Orion Gambit - Traci Ganner series book 2

Orion Gambit - Ch 13

Once he felt he could trust his stomach to behave, he stood up and wobbled over to the doorway to the adjacent room. The lighting was dimmed to something comfortable, which was good. He found a sink and poured himself some water, which he promptly retched back into the sink.

Turning around, he saw her. Traci was sitting cross-legged atop a small table in the center of the room. Her Orion uniform was slightly disheveled, but otherwise she looked the picture of a groomed officer. Her eyes were another matter. They were focused on his with an intensity that was unnerving.

Scott moved over to one of the sofas and sat down, willing his stomach to stop heaving his innards upward. It seemed he had taken a blow to the back of his head as well, since he felt a large bump that he had not known was there until that moment.

“Where are my men?” Scott asked carefully. He was not on his own ship, which left the reasonable alternative that he was aboard hers. Perhaps this is merely a nightmare, he thought, although his body was sending him enough signals that the reality of his situation was certain.

“Your men are being cared for,” she responded in a neutral tone. This was not the scared young officer that he had observed in his own brig. This was… something else.

“Where am I?”

“You are aboard my ship, the Adamantine. We have just recovered our remaining strike fighters and departed Alpha Centauri. We are en route to Epsilon Hydrae for immediate repairs. After that… is up to you.”

“Me? Are you mad? You have captured a senior ranking officer of the Terran Empire. If you’re looking for tactical or sensitive information from me, you are wasting your time. You probably know more about our tactical situation than I do, and the next officer will undoubtedly change all of the security codes.” Scott shook his head in frustration and then immediately wished he hadn’t. “The next officer will probably be a lot smarter, too.”

“There are certain facts that made your abduction necessary. For instance, the Valdi are not the primary threat to your empire.”

“I could have told you that,” Scott said, anger starting to make his stomach reel again. “It has become obvious that Orion is the principle threat to the Empire. Perhaps you think that by capturing me you have gained some kind of bargaining power?”

“Orion has never been a threat to you or your empire. I hope one day you will come to recognize that fact. No, I speak of another empire, one that is far more lethal,” Traci said with her piercing look. “…On the far side of the rift.”

“I don’t believe anything you say anymore, Captain.”

Traci sighed and took her data tablet into her lap. She entered a command, and an image took shape on the far side of the device. It resolved into a ring.

“This is what we believe to be a warp gate. Once we have made sufficient repairs to this vessel, we have been ordered to investigate. The gate is far more advanced than the technology either of us possess. Unfortunately, you will know more about the ring than I do, which is why you are here.”

“I have no information about a ‘ring,’” he mocked. “It’s probably a construct cooked up by your people to convince me to think you are telling the truth.”

“I’ve learned something about truth,” she said. A strange fire had begun to smolder behind her steel blue eyes. “You might say it is all I hang on to now.”

Scott stared at her for a few moments. He wondered if he had the strength to rush her and immobilize her. Unfortunately, he was not yet in any shape to attempt that. Not yet.

Traci seemed to shake herself and returned to her original tack. “You will notice a strange artifact built into the ring, and a unique symbol. Perhaps you will recognize it.”

She tossed the tablet onto the sofa next to him. He reached out and picked it up. The frame was zoomed in on a strange device that he did not recognize. However, the symbol of the Terran Empire emblazoned onto it was clear. Taking the tablet, he tapped a key and extended the magnification outward. The ring was massive and incomplete, but had been beautifully assembled. The manufacturing alone was breathtaking. No matter where he looked, he could not find a seam or weld. He had never seen any shipyard turn out something better.

“Orion trickery, nothing more,” Scott said, although there was doubt in his voice. Something about the Imperial blazon concerned him. It was somehow different. It nagged at his mind that he couldn’t place the exact nature of it.

“We shall see, you and I. When we arrive, you can decide for yourself who built it and its intended function. I think when you have learned all of the facts, you will be very glad indeed that the Orion fleet is there to help protect your precious empire.”

She unfolded herself from the tabletop and stood. “You are confined to your quarters except for the evening meal. You have an open invitation to dine at the captain’s table at that time. The oxygen deficiency you are experiencing will pass, and you will be very hungry when it does. Trust me.”

Scott once again thought he might be able to muster enough strength to rush her. Then he saw a shadow move in the corner of the room as an Orion marine came to stand next to her. The man moved like quicksilver, with fluidity and quiet resolve. Traci gave Scott a final look and then turned. With a quiet clang, the compartment door closed, and they were gone. Scott was alone with a strange feeling that there was some truth to what she said. If that were so, he would need to be very careful indeed.