Darkest Reach

by Eric Warren

  “Cordell?” Sanghvi’s face appeared on the transparent screen. To Cas it looked backward.

  “He’s ready,” Greene replied, glancing up at Cas.

  Through the screen Cas could see a smile spread across Sanghvi’s face. “I knew it was only a matter of time.” Greene motioned him to come around the desk so they both could see Sanghvi. “Mr. Robeaux. I’m glad you’ve finally decided to rejoin the fold.”

  “Thanks, I mean, I’m glad to do it. I think it’s better than the alternative.”

  “So do I.” Sanghvi glanced off-screen, he touched something Cas couldn’t see. “This won’t take long. Caspian Philip Robeaux, do you pledge yourself to the Sovereign Coalition of Planetary Systems? Do you promise to uphold its values, protect its citizens and give your life, if necessary, to the preservation of its way of life?”

  “I promise.” Cas remembered a similar pledge in the academy.

  “Do you, in good faith, accept the responsibilities and privileges associated with being an officer in the Sovereign Coalition, including the responsibility of all those under your command, should you be deemed worthy?”

  “I accept,” Cas replied, ignoring the pit growing in his stomach. He pushed it back down, focusing instead on Sanghvi’s words.

  He leaned into the screen. “And finally, will you, to the best of your ability, always be of upstanding character with a positive moral compass? Will you use this compass to point others to the way, to expand the peaceful and humanitarian nature of the Coalition? And when help is needed, will you always answer the call?”

  “You have my word.” His heart rate had picked up, despite having been through this ceremony before. The last time had been much less personal. Him and a thousand other cadets on their first and last days of training. The oaths were recited to them on their first day at the academy, but they were told not to respond until they were prepared to graduate. A cadet needed to internalize all the oaths and only after years of study and discipline and mental preparedness would they be ready to answer. So the questions were posed again at graduation. Everyone said yes to them all, Cas had never heard of a no, though he was sure some rebel had tried to make a spectacle of themselves sometime in the past. But even now as he answered the oaths, he couldn’t help but think of Rutledge. Had he upheld the standards? No. And it was up to Cas to clean up his mess.

  “Then it is my pleasure to welcome you back into the Sovereign Coalition Navy.” Admiral Sanghvi beamed. “Your previous rank of Lieutenant Commander has been formally reinstated as of eighteen hundred hours today. Please report to your commanding officer for your assignment. Captain, get this man his uniform.”

  “Yes, sir,” Greene replied, keeping his eyes on Cas.

  “Commander Robeaux. It is a pleasure to have you back among us. I expect great things from you.” He turned to look at the captain. “Cordell, keep me apprised of your journey. The Sil here on Eight has already begun drawing up some plans.”

  “That’s excellent news. The…commander…here was just telling me Consul Zenfor is in a similar position.”

  “Very good. I expect a report next week. Sanghvi out.” The screen disappeared. Greene returned to his chair as Cas made his way back around the other side of the desk.

  “I suppose congratulations are in order,” Greene said.

  ***

  Evie stormed down the corridor not bothering to acknowledge any of her fellow crewmates as she passed. She was too enraged. The news had come from Greene only fifteen minutes ago and she had to see for herself because despite the captain’s reputation, it just couldn’t be true.

  Upon reaching his door she didn’t even pause, instead she hit a small switch beside the door. “Command override, Diazal voiceprint access zero-two-nine.”

  The doors slid open to reveal Cas’s quarters and she stepped inside without another thought. He was in the bedroom section of the space, his bare back to her as he faced his closet. But she could already see from his pants he wore the standard Coalition uniform.

  “Shit. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes I wouldn’t have believed it.” She shook her head.

  “Whoa.” Cas jumped and turned at the same time, his eyes wide. He held the shirt in his hands up to his chest. “How about knocking next time?” The back of his left hand was slightly irritated from where Xax had inserted his Coalition-issued comm. It was true.

  “How could you do this? I never thought you were actually serious,” Evie said.

  Cas glanced down to his naked chest and slipped on his undershirt from the uniform that had just been printed for him. “It wasn’t an easy decision.” He fumbled with the outer shirt complete with his rank. “But if I’m ever going to make things any better, I can’t do it from the outside looking in. And this will make everything with Zenfor a lot easier.”

  “No. There’s something else going on here,” Evie said, getting in his face. He stepped back until his back was against the wall. “You’d never do this. Not unless it was something serious. What is going on?”

  He seemed to gather his resolve. “You tell me. What’s with you lately? Why are you so mopey?”

  “It’s personal,” she retorted. “It doesn’t have to do with the daily operation of this ship. Your decision does. I want to know what’s going on.”

  He put up his hands. “Nothing. I told you. Without a rank it’s harder to get anything done on this ship. How is the crew supposed to take orders from a civilian?”

  “You bring those issues to me. You don’t go off and reinstate your entire commission. Gawd!” She threw her hands up and turned her back to him. “I don’t understand you. All that time talking about how the Coalition betrayed you. And then, just like that, there you are wearing the uniform again. After all they’ve done to you.” She turned around. “Or maybe it was all a lie. Maybe you fabricated all of it to what? Gain sympathy because you screwed up? Is that it?”

  “No,” he insisted. “It was all true. I just…I’m tired of being an outsider.”

  She couldn’t believe it and shook her head in disbelief again. “You can’t just put on a uniform and have it change who you are. And by doing that, you’re betraying yourself. And you’re mocking me.”

  He furrowed his brow. “What? No, I’m not. This has nothing to do with you.”

  “Oh no? What’s that?” Evie pointed to the small insignia on the shoulder of his outer shirt. “Had it not been for my promotion you and I would have the same rank.”

  “Evie, hang on. This isn’t about wanting to usurp your authority. You did get promoted, as you should have been. I told both the admiral and the captain I would still be reporting to you. I want to make that very clear. You’re the senior officer, I never expected to be.”

  Was he telling the truth? Something about this didn’t smell right at all. Before they’d left Sil space he’d been almost insistent he’d never wear the uniform again. So what had changed? Evie wanted to push further but doing so might make him question her more. And that was not a road she was about to go down. She’d have to see how serious he was about this new responsibility. He reported to her? It would be time to test that. She returned to the door then looked back at him as he shrugged his outer shirt on and zipped it up. “Then I hope to Kor you know what you’re doing,” she said. Without waiting for an answer she left him there alone.

  10

  His first duty as a reinstated officer to the Sovereign Coalition had been to procure a better workstation for Zenfor. After studying the schematics of Tempest and making a few inquiries, Cas had been granted the authority to allow Zenfor to work in the weapons control lab adjacent to engineering. It was the perfect solution as there were rarely any personnel in there and it gave her enough space to spread out. The only hiccup had been convincing both the captain and Evie she wouldn’t take over the weapon systems on the ship and use them against them. But after spending a prolonged period of time with her, Cas realized that was never a danger. Zenfor wasn’t threatened by them, in any sense
of the word. They were almost like background noise to her and the only one she really paid any attention to was Commander Sesster.

  The work was going well. It had been nearly sixty days since they’d left Eight, having only stopped twice at Coalition worlds for minor repairs and restocking. Tempest was self-sufficient for tens of thousands of light-years, but she was still a very new and somewhat experimental ship. Sometimes the advanced engines created unanticipated strains so occasional stops were necessary. Cas only hoped they’d worked out most of the problems by the time they got beyond Coalition territory, but that was still a good hundred days away.

  In the meantime, Zenfor’s work progressed nicely. She’d already found a way to increase their shielding capabilities by reinforcing not only the magnetic energy that kept things from hitting the ship, but by coating the hull with a new type of cyclax she’d developed while working in the weapons lab. She’d managed to test it on a few of the ship’s darts: the small missiles full of explosive material Coalition forces used when conventional weapons wouldn’t do. Chief Master Rafnkell had even stopped by on a few occasions to watch or provide input, hoping to integrate some of the shielding on her spacewing fighters stationed in Bay Two. Cas couldn’t have been more pleased, though there had been one issue about two weeks after she’d begun her work. Cas had been in engineering when Sesster had entered his mind.

  Commander. You told me to notify you if I ever noticed anything about Consul Zenfor I found concerning.

  He’d chosen not to look at Sesster, instead keeping his eyes on his own work. He didn’t want the rest of the crew knowing about this conversation. Go ahead.

  I can’t tell if it is malicious or not. But she is hiding something about herself. Something fundamental and I can’t determine what it is. I thought you should know.

  Could it be a personal secret? Something she’s embarrassed or ashamed of? He’d asked.

  It feels deeper than that. But I don’t know for sure.

  Thank you, Sesster. I’ll keep my ears open. The truth was he would be surprised if Zenfor didn’t have some secrets she was keeping from them. She obviously hadn’t told them everything about her people, as both she and Mil’less had been light on the details on the trip back from Quaval. But if it was enough of something to get Sesster’s attention, it might be a problem. In the interest of fairness he had decided not to inform Evie or the captain yet. There was no sense in getting everyone worked up over nothing. All he could do was keep a sharp eye on her and keep the rest of the crew out of her way for the time being. And at the first sign of something wrong, then he’d go to his superiors.

  Evie had been more standoffish than normal, and thus might not be receptive to hearing anything negative about Zenfor. He’d attributed this to her disapproval of his rejoining the Coalition, but it also meant it was harder for him to trust her with sensitive information. Which was ironic because before his decision he could have gone to her with anything. But now things were…strained. He couldn’t see anything else that might be bothering her but they’d barely said a word to each other since their confrontation in his quarters. She’d given him a few orders—which he assumed were probably tests of his seriousness—which he’d followed to the letter. In situations like this he had learned it was better to keep his head down and not make any waves.

  This was why he wasn’t looking forward to the imminent confrontation. He had to make his daily report to the bridge and with each passing day the tension between them had increased. He wasn’t sure if it was something he was doing or just the fact he was wearing the uniform, but it didn’t matter. By now she should be over it and he was tired of her resenting him for a decision that, so far, had proved to be the right one.

  Second shift was on when the hypervator doors opened on the bridge, which meant the captain wasn’t there and Evie was in command. Cas noticed instead of Lieutenant Uuma, Ensign Yamashita was stationed at tactical. He supposed her skill helping them leave D’jattan back when they were being pursued by the Sargans had finally paid off. The only other crew member he knew with any kind of familiarity was Lieutenant Zaal who had been more than interested in Cas when he’d first come aboard. But now that he was a Coalition officer again and a semi-permanent part of the crew, his interest had only increased. Cas had spent more than a few meals with the Untuburu, discussing viewpoints on a variety of different subjects. Though he missed the company of his friend. The first time he’d been to Zaal’s quarters he’d been so apprehensive he’d roped Evie into coming with him, which had made the night a lot easier. Cas nodded to both Zaal and Yamashita as he made his way over to Evie who sat in the command chair.

  “Yes, Commander?” she said in a very sterile tone.

  “Daily report, ma’am. Zenfor has informed me she is close to finishing a new type of ammunition we can load into the outer guns. They should provide three times the explosive yield.” Evie held out her hand and Cas deposited a long bar into it. She tapped the edge of the bar and a screen flickered to life, suspended in mid-air from the bar. She scrolled through the information then turned it off, handing it back to him.

  “Very good. Carry on.” She hadn’t even looked at him.

  Cas turned to resume his duties but caught sight of Zaal and stopped. The Untuburu only stared at him with his typical smile. Cas was fed up and this had gone on long enough. “Commander,” he said, keeping his voice just above a whisper. She didn’t respond other than to cock her head in his direction. “How about lunch? I could—”

  “That would be inappropriate,” she snapped.

  A flush swept across his cheeks, Cas retreated back to the hypervator. His first instinct was to argue but with Evie being his commanding officer he couldn’t openly oppose her. Not unless he wanted a formal reprimand or worse. And the last thing he needed was a dark mark on his record. It would do nothing but reinforce the fact he couldn’t take it as a Coalition officer anymore.

  “Commander,” Ensign Cortez said from the helm. “We’re approaching the Excel Nebula.”

  “Drop from undercurrent speed and prepare to navigate through,” Evie replied without missing a beat. Cas paused before stepping back into the hypervator as the screen slowed to show the view of the gorgeous nebula stretched out before them. It was too large to go around and undercurrents didn’t go through nebula so they’d have to take the slow way through. Either that or add seven extra days to their trip trying to avoid it. But most nebulae were harmless and it should only take a few hours to half a day to traverse. Cas couldn’t help but take the opportunity to look; it was a magnificent sight. All those blues and reds mixed together in a swirling mass that filled the entire screen.

  “Sir, I’m picking up a distress signal,” Yamashita said. “But there’s a lot of distortion.”

  “Captain to the bridge.” Evie stood. “Zaal, can you help her clean it up so we can hear it?”

  “Yes, Commander,” Zaal said, his hard-light hands working the controls in front of him.

  “Do you detect where it’s coming from?” Evie asked. Cas stepped back into the bridge, staying close to the wall and out of her eyeline.

  “I don’t detect any ships or spacecraft,” Yamashita replied, but her voice wavered. This was the first time Cas had seen her up here, was this her first day on tactical duty?

  “Commander,” Zaal interjected. “I think I have it.”

  “Let’s hear it,” she replied.

  “This is the USCS Iphigenia calling any friendly ship in the area. We are stuck in a gravity well and can’t find our way out. Please assist.”

  “The Iphigenia?” Evie furrowed her brow. “Why does that name sound familiar?”

  “She was lost twenty-seven years ago in this sector,” Cas replied, stepping forward. “One of the few Coalition ships lost within Coalition space that was never recovered.” Evie spun on him but didn’t say anything.

  “Confirmed,” Zaal said. “Lists as being lost on the 38th day of Hekaton in the year 2571. Despite searches of the
area the ship was never found.”

  Evie turned back to the screen. “So then why all of a sudden—”

  “Report,” Captain Greene said, entering the bridge through the other hypervator.

  “It seems we’ve found a relic, sir,” Evie said, pulling the information up on the screen. “Yamashita, have you triangulated where that signal is coming from?”

  “The Iphigenia?” Greene said to himself, rubbing his chin as he read the ship’s stats.

  “Not yet, Commander. I can’t get a solid lock. It’s somewhere ahead of us,” Yamashita said.

  Cas stared at the screen. Was the ship inside the nebula?

  “Surely there’s no one left alive. Not after twenty-seven years,” Evie said, her attention focused on the captain.

  “Never underestimate the resilience of a Coalition crew. With some ingenuity, there might still be a few of them left. I’ve heard of people surviving up to year in nothing but an escape pod,” Greene replied.

  She didn’t respond but her face had gone a shade of pale Cas hadn’t seen before. She returned to her seat, but her gaze remained focused on the screen ahead of them.

  Cas moved over beside her. “Are you okay?”

  “Fine,” she croaked. “Is there something you need?”

  “No, I just—”

  “Then return to your duties.”

  “Got it!” Yamashita said. “Helm, point us at heading four-four-seven mark nine.”

  Ensign Cortez nodded and the screen switched views. They were looking at the edge of the nebula, but right along the rim was an area devoid of stars. It looked like a black patch on the screen.

  “Magnify,” Greene ordered. The black patch doubled in size, taking up most of the screen but Cas couldn’t see anything inside. “Anything?” Greene asked Zaal, who had his attention focused on his controls.

  “I still don’t detect any ships. But the ensign is right, the signal is coming from there,” Zaal said.