by L. Fergus
“Who?” demanded Anthrax.
Kita raised an eyebrow. Funny you should be the one to demand whom. He was your old lover. “Frostbane died with the twins. Raptor and he were a couple. She deserves an apology as much as I do. I think she has the right to speak and face the person who took the most important person in the world from her.”
All eyes shifted to Raptor.
“It be true. I loved Frosty. Not a day be goen’ by that I don’t be missen’ him. But, that be the way of nature. We live, and we die. A wolf mother be mournen’ the loss of her cub for a moment, but she be moven’ on. I be cherishen’ my time with Frosty. I be haven’ no ill will against Sheppard. We all be predators and that day she be haven’ the bigger claws and faster teeth. She be doen’ what her instinct be tellen’ her, and there be nothen’ wrong with that. There be only one apex predator. The rest of us be sheep in the herd waiten’ our turn to be culled. It be what Kita wants that matters.”
“It’s not about what Kita wants,” said Tina. “You matter, too.”
“We be placen’ our lives in her hands when we were given’ wings. It be part of the deal. We be climen’ up the food chain, but we’ll never be the top. It be the deal we make. Kita be given’ me more than I could ever dream. She knew what I be wanten’ before I did.”
“Kita is not some prophet.”
“She is a god,” said Aspen.
Tina scoffed. “No, she’s not. We’re gods. Kita is an imposter. She’s not from Infinity—”
“When did this become about me?” said Kita. “Everyone here is my friend. I love you all. I don’t force anyone to do anything. I’ve made my decision. I knew there would be some hard feelings, but Rene’s not the first I’ve given a second chance to.”
“Who’s to say it should be your decision,” said Tina. “It should be the group’s choice.”
Kita folded her arms and tapped her foot. Talk about a betrayer.
“My mom is the leader,” said Kamikaze. “She always has been.”
“I doubt anyone here would disagree with that,” said Babydoll. “Nell?”
“I still say Sheppard should be punished and better watch her back. The moment she looks away, I’m going to be there to tear her apart. Kita will give me that much.”
“Just know I’ll be watching Rene’s back,” said Kita.
“Fair enough.”
“Anyone else think I’m not worthy of leading?” said Kita. Everyone stood silently. “Well, little sister, your coup has failed.”
“I wasn’t trying to take over. I was trying to give everyone an equal part,” pouted Tina.
“Everyone is equal, even me.”
“What makes Kita special is she’s the catalyst,” said Aspen.
“And momma bird,” said Toxic, the glow from under her hood brightening.
Kita chuckled. “I try to protect and provide for everyone the best I can.” She turned to Sheppard. “Rene, anything more you’d like to say?”
“I’m so sorry for what happened. I promise I will try and make it up to you. I don’t know how, but I’ll try. Just, please, give me a chance. I’m not the same person I was back on Base Station. You can ask Kita or Jess or…or Hali—”
“Or me,” said Defiance. “If you have a problem with Rene, personal or professional, bring it to me, and I will make sure it gets straightened out. That goes for you too, snagglepuss. Mess with one of my officers, and you’ll mess with me.”
“And you know who’s backing her up,” said Valor.
“I’ll take you all on,” said Anthrax.
“We’ll leave that for another day,” said Kita. “Is everyone satisfied? Any more apologies need to be made? Because after this, this is the last I want to hear about what happened.”
“What she going to be doing for us?” said Toxic.
“Same as she did before, lead the military forces. We should let her get back to it. I want some ships turned into scrap.”
“What should the rest of us do?” said Babydoll.
“You can hang around the bridge if you want to or Jess can show you to the officer’s lounge. I’ll call you if I need you.”
Babydoll, Valentine, and Panther stayed with Kita as she toured the bridge. They made the rounds, stopping at each section. Kita would talk with the sailors to find out how ready their section was and if they needed anything. This is a much better way of getting information about Enterprise than looking at a display.
“How are things in navigation?” Kita asked a group clustered around a workstation. A lieutenant stood.
“Uhm, well, I’m not sure, ma’am.”
“Is there a problem?”
“We don’t know. The FTL computer is acting funny.”
Kita’s blood went cold. They needed that computer to make their getaway. She was sure there were more Tet ships in this sector than the five in this training exercise. She planned to hit them and then make a run for it. Enterprise wouldn’t last long against a determined attack.
“And how is it acting funny?”
“We enter the destination coordinates and run the iterations. The computer spits out its flight plan, and that checks out fine, but when we look at the actual numbers coming out of the computer, it takes us nowhere.”
“So someone has told the computer to display the right flight path, but when you look at the generated coordinate list it doesn’t match?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Lucky for you I happen to have the best diagnostic computer with me.”
“I know nothing about FTL,” said Valentine. “That was after my time.”
“Then we’ll figure it out together. Come on, let’s get jacked in and see what’s wrong.”
Both Angels placed a finger over a universal communications port and ran a test plot.
They checked the results and found what the lieutenant had described.
“Could they have altered the code?” said Valentine.
“That would take a specific level of knowledge of the Enterprise’s systems that the Verisom and Diamocks have yet to demonstrate they possess,” said Kita.
“I don’t see what else it could be.”
“Maybe it’s a loose wire,” said Babydoll.
Kita exchanged looks with Valentine and shrugged. “It couldn’t hurt to check. Lieutenant, open her up and see if there’s anything amiss.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The lieutenant set her crew about opening all the service panels and checking connections.
“I found one, ma’am,” a sailor called from under the main workstation. “A wire has been pulled out of its connector.”
“Can you fix it?” said Kita.
“Yes, ma’am. Give me a minute.” The sailor, with his tongue out, reached into the machine. “Ok. Got it, ma’am.”
“Let’s see if that’s our culprit,” said Kita.
She and Valentine ran another FTL test plot.
“That seems to have fixed it,” said Valentine.
“I agree,” said Kita. “Run a few more test plots, Lieutenant, and make sure. Then let me know.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Kita led her group toward the next section.
“Do you think that was on purpose or just a fluke fault?” said Panther.
“I didn’t see the wire, but I can’t see it falling out of place. Maybe one of the Tet crewmembers did it when we first boarded. I’m glad they caught it. It would be embarrassing to try and jump and not go anywhere.”
“It could have been deadly,” said Babydoll. “We should alert the other sections and have them check for sabotage.”
“Agreed. Denver, can you put out a message to all sections and stations throughout the ship to check for sabotage.”
“Going out now.”
Anderson approached. “Captain Kita, Admiral Sheppard has a situation that needs your attention.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. We’ve received another communication from the other ships demanding to speak to a
n Admiral Refer. We have no idea what to tell them.”
Uh-oh. I was hoping we’d have more time. Refer sounds like a Diamock name. Hmmm. Kita called Valor over the comm. “Jess, where’s Zentix?”
“She’s with Snowy and the other cat. They’re in the medical ward.”
“Find her and get her sent up to the bridge.” Kita smiled at Anderson. “I think I can bluff us some more time. What’s the status of the ship? How close are we to being able to launch fighters?”
“The maintenance crews are checking out the fighters as fast as they can. Currently, seventy-five percent of available aircraft have been checked.”
Kita did the math in her head. That was 187 aircraft out of 250.
“Let me talk to Sheppard.”
Kita led her group over to the holotable where Sheppard was planning the attack and escape.
“How close are you to being ready?” Kita asked Sheppard.
“I’m waiting for as many aircraft to come online as possible. The more we have, the better off we’ll be.”
“We found and fixed a problem with the FTL computer.”
“I didn’t know it was down. It’s not in the maintenance report.”
“Well, they were debating if they had a problem or not,” said Kita.
“What are we going to do about their demands to speak to an Admiral Refer?”
“I’ve got a plan. How much time do you need to get the minimum amount of fighters you need airborne?”
“If I send the warning order now…ten minutes,” said Sheppard.
“Do it. I think we’ll be better off if we go with the element of surprise than wait for a larger force.”
The elevator door opened and Zentix entered the bridge.
“Zen!” Kita called waving a hand. Kita frowned. From Zentix’s quills, Kita could tell she was unhappy. Using her cloud, Kita felt apprehension, unhappiness, and confusion coming from her friend.
“Reporting as ordered, Captain,” said Zentix with a stiff salute.
“I told you, you don’t have to do that with me…especially now when I’m no longer captain of a Diamock ship. Is there something the matter?”
Zentix remained at stiff attention but looked around at the other Angels.
“If it’s something you want to discuss in private, we can.”
“No, Captain. But…You broke your agreement, twice, with Collector. Our mission was to retake Enterprise with as little causality as possible. And you attacked Snowy and Sahara. My faith in you is broken.”
Kita bit her lip. How to explain this? “For starters, Sahara attacked me, and Kerri intervened. Snowy attacked me over Kerri’s actions. Snowy won’t be out long, a few days. Denver, what’s Sahara’s status?”
“In surgery. Nell is helping. Sahara’s prognosis is excellent. Time to recover is unknown.”
Kita nodded. “I know what Collector said, but I don’t agree with him. We have no place to put hundreds of prisoners. I need the crew to fly the ship, not be guards. What Collector wanted wasn’t possible.
“Those killed at the mansion were killed because they were participating in slavery—a practice I despise. Takkat put Casey and Jess up for auction. I wasn’t going to let that go unpunished.
“Collector is trying to have everything. He wants the governments of the Tet happy, he wants his little war, and he wants me. I’m not happy with the governments of the Tet for locking me away. I’m not going to play nice with them. I’m going to punish them for what they’ve done.”
Zentix’s quills rippled. “But you broke the rules.”
“What I gave them should have more than made up for it, but petty minds run the Tet, and they refused to let it go. They’d rather throw me in prison for some slight than let me run free where I could protect them. They made their choice and forced my hand. They’re lucky all I want is to be free of Tet space, or I’d bring more destruction.”
“This mission is so you can prove your loyalty to the Tet and regain your status.”
Kita shook her head. “I’m loyal to myself, my family, my friends, and those who serve me. That’s it. I will be loyal to others if they are loyal to me. The Tet was not loyal to me after all I did for them. I know you have loyalties to Diamo and Diamock Command. I understand if you don’t want to stay.”
Zentix’s quills stood on end. “You’re sending me away? You don’t think I’m loyal to you?”
“I know you’ve been hanging around with Sahara and Snowy. I thought you were loyal to Collector like they are.”
“I spend time with them because they're all I’ve had for several months, and I know them. I haven’t been introduced to your new arrivals. Collector is a hoof banger—” Kita cringed at the slang term for the lowest of the low of a Diamock unit, those in the discipline company “—he has no honor. He is not a warrior but pretends to be one. I only went with Snowy because I had no place to go. The goal was to escape until Snowy met Sahara. Then suddenly she wanted to be Collector’s friend and offered you to him.”
“Who is Sahara?” said Kita curiously.
Zentix’s snapped her muzzle. “Besides Snowy’s pseudo-girlfriend? Sahara is Collector’s daughter.”
“Oh, damn,” said Babydoll with a laugh. “No wonder that girl is screwed up.”
“What do you mean pseudo-girlfriend?” said Valentine.
“Snowy wishes them to be together, like Kita and Cotton—my respects to you, Kita, for Cotton. She was a brave warrior—Snowy has not explained it to Sahara fully. They only hold hands and groom each other. I don’t think Sahara would understand the desire of another female wishing to mate with her. It is beyond her comprehension.”
“Poor Snowy,” said Kita shaking her head.
“Her mistake,” said Zentix. “Collector doesn’t know either.”
“I see trouble brewing,” said Panther.
“We’ll protect Snowy if we have to, even if it’s from herself,” said Kita. “Zen, you’ve got the same rights as any Angel. What I’ve given you is yours to keep. I’ll take you anywhere you want to go and give you what I can.”
Zentix quills stood up. “You think I’m not loyal to you? I gave up my ship and crew to follow you.”
“I know you did, but I don’t want to force you into anything.”
“It was my choice. I want to fight with you. Have I not proven myself?”
“Yes, on multiple occasions. I do owe you more than I can give. I hope this makes up for some of it.” Kita touched Zentix on the nose. “Boop.”
The other Angels giggled. Zentix cried out and fell to her hands and knees.
The armor plates on her back opened and two bones grew upward forming joints. Buds formed on the leathery skin and opened. Gray, orange, and brown feathers grew reaching for the ceiling.
“Rise, Blitz,” Kita said with a smile.
Panther and Babydoll each took an arm and helped the new Angel to her hooves.
“What happened?” said Blitz.
“You’re one of us now,” said Valentine.
Babydoll pulled one of Blitz’s wings around so she could see.
“I…Wings? You…I’m not worthy.”
“I decide that,” said Kita. “You’re loyal, dedicated, and an excellent soldier.”
“Now you’ll be a legendary soldier,” said Babydoll.
“Blitz—is that my name?”
“Your angelic name,” said Kita. “It’s what non-Angels will call you. The Angels will continue to call you Zen unless you say otherwise.”
“Blitz…does it have a meaning?”
“Short for blitzkrieg. It means lightning war. It’s a military strategy where you use fast maneuver forces to push through your enemy’s front line into their rear area to cause as much disruption as possible. I thought it appropriate for you.”
“What’s grown on my arm plates?”
Kita grinned. “Maser cannons. You can also outrun a lightning bolt and as you run you generate energy that you can release in an explosion.”
/> Babydoll let out a low whistle. “You’re going to be a juggernaut on the battlefield.”
“How?” said Blitz, her quills signaling that she didn’t understand.
“Don’t worry. We’ll get you trained up,” said Kita.
“Kita, communications reports there is a Commander Defix on the line, calling for Admiral Refer,” said Valentine.
Kita smiled at Blitz. “Zen, you mind doing me a favor and talking to them?”
“Refer is a male.”
“I have voice imprints of his earlier communications,” said Valentine. “I can create a filter that will change your voice to his.”
“Of course I will. What do you want me to tell them?”
“Find out what they want. Then tell them we’ve updated the code to the launchers and we need to launch all aircraft to make sure it works properly. Hopefully, that’ll let us launch unmolested, and we can launch our attack and catch them by surprise.”
Kita led the group to the center of the holotable.
“I’ll be running old footage of the admiral so they won’t see you,” said Valentine to Blitz.
“Ok.”
“Just face the screen, and I’ll do the rest.”
A Diamock face appeared on the holotable. His muzzle was clenched, and his quills covering his face and head stood erect in a display of respect.
“What is it, Commander?” said Blitz in a tone that said the other Diamock was bothering her.
“Admiral, I was calling with an update on the freighter.”
Blitz looked at Kita confused.
“It’s the freighter we came in on. We told them it was full of protestors,” Kita said over the comm.
“How are you talking to me in my head?”
“All Angels get an internal communicator that lets them talk to any other Angel in their head. Just think of the Angel, and you’ll be connected to them.”
Blitz turned her attention back to the screen. “Has it been dealt with?”
“Shuttles are on route now, sir.”
“Then why are you bothering me? We’re in the middle of an important software update for the launchers. Pass the word that we will need to launch all fighters to test the software.”