Transmission Lost (46 page)

-I know, Empress, but remember, we have no quarrel with humanity. We cannot consider that front of war in making our decision. I must remind you that we do not have unilateral rule as you do.- The General shrugged helplessly. -They are debating the matter in Parliament, but these things can take time with us.-

-Very well. Please continue to try, and we will gratefully accept whatever aid you can give us now.- Turning to Admiral Te'rou, Kri'a activated the holographic display in the meeting table, calling up a map containing star charts of the Ascendancy. -Admiral, give me an update of the situation.-

-Yes, Your Majesty.- Admiral Te'rou manipulated the map, splashing it with an array of different colors. -The rebellion forces are making significant gains into the Inner Colonies. Sector Four is being overrun, and Sectors One and Three are reporting major skirmishes as well.-

The Empress tensed slightly. -And Sector Two? What do you hear of Arbaros?- One of the most important worlds of the Inner Colonies, Arbaros was home to major naval ports, besides being the home planet and current location of her mate, Li'ren.

-Sector Two is secure,- Admiral Te'rou assured her. -In fact, it's the only place where our fleets are holding strong. We could probably spare some of the ships from there, in fact, to help the other sectors.-

-No,- the Empress said immediately. -I will not risk the port facilities, and I will
not
give the rebel forces another place to make a foothold. All fleets will hold firm in Sector Two, is that understood, Admiral?-

-Perfectly.-

-Good.- Taking a breath to steady herself, Kri'a paused before continuing. -Now. The humans. What of the war on that front?-

Admiral Te'rou shifted uncomfortably in his seat. -More bad news on that, I am afraid. Human intelligence seems to have caught wind of the uprising of the Outer Colonies, and it appears to have emboldened them. They are pushing our fleets back slightly, and the isolated human fleets have succeeded in making some connections with each other. They may use the opportunity to make an offensive campaign.- The Chief Admiral hesitated, then he made a suggestion. -Perhaps we should re-initiate an offense of our own, Empress. We could bring in the First Fleet from its position around Lirna and throw the humans back. That would give us breathing room.-

-Your admiral makes a good point,- General Soumaren chimed in. -And if you needed some assistance, I believe I could commit one of the Empire's fleets to such a campaign with minimal convincing to the Premier and Parliament.-

Empress Solan shook her head firmly. -No. This I will not do. I am trying to
end
the war with the humans. I will not engage in any actions that will work in opposition to this goal.- She nodded to her advisers. -I have come to a difficult decision. It is not one that I make lightly.- Looking around the table, at all the Ailian and Nuretan faces looking to her, Kri'a closed her eyes. -Admiral Te'rou, you will order all forces within human space still loyal to my authority to begin withdrawing. They will remain
only
in human-occupied space which was part of the Ascendancy prior to the opening of hostilities ten years ago.-

The shock in the room was almost palpable. In recorded history, there were very few instances of the Ascendancy Navy being ordered to retreat. Most Ailian commanders preferred to fight to the death, and retreat was seen as a great dishonor.

-Your Majesty,- Admiral Te'rou said, his voice trembling slightly. -Is that...wise?-

-Furthermore,- Kri'a continued, ignoring her Chief Admiral for now, -I want ambassadors dispatched to the human United Nations immediately. It is time that we begin negotiating a ceasefire. It may be a difficult task, but I would like to start paving the way towards normalizing relations with the humans.- She opened her eyes again. -I am deadly serious here, my friends. We may be on the brink of collapse. My mother made a terrible mistake ten years ago, and we are reaping what she has sown. The humans should have been allies, not enemies. We need to make it happen, whatever the cost.-

His jaw tightening, Admiral Te'rou nodded once to the Empress. -I'll see to it, Your Highness. Due to the Outer Colonies' invasion of Earth, I believe the seat of human government has been moved to Cerelis. We'll make every effort to contact them there.-

-Thank you.- Feeling exhausted, Kri'a passed a hand over her eyes. A tired growl escaped her muzzle, and the claws of her other hands scraped the tabletop in frustration. -Things are moving much too fast for my liking. I would like to apply the brakes before we lose everything.-

******

-This is a familiar feeling...,-
Aria thought to herself.
-Accommodations aren't as nice this time, though. This is probably what Jack had to deal with when we got rescued.-

The Ailian was staring up at the metal ceiling of the cell she had been placed in, which was bare apart from a single light fixture in the center. She was lying on a metal bed attached to the wall opposite the door. The bed had no padding except for a recessed cushion where she could put her head, and the toilet facilities were typically spartan. Aria wasn't certain how long she had been in the cell, but she had been fed three times since the guards had thrown her inside, so if they were giving her meals on a regular schedule it was at least the second day of her imprisonment. Her mother had not been to see her, but at this point Aria wasn't surprised by that. In fact, apart from bringing her meals, nobody had been to see her.

Swishing her tail, hanging down from the bed beside her, angrily, Aria ground her teeth together.
-How could mother do this? For years she pretended to be loyal to the Ascendancy, and everyone thought she was honorably killed in battle. Now I find she's been alive the whole time, and she's allied herself with the Pteryd...-
She felt betrayed, and if she ever got out of here she had no idea how she would explain it to her family, least of all her father. Arn Me'lia had mourned his mate for three years. He was only now starting to come out of the depression he had felt over Ara'lana's supposed death. Hearing that she had been alive the whole time and had never tried to contact him would destroy him.

The sound of the door opening brought her out of her thoughts, and she sat up on the bed as another person she thought she had known came into her cell. Clasping her hands behind her back, Major Misa Tal'in looked down at Aria as the door slid closed.

-Lieutenant,- the major said, blinking her eyes slowly at Aria. -I didn't get the chance to say much to you at dinner the other night, but you're looking well.-

-No thanks to you,- Aria growled, her lips drawing back to bare her sharp teeth. -Traitor.-

Major Tal'in smirked at her, chuckling quietly. -Listen to you. Cavorting about with a human, and you call me a traitor. The difference between a traitor and a patriot, Aria, is who writes the history books. I think history will be on my side when all is said and done.-

-Don't count on it.-

The major's smile widened. -You're hardly one to be the judge of that.- Her tail waved pleasantly behind her. She was obviously much enjoying her position of power right now. -In any case, Admiral Me'lia has sent me here to speak with you. Because you
are
her beloved daughter, she wants me to give you the chance to change your mind about joining us.-

Aria gave a dismissive flick of her ears. -I'm not interested, Major. And you can go back and tell that woman that she has been dead to me for a long time.-

-Be reasonable, Lieutenant. You must realize that if you do not join us, you will be killed. You don't have anything to gain by refusing.-

-Except my own honor.-

Major Tal'in's expression soured. -I have been honorable my entire life, Lieutenant. If you are implying otherwise, you will regret it.- Her ears were steadily flattening to her head. The major was not one who was used to being disobeyed, and even less used to being insulted.

-Honorable?- Aria laughed. -Major, you are perhaps one of the least honorable people I know. You swore an oath to the Empress when you joined the military, and for your whole career you have been secretly working against that oath. You have never known any personal honor. You're worse than a slave. You're trash.-

-Really, now?- The major brought her hands in front of her and clasped them together tightly, the joints in her fingers crackling. -You have quite the mouth on you, Lieutenant. Your mother was right when she told me how disrespectful you have become. Maybe I should teach you a little respect for your betters.- Major Tal'in glanced over her shoulder at the door. -The door is thick, and the guard station is all the way at the end of the hall. Nobody's going to hear us, and I doubt you'll be able to stop me with your arms as weak as they are.-

-How noble of you,- Aria snarled. -Not afraid of angering my mother, are you?-

-Get up!- Major Tal'in barked at her. -I'll ask for forgiveness later. You won't insult me and get away with it!-

Taking a deep breath, Aria readied herself. -Have it your way.- Without warning, she launched herself from a seated position and tackled the major where she stood, catching her by surprise. Aria wrapped her arms around the other female's middle, though she wasn't able to get a great grip. As they both tumbled to the floor, Major Tal'in was already striking back, and Aria grunted in pain as she felt several sharp blows to the side of her head. Aria didn't worry about that for right now. Her focus was on the major's belt, where a heavy pistol and combat knife were hanging. Whatever she did, she couldn't let the major retrieve her weapons.

-You're going to regret that, Lieutenant,- the major growled. She slapped a hand over Aria's face, covering her eyes and nose. Pushing hard, she forced Aria's head back. With difficulty, owing to her sudden blindness, Aria tried to find the buckle of the other Ailian's belt. The major noticed what she was doing and drew her knees up underneath Aria, pushing her harder to get her away.

Just as Aria felt her grip failing, she managed to grab the belt buckle. Gathering as much strength as she could, she ripped it back, and the buckle snapped under the strain, falling away from Major Tal'in's waist. As the major succeeded in pushing Aria most of the way off, Aria drew her right knee back and slammed it as hard as she could into the other woman's rib cage. She heard a series of crunches and a gasp of pain as several ribs gave way from the force of the knee spear. Ruthlessly, taking advantage of the moment, Aria kicked her again and again, hearing several more bones snap from the force of the kick.

The major's grip weakened, allowing Aria to shove her away from her broken belt. She kicked hard with both feet and Major Tal'in slid across the cell, coming to rest against the opposite wall on the floor. For a moment Aria considered the pistol, but then she changed her mind. The sound of a shot would surely draw the guards, even if they weren't able to hear the struggle going on inside the cell. Getting to her feet, she quickly moved to where the major lay, just as she was beginning to get up as well.

-I think you're about to learn a valuable lesson yourself, Major,- Aria said. She planted her foot firmly on the older Ailian's chest, slamming her back down on the floor. Major Tal'in gave a choked gasp of agony as the kick placed pressure on her broken ribs. -If your enemy's arms are injured, you mustn't forget about the legs.- Aria then placed a foot on Major Tal'in's throat. Her eyes widening, she tried to grab Aria's ankle, but it was a bit too late. With firm downward pressure and a violent twist, Aria quickly, if messily, broke the major's neck.

Stepping back from the limp corpse on the floor, Aria brushed a hand over her face. After catching her breath, she went back to where the major's belt lay. The belt itself was useless with a broken buckle, but the contents of the belt were more important. Aria pulled the knife and sheath off and slid them into her left pocket. She withdrew the heavy pistol from its holster, taking spare ammunition magazines from their pouches and placing them in her right pocket. Going back to the major's body, she found an electronic key fob in her shirt. Aria hissed in triumph.

-I'm getting out of here now.-

- 3 -

-You know that the Pteryd will eventually turn against us, don't you?-

Ara'lana glanced up from the intelligence reports she was reading. Admiral Kris was watching her carefully from where she sat, in a chair opposite her desk. The younger Ailian officer had brought the reports in to her, and remained in case Ara'lana had any questions or further orders for her. Ara'lana wasn't surprised to hear the question from her co-conspirator. Selina had always been the most skeptical of the stage of their plan which required forging an alliance with the Pteryd, and would have argued more strongly against it if she also hadn't understood the need to increase their numbers.

-I'm aware of that,- Ara'lana said, looking back to the reports. -The Pteryd have never demonstrated a desire for anything other than wiping us out, and I do not expect them to start now. Their alliance with us is one of convenience, nothing more.-

Admiral Kris nodded. -They are hoping to play along with us until the war exhausts both sides, then move in for the kill. We should not be allying ourselves so closely with them.-

Ara'lana sighed slightly. -It is a risk, yes. But we can afford to take it, and we
have
to take it.- She gave a contemptuous snort, gritting her teeth slightly. -The human factions that have chosen to follow us are significant, but unreliable, even those that have formal statehood. While I am content to use the humans, the Pteryd will be much more valuable to us in the long term.-

-Perhaps,- Admiral Kris said slowly, though she did not seem entirely convinced.

-You worry too much, Selina. I have not come this far by failing to account for the risks. When the time comes that we must break our alliance with the Pteryd, we'll be ready for it.-

Though it was not enough to satisfy her, Kris knew that Ara'lana was the superior strategist to her. Her assurances would have to do for now. -Yes, Admiral.- She folded her hands in her lap. -Have you any questions about the latest reports?-

-A few,- Ara'lana said slowly. She traced her finger along the report. -We seem to be making good progress everywhere, but we're getting hung up in Sector Two. I want those shipyards, Admiral, and...- The communicator on her desk began to chirp, forestalling anything further from her. She switched the device on. -Go ahead, Lieutenant.-

The volume of the communicator was turned low, so that Admiral Kris wasn't able to understand what was said. She could, however, hear the tone of voice that was speaking, and the voice sounded hurried and anxious. She could also see the shift in expressions on the other Ailian's face, see the gradual lowering of her ears and the raising of her fur. When Ara'lana slammed her hand down on the desktop and stood up hurriedly, it hardly came as a surprise to Selina.

-Lieutenant, sound the alarms basewide, and keep all security personnel on high alert,- Ara'lana almost shouted into the communicator. -I do not want the alert rescinded until this matter has been attended to, is that clear?- She angrily switched off the device, her tail lashing the air in her fury. A moment later she smacked her desk again and began pacing.

-What has happened, Admiral?- Selina asked, watching her carefully.

Ara'lana whirled around to face her. -My daughter has vanished from her cell. And Major Tal'in is dead. Her weapons are missing.- She shook her head. -I knew that leaving her alive, even temporarily, was a mistake. Sentimentality on my part.-

-Well, she doesn't have anywhere to go,- Admiral Kris said. -We'll find her. That's the good thing about mistakes. They can usually be fixed.-

******

While sneaking around was something that Aria was usually quite skilled at, she was finding it very difficult now. For one thing, she had little idea of where she was going. Of the whole base she was in, which she was now realizing was far larger than she had first thought, she had only seen one of the hangar bays, her mother's quarters, and the cell that she had spent the last several days in. Aria also had no idea what planet she was on, if she even was on a planet. For all she knew, she could be on a self-contained station in deep space. The Ascendancy had several such stations, and it was conceivable that Aria's mother could have used the power she wielded during her time as Chief Admiral to construct one of her own.

Wherever she was, Aria would need to find a way out, and that meant finding her way to a hangar in order to commandeer a ship. Preferably one which could be piloted by a single person, although she figured she could manage a two- or three-person ship by herself in a pinch, and certainly one which had hyperspace-capable engines. That ruled out a fighter, which was unfortunate because speed would probably be quite important in her escape, and ruled out most ships of troop transport size or larger, which was what she had seen the most of at the base so far. All of that boiled down to a certain need for luck.

After she had used the late Major Tal'in's key to escape from her cell, Aria had made her way out of the prison block of the base. She had managed to avoid the guards, who did not seem to maintain static positions but rather circulated the area in staggered patrols. By covertly observing them, she was able to keep them unaware of her presence and slip by when they passed. Major Tal'in's key was indispensable, letting her slip in an out of doors whenever she needed a quick place to hide.

-If only I'd thought to play along a little with...that woman,-
Aria thought to herself, while hiding in what seemed to be an unused security office during one such occasion. She couldn't bring herself to even think of Ara'lana as her mother right now.
-But it didn't even cross my mind. I objected as soon as the suggestion came from her. It would have felt...unnatural, somehow, to even pretend to agree with her.-

A moment later, Aria was drawn out from her thoughts as a shrill alarm began to sound. She rolled her eyes, covering her face with one hand.
-Well, the luck couldn't last...Someone would have had to find the major's body eventually.-

Listening at the door, Aria could hear footsteps running around the corridors outside. She gripped the pistol she had taken from Major Tal'in's body tightly, ready in case someone decided to check her hiding place. But eventually the footsteps died away, and things were quiet outside once more.

After waiting a bit longer until she was reasonably certain the hallway was clear, Aria took out her pilfered key and waved it over the inside of the door handle to let herself out. The door gave a quiet, negative chirp and refused to open. Frowning, the Ailian swiped the key again, but still the lock stubbornly refused to disengage.

-Damn,- she said to herself. -They must have revoked her security clearance already...Fast work...- In a burst of frustration, Aria tossed the key to the ground and crushed it with the heel of her boot. She thought hard for a few moments, wondering what to do now. Not for the first time in her life, she cursed the strict security practices of the Ascendancy. The security office might as well have been another cell if she didn't have the necessary means of leaving it. Now all she could do was sit here and wait to be captured again.

-Think, Aria, think,-
she mused.
-There must be some way out of here. This isn't a prison cell. It won't be as hardened as a cell would be.-

Looking around, she thought about what she could do. Like all of the rooms she had visited in the base, there were no windows, and no other apparent weaknesses in the walls. She
could
always kick the door open, but that would probably set off another alarm and draw guards to the area. And that was assuming that Aria's attempt to use the invalid key hadn't already triggered some sort of silent alert. So that left the contents of the room to try to help her...somehow. All that the room held was a pair of chairs, a desk, and a computer terminal which seemed to be disconnected from the base's power grid.

-Not much help here,- Aria grumbled, nibbling on a claw. She gave a growling snort of irritation, but she managed to resist the urge to smash the computer to pieces. That would accomplish little other than making her feel a bit better, which wasn't much use to her right now. -Come on, dammit, there has to be something...- Taking a deep breath, she happened to glance up at the ceiling. When she did, an unexpected smile spread across her muzzle. -Well, hello...-

Nestled up in the ceiling was a slotted metal panel, a vent opening to the air circulation system of the base. The panel was square and seemed to be just about shoulder width on all sides. The fit would be tight, but Aria thought that she could squeeze through headfirst. First she needed to get up there and pry the vent panel off.

Aria quickly pulled one of the chairs in the room over and climbed up onto it. She was able to reach the vent handily with the aid of the chair, and she extended her arms up. Her fingers were just able to fit into the vent slots. With an experimental tug, she checked how well the panel was attached to the ceiling. The tug told her that the vent cover should be fairly easy to pry off, so long as she applied the correct leverage. Grinning again, Aria drew out the knife she had taken from Major Tal'in. She slid the blade in between the panel and the ceiling, and then pulled down as hard as she could.

With a sharp clang, accompanied by the abrupt and rough snap of the blade breaking in two, the panel swung down and away from the air vent, hanging from the ceiling by one edge. Unsheathing her claws, Aria reached inside and managed to get a good grip on the inside of the ductwork. Owing to the fact that her arms were still somewhat weak, this was likely to be slow going, but Aria determinedly pulled herself inside the duct.

-Now let's see you stop me.-

******

-Give me an update.-

Ara'lana had gathered the heads of her security departments into her ready room, along with Admiral Kris and Seirin-143. Owing to the size of her main headquarters, there were several different security chiefs, in charge respectively of hangars, external security, facilities, and the armories. All of them were now fully aware of the situation, and they were all eager to avoid their leader's wrath by containing the problem.

The chief of external security was the first to speak up. -We have scanned the outer limits of the planet's magnetic field,- she said, -and our long- and short-range sensors have not been able to pick up any ships lingering in the area. It seems unlikely that the escapee has received any aid from outside.-

Ara'lana gave the female a withering glare with her emerald eyes. -That much is obvious, Commander,- she said. -I
hardly
expected that anyone followed a trail of footprints to this base, after all. I would be more worried about someone on the inside giving her aid.-

The security chief of facilities straightened up in his chair. -That's not possible, Admiral,- he said. -Everyone here is loyal to you. Nobody here would have given aid to the prisoner. And in any case, nobody knew that she was here except for the people in this room, Lady Shi'ala, and Major Tal'in.-

-The guards in the prison block certainly knew, Lieutenant,- Admiral Kris pointed out. -And they would have been in the perfect position to orchestrate an escape.-

-They knew they were responsible for a high-priority prisoner,- the facilities chief said. -They were not informed of her identity. They would have no reason to assist her.-

-Excellent, then that means her escape was merely a result of their own incompetence,- Ara'lana said, in a mock-cheerful voice. She pointed to the facilities chief. -Lieutenant, once the situation has been dealt with, you will see to their executions. I have no use for security personnel who can't keep their assigned areas secure.-

The male looked as though he wanted to protest, but on reflection he seemed to think better of it and kept his mouth shut, only nodding in agreement with his leader's directive. He recognized that it was only a stroke of luck that she wasn't grouping him in with those unfortunate guards. He picked up a small tablet, tapping a note of the order for later reference.

Looking to her hangar security chief, Ara'lana posed another question. -How have you augmented the security for the hangar bays, Major?-

-The guard on all of the main bays has been doubled,- the officer replied. -We have assigned additional personnel to the secondary bays as well. Additionally, we have locked out all of the entrances to the tertiary and maintenance bays to all except for your personal security code, Admiral. The prisoner will have a hard time gaining access, to say the least.-

Ara'lana frowned at her. -I would feel a little better about that assessment if we could determine where she was, Major.-

~Lady Me'lia,~
Seirin-143 put in.
~Perhaps I might offer the assistance of some of my people? We are uniquely suited to tracking.~
The Pteryd indicated its short antennae.
~I brought seven of my people with me. I know your facility is very large, but we are able to link telepathically. We can search much more efficiently than your own security personnel can, if you give us authorization to leave the areas that have been set aside for us.~

Admiral Kris caught Ara'lana's eye, and shook her head fractionally. The meaning was clear to the elder Ailian. -That will not be necessary, my friend,- Ara'lana said. -We can handle this issue ourselves. I would not want to offend the Combine by putting any of your people in unnecessary danger. If they will remain where they are, we will let them know when they may safely move about.-