Eric Flint - Threshold

For example, I myself did not directly order the attack. It was, however, done to accomplish ends which I had agreed to. And while it was from my point of view unnecessary and extreme, as commander I take the ultimate responsibility for those under my command, especially as I obviously colluded with those responsible after the fact. I will permit you the judgment of how widely you wish to spread your net."

Secord nodded. "I see what you mean. I will-" The screen went blank.

With sudden sinking conviction, Hohenheim glanced to his left. Richard Fitzgerald was nowhere to be seen.

Chapter 34 Once the talk-talk had started, Richard had realized that Hohenheim would be going along with anything the Ares captain suggested. TheOdin 'scommander had always been unhappy with the whole situation, and this was just the kind of honorable exit the bastard was looking for. Unfortunately, that exit would inevitably include sending one Richard Fitzgerald up the river, and that would never do.

But he'd prepared for this contingency, along with many others. While attention was focused on the Ares group, he'd slipped out, down the main shaft toward Engineering. The controls for the ship were still locked down in that area, with Mia doing the troubleshooting and all.

The bridge might be the main control area, but it wasn't hard-connected. That was his first goal. Well, first after establishing all the control he could manage by remote. That bastard Baker. That would certainly complicate things; Richard's prior arrangements hadn't assumed a Faerie Dust wrench in the works. The real question was how many people were going to be a major problem.

Eberhart wasn't even a question mark. He'd have to be dealt with.

Hohenheim, the same, andthat was the real pain in the arse. With the general on his side, even the straight arrows would probably have fallen into line, but with Hohenheim trying to make deals with the other side, it was going to get really sticky. First things first. He opened a channel that his people would be monitoring. "Code seven.

Repeat, code seven." They'd spent a long time going over the various scenarios, but he had to admit he'd really never thought he'd have to go to code seven-taking control ofOdin directly. If it didn't work out, he was going to be in for a long prison sentence. Even if things did work out, the situation would be chancy. But he thought the resounding success of seizing a major Bemmie base on Enceladus, even if some lives were lost as a result of violence, would satisfy the powers-that-be in the European Union enough to allow Richard to slip through the legal cracks-and now as a very wealthy man. Johnson replied. "Codeseven, sir?" "You heard me. Seven." He cut off. It was remotely possible that his team would back out on him now, leaving him pretty much alone, but he didn't think so. The potential rewards were still extremely attractive, and the immediate risks were fairly minimal. The first thing to do was cut off the discussion. He'd arranged a pretty foolproof cutoff for communication-a major issue for any security chief, and in this situation doubly so. He triggered that code, saw it register. Good. No more talking with Ares. Now, what next? As he thought of the next step, General Hohenheim's voice suddenly boomed out, echoing throughout the entirety ofOdin.

"Attention all personnel. Attention all personnel." Silencing in-ship communications was of course another contingency, which Fitzgerald triggered immediately. Hohenheim was cut off in mid-sentence, before he got to the crucial point of informing the entire crew that the security chief was a mutineer. Not that Richard liked to think of it that way. He felt that he was simply doing the job he'd been hired to do, and assuring the success of the mission. It wasn't his fault that the commander of the expedition did not have a spine to match his reputation. Hohenheim had lost sight of the essentials. The biggest essential of all, of course, was to preventNebula Storm from talking.

They'd said they had just found their evidence. That meant they hadn't had a chance to send it yet, and until they cleared Jupiter and Io there wasn't going to be a chance. He triggered his own controls. As he'd expected, the ship responded. Baker and the other Ares crew weren't trying to keep total control ofOdin. That would be rude, a pain in the ass to handle, and they didn't have the crew to spend watching things anyway. Nor did they have the programming time to be able to trust it all to automatic. TheOdin would line herself up for a shot right nice, especially sincehis control protocols were separate from the others. Sure, Baker and his damn Dust would figure a way to cut it off, but if they didn't manage it in the next few minutes, it'd be too late. He just had to get to Engineering in time to make sure the deployment and loading worked right. TheNebula Storm crew weren't idiots; they'd be ready in caseOdin fired on them. He had to anticipate that, and deal with it, and he'd been working on that issue for months. First, though, a clear and simple immediate task. He keyed his communicator. "Dominic." Alescio responded immediately. "Here, sir." "Deal with Eberhart. Codeseven, remember." "Yes, sir." The main corridor running down the center ofOdin was normally empty, especially under running conditions, which was why Richard had chosen this route-that and the fact that in zero-gee he could practically fly along, and could outmaneuver anyone else in the crew. The monitors would of course usually be able to pinpoint anyone's location, which is why he'd taken those out of the picture, too. He could use them, of course, but not on the run. A technician-Erin Peltier, that was it-popped suddenly out of a side passage. "Chief Fitzgerald, what-"

Bugger. I don't havetimefor this. Peltier wasn't one of the mission-criticals, but she could have been useful, especially as they really didn't want to lose many people at this stage. But he couldn't afford someone who might talk to the wrong person at the wrong time, either, at least not for the next few hours. He kicked against the wall, hooked the shocked Peltier as he passed, and used leverage and angular momentum to slam her into the wall. The impact clearly stunned her. He gripped her throat, cutting off the carotid artery, and thus bloodflow to the brain, until she went unconscious. What now? That wouldn't keep her out long. He thought a moment, hands moving to a position that would snap Peltier's neck like a straw. Then relaxed his grip. He wanted to avoid killing except where it was absolutely necessary, and it simply wasn't in this case. With code seven in effect, most people on the ship would figure out what was happening in a few minutes, anyway. He stuffed Erin into a crawlspace. A bit tight, and she might suffocate in there if she couldn't work her way out, but probably not. He'd have someone check on her later, once the situation stabilized. Another call came in; this one more favorable. Engineering was under control-and he was almost there. Fitzgerald allowed himself a quick smile. Give him a few minutes more, and the inevitability of the results just might even convince Hohenheim that there was no point in fighting. If not, they'd at least get more of the crew to give it up. Especially onceNebula Storm was no longer in the picture. That was now the critical task.

Madeline stared at the suddenly blank screen, her gut tightening. Hohenheim's reactions, the attack on Ceres, her own inside knowledge of how certain people worked, it all fit together. "Jackie, I am assuming command. We are about to come under attack." Jackie nodded. "Are you sure? The general seemed almost relieved by our contacting him." "I'm sure," Madeline said. "General Hohenheim may not be in command over there any longer. If he is, I suspect he is currently preoccupied with trying to keep that status." A.J. winced.