Read Online The Sentinel (The Sentinel Trilogy Book 1) by Michael Wallace - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Michael Wallace
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in, speak to her in person.
Soon, Li was off the lift and headed in the opposite direction from Swettenham. Li walked down the narrow corridors that led through the power plant and into the storage bays, where he had to thread his way through boxes stuffed with what was mostly munitions. Beneath his feet, shielded by several feet of concrete, were lead-lined boxes holding fissile material. Overhead, bombproofs. Knowing Apex weapons and tactics, they gave him little comfort should there ever be a battle.
Li felt eyes on him from the technicians, inspectors of munitions, and other workers here in the heart of the base. He rarely ventured this deep, finding it too tight, too claustrophobic. After so many years confined, he preferred the biggest spaces he could find, the least clutter, the fewest people. This was undoubtedly the reason they all stared as he passed. They wondered what he was doing down here. But he couldn’t help but worry that they were staring because the news had spread, that everybody—Opener, Sentry Faction, and Neutral—knew.
People had heard, people had talked. They wanted to know what he would do about it. And what would they say when they learned he’d actually translated the message and knew what it contained?
We’ll stay silent.
There it was. There was Li’s decision.
He would suppress the contents of the message if he could. If he couldn’t, he’d bring in his sister and Jeremy Megat to organize the Sentry Faction. But there would be no communication with HMS Blackbeard , whether the message was real or not. Even if real, the warship was severely damaged, by its own admission. It was far from friendly territory and had already proven itself incapable of fighting Apex. What could it possibly offer the Imperium?
What about what you can offer it? What about helping your fellow humans, your allies against the birds?
He pushed these thoughts out of his mind. Winning the war was what mattered. Inflicting maximum damage on Apex. Even if they were the last Singaporeans alive, they would fight to the end, never fall into the enemy’s hands. And they could only do that if they remained undetected.
Li was lost in thought as he continued into the habitation module. He reached his quarters, spoke to the door, and stepped inside when it opened at the sound of his voice. The lights were already on. Two people were inside, waiting for him.
Li stopped and gaped, so startled that someone had broken into his quarters that he didn’t even register at first who they were. The door slid shut behind him and sealed with a sigh.
“Hello, brother,” a woman said, lounging on his couch, arms outspread. Anna.
The other intruder was Jeremy Megat, who stood to one side with his arms crossed, scowling.
“How dare you?” Li said.
“My question to you, Jon. Exactly my question. This is treason, you know that.”
He pointed to the door. “Get out of here.”
“Explain yourself, first.”
“I don’t have to explain my actions to you or anyone else. I am the base commander, and my word is law. Go, damn you.”
“Except when you violate Directive One,” Anna said. “Then you have proven yourself unfit to lead and must be replaced.”
“Directive One does not say what you think it does. In fact, there is no such provision in the military code. That is something you and your faction have concocted.”
“It is an accurate interpretation of Imperium regulations, and we’re enforcing it.”
Li noticed for the first time that Megat was armed with a pistol in a holster. Where had that come from? And how the devil had these two got into his room? The door was coded to his palm print, and his palm print only.
Whatever the answer to those questions, or to how they’d learned he’d translated the message, it was obvious what this was. A mutiny. An overthrow of the military order of Sentinel 3.
Megat took a step toward him, and Li put up his hands. His anger gave way to prudence.
“Listen to
Soon, Li was off the lift and headed in the opposite direction from Swettenham. Li walked down the narrow corridors that led through the power plant and into the storage bays, where he had to thread his way through boxes stuffed with what was mostly munitions. Beneath his feet, shielded by several feet of concrete, were lead-lined boxes holding fissile material. Overhead, bombproofs. Knowing Apex weapons and tactics, they gave him little comfort should there ever be a battle.
Li felt eyes on him from the technicians, inspectors of munitions, and other workers here in the heart of the base. He rarely ventured this deep, finding it too tight, too claustrophobic. After so many years confined, he preferred the biggest spaces he could find, the least clutter, the fewest people. This was undoubtedly the reason they all stared as he passed. They wondered what he was doing down here. But he couldn’t help but worry that they were staring because the news had spread, that everybody—Opener, Sentry Faction, and Neutral—knew.
People had heard, people had talked. They wanted to know what he would do about it. And what would they say when they learned he’d actually translated the message and knew what it contained?
We’ll stay silent.
There it was. There was Li’s decision.
He would suppress the contents of the message if he could. If he couldn’t, he’d bring in his sister and Jeremy Megat to organize the Sentry Faction. But there would be no communication with HMS Blackbeard , whether the message was real or not. Even if real, the warship was severely damaged, by its own admission. It was far from friendly territory and had already proven itself incapable of fighting Apex. What could it possibly offer the Imperium?
What about what you can offer it? What about helping your fellow humans, your allies against the birds?
He pushed these thoughts out of his mind. Winning the war was what mattered. Inflicting maximum damage on Apex. Even if they were the last Singaporeans alive, they would fight to the end, never fall into the enemy’s hands. And they could only do that if they remained undetected.
Li was lost in thought as he continued into the habitation module. He reached his quarters, spoke to the door, and stepped inside when it opened at the sound of his voice. The lights were already on. Two people were inside, waiting for him.
Li stopped and gaped, so startled that someone had broken into his quarters that he didn’t even register at first who they were. The door slid shut behind him and sealed with a sigh.
“Hello, brother,” a woman said, lounging on his couch, arms outspread. Anna.
The other intruder was Jeremy Megat, who stood to one side with his arms crossed, scowling.
“How dare you?” Li said.
“My question to you, Jon. Exactly my question. This is treason, you know that.”
He pointed to the door. “Get out of here.”
“Explain yourself, first.”
“I don’t have to explain my actions to you or anyone else. I am the base commander, and my word is law. Go, damn you.”
“Except when you violate Directive One,” Anna said. “Then you have proven yourself unfit to lead and must be replaced.”
“Directive One does not say what you think it does. In fact, there is no such provision in the military code. That is something you and your faction have concocted.”
“It is an accurate interpretation of Imperium regulations, and we’re enforcing it.”
Li noticed for the first time that Megat was armed with a pistol in a holster. Where had that come from? And how the devil had these two got into his room? The door was coded to his palm print, and his palm print only.
Whatever the answer to those questions, or to how they’d learned he’d translated the message, it was obvious what this was. A mutiny. An overthrow of the military order of Sentinel 3.
Megat took a step toward him, and Li put up his hands. His anger gave way to prudence.
“Listen to
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