Peter Hamilton - Judas Unchained

“Look, one day isn’t going to make any difference,” Morton said reasonably. “We’re perfectly safe here. We have to wait until the Randtown force field is expanded anyway. So just humor me.”

“Shit!” Rob gave the Cat an angry stare. “What do you say?”

“Me? I think it’s hilarious, darling. Do it, Morty, screw the navy over. Gets my vote.”

“For what it’s worth,” Simon said, “I trust Mellanie.”

“How can you?” Mandy demanded. “The little bitch was wrecking our town and everything we stood for, your ideals. The whole Commonwealth hated us because of her.”

“She saved us, though, didn’t she?” Simon said gently. “Surely that is penance enough?”

“Something happened here,” the Bose motile said. Everybody turned to look at it. “This is where MorningLightMountain came up against the SI, the only time they clashed during the whole invasion. That is why I chose Randtown as my return point to the Commonwealth; the SI has some kind of presence here.”

“Had,” Morton said. “It had a presence here. Mellanie works for the SI.”

“Ah,” Simon said. For the first time in weeks, he actually smiled. “I always wondered how she achieved all she did.”

“Your girlfriend is some kind of agent for the SI?” an incredulous Rob asked. “That…that…bimbo?”

“Hey,” Morton growled.

The Cat was laughing again. “Oh, this is fabulous. Thank you so much, Morty.”

Morton gave Rob a level gaze. “So do I tell the navy or not?”

Rob glanced around at everyone, then gave the stationary motile a long stare. “What the fuck. Do what you like for now, Morton. But after we set off the nuke your girl had better provide one hell of a reason not to tell the navy what we’ve got. That’s how long she’s got.”

***

Mark and Liz spent the evening in their living room, sharing a bottle of wine and accessing the final moments of Randtown. It was Ulon Valley wine. His e-butler’s search program had found a supplier on Lyonna who had a few bottles left; it was an extortionate price, and then there was the premium same-day shipping charge to MoZ Express couriers on top of that. But what else could you drink while you watched a nuclear explosion obliterate your old hometown?

Mellanie had joined Michelangelo in his studio for the report. She marked the sobriety of the occasion by wearing a long black dress with a panel skirt that fell open to show off her beautiful legs. Her hair had been pulled back from her forehead into a thick, wavy tail. Michelangelo sat behind his desk like a minor Greek god in a sharp blue suit. The sexual tension between them was so strong that anyone using full-band TSI to access the show could almost smell the pheromones they were both pumping out into the studio air.

It certainly gave Mark some uncomfortable reminders of that day he’d encountered her up at the blockade in the Dau’sing Mountains.

“You were there during the evacuation,” Michelangelo was saying. “What’s your response to this?”

“It was inevitable. I really enjoyed my time in Randtown. The people were a bit quirky, we all know that, but seeing the images of what the Primes had done to the town and the Trine’ba was just devastating to me. They got what they deserved. I only hope the other navy squads are equally effective.”

“You say effective, but they lost two of their members on their first deployment. This remarkable recording, exclusive to our show, reveals the desperate odds our navy troops on the ground are facing.”

The picture changed from the studio to a grainy image of a mountainside in the middle of the night, a composite of various sensor feeds, producing a monochrome image. It was centered on Randtown, with the force field shining like a phosphorescent pearl above the familiar shoreline. The tactical nuclear bomb went off, flooding the interior with light. For a brief second the force field held, containing the explosion. Then it failed, and the mushroom cloud climbed up out of a seething pool of darkness.

“There really is no going back now,” Mark said solemnly.

Liz raised her glass. “To not looking back.”

“Amen.”

They stayed accessed for a while longer, while Mellanie eulogized about the squads that the navy had sent out. There were other recordings that Morton had made. Reconnoiter of Randtown and the aliens. The heroic last stand Doc Roberts and Parker made against the flyers. Simon Rand and the other refugees. She and Michelangelo discussed the navy strategy.

Mark’s e-butler told him someone was approaching the front door.

“At this hour?” Liz asked.

The house array showed them an image of Giselle Swinsol standing outside.

“Oh, Jesus,” Mark complained. “Now what?” He kept having guilty thoughts about all those insistent questions he’d been asking at work.

Giselle came straight into the living room, and refused the offer of a drink. She didn’t sit, either. “You’ve been asking a lot of questions, Mark,” she said. It was an accusation.

Mark was determined not to be intimidated by her tough-bitch personality. “I’m working on a fascinating project; obviously I’m curious. But I can appreciate that Nigel Sheldon doesn’t want the Commonwealth to know about it. You can rely on me.”

“Very good, Mark. The answer to your dreadfully unsubtle question is: yes, you and your family are entitled to a berth on the lifeboats should we face annihilation here.”

“Thank you.” It came out with such a heartfelt sigh he immediately felt ashamed. Once again she’d proved the strongest.

Her glossed lips curved up slightly, acknowledging her position. “So, you now advance to level two.”

“What does that mean?” Liz asked suspiciously.

“It means that Mark has done such a good job here that we feel his kind of expertise is better suited to other, more critical sections of the project.”

“What sections?” he blurted.

“Starship assembly. Pack your bags. The bus will pick you up tomorrow at eight o’clock.”

“We’re moving?” Liz said in alarm. “But the children have only just settled in school.”

“Their next school is just as good.”

“Where is it?” Mark asked. “Where are the evacuation starships being built?”

“Classified.” Giselle gave Liz a small smirk. “You’ll enjoy this next part. It’s right up your street.”

“Cow,” Liz hissed when she’d left.

Mark looked around the living room, the nearly empty bottle, the one big indentation on the couch where they’d snuggled up together. He had felt really comfortable in this house. “I don’t suppose they’ll move us again after this.”

“Only to the other side of the galaxy, baby.”

***

MORTY, DO NOT INFORM THE NAVY YOU HAVE THE MOTILE CONTAINING BOSE’S MEMORIES. ANY INFORMATION ON MORNINGLIGHTMOUNTAIN IS TOO IMPORTANT TO RISK TO POSSIBLE CORRUPTION.

I HAVE THE RE-LIFED BOSE WITH ME. HE SHOULD RECEIVE THE MEMORIES. THAT WAY HE WILL BE ABLE TO INTERPRET THEM IN THEIR CORRECT SEQUENCE. AFTER THAT WE CAN DECIDE HOW TO PROCEED.

I WILL MAKE ARRANGEMENTS TO EXTRACT YOU FROM ELAN. UNTIL THEN, KEEP THE BOSE MOTILE AND THE REFUGEES SAFE.

MELLANIE.

“I have been re-lifed?” the Bose motile asked.

“She will make arrangements to extract us?” Rob said disbelievingly.

“Mellanie had a wormhole opened to us once before,” Simon said. “She can probably do it again.”

“Probably ain’t good enough, friend.” Rob pointed at the Bose motile.

“This is our ticket out of here.”

“To what?” Morton asked. “If she’s right about the navy, we’re not going to help the Commonwealth by giving them this information.”

“Oh, listen to yourself. The Commonwealth navy is the Bad Guy? Get real. They’re the only hope we’ve got. Your girl is trying to build her career by chasing phantoms. She’s a goddamn reporter, one of the biggest turds in the galaxy. Tell the navy we’ve got Bose at the next wormhole opening. Get us out of here.”