Empire's Legacy

Chapter 16: The Plan

"What do you mean, you're going to be the distraction?" Grey asked later that night, after dinner. The three were closeted in Cam's suite of rooms, not because they were the most appropriate for the purpose (although Amy was relieved to see that whomever Cam had been with when they'd first arrived had since departed), but because Cam had them regularly swept for bugs.

"If you want a chance at getting over the quarantine and anywhere close to Elderia, you need someone to distract the ships in that area," Amy said. "I won't be going with you. I have business elsewhere."

"Back on the Waratah?"

Amy glanced at Cam. "No. I intend to track down the man I believe took the sample of Warnao fever from the ship in the first place."

Grey leaned back in his chair. "How the hell would you know who that is?"

She smiled. "We're not discussing it."

He made a face at her, then said, "So what's this cunning plan of yours, then? I take it you've already told your brother."

"Oh, yes," Cam said. "I think it's fabulous. Much more in the spirit of me, you see." He grinned. "I must be rubbing off on her."

Amy took a drink and then swirled the remaining liquid around in her glass. "The Sophia will dock at Peleteth. It's the closest spaceport to Elderia this side of the quarantine line, and it'll do for my purposes well enough." She cleared her throat. "As a good citizen of the Commission, Captain Greyson will have been escorting Captain Irene Ellis to the spaceport for an unexpected inspection from Unit 11."

"Who the hell is Irene Ellis?"

"Me, Grey," Amy said impatiently. "You'll be escorting me. As Captain Irene Ellis."

"...oh."

"The Sophia will remain in dock long enough to allay any suspicion," she continued, "and then will move off towards the quarantine line. You will activate the signal detector as you approach the line, but you will wait to cross it. Kate will contact me to let me know your crossing coordinate and precisely when you intend to cross."

"Oh, do tell him how you plan to distract the Commission," Cam begged. "It's the best bit."

"Once I get Kate's message, I'll change out of the Captain Ellis get-up and back to myself, and then steal a ship." She smiled at Grey's expression. "I'll buzz the ships closest to your crossing coordinates—they'll have heard about the stolen ship by then and should give chase. Just make sure you pick a crossing point near smaller ships; the bigger ships won't run after me."

"The Commission will destroy you," Grey said.

"No, they won't," Amy said, knocking back her glass. "They can't."

"How can you be so sure?"

"This is the thing about being us," Cam said. Amy glared at him and he bit his lip. After a moment he said, "It doesn't really matter what we do. The name gets us out of it."

"You still haven't told me what that name is," Grey said crossly.

"No, we haven't," Amy said, "and it's going to stay that way. It's safer. And, to be honest, Grey, I like you, and I would actually like to help you, but there's a very strong possibility that as soon as you find out who we really are, you'd refuse to let us help you. And that would be a really stupid thing to do, because then you'd never get Molly away from Elderia and safe."

Grey was silent for a long moment. "So," he said at last, "what's Cam going to be doing while we're out there?"

"Consider me your Wizard," Cam said grandly, throwing out his arms. Amy and Grey stared at him. His arms fell to his sides. "Wizard? Manipulating from behind the scenes? ...no?" His shoulders drooped. "Okay, well, look, I'll provide the money and a safe haven. I can't do much unless you keep me in the loop, but if you run into trouble let me know sooner rather than later and I might be able to help get you out of it. By generous application of money, if nothing else. I'm no hero, though—"

"He really isn't," Amy muttered. Cam pushed her off her chair and she slid to the floor with an indignant squeak.

"—but I will do my best." He bowed dramatically, or as dramatically as was possible from a sitting position, and Amy giggled from the floor.

Cam looked down at her indulgently. "Oh, big sister, have you had too much to drink?"

"Don't be daft," Amy said, pulling herself to her feet. "Don't listen to a thing my little brother says, Grey." She patted him on the head. "He's got fluff for brains."

"But it's very pretty fluff," Cam said, smiling flirtatiously at Grey. "Everyone says so. Don't you think so, Captain Greyson?"

Grey coughed. "If that's all settled, perhaps we should go to bed."

"Oh, there's loads of room in here." Cam grinned and swept an arm towards his bed.

Grey shot to his feet. "Where's my room, please?"

"You're no fun." Sulking, Cam got to his feet and flung open the door. "Maddie," he said to the young woman waiting outside, "kindly take Mr. Greyson to his room, please. And no special treatment for him, either!" he shouted as Maddie led Grey down the hall. "Where were we?" he asked, closing the door and returning his attention to Amy, who had slid back down to the floor and fallen asleep.

"Oh, sis," Cam said, looking down at her. "You've got to stop taking care of everyone but yourself." Bending over, he caught her wrists and pulled her upright. "Let's get you to bed."