters. There were rings under her eyes she probably had less sleep than I did. She was engrossed on the datapad in her hands I don’t think she even knew I was there
“This is a waste of time!” I shouted throwing the datapad I still held angrily onto the table. It slid across it and disappeared over the other edge of the table. I guess I was still angry more with myself for falling for Camelia’s trick than with the Guardians on Melanos who had killed Lottie. I could have done with her advice.
Ellie looked up deep sorrow in her eyes. “It doesn’t have to.” She replied.
I couldn’t stay angry with her. “Look sorry I didn’t mean to.” I wanted to say more my guilt at not saving her friend haunted my dreams. The door to the corridor opened before I could say more.
Camelia stepped in I could see her guard take up position by the door as it closed behind her.
“Sandra.”
“Yes!” I snapped back.
Camelia just gave me a look. “Please Sandra we shouldn’t be enemies.”
I caught Ellie’s expression out of the corner of my eye.
“Sorry,” I apologised although it sounded a little lame, “none on this makes sense.” Ellie leaned down and retrieved my datapad from where it had fallen and handed it back to me. “These disguises.”
“We have to do the best we can with what we have.”
“But this?” I gestured to the quarters we have been given. “What’s to say this captain won’t turn us in as soon as he can?”
“We abide. The captain’s determined to make the Usurper pay,” she nodded to Ellie who only sighed, “to that end the captain wants me on the bridge.” Camelia paused and looked at me directly. “Will you come with me?”
Reluctantly I followed Camelia more for Ellie than for her mother. I didn’t know what to expect when we reached the bridge. I was expecting a same layout as a Confederacy ship but the Terrans showed how different they were from us. The bridge was in the bowls of the ship with no windows to look out of. To my eye it seemed these Terrans ships were reliant on sensors alone. The captain sat in his chair overlooking a giant hologram. He glanced in our direction as Camelia stepped close to him.
“My lady,” he intoned his voice sounding hollow with a wild almost tortured look in his eyes.
The bridge crew went silent. Instinctively my hand went to the weapon on my hip.
“Captain Elsberg,” Camelia replied as if she could see nothing amiss.
I had my eyes on the crew ready to shoot in an instant.
“We are ready to jump.”
Camelia smiled. “Thank you Captain Elsberg. This is your ship.”
Captain Elsberg gestured to the helm. “Jump!”
The lights flickered and the ship jumped to hyperspace.
“Leave us!” he ordered his crew.
We waited while the last of his crew had filtered out. He turned his attention to Camelia. “This plan of yours will it work?”
“Just be ready for the signal.”
What signal I wondered? Again Camelia wasn’t giving me the full story.
“I have some news that might interest you. The Second Sirius fleet has rebelled.
“Admiral Wen Ju’s fleet,” Camelia replied she sounded interested. Gone was demeanour of a bored noble woman.
“He’s ceased all operations in Confederacy space,” Captain Elsberg said.
That caught me by surprise. It wasn’t a surprise to Camelia so it seemed.
“Admiral Wen Ju’s a sensible man.”
So that was the name of the Admiral responsible for the attack on the Sovran. Camelia must have read my mind or at least seen my body language. She shook her head.
Captain Elsberg continued. “According to the latest reports he’s left a token force to defend against the Confed’s and sent the bulk of his forces to the Orsini front.”
I knew all too well about fighting the Orsini they were experts in dirty fighting and ambushes.
“And an arrest warrant was issued for him.”
“Who replaced him?” Camelia asked Captain Elsberg.
“Commodore Kyle Nolan.”
“A toad with no morals,” Camelia said with some venom, “one of the Usurper’s paid hirelings.” She gave Captain Elsberg a look. “Admiral Wen Ju?”
“No one has been able to locate him. There was a fight and the commodore’s ship was disabled.”
“And the Usurper sent another fleet to subdue the rebels?” Camelia guessed.
“That’s right,” Elsberg sounded surprised by Camelia’s comment, “it gets better. The same fleet diverted to Orsini front.” He gave me a significant glance as if he was just starting to acknowledge my presence. “I was starting to doubt the folly of your endeavour but these reports have made me see that you were correct.”
“The home fleet?”
“Admiral Jones has been replaced.”
“Replaced?”
“He was retired early.”
I remembered Ellie’s friend was the daughter of an Admiral I assumed they were the same.
“Who replaced him?” Camelia spoke out loud.
Captain Elsberg frowned. “I don’t know.” I noticed that he was giving me more of his attention I guessed he could see my hand on my sidearm. Camelia hadn’t said anything about me to him.
“Thanks for your information captain,” Camelia was polite but I heard the dismissal in her voice, “will that be all?”
“Yes my Lady this is the last jump before Earth,” he bowed to Camelia.
“Come along major,” Camelia said to me, “I want to get back to my cabin.”
I had no choice but to follow Camelia. I stopped her halfway down the corridor from the bridge. “How will this alter your plans?” I had to ask the question.
“Admiral Jones was the key to retaking the palace. I have other resources I wasn’t planning to use them but needs must.”
“Will it be enough?”
“We will see. Come Sandra, Ellie will be waiting.”
I followed Camelia back to her quarters unsure I anything I said would make a difference.
I paced the bridge of the Terran ship my eyes on the captain hunched up in his chair watching the greyness of hyperspace on the holo projection a large circular structure in the middle of his bridge. I wasn’t sure if he would go through with Camelia’s plan or betray us. I was keeping a close eye on him I didn’t trust him then I didn’t trust any Terran. Glancing across I saw Ellie and Camelia standing close together their guard hovering close by hand on his weapon. I realised I was doing the same my hand on the butt of my sidearm strapped to my side. Grimacing I stopped my pacing and walked over to where they stood close to the sensor consoles.
“Are you going through with your mad cap scheme?” I asked Camelia.
“Desperate times need desperate measures,” Camelia said, “you know exactly what is at stake.”
“I do, but I find so many holes in your plan that I could drive a starship through it.”
“It will work.”
I shook my head and continued to watch the ship’s captain. Alert for any attempt to betray us. I doubted I’d last long against a ship full of Terrans.
The lights flickered and we exited to normal space.