Tundran Space, Standard Year 404 after founding

  The takeoff was bumpy as the shuttle was tossed by the violent winds, the snow and ice continuing to batter it on all sides. Alanna stared out the window as Sean guided them on a relentless climb upwards, until they were up above the clouds, the planet below virtually invisible beyond the roiling curtain of gray storm clouds, surrounding it as far as the eye could see.

  Tony leaned towards her, his voice pitched low enough that only she could hear. “Your Sarayan friend has been in touch.” He said quietly. “You might want to mention it’s not your actual email. He seems chatty.”

  Alanna frowned. “I did mention it. I told you to write it wasn’t secure. Did you?”

  “I did.”

  Alanna sighed. And Jonno was still talking. Because her stupid, irresponsible brother wanted her to know he cared. “He shouldn’t do that.” She said out loud. “It’s dangerous.”

  “Why?”

  “Because even if he has all his messages set to instant deletion, someone could intercept as they go out. Talking to me could get him killed. And not quickly.”

  “Yeah well, apparently asking you how you like Tundra was worth the risk. Tell me again, just how good of a friend is he?”

  Alanna shifted in her seat. “You should be thrilled. We’re trusting him with our lives.”

  “I’m only here because James asked.” Tony said, his voice still quiet but a note of steel behind the words. “Why do I get the feeling he won’t be thrilled about this?”

  “He’s not that kind of a friend.”

  “Yeah? What kind of a friend is he?”

  “He’s more like… family.” Alanna tried not to flinch as they entered the minefield of nuclear warheads surrounding the planet.

  “Biologically related family?” Tony asked pointedly.

  Alanna shook her head. She could have mentioned that they were all orphans, but at that point she may as well reveal Jonno’s identity. They were already revealing too much. “The kind of family that saw the Alanna the traitor video and loves me anyway.” She said instead, her voice softening in spite of herself. She had suddenly gone from being surrounded by her people to being completely, utterly alone. Just then, having her brother’s support meant everything to her. But it wasn’t more important than his life. “He shouldn’t have asked that.” She repeated.

  “Yeah? Well, that’s sweet. But unless you come up with a genetic connection real fast, James is gonna fucking hate this.” He paused. “You want me to respond, or what?”

  “No.” Alanna shook her head. “Don’t encourage him.”

  Tony cast a clearly dubious look in her direction. “Why is it James trusts you again?” He asked, clearly disgruntled. “I can’t for the life of me figure out how you managed it. You have the charisma of a poison mushroom.”

  Alanna opened her mouth to say she had no clue. Why did James trust her? She knew why she trusted James. But why did he trust her? Why did Dev? Hell, why did Tony? Suspicious bastard that he was, he at least trusted her some. “He talked to my people.” She said, voicing the half-thought as it came to her. “You know the commander by their people. James only knew me for a few days. Everything I told him could have been a lie. He trusted me because my people trusted me. It’s why I trust him.” She stifled a small grin as she turned slightly towards Tony. “Either that or my dubious charms.” She added.

  Tony snorted. “Hate to break it to you, but if that’s all it was, James has better options.”

  “So does my Sarayan friend.” Alanna said, her grin getting broader.

  Tony shrugged. “Friendship matters. This guy is sticking his neck out pretty far to look out for you. Everything he’s said so far makes you look good.”

  “He wants me to live.” Alanna said, looking back out the window. Jonno wanted her to live. He wanted them all to live. And so did she. “I want Bernard dead.” She said out loud. “That’s all you need to know.”

  “Hmm.” Tony said, his voice tinged with doubt. “Maybe you do, but you haven’t convinced me of that, let alone the captain. You need her trust to do your job.” He turned towards Alanna, making sure she was paying attention. “You need to do more.” He said.

  Alanna frowned. “Speaking of judging commanders by their people, why is she doing this? Her people trust her. You trust her. She’s a good captain. Why is she letting your president drag her into this mess? It’s beneath her.”

  “Getting the job done can be messy. Presumably, President Hawk convinced her you’re worth dealing with.”

  “We both know this is about more than the stated mission objective.” Alanna said.

  “What else is it about?”

  “Getting me killed.” Alanna said, stating the obvious.

  “You think there’s some plot to take you out mid-mission?”

  “Of course.”

  Tony shook his head. “No.” He said. “I know you don’t understand. You’re being Sarayan about this. And you’re wrong.”

  Alanna snorted under her breath. “Fine. Explain it to me.”

  “You put on the uniform.” Tony said, as if that explained everything.

  “So?”

  “The president won’t throw you away, and he won’t intentionally have you killed. And neither will the captain. Not as long as you wear that uniform with honor.”

  Alanna looked down at the heavy black fabric of her uniform, her hand touching the surface, so much thicker and rougher than the light cotton she was accustomed to. “You don’t think she’ll throw me away.” She said out loud.

  “No one will. Not unless you betray us.”

  “Then what the hell is the point of this? How will this devalue Alanna Summers? Because that was always the point. That was the point of all of it.”

  Tony looked over at her, bemused. “Don’t you see it?” It was perfectly obvious to him.

  “No. This only works if I’m dead by the end.”

  “No.” Tony shook his head. “He changed his strategy. How you perform on this mission could lower your value, or it could prove your worth. He’s giving you the choice. And he gave you the tools to succeed. His personal vote of confidence.”

  “The promotion.” Alanna whispered.

  “He gave you that, Alanna. President Hawk doesn’t hand out promotions lightly. They may not know why, but they know you earned it.”

  Alanna stared down at her hands. On some level, she understood Tony’s interpretation was possible. She wasn’t sure she agreed with it but… it was possible. It was a glimpse of something bigger, and better, than anything she knew. Tony believed in President Hawk. They all did. Except for her. “This won’t be the first time I tried to kill Bernard Bernhard.” Alanna said abruptly.

  “Is that a euphemism or…”

  “No. It’s an admission of attempted murder. I failed.”

  “Damn.” Tony whistled softly under his breath. “Damn.” He repeated. “James sure knows how to pick ‘em. That’s all I can say.”

  “I don’t know if I believe you. About the president giving me a chance. I don’t know if I care. But I want Captain Bernhard dead. I want him dead. I’m very committed.”

  “Do you think that others on Bernard’s crew will know about your uh… history?”

  “Do they know about the attempted murder? No. Do they know that we hate each other? Oh yes, they know.”

  “But you weren’t important enough to matter.” Tony said, remembering what she said earlier.

  “And I never would be. Not in Saraya’s navy.”

  “You’re important enough today.”

  “We have to go in with stun rounds, Tony. We can’t get people on the inside to help us if we go in shooting to kill. Do this my way and I will hand you that station.”

  “Not me you need to convince.”

  “You first.” Alanna said, suddenly stubborn. “You first, then the captain. I am in.”

  Tony looked up. The hum of the shuttle’s engines had grown quieter. They were slowing down, and Captain Arden’s ship must be nearby. He leaned further towards Alanna, lowering his voice. “It’s your word and the support of James Hawk. That’s all you have. Whatever theory you’ve got about knowing commanders by their people – Captain Arden hasn’t met your people. You need to find a way to win the captain’s trust.”

  A few minutes later, Alanna got up and followed the captain out of the shuttle. It occurred to her that she had been spending too much time with Tony Sicaro. “Captain, what would you like me to do once I’m on board?” She asked, speeding her steps to keep up.

  “We’re having lunch thirty minutes after docking. Please meet me in my office. Gregory will show you the way. Welcome aboard the Gray Serpent.”

  Alanna turned to Gregory, who gave her a distinctly unfriendly look in return.

  “Come on.” He said, not particularly graciously. “I’ll show you to your bunk.”

  “Got a spare bunk for me?” Tony asked, coming up behind them.

  “We have three spares for you to choose from, commander.” Gregory said, his voice warming noticeably. “I’ll take you by on our way in.”

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Alanna followed them both down the narrow, low ceilinged hallways of the ship. The layout was similar to what she had seen on the Black Hawk, with the bridge and the crew quarters near the most protected center of the roughly triangular shaped ship.

  Two of the empty bunks were adjacent, one underneath the other. Tony took the lower one without comment, setting down his bag and gesturing for Alanna to take the top.

  “The captain’s office is down the hallway, second turn to your right.” Gregory said shortly. “Lunch in twenty.”

  ---

  Alanna entered the relatively small office, following in Tony’s footsteps. The room was generic and unassuming. Gray metal walls flowed into a gray metal table, welded into the floor. The large computer screen had been moved to the side, and additional chairs had been brought to seat all five of them. Captain Arden and Gregory were already there, seated across from each other and speaking quietly. Holding back, Alanna let Tony take his pick of the chairs before taking the last open seat at the table, across from Captain Arden. In genuine fascination, she studied the wall behind the captain’s desk. One thing stuck out in the generic gray room. A myriad of brightly colored photographs lined the wall. Alanna wasn’t sure how many children there were. Boys and girls, ages from babies all the way up to adults, doing what she imagined were the typical Tundran things children did. Playing in a park, oddly green and lacking the purple plants she was accustomed to seeing on Saraya. Sitting around a large dining table, a fireplace glowing warmly in the background. Holding up a silver trophy while wearing what appeared to be a child’s version of a Tundran military uniform. And then finally, barely adult, wearing the full uniform of the Tundran military.

  Ignoring the shiver that ran down her back, Alanna nodded to the captain. “Is this your family?” She asked. “I can’t keep track of how many kids there are.”

  “There are six.” Captain Arden smiled, pride shining clearly in her eyes. “And yes, all mine. Owen is a lieutenant now.” She nodded towards a photo of a boy, glowing blond hair and the Captain’s own blue eyes looking at the camera with the same quiet confidence.

  “They look happy.” Alanna said, her voice more wistful than she had intended. They were such happy, perfect family pictures. It wasn’t a Sarayan tradition to bring family photos to work, and there was no way for her to know whether Captain Arden had done something unusual, or not. She wondered if James had family photos in his office. In his quarters, there had been none.

  “They are. Mostly.” Captain Arden smiled, gesturing towards the food on the table. “No need to wait on my account, I know you must all be hungry.”

  Alanna looked down at her plate, her mouth suddenly watering. There was real food. A generous piece of fish alongside a dish of mushrooms and rice. When others dug in, she followed suit with little hesitation. The spices were somewhat unfamiliar, but having warm, real food in her mouth was a luxury she did not plan to miss.

  She caught Tony glaring at her, clearly waiting to see her brilliant plans to win over the Captain’s trust. Alanna sighed, pushing her plate away with some reluctance. She had better get on with it, before Tony resorted to kicking her under the table. “Right. Well, I’m not going to win anyone’s trust over lunch.” She said, getting straight to the point. “It’s ridiculous. Ridiculous.” She repeated, shaking her head in Tony’s general direction. “You don’t have to trust me. You just have to trust that I will complete this mission and protect the crew of this ship to the best of my abilities. Captain, I believe that’s something I can do.” Alanna said, meeting Captain Arden’s gaze head on. “I think President Hawk assigned me this mission because he knows that Captain Bernhard and I have a history. When I was asked to summarize my disciplinary record, which I know you’ve seen and we both know is not short, Captain Bernhard was mentioned, more than once. I hate him and he hates me. It doesn’t matter why.” She held out her hand, once again ignoring the glare Tony shot her way. “What matters is that I hate him. My wish for his death is entirely genuine and if anyone wants to test me with a polygraph, I’m ready to volunteer.”

  “And the rest of the crew?” Gregory asked, his eyes sharply focused on Alanna.

  “Hear me out. You can’t kill the rest of the crew. Please.” Alanna held out her hand. “You’re asking me to start a mutiny. To get someone inside the Sarayan station to help a Tundran invasion. They won’t do it if you plan to go in shooting to kill.”

  “They don’t have to know.” Gregory said coldly.

  “You’re right.” Alanna admitted readily. “They don’t have to know. You can lie to your allies and stab them in the back. And maybe you can get away with it. This time. Maybe next time. But word gets out. Do it enough and you won’t have any allies left. Even your own people stop trusting you. And if that’s not enough, remember our ally can help us when we have boots on the ground. Would you rather have one more gun pointed at you, or guarding your back? Captain Arden, please, do this my way and I will hand you that station.”

  Captain Arden held Alanna’s gaze for a long moment, her eyes unreadable. “I will consider your recommendation, lieutenant commander.” She said finally. “And I look forward to hearing what your Sarayan contact has to share with us, by the end of today.”

  “He said by tomorrow.” Alanna said, swallowing nervously.

  “We shall see.” Captain Tanya Arden repeated.

  ---

  Alanna spent the rest of the day diligently reading everything she could find about the ship and the ship’s crew. Ship time seemed to mirror the time at their port of exit, in Megalodon City. As evening approached, the sounds of the crew changed slightly. More laughter could be heard in the hallways, the tone shifted from the short, terse sound of work related conversation to the soft, easy flow of evening gossip. She looked up as the sounds of conversation grew nearer. Tony, Gregory and Sean walked towards her, speaking easily as they walked down the hallway. Tony flashed an especially wide grin in response to something Sean said, his laughter echoing loudly down the low ceilinged hallway.

  “We’re off our shift.” Tony said cheerfully. “Headed out for some target practice before bed. Want to come?”

  Gun, fully loaded. Alanna flashed a grin of her own, practically leaping out of her bunk onto the floor. “I’m in.” She said, following them eagerly towards the practice room. “Anyone place any bets against me they’d like to share? Just let me know what score I need to beat.”

  Sean grinned back. “Sorry lieutenant commander, I tried but no takers.”

  “What did you try?” Alanna asked, somewhat puzzled.

  “I tried to put money on Sicaro beating you.” Sean said, unrepentant as ever. He shrugged. “Problem was, no one was willing to bet on you.”

  Alanna frowned. “In target practice? I can beat him at target practice.”

  Sean slapped her on the back companionably. “Sure you can. As long as you believe it, that’s the important thing.”

  “I’ll take that bet.” Alanna offered.

  “You don’t have any money.” Tony pointed out, leading the way towards the practice rooms.

  “Well I can bet…” Alanna hesitated. She didn’t actually have anything to bet. “I have socks.” She said glumly.

  “You might still need those.” Tony said. “I’ll go first.” Unholstering his gun, he went into one of the rooms.

  Alanna watched him walk in, eyes narrowed slightly. Looking in both directions, she noted there were at least five practice rooms. From her Sarayan perspective, it was a generous number for a ship crew of this size. Some of the rooms were in use by others, but at least one other stood empty. They had more than they needed, the height of luxury. A not particularly subtle sign on each door kept count of the score in large, glowing red numbers. She watched as someone walked out of a practice room to her right. The numbers seven and two glowed behind them. Turning her eyes to the room Tony recently entered, she noted the numbers adding up at record speed. He was already up to twenty eight. The empty room to the other side of them had the number eighty three glowing dimly, an accomplishment of some unknown crew member who had come and gone. She turned her eyes back towards Tony’s numbers. He was up to forty six. Sean and Gregory remained silent, eyes clearly focused on the numbers Tony was racking up.

  A while later, Tony walked back out of the room, nodding towards her. Alanna looked glumly at the numbers nine and nine, glowing behind him. “My first time doesn’t count.” She said out loud. She wasn’t entirely arrogant and stupid. She didn’t even know how the game worked.

  Tony nodded, clearly believing that arguing was beneath him. “There are three posts you can use as cover.” He said. “If you get hit, you lose ten points.”

  “How many points per kill?” Alanna asked.

  “One.” Gregory said, eyes on her.

  Alanna swallowed. One. Tony had just gone in and hit ninety nine targets. “Does it matter how you hit them?” She asked.

  “Arms and legs are half points. Torso or head shots for the kill.” Gregory said. He took out his own gun, nodding to everyone before heading into the other empty room.

  Uncharacteristically, Alanna hesitated. This was shooting. She could shoot. It was the one thing she knew how to do. Forcing her shoulders to straighten, she walked into the darkened room. Three thick posts stood before her in a triangular formation, two on each side and one further ahead. The room remained dark. With a hiss of exasperation, she walked back out.

  “Start button is on the right hand post, about halfway up.” Tony said before she had a chance to ask.

  Nodding, Alanna turned on her heel and walked back in. Instinctively, she moved towards the center post as soon as the simulation began, not yet sure what to expect. The images were three dimensional, coming at her suddenly from all directions, all in green uniforms. Alanna hesitated, taking a hit within the first few seconds. She recovered immediately, taking out each target with her more customary efficiency. The three dimensional figures did not merely remain on the walls of the room, they moved across the room itself. She focused, trying to take out each target before they had a chance to reach her, but her field of vision was limited. Another ghostly figure clad in a green uniform appeared suddenly shooting at her from directly behind the foremost post. Dodging just in time, Alanna retreated to the right hand rear post, further limiting her field of vision. There was a slight delay in the green clad figures coming her way, and then they stormed from both directions, using the other two posts for their own cover. Gritting her teeth, Alanna took in the scene and rolled forward, taking out the four remaining figures that had gotten beyond the first post as she went, and recovering her position just in time to see a ghostly green figure coming up over the top of the post, shooting down at her from the high ground. At least six more stormed in from all around and she took another hit, missing several, vaguely aware of the ghostly figures rushing on behind her, presumably to attack the station she had failed to protect.

  ---

  Sean looked on somewhat glumly as the counter went down to negative ten. “She took a hit before she even managed to hit anyone.” He said. “I really should have taken her up on that bet.”

  “What will you do with her socks?” Tony asked, watching the numbers climb slowly back up. “Besides, first time doesn’t count, remember?”

  “Yeah, I’m sure that second time will make all the difference.” Sean cheered up slightly. “Care to place a friendly wager on that?”

  “Against myself?” Tony asked with a slight grin.

  “You already went. Not like you can throw the game now.”

  “I don’t think you’re even getting the socks.” Tony said with a shake of his head. He winced slightly as Alanna’s score took another ten point hit.

  “No.” Sean agreed, watching the score. “Neither do I.”

  A while later, Alanna walked out, wiping the sweat off her forehead. She looked over at the red numbers on the door. Sixty eight. “I’m going again.” She said before anyone had the chance to get a word out. Turning around, she went back in.

  A moment later, Gregroy walked out, glancing at the counter on the door. “Twenty Eight?” He asked dubiously. “I know Sarayans got shit training but that’s ridiculous.”

  “She’s going again.” Tony said, eyes narrowed thoughtfully. He glanced briefly at Gregory’s door, noting he had scored a ninety two and a half.

  “What’d she score?” Gregory asked.

  “Sixty eight.” Sean said, laughter evident in his voice.

  Gregory whistled softly, shaking his head. “Think she hesitated?” He asked.

  “To kill Sarayans?” Tony glanced at the closed door in front of them. “Yes, yes I do.” He said.

  They watched the score add up. Alanna was over fifty kills now, without taking a hit. By the time she walked out, a score of eighty four shone on the door behind her. She shot a brief glance in the direction of the numbers. “I’m going again.” She said with barely a pause. She flinched when Tony put a hand on her shoulder.

  “Get some water.” Tony offered. “Then you can go again.”

  Alanna hesitated. “Fine.” She said shortly. A few minutes later, she was back behind the door.

  Four rounds later, a number of other crew members were watching as Alanna managed to score a ninety four. Gregory looked at the door somewhat sourly, ignoring the sharp elbow Sean sent his way. He was considering going back in, even though he knew ninety two was near the top of his range and tough to beat, when Tony got up suddenly.

  “I need to speak to Alanna.” He said shortly, watching as she walked out of the room. “Come on.” He said with a nod. “We need to talk.”

  “I lost.” Alanna said, following him down the hallway.

  “Yeah, you lost.” Tony agreed, clearly preoccupied with other matters.

  “I lost at shooting.” Alanna said.

  “Alanna, focus. Your Sarayan friend just got back to us with the list. You need to tell me if there’s anyone there we can use.”

  “I’m going to win.” Alanna said.

  “You’re not.” Tony said curtly. “No one gets over ninety nine. The game is made that way. Now focus.”

  “Fine.” Alanna sighed, trying to regain a shred of what remained of her confidence. “Let’s see the list.”

  Tony held out his wrist comm, enabling the halo feature to expand the size of the screen and scrolling through the names as Alanna watched.

  “Stop.” Alanna said, some of the self-assurance returning to her voice. “There. Danil. He’ll help me.”

  “Look through the rest of the names.” Tony said patiently.

  Alanna nodded in agreement, finishing the list. “Maybe Aster.” She said. “But we start with Danil. If he’s still alive and has a way to stay in touch, he’s our man.”

  “Why wouldn’t he be alive? They haven’t seen any combat.”

  “Let’s just see if he responds.” Alanna said, ignoring the question.

  “And if you’re wrong? If he responds by telling Captain Bernhard we’re on our way?”

  “After two years with Bernard?” Alanna shook her head. “He won’t.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “I’m sure.”

  “All right.” Tony nodded in acknowledgment. “Captain’s quarters, let’s go. I need her approval before we do anything else.