Page 27 of House Divided
Chapter Five
Madeline and Enoch stood on the tarmac of the landing pad, watching the cutter maneuver its brake thrusters as it descended its final hundred meters. They had taken the time to dress, but there had been no time to shower, and Madeline was uncomfortably aware that her hair was a mess and that she probably smelled like sex.
She didn’t care, though—well, not much. Her brother was on board the cutter, and both he and Aria were safe and sound. Those facts by themselves were as good as they had a right to hope for.
The cutter doors opened with a pneumatic hiss, and Jack Marx strode down the landing ramp, Aria Gryffin closely in tow. Jack’s strong features showed happiness and relief.
“Madeline!” he cried, taking her in a huge hug before putting her down gently. “By the rings of Saturn, I didn’t mean to hurt you! Are you all right? How are you feeling? Did the doctors give a recovery plan?”
“They told her to stay away from overbearing brothers,” observed Felipesegundo, stepping into view.
“My dear friend,” cried Jack warmly, going to one knee to embrace the small alien. “My favorite Treb in the entire galaxy.”
“How many Trebs do you know?” asked Felipesegundo, but he was laughing. “And where are Quinn and Giles? This one longs to see them again also.”
“Quinn is currently running theMaracaibo,” replied Jack, “and as for Giles, well, that is more complicated and will need a longer explanation.”
Aria had been standing uncertainly in the background, but once Jack had straightened up, she stepped forward to take Felipesegundo in a powerful hug. She kissed the top of his furry head then looked him in the eyes.
“It makes me so happy to see you again, dear friend,” Aria said warmly. The orange-furred Treb blushed, turning a shade similar to the inside of a grapefruit.
“As always, you honor this one, milady,” he replied shyly, smiling.
Aria straightened up, and looked at the towering man who had not moved the entire time.
“Father,” she said, hesitation in her voice.
Enoch inclined his head. “Daughter,” he replied. “I cannot tell you how glad I am that you are safe.” He turned to regard Jack. “And I must thank you for keeping her safe.”
“In fairness, she steered our course as much as I did,” observed Jack, pushing his hair back from his forehead, “but you’re welcome.”
Madeline moved to take control while things were still civil. “There is much for all of us to talk about,” she said, “and, I fear, little time for delay. Felipsegundo has offered us the use of a conference room and promised to provide us all with food. But first, does anyone have any news of Marc?”
Jack and Aria glanced at each other, before Jack sighed and admitted, “Not a word, I’m afraid.”
***
Enoch took a seat in the conference room and quietly signaled to Madeline to take a seat next to him. She did so, and he watched the others as they filed in: his daughter, who was treating him as if he belonged to an alien species; the pirate, who seemed ready to fight over Aria on any provocation; and the Treb leader, who seemed to be the only one in the room who was universally well regarded.
“So,” said Felipesegundo calmly, padding around the conference table to climb into a seat, “a lot of things have happened in a little less than a week, and while everybody knows something about it, nobody knows everything about it. If you all will permit it, this one will endeavor to piece things together and ask all of you to help. Is everyone amenable to this?”
Everyone nodded. Jack seemed to look at his former crewman with a mixture of bemusement and admiration.
“First event,” began Felipesegundo. “TheJericho, a cruiser under the command of the Lord Peregrinus, arrives suddenly in the Tarma system. The ship belonging to Jack Marx, theMaracaibo, disappears. Jack, can you tell us what happened?”
Jack leaned forward, his elbows on the smooth wooden table. “At the time, I was planetside and had no idea,” he explained. “Later, I found out that Quinn was watching warp disturbances very carefully, and that as soon as it was clear that a big ship was arriving at Tarma, she slipped behind a large asteroid and out of any detection range.”
“An impressive maneuver,” observed Enoch, lifting his eyebrows.
“Pirates,” replied Jack agreeably.
Felipesegundo covered his mouth with his hand then continued. “The Lord Peregrinus broadcasts his demands to Madeline Marx. While this is happening, the Tarma Planetary Defense Forces send interceptors to demand the surrender of theJericho. Instead, theJerichoopens fire and destroys the interceptors completely.”
“A dramatic response,” observed Jack.
“Rebels,” returned Enoch.
“Ahem. Gentlemen,” said Felipesegundo. “Thank you. This is where events become confusing. Here is what we know so far. The headquarters of the Pleasure House is attacked, in multiple locations, by air strikes and artillery. The aggressors are the Planetary Defense Force, and they demand the immediate surrender and arrest of Madeline Marx as a traitor.”
