by Eric Warren
Evie’s utensil clattered to the plate. “Where did you hear that?”
“So, then it is true,” Zaal replied. “I got the information from one of the security officers on Starbase Eight. He heard it from the prosecutor.”
“Hearsay,” Evie said. “And you’re under strict orders not to discuss what you know with anyone.”
“Of course, Commander,” Zaal said. He reached out and the flesh of the hard-light disappeared, replaced instead by a metal skeleton. In the center was a port that opened, to which Zaal placed over the yaarn as it sucked it up. Cas could see the food move through a semi-transparent tube embedded inside the exoskeleton which disappeared under his robe. “I have to admit, I am as good a cook as everyone says.”
“Is that how you eat everything?” Cas asked.
“When I have company or am in the presence of others, yes,” Zaal replied.
Evie pushed back from the table. “Thank you for the meal, Zaal. But Cas and I have some duties to attend to.” She yanked his chair back, pulling him away from the table.
“I at least hope you enjoyed the food,” Zaal said, standing just as Cas did. “I look forward to another meeting in the future. Mr. Robeaux, you have been fascinating.”
“Thank you,” Cas said, unsure of what was happening. He hadn’t even finished his yaarn yet.
Evie led him to the door and gave him a little shove to the other side before turning back to Zaal. “Next time I’ll host,” she said. “Goodnight, Lieutenant.”
“Good night, Commander,” Zaal said as the doors shut.
“Are you insane?” Evie whispered to Cas as they made their way down the hall.
Cas wobbled. “What?” he asked.
“I dunno, maybe all the classified information you spilled in there? No one is supposed to know about Rutledge, certainly not a non-human species. What if he mentions it to someone on his home planet? And they happen to be a member of the fleet or the infantry. Then they start investigating why they haven’t heard about this from Coalition brass. You can’t just go around spouting whatever you want, there are conse—”
“But it happened…to me,” Cas replied. “Shouldn’t people know? Or is the Coalition going to cover it up forever? What happens when these aliens show up and we have superweapons to fight them? Don’t you think people will start questioning that?”
“That’s not our problem or our priority right now. Our orders are to keep quiet about Rutledge and the Achlys.” She held up her hands in defense. “I know he wronged you, but you’re going to have to keep that close to the chest. At least for now; there’s no other way.”
He wasn’t sure if she was being intentionally obtuse or if she really did believe Rutledge had been working alone. Regardless, he couldn’t keep quiet about this forever, not if the Coalition had any hope of surviving.
***
THWACK!
Cas jerked up, his eyes going wide.
“No daydreaming,” Laska ordered, “Or next time it’s the knuckles.”
“I think I’ve evolved an immunity,” Cas said, staring at his hands. He’d managed to cut down on the smacking, though he’d needed to be vigilant. And today he wasn’t at the top of his game.
“That’s not how evolution works,” Laska said, returning to the desk and climbing a step she’d placed behind it to stare down on him. “We are due to reach Sil space tomorrow. Give me the eight tenets of diplomacy.”
Cas sighed, knowing none of this would do them any good. The Sil weren’t interested in talking. “Be patient, understand the other side, leave avenues open to retreat, seek united ground, be realistic, protect your interests, don’t force the issue…ummm…”
Laska narrowed her eyes, stepping down from her perch and approaching Cas, her stick bobbing up and down as she walked. His eyes went to the instrument of pain as he racked his memory for the last one.
“Serve the common interest!” he said louder than he meant to.
“Very good,” Laska purred. “What is your strategy for initiating first contact?”
“Establish myself and my connection to the Sil. Inform them of my intentions and invite them to a dialogue.”
“And if that fails?” The weapon bobbed even quicker behind her back.
“Gauge their response, adjust my strategy accordingly.” His knuckles were white under the small table. The few times he’d tried to hide his hands he’d been rewarded with a smack above the ear instead which hurt infinitely more. He replaced his hands on the desk despite knowing he was right.
“I suppose it will do,” Laska said, her small eyes dropping. “I had hoped you’d lean into this better, but I can only do so much with the raw material. There has to be some potential there to begin with.”
“I appreciate the vote of confidence,” Cas replied.
THWACK!
“Dammit!” he yelled, pulling his hand back and rubbing the knuckles.
“No backtalk,” Laska said. “I will accompany you to the bridge tomorrow, to ensure you are performing to your best ability.”
Oh, hell no. Even if she put in the request Cas would make sure Evie quashed it.
“Negotiator—Xerxes,” he said, using her name for the first time. She stiffened and looked as though she might give him another smack for good measure. “I need you to level with me. If you were in my position do you think this negotiation would have a chance? Far better people than me have tried to build a relationship with the Sil and every single one of them has failed.”
Her eyes softened. “I believe dialogue is possible between all civilized species. Whether the Sil are civilized remains to be seen. But often diplomacy is more about what isn’t said than what is. They have to know you understand their beliefs and fears and you must trust they understand the same. It’s always a two-way street, which means there are twice as many opportunities for someone to veer off the road and wreck.”
He took a deep breath, rubbing the back of his hand.
“You aren’t the best I have ever worked with, but you aren’t the worst either,” she added. He wasn’t sure if that was supposed to make him feel better or not. She pulled out a datapad and checked the front. “But now it’s time to adjourn. We have a meeting with the captain to go over our strategy.”
16
“All hands to battle stations; we are approaching Sil space. Captain to the bridge,” Evie announced, watching her indicator on the arm of the chair while at the same time keeping an eye on the viewscreen. They approached the invisible barrier separating non-aligned space from Sil territory and her heart threatened to burst from her chest. Not that she let it show. She’d always had a calm and practiced demeanor which was even more important on a Coalition ship for times just like this. If the younger officers saw her sweat then they might be apt to make a mistake. Both she and the Captain needed to project calm, but with authority.
The command room door slid open revealing Greene, who took his seat beside her as the rest of first shift came on board to replace the more inexperienced officers. Among them was Cas who remained at the back of the bridge, watching without taking the specialist’s seat.
“Mr. Robeaux, what can we expect in there?” Greene indicated the screen ahead of them.
“I expect we’ll be stopped quickly. They’ll have proximity sensors on their border letting them know when it has been crossed. The sensors weren’t always there, but were installed after the war. They learned they couldn’t trust the Coalition wouldn’t just come barging in one day.”
Evie watched him. He eyes were sunken in and he hadn’t shaved in days, despite the fact he had assured her he was getting plenty of sleep. He wasn’t used to a Coalition schedule. It took some getting used to; what with the days being twenty hours. The Sargans maintained a twenty-four-hour day and living among them for five years he’d become accustomed to it. She’d heard long ago humans were born with a natural twenty-five-hour cycle as babies and adjusting took some getting used to. He also couldn’t take a nap whenever he wanted
to either. She should have ordered Laska to go easier on him; to allow him to rest more since the entire mission hinged on his ability to perform under pressure. It wasn’t good he was starting out tired.
“Six minutes to the border,” Ensign River announced from the navigation position. She’d done a good job taking over for Ensign Blackburn. These last few weeks of relative calm had given her some good experience. Evie hoped it was enough because from here on out there was no telling what they would be encountering.
“Raise the armor and prepare all weapons,” Greene said. “But I want them set on non-lethal shots only.” He turned to Evie. “As if they could do any damage anyway.”
“Aye, sir,” Page said from tactical.
“Captain,” Cas said, stepping forward. “Keep the armor but lose the weapons. They won’t like that.”
“Are you sure?” Greene asked. “I don’t like going in there defenseless.”
“It wouldn’t matter anyway. Our weapons do nothing to their shield systems and flying in with our guns up and asses out is a good way to send the wrong message.”
Evie caught a sneer from Page but he kept his eyes on his own station. It had only taken running a few reports to figure out it had been Page who’d arranged for Cas to live in a closet for his re-introduction to the ship. Some kind of practical joke though she hadn’t confronted him about it yet. She wanted to wait until they were on the back end of this mission. But he acted like he didn’t even care if he got caught. Evie couldn’t figure out why he was more ambivalent toward Cas than anyone else. Though she’d also seen Ronde exhibiting some odd behavior around him. And of course Ronde had been the one who had reported Box to the admiral.
“Lieutenant, disarm all weapons. If they scan us, I don’t want them to get the wrong impression,” Greene said.
Page swiveled in his seat. “But that will leave us completely unprepared if they decide to attack,” he protested. “How can we—?”
“Lieutenant,” Greene said, his voice a low rumble. Page turned back to his console and dropped the weapons.
“Three minutes to the border,” River announced.
“Any sign of Sil ships patrolling on scanners?” Greene asked, watching the screen. There was nothing out there but stars as far as Evie could see.
“Nothing yet, Captain,” Zaal replied. “I have the scanners extended to full range.”
“Ship readiness report,” Evie asked, running down her mental checklist before heading into a potentially dangerous situation.
“All stations report ready. The crew is prepped and the Spacewings are on standby,” Zaal said. They wouldn’t have the short-range fighters set to launch on a “diplomatic” mission, but this was anything but ordinary.
“Should we drop out of the undercurrent?” Blohm asked.
Greene turned to Cas. “Thoughts?”
Cas exchanged glances with Evie. “I don’t see any reason to drop out until it’s necessary.”
“Helm, adjust our heading to skirt the edge of Sil territory. If we get into trouble out here, I want to get out of their space as quickly as possible,” Greene said.
“Two minutes.”
Cas took a seat in the specialist station as the inky blackness of Sil space stretched before them. “There’s a system before we get to Quaval,” Cas said. “Inside Sil territory. It’s full of super heavy gas giants and could make a good place for refuge if we need it.”
“Send the coordinates to the helm, we’ll keep that in our back pocket,” Greene said.
Evie kept her eyes trained on her own display, showing summary readouts from each station. She took three deep breaths in succession. “Here we go.”
“Crossing the barrier now, Captain,” River said. The rest of the bridge was silent except for the constant hum of the engines. Evie couldn’t even hear anyone else breathing. It had all come down to this.
“Steady, helm,” Greene said.
Evie thought she saw Ronde’s hand shake as he held the ship in a straight line. She stood and went over to his station. “You’ve got this, Izak,” she whispered. He nodded but he kept his focus on his job. Evie turned to watch the rest of the crew. They may have their flaws, but they were a good crew. And they worked well together. The only one who seemed unperturbed by the intensity of the situation was Zaal, who wore the same smile he’d had the night they’d had dinner. It was hard to believe that had been over a week sinc—
The ship rocked as if it had been hit by an earthquake, throwing Evie from where she’d been standing clear across the bridge where she collided with the bulkhead. She put her arms up in time to keep her head from smashing into the metal. Her left arm snapped with astonishingly little pain. She could still function.
“Evasive action! Restraints!” Greene shouted.
“We’ve been thrown from the undercurrent,” River called out as the auto-restraints pulled her back into her chair, as they did for each crew member save Evie. “They hit us from inside!”
Evie could feel the dampeners straining as the ship spun out from the undercurrent into normal space. She could only pray they didn’t have the terrible luck to come out next to a star or other heavenly body. But thankfully most of space was empty, which gave them good odds. She pushed against the bulkhead, struggling to stand up.
“Open the comm!” Greene yelled, staring at the screen ahead of them. Evie froze. Two large Sil vessels—which to her resembled sharp claws hanging in space—faced them. Though it was hard to tell which side was the front; she could only assume they were facing them. She’d seen long-range scans of ships like these, but seeing them in person drove a fear through her she didn’t think possible. She held her arm tighter, willing the sensation to return as it had gone numb.
“Open,” Zaal replied, the smile having turned into a frown on his face.
“Sil vessels. Halt your attack, we are a peace-seeking vessel from the Sovereign Coalition of Aligned Systems.”
The ship shook again, sending a rumble through the room. Though as far as she could tell they hadn’t fired any kind of weapon, energy or otherwise. Evie finally got to her feet in time to see Cas making his way over to her.
“We’re getting no response, Captain,” Zaal replied.
“Keep the channel open,” Cas yelled, supporting himself against the wall. Zaal nodded. “Sil vessel. Seven years ago—” The ship shook again, sending Cas to the floor and cutting him off.
“We have a breach on deck four,” Zaal said. The room shook again producing a loud bang from somewhere and Evie had only the briefest thought to hope it wasn’t an overload in the power systems.
“Engineering is reporting the drive is becoming unstable,” Blohm said.
“Another hit or two and we’ll be gone,” Page added. “Captain, we have to retreat.”
Greene turned to Blohm. “Get the engines back and open up an undercurrent. Helm, about-face, get us out of here as quickly as possible.”
“Captain?” Cas called, trying to stand again.
“Cas.” Evie shook her head. There was nothing they could do unless they wanted to be destroyed.
“Undercurrent charted,” River announced, her voice shaky.
“Helm, go!” Greene yelled. There was a lurch forward as the dampeners struggled to keep up with the ship, nearly sending Evie to the ground again. She glanced over at Cas who only stared at the screen, the two Sil ships disappeared behind them as they traversed the undercurrent. “How long until we’re out of their space?”
“Forty-five seconds, sir,” River replied.
“Blohm, push it. Give me everything they’ve got in Engineering.”
She nodded, relaying the commands to the lower decks. Evie made it back to her chair to monitor the situation. “Ops did you get a good scan of those ships?” she asked.
Zaal shook his head. “Not much. Our scanners couldn’t get past their armor. According to the information provided by Admiral Sanghvi, these ships were much more advanced than the one the Achlys captured.”
“We’re clear of their space,” River said, producing a loud exhale.
“Give them a wide berth, and get us far outside their territory. I don’t want to even look like we’re close,” Greene said.
“Aye, Captain.”
“Commander Sesster is reporting the undercurrent generators are damaged. If we stay in here too long the current will collapse and crush us,” Blohm said.
Greene stood, checking his own station for the damage reports. “How long can we sustain it?”
“Another ten minutes, tops,” she replied. “Then we’ll have to shut down for repairs.”
“Can we use that gas giant system Robeaux mentioned?” Greene asked.
“It’s too far away, but there’s a binary star system close, heavy iron content with thousands of planetoids,” Ensign River said before Cas could open his mouth. “It isn’t perfect but it could provide some cover.”
“Set course,” Greene said. Ronde nodded, adjusting the direction of the ship. “Any sign of pursuit?”
“None,” Page replied. “And I’d like to suggest locking up the traitor until we can properly dispose of him.”
“What?” Cas said, “What are you talking about?”
“It’s obvious you sent them a communication to tell them we were coming. How else could they have found our undercurrent so quickly? We weren’t inside their space for more than a minute before they began attacking.”
“I didn’t send any message,” Cas protested through his teeth.
“Just like you didn’t send the message that got your last ship in trouble,” Page said, pointing at him. “You better hope no one dies this time.”
“That’s enough, Lieutenant,” Greene snapped. “We’re not going to turn on each other, not when there are bigger stakes here.” He turned to Evie. “Commander, get yourself down to sickbay and back as soon as you can.”