Dissonance: Aurora Renegades Book Two (Aurora Rhapsody 5) Page 28

  Were all the beings present Metigens? Instinctively, she believed the answer was yes. And she was forced to conclude they could manipulate this quantum space with infinitely greater skill than she or her fellow Prevos had been able to accomplish. She was a ghostly spectator here, but they appeared to be existing here.

  Above her and ahead, she detected a concentration of those inhabiting this place.

  She willed herself up and wandered along their outskirts. They interacted in a manner which suggested they conversed with one another, but she could not hear their words.

  It took a minute to discern it, as they retained wispy and ethereal forms, but the individuals took on distinct shapes. One resembled a lion-like creature, another a many-armed…cephalopod? She noted a broad-winged bird, and several shapes derived from no organic inspiration she’d ever seen. Off to the side floated a tall, graceful faie—

  Lakhes.

  She moved closer.

  Lakhes shared space with another being, one who took as their avatar a great caracal, and as she drew near, she did begin to hear and understand them. How? Mesme was not here to radiate a translation, and she remained unable to comprehend the others.

  Lakhes: —so quickly? Perhaps we bred their bloodlust too well. Yet this in itself contains a lesson we can learn from.

  Unidentified: I agree. In the end I hardly had to encourage them. Their eagerness for vengeance oozed in the sweat from their pores. I daresay it would be a challenge to dissuade them, but if you wish me to attempt to slow their progression, I can do so.

  Lakhes contemplated the question a moment. No. We have learned nearly all we are apt to from them. Allow them to act, and see if they do. There is a small chance we misjudge them. Assuming we do not, let it flow to its end. Once it’s done we will shut Enisle Twenty-Seven down and queue it for re-use.

  The other Metigen rippled its form in response and floated off down the corridor.

  Valkyrie, renumber all the portals using this one as the starting point. Given that order, what portal are they discussing?

  Khamen. The Khokteh portal.

  Dammit! There was so much here to investigate, so many incredible possibilities to explore. But if the Khokteh were in danger of being annihilated they needed to move fast. She prepared to leave, swearing to return—

  —Lakhes’ essence spun and surged forward to surround her.

  I see you, Alexis Solovy.

  Her pulse hastened, ready to panic. But the alien wasn’t hurting her. Was it?

  In the part of her consciousness still residing in her body, she felt the warmth of his palm as Caleb stroked her cheek. He was concerned. She tried to make her head nod to convey she was okay, and thought she succeeded.

  “You can’t exterminate the Khokteh! You haven’t the right. They deserve to live.”

  Ah, yes, you did visit their Enisle. Their own decisions have demonstrated they do not.

  The words implied the Praetor only now remembered that they had spent time with the Khokteh. But it was a lie. Lakhes had known she was here the whole time and had allowed her to overhear the conversation with whom she assumed must be Iapetus, before confronting her. Lakhes wanted her to know what was about to transpire.

  Was it a test? A challenge? Not that she cared; her course of action had already been decided.

  “You manipulated them into war and killing. You treated them like playthings, but they are so much more. They simply need to be allowed to choose their own path, free of your interference.”

  Lakhes’ essence twisted and undulated around her; she felt as though her skin should be tingling from the adamant yet spectral caresses.

  Enough. I will not debate the merits of our stratagems with a Human. The fate of any single species populating any single Enisle has no consequence to the universe.

  “Which universe?”

  The only one which exists of its own volition. The only one which in truth exists at all.

  “Amaranthe.”

  Mnemosyne was correct. You are a clever one. Even more clever than your sentient ship. Or might Valkyrie be here as well? No matter.

  Well done on having discovered this place. My compliments to you. The perspicacious nature of… the points of light quivered …Humans is proven once again. But now you must depart.

  “Not until you answer my questions. Why is Aurora dangerous? Why do you create universes then prime the residents to exterminate themselves? Why do you waste your time toying with species you view as insignificant when you clearly have real enemies in Amaranthe? Are you hiding—”

  Her perception was propelled backward, as if it were being pulled into a vortex. She slammed into her body.

  Her eyes flew open with a gasp.

  “Alex?”

  She sat straight up in the chair and grabbed Caleb by the shoulders. “We have to save them.”

  PART VII:

  PUPPET MASTERS

  “Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it,

  and I shall move the world.”

  — Archimedes

  PORTAL: AURORA

  (MILKY WAY)

  47

  ROMANE

  INDEPENDENT COLONY

  * * *

  NOAH STARED AT THE HAND. His hand, he supposed, but his brain wasn’t quite ready to accept it yet.

  His brow furrowed in concentration…and the fingers curled in toward the palm. Directing the movement hadn’t actually been hard. His focus shifted, and he slowly bent the arm in at the elbow. It seemed heavy, but he knew it was his imagination.

  The skin tone was a tad pale, but the doctors promised it would tan and soon be indistinguishable from the rest of his skin. Because it was his skin, cloned from his other forearm and grafted onto the biosynthetic limb beneath—a limb constructed using his own bone, grown and shaped on a self-dissolving lattice.

  Still, while partially organic, the prosthetic arm stretching from fingertip to a few centimeters below his shoulder was more synthetic than—

  —he stopped himself. What the hell was he being angsty and melodramatic about? He loved tech, and this was cool, dammit.

  It was going to be stronger than his real arm had been once he got used to controlling it. He bet it packed a helluva punch. And he’d been in enough scrapes to recognize there were times when what you most needed in the world was a helluva punch.

  His spirits lifted considerably, and he was beaming when Kennedy walked into the hospital room with his father in tow. Even the sight of Lionel didn’t dampen his mood. If pushed, he’d be forced to admit he was almost—almost—glad to see his father.

  He lifted his fake arm in the air and gave it an experimental wave. “Hi.”

  His father appeared positively concerned as he hurried over to the bed. “How are you feeling? You’re lucky to be alive, you know. I spoke to all the doctors. They say if a few more minutes had passed without medical intervention, your eVi would not have been able to prevent your brain from stroking.”

  Noah shot Kennedy a questioning grimace, but she shrugged helplessly. He rolled his eyes in his father’s direction. “Good to see you too, Dad.”

  Lionel blinked. “Yes. Right. I’m happy to see you awake and in positive spirits.” He reached out, grasped the prosthetic arm and twisted it back and forth, inspecting it like it wasn’t attached to Noah’s body.

  “Ow!”

  Lionel set the arm down and patted the hand perfunctorily. “So the nerves were properly reattached. Good. Looks as though they did a fair job. I made certain no expense was spared, so the limb should function perfectly for you. If it doesn’t, inform me and I’ll take care of it.”

  Noah started to bristle. He opened his mouth to protest that he didn’t want or need his father’s charity. But his father’s charity meant he had a state of the art prosthetic arm all but indistinguishable from his own—better than his own—and not a clunky synthesized polymer one. His looked at his father, really looked, and for the first time found genuine kindness in
the man’s eyes.

  “I’ll keep that in mind. It feels fine. A little weird, but I bet I’ll forget it’s not mine—not my original arm—in no time. So…thanks.”

  Kennedy moved to the other side of the bed and placed a far more gentle hand on his shoulder. “Are you in pain? The docs have great drugs if you need any.”

  “Let’s make sure and swipe some on our way out, then. It’s…sore I guess, at my shoulder where they connected all the pieces on the inside. But a dash of pain reminds me I’m alive and nearly wasn’t.”

  A distressed frown darkened her features, and he reached over using his real arm to place a hand on hers. “It’s okay. No, it’s better than okay.”

  The frown blossomed into a smile in response, lovely as a cloudless sunrise, and he thought he probably shouldn’t leave her ever.

  Lionel cleared his throat, ending the weighty, emotional moment with a typical absence of grace. “Ms. Rossi, please inform the appropriate representatives that Pandora will be joining the IDCC. Have the necessary records sent to my attention, and I’ll ensure they’re executed and returned.”

  Kennedy didn’t seem surprised. “I’m glad to hear it. And please, you can call me Kennedy. I think we’re well past honorifics now.”

  His father regarded her with a rather perplexed expression, one most unlike his characteristic scowl of disdain. “Very well, if you insist…Kennedy.”

  Noah gave Lionel a vaguely accusatory look. “So you really do wield a lot of authority for Pandora, then?”

  Ah, there was the scowl. Back to normal. “Yes, I do. And that’s all I intend to say on the matter, so don’t bother to press it.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

  Kennedy tilted her head in question. “May I ask why you decided to join?”

  “Criminals hurt my son. IDCC forces saved him, then punished those responsible. The Consortium has proved its worth to me.”

  Noah was too shocked to figure out how to retort. He gazed at Kennedy instead, eyes a bit wide. She squeezed his hand.

  Huh. Just like that it became his hand.

  She looked back to his father. “I know they’ll be pleased to hear the news. You should receive documentation in the next hour.”

  “Yes, well.” His father straightened up. “I have a comm to take, and I want to speak at greater length to the doctors overseeing your care. I’ll return later to check on you.” He pivoted and left the room.

  Noah sank against the pillow. “Well, he’s not getting any more charming.”

  “But?”

  “But I suppose it’s…nice, what he’s doing. For me, for the IDCC.”

  “You’re damn right it is.”

  He may have relaxed, but she was twitching beside the hospital bed. He tilted his head curiously. “What’s up?”

  She chewed on her lower lip. “So…the Alliance issued an arrest warrant for me over the adiamene dispute.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  She shook her head. “I’m a fugitive!” She started giggling as the words spilled out, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Can you believe it? I feel so naughty.”

  He laughed, relieved she was taking the news so well. He’d expected horror at best, panic at less best, if something like this happened. He must be rubbing off on her. “Imagine how naughty I’m going to feel when I make love to a fugitive from justice. I can’t wait.”

  “Neither can I.” Her lips quirked mischievously and she placed a soft kiss on his mouth. “But you need to concentrate on healing for now.”

  He scoffed. “Seriously, though, you don’t think they’ll send law enforcement after you, do you? Or…crap, doesn’t Romane have an extradition treaty with the Alliance?”

  “You haven’t checked the news lately, have you? What am I saying, obviously you haven’t checked the news. You’ve had more important things to worry about. But no—not any longer.”

  48

  EARTH

  VANCOUVER, EASC HEADQUARTERS

  * * *

  “EVERYTHING IS READY TO GO on this end. We are operational and awaiting the stream.”

  Miriam eyed the security cam footage of the lobby, noting the new arrivals. “Okay, Christopher. I’m out of time. Initiating transfer.”

  “Good luck, Miriam.”

  “Luck is not a factor. I’ll see you soon.”

  She killed the holocomm and opened a new screen, then carefully input a string of commands, passwords, authorizations and more commands.

  The hesitation before she hit ‘Proceed’ was hardly long enough to be measurable.

  The line between patriot and traitor was a fine one indeed. It was also one drawn by the victors, so her placement relative to it remained to be seen.

  She was sitting patiently at her desk when they arrived, but stood when the door opened to admit Pamela Winslow and four members of the woman’s security retinue.

  “Prime Minister, what can I do for you? To warrant a personal visit when you have so many pressing matters to handle, it must be quite important.”

  “You have refused to implement Assembly Resolution SGR 2323-4761. Do you confirm this?”

  “Is that the one ordering the military to act against Alliance citizens, rounding them up and imprisoning them while lacking probable cause then denying them a timely hearing?”

  “The Alliance military is sworn to protect its citizens from threats without and within.”

  “Yes. It is.” She didn’t flinch, and Winslow folded under the weight of her stare.

  “I’ll ask you once more, Admiral. Are you refusing to enforce a valid Assembly Directive?”

  “I take exception to the term ‘valid.’ ”

  “Are you refusing to enforce an Assembly Directive?”

  “I am.”

  Winslow tried to mask the malicious smile but did not entirely succeed. Miriam wasn’t surprised; this was what the woman wanted, after all. “Then you will suffer the consequences. As Prime Minister, I am exercising my authority under Article 31.3 of the Second Earth Alliance Constitution of 2146 to relieve you of the rank of Fleet Admiral, effective immediately.”

  “Oh, dear. I suppose I’m forced to return to being a simple Admiral—a rank you do not have the authority to divest me of.”

  “No, but an Ethics Council tribunal does, and I will ensure you’re brought in front of one inside a week.”

  “You’d best get to work on that, then.” Miriam brushed past Winslow to exit the office.

  “Agent Treston, detain Admiral Solovy on suspicion of conspiracy to commit treason.”

  She stopped in the open doorway. Hearing the word pronounced aloud chilled her to the marrow in her bones, but she would never let it show.

  She looked behind her to the man Winslow had directed the order at. The agent appeared unsure of what to do, and the warning in Miriam’s eyes couldn’t be helping his resolve.

  “Prime Minister, I’m not certain we have the—”

  “She is suspected of being a clear and present threat to state security. Detain her now.”

  “Y-yes, ma’am.” The agent took a hesitant step toward her.

  Miriam leaned into the atrium and secured the attention of the security officer on duty. “Captain Fletcher, these agents are attempting to illegally restrain a superior military officer.”

  “Ma’am!” He leapt up and barked orders into his comm. In seconds six additional MPs had arrived in the atrium.

  “Agent Treston.”

  Treston drew his service Daemon. She had to admire his audacity. The next second everyone’s weapons were drawn. Except hers, of course. No need to be unseemly.

  The Prime Minister’s security team was outnumbered and literally outgunned. Winslow vibrated with rage.

  Had she honestly believed Miriam’s people would not follow her orders without question, would not defend her even if the Prime Minister’s actions were not illegal—which they were?

  Miriam met Winslow’s gaze in a cold, steeled and utterly composed
manner. “Let’s not create a bloodbath in EASC Headquarters. I’m confident you don’t want to start your term in office under the cloud of such an unfortunate scandal.”

  She paused to give Winslow the opportunity to argue; the woman did not.

  “I’m leaving now. Once I’ve departed, Captain Fletcher will see you and your men off the Island.”

  “You are making such a mistake, Admiral.”

  “We will see, won’t we?” She pivoted to Fletcher. “Two men with me. They’ll inform you when I’ve authorized the Prime Minister and her people to depart. Until then, keep them here.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” His chin notched up. “Godspeed, Admiral.”

  That of all things caught her off guard. She blinked. “Thank you, Captain. And thank you for your exemplary service.”

  “It’s my honor, ma’am.”

  A sharp salute and she headed for the lift, turning her back on what had become her favorite office ever. If things went her way, perhaps she’d see it again.

  Her MP escorts were stoic and silent during the ride down the lift. On reaching the lobby they respectfully motioned for her to remain while they cleared the way to the exit. It was unlikely Winslow had kept any security in reserve, much less a force worthy of concern. But the MPs’ job was not to assume.

  Once outside she did not head for the spaceport, but rather the courtyard.

  Right on time, an EA military shuttle descended from above. It was an unusual place to land, but the shuttle apparently had all the required clearances, for no one was attempting to shoot it down.

  She pivoted to the MPs. “Thank you for the escort, officers. My ride’s here, so I’ll be going. Delay one minute after I’ve boarded the shuttle, then inform Captain Fletcher that Prime Minister Winslow and her security detail can be taken to the spaceport and placed aboard their transport.