The Fringe Wars

1.13

Toxic Complications

"Sol Base has fallen to the blight," Heid said to Sebin.

"Sol Base?" Sebin's eyes grew wide. "But, cutting off the food supply cripples everyone, including Myr."

"Mason believes they chose Sol Base after the Myr moon attack for that reason. No one would believe Myr is behind something so horrendous. All eyes will be turned on fanatics, so that when Myr offers the fungicide in exchange for full control of Darios, no one will try to stop them."

"But, the entire Collective depends on Darios for food."

"And so Myr will win without having to fight a single battle."

He shook his head sadly. "We'll be forced to give into Myr's demands or else starve."

She clenched her eyes shut.

Sebin wrapped his arms around her, and she looked up to see the concern in his gaze. He ran a hand down her cheek. "You're not in this fight alone. You're never alone."

She forced a weak smile. "You're right. Darios may be lost, but the Collective isn't lost yet."

"We'll find a way," he said. "We've worked too hard and too long for peace to not believe it can happen. We won't fail. We can't fail."

She found a weight lifted inside her as his confidence filled her.

"You saw the message," he continued. "Mason has been meeting with Mariner and Aeronaut. They'll figure out something."

"Let's hope they figure out something soon." She took a step back. "I've been unable to reach Seamstress. Communications are being jammed by CUF drones around Ice Port."

He frowned. "Who would quarantine Ice Port?"

She grimaced, as though even saying the name brought a sour taste to her lips. "None other than Corps General Ausyar himself."

He stood aghast at the mention of the much-feared Myrad who was the head of the entire CUF fleet. "Why?"

She nodded grimly. "It seems that Myr has chosen the least valuable of the fringe worlds as a convenient scapegoat for the blight. Those colonists have always been the most vocal and fanatical of the fringe. Their reputation, coupled with the fact that Play has never been in the black, financially speaking, Mason believes Myr is setting the stage to cut Playa free from the new Collective."

"Those colonists will never survive without imports from the other worlds."

Heid continued. "It gets far worse for us, I'm afraid. Ausyar is announcing tonight that he's pulling the entire fleet together. All Alluvian senior officers are being retired or reassigned."

Sebin's jaw dropped. "That's impossible. That's not within his power. Our people will never stand for it. Parliament would never reach the two-thirds majority vote needed to allow him to do such a thing."

"You're wrong. It seems that Parliament has already granted Ausyar's increase in power. It's safe to say Parliament is no longer a viable entity, and the CUF is now serving Myr's interests. Even now, Mason is still preaching a conservative approach. He's been cautioning Alluvia to not be hasty in its response to Ausyar's demands."

"Because he doesn't want to see Alluvians die," he said.

She smirked. "Or, perhaps he's working with Ausyar to clear the playing field."

"Why would he do such a thing?"

"He's always craved power."

Sebin frowned. "He's a Founder. He would never go against the cause for his personal gain."

"Hm."

"You don't believe that?"

She forced a smile. "You know me. I'm a lifelong skeptic."

He smiled back. "Yes. I do know you." His smile faded. "What will happen to you under Ausyar's changes?"

"The Arcadia remains under my command until we connect with the fleet in three days, at which time, I relinquish command to First Officer Franklin Laciam."

He clenched his fists. "This is bullshit. We can't stand for this."

"Unfortunately, Mason and I rarely see eye to eye. He's made it clear that I continue serving the CUF as directed by Ausyar. He believes that if I refuse to give up my command, I could undermine his efforts and unravel the few remaining threads holding the Collective together."

"But if you lose the Arcadia..."

Heid crossed her arms over her chest. "There's no way in hell I'm giving up the Arcadia."