The Fringe Wars

2.8

Setting up the Chessboard

"I think taking down the Citadel has to be our next action," Reyne finished sharing his thoughts on the Terra situation.

"I don't like it," Heid replied, her voice sounding tinny since she was speaking through her wrist comm. "There are too many variables we can't control."

"I don't like it either, but I also don't see an alternative. Seda's lined up the chess pieces. He's waiting to see if we'll play."

"We can't trust Seda until we know who he really is. Are you sure he didn't drop any hints as to his Founder pseudonym? Besides Vym, there's only one Founder in the fringe I'd consider trusting, and that's Aeronaut. The odds of Seda being him are low."

"Just do a search on Seda Faulk in the system. See if you recognize him as one of your Founder buddies."

"It's not that easy. I've only ever met a couple of Founders from the fringe in person, and they both wore cloned skin. Until we know for sure, we have to assume Mason is pulling the strings of any Founder you meet."

"I said we'd play along. I never said I'd blindly follow Seda's plan, let alone trust him. Hell, I'm assuming he's playing us. When he makes his move against us, I am going to make damn well sure we're ready to fire back with moves of our own."

"I can't believe Critch let himself get arrested. He's going to get himself killed pulling stunts like this. I'm going to strangle that infuriating man for not talking it over with us first." She sighed. "I can have the Arcadia prepped and on the way to Terra in under three hours."

"No way. You know our rule. After the Matador mess, we can't risk all three of us in the same place at the same time. Besides, we need you at Tulan Base. If we lose the Base or the Arcadia, we lose everything."

"Then send in the specters."

"Not yet. We're even keeping the Gryphon and Honorless off the surface for now. Bringing in more of the fleet will only raise suspicion and draw Ausyar's attention. If the armada moves in on Terra, we'd be stranded here. Besides, the fleet can't be of much help. This is a ground operation, not a fleet op."

A long silence.

"You still there?"

"...Yes."

"Listen, we don't even know if Critch is still alive."

Another silence.

"The chance that he is—or Vym is—is well worth the risk. Believe me, I understand why you have to go in. I'd go in, too, if I were there. I just don't like how the odds are stacked against us."

"Trust me, I don't like the situation any better than you do. If Critch volunteered, he had a backup plan. Hell, that guy has backup plans for his backup plans. He wouldn't have let himself get arrested unless he was sure he had a way out."

"Except, knowing him, that fool probably thinks he can just walk right out of the Citadel."

Reyne chuckled, picturing exactly the same thing.

"Keep me posted. I'll have the Arcadia prepped and ready to jump if you need assistance. Oh, and Reyne? Don't you get yourself killed."

"Take care of yourself, kiddo."

He turned off the comm. His jaw tightened, and then he hit his console. "Damn it."

He closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and leaned back in his seat. Reyne, Heid, and Critch had formed a leadership triad to ensure the Uprising wouldn't fail if one—or even two—were killed. But that oversimplified the truth.

Reyne and Heid were expendable. Reyne would forever carry the weight of being seen as a traitor, even though the truth was very different. Heid was a citizen, and would never be accepted as a colonist. Critch never thought himself any more important than them, but he was the heart and soul of the torrents. Critch was the only leader who'd never ceased embodying the true torrent spirit.

Critch had served alongside Reyne as a torrent marshal in the first Uprising. He'd then changed his identity to escape the CUF when they searched to arrest or kill all torrent leaders. He became a pirate, spending the next twenty years stealing from the Collective and planning a new rebellion. Every torrent trusted Critch, and would follow him anywhere. If he died—and the torrents were left with a rumored traitor and a citizen as their leaders—the fire that had been building for the new Uprising could all too easily flicker and die.

If there was any chance that Critch was still alive, Reyne had to go in. That knowing part, deep in his gut, warned him that trusting Seda could be a deadly mistake. Seda Faulk had become rich off the Collective. The stationmaster was a Founder, giving Reyne another reason to not trust him. Could Reyne keep one move ahead of Seda?

He wasn't so sure, but he didn't have any other option.