Chapter 12: Gross Allegations
May 13th, 3239, 0243 hours
Castle Acorn, Mobius
Sally walked alone down the halls of her own castle. She could not sleep and thought that a quick walk would clear her mind and get her back to bed. She wore a light jacket and jeans, as the night was a bit cold. She tugged on the jacket and looked through a window at the broken moon. She knew why she couldn't sleep. He was out there somewhere, and she could do nothing to help him.
A single man, no matter his accomplishments couldn't escape a fate such as the one in store for him, even with an accomplice; they wouldn't go far without help.
Normally she would have looked to NICOLE for comfort, but she realized that she sent the AI along with Chris to give him an edge.
Now she really felt alone.
She continued her walk down the corridor and into the Great Hall. A few Marines stood at attention. She knew that these men and women weren't as corrupted as the government that they worked for, but she couldn't look at them the same way right now, not while they were out there hunting the Captain.
She passed a few of them and a well-meaning PFC asked, "Morning, your Highness. Having trouble sleeping?"
She cleared he throat, making eye contact for a second. "I'm alright, Private. I just need a bit of a walk to clear my senses."
"Alright, but it's a little chilly out there."
"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you."
She walked right out the front door with two Mobian guards flanking her. They made no movements. Sally walked through the gardens looking at a few statues of Mobian icons. Sonic's marble gaze loomed in the stars. His statue was to commemorate all that he had done for this planet and the evils he ridded. Not too far from that, the warm smile of Matthew Mobius, the founder of the first colony here reached her. She reached to him for guidance. She felt that Mobius' spirit never really left this world and guided her. Maybe she had attended one too many sermons at the Church of the Ancients as a young child, but she felt that the guidance of this human was a welcoming thing in this strange time. Across from Matthew on the other side of the gardens was the perpetually lit Memorial Fire and around it stood marble carvings of Marines that had died in the Fort Acorn attack in 3234; the first attack by Robotnik against the UNSC. Of all places, this was where she went.
She looked at these men and women. She knew that these were nearly down to the minute detail of men and women she had once passed. Of course they were. They were 3-dimensional recreations of soldiers retrieved from boot camp databases and sculpted by robots. They had to be picture perfect.
She saw a few that caught her eye. Vere Kersiac, a human that died for her to escape. Vere died in Sally's arms and she never forgot the look as his life just left his body, and she was always thankful. She placed her hands on the statue's chest and spoke, "May Mobius guide you." She spotted several others including Norman Hecks and Hank Geri, both of which died under Chris' command, but Hecks had been with them the longest, succumbing to radiation. She never forgot his face as he wilted in front of her. And of course there were the dozens of men and women who couldn't even be recovered because they were flash vaporized in a second.
She wandered around the statue and was shocked to find Gerome Andsworth leaning on one of the figures with an ancient pipe in his hand. He was looking at the moon silently, but noticed the princess coming around.
"Your Highness. What are you doing out here?"
"I needed a walk." She said. "You?"
"Same. I couldn't sleep. It happens when you get older. Sometimes I feel that the cold air calms my nerves. What about you, did you have a nightmare?"
"Somewhat."
"I know what you're thinking of, and I'm telling you not to worry about it."
"Why? How can you be so sure that?"
He placed a heavy yet reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Because I know that in all the time that Vennettilli's been on my ship, he's done all he could to make it back in one piece, and against all odds, he does."
"But… how?"
Andsworth's dark eyes stared into hers. "You look at me as if I can give you the answer. I don't know how I can explain it! Advanced combat training? Sheer dumb luck? The power of love? What do you need me to say?"
"I just want you to tell me that it's OK." She blinked her eyes a quickly and tears stated to flow. The admiral put his arms around her and hugged her tight.
"It will be OK." He said.
"But I'm just so scared! It's not like when he was gone last time, I didn't care, but I'm going to marry him! I'm going spend the rest of my life with him. I'm going to…" She stopped herself. "I'm sorry, I'm just getting a bit flustered."
"Come on, I'll walk you back."
With Andsworth at her side, she felt a lot better. He was a friend of the family, a friend of Chris, and could even keep a secret. They walked through the gardens joking and chatting. She felt much better now and could possibly get a good night's sleep.
They reached the castle and strolled into the Great Hall. Sally took off her jacket and hung it in her arm. "When are you being rotated out?"
"Within this week." He said. "I still haven't gotten over the fact that I'm no longer at the helm of my old girl."
"She'll be in good hands." Sally assured. "I mean, the crew will look after her."
"Well the crew was really loyal to me. I knew everything about the bridge crew, where they came from and where what they liked to do. I doubt the next captain will be any bit as in-depth as I was."
"Of that I agree." Sally said nodding. "To be frank, you're something of an anomaly when it comes to naval officers."
"Thank you. I always wanted to make a splash."
"Well, I have to say the last couple of days have been a bit rough, but some of the guys have been trying to cheer me up. Just the other day, Ryan treated all of us to a Constantine dinner, and Johnson got a karaoke competition going."
"Who won?"
"Johnson." She giggled. "He does the best Barry White I have ever heard!"
"Well, you two seem to be having a lot of fun."
They turned to see President Marshall walking toward him with a wool sweater and bark pants on, drink in hand.
"Marshall…" Sally said with shock.
"Good morning, Mister President." Andsworth said. "What brings you-"
"What are you doing here?" Sally said beating him to the punch.
Marshall was ready for it. "Well your mother and father invited me here. We're investigating a trade issue involving the sector trade embargo with the Lyshad Collective. We're hoping that we can try to get some Mobian-made goods out there and get some revenue for the planet. My goodness, you keep getting lovelier and lovelier every time I see you." He kissed her hand, but she only did it to keep up appearances. A fire burned inside her but she curbed it for the time being.
"And to you Mr. President, you look very stunning in that sweater."
"You like it? It's genuine wool, right from Austria! I personally don't fancy all of these synthetic fabrics and I feel the best touch comes from natural materials. Wouldn't you agree?"
"Oh yes."
Andsworth came in, "I do have to say, Mister President, you look awfully dapper."
Marshall smiled. "Why thank you Gerome. I'll have to send you one for Christmas. Everybody loves a good sweater."
Sally decided to change the odd topic. "Why are you out here? It's nearly three in the morning."
"Well I could ask the same question to you, but I'll indulge: I have developed a case of Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome. It's not serious, but I find myself up later than I would like. I woke up to get a breather and give myself a sedative."
"In a glass of mint vodka." Sally said with an amused look.
"It'll put me down one way or another." He gave a laugh. Sally smiled but didn't laugh with him.
"Well, you know, I'll be busy tomorrow. Your father and I are going to be discussing some important things that'll help the Mobians in the long run. By the way, will I be able to meet your boyfriend Sonic?"
Sally crossed her arms. "Sonic and I aren't really a couple anymore. We moved on."
Marshall had a shocked look on his face that was too good to be true. "Oh. I'm sorry. People can be strange things to work with. We all have had difficulties with someone. Ah well, I'd like to see him just the same. He's something of a hero isn't he?"
"Yes he is; the bravest warrior on Mobius."
"I'm looking forward to it. Highness, I take my leave of you; Andsworth, have a good night, and good luck in the Schwarzschild Black Hole Expanse."
"Happy to be a part of the team sir. The Burro is a fine ship."
As soon as he walked away, Andsworth's ass-kisser smile disappeared. "Prick." He said out of the corner of his moustache.
Sally sensed that something was wrong. It helped that Marshall was wearing a wool sweater, because she knew there was a wolf in sheep's clothing. "Something's wrong."
"What's wrong, Princess?" Andsworth asked, also sensing something was amiss.
"Hang on, Admiral. I'll be right back."
"Be careful, young lady."
"After all I've been through; this should be a walk in the park." She winked and was off, leaving Andsworth to shake his head with a smile.
Sally got a running start and climbed up a wall, using her boot soles for friction. Balancing carefully, she leapt from outcropping to outcropping with the grace of an assassin, making as little sound as she could. Eventually she caught sight of Marshall. Holding her breath, she dropped behind him and hid around a corner. Her boot toe scraped on the floor with a small squeal. Marshall became spooked for a second and whipped around.
"Hello?"
There was nothing; absolute silence.
Marshall took a drink and continued. Sally mentally kicked herself and tried not to make any further sounds. She decided the best place to be was above the President. Looking around, she found a pillar with some exposed pegs. She climbed these like a ladder and found herself hopping from chandelier to chandelier. This was a risky move as the slightest motion could cause the while structure to jingle. Thankfully she had this under control and stalked her target successfully. Marshall made a right at the next intersection and paused in front of a balcony.
The Delegate Suites are three hundred feet down the hall. What's he doing, admiring the moonlight?
She really wished she had NICOLE with her for advice.
Two figures walked down the hall. One of them was a wiry looking man with thick glasses. The other was a Mobian bat. Rouge. The pair were in conversation before turning to meet Marshall.
"Mister President?" The wiry man said.
"Tudyk. Nice of you to meet me." He looked at the bat. "Agent Rouge. I trust your injuries are quite healed now?"
"Vennettilli got a few good punches in there, but I'm ready for duty." She said with a smile. She wore a skin-tight bodysuit made out leather with the ONI patch stamped on her right breast and multiple ammo packs were scattered all over her body.
"Well, I trust that you have information for me on that particular subject."
"Indeed we do, Mister President." Tudyk said. "Rouge, fill him in about the failed subjects."
"Alright, this data comes right from the Blackgate facility orbiting Jupiter: Almost all attempts to access the information locked in other potential leads' brains have failed miserably. The researchers have determined that there's a cypher that must be obtained before we can even begin to decode the information."
"How many subjects are alive?"
"None." Rouge said; eyes tilted towards the floor. "They all died."
Marshall nodded. "Good, that way when we bring Vennettilli in, we won't accidently kill him trying to get the info. Have you determined what the cypher is?"
"No, sir." Rouge said. "It could be anything."
Marshall cursed. "Alright, tell them to keep trying to find a way."
"Will do, Mr. President." Rouge nodded.
Tudyk interrupted. "We also have confirmation that our hunter-killer teams have arrived in the Talahan system. The Stalkers are on the ground. The Captain is ours."
Sally felt a lump grow in her throat. They knew where Chris was. She had to get a message to him somehow. She waited for Marshall and Tudyk to go down the hall and drop down behind Rouge.
"Good morning, Rouge." Sally said.
The bat nearly jumped off the ground. Her wings extended and she clutched her heart. She gasped for a second, but composed herself.
"Princess! What are you doing? Do you know what time it is?"
"I could ask you the same question, Agent Rouge."
"Well, I was just heading off to bed. Just let me through…"
Sally grabbed Rouge's shoulder and slammed her into the wall.
"The Hunter-Killers! WHERE ARE THEY?"
"I don't know anything about that!"
Then Rouge felt something that she never thought she would: She felt Sally's hand wrap around her neck. She was so surprised with this she didn't even react for a second, but when she felt her windpipe closing, she started squirming.
"Stop that!"
"Tell me about the Hunter-Killers!"
She started to choke. When she went for her gun, Sally pinned the hand to the wall.
"Stop! Alright!"
She let her hand go. "Start talking."
"The Hunter-Killer squads are genetically altered soldiers and mental patients. The soldiers are already pretty strong, but the Stalkers are hyper-augmented people that are so far gone that they're twisted. Their skeletons are barely keeping together. They're the best trackers. Better than Mobians, better than any alien out there. I've seen them, and they scare the hell out of me."
"How long have these things been around?"
"The Stalkers? A few months, close to New Year's."
Sally cursed. "You really don't know what this cypher is?"
"No."
"We need to warn Christopher."
"How? The Hunter-Killers are already in the system."
"NICOLE has an FTL COM unit. Chris is smart. He'll be under, far away from his ship. Let's go."
"Sally." Rouge said grabbing the princess' hand. "I was going to send him the message anyway."
"You were?"
The bat smiled. "You can trust me on this one, Sal."
Sally also smiled. "Come on, we'll have to go to Ops for this call."
