RavensDagger

  Chapter Six - None-Way unication

  Nothing was faster than light. Nothing ordinary, in any case. The exception, therefore, was the unordinary, and that was something that Core-users had a monopoly on.

  Therefore, when Martian Naval and wao know what was going on with the fleet they'd lent out to Ivil Antagonist, they relied upon unordinary uniethods.

  They were called the Partridge brothers. Both of them had gained copies of simir cores, and while her of them were anything more than D-cssers, their worth to the nation of Mars ehat they wouldn't ever ck for anything, uhat thing was free time.

  One of the Partridge brothers was ying within a vat filled with a noonian fluid. A breathing apparatus was fixed to his face. His eyes were closed. Wires ran from his nete server bank whose flickering lights were the only source of illumination in the room.

  This room was deep withiar Dreadnought. There were guards by the door. Automated defeucked away and ready to deploy at a moment's notice. The space wasn't on any of the ship's official blueprints. It was almost as safe as could be.

  The only way it could be safer was if its position could be hidden by obscurity, but there was only so much they could do to hide a ship of this size.

  Across from him, Ivil stood with her hands casually folded at the small of her back. A semi-circle of pte-sized holographic dispys hovered before her.

  They flickered, and soon the room was lit by a soft blue glow as seven figures appeared in miniature before her. She reized three. The others didn't matter. "Admiral, Admiral, cellor," she greeted.

  The two Admirals, the Admiral of the Martian Defence Fleet and the Grand Admiral of the Navy, both nodded iings, but it was the cellor that spoke first. "Hello, Ivil," he said. The man had a smooth baritone voice that carried well, aood tall and proud, seeming rather regal despite the small stature of his hologram.

  "Hello," Ivil replied. "I imagihat you wao talk to me for a reason?"

  The Grand Admiral of the Navy scoffed. "I'd like to know what's going on with one of my best fleets," he said.

  "Our mission on Haumea was aplished," Ivil said simply. "We will be heading inwards ."

  "Baars?" the cellor asked.

  "No. Ceres first. You have your fleet once I'm there. Admiral Vestri will likely be pleased to be bae," Ivil said.

  "I imagihe Admiral of the Defence said. "Though that begs the question, where will you be in that time? Are you going to be staying on Ceres?"

  Ivil hesitated for a moment, theured to the ss. " we have some level of privacy?" she asked.

  Four of the seven holograms winked out. The Partridge brothers would still hear, of course, but they had heard plenty of cssified things already. All that remained were the admirals and the cellor who walked within the hologram, likely to a more private location. "Go ahead," he said.

  "On Ceres I'll be departing for an unknown amount of time aboard a ship called the Held Together," Ivil said. "I don't know for how long, and I'm uain of my destination."

  The Grand Admiral leao the side, inputting some information into a tablet. "The Held Together... a small cargo ship currently en-route to Ceres. Due to arrive today, in fact. Overdue payments all over. It's practically a relic."

  "What is its destination?" the cellor asked.

  "Jupiter," the admiral said. "Acc to its flight pns. Though with Ceres, you never know."

  "Then I supposed I'll be heading to Jupiter," Ivil said with a shrug. "Is that an issue? I won't require any escorts, nor will I suffer any impediments."

  "You seem quite serious about this," the cellor said. "You met with the oracle on Haumea, correct? Is this because of her prompting?"

  "Obviously," she replied.

  He nodded. "I always trusted that you have Mars' best i at heart, Ivil. Whatever this mission of yours is, rest assured that Mars is ready to support you."

  Ivil didn't fail to notice the two admirals holding bae less than fttering expressions at that. The cellor's role was important, certainly, and he was, nominally, the leader of Mars, at least on paper.

  Iy, the real power of Mars was in its military. They, of course, paid lip service to the cellor, and there were several political realities in py that would require either a lifetime on Mars to uand, or some deep study to uncover.

  "I appreciate it," Ivil said. "I might require some assistance, as it happens. I need a cover identity. I've prepared a small brief for MINT with some suggestions for what I need. I'll leave the details to the professionals."

  The Admiral of Defenodded. That would, teically, fall under his purview. "I'll have the boys in bck do what they do best," he said.

  "Thank you," Ivil said.

  These kinds of meetings were always so very tehe levers of power on and around Mars were a rube-goldberg mae that built itself as it went. They shifted stantly, grew and expanded and ged.

  Ivil was a wreg ball poised over the mae. Able to destroy it, but heless supported by it all the same.

  "You asked for privacy," the Grand Admiral said. It wasn't a question, because his position didn't allow him to bow to Ivil. Instead, he brought it up a her fill in the rest.

  "I don't know how Mars will reay temporary... vacation," Ivil said. "I think I'm more than due some time off, and I don't pn on making much of a fuss. heless, I'd be remiss if I didn't ehat the timing wasn't... critical, in some way."

  "There's always something," the cellor said with a sad smile. "Let's see... there's a refugee crises around the Mercury-Venus circle. I don't think that'll impact us, but it might draw some attention from the Earth Alliahe Allianoons is ag strangely. I think there might be something new going on with them, though they're keeping mum about it. Deimos is trying to get feelers out, and Phobos is doing its own thing. I don't thiher situation calls for your brand of attention."

  "No hy military manoeuvres," the Grand Admiral said. One of his eyes, a meical impnt, was glowing as he reviewed something. "Some training exercises around Jupiter from the Earth Alliance. Some movement from Saturn to Jupiter as well from Titan and the others, but that's likely a show of force since Jupiter isn't keen on being bullied. Ceres is a mess, as usual."

  "We ought to do something about Ceres," the Defence Admiral said. "Especially if we're going to park a Star Dreadnought on their front step."

  "There are some pirates that we could wipe out. They've been a thorn," the other admiral agreed.

  Ivil shook her head. "Do as you will. I don't see any of that ing me. If the system is at peace, then I'll be able to act as I please without any s of some cataclysm pulling me back."

  The cellor and the Admirals exged a ghen the cellor shrugged. "I suppose we live without your direct assistance for some time. What's that old expression, about having a hammer and seeing nails all over?"

  Ivil didn't quite ugh, but she did breath out from her nose. "I have a rough idea of what you mean, yes," she said. "I won't be entirely outside of anyone's ability to unicate. If you're so worried about me, then keep a ship or two on standby."

  "We'll do just that," the Grand Admiral said. "Be careful around Ceres, Ivil. That pce is a hive of scum and viliny."

  "I don't io stay there long," she replied.

  Ivil said her farewells and ehe unication. When all the holograms finally dimmed, she found herself in the same poorly lit room, eyeing the Partridge brother still ying within his vat.

  She wondered what life was like for him and his brother. Eternal subservieo the nation of Mars. Power, but power ed. Something that might have been her lot in life had she not gained power fast and hard enough.

  Ivil sighed, he time, then rubbed at the back of her neck. If she was going to be away from the Martia for any amount of time, then this might be one of her st opportuo attend to one of the few things that kept her solidly grounded.

  It was about time for her to visit her therapist.

  She wondered what he would have to say about her current progress.

  ***

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