Captain Cosette (24 page)

Now, after getting her hair done, she felt ready to take on the world.

Rasora joined her, wearing a set of civilian clothes. 
“The military is not for me,” he explained.  “When you go back to Sorine, I’ll go with you and I’ll stay there.  Imsami’s ashes are there.”

“
There really was a strong bond between you two, wasn’t there.”

He looked somber. 
“I didn’t understand it until I lost it.  It’s probably why neither one of us could hold on to a woman for long.  She could never have had just one of us all to herself.”  He looked out the window.  “Once I know Imsami’s at peace, and have my values settled….well, who knows.”

She took his hand and squeezed it. 
“I’ll try to get us back there as soon as I can.”  The top of her head barely came to his shoulder, but he didn’t intimidate her the way he had when he and Imsami had taken her away from her home.  “Those are nice clothes.  Better than your cook’s outfit.”

“
They’re not mine.  I own nothing.”

“
I know.”

They got lost in the corridors of the administrative building before they found Major Dyson.  He was in a situation room watching a pair of generals arguing.  Rasora sat outside in the hallway, and Cosette took her place quietly beside Major Dyson, after he waved her in. 

They sat at a long table, with ranking officers scattered about.  One entire wall was a computer screen, and a colonel stood in front of it, waving icons around with his hands, performing “what if” scenarios when requested.  The icons represented warships, both Alliance and Union, around different planets.

General Sovado – Cosette read
the woman’s name badge – was silver-haired and weathered, the image of a woman who had seen much during her long life.  She insisted that they put everything available into an attack on Sorine.  “Sorine has valuable natural resources,” she said, “and we should go there while their battleships are orbiting Aquataine.”

“
Nonsense,” said General West, his narrow chin held high like a man not used to having to defend his opinions.  His hair was an unnatural black and he had fewer badges on his chest than Sovado had.  “You fight the enemy where he is.  Right now the enemy orbits Aquataine, therefore we attack Aquataine.  They will be disheartened and confused, according to Major Dyson’s information.  They’ll be picking up survivors from the remains of their space station.  An easy victory.”

Cosette watched them argue.  She was not used to being around powerful men and women.  These were the high-ranking military leaders of the Alliance, but she immediately sensed the same flaws she had seen in other powerful figures.  She had pictured top military leaders as being wise and omniscient, ideal commanders. 

Rank does not confer wisdom, a voice whispered.

Major Dyson kept silent.  She could not tell by his eyes or his body language whether he agreed with General Sovado or General West.

General Sovado had the colonel at the computer wall move their available units to Sorine, giving them a visual feel for the strategy.  “When the Union battleships return to Sorine,” she said, “we will have the element of surprise.  Unless they coordinate their return, we can pick them off one by one.”

“
That’s the problem,” said General West, “they
will
coordinate.  Their arrival will be at their timing, not ours, and it is we who will be surprised.  That is why we must attack at Aquataine.”

Look at the deeper level, a voice whispered
in Cosette’s head.  These are two powerful egos arguing.  Their logical argument is only the surface conflict.  Pride runs deep on both sides, and wisdom is the casualty. 

An older voice replied, true, but they
are
experienced leaders.  They will not choose wrong deliberately, but their vision is not clear.  They are missing the deeper context.

What
is
the
deeper
context
?

I
should
leave
the
room
before
I
butt
in
. 
I’m
just
a
fruit
farmer’s
daughter
,
remember
?

She remained seated.  This
discussion concerned her home planet.  Besides, it felt comfortable sitting beside Dyson.  She hoped he appreciated her company.  Maybe he’d even notice her new hairstyle and her tailored uniform.

General Sovado looked pained, her face uncertain. 
“Let us agree for argument’s sake that they might coordinate their return.  Somehow, though, it still feels wrong to put our forces around Aquataine.  It’s not worth fighting for.  It’s just a few fishing villages and a run-down landing field.”

She sees the correct response, the older voice whispered, but she does not recognize why it is the best response.  Think back to when you had your accident on the teaching machine.  Why did that happen?

I
got
left
on
the
teaching
machine
because
Professor
Roland
got
shot
,
and
he
got
shot
because
there
was
a
rebellion
going
on
…

She stiffened with realization, and Dyson looked at her.  When their eyes met, he shook his head.

He’s
telling
me
to
keep
quiet
. 

You cannot, the voice whispered.  If you keep silent, they will arrive at the wrong strategy, and your home world will suffer.

She raised her hand, like a schoolgirl.  Dyson coughed.

General West noticed her arm go up and he frowned. 
“Excuse me, soldier?  Did you have a question?”  Everyone at the table looked at her.

She started to speak and squeaked.

No
! 
I
must
not
look
like
an
imbecile
!

She cleared her throat and tried again, ignoring Dyson’s boot hitting her under the table. 
“Sorine would be the right planet to send our forces.”

General West’s face darkened. 
“And why do you say that… Captain?”

Squaring her shoulders, she did her best to speak with confidence. 
“The people of Sorine are hoping for them to arrive.  You see, when I was there, as part of the Union forces, there was a rebellion in progress against the Union.”  She swallowed.  “Alliance sympathizers fought their way into the training center in Toulouse.”

And
shot
the
doctor
who
was
running
the
teaching
machine
.

“
If you go to Sorine,” she continued with more confidence, “you would have the support of the people and Sorine would become a solid part of the Alliance.  You have enough ships to win the battle even if the Union ships do arrive all at once, but they won’t.”

General West folded his arms. 
“Interesting information.  So what makes you think their forces won’t arrive all at once?”

“
Because their leadership was in the Space Station that I…that got itself destroyed.  The Union leadership is very authoritative in structure.  The battleship captains aren’t used to making decisions on their own, or making plans on their own.  They’ll head back to Sorine, which was their previous assignment, and they’ll be there already, right now.” 

General Sovado nodded, obviously pleased to have her plan supported.  General West pursed his lips and challenged her. 
“What do you mean, they’ll be there already?  How can you know that?” 

“
It’s been almost a day since they evacuated the station.  Each escape pod has a beacon, and it doesn’t take long to pick up survivors.”  She realized she was gesturing with her hands, and she tucked them under the table.  “It wouldn’t take more than twelve hours to gather the survivors, and at that point they would have headed back towards Sorine.”

Major Dyson raised his hand
, just as Cosette had done. 

“
Major?” said General West.

Dyson turned towards Cosette, his face serious. 
“Tell me, Captain, why would they go to Sorine?  Why wouldn’t they return to their capital planet?”

Is
he
trying
to
help
me
or
is
he
genuinely
curious
? 
Or
perhaps
he
is
just
trying
to
distance
himself
from
this
crazy
blonde
girl
who
doesn’t
have
the
sense
to
keep
her
mouth
shut
.

His eyes were sincere, and she trusted his eyes. 
“Because,” she said, “they hadn’t been ordered to go.  That is, they hadn’t been ordered to go to their capital planet.  None of them would want to take that responsibility, to show up at their headquarters without being ordered to.”  She looked at General West.  “I’ve learned that Alliance leaders are different, they’re used to being more…independent.”  She smiled timidly at the general, hoping he would accept her reasoning.

Your reasoning is sound, said the old voice
in her head.  And you managed to look very nicely timid, which will defuse his ego.  You are gaining wisdom.

Oh
,
hush
.

General Sovado laughed. 
“She’s right about that,” she said to General West.  “If we were in their situation, you and I would argue and eventually make up our own minds about what to do.  The Union brass isn’t that independent.  Don’t you agree?”

West made a sour face. 
“Perhaps.  That’s what I’ve heard, anyway.”  He turned towards the board, his back towards Cosette.  “Very well, let’s say that the battleships are more likely to be around Sorine by now than Aquataine.  We should still attack the enemy where he is, as I said.”

Cosette held very still, her face still timid, her eyes downcast. 

The generals pushed some icons around on the screen a bit more, and soon agreed on a battle plan.  They would attack Sorine in force, and without delay.

“
Thank you, Major Dyson,” said General West as he shook Dyson’s hand, “for bringing us that useful intelligence.”  The general nodded briefly at Cosette, and left the room.

“
That was very good input, my dear,” said Sovado, her eyes twinkling as she grasped Cosette’s hand.  “Very brave of you to speak up.  I heard all about you last night from Major Dyson.  My, you’ve certainly had some interesting times.”

An old Chinese curse, said the voice
with amusement.

I
said
,
hush
.

“
Thank you,” was all she could manage.

After General Sovado left, Dyson apologized for kicking her under the table. 
“I’ve seen soldiers exiled to garbage duty for speaking out of turn.  If you hadn’t defended your comments so well, you’d have been turning compost for the next month.”

“
I know.”  She slumped in her seat, appalled at her own hubris.  “I couldn’t just say nothing, though.  The voices in my head wouldn’t shut up.  They’re going to get me in big trouble someday.”

“
They just did.  Go get your bag and meet me at the fighter.”  He stood, and helped her to her feet.  “When the fleet leaves to attack Sorine in an hour, we’re expected to fly with them.  I’m making you my copilot, and you and I are going to be in the thick of it.”

Her heart skipped a beat.  She would be in battle, which would be frightening, but she would be flying with Major Dyson!   

She ran to get her bag.

Chapter Seventeen

Dirty Harold flipped the lever on his E7 field rifle and aimed it at the evil monk.  The monk was crouched low like a cat would crouch if a cat were a human and had a knife. 

“
This E7 rifle can blow your head clean off,” said Harold.  “I know, you’re thinking to yourself, did he remember to charge the
kaeon
coil?  To tell the truth, I forget.”  He put his finger on the trigger.  “So you’ve got to ask yourself one question.  ‘Do I feel lucky?’”  He curled his upper lip.  “Well, do ya….monk?”

Rasora turned off the book and dropped it into the seat pouch. 
“You actually read this stuff?” he asked Cosette.

She made the transition out of folded space before answering. 
“I used to love Renée Chevalier, but lately I’ve found her a little hard to take.  I think all these people stuffed in my head have elevated my standards.”

“
Wouldn’t take much elevating.  I’ve read better prose on tavern walls.”

“
When you’re alone on a farm, you’ll welcome anything that will take you….hang on!”

She rolled the fighter and pulled away from her trajectory.  The harnesses held them in their seats, but Rasora grabbed the back of her chair and complained. 
“You almost twisted my head off!  What’s wrong?”

Dyson pointed to a screen where red and green blips were dancing in a chaotic pattern. 
“That.  It’s a mêlée and we’re in the thick of it.” 

“
What?”

Dyson powered up the cannon and readied their tactical missiles. 
“They're already fighting!  Watch your back, Cosette!”

The voices in her head began clamoring for attention, and she tried to brush them away.  Their land strategies wouldn’t apply to space.  In three dimensions, the tactics would be different.

She kept up a rolling, twisting flight in order to keep Union fighters from targeting them.  The fighter’s stubby wings were useless in the vacuum of space, and she constantly had to spin their ship with maneuvering thrusters to alter their course.

“
We picked up some friends on our tail.”  Dyson pointed to two red dots converging on them. 

“
I see them.  Two fighters, same model as us.”

“
I’m getting sick,” said Rasora. 

“
There’s a bag in the side pouch.”  Cosette flipped their fighter and pulled away at right angles to their previous course.

Dyson
is
a
fighter
pilot
. 
Should
I
let
him
take
over
?

Don’t change horses in the middle of a stream, a voice drawled in her head.

“Those fighters are following us,” said Dyson. 

And yuh know, the voice continued, if yuh have to walk into a gunfight, always keep the sun at yer back.

She spun the fighter and changed course again, this time at an angle that would put them between Sorine’s sun and the oncoming fighters. 

Behind her, she could hear Rasora emptying his stomach into the sickness bag.

“Are you going to try to outrun them?” asked Dyson.

“
Can’t.  They’ve got the same acceleration we do, and we can’t outrun their missiles.  Get ready to fire chaff and decoys.”

“
Then shouldn’t you be dodging?  You’re flying straight.”

“
I’m lining them up where I want them.  Drop chaff and two decoys, now!”

The fighter shuddered as two decoys, broadcasting signals and heat, blasted out of the hold, along with a cloud of micro-thin aluminum strips to confuse the missiles.

“Now give me control of the missiles and cannon.”  She continued accelerating for a moment longer, and then pivoted the ship 180 degrees.

That’s the ticket, said the slow-talking voice.  Now they’re looking into the sun.

“What are you doing?” said Dyson sharply.  “They’ll hit us!”

She fired a pair of missiles and a heavy burst of slugs from the nose cannon.  Then she spun the ship back towards the sun and opened up the engines again. 

Rasora moaned.

On the rear screen she watched it play out.  As she expected, the oncoming fighters ignored the decoys that Dyson had released, and they were able to pick out her missiles from the background of solar radiation and lead them astray with their own decoys
.  Unfortunately for the Union ships, they could not sense the volley of slugs coming out of the sunlight.  One fighter exploded in a fireball, and the other one went dark and began to drift. 

Cosette rolled their
fighter and circled back towards the main battle.

“
Good work!” said Dyson, slapping her on the knee. 

“
We’re going to live?” asked Rasora.

“
Yes.”

“
Too bad.”  He moaned again.

Cosette pointed to her forward screen. 
“It will be over soon.  One battleship is gone, either destroyed or escaped.  See there?”  The red dots began disappearing.  “The Union ships are shutting off their transponders.  It’s over.”

“
Then can we land?” begged Rasora.  “Gently?  The last time I was this sick was when I took a bet on….aw, just get us down.  I’m never going into space again.”

Messages shot back and forth as they descended towards the base at Toulouse.  The other Union battleship had surrendered and was now in Alliance hands.  The rest of the enemy ships either jumped into folded space to escape, or
surrendered and headed down to the planet under guard.

“I apologize for not having you take charge,” said Cosette, touching Dyson on the shoulder.  “I was supposed to be your copilot.”  Her heart was still pounding, but with exhilaration.  There was an adrenalin rush to battle, a feeling of power that she had never before experienced.   She had fought the enemy and she had survived.

“
Nonsense.  I was worried for a moment when you stopped accelerating, but you knew what you were doing.  That’s twice you’ve saved my neck.  No, three times.  I’m a proud man but I know enough to let someone competent take charge in an emergency.”

I
have
to
learn
how
not
to
blush
every
time
he
says
something
nice
to
me
.

She blushed.

The base and the training center at Toulouse had been taken with little resistance.  By the time Cosette brought her fighter down to the base, it was safe and secure. 

They opened the fighter’s storage bay, and Spinner emerged. 
“I’m very happy to see you again,” the little robot said, clattering along beside her.

“
You have your EM chip back?”

“
They put one in me back at the Alliance headquarters.  It’s not the same EM chip, but Major Dyson says you and I used to be friends, and I work better if I have friends.”

She smiled, and dared to include Dyson in her smile. 
“So do I.”

Cosette hauled out her personal bag, and Dyson carried his and Rasora’s.  When they entered the training center, Rasora collapsed onto the first empty bunk they passed.  Dyson dropped Rasora’s bag at his feet.

The Training Center was still the same yellow and gray that she remembered from before.  She found the women’s barracks, but before she could enter, Dyson pulled her away.

“
You’re an officer now, Cosette.  There should be a private room available for you.”  They walked along the halls, looking for the officer’s area.  “I travel constantly, as you know, and there are always some private quarters set aside for people like me.  Especially in my assignments, I need privacy to code and send material.  I’m sure they’ll have a space for you.”

They ran into Raimy, the clerk who had paid Rasora the two gold coins for Cosette’s
“recruitment.”  He noted Cosette’s Alliance rank with surprise, looked nervous, and quickly led them to a pair of private rooms.  “You know where the mess hall is,” he said to Cosette.  “Let me know if there is anything else I can do for you.  Anything at all.”  He ducked his head and hurried off.

The rest of the day was uneventful.  They ate dinner, and Dyson told stories to the troops and bought them drinks.  The
two of them joined the Alliance officers when they met to plan the orderly transition of power and then brought in the community leaders, the ones who had rebelled against the Union.  The Sorine rebels were enthusiastic about the freedoms the Alliance offered and pledged their support.

Before they retired to their rooms, Cosette pulled aside Dyson and Rasora for a short conference. 
“Tomorrow, if you’re both free, I would like to visit my home.”

“
Are you sure?”  Dyson looked at her thoughtfully.  “There’s no need to do that.  You have a new life here.”

“
He’s right,” said Rasora, leaning against the wall.  “After I saw the scars on your back, I was glad I took you away from there, though I’m not proud of doing it for gold.”

“
I do need to go back.  I think seeing where I grew up will make my own memories real again.  Right now I feel like I’m only a couple of weeks old, and my childhood is just a myth stuffed into my brain like everything else.”

“
If that’s what you want, I’ll make myself free tomorrow,” said Dyson. 

“
I’d appreciate that.  My stepfather and my two half-brothers are bigger than me and used to, um, pushing me around.”

“
All the better then.  We’ll take our fighter and fly out there, if there’s a space where we can land.”

“
There’s a clearing in front of the house.  Scorching the weeds won’t matter.  Rasora?  I could use you, just to be sure.”

He shrugged. 
“My time is yours.  I desire nothing.”

“
For someone who desires nothing,” said Dyson, “you downed those beers pretty fast.”

“
Well, I didn’t say I wouldn’t accept gifts.”

“
Thank you,” said Cosette.  “It will mean a lot to have you both with me.”

They separated towards their different quarters, but Cosette took the route by the door marked TRAINING CENTER, where she paused and looked inside.  There sat the throne-like chair, with wires and leads and straps. 
As Renée Chevalier might say, the components of the teaching machine huddled around the chair like executioners waiting for a condemned man to arrive.

She shuddered, and went to her room for a fitful night’s sleep.

*

“
Down there is the tavern where Imsami died,” said Rasora, pointing out his window.  Their fighter was being serviced and so they had taken a smaller craft instead, a light flier.  Its large windows allowed them to view the city, the countryside, and the distant highlands where Cosette had been raised.

High puffy clouds dotted the sky, and the air had not yet warmed
from the sunshine.  Vehicles moved slowly on the roads beneath them, and factories belched smoke from their crude coal furnaces.

“
I was so sorry after Imsami died,” said Cosette to Rasora.  “I could tell you were torn apart but I didn’t know what I could do.”

Rasora rubbed his chest as though trying to ease an ache. 
“You were my prisoner.  You did what you could and more than anyone would expect.”

“
I’ve been in some rough places like that tavern,” said Dyson.  “I’m sorry about your brother.”

Rasora nodded solemnly and looked out the window.

“Follow that road,” said Cosette to Dyson.  She remembered huddling in the back of the van, crying inside, as it carried her away from her home. 

Strange
. 
I
had
been
whipped
and
abused
,
but
I
was
frightened
to
be
taken
away
from
my
home
. 
I
would
have
stayed
if
I
could
. 
And
I
would
still
be
cutting
vines
and
getting
whipped
. 
And
being
betrayed
by
Gregory
,
that
wretch
who
kissed
another
girl
instead
of
me
.