Read Online Codename: Night Witch by Cary Caffrey - Free Book Online
Authors: Cary Caffrey
Tags: Fiction, Science-Fiction
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the orderly had told her. She hadn't believed him. She'd written it off as some desperate attempt to throw her off. "Then-then it's true."
"What's true?" Jaffer said absently.
"The Council for Trade and Finance. They're really dead?"
"All twelve of them. Murdered. I'm surprised they never told you. It was all anyone could talk about."
"One of the guards said something about it," Sigrid said. It was a half-lie. Sort of. "I-I didn't believe him!"
"Well, you can believe it. They be dead. Sent the whole Federation into a frenzy. They were so worried the war was going to spread, they shut down the Warp Relay. That was five years ago. We've been stuck here ever since. Like I said, nobody gets off-world."
Gaping, Sigrid slumped back. "How? How is any of this even possible? How could they let this happen?"
"Depends who you ask. Some say it was the Independents. Others think it's the pharmaceutical cartels, but if you ask me, I say it was the witch."
Not sure if she'd heard him correctly, she turned slowly toward him. If he was joking, he certainly wasn't giving anything away.
"A witch?" she said. "You're actually trying to tell me a witch killed the Council for Trade and Finance? The twelve most powerful and protected people in the Federation of Incorporated Enterprises?"
"I didn't say a witch, sweetheart. I said the witch. The Night Witch."
Despite the fact that he was piloting the charging transport at such great speeds down the narrow freeway, it was Jaffer who turned to Sigrid and gave her a long look, and to her surprise he was the one looking at her like she was crazy!
"Look, kid, I know you were indentured, but you weren't dead, for crying out loud! How the hell can you not know about the witch?"
Folding her arms, Sigrid returned his dubious glare. "There are no such things as witches, Jaffer. I might have been indentured, but I'm not delirious."
Jaffer rolled his eyes. "She's not a real witch. Oh, for crying… It's just a name. That's what they call her!"
"They?" Sigrid shook her head and sighed. "I think you're spending too much time watching the viddy-feeds."
"Look, I'm not making this up. Somebody murdered the Council. And whoever it was, they didn't stop there. They wiped out the enclaves on Vega IV. And rumor has it Cor Caroli was just hit—"
"Wait. Now I know you're off. Cor Caroli is an Independent colony."
"Was," Jaffer said soberly. "It was a colony. Until the CTF invaded. Wiped everything out. To a man, woman and child. Extermination team. Real nasty people."
"I still don't under—"
"They're gone!" Jaffer said. "The entire battalion. Fourteen hundred soldiers. Five companies of men and women. Gone! Looks like the Independents got their revenge."
"And you think it's this night bitch?"
"Night Witch , " Jaffer said with a grin. "Now who's having a laugh?"
"Sorry. I couldn't help myself."
"Still, true or not, you have to admit, it makes for a good story."
"Or propaganda, more likely."
"Whatever you call it, that's what turned the tide. That's when things changed. That's when the indentured workers started fighting back. They'd never do it on their own—the CTF knew it. But they'll follow her. They'll follow the Night Witch."
"Like I said," Sigrid said with a long sigh. "It's propaganda."
"Maybe. But it worked."
Sigrid opened her mouth, but before she could speak, they both heard the loud rumbling. It grew in volume, rising into a screaming crescendo as two Thunderhawks shot by directly overhead. They came in low. Low enough for Sigrid to see the twin chevrons of CY-M—Cheung-Yoshida Multi-Planetary—splashed across their bottoms.
The gunships streaked ahead, less than a dozen meters off the road. Searchlights swept across the tarmac and flashed over the rig's windscreen. The lights nearly blinded Jaffer, who held up a hand to shield his eyes.
Sigrid held her breath, waiting. She half-expected to see the gunships swing about, and she waited for the bark of ordnance and explosive
"What's true?" Jaffer said absently.
"The Council for Trade and Finance. They're really dead?"
"All twelve of them. Murdered. I'm surprised they never told you. It was all anyone could talk about."
"One of the guards said something about it," Sigrid said. It was a half-lie. Sort of. "I-I didn't believe him!"
"Well, you can believe it. They be dead. Sent the whole Federation into a frenzy. They were so worried the war was going to spread, they shut down the Warp Relay. That was five years ago. We've been stuck here ever since. Like I said, nobody gets off-world."
Gaping, Sigrid slumped back. "How? How is any of this even possible? How could they let this happen?"
"Depends who you ask. Some say it was the Independents. Others think it's the pharmaceutical cartels, but if you ask me, I say it was the witch."
Not sure if she'd heard him correctly, she turned slowly toward him. If he was joking, he certainly wasn't giving anything away.
"A witch?" she said. "You're actually trying to tell me a witch killed the Council for Trade and Finance? The twelve most powerful and protected people in the Federation of Incorporated Enterprises?"
"I didn't say a witch, sweetheart. I said the witch. The Night Witch."
Despite the fact that he was piloting the charging transport at such great speeds down the narrow freeway, it was Jaffer who turned to Sigrid and gave her a long look, and to her surprise he was the one looking at her like she was crazy!
"Look, kid, I know you were indentured, but you weren't dead, for crying out loud! How the hell can you not know about the witch?"
Folding her arms, Sigrid returned his dubious glare. "There are no such things as witches, Jaffer. I might have been indentured, but I'm not delirious."
Jaffer rolled his eyes. "She's not a real witch. Oh, for crying… It's just a name. That's what they call her!"
"They?" Sigrid shook her head and sighed. "I think you're spending too much time watching the viddy-feeds."
"Look, I'm not making this up. Somebody murdered the Council. And whoever it was, they didn't stop there. They wiped out the enclaves on Vega IV. And rumor has it Cor Caroli was just hit—"
"Wait. Now I know you're off. Cor Caroli is an Independent colony."
"Was," Jaffer said soberly. "It was a colony. Until the CTF invaded. Wiped everything out. To a man, woman and child. Extermination team. Real nasty people."
"I still don't under—"
"They're gone!" Jaffer said. "The entire battalion. Fourteen hundred soldiers. Five companies of men and women. Gone! Looks like the Independents got their revenge."
"And you think it's this night bitch?"
"Night Witch , " Jaffer said with a grin. "Now who's having a laugh?"
"Sorry. I couldn't help myself."
"Still, true or not, you have to admit, it makes for a good story."
"Or propaganda, more likely."
"Whatever you call it, that's what turned the tide. That's when things changed. That's when the indentured workers started fighting back. They'd never do it on their own—the CTF knew it. But they'll follow her. They'll follow the Night Witch."
"Like I said," Sigrid said with a long sigh. "It's propaganda."
"Maybe. But it worked."
Sigrid opened her mouth, but before she could speak, they both heard the loud rumbling. It grew in volume, rising into a screaming crescendo as two Thunderhawks shot by directly overhead. They came in low. Low enough for Sigrid to see the twin chevrons of CY-M—Cheung-Yoshida Multi-Planetary—splashed across their bottoms.
The gunships streaked ahead, less than a dozen meters off the road. Searchlights swept across the tarmac and flashed over the rig's windscreen. The lights nearly blinded Jaffer, who held up a hand to shield his eyes.
Sigrid held her breath, waiting. She half-expected to see the gunships swing about, and she waited for the bark of ordnance and explosive
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