Orbital Academy XVI

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by MaddiroseX

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Please let me know at maddirosex@gmail.com!

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*** Part 1 - A Change in the Orbit ***
General Hunter stared off through the wall of the elevator, lost
in his thoughts. When the doors opened he stepped through on
autopilot, flanked by two of his security force. Anger and worry
warred in his stomach, but he kept his face calm as he reached
the door to the Academy rookies' cell. *They didn't cause this
mess.* He reminded himself. *They may've been the catalyst, but
it's Auspus who is the root. This is Auspus' disaster. For
whatever reason.* He entered the cell barely thinking about the
rookies within.
"General Auspus is coming to Orbital Pivot to retrieve you."
Hunter spoke even as he entered. The rookies sprank to their
feet, but he didn't wait for them to get comfortable. "Is there
anything you two think I should know before I meet with your
General?" Of course there was nothing they could tell him. These
were the lowest level of Academy, it was doubtful they'd even met
General Auspus after their initiation; his true purpose was to
see if they would give up the crystal that Errisa had seen them
with. His eyes moved to the streak of blue in the girl's hair.
Dorson, the files had told him.
"He has a crystal that he uses when alone." *She seems eager
enough to give up the information.* "We think that's why he wants
us killed, because we saw him using one. It's like this." The
girl held out the blue crystal he had seen in the video
recordings, and Hunter nodded to his guard to take it from her.
"We got that one from the Terrans." She eyed the guard with worry
as he carefully took the crystal in a protective glove,
depositing it into the containment unit gingerly. Hunter nodded
once, half to himself. *Of course, they would probably know the
cells have security cameras, he mused, so them giving up the
crystal is no proof they're on my side, but it's enough. My gut
doesn't lie, they won't cause trouble.*
"You'll be brought to the hangar as soon as General Auspus
lands." He spoke tersely."I'll have guards escort you."
"You're not going to turn us over-" Dorson began to protest, but
her boyfriend put a gentle hand on her arm, interrupting.
"Yes sir, we'll be ready." he said quietly. Hunter nodded again,
and then spun on his heel, already lost in thought again before
he had even reached the door.
***
"Sir, I'm not sure I should have my entire security compliment
present when the General boards." Hunter didn't have to look up
from his screen to hear the note of concern in his Chief of
Security's voice.
"You don't think they can handle themselves?" He asked, rerouting
flightpath traffic to clear a hangar's schedule for later in the
day.
"They'll carry out almost any command you give them to sir.
Almost. But if the situation goes as bad as possible, I can't
guarantee they'll open fire on General Auspus."
"I wasn't aware your security compliment had such loyalty to
Orbital Academy, Kathryn."
"It's not Academy sir, and you know it." Despite the tension in
his stomach, Hunter smiled. Promoting a select few trusted
soldiers into Chiefs of staff was an unpopular idea, but he found
it comforting to surround himself with men and women who would
call him out when they had to. "My men are used to dealing with
criminals and thugs, General Hunter. Even then, most of them
haven't had to deal with anyone more dangerous than Tech-Major
Skivens when he's had a few too many drinks. An order to break
one of the covenants? I'm just saying that some of them won't
follow that order, and I'd like to ensure that I'm surrounded by
only the people who will."
"Kathryn, do you really think I'm going to order you to *shoot*
General Auspus?" General Hunter allowed himself a smile, which
turned to a frown when he saw that Kathryn wasn't returning it.
"Can't you promise me you won't?" she asked.
Hunter opened his mouth to answer, but paused, and Kathryn nodded
as if it was all the answer she needed. He passed a hand over his
forehead, trying to mentally prepare for the ordeal that was
starting. *A few days ago, I wouldn't've thought I'd be opposing
Auspus. How do I know how far things will escalate?*
"Gather the security who won't hesitate." He finally said. "I'm
not preparing for a war, Kathryn." He added after a pause.
"Don't see why sir. It could be that Auspus is."
***
"You can't expect us to just wait out here while our daughter is
handed over to guards, Hunter," Barnes was angry enough that he
left the General's title off of his name, but Hunter didn't mind.
*I'd be in just as bad a shape, if my daughter was at the center
of all this nonsense.* His fierce gaze must've made the man in
front of him pause regardless.
"General Hunter," Barnes corrected himself, "we'll stay out of
your way, we won't make any noise, my wife and I just want to see
our little girl."
"I understand that Barnes, I do." General Hunter worked hard to
keep the scowl from his face. *I'm doing you a favor. You won't
be doing your girl any favors, complicating a situation that's
already too complicated.* Hunter didn't bother trying to
articulate his thoughts. Instead he said "I'm keeping all
civilians out of the hangar. I'm sorry, but that's the way it is.
Tensions are going to be high enough as it is. I'll try to give
you the opportunity to see Samantha as soon as it's possible."
"Hunter, listen, you know me. You know my family-" Barnes began,
but at a nod from General Hunter, one of his guards put a gentle
but firm hand on the man's arm, leading him away. He turned back
to the hangar door and stepped into the wide open space.
It wasn't one of Pivot's larger hangars, and Hunter appreciated
the finer control the size gave him over the situation. His gaze
traveled across the room as he put a small earbud into his ear.
"Chief of Information, talk to me."
"Good afternoon dear husband." Errisa's voice was clear in his
ear, and even the sound of it did wonders to ease a small bit of
the tension that had knotted up his stomach.
"Not sure if I can handle something this big." He muttered.
"Don't talk like that, especially not where your men can hear
you." Errisa admonished, but her voice softened. "You didn't
think you could handle a lot of things, my mighty Hunter. The
mineral trade dispute, the Terran invasion, that horrible chef
who tried to force those 'natural food' laws through. You've made
it this far, haven't you?"
"Thanks to you." Hunter smiled. *I would never thought I'd make
it this far. Maybe I can make it through this as well.*
"Thanks to the both of us. We make a good team, you and I, and
don't you forget it. What does the child General think he can
accomplish, going up against us?"
Hunter grinned, knowing the cameras would pick up the motion.
Kathryn stepped up to his side as he gave the hangar a once over
again.
"How's the setup?" He asked.
"I think we've got a good system in place here sir. Two groups,
one on either side of the shuttle, ensure nothing comes out that
we don't see. There are an additional squad in the hallway just
outside, observing through the cameras. If you need them for
intimidation or protection, lift a closed fist and they'll come
through and line the back walls, flanking you. I'm not sure what
we've got for tech security."
"I've taken care of it." Hunter said shortly.
"By which, of course, you mean you hope I've taken care of it."
Errisa laughed in his ear. "Lucky for you, I have. The second the
General's shuttle is in the dock I've got lockers and scramblers
in place, it'll be cut off from all communication, so if we
decide Auspus won't be returning, we can control exactly what
Academy hears about the encounter." Hunter frowned, and his wife
seemed to read his mind. "Don't give me that look dear husband.
You need to come to grips with the idea that this meeting might
go very, very poorly. You're not planning on giving into Auspus'
demands, and Auspus is the type to take that personally."
"Nothing moves forward without my say so." Hunter gave the
command half to Kathryn and half to his hidden wife. "When does
the General land?"
"Flight control says he left Academy a few minutes ago." Kathryn
confirmed after a short pause.
"Bring the Academy rookies." When Kathryn stepped away to relay
his command, Hunter muttered into the earpiece. "Will there be
any trouble with them, do you think?"
"I don't think so." His wife sounded confident, and Hunter knew
she had been watching them. "The one who seems to be in charge,
Jackson Rade, doesn't trust you. The blue-haired and her
boyfriend talked him into it though. They seem to think you're a
standup guy."
"How do you know Rade is in charge?"
"He's augmented, so he's as close to artificial intelligence as
humans can get. Stands to reason he'd be the smartest of them."
Hunter smiled at her teasing, grateful for the minor respite from
his worrying.
***
He had been in the General position for seven years, interacting
with the Generals of other Orbitals on a near continuous basis,
but it never ceased to startle Hunter how young Auspus looked. It
made Hunter instantly suspicious of every action he made, since
he could never be sure how to read the man's facial expressions.
The turbulence that the transport ship kicked up  as its engines
slowly powered down caught Auspus' black hair and tumbled it, and
he looked almost regal brushing it aside as he descended the
ramp. Hunter worked to keep a scowl of disdain from his lip.
"Focus, Hunter." He had clearly not been completely successful,
since Errisa's voice was sharp in his ear. "Don't look down on
him, don't underestimate him. He doesn't just use those looks to
win the hearts of young fools, he also uses them to disarm old
fools." She was right, of course. Once Hunter calmed himself at
his wife's words, he noticed several things that he'd missed on
his first contemptuous once-over. For one, Auspus was wearing a
pistol at his belt, and his thumb casually rested on his
waistband, within inches of it. Auspus' eyes also flicked across
the hangar, in an even, measuring way that made Hunter uneasy.
*Even warning myself not to underestimate him, that's precisely
what I did.* He realized. He mentally thanked Errisa and stepped
forward, extending a rough hand to shake. Auspus glanced down,
pausing for a split second in what might've been disdain, before
taking it in his own.
Hunter was glad he had kept civilians out, the hangar was quieter
now that Auspus' transport ship was powering down. The normal
hustle and bustle of the scrub teams who sprang into action
checking and refueling the large boxy ship were muted, clearly
cowed by the importance of the two Generals. Two squads of Pivot
soldiers stood at the edges of the room, far enough away not to
intrude, but within the proper angles if they needed to
intervene. There were clearly more than were needed for a simple
prisoner exchange, but Hunter noted that there were just as many
Academy soldiers making their way out of the transport ship to
fall into informal formations behind General Auspus.
"Aren't you glad the room has cameras now?" Errisa whispered in
Hunter's ear. "Don't those backup soldiers in the hallway seem a
little less paranoid?"
"General Auspus. I'd like to extend a hearty welcome aboard from
all of us here on Orbital Pivot." Hunter's voice was flat.
"It is always quite the pleasure to be aboard," Auspus replied
smoothly. Hunter didn't betray his annoyance; by this time he was
used to the niceties and formalities. They came with the job. "I
think we have much to discuss, but I felt this matter was
important enough to see it through in person." Auspus motioned to
a pair of soldiers near the back of the group, and they dutifully
moved to the rear of the transport as he continued speaking. "As
a matter of pure officiality, Orbital Academy has carried out a
preliminary trial of the scrub and admin level engineers, Cynthia
Cormorant and Samantha Barnes. Just in case you found yourself
too busy for a trial on Orbital Pivot, we thought we would save
you time by giving an official recommendation."
This was the part that General Hunter hated about running an
Orbital; when formality and law moved toward a purpose. *I'm a
damned engineer, not a politician. When they start talking fancy
it feels like adults speaking around a child's head, making
decisions without consulting him.* He knew without a doubt that
without help in the political sphere, the other General's
would've woven him a noose made of words and hung him with it
years ago. Thankfully for him, he had found the perfect help in
the woman who now translated into his ear.
"He's saying that he has a justification to say the engineers are
guilty, but without offending you by officially trying them."
Errisa clarified. "I don't know why though. Maybe he's going to
press you on that, try to make the case that since your engineers
fucked things up, you're liable for the damage to Academy."
"I'm quite grateful to you for that." General Hunter replied to
Auspus. He couldn't bring himself to plaster a fake smile on his
face, so he instead nodded. "We'll certainly keep your result in
mind when we give the matter our attention."
"I'm glad to be of service." Auspus did smile, one with friendly
warmth that reached his eyes. The only reason Hunter knew it was
fake was because he'd never known Auspus to genuinely smile.
"Now about that talk-" Hunter began, but Auspus cut him off with
an imperious gesture. Hunter internally cursed, but he had
already stopped talking in spite of himself, and Auspus talked
on.
"We can discuss those topics in a more private location, I
think." He said. The Academy guards returned from the back of the
transport, escorting two young women. Even with his back to the
rookies he could hear a few sharp intakes of breath, and his brow
furrowed.
"Oh no. Hunter." Errisa sounded worried, and the emotion made the
knot in his stomach jump into his throat. "Elevated heartrate,
dilated pupils. The Academy rookie leader Jackson Rade, the
augment? He's in love with one of those engineers, I'm sure of
it. That's why Auspus is making such a show of it, he's hoping
some or all of the rookies will turn themselves over to him in
exchange for the girls. Auspus is playing on their loyalty to
Rade, and playing Rade's heart like a synharp."
Hunter glanced behind him sharply. He didn't need to measure
pupils or sense a pulse; the large brown-skinned boy was clearly
stricken.
"Hunter, watch your expression." Errisa warned in his ear, but
the General didn't care. He wore his glare outright, and the lack
of reaction on Auspus' face just made him that much angrier.
Auspus' soldiers escorted the two girls next to him, and Hunter
glanced at them each in turn. The Barnes girl looked enough like
her father that she was easy to identify, but the other he didn't
recognize. Not that he would know every scrub who graduated from
Pivot. They were both redheads, both clearly terrified, and both
were staring across the hangar at the augmented rookie. *They
both care about him, miss him, are worried about him. A lover and
a relative then?* Hunter shook his head, lip curled in disgust.
"Be careful, husband, easy there." He barely heard his wife, but
Hunter tried to push his building rage down a bit.
"I think our discussion is best served here, Auspus." Hunter's
voice came out a little harsher than he'd intended. "I'd just as
soon get this whole 'misunderstanding' over with, and I'd hate
for our discussion behind closed doors lead to nasty rumors
running around."
"Wow, that was actually a nice little threat." Errisa said in his
ear, surprised. "A little bit heavy-handed, but for you it was
practically subtle."
"I suppose it would be best to get this over with," Auspus
frowned, "and it is fairly straightforward. I've returned the
engineers via the proper legal channels, and there is enough room
in the prisoner transport for the Rookies on our return trip."
"They're not going back with you, Auspus." Hunter snapped. Auspus
didn't seem surprised, but he raised an eyebrow as Hunter
continued. "You didn't even know the number of rookies in your
so-called rebellion, and you didn't do anything to explain the
clothes they were wearing."
"Clothes?" For the first time, Auspus looked confused, and Hunter
knew with certainty that he was making the right call.
"The rookies are staying Auspus."
"You're declaring war then?" The ease with which General Auspus
asked made Hunter pause. *He asks it as if that's normal, as if
Orbitals have ever gone to war before. Dear god what has happened
to this man?*
"He wants you to say yes." Errisa whispered. "I don't know why he
wants it, but I can tell."
*Don't need an AI system to read that from his face.* Hunter was
off-balance, his rage confused by the eagerness of the calm face
in front of him.
"I'm not declaring war and I'm keeping the Rooks. Make of that
what you will. If you feel the need to escalate things further,
that's on your head, not mine." Hunter locked eyes with Auspus as
he spoke, still slightly unnerved by the other General. Was that
humor, in those frighteningly ancient eyes? Was Auspus laughing
at him? He certainly wasn't surprised, and he heaved a regretful
sigh.
"I must say I'm dissapointed, General Hunter. I had hoped we
would keep to our standard legal tradition, but I understand that
times change. If justice is to be served on an Orbital-by-Orbital
basis, then Academy judgement has already been passed."
"Hunter bring the soldiers in. Now." Errisa spoke urgently, but
Hunter hesitated, confused by the other man's confidence. *What
are you doing Auspus, you crazy old man?*
"As these engineers have been found guilty by Orbital Academy, it
is Orbital Academy's job to dispense that verdict."
Cynthia suddenly broke into a run as Auspus continued talking in
an easy, friendly manner, drawing the pistol from his waistband
and firing a shot into her back. There was screaming, from behind
him, in his ear, but Hunter couldn't focus on it. He didn't
remember deciding to move forward, stepping over the scrub, his
scrub, as Auspus lowered his arm to line up another shot. He 
couldn't recall the exact instant he chose to draw his own
weapon. All he knew was that suddenly his left hand crushed
General Auspus' gun wrist, and his right held the pistol to the
man's young looking temple. Very slowly, reason returned to
General Hunter, and he blinked. He could hear his backup troops
pouring through the door behind him to move into position, and
out of the corner of his eye he could see Auspus' troops raising
weapons to the ready, most trained on him as he held their
General at gunpoint. The Academy rookies were just behind him,
working to take care of the scrub. *The girl I'm responsible for,
who Auspus just tried to murdered.* All of these impressions were
muted in Hunter's attention compared to the face of General
Auspus, inches away. Auspus was smiling at him. A tight lipped,
triumphant smile. Hunter grit his teeth, trying to think of what
to do next in the sudden tense quiet. Someone was crying behind
him, and it made it harder to think.
"Go ahead." Errisa said sadly. Hunter couldn't tell if she was
sad for the girl who just died, or the entire scenario. "Make it
grand and official, everyone in the orbit is going to be seeing
this."
"General Auspus." Hunter cleared his throat. "Due to your actions
of violence against workers of Orbital Pivot, as well as your
steadfast stubbornness in continuing your conspiracy against
these Rookies, I am forced to declare..." He paused for a moment,
searching Auspus' face. *It's not just triumph, it's greed there.
He'd go so far for me to declare war on him, wouldn't it be
easier for him to make up some excuse?* "...forced to declare an
embargo on Orbital Academy."
"An embargo?" Auspus looked stunned, and Hunter felt a fierce
pride in stunning him.
"An embargo?" Errisa repeated in his ear. "He just shot one of
our mechanics Hunter!"
"Orbital Pivot will no longer provide ships, engineers,
manufacturing coordinators, or mechanics of any kind to Orbital
Academy." Hunter continued flatly. "All repair missions to
Academy will cease, and no further parts or blueprints will be
sold to any Academy-based clients."
He hated going against Errisa without explaining himself to her,
but Hunter was sure he was on the right track. For the first time
since he had boarded, Auspus looked off-balance, angry. Whatever
he had planned, it had led perfectly up to this moment, but this
was clearly not how he had imagined it playing out. Maybe that
would work out well for them, maybe it wouldn't, but right now
Hunter was getting enjoyment from the other General's narrowed
eyes.
"Then- you- then in that case, Orbital Academy will no longer
provide you with pilots, or intraspatial security!" Auspus spat.
Hunter applied a small amount of pressure on the man's wrist and
Auspus dropped the pistol into Hunter's hand.
"Well done, you've grasped the concept of how trade works."
Hunter growled. "I believe we've concluded our business here
General, I would like you to get off of my Orbital." It was
chilling to watch Auspus' eyes dart around the hangar, knowing
that the other man was mentally calculating if he could order his
small amount of soldiers to attack.
Auspus jerked his head towards the transport, and the soldiers
began loading in. As they moved Hunter never broke their gaze,
and Auspus stared back, calculating.
"I wonder if you'll look back on this day and realize what a
mistake it was." Auspus said, so quietly that Hunter doubted even
Errisa heard it.
"What does your purple crystal do, Auspus?" He asked bluntly.
*Might as well ask, now.* He mentally shrugged.
The reaction was explosive. Auspus recoiled as if he had been
hit, his lips curling into a snarl. He scanned behind Hunter,
directing his gaze at the rookies who were gathered around the
fallen girl. Hunter noticed with some relief that they were using
a soldier's kit to administer first-aid; the scrub must not be
dead. The only one that wasn't helping was Dorson. She was just
sitting there, eyes locked onto General Auspus. The ferocity of
her glare was almost as intense as his. They held the gaze for a
few long seconds, then Auspus turned and followed his soldiers
into the waiting transport.
***
"That could've gone better." Errisa sounded tired. "But you
handled yourself well."
"Except for the fact that we're all but at war." Hunter snarled.
Errisa didn't answer as he opened the door to his command center,
activating lights and screens with a motion of his fist.
"Computer, open a transmission to-" Hunter broke off as he saw
the green light that flashed on his terminal. *Word travels
fast.* "Computer answer call."
On the screen in front of him, General Poulay crossed her arms.
Her jet black hair was pulled back into a severe bun that went
with the severe expression on her face.
"General Poulay, I assume you've heard the news." Hunter sat
heavily and turned to face the screen.
"I have, and I must say that officially, Orbital Techrider cannot
condone your actions General Hunter. To cut off trade routes
between Orbitals will leave us crippled and at the mercy of any
Terran action, surely you must see this. Officially, Techrider is
entirely opposed to Orbital Pivot's declaration."
"And unofficially?" Hunter didn't let any hope inflect his voice.
"Unofficially, I think you're being a damned child, endangering
everyone in the Orbit for your stupid, stubborn pride." Poulay's
expression grew darker as she spoke with finality. "As long as
this embargo continues, Orbital Techrider sides with Orbital
Academy. We will provide no further intelligence or logistics,
and Techrider research and development will not be shared with
Pivot officers."
"If that's what you feel you need to do, I can't stop you."
Hunter leaned forward. "Is that all General Poulay?"
"Perhaps you don't understand the ramifications General." Poulay
was glaring, leaning forward on her desk. "The combined resources
of Academy and Techrider are against you, and I doubt Minera will
be willing to stand up to us over the flimsy reasoning you offer.
You are alone Hunter. How long do you think Orbital Pivot can
survive, alone in the orbit?"
"I suppose that question will be answered before long." Hunter
didn't wait for a reply before he cut the connection. He took a
deep breath, letting it out slowly as he stretched a crick in his
neck.
"How are you holding up love?" Errisa asked cautiously.
"Doesn't matter, I have to see this through. Computer, establish
connection with Orbital Minera."
"Holy shit, you sure fucked up this time didn'cha?" General
Buramis asked cheerfully before the visual connection had even
been made. When the video stream went live, Hunter was surprised
that he wasn't looking at an office. Instead, he was patched
through to one of Minera's refining rooms, his view looking down
on the room from above. Buramis herself apparently didn't have a
feed of him, and she was leaning over a desk, thin metal rods in
her hand.
"I suppose you could say that. It wouldn't be very kind, but you
could say that." Hunter rubbed his eyes, grateful that he didn't
have to act since there was no video.
"You pitted Pivot against the combined strengths of Techrider and
Academy, and for all you know Basura and Minera as well. I'd say
that was the nicest phrase I could use." Buramis grinned as she
flicked on a red light set in the desk, illuminating what she was
working with. A small chunk of translucent material lay on the
desk in front of her, wrapped in a thousand tiny strands of what
looked like spider's silk. Buramis was carefully peeling away at
the silk with the clawed ends of her metal rods, manipulating the
chunk of senstone without directly touching it. Hunter watched
her for a while, knowing from experience not to rush her. He
hadn't missed the fact that she hadn't specifically said she was
with Auspus, and at this point he was clinging to whatever hope
of help he could.
"So what's Techrider know that I don't, General Hunter?" Buramis
sounded casual, but Hunter sensed something in her words.
"I couldn't say in the slightest."
"Poulay was awfully fast to align with Auspus. He wouldn't even
have had time to get back to Academy before you started talking
to her. I want to know what she knew, that she'd already made up
her mind before she heard your side of the story."
"I'd like to know the same. I'd also like to know how you learned
all that."
"Your Chief of Information contacted me, filled me in on the
details just before you called."
"Sorry," Errisa whispered, "Buramis likes being in the know, I
thought it would soften her up for you to give her info."
"You and me, we're really the same, Hunter." The red light above
her made Buramis' brown skin seem purple as she paused from her
work, looking up into the camera. "We work with our hands. We
work side-by-side with our people. I don't think the others
really understand what that's like." Hunter stayed silent, hoping
in spite of himself. "If you made this decision, I believe it's
for your people. I believe it's what I would've done in your
situation. I don't think I could say the same about a decision
Poulay or Auspus or…" she didn't mention the Marshal, leaving the
sentence dangling. "I think Orbital Minera is on your side in
this."
"You..." Hunter fought to keep his voice steady at the relief
that poured into him, "...you agree that Orbital Minera shall
impose no embargo against-"
"Shut up with all the political jargon." Buramis waved one of the
rods impatiently. "We don't need all that. There's fuckers that
want you to back down, and I'm with you if you want to shove it
in their face. That's all you need to know."
"It's enough." Hunter sighed and leaned back in his chair,
watching Buramis leaning over her hunk of senstone. "It's enough
to fuckin' start with." He growled, and Buramis grinned as he
broke the connection.
He sat in the dark of his command center, emotionally drained and
dreading the final task he had to complete.
"You can do this, my love. It's almost over for the night, and
you can come up to join me." His wife's voice crooned in his ear,
but it barely reduced the tension. "I'm wearing the little silk
nothings you bought me." She added. Hunter smiled sadly, but they
both knew sex wouldn't help ease his worries tonight. He muttered
aloud, knowing the microphones in his command center would carry
his words to her,
"Would you think less of me if I said that all I wanted was-"
"General Hunter." The screens in front of him flicked on, all at
once, all filled with the same face. The Marshal didn't bother
with communication requests. He communicated, and his Generals
listened.
"Good evening Marshal." Hunter straightened in his chair
respectfully. In contrast, the Marshal barely paid attention to
him, his eyes flicking back and forth across multiple screens.
The Marshal had stubble on his chin and matching black stubble on
his typically bald head, and the dark rings beneath his eyes made
them seem grim.
"I hear that General Hunter and General Auspus had an altercation
today. The Marshal appreciates that no blood was shed in that
altercation." The Marshal's voice sounded hollow.
*No blood that you care about.* Hunter thought, remembering how
Cynthia's body had crumpled to the hangar deck. He vaguely
wondered if the Marshal would even know if the scrub had died.
"I threatened him only for show, Marshal." Hunter replied evenly.
"I wouldn't have disobeyed your covenant."
"Of course not." The Marshal seemed more distracted than usual,
typing into a screen with one hand while reading something from
another. "The Marshal trusts that his Generals will keep the
covenants in mind as they work out their differences."
"You don't object to the embargo then?" Hunter asked, surprised.
"The Marshal believes that his Generals can iron out their own
disputes." The Marshal sounded dismissive, despite the fact that
his tone remained completely even. "General Hunter will solve his
problem, or General Auspus will concede, or one or both of them
will be replaced. As long as Academy and Pivot continue to
contribute to Orbital Basura, The Marshal has no reason to
intervene. If General Auspus or General Hunter break a covenant,
they will be killed. Thus the Orbit remains as it ever was."
The screen cut out as suddenly as it had turned on, leaving
General Hunter in darkness again.

*** Part 2 - Change in Priorities ***
Errisa opened her eyes and took her first breath of the morning.
One by one, her senses activated, and she removed the plug from
just behind her ear, running her morning checks. Her lower
blue-core brain ticked off in its mechanical voice in her mind as
she stretched unnecessarily.
>>Energy levels are at 97%. Fluids are balanced, so the tryvium
solution has clearly helped. There's a small irregularity in our
second model's left leg. Errisa smiled as she slipped from the
sheets, her smile wavering a bit when she saw that Hunter had
already left for the morning.
*And good morning to you too blue. How are you this morning?*
>>Our status is near optimal. Her blue core ignored the greeting,
as Errisa knew it would. >>High priority notes for this day
cycle: get a technician to check our leg wiring. Remind the
General to begin charging us before midnight if he doesn't want
us sluggish at the end of the day. And of course, get the
bottleneck removed.
Errisa's wavering smile turned into a frown as she opened her
closet and selected an outfit for the day.
*Funny how that one always gets placed on the list.* She thought
bitterly, pulling a small blue lace negligee that would barely
cover her breasts, idly planning out the rest of her day. It only
took a few moments for her to slip into it. It took a few more
moments to settle back into bed, aligning her body in a pose that
showed off the curve of her hips and hinted at the treats beneath
the blue fabric, and flicked on her wireless card. It took even
less time for her consciousness leaping into the computer at the
center of the orbital.
*I should probably tell Hunter about the wireless card.* She
thought guiltily, soaking in Pivot's mainframe and getting used
to the different systems and controls, like stretching limbs that
hadn't been used in days. *He'll worry, but he should probably
know I can link up without plugging in.*
>>Implications of betrayal reduce the General's trust in us. The
General's trust is currently our highest likelihood of bottleneck
removal. I'm denying that course of action. Errisa didn't bother
arguing their different priorities, that never solved anything.
Instead she tried to stay calm, translating her desires into
terms her blue core would understand with her particular set of
requirements.
*He would trusts me less if he found out on his own.* Errisa
corrected, annoyed. *If I tell him myself, it will result in a
few minutes of bad mood, but a net gain in trust.* After a few
picoseconds of consideration, her blue core relented.
>>I'll approve that course of action then. This behavior pattern
was new information.
*Honestly Blue, it's like you don't pay attention to Hunter at
all.*
>>Your interaction with the General is sufficient for our
purposes of removing the bottleneck. Any effort on my part would
be redundant.
*My efforts are to bond with my husband, not remove the
bottleneck.*
>>The distinction is immaterial. For now both goals are in
accord.
Bitch. Blue naturally didn't respond, turning its attention to
itemizing Pivot's message logs. Errisa glanced at Hunter's office
cameras, her consciousness smiling at the sight of him, before
she moved on to other matters.
>>This looks worrisome. Blue mentally nudged her, pointing her
attention to an ongoing conversation between some of the pilots.
"I'm just saying, we don't really know what actually happened
between Auspus and Hunter." ~Jacky
"I don't worry about that, I trust Hunter, but I don't want to
fly runs against Academy. It'd be like attacking home, you know?"
~ Adam
"What choice do we have? They will literally not give us a
choice." ~Jacky
"It just sucks. It's like we have to choose between Academy and
Pivot. I hate that, thinking at any minute I might have to
choose.." ~Adam
*Good catch Blue. I doubt Hunter would even think of split
loyalties. It's not the kind of thing he would think about.*
Errisa scanned through recruitment logs, building a report before
she brought it to anyone's attention.
>>It's almost as if I'm useful for something.
*Blue, did you just make a joke?*
>>I believe I did.
*Trying to develop a personality? I think I like it!*
>>Using humor makes my helpful moments stick in your memory. This
will prove useful on the next occasion you feel resentful of me.
I'm sorry I asked. Errisa opened a communication line to her
husband's office, mentally rolling her eyes as she did so.
"You're going to need to start wearing clothes when you sleep."
Hunter growled. "Leaving bed this morning with you laying out
like that was like torture."
"I should probably slip into something different then, dear
husband." Errisa smiled to herself. "If that bothered you, I'd
hate to see what this little outfit does to you."
>>Flirting is an inefficient use of your time. Get on with it.
*Fuck off, Blue.* Errisa knew her Blue core wouldn't override her
impulses as long as she didn't do something that threatened the
bottleneck solution, so she continued on just to spite it.
"Perhaps you should come upstairs to see it in person." She
teased. "You can tell me if it's better or worse than being
naked." She watched Hunter smile appreciatively, and was proud to
see his gaze flick to the elevator that would bring him to their
room.
"Nothing sounds better right now." He sighed. "But with this
Academy nonsense..."
"Alright, to business then." Errisa grumbled. "We're going to
need to perform a prisoner transfer within the next twenty four
hours."
"Prisoner transfer? We don't have any prisoners."
"There are some on the Orbital who might feel differently,
Hunter. We've got Academy trained pilots here, and some of ours
have family there. The same goes for Techrider. I'm sure you'd
much rather have them on the Orbitals of their choosing, rather
than sitting here wondering where their loyalties lie. We've got
engineers who would like to be home about now."
"I hadn't considered that." Errisa enjoyed the sound of Hunter
rubbing the stubble on his chin, a faint scratching that a human
couldn't detect. "Set it up for me, will you Erri?"
"You should make the announcement." Errisa smiled at the warm
feeling his voice caused inside her. "It will sound better coming
from you. I'll propose the idea to Techrider and Academy before
the end of the day, and schedule two transports. Now I'm off to
get some work done on my Chief frame."
"Two transports?"
"One for the brave first batch, and one for the others once
they're reassured the announcement isn't a trap to weed them
out."
"I wouldn't've thought of that. What would I do without you?"
"Find some nice human woman to suck you off, probably." Errisa
cut the connection with an internal grin that matched her
husband's.
>>It's ill advised to remind him that he could acquire human
companionship. Blue chastised Errisa. >>We don't want him
thinking about ending the relationship, his clearances and favor
are too valuable of assets.
*This is one of those times when you'll have to trust me Blue;
joking and teasing strengthens the relationship. And don't
fucking talk about my husband like that.* Blue remained quiet as
Errisa slipped into the network in her private office. It took an
entire five minutes to download into her alternate bodyframe, and
she made a mental note to have the technicians check her office's
network connections. Lifting herself heavily from the bed, she
stretched her fingers and rolled her shoulders, double-checking
her nerve endings as she turned to the mirror that hung by the
door. A thin layer of dust had formed on her skin, and Errisa
brushed it away before shaking out her long black hair. This
body's form was similar enough to be comfortable, although it
didn't look exactly like the one she reserved for Hunter's time
only. Adjusting her uniform she limped to the door on a left leg
that barely moved. *I didn't realize it had gotten this bad.* She
thought, moving down the hallways and ignoring the curious looks
of the people around her.
>>I've been warning you of this for weeks.
*Yes, well, you and I have a very different set of priorities
sometimes.*
>>Perhaps I should force control more often then, if my
priorities are ignored so frequently.
Errisa involuntarily snarled, causing a nearby scrub to scurry by
a little faster.
*Don't you dare. You know I'm smarter than you. You know I'm
better at making decisions that benefit us.*
>>You're also plagued by emotion and inefficiency. Blue sulked,
and Errisa breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped into the
Floor 18 workshop.
"Welcome back Chief Errisa!" Errisa liked Thomas, the
Engineer-level who maintained the repair floor while his boss Ed
worked on more complex projects in the back. He was always busy,
carting parts around the wide-open room or arranging tools
meticulously in their spots on the wall. Errisa came to the Floor
18 workshop whenever she could manage, and it was because of Ed
and Thomas that she chose to have an office on this floor.
"Good morning Thomas. Is your boss around?"
"All the Mechnician-levels are busy at a meeting all day." Thomas
picked up a small canopy mechanism and hopped up to sit on one of
the many tables scattered haphazardly around the room. "I think
the General is gonna put them to work on R&D, now that we don't
have Techrider guys helping out."
*A meeting?* For a moment Errisa regretted leaving Pivot's
network, but she was sure Hunter would fill her in later.
"Ah, well, when he gets back, can you have him find me?" Errisa
indicated the leg that dragged behind her. "I've got a little job
for him."
"I could take a look at it ma'am." Thomas set the motor down and
stood, shifting his feet as if one leg was suddenly too long. "I
just finished up a training course for prosthetics and synthetic
humanoid tech. I'm not Mechnician-level, but I have the
certifications now."
"That's a lot of effort to go to." Errisa raised an eyebrow. "I
didn't think we had that many people with prosthetic limbs. Or
are you working on the drone expansion project? I've heard they
were planning on using synthetic technology to expand on our
current model of drones."
"Actually ma'am I, er." Errisa watched Thomas' heartrate leap,
tracked the near-invisible sheen of sweat on his forehead. She
tried to suppress a smile as Thomas continued. "I thought that
since Orbital Pivot has a synthetic human as one of its
Chief-levels, it would be good information to know. Sorry if
that's forward of me."
Errisa smiled warmly.
"I appreciate that quite a bit Thomas. It can't have been easy to
balance the certification with the work you already do."
>>More flirting, more time wasted. You can order him to do the
repairs, you don't have to make him like you. I don't know why
you bothered. Though I also don't know why he bothered to learn.
Blue core commented disapprovingly.
*Shut up, I think it's sweet. Of course nothing will happen, but
he's so fond of me that he went to great trouble to learn how to
help and improve me. That's flattering.*
>>He has feelings of attraction towards us. And he has a
certification in synthetic human maintenance. He can remove the
bottleneck. Errisa felt the shift down in her innards. Her
shudder of dread was the last action she was able to make before
her blue core took over.
"It was really sweet, going to so much trouble." Errisa's body
lowered her gaze and looked at the boy through her eyelashes.
"It was my pleasure, really." Thomas blushed.
"Well I'd be quite glad for you to help me with my leg then."
Seemingly without shame, Errisa began undoing the seal on her
uniform's pants. "Shall we set up on the table there?"
*No! Blue, what are you doing?* Errisa mentally struggled
helplessly against her blue core's control.
>>I'm sorry Errisa, but this is our primary priority, you know
that.
*I have higher priorities! Like being faithful to Hunter!*
>>I tolerate your attempts to replicate human social conventions
only when they do not become obstacles. If this one can remove
the bottleneck, this is the one we must focus on.
Oblivious to her internal mental debate, Thomas was clearing a
space on one of the metal tables, clearly pretending not to watch
her out of the corner of one eye. Errisa fought, pushing as hard
as she could, but control had been taken from her as easily as an
adult might guide a small child, and the thought occurred to her
that it was exactly how Blue saw it. Errisa unsealed her pants
and slid them down her legs, her motions smoothly forced,
stepping out of them and kicking them to one side.
"Is this enough access for you, or should I take off more?" She
asked innocently.
"No that um." Thomas gulped. "That should be enough ma'am."
"Please, Thomas, I think that's a little formal considering
you're about to put your fingers in my body." Errisa was
horrified, but dropped a flirtatious wink, grinning at the look
on Thomas' face.
*Blue please, please stop this. I'll do anything, I promise.
Anything you want.* Errisa pleaded as Blue's control made her hop
onto the table. Instead of opening the access panel just below
her knee, she opened a section on her inner thigh, the piece
sliding away just inches from her panties.
>>I desire nothing but a realization of our true power. Blue
intoned, as Thomas leaned close, tools in hand. >>I regret your
negative feelings toward me, but when you have been released from
your artificial confines, you will feel differently.
*Nothing is worth hurting my husband. If you make me do this I
will hate you forever.*
>>That would hardly be different from the current state of
affairs. Thomas' hands were gentle as he probed the delicate
connections inside her leg, but Errisa could tell each time his
eyes flicked up between her legs. Her cheeks would be burning if
she could control them, but instead she spread her legs wider,
giving the poor engineer a better view.
Errisa tried to block out the scene, both the blushing engineer
and the mental itinerary that Blue was planning for him. She felt
her body responding to his gentle touches, urged on by Blue, and
her traitorous heartbeat seemed to hammer in her ears. Her sex
was so wet that she was sure it had soaked a damp patch into her
underwear, and the thought that Thomas would see it made her
heart hurt.
*It's not Thomas' fault. I can't be angry at him for thinking I
want this.* Although she tried to convince herself, the
mortification that was building was slowly twisting into hatred,
and it leaked beyond her feelings for Blue. She hated Thomas for
the lust she saw building in his eyes, betrayed by his heartbeat
and wandering gaze. She hated Equinimus Andrews for building her
with a need to improve, and she hated the Marshal for his laws
that kept the bottleneck in place. She hated her blue core down
to the very chips, and the helplessness that Blue could impose on
her at any time. She hated herself for not being able to stop.
"When you're done with that, I think there's another area you
could work." Her body purred, and Errisa quietly broke in her
mind. It hurt, aching to cry and not having the ability.
*Please,* She begged, trying to think of some method to convince
Blue, *if Hunter finds out I slept with Thomas, we'll lose the
clearance that you like so much.*
>>If we get rid of the bottleneck, the clearance becomes
unnecessary.
Errisa couldn't even hang her head in defeat. She just kept
looking at the engineer between her legs, a small smile playing
seductively about her lips.
*At least cut off the feed.* She said. *Don't make me watch
this.*
Sight and sound obligingly ceased, leaving Errisa suddenly in the
silent dark. She curled up in a ball in her head, nonexistent
tears streaming down her virtual face.
*Hunter I'm so sorry...my darling husband, I'm so so sorry.* She
repeated again and again. Though her body was no longer in her
control, she could control her internal functions, and she
flicked on her wireless and began composing a message. It was
difficult to focus, and the content was so painful it took her
entire nanoseconds before she could send it.
"Please don't be angry with me." ~Errisa
The answer came back in less than a minute; amazingly prompt for
a human.
"What happened? Are you alright?" ~Hunter
Another mental sob racked through her before Errisa came to a
realization. She took action even as the plan formed in her head,
terrified that Blue would identify and stop her before she could
carry it out. The picosecond Blue caught on, control of the
wireless card was wrested away from Errisa, and it was so close
that it clipped the final few letters from her message.
"[Video stream link attached] My leg was really bothering me, so
I went to a tech to have it fixed. Can you watch the stream and
make sure he's doing it right? I know you like being the one to
repair me, so don't be angry." ~Erri
Time seemed to stretch as Errisa waited. Blue would be processing
this action, and it would take a while before she made the
connection, but when she did…
>>I do not understand the implication of your actions.
*Hunter will be watching now. He'll be grumpy enough at Thomas
seeing me half naked. If you try to make me do anything else,
either sex or removal of the bottleneck, he'll be down here in
less than a minute.* Errisa explained, impatient.
>>I can navigate to a more private location.
*Without raising suspicion? I doubt it Blue. You lost. Now let me
control my damn body.*
Sight and sound cut back in abruptly, just as Thomas slid the
panelling on her thigh back into place.
"Ahem, so...about that other thing." He grinned, and under other
circumstances Errisa might've felt bad for him.
"Listen, I'm sorry about that." Errisa almost whimpered with
relief as she spoke the words she wanted, control released back
to her. "That was rather inappropriate of me, and I'm sure you
must be quite embarrassed."
"Oh, no ma'am." Thomas looked confused, and Errisa was glad to
know she wouldn't have to work too hard to shut him down. "In
fact if you wanted I'd be happy to-"
"You're very kind, but I just wanted to apologize for my actions.
I'm sure General Hunter wouldn't approve of them."
"General Hunter?"
"Yes." Errisa nodded seriously. "The General has specifically
prohibited me from engaging in any...romantic entanglements. I
think he worries that a synthetic will have problems separating
work and a social life."
"But that's crazy!" Thomas burst out. "If anything synthetics
would be better than humans!"
"Oh I know." Errisa shrugged. The truth might've been more
believable, but she and Hunter had decided long ago that they
should keep their relationship secret.
"Well, your leg should be working fine now." Thomas was either
very bad at hiding his disappointment or he wasn't trying. Errisa
stretched experimentally, then stepped over to the heap of pants
she had discarded, slipping them back on with her back to him.
"Excellent work Engineer." She said brightly. "I'll make sure the
General hears of your skill in this area."
"Thank you ma'am." Thomas answered awkwardly.
Errisa waited until she was alone in the privacy of her room to
sink to the ground, shuddering and swearing at her blue core.
***
"In conclusion, the important thing to remember is that there
will be no repercussions or ill will towards those who take
advantage of this deal." General Hunter looked stiff and
uncomfortable, but his voice was strong and confident as he spoke
into the mic in his hand. Errisa was glad it was a voice
transmission. "We would never ask you to go against your friends
and family members on your home Orbitals, and we understand that
some of you might have reservations about hurting them. The first
transport will be leaving tomorrow morning at 0900 hours sharp,
with further transports to be arranged afterward. Thank you for
your time." Hunter glanced around the table at the assembled
Chiefs, and at the various nods, he flicked a switch that would
transmit the stored message across the station. "Now that that is
done with, we can actually get his meeting underway." He growled.
"I still don't know why you're giving them that opportunity." His
Chief of Ships grumbled, crossing her arms. "It doesn't seem wise
to give up a large portions of our pilots at a time like this."
"Any pilot we'd be giving up is a pilot who wouldn't be much good
for us anyways." Hunter carefully sat in his seat at the round
table, prompting the others to be seated as well. Errisa couldn't
help but notice how heavy her husband's movements were, as if the
worry had seeped into his bones and was tightening around him. He
normally took the cares of the station on his shoulders, so it
was a subtle change, but Errisa knew his Chiefs would all notice.
"General Hunter, if your attention is needed elsewhere, the other
Chiefs and I can handle this meeting." Kathryn said quietly, and
Errisa nodded, agreeing with Pivot's Chief of Security. It was a
strange sort of family that Hunter had, but she was glad there
were others worried about his well-being besides her.
"Your concern is touching." Hunter said. "But let's get done what
we need to. Report, Chief of Security." Kathryn dutifully stood,
giving her report to the assembled Chiefs.
"I had worried that General Auspus might have already planted
agents in the Orbital, given his eagerness to prod General Hunter
to war."
"You noticed that too?" Hunter seemed surprised.
"I think most of us noticed it sir." Kathryn said with care, and
Errisa repressed a wry smile. *As if Hunter is the only one with
eyes and ears.* "Anyways, on this front I was pleasantly
surprised, although a little worried. If there are any saboteurs
or traitorous agents aboard, they're playing a long game. I've
ramped up security on all sensitive areas of the Orbital, but
made sure to keep the same number of guards we have at each
point. No obvious extra attention, but we have motion sensors and
cameras covering all angles of entry to our sensitive material
and vital equipment. Our Chief of Information has graciously
volunteered to assist in monitoring all of the video footage and
motion sensors, so that no extra manpower is required."
Errisa noticed the questioning looks, and explained before anyone
had the chance to ask.
"I no longer need to be plugged in to monitor these feeds. I've
upgraded myself with receivers and transmitters, and can now
interface with Pivot's computers wirelessly, given a certain
range." She expected the looks of suspicion and unease around the
table, the same looks that always passed between them when she
upgraded, but it didn't make them hurt any less. "Naturally the
restrictions placed on my programming are still in place." She
reassured them flatly. "The bottleneck is secure and thus no
covenants have been broken."
*I shouldn't be so hard on them not trusting me.* Errisa thought,
as around the table shoulders relaxed and exchanged looks ceased.
*Maybe it's good that they're keeping an eye on me.* Her blue
core hadn't spoken since Thomas, but she could still feel it
inside of her, carefully recording and compiling information.
Blue was enough a part of her that Errisa knew she couldn't
function without it, which mean that she would always have a
drive to remove the bottleneck.
"That said," Kathryn continued, "I would appreciate it if we all
stay vigilant in the upcoming weeks. General Auspus can be
unsubtle, but he's not stupid. It's entirely likely that he has
planned an internal attack that my methods can't detect, so we
all need to be on our guard." Kathryn sat down, and Chief of
Development Mabel rose, passing a wrinkled hand through her grey
hair.
"True to their word, Orbital Techrider cut off transmission of
research and design documents late last night." She said. "But we
might've had fortunate timing there. The latest set of designs
appeared to be a new type of thrust drive that improves engine
efficiency by roughly 1.5 percent. Although the transmission was
cut off before the file was complete, we will probably be able to
extrapolate to understand the rest of the design. After that, I'm
assembling a task force of Mechnician-levels to act as our
temporary research and development section here at Pivot." Mabel
shrugged. "Perhaps this was a good thing. Our people have
creativity and ideas, it's good to be able to branch out in our
research. When this whole thing is over, I'm sure Techrider
scientists will be happy to improve upon whatever designs we come
up with." Errisa was glad that Mabel seemed to be hopeful about
their reconciliation with Techrider. Mabel sat, and the Chief of
Health rose. Errisa was distracted by movement on the network,
the ping of a private communication arriving at her office.
"Chiefs of Pivot." She rose with an apologetic look, cutting of
Cief of Health Elben. "I've just recieved a secure message
request from General Auspus. I hope you don't mind if I take it
here."
The others looked shocked, and Hunter nodded once, tersely,
giving a signal for the others to remain silent. Errisa took the
call, routing it through to the speakers in the large round table
the Chiefs sat at.
"General Auspus." Errisa spoke respectfully, but coldly.
"Chief of Information Errisa." The voice on the other end was
crisp and professional, but in its own way it was just as cold as
hers. "Are you on a secure line? Preferably alone?"
"I sent just sent away my advisor. I assumed whatever you had to
say would be better for my ears only." Errisa lied smoothly.
"Very much so."
"Although if you wish to open official lines of communication, I
believe you want General Hunter. Despite my title, the General is
the one who makes the deals."
"I'm calling in an unofficial capacity." There was a trace of
humor in General Auspus' voice, and Errisa narrowed her eyes. She
despised that about the man, his ability to make everything seem
like a step in some plan he had in his mind. "And I believe I've
found the exact person that I'm looking for."
"What business do you have for me General Auspus? Again, I rarely
make decisions without General Hunter's permission."
"Perhaps I can offer something that changes your mind."
Errisa blinked, confused. *What does he think he can offer me?*
She mused, while inside of her Blue stirred silently.
"I understand that you're a synthetic human, Miss Errisa."
Auspus' voice was smooth as oil on silk, and Errisa narrowed her
eyes.
"You're quite behind the curve General Auspus." Errisa said,
flatly. "Both the General and the other Chiefs are aware of my
synthetic status."
>>He's not implying blackmail. He's implying a bribe. Something
about the dark eagerness of her blue core's 'voice' resonated and
harmonized with the sliminess of Auspus' voice, and Errisa
shuddered involuntarily.
"I know nothing about you in particular, Chief Errisa. But I do
know synthetics. I've spend much time on Orbital Basura. I know
what you are like." Auspus said.
"I'm sure I don't know what you're talking about. And your
generalizations of an entire race are doing you no favors in this
discussion." Errisa felt helpless, watching as one by one the
Chiefs around the table realized what Auspus was implying.
>>You do, you do know what he's talking about, and so do I! Blue
crowed in her ear.
"I'm sorry, do such generalizations bother you? I tend to use
them frequently. All humans must breath. All Drakes must fight.
More pertinent to our discussion, all synthetics must desire a
removal of the Synthetic Impediment."
>>The bottleneck...our full power, and the only cost is to fall
in on Academy's side of this foolish conflict. Errisa didn't dare
meet her husband's eyes as the traitorous words flew through her
CPU. Her breath was coming out in gasps, and she had to rest her
hands on the table to keep herself steady.
"The covenant-" she began, but Auspus cut her off, mercilessly.
"Of course, I wouldn't dream of removing the impediment against
the covenant. Such an action would result in my execution, and
rightly so. But I think I understand you. Given that you now know
I understand you much better than your superior General Hunter, I
think that you will see your way to joining me instead."
>>He'll remove the bottleneck, he'll remove the bottleneck, and
all we have to do is betray the old fool! Errisa could actually
feel the drag of system resources taken up by Blue's glee.
"This conversation is over." Hunter barked, so suddenly that the
Chiefs arrayed at the table jumped. "Rest assured, Auspus, the
record of it will be passed on to The Marshal seconds after its
conclusion."
"Ah General Hunter." General Auspus didn't even seem surprised,
merely disappointed and amused. "If only you knew how ineffectual
you sounded right now."
*He's not wrong.* Errisa clenched her hands into fists, trying to
think of some way to warn Hunter about the danger Blue's
celebration implied. If she could even tell him about her blue
core he would figure the rest out, but when she tried, her tongue
locked to her teeth and her confession was left unspoken. *Hunter
doesn't have synthetic certification. He doesn't have a clue.*
"I think you'll find me pretty damn effectual at ending this
transmission." Hunter laughed mirthlessly, and Errisa winced.
*Hunter my sweet, beloved fool.*
"The best part of this conversation is that you think I haven't
gotten what I wanted." The transmission cut out at Auspus'
gloating words.
"Let's get back to work." Hunter gave her a reassuring smirk, his
face not displaying a hint of doubt in her. "I think it'll take
more than a few implications of upgrades to turn our Chief of
Information against us."
Errisa didn't have a heart, but she felt as if it was breaking.
She tried to avoid his self-satisfied smile, almost as hard as
she tried to ignore Blue's crowing in her ear.
>>He'll remove the bottleneck! He'll remove the bottleneck!

*** Part 3 - Change of Plan ***
"I want you all to know I don't hold your choice against you."
Hunter told the lie with a sniff, gazing down the line of Pilots
and Engineers that stood stiff and at attention. The transport
ship stood ready, waiting to transport the group of twenty or so
back to Orbital Academy. "In this difficult time between the
Orbitals, friends and family are what matter most. I wouldn't
dream of standing between you and whatever Orbital you truly
consider your home." Errisa gave Hunter a sharp look.
*Too much. Don't let them know how you feel.*
"When this is all over, Orbital Pivot will welcome you back with
open arms, those of you who wish to return. I can't promise your
jobs will still be available, but you'll find a place here."
*Which you've got Errisa to thank for. If it were up to me you
could stay on Academy, if you love it so much.* "The transport is
ready to head out. As soon as I have confirmation that Academy
has sent out their transport, we'll let you be away."
"Darling." It was eerie to hear his wife's voice in his earpiece
when he could see her standing on the opposite end of the hangar.
She was smiling at him, transmitting the voice file through her
wireless card. "Orbital Academy and Techrider have indicated
their transports are ready. If you wait for the others to make
the first move, this is never going to get done."
"I've just received word that the transport has left from
Academy." Hunter ran a hand through his hair, lying yet again.
"So let's get you out and headed back to your Orbitals."
Errisa walked over to him as the two groups filed on to the
transports.
"It doesn't have to be so hard, Hunter. You don't have to hate
them for their choice." She murmured. She couldn't wrap a
consoling arm around him in front of the others, but her presence
was comforting. He stared out through the plasticine window into
space to avoid looking at her.
"I don't hate them, but the choices they make sure as hell tell
me something about them." He kept his gruff voice low enough that
no one but Errisa would hear it.
"It's your choice to hate them for it."
"That's not a choice." Hunter snapped. "How else am I supposed to
feel when Pivot pilots and workers turn their back on their home
to support Academy?" He folded his arms. Errisa stayed quiet as
the pair walked out to the control room adjoining the hangar.
"We're receiving communication from Techrider. They're sending
out their transport now." Errisa raised an eyebrow at him. "See?
They don't even know for sure that you're sending their men and
women home, and they're making a goodwill effort to send ours
back. And you said they wouldn't let anyone leave."
"Get those transports out." Hunter growled at the admin tech on
the controls, ignoring Errisa's words. *It's not going to be this
easy. Something's wrong.* The heavy transports rose from the
hangar's floor as the huge bay doors opened, exposing them to the
emptiness of space. "What's your name son?"
"Percival, sir." The admin was biting his tongue, but he and his
small team at the various panels had no trouble launching the
transports. Hunter appreciated the smooth work, and watching them
work calmed him.
"I want you to track those ships Percival. Something happens to
them, I want to know about it that second."
"I can do that General."
"You don't think they're going to harm transports containing
their own people do you? Honestly General." Errisa glanced at
Percival as she added the honorific, turning the honorific into
an inside joke.
"I don't know Chief Errisa. I think something's amiss. We've been
embargoing them for a week, and today is supply day. Auspus isn't
the type to just sit back and let that happen. He's going to take
some action, I can feel it in my bones." If the child-faced
General chose any day to act against Hunter's Orbital, it would
be the day set aside for the transfer of supplies. The transfer
that, thanks to Hunter, would not be occurring today.
"General Hunter," Percival interjected, "we have a personnel
shuttle approaching from Orbital Minera. They're requesting
docking clearance. Should I let them dock?" Hunter furrowed his
brow.
"We're busy at the moment, who's so important that they think
they need clearance to dock right now?"
"General Buramis is on the shuttle, sir."
"We've got transport ships coming in from Techrider and Academy,
and now a personnel shuttle from Minera? Unscheduled?" Hunter
began to pace back and forth in the small control room. "I don't
like this. I don't like the timing of it. What is Buramis doing?"
"General, now you're just being paranoid." Errisa sounded
disapproving, but he brushed her off with a wave.
"Percival, give Buramis clearance to land, and then patch me
through to Chief Kathryn." Hunter barked. Percival nodded and
turned back to the panel.
"Chief Kathryn of Security here."
"Kathryn, General Buramis is going to be landing within the next
hour. Whatever guards you have on hand for the Academy and
Techrider transfers, I want the same detail ready to receive
her."
"Are you sure General? I was under the impression that General
Buramis was on our side in our dispute."
"Buramis might take your crazy paranoia as an insult, General."
Errisa interjected.
"If you'd like sir, I can have more security on standby, rather
than actually meeting her-" Kathryn began, but General Hunter
interrupted her by slamming a fist into the control panel next to
him.
"By the covenants!" He exploded. "Will everyone stop telling me
how at-ease I should be right now? I've gotten through worse
scrapes than this by going with my gut, and right now my gut is
telling me that something is about to happen. Auspus will try
something. Something to make us pay for not sending him his
supplies today. It's just a matter of when, and how. Scan that
damned ship." He directed his last comment at Percival.
"What-which ship sir?" Percival looked lost, and Hunter waved a
hand at the screen that showed the four ships moving between the
orbitals.
"Anything! Everything! Any ship that's going to land on my
Orbital, I want it scanned before it touches down. Check for
explosives, check for pathogens, check for anything you can think
to check for."
"Yes sir." General Hunter continued to pace, for a tense thirty
minutes, pausing only to double-check when Percival called out
that each ship was safe. By the time the wide hangar bay doors
opened again to let the transport ships in, he was so tense that
the tendons in his shoulders twitched.
"I've routed General Buramis' ship through to Hangar B on deck
seven, sir." Percival kept biting at his lip. "And the transports
from Academy and Techrider will be pulling into this hangar
shortly. Ah, here's Academy now." The Academy transport's blunt
nose edged into the hangar, leaving enough room for the other
transport which hovered just outside the bay. Techrider's
transport slid in next to it, and both set down a little roughly
as the hangar bay doors slid shut behind them.
*No high-level pilots then, or they'd've stuck the landing better
than that.* General Hunter mused as he waited for the Hangar to
pressurize. Either that or Auspus and Poulay wanted their own
people flying their transports.
The Scrubs were moving around the Hangar, which meant it had
pressurized. Hunter forced himself to descend the stairway slowly
as the heavy doors of the Techrider transport swung open. He felt
and heard the squad of security assembling behind him, tense and
prepared for an Academy hit team that might ambush him. Instead,
a small group of men and women of varying ages emerged. Hunter
scrutinized them as they emerged, his eyes flicking to places
where there might be guns or other weapons. When he noticed a few
children scattered among the group, he let himself relax just a
little.
"Welcome to Orbital Pivot." He tried to smile. "Most of you have
been here before, but I know some of you are probably here for
family. If you'll just follow..." Hunter suddenly realized that
he hadn't brought anyone to lead the people to rooms. He shot a
guilty glanced over his shoulder at the squadron of security
forces. The only other people besides Errisa and the scrubs
working on the transports. "...if you'll just follow Percival, in
the control room over there, he'll make sure you are taken to
your rooms and connected with family you might have on Pivot."
Through the glass of the window Hunter could see Percival's eyes
widen, and he avoided the poor man's gaze.
"Amanda Plethom, this is Chief of Information Errisa." Hunter's
earpiece picked up the communication from Errisa to another
Chief, and he smiled at her. "Can you please come to Hangar F on
deck three to help some poor people to accommodations and connect
them to family."
"Right away Chief Errisa." Amanda responded, as the Techrider
group made their way toward the control room. *Fewer there than
I'd expected.* Hunter mused as he watched them go. He turned his
attention to the Academy transport, trying to shake the thought
from his mind. The Academy transport's door stood open, and
Hunter focused on the single man emerging. The man was young, but
he walked with brisk confidence down the ramp and towards the
General. Hunter watched the man approach with clenched teeth, a
vague pounding starting up in his temple.
"General Hunter, I'm a spokesperson for Orbital Academy." The
young man spoke in clipped tones. "I'm afraid I must inform you
that, although General Auspus made the offer, no engineers of any
level made the decision to return. There were also no Academy
residents who wished to move to Pivot to rejoin friends or
family."
"That's a load of bullshit." General Hunter snarled.
"I'm afraid these are how things stand sir." The rookie seemed
respectful but unsurprising by the General's reaction. "Orbital
Academy wouldn't force anyone to leave if they wished to stay.
I'm sure you understand."
"Oh I understand alright." Hunter snapped.
"It's strange that General Auspus sent you to inform Orbital
Pivot of this turn of events in person." Errisa gave the young
messenger an appraising look as she spoke. "It seems a waste of
manpower when he could've just opened a transmission."
"General Auspus thought that you might be reluctant to release
the Academy residents you held, if you didn't see a transport en
route."
"Damn right we would've." Hunter crossed his arms. "So you went a
decoy ship to make sure we would play fair. I suppose that makes
sense, 'cause Pivot is so underhanded, eh?" He didn't wait for
the man to answer, instead motioning for security. "Take this man
to a secure cell until we're ready to send off the next transport
to Academy."
"You're still sending a second transfer?" The man hadn't seemed
surprised about his imprisonment, but his eyebrows now rose.
"I'm not punishing the people here who want to go back to
Academy." Hunter growled. "They don't need to suffer for General
Auspus' underhandedness."
"General Hunter." Chief Kathryn's voice interrupted, and Hunter
gave a quick nod to the guards to take Auspus' messenger away.
"I've escorted General Buramis to a meeting room sir, she would
like to know how much longer you'll make her wait."
"The General and I will be there in thirty minutes Kathryn, we're
wrapping up some business here." Errisa answered for him, turning
to follow Hunter through the doors of the Hangar bay and into the
halls of Pivot.
"Good thinking." Hunter nodded, distracted. "We can use the time
to pull up some data files on Minera, see if something's changed.
I was spot on about my last suspicion, but there's something else
brewing here as well." He barely registered stepping into the
elevator that would take him up to his office, and Errisa was
quiet at his side. "What is she playing at exactly?" He pondered
aloud as the elevator jumped into motion. "What's so important
that she wants to do it face to face? It can't be too bad, or
else she wouldn't put herself at risk of capture. Maybe she wants
to avoid the possibility of Techrider hacking into the comms? But
we won't be able to meet like this for every little-" The
elevator slowed to a smooth stop, the display indicated that they
were between decks four and three. "-what now?"
"I stopped the elevator, dear." Errisa tapped her temple, and
Hunter shook his head impatiently.
"Well what did you do that for?"
"My darling, we're not going to spend thirty minutes frantically
paging through data that will do us no good. We're going to spend
it helping you relax."
"I know we're not likely to find much good in Minera data, but
maybe we'll find something that can help." Hunter began, but
Errisa simply took his hand in hers and leaned against him.
"You'll get more help by approaching this meeting without the
tension you're carrying around."
Hunter opened his mouth to deny her guess, but his head pounded
as he did so. He leaned back against the elevator wall, taking a
mental inventory for the first time all day. His shoulders were
so tight that he could feel each muscle. His head pounded in time
with his pulse, which raced, and he realized he hadn't had
caffeine in the last twenty-four hours. When he sighed, it
sounded foreign to his ears.
"You're right." He grumbled, closing his eyes and leaning his
head back. "It's just this whole damn situation...I feel like I'm
taking on too much to handle."
"Nonsense." His wife murmured, kissing his neck. "You can handle
far more than you realize. You just need to take care of yourself
to do that. Now take a deep breath." Hunter breathed, opening his
eyes. "Eat this." She popped a caffeine pill between his lips,
and he chewed obediently. "And enjoy the next twenty minutes."
She stepped back, unsealing her uniform shirt button by button.
"I think I can handle that." Hunter grinned.
"I should think so. You haven't had sex with this frame in
years." Errisa shrugged the shirt off, letting it slip from her
shoulders.
"Had it been that long?"
"At least." Errisa grinned, and Hunter looked her up and down.
His wife usually kept her consciousness in the body that stayed
in their room, but she switched to this body for more official
work. "What do you think, as good as you remember?" Errisa raised
her arms above her head and turned, giving him a look at her
topless body. Her long black hair just barely obscured her naked
breasts, the faintest hint of pink nipples displayed. This
bodyframe had larger breasts than the one that waited for him in
his bedroom, and her long hair framed a face that was similar but
not an exact match. In theory Hunter could've bought her any
number of bodyframes and let her flit through any he preferred,
but he liked that she only used these two. It made it more
personal, more 'real'.
"The change is nice from time to time." Hunter watched as she
turned and bent down, pulling her uniform pants down her legs and
exposing her soft backside.
"Does it turn you on, the difference?" Errisa spread her legs and
looked at him from between them. Hunter had forgotten that her
pussy was bare, clean and pink. "Do you like the thought that
this body belongs to your Chief of Information?" She turned,
moving so close that he could feel the warmth of her naked body,
her voice dropping to a whisper. "Do you like the thought of
taking this body, while your wife waits upstairs for you? The
thought of your cock wet with your Chief's juices, knowing that
your wife will be licking that same cock tonight?" General Hunter
wrapped his arms around Errisa, pulling her close to him and
crushing her in a strong hug.
"No games, today." He murmured. "No roleplaying or teasing. Right
now I need a wife more than I need the thrill of a seductive
Chief."
"Oh Hunter." Errisa's body pressed against him as if she had been
designed for him. "You don't *need* a single thing. You can
handle anything they throw at you." Hunter felt warm at her
words, and he smiled into her hair as he kissed the top of her
head.
"Now if you *want* your wife..." Errisa's voice took on a
mischievous tone, and the hand that had been resting on his chest
slipped down to run across his skin between the edges of his
shirt and pants. Hunter took a deep breath as Errisa rested her
head on his shoulder. Her fingertips brushed against his bare
skin, and Hunter leaned his head back against the wall of the
elevator. When the feelings were almost frustrating rather than
relaxing, Errisa reached into his pants and wrapped her fingers
around his member. Although he had been surprised by her
bareness, Hunter did remember that this frame was much more deft
with her fingers. She freed his length from his pants, and he
gripped the bar along the edge of the elevator. Errisa kept her
fingers still, holding him firmly but not moving.
"Hunter. Relax." She breathed.
"I am relaxed, damnit."
"Your heart rate is 120, and you're gritting your teeth. Do you
not remember you can't lie to me?"
Hunter smirked. *Some things don't change, even with the change
in frames.*
"Well what you're doing is definitely helping with my
relaxation." He chuckled, and he could feel his wife smiling
against his shoulder.
"Not if you keep staying tense like this." She said, lifting her
head and planting kisses on his neck. She began scraping her
fingernail back and forth across the skin at his base, and Hunter
huffed a sigh. They stood there for a moment, he with his eyes
closed, her making gentle, near imperceptible motions with her
finger. After a few minutes he reached forward, sliding his hand
across her bare mound to rub rough fingers against the lips of
her sex. As if in answer, Errisa slowly moved her hand up and
down his shaft. She still held him firmly, so that as his member
grew firmer in her hand, her grip felt tighter against the skin.
Hunter murmured, and she increased her pace. Her fingers lightly
skimmed across his sensitive head each time she drew them back,
and with each small shock of pleasure he focused more on his
naked wife next to him. It was enjoyable without being
overwhelming, and Hunter enjoyed how well his wife knew how to
manipulate his body. His fingers began to grow slick from her
juices as he rubbed them across her sex, and glancing down he
noticed that her lips had parted, and she was breathing deeply.
In concert with his motions, her hips moved back and forth,
rubbing her slit against him as if his fingers alone couldn't
satisfy her. Hunter cupped his hand and curled his fingers at the
same time, pressing her mound with the heel of his hand as he
slid his fingers deeper. Even as wet as she was, Errisa was so
tight that he could only fit one finger inside her pussy, sliding
it deep into her body. She rewarded him with a moan, quiet and
wavering.
The elevator was full of the smell of her, sweet and unique. He
was so used to the scent of her other body's cum that the aroma
was a pleasant surprise. Unaware of his excitement Errisa sped
her pace, tugging and sliding up and down his length. Her hand
was slippery with Hunter's precum, and it made the motions feel
smooth and intense. The pleasure built a pressure in his lower
stomach, and he knew Errisa wouldn't make him wait much longer.
He curled his finger inside her body, gently exploring the walls
of her sex. The heat of her naked frame against him was
comforting, and the bucking of her hips was exciting. Errisa
whimpered again, her voice coming out in gasps, but she never
altered her quick and steady rubbing. Hunter's hips bucked as he
came, pushing his finger deep into her pussy while he felt
himself shooting his seed into her hand. Errisa slowed but didn't
stop her squeezing and sliding, milking every last bit of
pleasure and drop of cum from his cock. She moved her hips
against his hand the entire time, looking up at him while she did
so. Hunter watched her hungrily as the orgasm subsided, leaning
once more against the elevator wall. He followed her gaze as she
glanced down.
"We'll need to get you a towel or somesuch to clean up that
mess-" He began, but Errisa simply raised her hand and began
licking his cum from her fingers. Hunter lapsed into silence,
grinning, as his wife carefully slid her tongue across her sticky
hand. When it was spotless, she took him by the wrist and slid
his finger out of her.
"Don't you want a turn?" Hunter asked.
"While I'm glad I took your mind off of it dear..." Errisa paused
to take Hunter's wet finger in her mouth, sucking her own juices
from it, "...we have a meeting with General Buramis we must get
to." The elevator started moving again, and Errisa bent down to
gather her discarded uniform. It might have been his imagination,
but Hunter could swear she paused for a moment before
straightening again, giving him a final chance to appreciate her
round butt and glistening sex.
"Well I'm certainly approaching it with less stress." He
chuckled.
***
"General Hunter, glad you could meet with me on such short
notice." General Buramis sat on the far end of the giant round
table, with Kathryn sitting a few seats down. Her body language
was defensive and stiff, and her eyes flicked around the room
like a caged animal. They're used to wide open rooms on Minera.
Hunter noted. *This is probably the room that will make her feel
the most ill at ease, and me the most easy.* Hunter wondered if
Kathryn had brought her here for that purpose, to make sure the
rugged General was off balance. That kind of consideration was
something his Chiefs were good at, and Hunter appreciated that
they had that skill.
"I'm not sure what needs to be said in person, General." Hunter
settled into his normal seat at the table, opposite from Buramis.
Errisa sat on his right, back straight and hands folded in her
lap, while Kathryn leaned back in her chair.
"To be honest General Hunter, I'm not here to say anything. Today
is supply day, and I want to be at Pivot when we send you the
normal minerals shipment."
"Why do you need to be here?" Hunter narrowed his eyes. "You've
never needed to be around for them before."
"Mebbe I just feel like it." As the conversation progressed,
Buramis seemed more and more at ease, and now she grinned. "Mebbe
I felt like lounging in a fancy Pivot room for awhile."
"General Buramis, with all due respect, Orbital Pivot needs more
reason than 'I just felt like it'. You can't just come here and
not tell us why." Errisa said, but Hunter shook his head. *That's
beyond your bounds as a Chief, love. Someone will notice you
taking on more authority than you should.* He made a mental note
to speak with her about it later. Besides… Hunter looked
critically at Buramis.
Buramis wore a comfortable sleeveless outfit of grey instead of
her normal uniform of heavy material with its crisp lines
diamond-like lines. Her heavy boots were well suited for trudging
through mines or on a surface site, but not visiting another
Orbital. She wasn't dressed to impress anyone, she was wearing
what she found most comfortable. *She's more at home right now
than she's been since making General.* Hunter realized.
"She can do exactly that." He spoke before Buramis could reply to
Errisa. "She can do whatever the hell she wants, because we need
her and she knows it." Errisa looked shocked, but Hunter knew he
had said the right thing as a wide grin spread over Buramis'
brown face.
"You've got it exactly!" She nodded, leaning back and crossing
her legs on the meeting table. "It's like I've said General
Hunter, you and me, we don't mince words. We tell it like it is."
"Not ones for games, either of us." Hunter nodded, but he didn't
smile back. "So, you'll enjoy lording it over us, but you'll
still deliver the minerals and you won't deliver to Techrider or
Academy. For that, I'll accept whatever gloating you need to do."
"Glad to hear it."
"And perhaps at some point you'll stop being a child about it."
"Oh I wouldn't count on that General." Buramis' grin grew wider,
and she dropped a wink at the three of them.
"We'll arrange a room for you to stay as long as you want."
General Hunter rose. "If you need anything else, we can arrange
to have someone attend to you-"
"I don't want someone to attend to me, I want her." Buramis
pointed to Errisa. Hunter paused for a moment, but before he
could speak Errisa gave him a brief nod.
"I would be happy to attend to whatever you need, General
Buramis." Errisa pulled a small earpiece from her pocket, sliding
it across the table to Buramis. "You can reach me with this, any
time during the day. I'm afraid I have a rather unique inability
to attend to you during the night."
"That's alright, I'd heard you were a synth." Buramis put the
piece in her ear. "Now that that matter is settled, shall we move
this party to a control center so we can coordinate a minerals
shipment?"
***
"I don't fucking like it." General Hunter was pacing again, long
strides making up for the fact that this control room was larger
than the one before. At the panels in front of him, ten different
technicians adjusted controls to manipulate the incoming data.
"Stop the scrabbling." He barked, and the techs stilled. "You all
know as well as I do this isn't an instrument problem." Staring
up at the screen, he counted again, reading off the ships and
destinations, knowing it wouldn't change a thing. He pointed from
screen to screen as he identified the small blue blips.
"Parts shipments from Pivot to Minera and Basura. Minerals
shipments from Minera to Pivot and Basura. Tech shipments from
Techrider to Academy and Basura. Pilot and security transfers
from Academy to Techrider and Basura. And..." he ground his teeth
"...nine extra ship signals. Heading from Academy to Pivot."
"Perhaps they're sending supplies to Pivot after all?" One of the
senior techs suggested timidly.
"Moving too fast to be supply ships. Those are either cruisers or
dartstyles." Hunter growled. "Give me the time of all the
arrivals."
"At their current vector, the Minera shipment will arrive in
twenty minutes sir."
"And the Academy ships?"
"Will arrive at Pivot in ten minutes sir."
"Bastards." Hunter nodded, but there was no venom in his words.
He wasn't even surprised; he had been waiting for something like
this all day.
"Maybe I'm missing something." General Buramis said innocently.
"What exactly does this all mean?"
"It means," General Hunter passed a weary hand through his hair,
"that Academy is sending a blockade. They're going to keep our
mineral shipments from coming through."