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Nellie and the Nanites - Bk3 - Ch.35
🕑 Added 2024-06-06 08:05:01 +0000 UTCChapter 35
Plans and counter-plans.
“Tell me again,” Duke's voice was tinged with frustration as he sighed and leaned his arms on the council table.
“I can repeat it as many times as you like; the report will not change,” Hadrian’s voice was grave.
“Don’t make him ask twice,” Brenda's voice carried a hint of threat hidden in the cheerful tone. Duke, however, was past the point of caring about his fellow Council members. If he could go back in time and do all this again, he would have strapped the trio to the walls and let the animals have them.
“Very well,” Hadrian swiped the datapad back to the start of the report. “Our current food production is falling short of our needs by around twenty percent. The latest scanner data suggests that the crops are underperforming across the board. With current usage, the supplies will last a month at best before we need to rely on our local produce. At that point, we will be experiencing food shortages.”
“Projected growth rates for the next crop?” Duke asked. “If it is merely a single period of food shortages, that is easier to overcome.”
“We have lost ten percent of the growing stock already, and the initial testing is showing signs of an almost thirty percent sterility in the seeds from the locally grown stock. In short, this season will look like a relative bounty compared to the next.” Hadrian pushed the pad away with disgust. “If we had not ejected members, the colony would already have been short of food.”
“Perhaps there are more people who could be removed?” Warrick offered.
“And then what?” Brenda snapped. “Keep cutting numbers until you have no one left to grow the crops?”
“It is a solution,” Warrick sniffed. “At least, for now.”
“We need people back, not to lose more,” Duke insisted. “Eventually, the colony must be made whole.”
He studiously ignored Brenda's derisive chuckle and rapped on the table. “We have not yet recovered the final growing tower, have we?”
“It landed halfway across the moon, so no,” Nancy huffed. “Besides, it is now on Crush’s land.”
“Where they may face the same problems we face here,” Hadrian said thoughtfully. “Yet, if they have enough for their needs, perhaps they would trade any extra to us?”
“Unless they say no,” Brenda said, sitting forward. “In which case, we are still stuck, and our enemies know we are weak.”
“They are not our enemy,” Duke insisted.
“No, of course not,” Brenda sneered. “You ignored them, took their stuff to give to me, shoved them into a side of the colony not even finished, and then forced them out. I’m sure they are just bursting with warm fucking feelings for the lot of us.”
“She has a point,” Nancy noted.
“Unfortunately, I must agree,” Hadrian nodded. “Shall we move on to other business?”
Leo frowned as he saw Duke fidgeting with one hand. It was something he did only when his temper was dangerously fraying. The damn surveillance unit was worse every meeting, but there was bugger all he could do about it.
Only the members of the Colony ‘approved’ for access could enter the room.
“Come on, Duke,” Leo muttered as he watched the arguments turn to the flu that was sweeping through the colony.
It started with one of the Last Chances’ crew members and seemed to spread more and more every day. It wasn’t dangerous, kind of mild after the first couple of days, really, but it just never seemed to go away.
Leo smacked the side of the receiver hopefully but knew the bug in the room was degrading for some reason. He guessed that in another two days, he would be looking at a blank screen instead of the council room.
When that happened, he would pack up and head off to join Crush.
Just then, he noticed the captain of the Last Chances turn and look directly into the camera.
“Fuck,” Leo sighed as he saw the shadow appear behind him.
“Hello, Leo,” The voice was deep and completely emotionless.
“First Officer Berrata,” Leo swiveled in his chair. “I should have guessed the signal was being traced, shouldn’t I?”
“Yes, you should,” Beretta pulled a long blade from the sheath on his leg. “Are you going to make this difficult for me?”
“Absolutely,” Leo cracked his neck. “So why not just let me wander off out the gate and call it a day, eh? Easier for everyone that way.”
“We need a couple of answers first, Leo,” Beretta smiled. “Then, if you are very lucky, you can go.”
“Fuck that,” Leo laughed. “If anyone asks, I did it for the fluffies!”
He lunged out of the chair, taking Berrata by surprise and cracking the man on the side of the head with an elbow.
The fight was brutal but short. It ended with Berrata coughing and spluttering as he pulled a metal spike from his chest. Leo chuckled as he fell back into the chair, his left knee shattered, and the long blade buried in his side.
“For the fluffies,” Leo sighed as he felt his vision fading to black.
Across the street, a young girl stood from her crouch in the shadows between two compartments and hurried off toward the small space between two sections of wall that only she knew about.
She didn’t cry.
The small bag on her back was absolutely covered in small, fluffy animals.
Dropping to all fours when she reached the spot, the girl wiggled through, reaching a small, dirty hand back to grab her bag. The sun was still up, and she knew the area around was being watched, so she crawled further from the gap and then lay flat on the ground, waiting.
As the hours passed, she didn’t move or fidget, and she still did not cry. Instead, she just watched and waited while tensing and releasing various muscles so she would be ready.
Night fell, and she pushed up onto her feet, staying low as she circled the wall until the star he had pointed out to her was dead ahead. A single deep breath and she was off, sprinting through the dark and away from the colony, eyes fixed on the single dot of light that he had said to follow.
Running without light or a map to guide her way, she did stumble and fall occasionally, blood running from the wounds she accrued on her way.
Still, she made no sound, not even a cry of pain.
Running all night, she stopped the moment the sun began to rise. Scanning around her with long, careful turns, the girl spotted a large rock with an overhang and crawled beneath it before the first rays of light hit it.
She closed her eyes and waited for night to fall again.
===<<<>>>===
“We can talk about this!” Brenda yelped as Duke’s fist snapped the council desk like it was made of toothpicks.
“Leo was one of MY people!” Duke roared and kicked the remains of the desk aside as he strode toward her. “How fucking dare you!”
“He was only meant to be detained!” Brenda backed away, hands held up placatingly in front of her. She saw the idiots cowering in the corner and wondered if they would have had the guts to even be here if they had seen her brother BEFORE he decided to play farmer.
And people thought she was scary.
“He’s fucking dead!” Duke stopped two paces away, and Brenda knew that if his patience broke, she would never reach the door.
“Berrata told him he could go as soon as he answered our questions,” Brenda explained as fast as possible. “He attacked first, and my officer only acted once Leo had already stabbed him!”
“Let me be clear, little sister,” Duke growled. “You or your people act without my command again, and I will stop being patient. Am I clear?”
“Yes, brother,” Brenda winced as she caught herself bobbing a curtsy, something she had not done since she was a teenager. “I promise.”
“Good,” Duke stepped away, and Brenda felt like she could breathe again.
“He was a traitor,” Warrick sneered from the sidelines the moment things seemed to calm. “Good riddance.”
Brenda closed her eyes and held her breath until the begging stopped.
When she opened them again, Warrick was dead, and the remaining two council members were backed into the far corner.
Duke stood over the corpse.
“Do not make me choose this again,” Duke muttered and left the room.
“You are not to set foot outside this ship until we leave the moon. Is that clear?” Brenda told Berrata as he lay in the med bay on the ship.
“Yes, Captain,” Baratta didn’t argue; he never did.
“If my brother approaches the ship, hide until he leaves,” Brenda added.
“Yes, Captain,” Baratta nodded, slightly pale now.
“In the meantime, did the spy say anything?” Brenda was curious. The man had seemed loyal to her brother, and it was strange to find one of her brother’s trusted friends on the end of that bug.
“Only that he would make it difficult for me and some nonsense before he attacked,” Baratta replied.
“Well, he certainly did that,” Brenda noted, “What was the nonsense?”
“Tell them I did it for the fluffies.” Baratta quoted with a wince. “And then ‘for the fluffies’ as he died.”
Maybe he was just nuts?
It sounded like the ravings of a madman.
Still, it was done. The spy was dead, and her brother would calm down. All in all, it could have been much worse.
===<<<>>>===
Crush saw the girl running past the village and felt his heart lurch in his chest.
Running out of the newly built gate, he caught up with her.
“What happened?” Crush asked, trotting along next to her.
The girl turned blank eyes to him and just shook her head.
“Dead?” Crush asked, already knowing but still wanting confirmation.
The girl nodded.
“We will look after you,” Crush offered gently. “He was a good man. You will be safe here.”
The girl sneered and shook her head, pointing ahead.
“The Embassy?” Crush asked. “We can call them.”
Again, she shook her head.
“I’ll let them know you are coming!” Crush slowed to a stop, watching the girl run on.
“Boss, are we just letting her go?” Cara came running out of the gate. “Seriously?”
“Get Banjo on the comm, let them know she is coming.” Crush felt his nails digging into his palms and forced himself to relax.
“Is he?” Cara asked bluntly.
“Yes, it’s the only reason she would be out here alone.” Crush felt anger building in his chest. “Why the hell did they do it?”
“Think this will be a big deal?” Cara asked, looking at the distant figure.
“Did you ever notice the stuffed animals on that bag she carries?” Crush asked Cara.
“Sure, you can’t miss ‘em.” Cara nodded.
“Most of them were collected by the Captain,” Crush noted. “But I don’t think he ever told her about the girl.”
“Fuck,” Cara took off running.
===<<<>>>===
Banjo paced as he waited for the Indomitable to land. The girl watched him, eyes following his movements in a way that set his nerves on edge.
“Are you sure I can’t get you a drink or something to eat?” Banjo asked again.
She shook her head.
“Medical attention?” Banjo offered. “She’ll kill me if you don’t at least let me do that much.”
Okay, the smile was worse than the eyes.
“Banjo, this better be bloody important,” Nellie strode into the room, and he could see what Paren meant about her changing. There was something different in her stance now, in the way she walked. There was a certainty to it now.
“It really is,” Banjo pointed to the girl. “All she would say was ‘Bea,’ and she’s covered in blood, and Crush said they had to let her pass. Something about someone you knew back on the Hub.”
“Why is she covered in blood?” Nellie asked him. “We have medical supplies here.”
“She wouldn’t let me!” Banjo protested.
The girl sniggered.
“I see,” Nellie turned and looked at the girl, one hand on her hip. “And you are?”
The girl pulled the bag out and held it up.
Banjo frowned as Nellie gasped in shock. It was just a bag.
“Leo?” Nellie asked.
The girl nodded and reached into the bag, pulling out a battered-looking datapad.
She handed it to Nellie, and Banjo craned to see a man appear on the screen.
“Hey, Bea! I know that’s not your real name, but mine isn’t exactly Leo, so who cares right? Look, if you are seeing this, I’m dead.” Leo said, smiling sadly despite the words. Nellie paused it and looked up at the girl, who nodded before playing the rest of the video.
“So, you know all those stuffed animals? Well, the girl giving you this is who they were for. I don’t know her name or where she came from. Truth is, I found her on some nightmare of a planet, all alone, and just kind of looked after her. She isn’t normal and never will be. Kind of scary sometimes, if I’m honest. Anyway, she is my world and all I have to leave to someone after I die. I figure you and the nanites are her best bet, so be good to her, okay?” Banjo saw the man look off to one side of the camera, “Okay, looks like I gotta get to work now. Thanks for everything, Bea. Really. Everyone needs a light in the darkness. Be hers.”
“Putain,” Nellie sighed and sat down next to the girl. “You have any idea who I am?”
The girl nodded.
“Do you know what I am, what we are?” Nellie asked.
Again, the girl nodded.
“Want to come with me?” Nellie asked.
Vigorous nodding.
“Fine,” Nellie shrugged. “Are you dangerous?”
A very feral grin.
“Oh, that’ll be fun,” Nellie chuckled.
“Nanites?” The girl pointed at herself.
“Do you know what they are?” Nellie asked.
Nodding.
“Well, maybe when you are older,” Nellie shook her head.
The girl pouted.
“Yeah, nice try,” Nellie laughed. “Now, who killed my friend?”
“First Officer Beratta of the Last Chances. A tall man with dark hair who slightly favors his right side. Stance indicates advanced combat training. Carries a pistol on the right hip, a long knife in a sheath on his right leg, and a backup weapon in a secret holster on his back. He has not visited a man or woman at night and is always near the Captain, Brenda DaVore,” The girl rattled off the information at full speed, without inflection or any emotion visible. “Weak left knee, a slight head tilt indicating weaker vision on the right eye, and overconfidence. Dad managed to stab him in the right upper chest before he was killed.”
“Dad?” Nellie asked, and Banjo saw she was holding back tears.
“He was the only one I ever had,” The girl nodded. “I chose him.”
“Well then,” Nellie stood. “Let’s get you off this moon and fixed up, shall we?”
“Yes, Mum,” The girl stood immediately, grabbing her bag. “Will we kill Beratta soon?”
Banjo watched Nellie visibly consider the question.
“Probably,” Nellie sighed. “Honestly, when will people stop hurting people I care about?”
“When you make them,” The girl smiled again.
“Oh, you and Paren are going to get along great,” Nellie sighed. “Come on then.”
Banjo waved to the Indomitable as it lifted off, his improved vision easily picking up the girl was sticking her tongue out at him as it did.
“What the hell was she?” Quad asked, having been stood on guard at the door during the whole thing. “That was not a normal kid, right?”
“You saw it too?” Banjo asked.
“It is difficult to miss,” Quad said simply. “She has almost as much metal in her as we do.”
“The Captain will sort it,” Banjo said simply. “Come on, let’s get Crush back on the line.”
“Think that we should?” Quad asked hesitantly.
“This shit might start a war, so it’s the neighborly thing to do,” Banjo grinned.
“Think we will be okay?” Quad asked.
“Someone took a friend from the queen,” Banjo said simply. “We aren’t the ones who have to worry.”
Comments
Clayton Danvers
Cheers!
Clayton Danvers
Thanks for the feedback. I meant to suggest it was functioning worse, giving a poorer signal. I'll give that another going over, cheers!
Eleeyah
Oh, this was an awesome chapter. Probably your best, to date. So much in it! I loved your writing of the girl. You gave her real character, and it came naturally.
Eleeyah
Thanks for the chapter! > The damn surveillance unit was worse every meeting What does "worse unit" mean, in this case? There's context missing. Worse, as in, less capable surveilers? The spying device slowly going bad? The Duke getting worse somehow, or just angrier?
