Ashley watched the movement of Oz's group through the ship as they moved towards the lower decks. They had made fantastic progress with the command deck after subduing the highest ranking enemy officer aboard Triton. The captives were stripped of their gear and sealed in crew quarters, and Ashley couldn't help but ponder the similarity between her situation and that of the captured soldiers.
Zoe kicked in her sleep where she was curled up in the seat beside her. Ashley stroked the youngster's side gently, prompting her to roll over and capture the appendage in an unconscious hug. “Might be a while before I get that back,” Ashley said with a sigh.
There was a lot going on aboard Triton, and even more happening above, in the destroyer outfitted with a Command Module that was still firmly affixed to their dorsal mooring port. Over the last few hours Ashley listened to the chatter as Frost and Jason's teams maintained possession of the lower decks of the ship, and cut main power to the rest. It was both exciting and frightening, listening in on that drama. At times she found herself cringing at the sounds she was overhearing, many of which were never explained, and more than once she was relieved to hear familiar voices after the action was momentarily over.
Taking care of Zoe was more challenging than listening to Jason and Frost's battling egos or their fight with the destroyer’s crew. The toddler had taken the vacsuit Ashley had made for her with her command unit off twice and she'd already gotten bored of survival bars. There was a working materializer just outside in the main medical bay, and she could have gotten more interesting food for them both, not to mention a light blanket or a toy for Zoe, but fear kept her locked inside the conference room. There were no working sensors in medical or the aft section behind it. It would be hours before Oz's people could get there, and for some reason Agameg couldn't contact the former slaves that were fighting past the middle frame of the ship. That was a lot of space left in the dark, and the thought of running into soldiers like the ones she met in medical kept her awake, she didn't need stims.
A knock at the door made her jump so badly she woke Zoe, who looked up at her with wide, bleary eyes. “Uh oh, that's your; 'I'm about to start crying because I'm tired and scared face,'” Ashley said as she carefully picked the youngster up and cradled her against her chest. With a glance she could see that the autopilot was still running, her controls were still locked, and the comm was set to listen only. No one would be able to hear what was going on in the conference room.
“Please unlock the door Ashley,” Larry said through her communicator. “I have a few things for you and Zoe.”
“We're fine thanks,” she replied quietly.
“Listen, I understand how you might have misgivings about letting me in, but I think I've already shown that you can trust me.”
“Oh really?”
“Just a few hours ago I saved you from a pretty bad situation, remember?”
“Because you needed someone to fly the ship.”
“I could have done that myself just fine. I'm sure Oz and Jason would have no trouble believing that I was able to re-route controls to this room and get us on course. I saved you because I know you're a good person, and I couldn't watch that soldier take advantage.”
“Okay, but what guarantee do I have that you won't take me out just to be safe?”
“You watch way too many movies. If that’s what I wanted, I could have opened the door for myself using a terminal down the hall. With the right code I can override anything as long as it still has power. Check for yourself, just bring up a raw code console and enter the word: ‘absolution’ followed by the number four.”
Ashley did as he asked and noticed that the password was assigned to her biometric ident specifically, something Larry would have had to do in advance. Suddenly the three dimensional cut away diagram of the Triton hovering over the table took on a whole new level of detail. Every wire, pipe, hatch, crawlspace and little secret was on open display. She could even see inside the Botanical Gallery. “Oh, well, that's just awesome.”
“Ashley, is everything okay down there?” asked Oz’s voice from the terminal.
“Yeah, I’m fine, why? Something goin’ on?”
“No, your comm signal just squelched then came back under a new priority signal.”
Ashley thought for a moment, unsure of what to say. She didn’t have the know-how to lie about communications, yet she didn’t know how much she wanted to tell Oz. “Um, I dunno, maybe something Jason did?” she blurted.
“Maybe. He’s cabling the Enforcer to the Triton so who knows. You should have flight control of the other ship in a few minutes, by the way.”
“All right, that should make the ship easier to stabilize. Thank you Oz.”
“Oh, don’t thank me, it’s all Jason, Frost and the whole gunnery crew. They’ve taken the whole bottom half of that ship. I’m busy clearing the interior compartments with everyone else.”
“Anything interesting?”
“Not really. I’ll tell you as soon as something comes up though. Talk to you soon.”
Ashley sighed with relief.
“Why didn’t you tell him, Ash?”
“Maybe I’m just getting used to sitting on this fence,” Ashley replied in a harsh whisper. “What was that code stuff all about anyway? You almost forced me to tell him everything.”
“I added you to the system at a higher security level than anyone in the ship. I can show you how to hide your access level, so no one knows anything’s changed.”
“Besides you. Does anyone even know this is possible?”
“As far as anyone knows, there's no way to get all that control and information at once, it comes in bits and pieces with the right security clearances. With that code you override security and your actions can't be recorded, it's how I get around without getting caught.”
Ashley thought for a moment, stroking Zoe's back. She was dozing off again, with her nose buried in her hair. There was no choice. Even with the extra access she couldn't see what was going on throughout half the ship, so there was a chance that a large group of soldiers could retaliate by taking medical. Besides, if Larry really wanted to get in, he would. She crossed the room and pressed the open button.
Larry was on the other side with a gurney laden with two large duffel bags. “Thanks Ashley, I knew you'd see reason.”
“I'll keep your secret, but you find a way to give the crew more control over this ship so you’re not the one holding all the cards.”
He regarded her with a stunned expression for a moment then asked; “That's your only condition?”
“Well, yeah. What were you expecting?”
“You know, I'm not sure. I've never trusted anyone with this before.”
“Really?”
“Yes, you're the first person I've trusted with my real identity.”
“Am I safe?”
“Well, I know you won't betray me if I don't do something that's outside of your moral boundaries. That's the kind of person you are, you quietly apply your standards and expectations to everyone you know and that determines how you behave around them.”
Ashley didn't know why, but she found his summary of her personality irritating. “That's no answer.”
“Ashley, I'll agree to find out what Citadel wants to do with Triton, if they’ll let this ship go to someone aboard if you'll keep my secret.”
“That’s not what I asked for.”
“It’s the best I can do. If I gave total control to a group of people and my superiors decided I was out of line, they’d just find a way to eliminate the whole complicated mess. So is that good enough for you?”
“I s’pose. If there’s no other way, yeah.”
“Good, congratulations, you're the safest person on the ship. As the only other person with a command code for the Triton I might actually need your help sometime.”
“I wish there was something I could do to prove I'd keep your secret though. I mean, the more sure you are, the more sure I am that you won't just get rid of me.”
Larry nodded as he finished wheeling the gurney into the conference room and pulled one of the bags down to the floor. He pulled it open to reveal a large supply of meal bars, boxed food, water, and a few other odds and ends. “After seeing how you were mum about Stephanie and the Captain-”
“You know about that?”
“Yes, the ship alerts me of any unusual goings on, and that registered pretty high.” He handed her a full drinking bottle.
“The ship watches us?”
“Passively, but yes, everything is recorded and categorized.”
“And I can see all that with the code you gave me?”
“Well, yes, but that's not what it's intended for. Master codes are made for the highest ranking officers and Citadel agents for emergencies like this. The only reason why I could assign one to you is because I'm so far from home and I have the highest rank in the sector.”
“So you're some kind of Admiral?”
“No, I'm a Citadel agent. We're the ones who watch the government and the military. Most people think we're an urban myth, even on Earth.”
“Who watches you?” Ashley said, looking at him with mock suspicion.
Larry regarded her witheringly, a look she'd earned from him before under much less serious circumstances. “None of that matters now. We're about to have visitors and I need you to behave as though I'm no more than your copilot.”
“What kind of visitors?”
“You know that band of slaves Agameg organized?”
“Yup.”
“They're on their way here. Someone decided that they should secure medical and use it as a refuge from the soldiers left between here and the aft sections.”
“There are still soldiers fighting back there?”
“Not many, but enough to give the slaves you guys liberated some trouble. I closed a few emergency doors so they wouldn’t run into each other on their way here.”
“That was awful nice of you.”
“They’re too burned out for another fire fight,” Larry said with a shrug.
“How far behind you are they?” Ashley asked as she accepted a small plush blanket.
“About half an hour, and they need somewhere to rest, it's been a while.”
Ashley wrapped the small blanket around Zoe, who was still fast asleep again. She nearly turned away when Larry reached over and pinched a corner of the fuzzy offering. It gently came to life, warming itself and curving around Zoe.
“It's a swaddling blanket. I don't know if she's too old for it, but I didn't put mine down until I was three.”
To Ashley's surprise, Zoe withdrew from her and curled up in the new bedding, which actively hugged her back. “Wow, these must be popular back home.”
“Pretty much everyone on Earth has owned one, sort of standard issue for babies and toddlers. I figured since she's a marsupial, it might be even better.”
Ashley gently laid Zoe down on the gurney and locked the forward wheels, watching how she nuzzled the fuzzy blanket and smiled sleepily. “Do they make them in adult size?”
Larry chuckled and nodded. “Most people don't admit to having an adult sized one, but yeah, a lot of people do.”
“So what do I tell Oz and Jason about where you've been?”
“Just tell them I was hunting for supplies. Most of this stuff is logged with the fabricator down the hall,” he replied as he pulled boxes of food from the first bag. “And you can taunt them with your Vietnamese food.”
“Oh, you didn't,” Ashley said as she opened one of the containers and smelled the steam.
“That's Banh bao, a kind of onion, egg and mushroom dumpling. I figured since you seem to enjoy all things oriental, including our Wing Commander, you might want to try something a little more authentic.”
“Did the ship tell you that too?”
“I can tell just by the way you look at him when we hang out.”
“That's going to be different. Hanging out, I mean,” Ashley said, intentionally changing the topic. She didn't want to think about Minh, or anyone whom she couldn't account for.
“I hope not.”
“Oh, I'll pretend like there's nothing new, but it'll still be different for me.”
Larry handed her a pair of chopsticks and shook his head. “I know, but I still hope I can count you as a friend. You're the first I've made since I got this assignment.”
Ashley glimpsed something she didn't expect then when she looked at Larry. Vulnerability. “I don't know what to say,” she offered lamely.
“Oh, don't worry, I don't fancy you, it's not like that.”
“Right, I picked up on that. You fancy Oz.” She grinned.
“How did you-”
“Signals on the bridge. Hope you weren't trying to hide those sparks, Steph picked up on it too.”
“Guess that's one secret that'll find its way around the ship.”
Ashley took a bite out of one of the warm dumplings and savoured the rich flavour. The materializer had duplicated the texture and flavour of the mushrooms and egg almost perfectly, and she was sure that what she was tasting was at least a close match to the real thing. An unwelcome, nagging thought occurred to her just then and she decided to ask Larry about it before her opportunity passed. She still waited until she finished chewing, however, eating was a slightly higher priority. “Thank you for this, it's really good.”
“You're welcome.”
“So why didn't you just use your codes to take control of the ship and make a bee line for Earth?”
She caught him with a dumpling half way to his mouth. “That was quick. I thought it would take you a little longer to get to the important questions.”
“No deflecting,” she admonished with a wave of her chopsticks.
“All right, I can't tell you much.” He struck his chopsticks into his dumpling box. “Earth doesn't want Triton back. She's old, was never fully activated and the mission she was equipped for is over. Technologically and philosophically Sol Defence has moved on.”
“Oh, okay. So why are you here?”
“I'm here to learn about life at this end of the galaxy.”
“That simple? There's gotta be more to it.”
“Now there is. Since this whole Order of Eden thing came up, and they started sending West Watcher agents out to interfere with people who could oppose them, I've been doing what I can to keep power out of their hands. Fundamentalist religion was responsible for the second fall of mankind, I'm not going to sit by and let a false religion interfere with this ship.”
“So you're kind of like a guardian now.”
“I never thought of it that way, maybe custodian is a better word though. I don't exactly help people make decisions. That's not my purpose here.”
“Right. Still, there's more to this.”
“Think what you like, that's the short version.”
“Someday we'll have to sit down so I can hear more. Like what's your real name?”
“Francis.”
“Larry's better.”
“I know, that's why I chose it.”
“How old are you, really?”
“Forty eight.”
“Geezer, you don't look a year over twenty two.”
“Earth and issyrian technology combined created a treatment like your fitness pills, only it slows the clock down a lot more. I'll probably look and feel this way for another thirty years.”
“You're going to have to let me in on that.”
He opened a small side pouch on the bag nearest to him and retrieved a small box of pills. “Here you go. I thought they'd come in handy if I needed extra leverage.”
Ashley flipped the metal box open and looked at the four blue gel capsules.
“You take one a week for a month and your body will find a whole new balance. No more fitness meds though, so you're going to have to be a little more active.”
“That's it, I take these and I look twenty one for so long people start checking for fangs?”
“Fangs?”
“Ever seen a vampire movie?”
“Oh, now I get it. I don't watch movies.”
“Too busy lurking,” Ashley teased before stuffing a dumpling into her mouth.
“So, are you going to take the first one?”
She stared at the pills as she chewed through the dumpling. If he wanted to poison or drug her, it would have been easier for him to do it by dosing her food, the thought of it made her feel sheepish. Ashley had dug in without hesitation. It would have been the easiest poisoning in history. She finished chewing and took the first of the pills. The little box was sealed and in her thigh pocket a moment later. “There, now you're completely on the hook.”
Larry laughed as he picked up his chopsticks. “What do you mean?”
“Now you're going to have to help keep me in shape.”
“Okay, I can deal with that. Are you a jogger or a swimmer?”
“Definitely a swimmer.”
“Well, looks like we'll be spending time in the Botanical Gallery.”
“Yup. Looks like the smell is waking someone up,” Ashley said, turning towards Zoe, who was groggily sitting up. “I wonder if she likes dumplings.”
Ever since she was young, Ashley knew secrets were a currency greater than cash. Keeping that currency required a further investment in the form of deception, and Ashley knew that she'd already started paying. As she watched Zoe chew on a dumpling, her eyes lighting up at the new culinary discovery, Ashley was keenly aware that Larry was turning his attention to other matters, his food, the status of the ship, hiding the extra information on the display and she took that as confirmation that she had managed to set him at ease.
He was underestimating her, and she'd convinced him that she actually believed everything he'd told her. She knew there was a lot he wasn't, and for once she was glad she was brought up amongst slaves. No one knew how to hide suspicion and secrets better. He didn’t even notice her drop the pill up her sleeve.