When the Stars Fade (The Gray Wars) (93 page)

             
Mara shook her head
.“
Troja, do you even hear yourself? Is that what has you so incensed you would go to war? This is caste nonsens
e—
the Nangolani are beyond such petty things. Without that money, we would never have fielded enough ships for a true evacuation. Anduin made concessions for the greater good
.
”

             
“You do
n’
t understand, Mara. Not all of us were lucky enough to be born on the Niluth vessels
.”
Luthat picked at a piece of chuda, a  gummy bread with a sweet center
.“
I grew up poor on the streets of Vetan. I joined the service to be a part of something better than my normal lot. To have a bed of my own in which to sleep. I rose to my position because when my people called for help, I answered. You have no idea how it feels to watch some pompous dow troja step into equal rank because of their family name
.
”

             
“And you know nothing of the sacrifices yo
u’
re asking of your people
.”
Her voice cracked as emotions welled up inside
.“
This is
n’
t just a fight for us, it will cost the lives of your crewmen, of your soldiers, of your friends and loved ones
.
”

             
Hanweh hissed
.“
Do
n’
t lecture me about sacrifice. Every man and woman aboard
Barrenon
is family. Every Nangolani in the fleet is my brother. I ache for every life lost
.
”

             
Mara did
n’
t have a retort. She scowled, chewing on her lower lip. It was a nasty habit sh
e’
d picked up from a secretary on Earth
.“
What of the humans
?
”

             
Luthat laughed
.“
What about them? The
y’
re keeping the Boxti busy
.
”

             
“We ca
n’
t just leave them as living shields. It is
n’
t right
.
”

             
The older Domin leaned over the table, pointing with his gnarled hand
.“
They would do the same or worse if the sides were changed. Those hairy animals are barbarians, callous and uncultured and good for nothing but cannon fodder
.
”

             
“Enough
,”
a voice boomed. Io, still seated by commanding attention, glared at the assembled officers. His skin was dry and pale, wrinkled like a prune and hanging down off his face. Mara had never before met the Odai, the Judicator. Like her, his position was unique amongst the Nangolani; he was a member of neither the Domin nor the Magistrate
.“
We will not allow our anger with our former leaders to cloud our judgment on such an important matter. The fate of the humans is our burden to bear, like it or not. Our people betrayed their trust and fed them to the Great Devourer. It is only fitting that, as we take steps to separate ourselves from such damaged leadership, we make amends for the wrongs they committed
.”
He sipped gingerly at his glass of Glin
.“
We will reach out to the human leaders. In fact, we must be the first to do so. If we delay much longer, the Magistrate will surely paint a very crooked picture of our actions. They may even seek to lay the blame on our heads
.
”

             
Luthat rolled his eyes, turning to face the rebel commander
.“
And how exactly do we broach such a sensitive subject
?
”

             
Domin Shodon did
n’
t answer, but just looked over at Mara. The Historian immediately put her hands up, shaking her head.

             
“You ca
n’
t be serious. I had to leave there because of what I discovered. They were becoming violent
.
”

             
“But your devotion to the truth is why you are the best-suited for this position. You earned many friends in the human hierarchy. If you reach out to the right one, they may be able to help
.
”

             
Mara could
n’
t believe what she was hearing. Sh
e’
d thought this meeting was a simple gesture; a formality. The
y’
d rescued her and she deserved to know what was going on with her people, as her position of Historian demanded. But to become a party to such a dangerous plot seemed completely outside her comfort zone. By law, the Historians were bound to serve as neutral parties in the key events of the species in order to maintain an objective vision. This was quite the opposite.

             
“How would I even begin
?
”             

             
Hanweh smiled, and thankfully there was warmth within
.“I’
m sure there is someone you can contact
.
”

              -                           
III                            -

              Ra
y’
s leg would not stop moving. Ever since h
e’
d sat down at the table, his right knee bobbed up and down like a piston. He tried applying pressure with his hands, but the tension was already too high. He was not made for such high stakes.

             
It was Mar
a’
s fault, he reckoned. Had she never shown him the truth about her peopl
e’
s deception, he never would have risen so quickly amidst a sea of genius analysts. His stint at TSI was supposed to have been short-lived, a quick perusal of lif
e’
s options before settling down at a relaxing job in software development, or being a DJ at a nightclub on Luna. Now he was neck-deep in more political fallout than he could have ever imagined.

             
New Eden looked absolutely awful through the various viewing portals. Most of the surface was hidden behind a thick layer of smoke, broken only by huge pillars of fire. Each screen displayed a different landmass of the once-idyllic planet. The Scourge, as the spores had come to be called, covered roughly sixty percent of the land now. Firebombing had stemmed the tide for a spell, but the spores had gone underground and found new routes around the world. Whole species were lost, converted to ravaging monsters that stalked with unnerving purpose toward human outposts. The few remaining cities had become fortresses. Enormous makeshift walls held off the howling damned, but weakened every day. And what little good the modern castles did washed away when the actual enemy rode in. Scorpion tanks and Wasp support fighters carved through the indigenous forces with impunity.

             
The frontline was long since lost. The carrier and subsequent transports had dispatched so many heavy units that the frail forces on the ground had been overrun. What remained of the original assault now hid in the canyons outside Fort Metts, cut off from supplies and communications. Ray could see the electronic markers from a platoon of tanks, but the growing red river of enemy troops grew closer every hour. The noose tightened.

             
It was
n’
t all bad news, or at least tha
t’
s how they acted on the station. Several groups of infantry had taken positions in the cities around the planet, supporting guerrilla operations and holding out against incredible odds. Rescue missions flew hourly, pulling civilians off world and sending them back into space. Five Ark transports had already been sent back to Earth laden with refugees. There were still millions unaccounted for, along with the eight hundred thousand ground troops slugging it out with the aliens.

             
Ray had
n’
t enjoyed the flight over, or the supposition that his input was apparently necessary to discover what exactly had gone wrong in the fight. The
y’
d also nixed the in-flight movie in favor of news footage detailing the loss of the High Chancellor and a majority of the Council. None of it seemed real, and Ray could
n’
t help but think that this star system would be his last stop. The entire universe was unravelling, and he was just an insignificant insect in the grand scheme of things.

             
“Mr. Lee
.
”

             
Raymond jumped out of his seat. He hated his travel partner,
a“
ghost from the fad
e”
as they were known to the soldiers. The man was
n’
t old, nor did he seem young. He had a youthful appearance but a deep voice. His jet-black suit was immaculate, but in the way that a soldie
r’
s uniform is neat and orderly. There was a manner in which he moved that reminded Ray of a cat stalking prey. He had never said his name, but told the analyst to call hi
m“
Mr. Blake
.
”

             
“I
t’
s time
.
”

             
Ray rose from his chair and walked with the taller agent down a series of dim corridors. Primus was uniformly drab gray and olive green, with short bursts of color to denote specific areas of the ship for quick access to crew. To Ray, it looked like every other space station h
e’
d ever visited. With the exception of a luxury hotel near Luna, h
e’
d never been truly impressed with life off-world. At least gravity felt normal aboard the massive structure. They had used an RRV from Sol, or a Rapid Redeployment Vehicle. Most of the twin-seat shuttl
e’
s mass was devoted to engines, leaving no room for central inertia generators. Without a CIG to pull in one direction, Ray had been in zero gravity the whole trip. H
e’
d brought up most of what h
e’
d eaten for the past week.

             
They arrived at a small room guarded by a single soldier. The young corporal panicked when he noticed the small golden pin on the agen
t’
s lapel. The unblinking eye, the symbol of FAID, always elicited a unique response from the military. Some saluted, others bowed their heads, and a frightened few just found excuses to leave. This rifleman chose to avert his eyes and maintain a strict posture. Blake, for his part, said nothing and simply strode into the room. Ray scampered in behind, letting the door shut and lock.

             
Inside was also fairly dim, with only two yellow bulbs glowing in the ceiling. It was once a storage container, not originally intended to be an interrogation room. Ray did
n’
t know who had chosen to set it up as such. Seated at a solitary table, hands resting together, was a pilot. Ray nearly did a double-take. He would have recognized the man anywhere. H
e’
d seen his face plastered over propaganda posters and vids all across the city back on Earth. Even at Terra Node, as he waited for his new ghost friend, Ray had heard broadcasts of the famou
s“
survivor of Tallus
.
”

             
“Lieutenant Cameron Davis
,”
Blake said. He took out a secure data tab and placed it on the table. Immediately images popped into existence and floated in the air: the pilo
t’
s personnel file, clips from recent news events, footage from the warfront
.“
How are you feeling today
?
”

             
“I
t’
s Captain
,”
the pilot said. He tapped the parallel silver bars on his neck and smirked
.“
Though I ca
n’
t blame you, the
y’
re just handing these things out today
.
”

             
Blak
e’
s face showed no reaction
.“
Captain, then. I would like to take a moment to assure you that you are in no danger. There is no reason for alarm. This meeting is to ensure a mutual understanding of the circumstances that led to you and a deceased member of the High Chancello
r’
s cabinet arriving via an unscheduled jump into an active war zone
.
”