Loyalty to the Cause (TCOTU, Book 4) (This Corner of the Universe) (31 page)

“And
the komandor won’t be joining you.”  Her sentence was a statement, not a
question.  After a moment’s pause, she offered quietly, “I’m sorry, Garrett.”

Heskan
cleared his throat.  “What are you sorry for, Stacy?  I’m the one that walked
into it.”

“I’m
sorry I didn’t protect you.”

Heskan
sighed deeply and said, “It wasn’t your job.”  He looked over to Vernay and
smiled half-heartedly.  “Besides, in time, I’ll adjust and get on with my life…
after many, many weeks of sleepless nights and heartbreak.”

Vernay’s face lit up
in a faux smile.  She said in an overly loud voice full of false enthusiasm,
“That’s the spirit!”  She reached out to touch his arm while adding, “And after
you’ve moved on and your shattered heart has healed, I’ll be at your side,
whispering gently in your ear, reminding you not to fall in love with the enemy.”

*  *  *

The
following morning, Lombardi and Heskan shuttled to the surface.  Hollara’s
atmosphere was thick, which provided for a turbulent reentry, but other than
the spectacular view of the green-blue ocean, the voyage passed as usual. 
Hollara’s weather was temperate, though humid.  A nearly constant breeze
brought the temperature down to comfortable levels and the system’s G7IV star
yielded a familiar light to Heskan.

Samanta
De Luca’s private estate was impressive.  Unlike most citizens’ homes, her
plantation contained a sizeable amount of terrestrial land that rose to stand
above a portion of vast, rolling ocean included in her holdings.  Even though De
Luca’s only remaining child escorted him, Heskan was closely scrutinized by plantation
security with sniffer-searches and physical pat-downs.

Once
past the layers of security, Heskan was introduced to a lifestyle that
surpassed even Sebastian Brewer’s.  Vibrant gardens grew around marble columns
to create an effect out of Terra’s ancient Rome.  Over glasses of wine, Lombardi
walked casually around the grounds, pointing out locations linked to various
memories from her childhood.  Her affections were comfortable and unrestrained even
in the gloomy shadow of estrangement.  After the tour, she brought Heskan
inside the main house, up a fabulous Venetian staircase and into a room that overlooked
a glorious beach.  They sat comfortably for only a few minutes when the door
reopened and Samanta De Luca walked in.

Like
her niece, she was statuesque.  De Luca used a cane for support and hunched
over it as she walked.  Her hair was the same incredible shade of black as
Lombardi’s but streaked with lines of silver.  Her complexion, deeply olive,
was no stranger to Hollara’s sun.

Heskan
and Lombardi rose at her appearance.  Lombardi hugged her aunt fiercely before gesturing
beside her.  “
Zia
, may I present Commander Garrett Heskan.”

He
reached out to shake her hand but the woman stepped close and took him in a
grandmotherly embrace.  “
Il tuo addio, Izzy
,” the woman said while
sitting down with considerable effort.  Once seated, she sighed in relief and methodically
placed her cane between her feet and looked patiently to her niece.

Standing
next to Heskan, Lombardi regarded him solemnly.  “
Zia
wants privacy,
Garrett.  This is my goodbye, darling.”

It
was over too quickly.  Heskan’s heart skipped several beats during her
passionate embrace.  Her gentle caress lingered long after her exit.

De
Luca waited quietly as Lombardi departed the room.  After the door fully
closed, the elder stateswoman evaluated him with the emotionless, bespectacled eyes
of a merchant inspecting her inventory.  After many more moments of silent
appraisal, De Luca began unexpectedly, “I recently lost my husband.”

I
know.  I was there.
 
He remained silent.

“Then,
the Navy told me my niece’s ship was missing in action, presumed lost with all
hands.”  The woman’s hands, resting on the top of the cane, shook slightly. 
“Months after that, we intercepted Brevic reports confirming her ship
destroyed.”  Ancient eyes bored into Heskan for many moments before she
continued.  “When you reach my age, you begin to think in terms of legacy and
hope that there are those who might honor it.  Are your parents alive,
Garrett?”

Heskan
shook his head.  “My mom died when I was a baby.  My father was killed in an
accident when I was a child.”

“Yet
your father still has a legacy,” De Luca noted.

Yes,
but what kind?  And have I honored it? 
Heskan feared the answers.

“You
have given back to me that hope, Garrett.  You have given me the comfort of
knowing that when I am put to rest, my blood will continue to honor and work
toward the traditions I inherited from my parents.”  The woman leaned heavily
on her cane to span the distance between them with an outstretched hand.  She
lightly touched his knee and smiled warmly.  “Thank you, Garrett Heskan.  Thank
you for giving back to me the most important thing in my life.”

Heskan
returned the smile and said simply, “I had no choice, Ms. De Luca.”

“Why?”
she asked.

“I
did it for her, because of what she means to me.  I did it for myself, because
it was right.”

“Many
people know what is right and yet choose differently when it serves their better
interests,” she stated.

A
haunted expression overtook Heskan.  “I’ve chosen differently before.  I’ve
learned it’s never worth it.”

De
Luca leaned away from him to rest comfortably again on the plush couch, as if
she had found the answer she had been seeking.  “What do you know about AmyraCorp?”

Heskan
blinked at the sudden change in topic.  “Who?”

She
adjusted her eyeglasses slightly.  “AmyraCorp resides in the Seshafi star
system.  It is a single-system corporation carved from the Lesser Magellanic
Arm of the Federation.  They have significant research and development technologies
pertaining to horticulture.  Much of their work is in the development of drought-resistant
and low-light capable seed.”

Heskan
knew little more than the LMA was inside the Federation near its western
border.  “I don’t know anything about them,” Heskan confessed.

The
grandmotherly smile had returned.  “There is no reason for you to know, dear.  It
is a small system far away from your Republic.”  She shifted her weight on the
couch before resuming.  “AmyraCorp is currently embroiled in a corporate conflict
with a neighboring system called Sade, owned by IaCom.  IaCom has been working
to undermine AmyraCorp’s strength, and soon will begin outright hostile actions.”

Why
is she telling me this?
Heskan
wondered.

“The
Commonwealth trades with both systems, but it is in our best interest that AmyraCorp
is not absorbed into IaCom.  Obviously, we cannot take an official stance in a
dispute between two corporate systems.  However, we have offered very friendly
terms to AmyraCorp for three system defense ships that our navy has
decommissioned.”  She smiled sweetly.  “As a chair of Naval Procurement, I have
quite a large hand in determining who gets our cast off military equipment and
for how much.”

Is
she going to say what I think she is? 
Heskan moved closer to the edge of his seat.

“The
contract to sell ships to AmyraCorp shows no favoritism toward any particular corporation
as we have sold equipment to both systems within the last several years.  The
Commonwealth is officially neutral in this conflict.  As a result, these ships
are not crewed with Hollaran nationals.  Instead, privateers or Seshafian
nationals will sail these ships into battle.”

Heskan
had heard of privateers before although the Republic referred to them by a more
vulgar term: mercenaries.

“One
such outfit of privateers, known as The Foster Fifteen, is highly regarded for
their professionalism and effectiveness.”  De Luca took several moments pause
before adding, “I am telling you this because a close friend of mine has a
special bond with a subsidiary of The Foster Fifteen called Secure Solutions. 
The privateers in this company are, by charter, a collection of ex-military
from across the galaxy, but the reality is that all of them hail directly from
the Commonwealth.  You have given me back my niece, Garrett.  Because of you,
she has a new beginning.  I now offer you one as well.”

“How
would this work, Ms. De Luca?” Heskan asked.  He had no other proposal for his
future but he knew the devil lay in the details.

“There
are requirements to be permitted entry into the roll of The Foster Fifteen.  Service
record and time spent in a military are required, actual combat experience is
preferred, etcetera.  If one qualifies, he is then allowed to buy up to his
former military rank inside the company.  This is not an inexpensive
proposition.  Additionally, while some candidates come with their own ships,
far more frequently new privateers lease their ships from their outfit. 
Typically the ship and its repairs are then insured by the corporation
contracting with the privateer.”  De Luca paused and asked, “Do you
understand?”

“Yes,
but how could I prove my military experience with a new identity, much less buy
any rank?”

“My friend
can insert your new identity into Secure Solutions.  I will purchase you the
rank of captain inside The Foster Fifteen and offer you the opportunity to
command a Colossus-class ship that we could allow to assist in the protection
of AmyraCorp.  They have only purchased three of those corvettes but I do not
think they would object if four showed up to defend their system.”

Heskan
looked at De Luca with a curious expression.  “You named your little corvettes after
colossi?”

De
Luca grasped the irony and chuckled.  “They are larger than regular corvettes, and
equipped with tunnel drives.  I believe you would call them snows.”

Heskan
looked at De Luca skeptically.  “How can the Commonwealth afford to sell ships
while it’s at war with the Republic?”

De
Luca smiled, perhaps sadly.  “My dear, this war is over in all but name only. 
We have smashed several of your fleets and expect the Brevic government to sue
for peace shortly.”

The
news was a bitter pill but Heskan knew she was not lying.  There had been too
many defeats, too much evidence of failure for him to believe differently.  “If
I agreed to your proposal, what would happen to my crew?”

“A privateer
with the rank of captain or higher can bring his own crew.  They would be included
in any contract you sign with AmyraCorp.  Negotiation of that contract is up to
you.  Your employer will also provide supplemental crew if required.  While
Hollaran Intelligence would prefer your entire crew leave the Commonwealth, if
any of your crewmembers are not interested in this proposal, I can offer them
new identities inside the Commonwealth or provide passage for them to a Federation
location of their choosing.”

“Would
we get to choose our new alias names?” Heskan smiled.

De
Luca laughed.  “Different names will not be necessary, my dear.  There are many
trillions of people in this galaxy.  Your name is only a tiny fraction of who
you are.  Your personal account codes and the information attached to them is
what truly identifies you.  That is what my contact can change, and by altering
that, you will become a new person.”

“My
engineer is not Brevic.  He came with the freighter and will want to return
Hussy to Aurelios,” Heskan said.

“It
is a small freighter requiring a small crew; I can assist him with that despite
the inconvenience.”  De Luca leaned slightly closer to Heskan and admitted, “It
is actually much easier for us if your people leave the Commonwealth so we will
accommodate most any request that lends toward that.”

Heskan
sat back and thought for several moments.  It was a new beginning even if not
what he expected.  He thought about his service to the Republic.  “Is AmyraCorp
a good corporation?  Do they treat their people well?”

De
Luca considered her response carefully.  “I believe they do but you will have
to judge that for yourself, Garrett.  I can provide you some background
material on their leadership and dealings.  We each must choose what we can
live with… and what we cannot.  If you do not choose to sign with them, you are
still privateers with a ship.”

An
honest answer,
he thought
.
  “I accept, Ms. De Luca, and thank you.”  He stood and
reached once again to shake her hand.

De
Luca looked at Heskan somberly and said with the voice of a thousand
generations, “Do not thank me.  A privateer’s life is full of danger.  For all
I know, I may have killed my niece’s true love this afternoon.”  With great
effort, she rose from the couch to lean heavily on her cane.  “We will not meet
again, Garrett Heskan.  Travel well.”  She slowly escorted Heskan to a side
door in the parlor.  Waiting for him was plantation security, ready to guide
him back to the shuttle and space.

When Heskan left the
room, the main door opened again.  Lombardi wiped profusely at her eyes with a
handkerchief and stated, “Please,
Zia
, I have one more request.”