by Jade Waltz
Erlyn shot him a tired smile. “We have to end this war first.”
“And you are going to help me.”
Jaiya hurried along the corridor. Her brother’s ID burned in her pocket as she made her way to Zaera’s cabin.
Zaera needed to be warned about her unannounced vacancy. She would rather do it in person, hoping to defuse any confusion or anger before she left. Time was quickly running out, and she still needed to cut her hair to match Aydin’s.
Jaiya rapidly tapped the call button as soon as she came upon her destination, hoping her Rear Wing Captain would wake up and answer her page. Out of everyone in her wing, Zaera was the best member to confide in. Jaiya hoped she would be able to lead the wing while she was away, rather than having a stranger take over. She didn’t need some rising pilot fresh out of the academy to try and steal the position she had worked so hard to attain. It wasn’t her fault she was born without something dangling between her legs, into a family name that was faulted for starting the war.
The door slid open, revealing an annoyed woman wrapped up in an elegant crimson and gold robe.
“What in Stars are you doing here, Cap?”
“I need to talk to you.” She glanced down the hall, making sure it was clear. “Alone. I hope I am not interrupting anything.”
The brown-eyed bronze-skinned woman studied her as she pulled her robe closer. Flicking her curly onyx hair behind her shoulder, Zaera stepped to the side.
“Come on in. I am sure you have a story to go with this late visit.”
Jaiya stepped across the threshold, taking in her living space in its dimmed light. Everything was spotless and organized, like something out of an electric shopping catalog. All of the black, red, and green items were decorated lavishly in gold as if Zaera was some princess in her own palace.
“Thank you for letting me in unannounced.” Jaiya turned toward her Rear Wing Captain, trying not to make this conversation anymore awkward than it needed to be. “I won’t take much of your time, but I need to ask you a favor.”
“Spill it.” Zaera fell back on her lounge chair and crossed her legs. “It’s not every day I see you out of uniform.”
“You are right. I know I haven’t been the best when it comes to—”
“I get it. We all do,” Zaera huffed. “Broken family. Tarnished name. We understand why you would focus all of your energy into studying the Daextru.” She shrugged. “Some thought you had some vendetta against them—until you let that blue-scaled devil go.”
“A vendetta?” Jaiya asked, confused. She had never thought about placing the blame on them. Who knew what had been said or done during those peace talks? It was her father’s blind rage when he ordered his fleet to attack full force, which had set the war in motion.
She was too young to remember her mother, especially because she had rarely been around to take care of her, and her father hadn’t been much better until he lost his rank. If anything, she put the blame on her father for the predicament they were in; unlike Aydin, who blamed the Daextru.
“Yeah. Without them, your mother would still be alive, along with everyone else who died over this worthless war.” Bouncing her foot, Zaera eyed Jaiya as she played with her robe’s fringes. “I take it that venting about our higher-ups or discussing the finer things in life, like men and exotic foods, isn’t the reason why you are here.”
“No, but if I ever need to have a girl-chat about any of that, I will make sure to ask you first.” Jaiya shot her a quick smirk. “In all seriousness, I need to warn you about something, and ask you for a favor, Captain to Right Wing Captain.”
Zaera stilled her bouncing foot and sat up, fully aware of the serious edge the conversation had taken on.
“What is it, Cap?” Her voice lost its playfulness, turning focused. “You can tell me.”
“The Rear Admiral called me into his office this afternoon to discuss a top-secret mission. I can’t go over the details, but you should know that I will be away for some time. I am hoping they will allow you to fill my spot until I return, but I am not sure of their intentions.”
“You are hoping I will take care of the wing for you?” Her eyes narrowed. “You don’t think you are coming back, do you?”
Jaiya sighed. “There is no use lying to you. It’s a possibility.”
In an instant, Zaera jumped to her feet and crossed the room. Jaiya took a step back in shock from the sudden burst of action, only for Zaera to grab her hands, preventing her from retreating any farther.
“What are you not telling me?” Zaera demanded, shaking Jaiya’s hands, throwing protocol to the wind.
Jaiya took in a deep breath and exhaled, preparing herself for what was to come. She’d expected Zaera to demand answers, but not this intensely. Just like her, Zaera was also trying to make a name for herself. Out of all the wings in the fleet, theirs had the most females—five out of the twelve members.
“I am protecting the wing by going on my mission alone,” Jaiya revealed, locking her gaze with Zaera’s brown eyes. “We can’t afford to send anyone along with me when there is a war to be won. It would be foolish to risk our wing when there are more important tasks for you to do.”
“Who asked you to play the martyr?” Zaera demanded. “I sure in the Sun’s blazes didn’t, and I know our wing—your wing—didn’t either. What is going to happen when they find out? Or if you don’t return? We were supposed to be a team—a family. We all knew you had some hang-ups and kept your distance, but you are still a fair leader, and we trust you.” Zaera gripped Jaiya’s shoulders and shook her. “This isn’t how I wanted to earn my own wing. I don’t want this responsibility!”
“If it’s offered to you, then you will take it,” Jaiya hissed. “I am not going to let someone swoop in and take over what we have built. If something happens to me, you need to accept your turn to move up in the ranks without regret. Can you do this for me?”
“Why me?”
Jaiya shrugged and tilted her head. “Who else? You are my Rear Wing Captain for a reason. I trust you to take care of those under my command and to cover my back when things get heavy. If I can’t rely on you, then we’re both not doing our jobs.”
“You are right.” Zaera released her and stepped back. “What do you want me to tell the others? You know they are going to want to know.”
“Tell them that I was sent to end this war. Tell them I will fight until my last breath.”
Zaera pulled Jaiya into a hug, wrapping her arms tightly around her. “Give’em hell, Cap.”
Her conversation with Zaera took longer than expected. Jaiya hadn’t anticipated that Zaera would be so reluctant to take on the wing responsibilities. Instead of accepting what she had to say, her Wing Rear Captain had voiced her concerns, asking questions that Jaiya didn’t think she would ask.
A sense of heaviness lifted as soon as she left Zaera’s cabin. Now that she had told her that she would be gone for a while and to take care of the wing, she could breathe easier. While Zaera didn’t question the details of the secret mission, Jaiya wouldn’t put it past her to figure it out before she returned.
Jaiya refused to believe that the Daextru would kill her. Most of their attacks had been defensive, just like a swarm attacking an enemy harming its hive. Their recent tactic of only disabling ships in battle made her believe that they weren’t just cold murderers; they really wanted peace.
She hoped Aydin would be smart enough to listen to her and stay hidden, even if it meant sneaking away to their father’s lake cabin. She didn’t know what the higher-ups were thinking, assigning him on this mission. It was cowardly to send a junior diplomat on their first mission alone to end a twenty-five-year-long war, especially with his family’s role in the history.
It was a quarter past midnight, and there were only a few more hours before she had to report for her mission, if she were to actually escort her brother. If she wanted to leave the base without a hitch, she needed to leave during the next shift change at tw
o in the morning.
Jaiya glanced at all of the travel cases on the hovercart near her cabin’s entrance, ready to go. Both her and Aydin’s IDs and mission holodisks were waiting on her table, next to the cape her brother usually wore when he traveled.
The only thing left to do was to cut her hair in his style.
Jaiya stared at her reflection in her lavatory mirror. Her long black hair almost touched her butt, as straight as hair could be. No matter what she did with it, the curls would always be gone within a few hours. In order to add character to her hair, she always buzzed her sides. Whenever she pulled her hair back into a tight bun while on duty, they would pop.
Gathering all of her hair, she tied it into a tight, high ponytail and grabbed her beamblade from her leg sheath. The star design etched into her buzzed sides was highlighted by the lavatory’s lighting. Taking a deep breath, she held her ponytail tight and lifted her beamblade to the band.
“My hair can regrow, but people can’t come back from the dead.”
In one swift movement, she sliced through hair, cutting it forever from her scalp. Instantly, her head felt lighter from the lost weight. Sheathing her beamblade, she studied the chunk of hair, shocked that it was almost the length of her arm.
Using both of her hands, Jaiya watched her reflection as she mussed up her hair to look more masculine. Other than the buzzed sides that peeked between the strands whenever she flicked her head, she could easily pull off looking like Aydin.
Now that the last task was complete, it was time for her to leave. She couldn’t dispose or store her chunk of hair on the moon base, in case something went wrong and someone snooped in her cabin. She would need to take the lock with her to the Daextru starbase.
Grabbing the evidence, Jaiya moved to her cabin’s entrance and opened a travel case. Shuffling the clothes around, she found the hidden compartment on the bottom and placed her chunk of hair into it. Quickly, she reorganized the garments and sealed the case.
It was time to leave.
She threw on Aydin’s black cape, pulling up its hood before placing both of their IDs and mission holodisks in its inside pockets.
Taking one last look at the cabin that had been hers for the last five years, Jaiya allowed herself a deep breath. This was possibly the last time she would ever set foot in this cabin—unless she returned a hero.
The seriousness of the upcoming mission finally settled.
While she would do everything in her power to create peace between their species, she didn’t know how things would go. Just like every battle, there were no guarantees.
One thing was for sure, she was happy that she had the chance to spare her wing and her brother from this fate, no matter the consequences she would face when she returned.
Jaiya opened her cabin’s door and checked the hallway before pushing the hovercart out. Sealing her cabin, she made her way to the hangar.
The residential halls were empty as she traversed them. It wasn’t until she took the lift down to the lobby that she came across residents. They minded their own business, as most were returning from a night out or leaving early for their shift. No one stopped her until she reached the hangar doors.
Two guards stood watch at the double door entrance, exuding a mixture of boredom and weariness.
“Hello, fellas. I am here early to start loading the belongings of my brother, Junior Diplomat Aydin Lian, for our mission. We are to depart at 0600, and there are still some things I need to do to prepare.”
The shorter guard looked down at his tablet and nodded. “Let us check your ID and you may proceed.”
Jaiya removed her own ID from her right pocket and swiped it through the scanning station. It lit up green as the most recent picture of her appeared on the screen.
The taller guard surveyed her face and the screen, before glancing at the hovercart.
“You may proceed.” He saluted. “May the Stars Guide You, Captain Lian.”
Putting away her ID, she smiled. “Thank you. Have a good night.”
She pushed the hovercart through the hangar doors and instantly turned toward her own fighter. The skeleton-staffed ground crew were too busy working on the damaged ships in the engineering bay to notice anyone near the fighters.
All she needed to do was stay between ships and behind obstacles to make it to her fighter undetected.
Slowly, Jaiya crept along the hangar, and to her amazement, she made it to her ship undiscovered. Instincts kicked in and she opened up the small personal storage bay, quickly throwing the travel cases inside. She sealed it and inspected her fighter, making sure everything looked functional. While she wasn’t a part of the ground crew, pilots were supposed to be familiar with the basic conditions of the ship they flew and be able to identify potential issues. Satisfied, Jaiya climbed the ladder to her fighter’s cockpit and jumped in. The feeling of her seat calmed her. This was where she belonged, in her ship, not in some defenseless, slow transport. If anything went wrong, it would be easier for her to maneuver and escape while piloting her fighter.
She lowered her hood and grabbed her helmet off the steering wheel, combing back her newly shortened hair before putting it on. It felt a little loose, but she would make do. She couldn’t afford the time or the risk involved with trying to find a smaller helmet.
Pulling her ID out of her pocket, she placed it into the ship’s slot, starting it up. The sounds of the fighter’s ladder folding itself into the ship faded as the fighter’s dome sealed. The instruments and displays turned on, welcoming her.
Jaiya checked the energy cells, making sure they were full. Her weapons were recharged and restocked. All systems were green—ready to go.
Pulling out her mission holodisk, she placed it onto the holodisk reader and turned it on, transferring all the coordinates and codes needed for this mission to her main display.
Movement caught her eyes. The few grounds crew members were rushing over to the fighter section to see why her fighter was alive.
She needed to leave before they could stop her by closing the hangar’s doors. She wouldn’t allow anyone to stand in the way of this mission.
“Captain Lian. May I ask what you are doing?” A young male voice asked over her helmet’s communications. “We have you listed for departure at 0600 in our flagship transport.”
She worked in a frenzy, enabling her fighter’s take-off procedure.
“There has recently been a slight change in the mission. Junior Diplomat Lian will be a passenger in my fighter, and we are to leave at once,” Jaiya announced boldly, in a tone she used when addressing her wing and other subordinates. The fighter began to move as she steered it onto the launching pad. “Any delays will cost me my mission. Over and out.”
She blocked all communication channels, which was in both of their best interests. He could not take the blame for her departure if he wasn’t able to communicate with her. The less she said now, the fewer things she would have to worry about when she did return.
Jaiya wasn’t foolish. She was committing treason.
But if she ended the war, she could return a hero.
Jaiya started the launch countdown.
Surveying the hangar, she found no one was trying to stop her—but they were all watching in shock. It would be suicide to stand in her way. If they closed the doors while she was launching, the impact could damage the whole hangar. Whether or not they believed her, they would have to let her go.
Three . . .
Two . . .
One . . .
Her body was pinned against the back of her seat as she zoomed away from the moon base. Once she was surrounded by nothing but stars, Jaiya took some calming breaths as she plotted her course to her destination: the Daextru’s starbase in the Azophi star system.
Today was the day that the human diplomats were supposed to arrive.
Idris personally made sure all of the preparations were underway, leaving Erlyn to pick up any slack and check on the finer details.
All of the starbase’s occupants were briefed about the importance of the upcoming meeting. They needed a peace treaty with the humans, soon, because their forces were dwindling as they struggled to fight two fronts. The Cosmic Trinity Alliance would be a good ally when it came to sharing resources and technology. However, the talks to settle the differences between them concerned him.
“Can you stop pacing and sit down? I don’t understand why you are working yourself up before they arrive,” Erlyn advised, looking up from his tablet. The purple-scaled male sat on a couch in the middle of Idris’ office, his tail flicking in annoyance. “Everything is ready, and there is nothing else for you to do.”
Idris paused his pacing and watched his assistant. “Do you think I can convince them to join us against the Vresqoxk?”
“I believe it would be foolish to trust them,” Erlyn sighed. “They turned on us once, who knows if they will do it again. Do you want to risk another betrayal? Imagine being crushed between two forces on a battlefield. We would be eliminated.”
“Perhaps you are right.” Idris fell into his desk chair and leaned back as he stared at the metallic ceiling. “I don’t want to fail. Ushyaz is depending on me to do this for her. The Sovereign and Overseer need to give our people good news and boost their morale.”
“You will do well.”
Idris sat up and glared at Erlyn. “You are just saying that because you are bound to me.”
Erlyn shrugged and returned his attention to his tablet. “If anything, you could return to the palace and take comfort in the attention of hundreds of lovesick females.”
“Take that back!”
“I know you miss them,” Erlyn smirked. “Can you imagine how many more will clamor for a chance to become your mate once they find out you brokered the peace treaty?”
“Don’t remind me,” Idris grumbled. “Perhaps I should stay away and never return.”
“You know that isn’t an option.”