The Fringe Wars

1.17

Faded Liaisons

Heid

Heid lounged in her quarters as the Arcadia made its slow way to meet up with the Trinity along with the rest of the CUF fleet docked between Alluvia and Myr. She could've been there days ago, but chose instead to set a long course at sub speed. Ausyar had ordered all warships to convene in three days—she had to get creative to come up with plausible reasons for the Arcadia's delay.

She needed the time to think.

Her comm chimed again. The fourth time in under an hour. She didn't need to look to know it was from her first officer. She ignored the ping, already knowing exactly what the request would be. Laciam was growing anxious and hounded the commandant to move the Arcadia to jump speed, but the Myrad wasn't commandant...yet.

Once the Arcadia reached the rest of the fleet, Heid would lose her command, giving Ausyar another warship to use against anyone who chose to oppose his bid for power. If she refused, it meant becoming a mutineer to the CUF as well as to the Founders, both of which had meant everything to her.

But not anymore.

Mason had made his intentions clear the night of Sebin's initiation. She wasn't to disobey Ausyar's orders, because her sedition could force Alluvia to choose between protecting one of their own—a senior dromadier officer—or allowing Ausyar to hunt down the Arcadia and kill Heid and her crew. Mason had the gall to call her foolish for arguing with him.

However, Myr had also made their intentions clear the moment they created the blight. It had been pure luck when Mariner intercepted word of Myr's plan to use it at Ice Port to quell dissension. The Three Founders believed that by unleashing that same package at the same Genics Corp facility in which it was created, Myr would rethink their strategy and back down. Instead, the attack had the opposite effect. Myr pushed up their plans to disrupt all imports from the fringe stations and take control of Parliament.

Even now, after the destruction of Sol Base and Ice Port, Mason refused to act outright. He wanted the Founders to stay in the shadows, guiding change with a twist of an arm here or an assassination there. The War—their greatest achievement—had brought Myr and Alluvia together. When they orchestrated the first Uprising in an attempt to bring peace across the Collective, they discovered the fringe brought too many players to control, which had led to mistakes being made. The Founders had very nearly failed in preventing the fringe from upsetting the balance of power.

Heid had been a young girl during the Uprising, and had few memories of the battles and events. Everything she learned came from Mason, and she was an excellent student. She understood the need for shadow games. Unlike him, she also knew the time for shadow games was long past.

She tried to convince Mason that the only way to peace—true peace—was equality across the Collective, but he never listened to anything she had to say.

She wasn't the only one. Aeronaut had voiced Seamstress' plan, which included forming a new Uprising. While Aeronaut was ever the diplomat, Heid—as Baker—was vocal. Despite her attempts to persuade her father, Mason remained strongly against Seamstress' actions. Heid wondered what role Mason played in Ice Port's undoing. After all, Mason had proven on multiple occasions that he had no qualms sacrificing lives if it served his purpose.

She wasn't blind. She knew Mason—and possibly the Founders as a whole—no longer had the Collective's well-being at heart. Over the past twenty years, she'd seen egos swell and ambitions rise. She'd watched Mason manipulate the Founders, filling the ranks with those who followed him without question. No new colonists had been inducted into their ranks in over twenty years. Hell, that was the only reason she was brought into their ranks. As Mason's daughter, he assumed her loyalty was absolute.

Her loyalty was absolute...to the Collective.

While Mason's loyalty was only to himself. She had no doubt he fantasized about ruling the Collective. She also had no doubt that Myr's current actions were feeding into Mason's dark, selfish plans. Knowing she shared his bloodline was a constant dagger to her soul. Mason was a betrayal to everything she and the original Jacob Mason stood for.

She had a decision to make. She could continue to faithfully follow Mason, like she'd done her entire life. Or, she could follow the message she'd received from Seamstress to see where it led.

She read the encrypted message for the hundredth time.

Baker –

I'm interested in ordering a cake for my daughter's birthday party. Would like to see your catalog. Please join me for dinner at Nova Colony at 28720319.2530. My treat.

– Seamstress

Heid chuckled, though she felt no humor in her predicament. Aeronaut couldn't contact Heid directly since she reported to Mason, and he oversaw the colonies. And so she'd exchanged plenty of personal messages from Seamstress in the past. The old Founder had been trying relentlessly to recruit Baker—and thus, the Arcadia—into her Uprising, mistakenly convinced that if Baker joined her cause, Mason and the Alluvian branch would then follow.

As for the latest message, she knew there was no way it came from Seamstress. For one thing, she suspected Vym Patel was dead. From what she'd heard about the Trinity's attack on Ice Port, there would be few, if any, survivors. The second and more telling sign was that this message had too much style for Seamstress' usual bluntness.

That "she" wanted to meet in person was a third red flag. Founders in different branches only met in person for ceremonies. Meetings put each other at risk in case one Founder's cover was compromised.

And then, there was the location for the meeting. Nova Colony was outside Collective control, and there was no Founder stationed there. Aeronaut had tried multiple times, but had never succeeded in identifying a candidate who Mason or Mariner approved.

Heid could only assume Seamstress handed her tablet off to someone, which was against every Founder protocol. Even then, no one should've been able to access the message system. Someone had managed to hack through the encryption walls—an impossible task, making Heid all the more curious.

Who was behind the message? Were they using intel they acquired to wipe out the Founders one by one? Was Baker first on their list? Or, did they have something else planned?

She didn't contact Mason to see if anyone else had received a similar invitation. She knew Mason would order her to disregard the message, and he'd get involved, destroying any chance she had at finding answers.

She smiled even as nervous chills flitted across her skin. She made her decision. She was sick of being played by Mason. Her response was brief.

Seamstress –

Dinner sounds lovely. See you then.

– Baker

She took a deep breath, slid the tablet into her pocket, and headed straight to the bridge. As soon as she entered, Laciam jumped to his feet. "Commandant, I've been wanting to talk with you."

"One moment." She walked over to the navigator. "Nolin, set a course to fringe sector seven-seven-seven-three-zero-five. On our way there, locate a fringe ship for a standard dock check."

"Yes, sir."

"What are you doing?" Laciam fumed. "We're under orders to immediately return to the fleet. You're intentionally delaying our trip. If you change course, you're disobeying a direct order from the corps general."

"Watch your tone, First Officer," Heid responded calmly despite her simmering anger. "I will continue to carry out my duties as a commandant in the Collective Unified Forces until we reach the fleet. Feel free to lodge a complaint with Adjutant Reinhardt, who will see that it gets posted. Until then, I expect you to do your damn job."

"Yes, sir," Laciam said stiffly.

"You're dismissed."

He headed off the bridge without another word, and she knew he was walking straight to his quarters to draft an exceptionally detailed complaint, or—more likely—continue a draft he began hours ago. She knew she would have to deal with Laciam soon and Ausyar's directive after that. First, she needed to meet this Seamstress, and she needed a fringe ship to do it.