Chapter 20

A cycle and a half had left Qi precious little time to see his fuck bunny. Whatever she was doing, the task was sucking up all of their alone time. He knew she was working the ship to ship comms but she was sworn to secrecy just as he was. Whatever subterfuge the patriarch was creating, he was keeping as many family members out of the loop as possible. Not that the lack of information kept the rest of the family from speculating.

Qi had been and out of Benni's office so many times that he felt like a yo-yo. Sometimes he was the babysitter, standing by with injections and inhalers, and other times, he was glooking obscure TSC systems for their functions and the consequences of their dysfunctions. The patriarch was barking orders, coughing up phlegm, and banging on his comp with his free hand. He was no longer looking cool and collected. His hair lay sweaty on his head and a musty smell seemed to waft off of him.

Another alarm went off on Benni's comp. He pressed the comp's pad and stopped to read. Benni leaned back in his chair and swore once in a clear soft voice, "Shit."

Benni looked up at everyone in his office. "We have run out of time. Farendass has forced our hand and they are on the move. Notify the bridge, our ships, and our allies. We move on Capitol Prime now."

Benni looked at Chemung and Kay, whose heads were almost touching as they bent over their pads. "How long until we reach our target?"

"Hours," Kay said. "The navigators plotted a tight course."

"We arrive second," Chemung said. "Our first ship releases the flock of angels and backpedals as discussed."

"Give the command," Benni said to them before turning to Qi. "Walk me to med bay. I want to take one last treatment before I have to stand on the bridge."

Qi walked with Benni through the crowded corridor. The ever present murmur in the air was louder than usual as news of the imminent attack spread. Benni seemed more relaxed in the passageway than in his office and he even had a slight smile on his face. Qi believed that the man truly enjoyed the simplicity of walking in the midst of his family. There were two bodyguards behind them but their task was to keep anyone from running over Benni rather than protecting him from something more sinister.

People waved and some of the older family members reached out and touched his arm or elbow as he passed. Benni's smile became wider. Qi gently guided the man into the infirmary and led him to the breathing apparatus. It had not been dismantled since the last treatment. Benni fell into the chair, exhausted.

Three hours later Qi's comp twittered with an incoming message. Would he bring Benni to the bridge? Qi acknowledged and roused the napping patriarch. Benni adjusted his blouse and led the small entourage out of med bay and towards the bridge as if his full health had been restored.

Once on the bridge, Qi saw that they were only minutes away from entering into normal space. The battle boards were fully staffed and both Chemung and Kay had their comps fully integrated into the bridge comp and secured to a railing. The mood reminded Qi of an uncle's enforcers ready to attack their competitor's building.

The comp voice announced, "Sixty seconds until step down." The comp would count the time by ten second intervals until the last ten seconds before step down. Then it would switch to one second intervals.

Benni found his seat and strapped in while Qi went to his side and stood behind the chair, Volentin-style. This meant suffering through the vertigo of entering normal space whether he was sitting or standing. He knew a lot of people would be watching for his reaction. He was very much aware, that given his responsibilities concerning the patriarch, he must endure the rites of passage impassively to gain the family's respect.

"Thirty seconds," the voice called out as Qi strapped his board to the back of Benni's chair and synced with the main comp link outside of navigation or battle modules. He was the data miner and the patriarch tender. The pouch on his left hip contained inhalers and the pouch on his other hip contained pre-measured syringes.

The final countdown ended and then the stomach twisting began. His brain felt like it was bouncing against sides of his skull ... The twisting force lasted only an instant but, his stomach and brain needed more time to reorient.

"Attack in progress," the comp voice reported. "Scan indicates 37% decrease in remote vehicles. Strangulation of enemy ships #3, #4, #5 and #7 is commencing. Necklaces are massing with little resistance. Backdoor codes and commands launched."

Qi was coming out of his shift-fugue. He chuckled to himself at the mention of necklaces. He could only imagine what Ferro was thinking when he labeled the kill vehicles after the garrote. He had never used one himself; it was an artistic weapon requiring one to get close enough to the victim to release its lethal potential swiftly and accurately.

"Missiles launched," the comp voice said.

"Left flank has arrived," someone called out. "Countermeasures away."

"Contact Capitol Prime," Benni ordered. "Tell them of our intent to negotiate reparations for the loss of Callisto and our demand of apology for the unprovoked attack upon the Families."

Readouts started to scroll at unintelligible speeds across Qi's comp as the remotes infiltrated Prime Capitol's comps. Qi inserted his controls and brought the surging data under control. He posted a search index to organize their priority topics. Ten seconds later he let a cluck of his tongue slip out.