Seraph’s Gambit- Episode 59
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Ariana
“I was wondering if you
“I debated whether I should. When you left the navy, I told you something like this might happen. And I didn’t want to say I told you so while you were in a prison cell. It doesn’t seem very fatherly.”
“But you just did it. Twice.”
“I
Ariana sighed and leaned back against the cell wall, “Did it feel good?”
Her father
“Yes, I know,” Ariana groaned. “How about we get me out of here and then you can just enjoy the being right part.”
To her shock, the cell door unlocked and then slid open. Her father stepped back and swept his arm in a gesture for her to come through. Not wanting to miss the opportunity, Ariana strode through.
“That simple?” She asked, “They lock me up after saving the goddamn galaxy, and then they’re just going to let me go without a word?”
“You know better than that. Nothing is ever simple.”
“It could be.”
Her father shrugged, “But it is relatively simple. You have two choices in front of you.”
“Okay, I like having choices.”
“You can come back to the navy. Receive a promotion to commander and get a command in the task force that will inevitably be formed to hunt down the remaining AI ships so that this never happens again.”
“Just the AI? PUG isn’t going after LFD?”
“Of course they are. But you wouldn’t be trusted near them. No one would really be sure if you’d do something crazy in vengeance, or fail to bring them to heel because of you lingering sympathies.”
Ariana cocked her head, “Honestly, I couldn’t tell them either.”
“But against the AI, you have an unblemished record. First your service during the war and then what you did now. Your ability and willingness to fight AI is without question. You’re a hero, and PUG would love to throw you on some recruitment posters.”
“I already like option number two more.”
“You don’t even know what it is yet.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
Shaking his head, her father groaned in frustration, “Ari, why must you be like this? I just offered you a chance to restart your career. To make up for all of the time you lost. And you want to just do anything else.”
“I don’t want to be a pawn again.”
“Like me.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You don’t have too. You’ve said it often enough in the past.”
“I was younger then. I didn’t have as much…”
“Tact?”
“Also true, but I was going to say experience. I don’t think you’re a pawn. You believe in the PUG and what they’re doing. I think they serve a purpose, and hunting the AI down is that purpose. But hunting down LFD? No, that’s why LFD came about in the first place.”
“At least you are consistent. I’ll give you that.”
“Thanks?”
Her father laughed and then pulled her into a hug. She clenched up at first, but relaxed into it after a few seconds. It had been a long time since her father had hugged her. Too long, truth be told.
“I do love you, Ari. And I am so incredibly grateful that you’re still alive. You really are a genuine hero. I couldn’t be more proud.”
“Thanks, Dad,” Ariana said, this time meaning it. “But I’m not the hero. Noah was the hero.”
“You mean your crewman who died? The slaver?”
Pulling back from the embrace, Ariana looked into her father’s eyes, and said, forcefully, “Noah was never a slaver.”
In truth, she had no idea if Noah had actually been involved in slavery. She knew his connection to Gerald’s organization hinted slavery was involved. But he had said that he wasn’t. And that was good enough for her.
“If you say so” her father said skeptically.
“Now, are you going to tell me what option two is?”
“You disappear.”
“Like into an off the books prison?”
“What? No! What kind of organization do you think I work for?”
“The kind that talks big and keeps things that don’t make it look good off the record.”
“Yes, well, no that’s not the kind of disappearing I meant. You just go back to your life. You never mention your involvement in the incident. Because, officially, you weren’t involved.”
“Really, one of my choices is getting my old life back? That sounds too good to be true.”
“Well, if you’re not willing to be a hero, PUG would prefer you let someone else be.”
“I don’t mind being a hero. I just don’t want to work for them.”
“Which is the problem. If a transport captain, who doesn’t like the PUG, is seen to have saved the galaxy from another AI threat without their help…”
“People would start to question why they even exist?”
“Something like that.”
“It’s a good question.”
“It might bring about the PUG’s destruction as surely as that AI fleet might have.”
“If it goes away because people don’t want it anymore, I would be okay with that. I just didn’t want it to get destroyed by lunatics trying to bring about the end of society.”
“I knew you might feel that way. Which is why it was made very clear to me, that should you try and look for a third option, the charges against you and your crew will not be dropped. Resisting arrest, engaging in unlawful warfare, transporting a fugitive, possession of illegal weapons. And probably a few more they could think up.”
“I get it,” Ariana fumed, and then sighed, unable to get worked up over her choices. “That’s fine. I don’t want to be a hero anyway. I can keep my mouth shut.”
“Good girl. I’m glad you have some bit of sense.”
Her father started to turn toward the door. That’s when she smiled, “But you know, my ship did get pretty banged up fighting their battle for them. People are going to ask questions. And it’s going to be hard to find work with it in such a state.”
“I figured you would try something like this. Which is why I have already had Seraph assigned as a project for the Academy’s engineering trainees. They’ll restore her to prime condition, and it will all get paid for from their training budget.”
“Vlasa is not going to like that.”
“These are trainees.”
“Which is the part he’ll really not like.”
“Which is why they will need proper supervision from someone experienced with this type of craft.”
“I can work with that.”
“Good, let’s go tell the admirals.”
Ariana shook her head, and planted her feet, “Just one more thing. About Javi.”
“What about him? He’ll stand trial for his crimes.”
“What crimes? He ran a political party. When someone subverted it, he tried to turn them into the proper authorities.”
“Ariana, you know that’s not going to fly. He was directly involved in a coup. He is the face of LFD. Someone has to be held accountable.”
“You have Mitchell. He’s the one who actually tried to start a war.”
“He’s dead.”
“Perfect. Dead scapegoats can’t tell different versions of events.”
“Ariana…”
Despite her father’s warning tone, she persisted, “If a reporter were to ask about how the PUG navy bravely defeated Mitchell, Mitchell can’t point out that the navy wasn’t even there. But Javi could. He doesn’t like to lie.”
Rubbing his forehead, her father let out a grand sigh, “I told them you won’t be easy to mollify.”
“You would know.”
“I’ll try again. But I can’t promise anything.”
“I’ll take your trying over their promises any day.”
“So much like your mother.”
Ariana beamed, “That is the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”
“That’s probably true. Now wait here. I’ll send Javi in while I talk to the admirals. If you can convince him, I should be able to convince them.”
Her father left without another word, or even a glance back. Things there were returning to normal, at least. He’d said his peace, and then he was done.
She stood alone in the short corridor for several minutes. It wasn’t exactly clear what would happen if she tried to leave. Supposedly, she had been released, but that didn’t mean much. Fortunately, the door opened, and Javi slithered through before she got impatient enough to find out.
“It looks like they tended your wound?”
“They did.”
“Good.”
The pair stood there in silence. Ariana wasn’t really sure what to say next. She wanted to yell at Javi some more for getting her into this mess. But she also wanted him to know there was a chance for them all to get out of it.
“Your father told me you insisted on my being released.”
“I did. I’m not going to let you rot in prison.”
“I appreciate that, Ari. And I told him I would happily accept.”
“Good…”
“On one condition.”
“You’ll only be let go on a condition?”
Javi dipped his eyestalks, “Yes. As soon as I am released, I would be publicly turning myself in.”
“What kind of sense does that make?”
“The perfect kind,” Javi said, and then held up a hand to forestall her response. “If I am arrested during a crisis, I look complicit or as a scapegoat. If I disappear, I become a martyr. If I publicly speak out against LFD, I become a stooge. But, if after these events, I am seen turning myself in, publicly and speak out against the violence, but not LFD’s ideas, I may still have some power. Maybe I can forestall more violence.
“What I can’t do is disappear to live a quiet life onboard a transport ship. I’m too much of a public figure. Or at least I will be once word of all of this spreads. Seraph wouldn’t be safe from scrutiny anywhere. I can’t do that to you and the others.”
“They wanted to make you the public scapegoat for all of this.”
“No, they didn’t. They just wanted you to think you had won by getting me released. Because they know as well as you did, that a dead terrorist is a far better scapegoat. I can let them have that. But I won’t go down quietly, either.”
Ariana frowned at her old mentor. After twenty years, he was still teaching her things. Nobility could take many forms.
“I know you well enough to know when there’s no point in arguing.”
“If that’s true, then I have taught you at least one thing,” Javi said, and then dipped his eyestalks in a solemn gesture. “Goodbye, Ariana. May you stay safe on your travels.”
The Adventure Concludes in Episode 60
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