The Ninth: Invasion (36 page)

“Are troopers always this
serious
?” Alden asked.

“Not all the time,” Cain said with a grin, “but enough to be discouraging.”

“I see.  Well, we can’t have that.  I’ll have a proper meal prepared.  After today’s heroics, I’m sure a little relaxation is just what the doctor ordered.”

“Now isn’t the time for a banquet!” Tyra said, taking a step toward Alden.  “The Commonwealth is at war and we know nothing.  I demand you explain the situation.”

“All in good time, all in good time.  You had a busy afternoon, you’ve been shot at, and your emotions are all tied up in knots.  Enjoy the meal, relax a bit, and then we’ll bring you up to speed.”

As Tyra was about to protest, Alden disappeared through the doorway.  Cain chuckled as the doorway sealed.

“That man is just as infuriating as his son,” Cassandra said.

“Oh come on, what’s so wrong with offering us a meal?” Cain asked.  “Weren’t all of you complaining about the quality of the food on the trade ship?”

“It’s not just that,” Cassandra said.  “He made Brent walk around on his bad leg.  He even made fun of him being a Weaver!”

“I see you got your intelligence from him as well,” Dante said, eyeing Cain.

“What are you talking about?”  Cassandra shot a surprised look at Dante.

“Mr. Hooten believed the riots started due to Brent’s actions.”

“So?”

“Well, by having Brent stand alone, Alden was subtly indicating that he was there of his own free will.  If you’d been helping him stand, some people would have seen that as a sign of weakness.  It would look like Brent had been coerced to give the message,” Dante said to Cassandra.

“Then why make fun of Weavers?” Angela asked.

“No doubt to weaken the resolve of those who’d riot because of Brent.  If they realized he was a Weaver, they’d let their preconceived notions take over and disperse.  After all, no one would riot over a nasty, brutal Weaver.  No offense of course.”  Dante nodded to Angela.

“Strengthen him enough that people will think he’s there of his own free will, while weakening him to the point no one would follow him?”  Sanderson scratched his chin.  “I never would have been able to think something like that up.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Kindra said with a chuckle.  “I’m not sure I’d ever be comfortable around someone who was that many moves ahead.”

“Why do I get the feeling we’re not going to get anything out of him at dinner?” Tyra said with a sigh.

“At least we’ll get a decent meal out of it.”  Erin licked her lips.

Tyra let out a frustrated sigh as she sat down.  It wasn’t an overly ornate room.  In fact, it had a strong resemblance to the rooms of the trade ship.  Fortunately, it didn’t share the cramped conditions of the ship.  Before long, an armed guard entered the room and demanded everyone follow.  The soldier didn’t say a word as she guided the troopers down the multicolored hallways.

Abruptly, the soldier came to a stop, saluted, and quickly ran off.  She had taken them to a doorway that looked identical to the dozens they had passed.  With a shrug, Cain took a step through the doorway and started laughing.  Inside the room was a massive table.  It was set so elegantly Brent couldn’t help but wonder if they’d been taken to the wrong room.  Something so immaculate must be reserved for visiting diplomats.  It seemed wrong for a squad of troopers to eat in such a fancy setting.

“Well, don’t just stand there!  Sit, sit,” Alden said, entering from another doorway.

Hesitantly, the squad sat in the chairs lining the table.  As the last trooper sat, a large group of servers filed into the room, placing large decorative plates in front of the guests.  Each dish was covered with a large, shiny metal hood, no doubt as much for decoration as to keep the food underneath warm.  With a single fluid motion, the servers lifted all the hoods in unison.  The troopers gasped at the display.  Rare and exotic dishes from all over the Commonwealth sat in front of the troopers.  It would be impossible to compare them to the rations they were used to.

“Dig in!” Alden shouted magnanimously.  “You wouldn’t want to hurt the chef’s feelings, would you?”

The troopers hesitated.  Every dish looked like it had been hand sculpted into a piece of art.  It seemed like a crime even to think of disrupting the artwork that sat in front of them.  Cain was the first to start on his meal, although he showed plenty of hesitation himself.  Slowly, the other troopers joined in, carefully watching Cain for clues on how to properly hold and use the plethora of tableware.

“I promise it doesn’t bite.  Please dig in.”  Alden started working on his meal.  “No need to be so stiff about it.”

“I guess I’d gotten used to the rations back in the academy,” Cain said with a chuckle.

“I dread to ask what they fed you.”

“It was better than that junk they served us on the trade ship,” Erin said, savoring a morsel of meat.

“It was a trade ship, not a luxury liner,” Cain said with the tired edge of repetition.  “What did you expect?”

“At least the walls were sturdy,” Mr. Springate said with a smile.

Several troopers started chuckling.

“I think I missed something,” Alden said.

“Back on Deriso,” Humphrey said in his mumble, “Mr. Springate, accidentally, knocked over a wall.”

“Was a wonderful breeze, though.”  Doug chuckled as he took another bite.

“Sounds like you’ve gone through quite a bit getting here.”  Alden smiled at the troopers expectantly.  “I’d love to hear all about it.”

“We’ll get you up to speed just as soon as you get
us
up to speed,” Tyra said.

“Still going on about that?” he asked.  “Can’t it wait until after our meal?”

“Are you intentionally avoiding the subject?”

“I wouldn’t put it that way.  It just makes for horrible table conversation.”

“Perhaps you’d rather play a game?” Dante asked with a grin.

Several troopers eyed Cain as they chuckled under their breath.

“I’m sure Mr. Alden will give us the details in his own time,” Ronald said, putting a reassuring hand on Tyra’s shoulder.

“The security force’s orders to apprehend Rhea weren’t entirely Cartier’s doing.  Were they?” Brent asked.

Several troopers stared at Brent while Alden shifted uncomfortably.

“Cartier knew we’d resist and planned to use that as an excuse to arrest your son.  But the original orders weren’t his, were they?” Brent asked again.

“Why do you ask?” Alden didn’t answer the question.

“I just wanted to know if there was going to be any more excitement tonight.  You’re obviously reluctant about giving details on the war.  It wouldn’t be unthinkable for you to be holding back until the ears of the ITU were removed from the room.”

Rhea shifted nervously.  Humphrey eyed Alden with a less than approving stare.

“My, aren’t you a perceptive one,” he said with a smile.

The lights overhead instantly went dark.  The room was cast in a dim red hue.  Brent could hear the shuffling of combat boots.

In an instant, Humphrey and Penny had reached Rhea’s side, both of them watching the darkness for an approaching foe.  The rest of the squad was on their feet, readying for a fight.

“Relax!  This isn’t my doing,” Alden said, clearly annoyed. “I said the boy was perceptive, not correct.”

A single man ran into the darkened room.  Brent recognized the burgundy uniform; he wasn’t one of the PSF.

“Mr. Alden!  We need you immediately.  We’ve got a situation,” the man in burgundy shouted.

He quickly rose from the table, and together the two ran out of the room.  Ronald shot a quick glance at Tyra.  Without a word she nodded, and they ran after in pursuit.  The rest of the troopers quickly followed suit and started racing down the hallways.  The hallways were also covered in the dark red hue.  Brent noticed as they raced along that connecting hallways were completely dark.  The lighting was guiding them to their destination.  When they arrived, Alden was already shouting orders.  Dozens of men in burgundy were manning stations, each of them frantically working.

“How many?” Alden asked.

“Scanners indicate there are fifteen jump windows,” his assistant responded.

“The Union must be getting reckless to send so many at once.  How many has the nebula claimed?”

“None.

“
None
?” Alden shouted.  “That’s impossible!”

“Nevertheless, all fifteen have managed to jump into safe pockets.”

“How much time do we have?”

“Not much.  They are already heading to the main docking hub.”

“Alert the PSFs and lock down the navigation array.  If there is a spy, I want them found
now
.”

“At once Mr. Alden.  However, the PSFs are currently scattered all over Eos.  Given the time we have, we won’t have enough firepower to repel a single invasion ship, let alone fifteen.”

“I’m not about to give up without a fight.  Do what you can.”

“Excuse me,” Tyra shouted.

Alden and his assistant stared at her in surprise.

“We’ve got twenty troopers ready and able.  You get us some working weapons, and we’ll hold them off,” Ronald said confidently.

“We’re not dead yet,” Alden shouted in excitement.  “Get those troopers to the front lines!”

“At once, but the docking hub is too far.  I’m afraid they’ll arrive too late to be of any assistance.”  His assistant didn’t share his excitement.

“Container,” Mahoney said.

“Excuse me?” the assistant asked.

“Mahoney, you are brilliant!” Cain shouted.  “Dad, you get the weapons to the docking hub; we’ll worry about getting there in time.”

Cain was already running out of the room as Alden raised an eyebrow.  The rest of the troopers kept pace as they followed Cain.  In no time, they reached the container network.  Several dockworkers eyed the troopers carefully as Cain searched for a working communications link to the transit bureau.

“Not you again!” the man on the monitor whined.

“No time for pleasantries; get us to the docking hub,” Cain said to the man.

“I can’t do that.  I haven’t even been paid for the last trip yet.”

“Forget about lining your pocket for once and listen.  Fifteen Union ships have penetrated the nebula.”

“No way. 
Impossible
.”

“If you don’t believe me, check for yourself.  I bet every PSF on the planet is scrambling to get to the docking hub.”

The monitor went silent as the man disappeared.  A moment later, the man reappeared in a dead panic.

“Don’t just stand there, get inside a container!” the man shouted.

As soon as the last trooper set foot inside the container, the door sealed and the container rushed off.  Brent was certain the container was moving much faster than it had been before.  The troopers were pressed against the sides with every turn as the container bolted along.  Several troopers went flying against the far wall as the container slammed to a halt.

“I think we just set a record for shortest travel time,” Cain moaned as he rubbed his side.

“Whine later!” the man on the monitor shouted.  “Don’t let those Union dogs put a foot on our world!”

Nodding to the monitor, Cain led the troopers out of the container.  Everyone was a little woozy from the trip.  It took a few minutes to get their bearings.  The trade ship that had brought them was long gone.  The docking hub was completely empty; small groups of soldiers of the PSF were constructing a crude barricade.  As the troopers neared, the soldiers froze.  Tyra let out a sigh as she recognized them as the same group they’d fought.

“Sergeant Romani!” Cain called ahead.

A single man with his back turned stiffened.  Turning slowly, the sergeant turned white when he recognized Brent.

“As if the Union wasn’t enough,” Romani said while gesturing for the other soldiers to get back to work on the barricade.

“We come in peace this time,” Tyra said.  “We heard fifteen ships are about to land and you could use the help.”

“As much as I hate to admit it, we could use all the help we can get.”  Sergeant Romani sighed.

“How long until we get some reinforcements?” Ronald asked.

“Too long.  By the time they get here all fifteen ships will have docked.”

“Sergeant!” a soldier said, saluting.

“What is it?” Romani asked.

“We’ve just received a container filled with weapons, but they aren’t coded to us.”

“Those would be for us,” Cain said.

“Well, don’t stand there bragging; get them and start helping us out!” Romani shouted.

The troopers quickly armed themselves and did their best to secure the barricade.  A loud roar could be heard overhead.  The first of the fifteen ships was starting to land.  The soldiers and troopers aimed their weapons carefully.  Even the most powerful of the rifles wouldn’t be able to damage the hull, so they had to wait until the ship opened up.  The automatic docking clamps locked onto the ship.  Gently the ship was lowered into position.  A loud hiss erupted from the ship as the hatch pressurized.  The soldiers trained their weapons on the hatch.  Beads of sweat snaked down their foreheads as they waited.

As the hatch swung open, the soldiers and troopers pulled the triggers on their rifles.  Pulses of energy lashed and burned the interior of the ship.  Brent noticed Rhea hadn’t hesitated.  After a few moments it was apparent they were shooting at nothing.  The docking hatch had opened to a deserted room.  As the group held their fire, they stared in confusion at the deserted interior.  A single pulse of energy flashed from Sanderson’s rifle.  It hit its mark, singeing a hole in the center of the target.  The others squinted to make out exactly what he’d hit.  It was a white shirt tied to a long stick.  It started waving
emphatically
.

“Is that supposed to be a white flag?” Brent asked.

“A what?” Penny asked in surprise.

“They surrender, already?” Romani asked in confusion.

“It’s not a trick.  They are scared pretty badly,” Angela said.  “They don’t seem hostile at all.”

“Don’t hurt yourself,” Cain said quickly.

“I’m just listening.  This much doesn’t hurt.”

“Come out with your hands where we can see them,” Romani shouted.  “Leave all weapons on the ship.  We won’t hesitate to open fire if we see a single side arm.”

A tall man exited the ship with his hands held high above his head.  He was wearing an outfit Brent had never seen before.  It wasn’t a military uniform but had a formal look.  His face was well groomed without a single hair out of place.  His movements and expression were as slick as his hair.

“
Rufas
?” Kindra shouted in surprise.

The soldiers stared in awe as Kindra leaped over the barricade and ran toward the man.  Tyra looked at Sanderson, who could only shrug in confusion.  As Kindra reached the man, she tried to slug him.  The man barely dodged the blow.

“You’ve gotten better,” Rufas said with a grin.  “But you still have a ways to go before you can beat your older brother.”

“Her brother? ” Romani was completely dumbfounded.  “The orders didn’t say anything about there being
two
people with ties to the Union.”

“Don’t be an idiot,” Sanderson said, eyeing Rufas.  “Kindra isn’t a part of the ITU . . . at least I don’t think she is.”

“Then how do you explain her brother being on a Union ship?” Romani asked.

“That’s my fault,” Rufas shouted to the soldiers behind the barricade while dodging another of his sister’s attacks.

Rufas made his way around the barricade as he kept an eye on Kindra.  Sanderson held Kindra’s fist when she threw another punch.

“Explain,” Mahoney said.

“Rufas Linwood, diplomat of the Commonwealth, at your service.”

“Is that what you call it these days?” Kindra asked, clearly irritated.  “We always stuck with
playboy
.”

“I’ve gone up in the world, little sister.  But that’s a tale for another day,” Rufas said as a soldier pointed a rifle at him.  “The ships in orbit belong to the Commonwealth.  We had to switch out a few things to make it look like we were ITU ships.  Was the only way we could escape the patrols.”

“That doesn’t explain how you made it safely through the nebula.”  Romani eyed Rufas suspiciously.

“In my extensive diplomatic services to the Commonwealth, I’ve made some . . . contacts within Core Industries.”

“Contacts?” Kindra scoffed.  “Don’t you mean desperate, middle aged girls?”

“One of my
contacts
,” Rufas winked at Kindra, “happened to be a captain.  She was gracious enough to guide us here.”

“How many bottles of wine did it take to persuade her?” Kindra asked.

“Persuasion through intoxication is so amateurish.  I thought you had more faith in your older brother.”

“Wait a minute,” Cain said.  “Let me get this straight.  That isn’t a Union invasion fleet in orbit, but a convoy of Commonwealth ships made to
look
like a Union invasion fleet?”

“That pretty much sums it up, although, if you want to be technical, it’s fourteen Commonwealth ships and one CI ship.”

“Just what we need, more refugees.”  Romani sighed.

“I didn’t say that.  Those are thirteen
warships
in orbit.  The last survivors of the Navy.”

The troopers and soldiers all stared at Rufas in shock.

“What do you mean the last survivors?” Kindra asked again.

Rufas had been quiet ever since the official CI escort had shown up to take him and the others back to Alden at Control.  The other ships had docked without further incident.  The crews stayed aboard as their captains answered the summons of Alden.

“I’m glad to see you’ve managed to stay safe,” Rufas said as they reached Control.

“Answer my question!” Kindra shouted.

Sanderson restrained her arm as Kindra tried to throw another punch.  The other troopers silently followed as the captains and Rufas entered Control.

“You must be Mr. Stuffed Shirt,” Rufas said with a grin.

Sanderson stared at him with a bewildered look on his face.

“Kindra has told me all about you.”

“Really?” he asked hesitantly.

“She writes to me a couple of times a month.  I thought she was making it up, but here you are before my eyes.  Not a button out of place or a wrinkle to be seen.”

“It’s hard to think of Kindra as the type who’d write letters home,” Humphrey mumbled.

“It’s true!  I’ve heard all about her time in the academy.  All the people she works with.  But mostly I hear about Sanderson.  Do you still torment the poor guy?” Rufas asked Kindra.

“You’re one to talk!  How many girls have you
tormented
since last I heard from you?” Kindra asked angrily.

“They never seem to mind,” Rufas said with a grin.  “They knew what they were getting into, and I’ve yet to get a complaint.”

“You’ve also managed to keep them from meeting one another,” a short man with a messy beard said.

“I’d hate to be in your shoes if they ever find out exactly how many other ladies you’ve spent time with,” a captain said, chuckling.

“Exactly how bad is your brother?” Penny asked.

“Rumor has it he joined the diplomatic core because he ran out of women to seduce on his homeworld,” the short man answered.

“Sounds about right,” Kindra grumbled.

“Let’s just hope Janet never finds out,” a captain said with a shudder.

“What exactly is it you hope
Janet
doesn’t find out?” a feminine voice asked.

Standing in the doorway ahead was a woman with a long grin on her face.  Her thin lips gave her smile the appearance of a sharp blade.  From the reactions of the captains, she had to be Janet.  She was on the tall side with a slender body.  She moved with a feminine grace Brent had never seen before.  Her hips swayed seductively with every step she took.  She was obviously female, but her curves were subtle.  Everything about her was alluring, but with a sharp edge.  As Janet approached Rufas, her hands drifted over him.  He stiffened slightly as her hands came to rest in the small of his back.  One of the captains coughed as she passionately kissed Rufas.