Chapter 14: Commburst

"Who knows I'm alive right now?"

"Everyone on this ship. Including the ship. You can trust them not to talk. Except KVN. He fried his filters. Anyway, we're not letting him off the ship, so don't worry."

"Can't he be fixed?"

"Design flaw."

"Dismantle him, then."

"Oh, we've tried. He's like, the most annoying kind of immortal. Besides, on some very, very, very, very, very ultra-super rarer than rare occasions, he's been . . ." Gary struggled to get the words out. "He's been . . ."

"Useful?" provided Avocato.

"Nnnnnnnnot completely . . . useless," he choked out, begrudging every word.

"Ah," was the entirety of Avocato's understanding response. "I've got to get in touch with the Lord Commander and my aide, Colonel-in-Command Nikos, as soon as possible. I can send a coded message to let them know I'm alive and have them send an escort to get me back to Tera Con Prime."

"You're sure?"

Avocato looked quietly stricken. "I understand what you're implying, Captain Goodspeed, but I can't stay or return with you. Yes, my son needs me, and I need him, but my son is also four years old and waiting for me on Tera Con Prime. He may even have been told that I'm dead. He's definitely frightened that I've been away far longer than I said I'd be. I can't walk away from him. Not and expect him to grow into such an amazing child. Or live with myself."

"I know. Woulda been cool, though. Come on."

He led Avocato to the bridge of the Crimson Light and its communication station. "AVA," he called as Avocato sat down, "How long for a commburst to reach Tera Con Prime?"

"Two solar days," she replied.

"I'm going to send this to Nikos' personal channel," Avocato said. "He'll be able to convey it to the Lord Commander. AVA, can you please change the virtual keyboard to Ventrexian script and punctuation?"

"He says please," the AI said, sounding impressed, complying with minimal sass.

Avocato was already typing like a fiend, pausing now and then with his eyes closed as he worked out the proper codes in his head. Gary, who had learned the hard way not to interrupt officers at work, waited silently until Avocato was done, watching his friend closely.

"AVA, I need to record and embed a visual message as well."

"Not a problem."

"Can you blank out the background? I don't want the Lord Commander to extrapolate any data about this ship and crew from the recording."

"Good thinking," complimented AVA. "You're the only thing that will appear in the recording. Hit that flashing light when you want to start."

"I'll need a full-body image."

"Done."

Gary wondered at that, but said nothing. Avocato stood and thought for a few moments before starting the recording. It was the first time Gary heard Ventrexian being spoken, and he blinked at the interjected growls and odd hisses in what was a surprisingly lyrical language. It was as if a tiger had stood up and recited poetry. He watched closely, by now knowing a great deal of Ventrexian communication was non-verbal, but aside from a few hand gestures and a curl of the tail here or there, Avocato may as well have been a statue. Which, he mused, was probably a message unto itself for this Nikos.

"AVA, play that back for me translated into Galactic Standard."

There was a brief pause, and then a life-sized hologram of the general was projected.

"To Colonel-in-Command Nikos from General Avocato of House Cato, with his compliments. Nikos, by now you'll have received word that the Kalibar was destroyed in the Ziga Turi system after the battle with the Sitronu fleet. You've also probably received word that I'm dead, lost with the Kalibar. Allow me to set the record straight. I am not dead. I was rescued by a passing merchant ship and I am presently on Zee Secundus. The Kalibar was only heavily damaged by the Sitronu during the course of battle, they are not responsible for her destruction and no further military action should be taken against them unless they violate the agreed-upon terms of surrender. Immediately after the battle we were ambushed by several Scoti Nitech fighters and another ship of unknown designation. The details should have been included in the commburst I ordered sent. Unless a declaration of hostilities was sent by other channels undetected by the Kalibar, the Scoti attack was an unprovoked act of war. The Scoti used a Death Knell to kill the Kalibar's crew, and it's only because I was on the battlebridge with the command crew that I survived. The ship was disabled, the crew was dead, and we were about to be boarded, so I ordered the destruction of the Kalibar's lightfold engine. I was rescued just before it reached critical. The resulting explosion destroyed the Kalibar, the Scoti ambushers, and, unfortunately, the outer planets of Ziga Turi.

"There is, of course, more to what happened than what I'm saying here. I'll be able to give the Lord Commander a full briefing when I return to Tera Con Prime. I know you didn't anticipate a return to duty for another month, and so I'm asking, not telling you to comply with our standing order in these instances and bring a corvette and suitable escort to Zee Secundus. Given we're a small party and sentiment is not in my favor, we're taking steps to make sure my presence is not discovered and I have promised my rescuers anonymity and safe passage. You can reach me on this channel when you get closer and direct communication is feasible.

"As proof that I am who I say I am, you, Kedi, and I all danced with our future wives at my brother Catomar's wedding. My third cousin Lady Cordata told Kedi he had vexed two ladies by not asking Lady Clawdia to dance, and when I asked her who the other lady was, she cracked me in the head with her fan. When I visited your family's spice farm the first time, my favorite food was your mother's river prawn stew with blackened fire peppers and you taught me and Kedi how to swim. Your mother gave me a large batch of the stew which we all ate on the way back to the academy. We were too sick to report for duty the next day, and got in trouble for being idiots and not saving some of the stew for our platoon leader. And finally, my son is named for me, but he's not called Avocato.

"Don't delay, but take all precautions. I anticipate hearing from you soon. General Avocato out."

"Galactic Standard is English?" Gary could not help but squawk.

Avocato looked at him. "No. English is Galactic Standard."

"Rea-hey!"

"AVA, replace the word month with twenty-six days and secure with the encryption code I entered."

Ava let out a little hum. "That's some encryption. They'll be able to unscramble that?"

"Nikos will know how. Let me know when it's sent, please."

"Done," she responded.

Gary gave his friend a sharp-eyed look. "I'm assuming half of that was a super-special, secret kitty code?"

"More than half. I just hope there hasn't been any retaliation against the Sitronu."

"What about the Scoti?"

"I confess I don't understand their role or what would cause them to try and assassinate me. As far as I'm aware, the Tera Con Empire has no declared hostilities with Scotia Majoran. You said he told you I destroyed his planet, but I've never even been in that sector. I even had HUE check, and Scotia Majoran is as active as ever." He drew a deep breath, bracing himself. "I need to speak to the Scoti you captured. I need more information."

"Sure you're up to that?"

"Whether I'm up to it or not is immaterial," stated the general, every inch the professional. "It still needs to be done."

Gary gestured, and they headed back for the galley, which was the most comfortable space in the ship. Avocato sat while Gary rummaged about the cabinets. "But not this exact instant. This is your first day back on your feet. What say you we put that interrogation on hold until tomorrow? I'll go with if you want backup. For now, would you like to drink alcoholic liquids out of a cup with me?"

He plunked an oddly-shaped bottle of some bright blue alcoholic beverage on the table, followed by two glasses. Nightfall had prudently bought three bottles, and this shade of blue put him in mind of Quinn's uniform.

Avocato made a sound of wry amusement. "Do I get my own cup?"

"Pfft. Yeah. We're civilized here on the Crimson Light even if it does sound like we're named for sugar-free juice or a high-class brothel."

He shook his head in wry amusement. "I'd like nothing better right now, but no thank you. I don't drink."

"Really? Huh. Guess I never had a chance to figure that out."

"Captain, I'm the commander-in-chief of one of the largest military forces in existence. I can't risk getting drunk. But don't let me stop you."

"Fair enough. It's not as much fun alone anyway." He slid the bottle and cups to the side, out of the way. "And it's Gary. You don't have to bother with the captain part. So . . . how we got here. You might want to strap in and take notes. It's a wild ride."