From Last Time:
Alon rushed down the corridor toward his office. He'd been out of contact with Rae Et for weeks. There was no particular reason he had to be overcautious, but with the First Ministers' decision to appoint Ching as the new head of intelligence, an unknown factor had entered the equation. Ching was far too shrewd not to find any traces of Alon's involvement in various questionable enterprises, given enough time. As far as Alon could tell, he was still safe. Nonetheless, he conducted his affairs face to face as often as he could, avoiding the use of the communications systems whenever possible. And he used far more intermediaries than he would have preferred, but he could not risk exposing important contacts throughout the colony.
It was most likely paranoia he knew, but treason wasn't exactly an activity for the reckless. If he intended to survive this political mess, he needed to be cautious. Now, however, he possessed information that would be of extreme interest to Rae Et. In fact, he knew she would never let him survive if he withheld what he knew. Unfortunately for Alon, his only means of contacting her were through the communications system. He could encrypt his signal, but if his communications were being monitored, that would buy him about a day, perhaps a little more.
So he held onto the information for as long as he dared. Now, a day before their scheduled departure, he had the First Ministers' closely guarded itinerary—straight from a trusted source. He couldn't delay any longer. He would keep the transmission as brief as possible, cloak it in static and have it encrypted, but there was still a risk.
Of course, given what Rae Et was capable of doing to him, it was a risk he would have to take.
********
New Stuff:
"You seem upset," Dr. Friskin said sympathetically.
"I am upset," Lois replied.
"You succeeded in ending a war."
"And securing a peace without justice. The worst of the war criminals are still free."
"Are you saying you did the wrong thing?" her therapist asked in that irritatingly pleasant and non-judgmental tone which therapists took. Just once, once, Lois wished Dr. Friskin would tell her whether she thought Lois had done the right thing.
Lois looked at Dr. Friskin and bit back a sigh. "No. There was nothing else I could do. But it still feels wrong. I can't feel good about what I gave up, but how can I put a price on other people's lives? How can I claim that my integrity is worth more than the life of someone's child?"
Dr. Friskin folded her hands in her lap, a studious frown on her face. "When he was asked about his religious opinions, Abraham Lincoln used to say that when he did good, he felt good, and when he did bad, he felt bad. But he agonized over so many of the decisions he had to make during a war that almost tore the country in two. He'd stay awake worrying and fretting, even when he knew he'd made the right choice. So I'd say he was radically oversimplifying. Even when we do the right thing, it doesn't always feel good."
********
Clark walked through the fields under the soaring greenhouse dome. He reached out his hand and touched the leaves of the plants being tended to and nurtured there.
"This is the most advanced farm on New Krypton," his guide informed him. "The soil on this planet is not well suited for agriculture, but we've been able to infuse it with the necessary nutrients to promote robust growth. We've also genetically engineered heartier nitrogen-fixing bacteria."
He listened intently as the middle-aged director of the greenhouse pointed out the various technological breakthroughs her team had made and implemented in their farming operations. "As for crop rotation, sir…" she began when the governor of Ganaf approached them.
"Sir, I had no idea you were interested in agriculture," the governor said pleasantly.
"I was raised by farmers," Clark replied, smiling faintly. "Governor, we still have a lot to discuss, don't we?"
"Yes, sir," the governor agreed with a nod.
Clark turned back to his guide. "Thank you very much for the tour."
"It was my pleasure, sir," his guide said as she bowed politely.
Clark followed the governor to the greenhouse's exit. Outside, they rejoined Zara and the other governors. Clark looked around the broad plateau where the greenhouse stood and the red rock valley down below it. The rugged landscape was bone dry, but the farming settlement had been built here, right on the equator, because the light and relative warmth made it the most hospitable climate they could hope for on this planet.
********
"Sir!" the lieutenant yelled out as she dashed toward Ching. Ching stopped in the hallway and turned toward his subordinate.
"What is it, Lieutenant?"
"Sir, we intercepted a transmission from the target encrypted with an other-than-standard code," she said breathlessly.
"Have you decrypted it?" Ching asked.
"Aye, sir," she replied. "It was the First Ministers' itinerary."
Ching could feel the color drain from his face. He fumbled a bit to activate his communicator. "Sergeant, I need the head of the First Ministers' security detail right now."
********
The burly officer touched the ear piece of his communicator and frowned grimly. "Ma'am, sir, we need to move to a secure area," he said.
Clark looked around at their guards and the assembled politicians, all suddenly anxious. "Lead the way, Captain," he said.
They moved quickly toward the settlement's command post in a tight group. The guards surrounded them, their sidearms drawn. Clark spotted a familiar figure running toward them along the path, a small group of soldiers following her.
"Commander," the captain said, looking around frantically.
"Get the First Ministers inside," Talan ordered. A tremendous bang reverberated through the air and everyone ducked instinctively. The rock near the edge of the plateau began to crack and crumble, blackened from the explosion. "Now!" Talan yelled. Clark searched for the source of the explosion, looking down into the valley below them. He felt one of the guards grab his arm and hustle him away from the site.
Talan turned to the soldiers who'd accompanied her. "Come with me," he heard her say as she began to run in the opposite direction, down toward the valley. The three soldiers joined her as the rest of the party moved back toward the settlement's command post.
Out of the corner of his eye, Clark kept looking down into the canyon, watching the four soldiers as they descended. In the distance, he could make out movement on the ground, but couldn't tell how many people there were or what they were doing. Talan and the other three soldiers suddenly split up, moving in different directions to surround the attackers. A firefight broke out. Clark could see the flash of laser rifle fire, much of it aimed at Talan's position on a narrow ledge that ran along the length of the canyon like a seam.
"Sir, we must get inside," the captain said as he tried to direct Clark into the command center.
<<I'm pinned down under the western rim….four rebels on my position….small arms only…>> Clark heard Talan say over the captain's radio.
That was below them. Clark raced to the edge of the plateau before the captain could stop him. He could see Talan running toward the end of the ledge. From within the valley, rifle fire hit the canyon wall behind her, creating bursting puffs of rock and dust and lending the air a scorched, acrid stench.
There was a covered position, a hundred yards in front of her on the canyon floor. But between her and it was the sharp drop where the ledge she was running on suddenly ended. Clark looked above the outcropping of rock that could provide her with cover. It was where she was heading, he was certain of it. And he knew he could get to it.
"Sir!" the captain yelled, grabbing his arm to pull him away from the canyon's rim. Clark quickly broke the captain's grip and started running. He could hear the captain and several other soldiers following him.
"Go after the rebels," Clark yelled. "I'm going to get the commander."
********
Talan looked at the drop coming up. It was only about ten feet; it certainly wasn't going to kill her. But the ground below was uneven and she knew she wouldn't be able to hit the ground running this time. She leapt down, bracing herself to roll as she hit the surface. Tumbling over the hard, jagged rock, she stood back up as quickly as she could and began running. Pain shot up her leg from one ankle, not broken but badly sprained. She ran unevenly, putting as little weight on it as she could, but trying not to slow down. She didn't have far to go and once behind the outcropping of rock, she'd be able to hold her position long enough to get help.
Breathing hard, she lunged behind the rock. She leaned up against the canyon wall, taking the weight off her ankle. There was a ledge overhead, well protected from view, which led back up to the rim, but she couldn't reach it from where she was, especially not on her ankle. She could still hear the sound of rifle fire and the sharp pop of exploding rock. Above her, she heard the sounds of someone running toward her. She tensed and lifted her weapon. There hadn't been any rebels above her position, how had she missed them? In this position, though, she was an easy target. They had the high ground and she had nowhere to go.
She waited, mind racing, but body calm and heart rate steady, for her attacker to appear. Talan practically gasped when she saw not a rebel, but Kal El, appear on the ledge overhead. She lowered her weapon immediately. "Sir, what are you doing here?" she asked. From the rim above them both, she heard rifle fire aiming down into the canyon. Someone was providing cover fire for them.
Kal El dropped down prone on the ledge and extended a hand down to her. "Give me your hand," he commanded.
She jumped up and grabbed his outstretched hand, grasping it tightly. He stood up pulled her onto the ledge as though she weighed nothing. Safely on the ledge, she balanced her weight on her good leg. "Can you walk?" he asked.
"It's just a sprain," she replied.
He put his arm around her waist and she put her hand on his shoulder as they moved up the ledge onto the path that led back to the rim. She discovered the source of the cover fire – the captain and another soldier coming back up onto the rim from another path. "The rebels have retreated, ma'am," the captain said. "Are you all right?"
"Fine," she replied as she continued to limp with assistance toward the command center. She tried to ignore the presence of Kal El's arm around her and concentrate on getting back inside, where she could put physical space between them again.
"Don't even think about yelling at him," Kal El cautioned in a quiet whisper. "They tried to get me inside, I got away from them."
They entered the building and Kal El turned to the captain. "Captain, please get a medic," he instructed politely.
"Of course, sir, but it might be a while," the captain replied. "A couple of soldiers were wounded." Kal El nodded and continued to lead her to her quarters.
"What in the world were you doing?" she demanded as soon as they were alone. "You could have gotten yourself killed."
"Commander," he cautioned softly, causing her to realize for the first time that she'd just yelled at her commanding officer. "If you're going to yell at me, I'd appreciate it if you'd wait until I'd closed the door." He shut the door behind them.
"I am terribly sorry, sir," she said, stunned. "I did not mean to raise my voice, I was just…" She stepped away from him, feeling his arm slip from her waist, as she hobbled toward a nearby chair. "Sir, I know how important it is for you to help, but you cannot risk your life, certainly not to save mine."
"You cannot expect me to watch my friends in trouble and do nothing," he replied as he leaned against the wall, his arms folded across his chest.
"Sir, you must. If I die doing my job, so be it, that's a danger I've accepted. But you have to survive this."
"Because I'm supposed to lead?"
"Because you need to get back home," she said quietly.
"Why do you have to play the martyr here?" he demanded.
"Martyr?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "Do you think I'm trying to get myself killed?"
"You're certainly taking some pretty extreme risks."
"Because I have to," she countered. "I have a job to do, and that includes keeping you alive, sir."
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "This has been a difficult deployment, hasn't it?"
"Very much so," she agreed.
"Is everything all right?" he asked.
"I know I've made mistakes that I shouldn't have, sir…" she began, the feelings of guilt stirring up inside her.
"That battle on the northwest pass, that didn't seem like you," he replied, his tone free of judgment and recrimination.
"I allowed my desire to capture Nor to interfere with my better judgment," she admitted. "It will not happen again, sir."
"I know," he said softly. "Is it…something you want to talk about?"
"No, sir," she replied.
"Something is bothering you, I can tell," he pressed.
"I've put it behind me, sir," she assured him, even though she hadn't.
"Look, for the rest of this conversation, I'm not the First Minister and you're not a general commander. We're just Kal El and Talan. Better than that, we're just Clark and Talan," he said warmly.
He'd referred to himself by his Earth name, something he never did. He was offering her the opportunity to be honest and let down her guard. He couldn't have known that it was the worst possible suggestion he could have made. He couldn't have known that her problem was that when she was around him, she stopped thinking like a commander and started thinking like a person – a person with fears and hopes and doubts and all manner of other complicated, messy, and sometimes senseless emotions. She needed the formality and the distance and the polite detachment to keep her sanity.
"But we are not just Clark and Talan, sir," she replied, her tone firm and unwavering. "You are and you always will be my superior officer and I am your subordinate. I will not burden you with my excuses or explanations. And I will not fail you again."
********
Lois spotted Jonathan in the den with his grandson on his lap as they read one of Jon's favorite picture books together. He looked up at her as she walked into the room. "How was it?" he asked.
"Wet," Lois replied simply. "It's the rainy season in Kinwara."
"Did everything go all right?"
"Yeah," she said without conviction. "I got the bad guy, destroyed some weapons, you know, the usual."
"You're doing a great job," her father-in-law replied.
"Thanks," she said. She watched as Jon impatiently turned the book's pages.
"Are you going to be delivering the toys tomorrow?"
Lois bit back a sigh. "I'm scheduled to, but I guess I can't really get into the Christmas spirit this year."
"Those kids look forward to this visit all year," Jonathan said gently.
"I know," she replied. "And I'm going to do it. I just need to get my perspective back, that's all. How has everything been around here?"
"Good," he said with a smile and a slight nod. "We're working on the books for the end of the year. It was a good harvest. We'll be able to pay you back in full by the end of next year."
"There's no rush," Lois said, smiling. "I know where you live and I'm pretty sure you're good for it."
Jonathan chuckled. "Well, we really appreciate it."
"It doesn't even begin to compare to everything you and Martha have done for Jon and me," Lois replied.
"Believe me, having you two here has been just as good for us as it has been for you," he assured her. "We've got a tree to chop down tonight. Are you up for it?"
Lois smiled. "I think I am." The yearly ritual of picking out the Christmas tree with her father-in-law was probably just what she needed. At the same time, it hurt so much to change and modify all of the traditions and make new ones that didn't involve Clark. This would be their third Christmas without him. Three Christmases that he wasn't able to spend with his family, enduring who knew what on some remote little planet, far away from everything and everyone he loved.
********
"Zara, are you all right?" Ching asked, the concern evident in his eyes.
She looked at her lover's image on the communications screen. "We're fine," she assured him. "Two of the soldiers were wounded repelling the attack, but they'll recover. And Clark gave the guards a fright when he ran off to help Talan."
His brow furrowed. "What happened?"
"She'd been pinned down under enemy fire at the bottom of the canyon. She tore a few ligaments and tendons in her ankle and couldn't get back to higher ground. Clark got away from the guards and brought her back up. They were both fine." Clark's behavior was a mystery to her. He certainly wasn't the sort to stand aside when others needed help, but he knew that his soldiers were professionals. They had a job to do and part of that job was keeping him out of danger. Would he have done the same for a member of his guards who'd been in Talan's situation? She didn't know and she certainly wasn't going to ask.
"He's liable to get himself killed like this," Ching mused.
"Trust me, there was no reasoning with him," she replied wryly.
Ching sighed in frustration. "I have a team ready to pick up Alon on your order."
"Not yet," Zara replied. Off Ching's arched brow, she continued. "I want to leave him out there as a mark. If he thinks he's safe, he's liable to get bolder. He can lead us right to Nor."
He nodded, as he appeared to consider the proposition. "If you make him think we trust him, he can set the trap for us."
"Exactly."
********
The chime of the communications system woke her. Disoriented, she looked up to find that she'd fallen asleep in her study again. She turned on the screen hopefully, pleased to see Lok Sim appear on the monitor.
"Good evening, ma'am," he said politely.
"Good evening," she replied with a smile.
"Did I wake you?" he asked, leaning forward as he regarded her closely.
"No, no, of course not," she lied. "I was just working."
"Are you sure? Because it is late, and I'm sorry. I couldn't call earlier," he apologized.
"It's all right, I understand," she said. And in truth, she didn't mind the fact that he'd woken her up. He called as often as he could, which sometimes wasn't that often. He tried to call earlier, when Thia would be awake, so that he could talk to her, but more and more often now, he called even when Thia would be asleep, to talk with Enza. She eagerly looked forward to their conversations; at the most basic level, they assured her that he was all right, but she also missed seeing him, talking to him. Their friendship had moved well into undefined territory. She was an officer and he an enlisted man, and the military frowned on such fraternization, but he was not in her chain of command and he was a reservist. He may have been serving a tremendously long active duty stretch, but he was still a civilian first and a soldier second. Still, she fumbled to maintain the sort of polite detachment their society expected of her.
"How have you been?" he asked.
"Well," she replied. "And Thia is fine. She's doing well in school."
"I will try to call earlier next time," he said.
"She always loves talking to you." Enza felt the corners of her mouth turn upward in a slight smile. "And how are you?"
"Fine, ma'am," he replied. "I've been lucky; so far, we've managed to avoid combat."
"I'm so glad to hear that," she said softly.
"Can I ask you a question, ma'am?
"Certainly," she said.
"Why did you decide to become an officer?" he asked.
"I was commissioned before the fighting started," she explained. "Even though it was possible I'd have to spend my entire career in the military, most officers didn't have a problem getting out after five or six years if they wanted to. I thought, I could do this for a while, get a better experience than I would practicing within the Guild, and then do whatever I wanted."
He nodded in understanding. "So what do you want to do, when all of this is over?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "All I want is for this war to be end, for Thia to be able to grow up unafraid. Beyond that, I'm not really certain. What about you? What do you want?"
"Ordinary things," he said. "I want a family. Children. I want to know I won't have to deploy for six months at a time to some desolate corner of the planet."
She smiled. Lok Sim would be an excellent father. "Any word on how long you're going to be deployed?"
"Until the end of the mission, it seems," he said, a distinct look of sadness in his eyes.
She knew that could have meant months more. "Please, be careful," she said.
He nodded. "I will. I'm afraid I have to go. Please say hello to Thia for me."
"Of course," she replied. "Good night, Sergeant."
"Good night, ma'am." He gave her a ghost of a smile before the communications monitor went blank.
********
