Deathstalker Honor (41 page)

“How the hell are we supposed to fight something like that?” said Toby.

Half A Man looked at him for the first time. “You can’t.”

Jack Random shut down the holoscreen. “That’s the gist of it. After that it was just a lot of arguing and panicking and running around in circles. Half A Man, if that’s who he really is, finally allowed the guards to lead him away for a thorough debriefing, hopefully including where the hell he’s been all this time. Last I heard, the MPs were still sitting at the House, calling for more and more expert opinions and scaring themselves silly.”

“If this Half A Man isn’t who or what he says he is,” said Ruby slowly, “then what the hell is he? A Fury?”

“Good question,” said Jack. “But I don’t think even the rogue AIs have the tech to produce a living energy field like that. The Empire had access to the original Half A Man for centuries, and never did work out what made him tick.”

“But if he is the real thing, then his message must be true too.”

“Not necessarily. All those years of torture and captivity could have turned his mind. Or he could have all kinds of reasons for lying. He never said a word about where he’s been, who exactly was holding him captive, or how he finally escaped. He’s already admitted that an alien intelligence spoke through the original Half A Man. Maybe when that toy got broken, its makers just sent us another. No, there’s a lot we’re not being told, and until we know more, I don’t think we should put an awful lot of faith in the message or the messenger.”

“He was right about there being something alive in the Darkvoid. Don’t you think we should . . . ?”

“No, I don’t,” said Jack firmly. “We have our own mission. Let’s not get distracted. Right now we need to discover just how badly Shub has its hooks into us. Anything else can wait.”

“It must be wonderful to be so focused.” Ruby shrugged angrily. “I don’t like any of this. I can’t help feeling that whatever we do, we’re getting way out of our depth.”

“If not us, then who? ” said Jack. “We have a lot more going for us than anyone else.”

Ruby sighed, and shrugged. “So, where do we make a start?”

“With Robert Campbell, newly appointed Captain of the
Elemental
. His Family was known to have dealings with Shub, before the Wolfes destroyed the Campbells in a very hostile takeover. Let’s see what Robert can tell us about it.”

“And if he doesn’t want to talk to us?”

Jack smiled. “Then you get to play with him for a bit. Try not to break him too badly.”

 

They took an official shuttle up to the
Elemental,
armed with a warrant from Parliament to interrogate anyone they damned well felt like. The
Elemental
was one of the few E-class starcruisers to survive the rebellion, and was currently being outfitted for duty on the Rim. The huge ship was surrounded by smaller craft, buzzing back and forth like wasps around a nest, while hundreds of men in atmosphere suits crawled all over the outer hull, making repairs and working on upgrades. The Captain didn’t reply directly to Jack Random’s request for an urgent meeting, but his communications officer passed on a message that he would make himself available in his private quarters as soon as possible.

Ruby docked the shuttle where she was told, and then the two of them waited impatiently in the airlock for someone to open the door from the other side. It was a fairly large lock, as airlocks went, but Jack still felt uncomfortably confined. If the Campbell really didn’t want to talk to them about his Clan’s connections with Shub, he could keep them waiting there forever. Or at least until they got tired of waiting and went away. He caught Ruby eyeing the inner door thoughtfully.

“No, we are not going to try to break it open,” Jack said firmly. “That door was designed to take a lot of punishment.”

“It wasn’t designed with us in mind,” said Ruby calmly. “Nothing is.”

“Quite possibly. But even if we could, I don’t want you trying just yet. I don’t want the Campbell thinking he’s got us rattled.”

“I am not rattled,” said Ruby. “Just increasingly peeved.”

“He may just be busy. He is the Captain, after all.”

“No one’s too busy to see us. Not if they know what’s good for them.” Ruby scowled. “No, he’s just another damned aristo, keeping us waiting to show how important he thinks he is.”

“I don’t think so,” said Jack. “His file suggests he’s always been a Navy man first and foremost, and an aristocrat second.”

“They’re just as bad. All spit and polish and salute when you’re speaking to me. If he tries to make me stand to attention while I’m speaking to him, I’ll cut him off at the ankles.”

Jack looked at Ruby thoughtfully. “I think you’d better leave the talking to me. Do try to remember we’re here after answers, Ruby. It really is awfully difficult to get answers out of a dead man.”

Ruby sniffed but held her peace. She didn’t move her hands away from her weapons, though.

The inner door finally swung open, and a spit-and-polished junior officer smiled winningly at them both. “Jack Random, Ruby Journey; please to come aboard, sir and madam.”

“Who’s he calling a madam?” said Ruby quietly as she and Jack pushed past the officer and emerged into the corridor beyond. “I’ve never been in a House of Joy in my life.”

“He’s just being polite,” Jack murmured. “Don’t hit him.”

“I’m Lieutenant Xhang,” said the officer, smiling brightly and pretending he hadn’t heard anything. He pushed the heavy airlock door shut, checked it had locked securely, checked it again because he worried about such things, and then turned back somewhat reluctantly to face his charges again. He looked distinctly nervous, and Jack was tempted to shout Boo! just to see what would happen.

“If you’ll please follow me, I’m to escort you to Captain Campbell’s quarters. He’s looking forward to meeting you.”

“If he is, that makes him practically unique these days,” said Jack.

“Yeah,” growled Ruby. “We must be losing our touch.”

Xhang wondered whether he should laugh politely, but settled for smiling till his cheeks ached. He indicated the way, quietly proud that his hand wasn’t shaking noticeably, and led his two charges through the ship. It was days like this that made him wonder whether his pension was really worth it.

Jack maintained a quiet but thorough watch on the people and places they passed. The shining steel corridors were crowded but not cluttered. Everyone had work to do, but managed to avoid getting in each other’s way. They were busy but disciplined. The crew had a job to do, and they were getting on with it. And yet there were no security officers present to spur or discipline them. Which implied the new Captain ran a tight ship, where discipline came from within rather than imposed from above.

“So,” Jack said casually, “what do you make of your new Captain, Lieutenant?”

“The Captain is a fine officer,” Xhang said immediately. “He knows his job. It helps that he came up through the ranks rather than coming straight from the Academy.”

“Bit young, though, isn’t he?”

“He knows his job,” said Xhang, just a little sharply. Jack couldn’t help noticing that the Lieutenant forgot his nervousness in his rush to defend his Captain. “That’s all that matters, sir Random. He was a hero in the war. Kept on fighting till they blew his ship out from under him. The Deathstalker himself pinned a medal on him.”

“So he did,” said Jack. “So he did.”

 

They came eventually to the Captain’s private quarters, and Xhang knocked smartly on the door and stepped back. The door slid open immediately, and Xhang gestured for them to go in. Jack nodded, and Xhang took that gratefully as a dismissal. He saluted smartly, turned on his heel, and strode off down the corridor at a speed he hoped precluded being called back. Jack couldn’t help smiling. For once his reputation was being a help rather than a hindrance. He gestured to Ruby, and she led the way into the Captain’s cabin, her right hand resting on her belt near her gun.

The quarters turned out to be neat and tidy and just big enough to move around in. Space was at a premium aboard ship, and even a Captain couldn’t expect too much. The door slid closed behind Jack with a solid-sounding thud as he stared unhurriedly about him, looking for clues to the man’s personality. There were a few personal effects, nothing particularly unusual or unique. Presumably the Captain hadn’t been on board long enough to stamp his own tastes on the cabin. Or perhaps he simply didn’t have much left after being forced to abandon his last ship.

The walls were bare. Normally they would have been covered with testaments to the Captain’s honored past, landmarks in his career. Citations, battle honors, that sort of thing. But all the Campbell had was his medal, and presumably that would have looked rather lonely on the wall by itself.

The door to the adjoining bathroom suddenly hissed open, and Robert Campbell emerged, mopping his wet face with a towel. He was wearing his uniform trousers, with his jacket hanging open to reveal a remarkably hairy chest. He was tall and handsome and looked very young to be a Captain. He nodded amiably enough to Jack and Ruby, and sank into the only chair, dropping the towel onto his lap.

“Forgive the informality, but we’re all rather rushed at the moment. Take a weight off your feet.”

He gestured for them to sit on the bed. Jack decided that he’d feel more dignified staying on his feet. “Good of you to see us at such short notice, Captain.”

“Your message wasn’t very clear,” said Robert, frowning. “In fact, it bordered on vague. Anyone else I’d have turned down flat. I have a hundred and one things to do before this ship will be ready to make its departure date. But if the legendary Jack Random and the infamous Ruby Journey feel it’s important that we meet, then it probably is. Ask your questions.”

“I wasn’t sure I’d still find you here,” said Jack. “I did hear that you might be quitting the Fleet. Resigning your commission to become the Campbell, head of your Clan.”

Robert scowled. “There’s been a lot of pressure for me to do that, but . . . the Fleet is my life, sir Random. It’s all I ever wanted. And to be made a Captain so soon . . . but I do have responsibilities on Golgotha. So I’m torn—torn between my duty as an officer of the Fleet to help rebuild the Empire, and my blood responsibility to help the surviving members of my Family to rebuild Clan Campbell. I’m not the only claimant to the title, but the thought of having an official war hero as head of the Clan appeals to many. For the moment, I’m trying to juggle both sets of responsibilities at once, till I can decide where my real duty lies.”

“Once an aristo, always an aristo,” said Ruby.

Robert smiled at her coldly. “Once a bounty hunter, always a bounty hunter.”

“We might have been on different sides during the rebellion,” Jack interrupted quickly. “But I trust that these days we’re both concerned with what’s best for the Empire. There are things we need to know, Captain. Things only you can tell us. About Clan Campbell and its past dealings with the rogue AIs of Shub.”

Robert nodded slowly. “I always knew that would have to come out eventually. But something like this . . . If I tell you what I know, which isn’t much, I must have your assurance that you’ll keep this to yourselves for as long as you can.”

“We could make you talk,” said Ruby.

“Probably,” said Robert. “But not easily, and not soon. And if word got out that Jack Random had been involved in the torturing of a genuine war hero . . .”

“I’ve always done what I considered necessary,” said Jack. “And hang the consequences. But I don’t see any need for violence, just yet. Why should I keep your secret, Campbell? Convince me.”

“Because my Family is currently in a very delicate state. The Wolfes nearly wiped us out. They hunted us down in the streets, dragged us from safe houses, showed us no mercy. Very few dared to help us. Some of us survived through our positions in the armed forces. Others by means we’re not exactly proud of. But now things have changed.

“Blue Block has declared all vendettas a thing of the past, all feuds rendered null and void. They’re trying to strengthen as many Families as possible to consolidate their power base. So Clan Campbell no longer has anything to fear from the Wolfes, and the surviving remnants can emerge from the shadows at last. But with no one to head the Family, warring factions will inevitably tear the Clan apart from within. And a secret like this, the seeming betrayal of Humanity itself, coming out now, would destroy us forever. I need your word, Jack Random, before I can share with you what I know. I trust your word.”

“ But not mine? ” said Ruby Journey.

“Of course not. You’re a bounty hunter.”

“Very wise. Tell him to go to hell, Jack. Who cares if one more Family disappears? Let them all die.”

“ It’s not that simple, Ruby. A moderate, responsible Clan could do much to defuse Blue Block’s more extreme intentions. And if there has to be a Clan Campbell, I’d rather it was run by a genuine war hero than some unknown. You have my word, Captain.”

“ You’re getting soft, Random.”

“Not now, Ruby. Captain, I’ll keep your secret as long as I can justify it to myself. And Ruby will follow my lead. But I can’t speak for anyone else. So build your Clan while you can, Captain, and build it on strong foundations. Because the tide’s coming in.”

“Understood,” said Robert. He mopped his face with the towel and then threw it aside. He looked older suddenly. “ You have to understand, I was never a part of the main conspiracy. I don’t think they trusted me that much. But the basic deal was that we provided Shub with the secret of the new stardrive in return for advanced tech from them to keep our factories at the cutting edge of Empire industry. We never dealt with them directly; there was always a series of cutouts and the left hand not knowing what the right foot was doing, so we could plausibly deny everything if we had to. Finlay said it was all a con, that the Family had no intention of ever actually giving them the alien drive. But I can’t say whether that was true or not. Finlay was never head of the Clan. His father, Crawford, was, and that man was capable of practically anything to get what he wanted. So Shub sent us tech, and we prevaricated, and the deal continued. No one ever mentioned the word treason. Or what would happen if Shub decided that we were never going to deliver. But then the Wolfes attacked, and it all became moot anyway. After Clan Campbell was brought down and scattered, the Wolfes discovered the existence of the deal and took it over themselves. Valentine was running the Wolfes by then. A man capable of absolutely anything. And that is as far as my information goes.”