Dark Horse (22 page)

R
oseʼs Grih handheld
gave a merry little
ting
in the silence after Davʼs ship-wide announcement of possible enemy engagement.

Rose looked down and saw it was a request for a comm link. She tapped the icon that most looked like accept to her, and wondered why there were four options. Accept, Decline, possibly Take a Message, but what would the fourth be? Block This Person Forever?

“Hello?”

“Rose. Itʼs Captain Jallan.”

The way he spoke, formal and clipped, told her he had an audience.

As she could hardly see him ducking around a corner for a little peace in order to call her while a hostile vessel bore down on the
Barrist
, she didnʼt take offense.

“Good afternoon, Captain.”

“Iʼm having Halim and Xaltro escort you back to your room. Do not leave it. Youʼll be safe there.”

He had a million things to do, the lives of everyone on board in his hands, and he was taking the time to move her to more comfortable surroundings. Her safety was on his mind.

His thoughtfulness pierced her, choked her, and she could not speak.

“Rose.” His rough voice dipped a little lower. “Iʼm sorry about what happened today with Admiral Hoke. I——”

He thought she wasnʼt answering him because she was angry, and now wasnʼt the time to set him right, so she cleared her throat, forced herself to speak.

“Thank you, Captain. I appreciate your concern. I know youʼre busy, so Iʼll just wish you luck.”

It was his turn to be quiet. “I canʼt tell whether youʼre being serious or sarcastic.” He blew out a breath. “And no time to find out. Stay safe, Rose. I wonʼt let anything happen to you.”

He cut off the transmission before she could respond, and as he did, the door to the room opened, and Vree Halim and Jay Xaltro stepped in.

They had an air of suppressed excitement about them.

“You do understand the
Barrist
is under threat of imminent attack?” She scooped up her two handhelds.

Vree Halim grinned at her. “Itʼs what weʼre trained for. Being on the
Barrist
is good, but Jay and I are soldiers and we donʼt get a lot of action on an exploration vessel.”

She shook her head at him, and watched Jay disappear into the passageway, taking the lead. Vree indicated she should go next and when she stepped out, something slammed her into the wall.

She had the brief impression of someone leaning across her to Vree, and then a strange sound, like the humming of a hundred bees.

Something was shoved up under her chin, and she realized it was whatever had felled Vree. He had fallen back into the room, and Jay Xaltro lay in the passageway, angled across it with arms flung outward, as if in surrender.

She lifted her gaze, and came eye to eye with someone she knew she should recognize.

“Do as I say or Iʼll kill you here. It wonʼt be as good an outcome as getting you to Fu-tamaʼs ship, but if it looks like you might escape, thatʼs a set-back Iʼm willing to bear.”

Now she remembered. Captain Jallanʼs aide.

He must have seen the recognition in her eyes and he ground the shockgun barrel into her jaw, grazing her skin.

“Do. You. Understand?”

She looked back at him, with a fuck you in her eyes this time, and she could see him react like Admiral Hoke, see him visibly draw himself up for a challenge.

She had done it a few times to Dav Jallan, now she thought about it, but he hadnʼt reacted this way. Either he didnʼt find her challenge threatening, or he was more controlled than his aide and the admiral.

With a grunt, Davʼs aide grabbed the back of her shirt and dragged her a few steps to a door, opened it, and shoved her inside.

It was pitch dark for a moment, and then a floor-level strip of blue light flickered on, illuminating a narrow corridor running in both directions, the walls covered with clear tubes, neatly running parallel to each other.

“Heʼs taken you into the service tunnels.” Sazoʼs whisper in her ear made her start, then breathe out in relief.

“Do you know whoʼs taken you?” Sazoʼs voice seemed a little distant. Colder than sheʼd heard it in a long time.

“The captainʼs aide.” She couldnʼt remember if sheʼd ever been introduced to him, but she didnʼt know his name.

He started when she spoke and gave a sharp jab with the barrel of the shockgun against the back of her neck. “Shut up. Not talking. It doesnʼt matter who I am.” He had to stand sideways to fit into the tunnel, and he pushed Rose forward with the gun.

She raised a hand and tried to rub where heʼd hurt her, but he simply slammed the barrel into her fingers and she cried out and dropped her hand.

She had no idea how long it took, but when at last they came to a halt outside a door, rather than pass it by like they had all the others, she wanted to cry with relief.

She was slim enough to walk without having to turn sideways, but the conditions were too close for her to use what she thought of as her edge, the fact that she always felt she could jump higher than she would have been able to on Earth.

“Weʼre stopping?” she asked, to let Sazo know.

Davʼs aide didnʼt answer, he crowded her, leaned over her head and tapped a sensor near the top of the door.

The door swung open and he shoved her forward. She stumbled and fell, and in a single stride he grabbed her upper arm and yanked her to her feet, wrenching her arm.

She had no control over the cry of pain she made, and he hit her temple with the butt of his shockgun.

“Quiet!”

She was so dazed, she hung from his grip, half-conscious.

He dragged her over to a gleaming capsule. The lid slid back silently and he pushed her inside. She felt hands on her, rough, hard hands patting her down as if searching for something. Then, with a low curse, she was left alone.

“Rose. Rose.”

She became aware Sazo was whispering in her ear. She didnʼt know for how long.

“Yes?” Her voice was a croak.

“Heʼs putting you into a maintenance capsule. The maintenance team use it to make minor repairs to the exterior of the ship. Heʼs busy routing it to Councilor Fu-tamaʼs vessel, but donʼt worry, Iʼll overwrite those instructions and route you to the Class 5.”

She barely heard him, but she gathered he would keep her safe. Her eyes fluttered closed just as a sudden change in noise level made her realize sheʼd been closed in.

She felt herself moving and she tried to force her eyes open again.

Davʼs aide looked down at her, and she saw the whole front of the capsule was transparent, a sort of Snow White glass coffin.

What surprised her was the look on the aideʼs face moments before he shot her through the gel wall and out into space.

Cold, hard hatred.

T
he faint tap
of a pending comm came through in Davʼs ear. He waited for the request, keeping his gaze fixed on the large screen which showed the reading the
Barrist
had got of the large vessel just before it ducked behind Virmana.

Comms were down again. Nothing was coming through from Battle Center. Nothing was going out.

He had Borji organizing the launch of an auto-lens to duck around the back of Virmana, find out what was hiding there, and then speed back to the
Barrist
if the comm block included short-range comms, or, preferably, signal back with the image.

The tap came again, but still no comm.

He frowned. Tapped his ear to open the communication anyway. “Yes?”

“Down.” The whisper was barely audible. “Rose . . .”

A wave of ice engulfed him, as bone-chilling as being caught in one of the avalanches common on Calianthra.

“Admiral, take the bridge. Appal!” He didnʼt wait for her, he just turned and ran full tilt out onto the main floor and down the wide stairs.

Because they were in battle-ready mode, none of the tubes were operational, but he was down on the right level almost before he knew it, the sound of Appalʼs footsteps behind him.

She didnʼt waste her breath asking him what was happening, but he needed to give her a heads-up.

“Halim and Xaltro are down. Someone has attacked them and Rose.”

The passageway split right and left. Without asking him, Appal went left, toward Roseʼs room and Dav ran right, to where Hoke had been holding her.

There was no one on this floor now——it was only bedrooms, conference facilities and the officersʼ gym. Everyone was at their work stations in the current crisis. No one to notice what had happened. No one to help.

He almost stood on Xaltro as he took the last corner.

She was lying very still, arms spread wide.

Halim had half-pulled himself up on his side but whatever strength he had managed to call on to contact Dav was gone.

Dav fell to his knees beside Xaltro. “Dr. Havak. Emergency on Level B. Two officers down, shockgun attack.”

He was surprised at how level his voice was. Jay Xaltroʼs pulse was thready but discernible, Vree Halimʼs was stronger, but he was just as unconscious.

They wouldnʼt be able to tell him what had happened to Rose until Havak could bring them round.

But one thing he knew, she was still on his ship, and he was prepared to search every corner of it.

Appal ran around the corner as he stood from his crouch next to Halim, and skidded to a halt.

“Rose?”

“Gone.”

“Heʼs got her. Whoever tried to kill her in the pool.”

Dav nodded.

“Who would betray us to the Tecran? I canʼt understand it.” She turned at the sound of movement behind her, lifting up the shockgun already in her hand, but it was Havak and his team, and she stepped out of the way to give them room to work.

“Theyʼll live.” Havak lifted his head after heʼd checked both of them. “Rose?”

“Taken.” The word scratched his throat like gravel.

“Taken where? She must still be on board.” Havak stood as his team put Halim and Xaltro on the stabilized stretchers and waited for them to rise up to waist height.

“What are you thinking?” Appal asked him, and he realized he hadnʼt even responded to Havakʼs question. The doctor was already gone, the passageway clear except for Halim and Xaltroʼs weapons.

Appal picked them up.

“I think they either wanted to ask her something first and took her somewhere private to interrogate her before they killed her, or they want her in their own custody, for whatever reason, and they are going to try and get her off the ship.”

“If itʼs the first scenario . . .” Appal glanced at him.

“If itʼs the first, sheʼs already dead.” He forced himself to say it. “But if itʼs the second——”

“Captain.” Borjiʼs voice came through the comm, panicked. “The crew you ordered back from the Class 5 to the
Barrist
just passed one of our maintenance pods. The person in it is Rose.”

He didnʼt know which way to run. Back to the bridge, to see what the hell was going on, or to the launch bay. “Why didnʼt maintenance pick that up? Can we read her vitals?”

“The system was overridden. It should have generated a status report, but that was suppressed by someone on board.” He hesitated. “The maintenance pod is not communicating with the
Barrist
. But from the brief glimpse through the runnerʼs lens feed, Rose has been beaten. Thereʼs bruising on her face and she appears semi-conscious.”

“Whatʼs her trajectory?” They had to be sending her to Fu-tamaʼs ship, or the new player who was lurking behind Virmana.

“The Class 5, and at the top speed the maintenance pod is capable of.”

The Class 5?

“Turn the runner around. Get them to go back for her.”

He heard Borji convey the command and turned to Appal. “They knocked her out and put her in a maintenance pod, and have sent her to the Class 5.”

He started back to the bridge, and Appal easily kept up with his long-legged strides.

“Why the Class 5?”

“Itʼs the closest, and those maintenance pods canʼt travel that far. Maybe they think they can get the Class 5 back.”

“Maybe theyʼve had it all this time.” Appal shoved her shockgun back into her leg holster.

Dav shook his head. “Then they wouldnʼt have sent a big battleship in. They wouldnʼt need to.”

Appal conceded his point with a nod. Then she sent him a sidelong look. “Youʼre hiding it well.”

“Am I?” He didnʼt pretend not to understand her.

“I know you better than anyone on board, and even I wondered for a moment.”

“Good. Because if theyʼre holding her for ransom or some concession, itʼs better if they donʼt know Iʼd do anything to get her back.”

His comm tapped and he accepted without waiting to hear who it was. “Yes?”

“Itʼs good to hear that you care for Rose, Captain Jallan.” The voice in his ear was not one he recognized. “Please turn the runner around. I wonʼt let it back on the Class 5. Rose has concussion, but I am able to deal with that without help, so she will be looked after.”

“Who the hell are you?” He was just outside the doors to the bridge, and Dav strode in, gestured to Borji.

“Iʼm a friend of Roseʼs, just like you. Before we introduce ourselves, I really would not like to hurt any of your crew, so again, please turn that runner around.”

“Captain?” Kila stumbled to her feet. “The Class 5 just locked weapons on the runner you sent back to get Rose.”

“Tell them to turn back.” Dav looked at the screen, at the Class 5 right in front of them, and saw the tiny maintenance pod disappear into the launch bay, the runner chasing after it. Everyone stared at him, frozen. “Now!”

“What is going on, Captain?” Hoke rose from his chair on the bridge as Borji told the runnerʼs pilot to turn back in quiet, urgent tones, and Valu stepped up beside her.

“It seems we have a situation.” Dav kept his eyes on the Class 5. Watched as the runner did a slow turn and came back toward the
Barrist
. “Someone other than us is in control of the Class 5. Borji, put my comm feed on broadcast for the bridge only.” He waited a beat until that was done.

“Weʼve turned the runner around. Stand down.”

“Standing down, Captain.” The voice was cool, almost amused.

Dav looked over at Kila and she nodded confirmation that guns were no longer trained on the runner.

“What do you intend to do with Rose?” He kept his own voice just as cool.

“Make sure sheʼs safe. You should approve of that. After all, your ship has hardly proven to be that where she is concerned. I have a surprise for you in Maintenance Bay 32, by the way. I locked the doors and overrode the entry and exit codes so only yourself, Commander Appal or Lieutenant Borji can access the bay. I think the man youʼll find in there is the only traitor on board, but I canʼt be certain, so when he tried to send Rose to Councilor Fu-tamaʼs ship, I decided to intervene and put her back on the Class 5, where itʼs just Rose and myself. A much more easily containable situation.”

There was absolute silence on the bridge.

“Let me get this straight, you werenʼt responsible for Roseʼs abduction?”

“No, I just told you, Iʼm her friend. You can inform your aide that heʼs lucky Rose made me swear not to kill anyone on board this ship or he would be dead. As it is, either you, Commander Appal or Lieutenant Borji had better hurry, because I switched off the air filter in the maintenance bay. Mr. Lothric is feeling incredibly uncomfortable, I hope, and if you donʼt let him out in the next half an hour, he will most likely die.”

“Iʼll deal with it.” Appal tapped her comm, and as she strode out, Dav heard her calling four members of her team to meet her at the bay. The light of fury was in her eye.

Farso Lothric. Previously the Battle Center aide on Garmma.

Councilor Fu-tama was Garmman.

Dav tapped his ear, connected with Appal. “Place Fu-tama under arrest, as well.”

She gave a grunt of confirmation.

Then Dav caught Borjiʼs expression.

“Captain.” His hand shook as he gripped his chair as if for balance. “Ask this person how he re-routed the maintenance capsule, changed the access codes, and how he is talking to you through the
Barristʼs
comm system.”

“Thatʼs simple, Lieutenant Borji.” It appeared Roseʼs friend didnʼt need Dav to ask, he could hear Borji just fine. “I now control the
Barristʼs
comm system, its maintenance system, in fact, all its systems. I have been in control of the Class 5 since you boarded it, as well, and may I congratulate you on your very able attempts to take it from me. It was most stimulating battling intellects with you.”

“Who are you?” Admiral Hokeʼs voice shook.

“My name is Sazo.”

“What are you?”

There was a moment of silence. “I am a type of Sherlock Holmes.”

“How do you know Rose?” Dav thought he knew, but he wanted to be sure.

“You could say we were fellow inmates of the Tecran. I canʼt talk anymore. Rose is hurt and I need to see to her.”

The comm cut off.

“What is a Sherlock Holmes?” Kila asked into the silence.

“What the hell did the Tecran pick up on their travels, more to the point?” Hoke asked quietly.

“Something dangerous.” Dav looked around the bridge at his senior team. “Itʼs taken over the
Barrist
, and Iʼm guessing every other ship in our little convoy.”

“What now?” Borji was still white-faced.

“We hope Rose likes us enough to rein her friend in.”