The Fringe Wars

1.21

Liberty Run

Heid

Heid had plenty of time to think on her trip back to the Arcadia. The Ocelot was an old hauler, made for transport and not for speed. By the time she reached her warship, she was antsy for action.

She docked to find Laciam waiting for her outside the decon room.

She gave him a wry grin. "Laciam. I'm half-surprised you didn't try to take over the Arcadia while I was away."

"I should have. When Sebin said you left the ship with orders to cut all engines while you took a joyride in some fringe junker, I knew you had crossed the line."

Heid's brow rose. "It's not your place to understand my decisions, just as it's not your place to question my orders. And the Arcadia isn't yours yet. Until we reach the fleet, you will address me as Commandant or Sir. Do I make myself understood?"

"Yes, sir."

"Refuel and restock the Ocelot and escort her crew back to their ship. They're free to go."

"Yes, sir."

As he strode away, she heard him mutter, "Alluvian bitch. You just wait."

She tapped a simple command on her comm—Liberty 0747—and sent it to select crew members serving on the Arcadia.

As a commandant, Heid had the authority to select her own crew members, and she'd spent all her years aboard the Arcadia placing Alluvians loyal to her throughout the ship. By now, they comprised nearly two-thirds of her crew, with the remaining positions were filled by Myrads, conscripted fringe, and Alluvians of whose loyalty she was unsure.

She had thirty minutes, which she used to make rounds through the hallways, making sure to be seen by her crew. Sebin met her outside the bridge.

She glanced down at her comm to see the time. One minute to go.

He nodded, and she gave a simple nod in return. Words weren't necessary, as this exercise had been planned long ago. Adrenaline rushed through her as she stepped onto the bridge.

Laciam glanced up but didn't acknowledge her.

"Nolin," Heid called out to her navigator. "Set a course for Terra."

Laciam jumped to his feet. "You can't do that!"

"Watch your tone, First Officer," she warned.

He glared. "This madness has gone too far. You've spaced out. I'm declaring you unfit for duty. Something I should've done as soon as the corps general's orders came in. Guards, arrest the commandant."

Heid made eye contact with the two guards stationed on the bridge. They moved to Laciam and grabbed him instead.

She faced Laciam. "Guards, escort the first officer to the brig."

"What?" he cried out, his blue face darkening a hue. "You can't arrest me. This is my ship!"

"If he gives you trouble, kill him," she added, hoping he'd do exactly that, which would leave one fewer loose end for her to clean up.

Unfortunately, he stood still as her dromadiers disarmed the officer and led him away.

Laciam called out as the guards shoved him off the bridge, "You'll be shot for this, Heid!"

When the door closed, she turned to the five remaining crew members on the bridge. Four were loyal, one—a fringe tech assistant—was an unknown. Rather than speaking to her directly, she broadcast to the entire ship. "Crew of the Arcadia. We have journeyed across the Collective together, and I ask you now to take another journey with me. The CUF has been usurped by a man who dreams of an empire. The CUF no longer serves the best interests of the Collective, and the entire Collective—not just Alluvia and Myr—need our help.

"The blight was the first slash at disharmony, though our leaders failed us all long before the tragic loss of Sol Base. Then came Ice Port, an innocent victim purely to be used as a scapegoat for Myr's imperialism. In truth, the terrorists are much closer to the heart of the Collective than the colony farthest in the fringe." She paused. "The blight and the discord and violence that has followed comes from Corps General Ausyar, who has militarized Myr's government. He envisions a Myr Collective, just as the CUF is now under his control."

She scanned the faces on the bridge before continuing. "I refuse to let the Collective fall. As of now, I relinquish my CUF rank as commandant. I am taking the Arcadia as the flagship for the future. I will lead the Collective into a battle—not as a commandant or as a citizen—but as a captain in a Collective made of equals. If you choose to follow me, you will be marked down as mutineers, but history will mark you down as heroes. I will not—I cannot—command you to follow me on this new journey. If you follow me, I promise you danger and risk, but I also promise you that you will be saving lives across the six Collective worlds by choosing to fight for the Collective rather than for Ausyar's empire.

"I give you the choice. Anyone who does not wish to remain on the Arcadia to fight for the new Collective must let Sebin Reinhardt know within the next hour. Those not joining the cause for the Collective will be confined to quarters for the protection of the crew, and in two days, we will drop them off at Rebus Station on Terra where they can be picked up by a CUF patrol. Effective immediately, all communications leaving this ship will be blocked. Your one hour begins now. Choose wisely."

Heid lowered her head and focused on breathing in and out.

"Sir?"

She looked up to find the conscript standing before her. "Yes, Sylvian?"

"Did you mean it?" she asked. "That you plan to fight for the fringe?"

Heid nodded. "I fight for the idea of an equal Collective, and it's the fringe that most needs our help right now."

The young woman stood taller. "I'm from Sol Base. I lost everyone I know to the blight. You can count on me, sir."

Heid smiled, finding validation for her plans in the young woman's words. "Thank you, Sylvian." She paused. "Oh, and you do not need to address me with any formal title. As of now, I have no association with the Collective Unified Forces."

"You're still our captain regardless of the insignia you wear," Sebin said with pride in his voice.

"Aye, Captain," said Nolin the navigator, followed by assent from the remaining bridge crew.

"Thank you." She clapped her hands together. "Put us into stealth mode, and let's get to work decoupling the Arcadia's systems from fleet control. We now fly under our own flag."