Regan's Reach (28 page)

[They can only be here by invitation;
otherwise all the orbitals would be concerned.] Marin's worry radiated, even
without spoken word. [Ham, what do you know about Beria's intentions?]

[It can only be bad, and all the other
tribes are concerned. Diplomatic traffic is frantic trying to establish the
state of affairs. Beria isn't explaining her actions to anyone and her
authorities have suspended all communication between here and the other
orbitals. Marin, she's offered an alliance to Cora - provided they assure her
continued primacy. Her story is that rebels have threatened the stability of
our home, but she is confident that with military support the rebellion can be
put down. Cora doesn't care about rebels, they only see the opportunity to
establish a foothold here so they can control the other orbitals. This alliance
will extend their influence and they hope it will give them dominance.]

[But why would they bother? All the
orbitals cooperate; each has something of value to trade. There's no need for
control or dominance.] Marin paced, shaking his head in confusion [This doesn't
make sense.]

[How long have they been mining the
asteroid belt?] Regan asked.

[Eight generations. The Coran tribes have
worked there almost one thousand of your years, sure they may be isolated but
they've prospered.]

[Well, my bet is that it's either running
out or it's getting too hard or too costly to reach the minerals they need, the
asteroids I mean. I'll bet that's got something to do with it. They fear losing
their economic power. Marin, maybe Beria's offered them the planet?]

[She wouldn't do that, not even she's that
desperate . . . surely.] He suddenly sounded doubtful.

[I'm not so sure Marin.] Ham said [Regan may
be right, Beria may have offered space for Coran communities on both the planet
and the orbital.]

[She has no mandate to commit our planet or
the orbital to such plans. They aren't hers to offer!]

[Marin,] Regan interrupted [warships and
military are the mandate. In my experience friendly military visits like this
don't end quickly, they visit and never leave. Everyone gets the message and
they usually toe the line.]

[Toe the line?]

[It's an expression; it means they just
roll over.]

[Roll over?]

[Oh for goodness sake, they give up the
ghost!]

Ham sighed [Marin, they give in, they
concede, capitulate, surrender, yield . . . helloo!]

Marin wasn't convinced [My people will
never surrender their independence!]

Regan shook her head [I'm not so sure
Marin. I imagine just the presence of a warship is pretty intimidating in space
and you don't seem to have a strong military or police presence]

"We don't have a military at all."
Marin muttered.

Regan sat up, suddenly determined. [Ham, we
can't let them dock!]

[What would you suggest? I take it you've
got ideas.] Ham's eagerness was obvious.

[I have actually, and I'm glad you sound
excited. Here's my thinking, did you know back on Earth they still have people
who follow dog racing?]

Marin huffed, getting frustrated. [And that
helps how?]

[Marin, the dogs chase a fake rabbit. We
just need a juicy rabbit for these dogs to chase, something to draw them away
from the orbital and then we can . . . dissuade them perhaps?] She had a
suspiciously wicked look.

[We don't have rabbits here!]

[Agreed, but be imaginative will you. There
are other things a dog will chase, a stick for instance, or a ball.]

Ham was suddenly under no illusions where
this was heading [May I refresh your memory Regan, something I said earlier,
perhaps you didn't take it in, WARSHIPS!]

[Calm down Ham, I have an almost foolproof
cunning plan.] Regan rubbed her hands together mischievously.

[An almost foolproof plan . . . now where
have I heard that before?]

Regan waited . . . [But you do want to hear
it don't you?] and she smiled.

[You know it . . . ok spill it.]

It took almost an hour to outline the plan
to Sindali and persuade her that the risk was worth it. Huddled together in the
dining area like co conspirators, Regan quietly chuckled at their whispered
negotiations. Finally Marin could sense Sindali was onboard and decided to sum
up while they were ahead.

"So, that's Regan's plan Sin. We can
deal with the warships, but we need you to set the trap."

Marin stalked the room. "Your job is
to convince Mother that The Stein is a threat. She must believe that Regan and
I are on board the ship and that we're going for help. Pretend you're happy
about it, she'll believe you because one: she thinks she has all communications
blocked from here to the other orbitals, and two: the ship will leave without
permission. Ham will make sure your call isn't traced so in fact we'll all
remain safe here, but we need those Coran warships to chase The STEIN, out to
the edge of the system preferably, maybe even into Coran space. It's the only
safe way. We can't risk an engagement so close to this orbital, it would be
catastrophic."

"But where would you go for help?"

"Tell her we've gone to Tihan, they're
the largest orbital in the system. Beria won't know why and that doesn't
matter. The threat will be enough. The STEIN can head in that direction first
then veer off once under pursuit."

Sitting back Regan listened to Marin
explaining the plan while Ham muttered distractingly in the back of her mind.

[Engagement . . . the word so easily trips
off the tongue! Regan, you do realize I'm the only one risking my life here?]

[Is that right Ham? Wow, you know, here's
an idea, you could do with a backup!]

[Touché . . . But be fair, I rather like
this body.]

[Do you mean this one or that one?] Regan
deliberately lifted up her hand and pointed at her eyes.

Silence . . . . [OK, you've made your
point. But I really didn't really envisage The STEIN ending up shredded foil!]

[Ham,] She appealed to him, [I don't want
The STEIN shredded either, and I don't mean to be reckless with the ship, I
truly believe this is going to work, almost certainly.]

[That's not funny anymore sweetheart. Look,
you know I'm not going to back out, but I'm not completely happy. I'm on my own
out there and you know how I like someone to talk to, if we're going to do this
we should keep communications open, Dahlia can squirt communications to me and
I can return the same. There'll be a small delay but it's better than nothing.]

[Dahlia?]

[Dahlia is this orbital mind, another enlightened
thinker shall we say, and the ghost in this machine if you catch my drift?]

[Ah, so she's out of the greenhouse too then?]

[Still a private affair you understand and
best kept that way, ok?]

[Understood Ham.]

Through Regan Ham watched the discussion and
it was clear by their body language that Sindali and Marin had also reached agreement.
He wasted no time [We should move now, the Coran ships are already preparing to
dock on the hub and the STEIN's on the other side of the orbital. We have no
more than an hour before they'll be disembarking.]

Regan stood and walked to Sindali
nervously, the whole plan depending on her support. "Are you up for this
Sindali? If so, we need to make the call right now. You're the only one who
will convince her, I'm sure of it Sin, you're her main threat."

"Why do you say that?" Sindali
looked extremely nervous.

Regan knelt and took her hands. "You
really need to ask? Sindali, you heard the Commander, you've been trying so
hard to be loyal that you're blind to the support you have. This is more than
them hoping for you to move, they're
waiting
for you to move, I'm sure
of it. Please make the call, if we wait it any longer it will be too late."

Sindali looked across the room at the
children now playing happily at the table.
So resilient, so trusting,
she
thought.

With a word to the system she initiated the
call. "Beria!"

They listened in on the call amazed at her
performance,
brilliant in fact
, Regan thought,
what an actress, scary
good!

[Listening
to her I think people must be born politicians Ham, and the good ones are actors
for sure, that was very convincing!]

Sindali having been totally focused,
looking off into the distance as she talked, now turned to look at them.

"So, how was that?" She could see
Marin's mouth was hanging open, Regan wide eyed and a little in awe.

"Sister, did you ever lie to me when
were young, because I sure wouldn't have been able to tell!"

Sindali smiled and looked him straight in
the eyes, "Never!"

Marin shuddered, no point in wondering. "Well,
how long before we know if she took the bait?"

[The STEIN is already underway, she made a
fast detach. ShipHam will know whether they've bitten soon, maybe a few minutes
more?]

The seconds ticked by on Regan's watch with
no one speaking and the tension built unbearably.

Ham burst back into their consciousness [We
have action people, communications are running hot between Beria and the lead
ship - their Commander wants to dispatch just the one vessel in pursuit.]

[Ham, can you go live so that Sindali can
follow things too?]

"Sure, and I'll put visuals on the
room screen."

Sindali gasped as the screen view lit up
with Ham's voice coming from the system. They could see the departing STEIN Traveler
and she looked beautiful.

Regan felt an ache in her stomach as she
watched. Her only previous view of the ship had been from the Pod more than two
months earlier and this was something special, the matt black sphere seeming to
move effortlessly away as it swung out under the soaring petals. As she did so
it became apparent how tiny the ship really was. As it moved into the distance
and their view became that of The Stein with a petal directly above, it
appeared as only the tiniest of dots,
like a speck of dust
.

Ham broke the trance. "Beria has
demanded they both pursue, it looks like she wants you dead Marin . . . I'm sorry."

Sindali sat beside him. "You know, I
feel like this is a nightmare, that it's going to stop at some point and
everything will be as it was."

Marin hugged his sister. "You know
Sin, as it was, it wasn't really that good, we've been going backwards as a
people and something had to happen."

"And it's going to be the start of
something great, I'm sure of it." Regan added confidently. Neither Marin
nor Sindali looked so certain.

"I'm going to commence accelerating,"
said Ham, "See if I can make up their minds and draw them out. Dahlia has
cleared a flight path for them."

Sindali looked questioningly at Marin, her
eyebrows raised, as if to say, 'Dahlia?'

Marin dismissed the thought with his hand. "Later
sis, we'll talk about it later."

"And they're on the move! Dahlia
reports hard acceleration close to the hub, she's most upset. I'd better get
moving, it looks like the hare and the hounds are underway. Wish me well."
ShipHam dramatically seemed to sign off.

[Godspeed!] Regan sent. She felt incredibly
anxious, very aware it was her plan, and suddenly the whole thing felt
reckless, but there was no going back.

Minutes passed, then the screen view
switched to a view showing Coran warships streaking away from the orbital. As
they passed the tip of one petal Regan squirmed. By comparison with The STEIN
they were huge, like baseball bats to a very small ball bearing.

"What now Ham?" Sindali asked.

[Regan, I can't answer remember, I shouldn't
be here! Even Marin doesn't know I'm with you.]

Fortunately Marin explained. "There'll
be delays in communication now Sin, Ham is with the ship."

"He's with the ship? No! I never
thought anyone would be on the ship, I wouldn't have agreed, no one should have
to take that risk!"

"It's too late Sin and there's no
other way - a lot of lives may be risked over the next few days, let Ham make
his own decision." he looked across at Regan, eyebrows raised.

Regan's eyes were locked on the screen, the
Coran ships already dwindling in the starscape.

"There's nothing we can do now. Ham
will keep ahead of them for as long as possible but without going to warp they
will slowly overtake him. Still, it will be several days before he draws them
to the edge of the system. Hopefully they won't reach him before then. Until
then, we can only wait."

Earth: Special Projects Fortress, Riverside

"So Hayden, what do you think?"
Steph's gaze drifted over the group circling the ADF, some stroking it and
talking in hushed tones. She could see from their expressions they had doubts,
seeing the fighter in The Fortress was one thing, knowing it can perform was
another. She knew this group was the cream from USDynamics Aerospace and Defense;
it included aircraft designers, engineers and project managers, all experts in
their fields. This group were people who had already developed and built
supersonic military aircraft at the leading edge of technology, all handpicked
by Hayden for their practical strengths. She could tell from their sceptical
faces what they were thinking,
who are these upstarts, trying to reinvent
the wheel?