Broken Halo (Wayfarers) Read online

  “It’s not running to continue our journey, Captain, and it’s especially not running when we are facing such difficult odds. Victory here is survival, not conquest.” Susan gestured again at the Directorate fleet. “I have no intention of losing forces we may later need by attacking a strong opponent. Not only would we lose people and material, but the casualties we inflict on them might inspire the Directorate to continue their chase long after they would have otherwise given up. Outrunning them is the best option. It won’t be easy, but it’s more reasonable to try that than to die for no reason.”

  Captain Exeter’s expression had turned to stone. He seemed about to speak again, but Gabe broke in before he could. “I can appreciate the desire to fight, Exeter, but she’s right. Sometimes, for the good of His people, the Lord asks us to do something we’d rather not do.” He grinned. “At least, that seems to be something I recall my father telling me when it was my turn to take out the trash.”

  A wry smile appeared on Susan’s face and she shook her head. “I have no idea why he would feel the need to remind you of that so forcefully, Captain Miller.” The officers around the table chuckled, and Exeter settled back into his seat. He still seemed dissatisfied, but then, he hadn’t been crashing along any rig recovery bays recently.

  Susan waited until the officers had calmed again, and then she looked around. “Are there any other questions before we continue?” Silence was the only response. She turned to Gabe, and he saw a hint of gratitude in her eyes. “Captain Miller, are there any other concerns the rig forces feel they should share with the remainder of the fleet? I know we will be relying heavily on your people for the duration of this campaign.”

  Gabe grinned. “No, Admiral. The attention we’ve been getting is enough for us.” Then he felt a reluctant compulsion to add a bit more to that sentence. “I do need to thank the fleet for the assistance of the new search and recovery rigs. They’ve already contributed to the work in transporting damaged rigs to the repair teams, and I feel that they will provide more help in the future.”

  Some of the other officers seemed just as uncomfortable hearing Gabe’s praise as he felt giving it, but Susan merely nodded. “I’m glad to hear that. For now, the fleet will assume their assigned positions while the rigs begin their patrol cycles. Thank you for your support.”

  The others filed out of the room, but Gabe stayed until he and Susan had been left alone. She was studying the display of the system, as if trying to figure out where the Directorate fleet would appear. He waited for a while, letting her enjoy the quiet of her own thoughts. Then she looked over at him and smiled. “Still here, Gabriel?”

  Gabe stood and walked over to her. “Yeah. Just wanted to see if you were doing all right. How are you holding up?”

  “Oh, about as well as can be expected.” Susan looked over at him a smiled a little. “At the very least, the Council can’t keep us sitting still now. On the whole, however, I think I would have preferred not having to run from a Directorate task force, even if it meant having to fight with the Council instead.”

  He grinned. “I don’t know about that. Sometimes Elder Ishval can get pretty hard to deal with.”

  Susan laughed, and Gabe felt his heart skip a beat. He’d missed that sound. “I suppose you may be right, Gabriel.” She stood and motioned to the display. “How likely is it that we’re going to be able to mislead the Directorate with this plan? Give me your perspective as a rig officer.”

  Gabe considered the display for a few moments. Then he sighed. “We might be able to outmaneuver them for a while, but things are probably going to get risky fast. The officer on the other side might start to guess our intentions. Unless they come in blind and stupid, we could still get caught.”

  She let out a breath. “You’re right, unfortunately. I estimate that we might be able to avoid battle for a day, perhaps two, before they catch us again.”

  He fell silent at that evaluation. She looked very serious now, and he wondered what was going through her mind. “Do you think we could talk to them? Maybe try to arrange some kind of cease fire to discuss the situation?”

  “No.” Susan shook her head. “They must have been given a mandate by the Governing Council to come out this far, especially during the middle of the war. And the Council would not remove units from the front lines lightly; they would have orders to enforce the extermination decree they made when we took the Concord originally.” She laid a hand on the table, her expression worried. “In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they had orders to ignore any signals we sent them. Communication with an enemy such as us is often considered treason. No task force commander would want to risk a treason charge just to listen to us.”

  “Especially if they thought we were just stalling for time. Which, if you think about it, we pretty much would be.” Gabe put a hand under his chin. “So talking is out, then. What about a distraction, or a decoy of some kind?”

  “The problem with a decoy is that whoever we use, or whatever ships are involved, would not have a resonance drive so they could leave the system.” Susan took in the Concord with an expansive gesture. “The Directorate has likely realized that the only resonance drive is here, on this carrier. All they need to do is localize this ship and neutralize it, and then the entire rest of the Wayfarer fleet will be stranded in the system. They could pick us off at leisure.”

  Gabe brought his head up. “Could we use the Concord as bait, then? Make them think the carrier is exposed and then hit them before they can reach her?”

  Susan looked over at him. “Perhaps, but then we run the risk of being unable to retreat. We need time to form the gravitic connections before the cascade can occur—otherwise, the Concord would leave the system alone. The others would be destroyed.”

  Then she paused, and a contemplative look spread over her face. “All the same, it would be an effective way to distract them. If it’s possible to make them think that the rest of the fleet isn’t here, and that Concord is the only ship left …” Susan nodded, and then smiled brightly. “This bears some thinking on, Captain Miller.”

  He returned the smile and stepped closer to kiss her lightly. “Glad to hear it, Admiral.” Then Gabe stepped away with a put-upon sigh. “I guess I’ll need to get back to the rigs. Since we’re running those patrols, I probably need to start handing out assignments and such. No rest for the wicked.”

  “Or the righteous, either, I expect.” Susan cocked her head and watched as he backed away. “Gabriel.”

  Gabe stopped.

  Susan lifted her chin. “I expect you to take of yourself from now on. Do you understand me?”

  “Of course, Admiral.” He gave her his most charming smile. “Can I escort you to your office, ma’am?”

  She hesitated. “No, I don’t think so, Captain.” When he crooked an eyebrow at her, Susan blushed—a sight vanishingly rare in itself. “I decided to take a trip down to Frame Sixty after all. Just to inspect that part of the ship for damage.”

  Gabe blinked, and then laughed. “Why, Admiral, I’m shocked! What would your officers think?”

  Susan glared at him, but her cheeks were still red. “As if you’re one to criticize, Gabriel.” Then she shook her head, her expression chagrined. “I know I shouldn’t, but it’s become enough of a distraction that I need to get it out of the way. Once I spend some time down there, it will lose its mystery and I can focus on what I need to do again.”

  “Well, don’t let me keep you. Be safe on your little expedition, and don’t wander around too long. Otherwise, I’ll have to tell the Council you’re playing hooky.” Gabe offered a casual salute and retreated out the door before she could find something to throw at him. All in all, it had been a very good meeting indeed.

  “Admiral, I don’t understand why we’re meeting this way. Couldn’t we have used a conference room?”

  Susan tried to restrain a sigh as she listened to Elder Rollins. The man had come to visit the Concord and report on the damage and casualties
to the Advisors’ Council, but he’d arrived just as she had started out for the mystery area near Frame Sixty. It also happened to be the only hour of free time she was likely to have for the next several days, and she had no intention of squandering her opportunity to explore just to have another interview with one of the Advisors. She’d been looking forward to it too much.

  Older craft always had their share of quirks, secrets, and oddities that more recently built ships had not accumulated yet. The Concord had not been the only warship in the Directorate fleet with a long and varied history. Susan’s wanderings on other ships had uncovered quite a few interesting things during her service in the Directorate—once she had found an old, abandoned still in a concealed room, and another time she had stumbled onto a small impromptu art gallery hidden behind some coolant pipes—but she almost valued more the opportunity to relax and think through her problems. It was that chance to think and sort out her thoughts that she sought now, and if she had to drag Elder Rollins along with her, so be it.

  Both of them were now wandering down the corridor the engineers had highlighted for her. From the damage to the surrounding bulkheads, the work crews had not reached the area yet, which was just fine with Susan. She had no desire to run across more people than she had to at the moment. Yet Rollins was still waiting for an answer, and she gave one in as level a voice as she could manage.

  “Some of my duties require a conference room, Elder, but a simple conversation with you should not keep me from getting to know my flagship.” Susan paused and glanced at him. “Of course, if you would like to postpone our meeting, I would be open to speaking with you at a later time.”

  Rollins looked a little cross, but he shook his head. “No, Admiral. I can appreciate how valuable your time is, and I would not want to keep you from your … work.” He glanced at a small hole in the bulkhead to their left, clearly unnerved by the signs of damage. “Have there been any more problems you feel we should know about?”

  Susan shook her head. “No, not yet.” She picked her way past a crumpled pile of debris at a bend in the corridor, careful not to let any of the scattered junk touch her. Some of the damage appeared to have sheared through power connections, and it would not have surprised her to see that some of the debris was electrified. There were many other reasons that the area could have gained its designated danger status, but she had no intention of finding out which it was.

  Up ahead, she saw someone waiting for them and mentally let lose a string of curses. It was Chief Kowalski, whom she recognized easily from his personnel docket. The engineer had obviously anticipated his superior officer’s “disobedience” and had planned accordingly. He carried a portable terminal in one hand and a box of tools in the other. When they drew close, he nodded amiably. “Admiral. I thought I would accompany you during your examination of this area.”

  Susan studied him for a moment; the engineer was so pleased with himself that it was a surprise that he didn’t burst. She inclined her head. “Very well, Chief Kowalski. Elder Rollins from the Advisor’s Council has decided to join us.”

  Kowalski nodded respectfully to Elder Rollins as well, and the two men shook hands. Susan was momentarily surprised by how casually Rollins accepted that greeting; most civilians of high rank tried to maintain some distance from those who were not considered their social peers, but perhaps the Wayfarers had never felt the same way about their leaders. In any case, she allowed Kowalski to lead the way through the rest of the corridor ahead. The chief kept up a running dialogue throughout the journey, warning of dangers ahead and explaining their progress to Elder Rollins as they went.

  When they reached a particular section where a large portion of the right bulkhead had snapped off and cut deeply into the left side, Kowalski paused. “Be careful here. The power lines have definitely been cut, and I think we’ll lose lights up ahead. Don’t touch anything you don’t have to.” He edged past the jagged hole in one wall and the twisted, axe-like sheet of metal buried in the other. Susan and Rollins followed, and as predicted, the lights up ahead were out.

  Kowalski passed each of them a hand light and they continued forward, the cones of illumination sweeping across the debris as they made their way deeper into the unknown. The stream of information from the chief had stopped, and Rollins took the opportunity to ask a question that Susan was sure had been asked repeatedly aboard the Summer Rain. “Admiral, how much longer before we will be able to perform the next cascade?”

  Susan let her light play over the floor in front of them. There were occasional bits of debris in their path, but the way ahead seemed relatively clear. “Our engineering staff estimates that we should be able to leave in another three days. Hopefully that will be enough time to evade our pursuers.”

  Rollins’ light bobbed as he stepped past a fallen structural beam. His breath seemed to be coming easily for the moment, but Susan was starting to wonder if the outing was a bit too eventful for the older man. “Do you believe the enemy will come before then?”

  “Yes, Elder.” Susan paused as her light caught on a pile of debris that stretched completely across the corridor. Kowalski saw the obstruction and began to probe with his own light, looking for a spot where they could clamber over or around it. “The Directorate has superior resonance drives when compared to our own, and they will very likely find our specific vector soon enough. Our real hope is that they are delayed long enough that they cannot force a battle, not that they won’t enter the system before we leave.”

  “I see.” Rollins was looking for a way past the obstacle as well. When Susan glanced at him, she brought her light around and was surprised to find an expression of curiosity mingled with excitement on his face. Apparently the Advisor was not as dull or unappreciative of the adventure as she had thought. “Do you think that we would be able to—ah, there’s a good spot.”

  Susan looked where the man’s light was pointed and saw a slight gap in the wreckage. Before she could take a step, Chief Kowalski had moved ahead to test the passage, stomping on the debris to try the footing and cautiously examining some of it with his tools for other dangers. As they waited for the chief to give them an all clear, Rollins turned to Susan and continued.

  “Do you think that while we wait for the cascade, the fleet could begin to draw resources from the surrounding area? I understand that there are several nearby asteroids that the civilian engineers are interested in—to say nothing of the crew on the Foundry, of course—and the fleet might be able to distill some measure of fuel from the gas giant and the planet’s moons.”

  She frowned, considering the situation. “I don’t think that would be wise, Elder. The Directorate fleet could very well be on us before we know it. By dispersing the fleet, we increase the chance that a portion of our ships will be caught, isolated, and destroyed by a force that already substantially outnumbers us. Worse, we make it much more likely that when we can jump, we’ll be forced to leave ships behind which could not rejoin us in time.”

  Rollins frowned, his expression resigned. “I was afraid that would be the answer. Unfortunately, we have an alternate proposal, though it’s one I do not entirely enjoy.” He hesitated, and while he paused, Chief Kowalski called back to them.

  “We’re clear to move through! Watch your step, though. The pile may seem stable, but I don’t trust it entirely.”

  Susan motioned for Rollins to proceed ahead of her, and his lips quirked in a wry smile. All the same, he accepted the courtesy with good grace, and clambered over the obstacle with her in close pursuit. When they paused for breath on the other side, Rollins continued.

  “Since the mission implies a great deal of risk, some have made the suggestion that we employ the mercenaries. Their ships can accelerate much better than anything the majority of our civilian craft are capable of, and they also have superior armor and other defenses.” Despite those reasons, Rollins continued to look mildly uncomfortable.

  Susan considered him for a moment before responding. “The mer
cenaries might also be considered expendable if we need to leave them behind, Elder. Am I correct?”

  Rollins shrugged. He looked apologetic now, and Susan started to realize why the plan had not appealed to him, at the very least. “That … possibility has been discussed, Admiral, but those of us who would like to consider their change in stripes would also like to help secure their safety as well. Perhaps some of our rig patrols might be detailed to protect them in their duties.”

  Chief Kowalski snorted, drawing their attention. He scratched at the back of his head. “Sorry. I try to be charitable to them, Lord knows I try, but they did try to kill us, Elder. There are plenty who might not mind it if one or two of those ships didn’t make it back to the rendezvous point on time. Are we sure we want to end up defending them?”

  The suggestion Rollins had made dovetailed neatly with the plans Gabriel had suggested earlier. A plan began to form in Susan’s mind, and she smiled. “Think of it as an investment in the supplies we could have them collect, Chief Kowalski.” She glanced at the engineer. “Besides, I believe that even those poor fools might deserve a chance to … balance accounts, shall we call it?” Susan returned her attention to Rollins, who was watching her with a surprised expression. “I believe that we may find a way for the mercenaries to prove themselves, though it may indeed be dangerous. All the same, I have every intention of taking them with us when we leave this place.”

  Then she turned her gaze to the darkness around the bend. “Shall we continue?”

  Again they started forward, their hand lights sweeping through the gloomy interior. The light from the sections with power had now faded almost entirely, and Susan began to wonder how much farther the corridor extended. Less debris had tumbled loose ahead of them, but the area seemed much more abandoned, as if this part of the ship had not seen a human footstep in many years. Their presence disturbed little clouds of dust that shone in the spotlights, and each step forward echoed softly around them.