The Destroyer of Worlds Read online

  But he noticed something else. There were a lot of security Albascene about. A dozen, at least, heavily armoured.

  Olgive saw him looking. He spoke loud enough the Agatha and Srak could hear too. “Before you make your decision, there are some things you should be aware of. First, on Kalbraica, we are authorised to use lethal force to enforce our contracts. Second, the security you see are not the only ones. I also have snipers targeting you.”

  Hanson stared at him.

  “Two have a bead on you, Captain. Another two for Sergeant Moore here. Two for the mercenary Agatha Neruda. And a final six for Srak. They all have armour-piercing lasers. They are all ready to fire they moment they see any of you lift your weapons. I know how dangerous you are, Captain, and I won't take any chances.”

  “Sir?” said Moore.

  Hanson's eyes roved the canyon walls. For a moment, he caught sight of an armoured Albascene a few hundred metres up. Olgive wasn't lying.

  “You are, of course, free to appeal against the decision,” Olgive said sweetly. “But now, I must take Yilva.”

  Hanson felt something brush against his leg. It was Yilva's tail. A moment later, there was something inside his boot, pressing against his ankle.

  Yilva turned to him. “It's okay,” she said in English. Her breathing was fast. “I will go. Do not …do not die on my behalf.” She stepped forward towards Olgive.

  Hanson caught Srak's and Agatha's gaze. “Stand down,” he said.

  “A wise decision, Captain,” said Olgive. Then, to Yilva, he added, “English? You've been learning to integrate. Very admirable, but wasted effort, I'm afraid.” He led her forward into the walkway, and two of the security Albascene came forward and flanked her.

  “You are free to log an appeal in the next twenty-four hours,” said Olgive. And with that, his team led Yilva away.

  Chapter 29: Employees

  Back on the Dauntless, where they didn't risk being overheard, Hanson stormed into his ready room. The team followed him.

  “I hope you're going to say we're getting Yilva out,” Srak said. “Even if we have to tear apart this whole planet to do so.”

  “You're bloody right, I am,” said Hanson.

  “Arka,” said Moore.

  “Yes, I know. We can't let him get away again.” Hanson sighed.

  Then he paused, recalling what had happened before Yilva had left. He reached into his boot, and extracted a contacted tablet. Only two centimetres by five, it was easily small enough to fit.

  “Sir?” said Moore.

  “A parting gift,” murmured Hanson. He lay it on the table and gestured at it to expand. Its transparent surface turned opaque, and suddenly filled with detailed information and graphics.

  Yilva's tablet.

  The text was in English. One part read: Kalbraica Key. Hanson called it up.

  “This is it,” he realised. “This is her work on hacking into the local net.”

  “Probably better than having those AC3 goons find it on her,” muttered Moore.

  “Yes …” Hanson looked round his team, thinking, and quickly came to a decision. “We can't waste time here. We need to split up. Moore, Agatha, Srak. You're going to Arka's dock. Find out what's going on, and stop him if you can.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Vyren, you're with me. We're going to lodge that appeal. But this isn't our territory. We'll need help. Call Ivis.”

  Finally, he had everyone copy the Kalbraica Key to their tablets, in case they needed it. Then he said, “Right, get to it!”

  *

  Vacuum tubes for transit ran alongside all the canyons on Kalbraica. They were level with the bottom of the canyon, built a few metres into the walls.

  Moore, now fully outfitted with armour and weapons – all legal on Kalbraica – led Srak and Agatha up to the station and summoned a capsule.

  The door hissed shut behind them, and the capsule accelerated immediately. It was just about big enough for the three of them (with Srak taking up most of the room).

  “Why can't anything ever be simple?” muttered Agatha.

  Srak grinned at her. “Don't want to fight without Hanson?”

  She hit him.

  “Alright,” said Moore. “Here's the plan.” She extended a tablet showing a map of the area and held it so all three of them could see. “We take a lift to to the top. We verify its Arka's ship. Then we try and get inside.”

  “Gotcha,” said Agatha. She look at Srak. “Ready to see him again?”

  Srak patted his gun. “Quite ready,” he rumbled.

  *

  Hanson and Vyren waited in a bar near the AC3 building. Hanson sat on the lone chair; Vyren's globe floated beside him. Its glow was clear against the darkness. A smattering of other patrons of all species talked in hushed voices in the smoky gloom, cutting deals or arranging other, even less wholesome activities.

  Two Albascene came in, and headed straight for them. Hanson recognised Ivis.

  “This is Eulen,” Ivis said without preamble. “I started the appeal process the moment you called. He's agreed to help us.”

  “Captain Hanson, Representative Vyren. It's an honour to meet you,” said Eulen. “The appeal tribunal begins in one hour.”

  “What sort of thing are we looking at, here?” said Hanson. “I know Albascene worlds usually have rigid systems of dispute resolution, but Kalbraica doesn't seems to have much of a legal framework.”

  “No,” said Eulen. “This is a corporate tribunal. It's internal to AC3.”

  “So we have no guarantee of impartiality from the judge? Wonderful,” said Hanson.

  The two Albascene were silent for a moment.

  “Possibly not,” admitted Eulen.

  “For what it's worth,” said Ivis. “Even if we were part of an official Albascene state trial, you would have no real fairness. Petaurs are at a disadvantage there, too.”

  Hanson sighed. “Alright. So what's our plan of attack? Yilva's on my crew, and in my opinion she's essential to defeating IL and saving the galaxy.”

  “That line of argument may not work,” said Eulen.

  “Why? What's wrong with it?”

  “We are employees of AC3. We serve AC3's goals. We're supposed to argue the case by saying that having Yilva serve you is better for AC3, not offer any moral argument.”

  “But I'm not an employee of AC3. I'm an officer in the Alliance Navy!”

  Eulen paused. “This is an internal matter, remember. You are allowed to appeal in your role of Yilva's manager. For the purposes of this tribunal, you are part of the corporation.”

  Hanson put his thumb and forefinger to the bridge of his nose. The pompous little officials in the Alliance Navy were bad enough, but this …

  “It is ridiculous,” said Eulen softly. “I am aware of that. It is absurd, amoral, and archaic. And I wish there were another way. But there isn't. This is AC3's playing field, and they set the rules. If we don't play by them, we can't win.”

  “Right,” said Hanson after a moment. “I understand.” He paused, then looked up at Ivis. “If you disagree with AC3, why do you work for them?”

  “The others are no better,” said Ivis. His upper segment rotated as though he were looking at all of them in turn.

  “No,” agreed Eulen. “Now, here is how I propose we make our case …”

  Chapter 30: Tribunal

  There was nothing grand about the tribunal room. It was a poky, featureless box, harshly lit with fluorescent strips. There were no chairs, simply a wall-sized display and a sort of podium at one end.

  There were already four Albascene there when Hanson arrived. Vyren had to contract his globe of water to fit through the door. Ivis and Eulen followed.

  Hanson recognised Olgive. Another Albascene was in a more ornate suit than the others, and floated behind the podium. The judge, presumably. The other two Albascene, he didn't know.

  “Doors close,” said the judge as soon as Eulen was through. The doors slammed shut. A little
green light above them turned red.

  “Where's Yilva?” asked Hanson. “She should be here.”

  “She is being held in a secure facility until she can be reassigned to a new task,” said the judge. “There is no need for her to see what happens here. She will be informed of the result at the end.”

  Hanson's jaw tightened. “Alright,” he said, biting back some comment.

  The judge sharply tapped the podium with an effector field, making a loud clack. Evidently this meant the same thing as banging a gavel: “Appeal is now in session,” said the Judge. “Captain James Hanson, as Yilva's manager, please explain why she should be in your service.”

  Hanson looked around the attendant Albascene. Their suits gave nothing away about how they felt. Their voices, always calm, would give nothing either.

  “The Associated Calculations and Contracts Corporation,” he began slowly, “would be better off if Yilva worked with me.” With, not for. He made certain he emphasised that distinction. “I take it you all know about Interstellar Liners?”

  “Yes,” said the judge. “Go on.”

  “Without Yilva, I would not have been able to stop the attack on Tethya. She knows more about Ancient technology than anyone I've ever known, and she helped that mission succeed in a dozen other ways besides.”

  “And does that help AC3?” interrupted the judge.

  “Of course it does!” said Hanson. “If Interstellar Liners had succeeded, there would be no AC3 left. IL would be taking over the galaxy right now. That includes you. And they are still out there. They are working on another plan, and having Yilva with us is essential to stopping them. Even if you care nothing for the rest of the galaxy, it should at least appeal to your sense of self-preservation.”

  The Judge's middle and upper segments rotated for a moment in opposite directions. “Your argument, then, is that without Yilva working for you, AC3 is at risk?”

  “Yes,” said Hanson.

  “Very well. Section Manager Olgive, please respond.”

  Olgive floated forward to the other side of the room, opposite Hanson. “Yilva Vissin Avanni has demonstrated a repeated disrespect for the rules. I hereby present a list of thirty-seven previous instances where she had gone beyond the task assigned to her, or accessed systems that were not necessary for her work.”

  A list flashed up on the display behind the judge. None of the Albascene bothered to look at it – presumably the information was piped directly to their suits.

  “I add to that her escape from the AC3 building last month, when we were trying to protect her,” continued Olgive. “Captain Hanson, in fact, tried to steal her. And she actively aided him. Which brings me to my second point: Hanson himself has shown no respect for rules. Not ours, and not even those of the Solar Navy, an organisation which he ostensibly serves. Here is a small sample of his service record.”

  The screen changed again, this time showing Hanson his own history. Every time he had spoken back to a superior officer, disobeyed orders for a greater cause …

  Seeing that, he realised this wasn't some opportunistic grab. Navy service records weren't publicly available. How did he get it?

  “So I submit that the manager and the managed are unsuitable for each other,” Olgive continued without missing a beat. “Hanson and Yilva both encourage the other's worst tendencies to ignore established rules.” He paused to let this sink in, and his upper segment rotated slightly. “However, I admit that Yilva Vissin Avanni is extremely capable. Under someone who keeps a close eye on her, her talents can help the corporation immensely.”

  “And that someone is you?” said the judge.

  “I believe my record speaks for itself,” said Olgive. “And finally, if Yilva's skills are ever required to 'save the galaxy', then Captain Hanson would be free send the problem to me, where I can assign Yilva to work on it.”

  “Is that all?” said the judge.

  “Yes.”

  “Captain Hanson, do you have a response?”

  “It's not that easy,” said Hanson. “I won't have time to run off to ask Olgive here for help. And breaking the rules we had to is the only reason my team and I defeated IL.”

  “Nevertheless, the rules are what they are,” said the judge.

  Olgive added, “You have brought this on yourself, Captain.”

  Hanson glared at them both. “Like hell I have.” He jabbed at finger at Olgive. “You're up to something. You must have gone to a lot of trouble to get my records. Either that, or someone gave them to you. I can see now, you're only looking out for yourself. Whether you want to get revenge on Yilva, or you just want to get another promotion.” He paused, and took a moment to try and calm himself.' “But what really gets me,” he said quietly, “isn't the selfishness, but the stupidity. By doing this, you're risking your own life as well as everyone else's.”

  “Captain,” the judge began.

  Hanson turned to him. “And the same goes for you. Trying to determine someone's fate when she's not even here. The whole galaxy is at risk, and while Yilva saved it, you're sitting here trying to uphold slavery!”

  The judge was silent for a few seconds.

  “Section Manager Olgive,” he said at last.

  “Yes?”

  “Do you have anything to add?”

  “No, sir. I do not.”

  “Very well,” said the judge. “The appeal is not upheld. Yilva Vissin Avanni will be transferred to work under Section Manager Olgive indefinitely. The tribunal is finished.” It tapped the podium with a sharp clack. The red light over the door turned green, and the door slid open.

  Chapter 31: Standard Impenetrable Alcatraz

  Hanson stormed down the side of the canal, with Vyren floating after him.

  “Idiot thing to do,” he muttered to himself. “Of course lecturing wasn't going to get them to change their minds.”

  “Perhaps not,” said Vyren. “But it might have helped …”

  Hanson stopped and looked at him. “What? Helped get Yilva back?”

  “No,” admitted Vyren.

  “Then we failed. She's on my crew. I have a duty to look after her. There's plenty of time to tell off the Albascene for being slave-holders, but not now.” Hanson put the heel of his hand against his forehead. “Damnit,” he muttered.

  “Nevertheless, we have failed at the appeal,” said Vyren. “That leaves just one option. We must find where they are keeping her, and break her out.”

  Hanson looked at Vyren, then out across the canal. “Would the Tethyans approve of that?”

  “Perhaps not,” said Vyren. “But, as always, if we succeed and defeat IL, the case can be made.”

  Hanson smiled faintly. “Yeah,” he said. “You're right.”

  “Should I call Ivis?”

  Hanson thought about this for a moment. “Yes,” he said. “I think we can trust him … and anyway, we'll need his help to find out where they're holding Yilva.

  *

  Ivis was still on a break, so they met him in the same dimly-lit bar as before. This time, he was waiting for them.

  “What you are proposing is dangerous,” Ivis said as Hanson sat down. “AC3 is quite ready to use lethal force, and there are no laws here to stop it.”

  “Most things are, these days,” said Hanson. “But we're not leaving without her.”

  Ivis's top segment turned slightly. “Good,” he said.

  “So, any idea where we can find her?”

  “I checked the records before I left. Yilva is at the Arcta Holding Facility.” Ivis extracted a tablet from his suit, extended it, and gave it to Hanson. “It's a … prison, effectively. Seventy miles from here. About a hundred indentured Petaurs are held there at any one time, for various reasons. The facility is built on the planet's surface, two hundred metres from the nearest canyon.”

  “So it's surrounded on all sides by frozen ground and vacuum,” said Hanson.

  “Exactly. The only access to the canyon is by prisoner transport, a wheeled veh
icle which travels to a docking station on the lip of the canyon. In an emergency, the truck is locked down remotely.”

  Hanson read the data on the tablet several times. “So, your bog-standard impenetrable Alcatraz,” he murmured.

  “Pardon?” said Ivis.

  “Alcatraz?” said Vyren.

  Hanson looked up at them both. “Never mind,” he said, then smiled faintly. “Y'know, if we actually had Yilva with us, she could hack the system and bust us in and out of there, no problem.”

  “Yes,” said Ivis. “She could. But I'm sure that between us, we can achieve something. And once we're in, perhaps Yilva can get us out.”

  “You're coming too?” said Hanson.

  “I …. I think I am.” Somehow, a note of nervousness made it through that calm synthesised voice. “I was Yilva's friend for many years,” Ivis explained. “And I supported the Petaurs' freedom. But I never did anything to help them. I realised that when you saved Yilva on Tethya. I need to do more.” The segments of Ivis' suit made, short, sharp, turns. Eventually they settled down, and he added, “Besides which, I am the only one with high-level AC3 clearance.”

  “Well,” said Hanson. “I can't argue with that.” He aid the tablet flat on the table for all to see. “So let's start with getting in. This prisoner transport, is there any way we can get on it?

  “The transport itself is driven by remote, from the canyon dock. But there are armed guards either side.”

  “What about if we don't use the transport? Could we go in a shuttle?”

  “The holding facility itself is covered in a three-foot-thick shell of graphene and sapphiroid armour.”

  “No way we're getting through that then.”

  “The only openings are a series of pipes, each only a few inches wide, which connect to the canyon's life support systems, and the door for the transport itself.”

  “And if we use the door,” finished Hanson, “We'll still run into the problem of armed guards.”

  “Exactly.”