The Crucible- The Complete Series

by Odette C. Bell

  Still, I would take anything.

  The Chief Medical Officer had done a good job of synthesizing a drug that would give the appearance of the medication F’val used to suppress Alyssa. Should someone do an ordinary scan, it would appear that Alyssa was indeed incapable of using her telekinetic powers.

  If they did an in-depth scan, however, we would be rumbled. But such a scan, the Chief Medical Officer had assured me, could only be done in the medical bay.

  If everything went according to plan, we would never reach the medical bay.

  As soon as we exited the Miracle’s hangar bay, we would overcome whatever security was with us, and make our way to central engineering.

  There we would have to destroy the Miracle’s primary shield generator. Once it was destroyed, it would be too easy for the Ra’xon to take the Miracle down.

  “It's going to be okay,” someone said softly from my side.

  It was Williams. Her part in this plan was to stay on the Ra’xon and help in engineering. Apparently, she’d picked up quite a number of skills through the Farsight Program. She wasn't just the tactical expert I'd once thought she was.

  Reluctantly I shared her smile.

  “Don't say it,” she suddenly said.

  “… Sorry?” One eyebrow crumpled over my eye.

  “Don't say it,” she repeated in a soft tone.

  “Don't say what?”

  “That this won’t work. It will,” she said, voice reverberating with determination.

  I opened my mouth to contradict her, but stopped. That look in her eye – it wasn't just determination; it was fragility.

  Williams needed this to work. With every fiber of her being.

  So I nodded. I looked her right in the eye, and I nodded. “You have my word, Annabelle, I will do everything I can.”

  She smiled. It was uneasy, but it was there.

  So I smiled, too.

  Then an alarm blared through the hangar bay.

  I stiffened, snapped a salute, and turned.

  The shuttle selected for my mission was small but fast. It was also resistance issue, in so far as it was cobbled together and only just working.

  It would be believable that I’d stolen it from the resistance to deliver Alyssa to the Miracle.

  Pressing my hands into fists, I took a breath and jumped towards the ship, grabbing a hand on the open hatch door and pulling myself in. As soon as my boots slammed down on the polished white floor, the hatch door closed with a hiss.

  Alyssa was already aboard, technically behind some containment shields.

  I offered her a grin.

  She offered one back.

  In her hand she held a small disposable electro needle. After it was used, it would disintegrate, leaving no evidence it had ever existed.

  The Chief Medical Officer had manufactured a short release drug that would mimic the effects of intense fatigue – the same effects that accompanied the drug F'val had used on Alyssa.

  Alyssa, however, also had a small tablet lodged under her tongue, taped there with medi skin.

  It was virtually undetectable unless somebody stuck a probe right in her mouth. When the time was right, Alyssa could break the capsule against a tooth and the formula would release, cutting through the effects of her manufactured fatigue.

  Then… we’d take on the Miracle. Just the two of us.

  I tried not to think of that as I shook my head, grabbed a hand on the back of the flight seat, tugged it back, and sat in it roughly.

  With a sigh that echoed around the cockpit I started typing over the main console.

  Our small vessel started to lift off the floor.

  I locked my gaze on the primary hangar bay exit – a massive set of magnetic doors.

  They started to pull open. In front of them was a massive blue shield, one that stopped the vacuum of space from sucking every living soul out of the hangar bay.

  Though my heart hammered in my chest, my fingers didn’t tremble as they darted over the controls.

  I couldn’t afford any mistakes.

  “You ready?”

  “Let’s do this.”

  I laughed. Short, brief, and over in a flash.

  Yeah, it was time to do this.

  Chapter 10

  Alyssa Nightingale

  I had to be ready.

  I had to push the fear away. Had to push the doubt away.

  Had to be ready.

  “Do it, inject yourself,” Shepherd suddenly said.

  From where I was on the shuttle, I couldn't see the view through the main screen. Which was probably for the best. If I could see our little shuttle making its way towards the Miracle, I might lose my nerve.

  Instead I closed my eyes, fastening them shut tightly, and I brought the electro needle up. Biting my teeth hard into my lip, I jammed my thumb over the release button and shoved it into my chest.

  I felt the electro needle form right in the middle of my sternum, and I jolted backwards.

  A second later my hands released as true weariness passed through them. The electro needle clattered to the floor by my feet, and disappeared in a wisp of smoke.

  I staggered down to one knee then the next, before falling on my face.

  “You alright?” I heard Shepherd twist around in his seat to check on me.

  “… Okay,” I managed. It was pure hell forcing my lips to work.

  Though the symptoms ravaging my body reminded me of how F'val had trapped me, this was different.

  I had enough control to shift my hands, and even though I was fighting back the effects of fatigue, I knew I could still call on my telekinetic powers.

  Beyond that, I could crush the capsule hidden underneath my tongue and release the drug that would get me back to my feet.

  “We’re coming up on the Miracle,” he said in a sharp hiss of a breath.

  I couldn't reply.

  I just had to wait.

  “Okay, I'm going to make a call to the Miracle, they're asking for me to confirm my location,” he said.

  Again, I couldn't reply.

  Instead I lay there, face pressed up hard against the cold polished metal floor as I listened.

  Shepherd cleared his throat. There was a definite nervous edge to it, but I knew he could do this. “Lieutenant Commander Nathan Shepherd here,” he said, and as he spoke, there wasn’t a hint of nerves anywhere in his tone.

  If I could have smiled, I would have.

  “Confirm your location and estimated time of arrival,” an emotionless tone replied over the communication systems.

  “We are about to drop out of beyond-light-speed. We have entered the Mari Sector,” Shepherd said in clipped tones that mimicked the emotional coldness of the Miracle’s communicator.

  “Very well. We have received your location. Is your prisoner secure?”

  “Yes.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “She has been rendered semi-unconscious, and scans confirm that she cannot access her telekinetic implants. I will forward these on.”

  There was a pause.

  “We have received them. Once you enter the Miracle’s hangar bay, you will stop, open your hatch, and wait to be boarded.”

  “Understood.”

  “You will receive further instructions once you drop out of beyond-light-speed.”

  “Understood.”

  Despite the fact my body was locked with fatigue, I could still feel the fear lacing its way through my veins.

  This had to work.

  Still, if it didn't, it was comforting to know that the Ra’xon would be there as a backup plan. I trusted the Chief, and more than that, I trusted the Captain. I knew they wouldn't let me down.

  As for Shepherd… I was starting to realize I had a different kind of trust in him.

  Because he'd started this all – my reinvention. Without him, I'd still be on the run, still be nothing but a shadow flitting through the galaxy.

  “We're dropping out of light speed now,” Shepher
d said in a snapped tone that made it obvious he wasn't talking to me.

  I kept quiet. It was almost impossible to speak anyway. I didn't have the muscle control.

  “We have sent instructions. Follow them precisely.”

  “Understood.”

  Without the ability to see the view screen, I had to imagine what the ship was doing. I had to imagine the view as we dropped out of beyond-light-speed, right in front of the Miracle.

  The Miracle… it was a massive vessel, and though it had the Star Forces insignia painted across the side, it was a wholly unusual design.

  Whilst I'd been aboard, I'd heard rumors that it wasn’t ordinary Star Forces tech. That Professor Axis had crafted it himself, creating it from technology he'd dug up from ancient civilizations.

  Maybe it was true, maybe it wasn't. There was so much misinformation around that man, you couldn't sort through the lies to get at the horrible truth beneath.

  “You will keep this channel open while you dock,” that same clipped emotionless tone informed Shepherd.

  “Understood.”

  Understood. That's all he kept saying. Maybe he didn't trust himself to say anything else.

  We had to make it off our shuttle, into the hangar bay, and into the rest of the Miracle.

  I was familiar enough with her security to know how to make it to the engineering bay. After all, I'd escaped the goddamn ship before. And though I was sure Professor Axis would have put in new measures to ensure none of his other treasures could escape, I still knew the Miracle would have to have weaknesses.

  It was only a matter of finding them and exploiting them.

  “Stay on course. You have a small window to enter the Miracle’s hangar bay.”

  “I do, why?” Shepherd questioned.

  “We will not turn off our main shields. We have created a tunnel for your ship to enter through.”

  “… I see,” Shepherd said, tone revealing nothing.

  I could tell he was tense though.

  This was something unexpected.

  The Miracle could let a ship enter its hangar bay without turning off its primary shields? This could derail our entire mission.

  “No problem,” Shepherd suddenly announced, and I could tell he was talking to me. “My ship is on course, can you confirm?”

  “I confirm.”

  A few more seconds of silence passed. I swore tension hung heavy in the air like a cloud.

  I kept swallowing, because that was about the only move I could make.

  “Maintain your course,” that clipped voice announced.

  I started to prepare myself mentally. Going over what I would have to do, but more than that, controlling my emotions. Because I knew the second we landed inside the Miracle, the fear would come back. It would slam into me, climb up my spine, and eat into the back of my head.

  I wouldn't let it control me. Shepherd was relying on me, and so was the whole goddamn resistance. And even though I wasn't sure if I agreed with their cause completely, I trusted the people I'd met. The Chief, Williams, the Captain. And I would do it for them.

  “You have entered the shield tunnel. Make no diversions,” the voice suggested in a snap.

  “Understood.”

  I wished I could see him, wished I could watch him as he expertly maneuvered the shuttle into the Miracle’s hangar bay.

  I couldn't, so all I could do was imagine.

  “You have passed the critical stage. You will land your shuttle in the center of the hangar bay. Containment shields will be turned on once you have landed. You will cut your engines immediately.”

  “Understood,” Shepherd said, not a single note of emotion filtering through his tone.

  I swallowed.

  Then I felt it. The fear. It didn't slam into me like I’d expected it to – it was much more insidious than that. It started in my stomach, shifting further up my chest until it sank deep, deep into my heart.

  I let out the slightest sound.

  “On course,” Shepherd said immediately, loudly, obviously trying to mask my sound.

  “Land in the designated spot and cut your engines.”

  “Aye.”

  A second later I felt the slightest vibration travel through the floor of the ship.

  This was it.

  This was it.

  …

  Lieutenant Commander Nathan Shepherd

  Goddamnit. We were here.

  It was a surprise I was holding it together. I’d never been more nervous in my life. But something was reaching into me, calming the tremble in my hand, controlling my tone.

  Was it training? I doubted it. It wasn't the crushing pressure of responsibility either.

  It was… ah, I couldn't put my finger on it. It didn't matter anyway.

  We were here. And it was time to begin our mission.

  The shield tunnel had been a surprise. I had no idea technology like that existed. But I told myself firmly it wouldn't derail our plans.

  As long as Alyssa and I could make it to engineering, we could shut down the Miracle’s primary shields. We’d also be able to deactivate the communications network. Then the Ra’xon would be able to swoop in and disable the Miracle.

  Then… then the resistance would win its first major victory. An incredible victory. We wouldn't just gain access to the Miracle, but all of her technology.

  I tried not to let myself think about it, not to let it distract me.

  Instead I did as I’d been commanded and cut the shuttle's engines.

  I turned on my seat, locked an arm over the back of the chair, and tilted my head to the side until I could see Alyssa.

  I didn't say anything.

  I just looked at her.

  Warily, she made eye contact with me. Between her languid blinks, she still looked strong.

  Ready for the fight.

  “We have erected a containment field. You will remain in your vessel, motionless, until you are boarded.”

  “Understood,” I managed again as I turned around in my flight seat.

  My mouth was dry, but rather than swallow like a fish out of water, I curled one hand into a fist and thrust my fingers so hard into my palm I could have broken them.

  I glanced up at the shuttle's automatic sensors, and soon realized that the containment shield they’d erected around our ship was massive. Strong too. More technology I’d never seen.

  Fear snaked into my gut, as fast as a shot from a gun. But I pushed it away. With all my determination, I pushed it away.

  I was not going to lose this battle through fear.

  I was going to give it everything I had.

  “Open your hatch.”

  “Aye.”

  A second later, the ship's hatch opened.

  I heard reverberating footfall from further out into the hangar bay.

  I twisted around in my seat.

  “Remain exactly where you are, facing forward,” the voice informed me.

  Clenching my teeth together, feeling the tension shoot right down into my neck and chest, I did as I was told. “Aye.”

  I heard reverberating footfall come closer and closer, louder and louder.

  I wasn't one for horror, but there was something about this situation that belonged in the genre.

  Without the permission to turn, all I could do was listen as reverberating strong footsteps entered my ship.

  I heard someone pause behind me.

  At any point they could have leapt forward, grabbed an armored hand onto my head, and crushed it against the console.

  My fingers tingled, nerves shot down my legs, and my stomach churned.

  Did I make a move? No.

  I just sat there.

  I heard at least three people move around behind me.

  The view screen was in no part reflective, so I couldn't even catch a glimpse of who was behind me.

  I saw someone get down on one knee at one point.

  Maybe they were scanning Alyssa. Maybe they had scanning techno
logy that was just as advanced as their shield technology.

  Maybe in a second they would realize that Alyssa hadn't been drugged, and then they'd attack.

  They’d rip my goddamn head off.

  ….

  I waited to be attacked, but it didn't happen.

  Someone turned and walked beside me.

  I flicked my gaze towards them without shifting my head a muscle.

  “Lieutenant Commander, get to your feet,” they said.

  They were wearing the same heavy black armor I'd seen on the elite forces soldiers who’d attacked the resistance.

  Wordlessly I locked my hands on the console before me, subdued a shiver, and stood.

  I did not turn. I would only turn when I was told to.

  Maybe my complicit behavior was lulling them, because the guy waved me forward.

  I shifted on my foot, smoothing an impassive stare onto my face.

  Two black armored soldiers were down on their knees, scanning Alyssa through the containment shield.

  I barely glanced at them. Instead I followed the main soldier out of the ship.

  Again, I didn't say a word or move without being ordered.

  “You will be interrogated for information relating to the resistance,” the soldier beside me said.

  I hoped like hell the word interrogated had just slipped from his mouth and what he really meant was debriefed.

  But again, I made no move.

  “We are keen to know how you obtained this target,” he continued.

  I shifted my head slightly in a bare nod.

  “Follow that technician to the debriefing room.” The man stopped just at the edge of the massive containment shields that were holding my vessel in place and pointed.

  I tried not to let myself shiver in relief. Debriefing room. If the crew really were going to interrogate me, they’d probably take me to the medical bay instead. Or at least that's what I told myself.

  I paused before the shields as the armored man turned and walked away.

  “Just walk through them,” he said dismissively as he turned, “you’re bioscans have been logged with the main computer. The shields will let you pass.”

  This would have been a fantastic and easy way to kill me. With one sweet lie, I could walk forward and be obliterated by those powerful shields.

  Instead I took a stiff breath and made a decision.