by Eric Warren
“But I mean if you did, would it go off?”
“I won’t.” Great. That made him feel loads better. Potential annihilation following him at less than a meter. It was strange being so close to death, not that it was something he feared. In fact he’d never feared death; he’d always been much more afraid of an unfulfilled life. Those years in prison had been some of the hardest because it was as if the clock was just ticking away and he had too much to accomplish. It was the same now. Dying at the hands of this creature didn’t scare him, the thought of leaving so much unfinished did.
“Here, last adjacent corridor. It’s down here,” he said.
“What will happen to you when they realize what we’ve done?” Zenfor asked.
“I’ll probably be thrown back in jail,” Cas said. “Also they’ll try to give me a dishonorable discharge like last time, but I won’t allow that because I’ve already resigned. Greene just hasn’t received my letter yet.”
“You’ll go to prison for the rest of your life?” she asked.
He shook his head. “I don’t know. Because of the nature of this mission, I’m not sure how Coalition Central would react to knowing what we’re doing here. They might decide you being on the ship is too big of a risk and transport you back to Eight where you can return home. If that’s the case, I’ll most likely be dropped off at the nearest starbase before Tempest leaves Coalition territory.” He chuckled as he turned the corner. “Though if it’s anything like last time, my shuttle might explode before I even get there, save everyone the trouble.”
“Wait. I don’t understand. They tried to harm you in prison?”
“Not exactly. They sent me to a penal colony where I was to serve out a term of manual labor until my release. But it wasn’t exactly a human-friendly place, if you know what I mean.”
“I’m afraid I don’t.”
“Let’s just say if I hadn’t found a way out I wouldn’t be here right now.”
“That’s a logical line of thought. Had I not left my ship I wouldn’t be here right now either. Or if I’d never graduated from the training camp. Or if I’d never been born.” She shifted the missile under her arm and Cas’s heart rate skyrocketed.
“No, not like that,” he said taking a breath. “Never mind. It’s right here.” He approached the door to weapons control, tapping his credentials which gave them access. Inside was a wide room. In the center were two missile tubes which were fed by the large store of weapons stored in protective containers to the left and right. The system could be set up to fire up to three at a time from each tube, or they could be loaded manually if the power or targeting systems went offline. Three people looked up as they entered. Two were weapons technicians, Crewman Barstow and Ensign Tileah, in addition to Dr. Xax, who was at the moment bent over one of the missiles ready for loading in the tubes.
“Commander,” Xax said. “Is there a problem?”
He hadn’t expected Xax to be here. It was a hiccup, but not a major obstacle. “No problem, but we’ve been ordered to use this missile instead,” he said, pointing to the one in Zenfor’s arms. “It’s already been modified.”
Xax straightened. “I didn’t modify it. Who else has access to the ship’s biological cultures and diseases?”
“It’s part of the project Zenfor has been working on to confront the alien swarm.” Cas was almost startled at how smooth the lying came back to him. It was as if nothing had changed at all.
Xax’s aquamarine eyes sparkled and Cas couldn’t tell if she believed him or not. He wasn’t exactly up on his Yax-Inax body language. “Set it over there,” Xax said. “I want to check it over before we launch.”
“That’s not necessary doctor,” Cas said. “The consul has studied—”
“No matter how much information she’s absorbed, she does not have the experience to match,” Xax said sharply. “I will not be sending a missile out there until I am absolutely sure it is safe for this crew.”
“Doctor, I—”
“That’s the end of it, Commander. No more arguments. Either set the missile over there or leave.” Cas noticed the two weapons techs exchange glances. As soon as Xax opened the casing on the missile she’d know what was going on, he had no doubt about it. But what choice did they have? They couldn’t incapacitate all three of them at once, Cas wasn’t even sure how to incapacitate a Yax-Inax. Having two sets of arms came in pretty handy when attempting to break through restraints. He was reminded of the immobilization field on Zenfor’s ship that had held him in place. They could really use one of those right now.
Cas motioned for Zenfor to set the missile down, which she did while remaining silent but with her eyes on Cas. Xax seemed to relax once the missile was in place and turned back to the one she was working on, closing up its hatches. “Ensign, please return this unit to storage. We won’t need it.”
“Yes, Doctor,” Ensign Tileah replied. She had short brown hair shaved on one side with the tattoo of something on her skull, but she moved too quick for Cas to catch it. A drone moved over and retrieved the missile, taking it back into the storage area.
“Let’s see how well you did,” Xax said, her voice more upbeat than before. Cas assessed his options. If Zenfor could restrain Xax, as much as he didn’t want her to, he might be able to grab the ensign and crewman before they could alert the bridge. But their stations were on opposite sides of the room and honestly, he’d be lucky to reach one of them in time, forget about both. But if he could reach the controls…
Xax stood over the missile, opening its panels with a touch and peering inside. She stared for a beat before turning back to him. “Is there something you want to tell me, Commander?”
Cas was about to tell Zenfor to grab Tileah while he went for Barstow but the doors to the weapons lab opened behind them to reveal Evie. She had a stern look on her face and it didn’t slip Cas’s notice she’d armed herself, though the weapon remained attached to her hip. “Oh shit,” he said under his breath.
“Ensign Tileah, crewman Barstow, please wait outside these doors. Make sure we aren’t disturbed,” she said. The two techs nodded and left the room, the doors closing behind them. Evie turned her attention to the doctor. “Doctor, where did that missile come from?”
“Commander Robeaux and the consul brought it in just a few moments ago. I’ve examined it to make sure it meets with Coalition standards for the use of biological weapons.”
“And does it?” Evie asked.
“I’m afraid not. It appears to be…a trans-dimensional weapon.”
Cas swore under his breath. He’d hoped Xax might not betray them to Evie, but now it was all over. There was nothing more he could do.
“Commander? Is this true?” It sounded like she was scolding a child. Kor, he hated that tone of voice.
“No, it isn’t,” he spat. “Because as of twenty minutes ago, I resigned my commission. Commander Robeaux had nothing to do with this. Mr. Robeaux did.”
“Semantics,” Evie replied, her face unreadable. He couldn’t believe it. Had she already reported this to Greene and was just humoring him? Or was she hoping to further humiliate him in some way? And he’d thought they were getting better.
“If you used that you’d be court-martialed before we left Coalition space,” Evie said.
“Don’t you see? I was trying to do this so you and the captain wouldn’t have to make the call. So nothing would happen to you. We could have survived, Evie. We could have made it.”
“I know.” Her eyes flashed.
“But you’d rather do things by the book, right? Maintaining the integrity of the Coalition is more important than all our lives. Or all the lives we might save learning more about Andromeda. Does none of that matter?”
“Caspian,” Zenfor said, causing him to turn. “You are missing the point. Commander Diazal agrees with you. Look at her.”
Cas turned back to Evie, his head flinching. What was Zenfor seeing that he couldn’t? Everything about her appearance suggested confrontation, the ster
n look, the weapon…and yet her body wasn’t tensed up like one would be when walking into a room ready for a fight. Was it all for show? “Is that true? You agree with me?”
Her face softened. “I can’t let this ship go down when we have a chance to save it. The captain may not be willing to go against the regulations, but I’m not willing to stand by and do nothing. Launch the missile. Box is at the ready on the bridge to take the helm from Ensign Ronde. He’ll get us out of here in time.”
“He snitched on me, didn’t he?”
She grinned. “For a pathological liar, he’s not very good.”
“I’m afraid that’s my fault,” Xax said. “I’ve been encouraging him to speak the truth more often. It’s imperative when in medical situations. I’m afraid he’s out of practice.”
“Doctor,” Evie said. “I know I can’t ask you to be a party to this, but—”
“A party to what? I certified that missile ready for launch.” She pointed toward the storage area. “What was done after I left I have no knowledge of.” Her small mouth formed a grin and she walked out of the room, the doors closing back behind her again.
“Are you sure about this?” Cas asked.
He thought Evie might turn on him again, everything before being nothing but a ruse to get Xax out of the room. But instead Evie nodded. “Just hurry.”
38
“I can’t believe it,” Cas said. He would have gone to his grave betting Evie would never have broken Coalition regulations like this, but here she was, aiding and abetting in what the Coalition considered a punishable crime.
“Believe me, I’m still grappling with it myself,” she said. “But we don’t have a choice. Greene will destroy this ship rather than compromise his values. Sound like someone you know?”
He scoffed. “Trust me, I’ve already been down that route. Look, you get back up to the bridge, they can’t know you had anything to do with this. They’ll court-martial you if they find out.”
“Can you two handle it?”
He nodded. “Just keep the technicians out of here and we’ll make sure it’s loaded and ready. Greene will think this is the biological weapon. When it blows, Box will take the helm and get us out of here before the wave hits us and strands us in the middle of non-navigable space.”
“You realize what we’re doing, right?” Evie asked, closing the panels on the missile. “We’re destroying the possibility any civilization from any nearby planet will be able to leave their homeworlds.”
“I know,” Cas said, his eyes down. “There are two planets close that are inhabited, both in different systems. I already scanned them. They haven’t reached spacefaring technology yet, but one probably will in another hundred years.”
“And when they try to reach out into space—” she began.
“—they’ll find themselves stranded. They’ll believe all of space is like that. When really it will just be the lack of dimensional grounding that will keep them from obtaining any thrust. Not to mention all the undercurrents in this area will be obliterated.”
She gave him a sad smile. “Is it worth it? For our lives?”
“Maybe not. But for the future of the Coalition,” he replied.
“You still do not understand. You still value all life equally,” Zenfor interjected. “Those lives on the planets below, they are not comparable to yours. Those small people don’t have the slightest idea of what awaits them. You do. You know the threats and you will be protecting them, whether they know it or not. So yes, the lives of the people on this ship are worth more than whole planets full of people. Equity, not equality.”
“How can you say that?” Evie asked. “Some person down there might have the knowledge to devise a new type of transportation. They might be able to beat the odds.”
Zenfor didn’t flinch. “Then let them beat it. But don’t judge them for things they haven’t done yet. You have built a Coalition full of lives you must protect. That is your duty. Not adhering to some rule that no longer applies.”
Cas placed his hand on her arm. “Evie, she’s right. It’s a hard call, but we have to make it. Get back to the bridge so everyone sees you there. We’ll stay here.”
She groaned, but nodded. “I’ll do everything I can to keep them from finding out.”
“Don’t worry about us. We’re already in trouble here. But you’re not. You can still make a difference out there. Don’t do anything to jeopardize your position.” She nodded, then gave one last look at Zenfor before exiting.
“Give it one more check while I fire up the manual controls,” Cas said. He ran over to Ensign Tileah’s station, and disabled the auto-fire function.
The comm opened automatically. “Weapons, this is the bridge. How is that missile coming? We’re running short on time up here.”
Cas gritted his teeth and tried to pitch his voice high, hitting the return button. “Almost ready. Five minutes.” Zenfor stared at him as if he was crazy.
“Tileah, is that you?” Greene said.
“We’re getting some interference,” Cas said, shrugging at Zenfor. “Stand by.” He muted the comm. “That’s not going to hold,” he said.
“How long do you think? Long enough for Commander Diazal to get back to the bridge?”
“I have no clue. But no matter what, we can’t let them get in here. Not until it’s launched.”
Zenfor nodded, finishing her inspection. “Everything here is—”
The doors slid open to reveal ensign Tileah, a confused look on her face. “What’s going on? The captain just called me. Did you impersonate—” In less than two seconds Zenfor had crossed the room and snatched Tileah by the collar, dragging her into the room while the doors slid closed behind her.
“What did you tell him?” she asked in a less-than-friendly voice.
“Tell who?” She coughed.
“Zenfor, set her down, she can’t breathe.” Zenfor lowered her to the ground, but didn’t release her collar.
“I apologize,” Zenfor said in the same threatening tone. “What did you say to the captain?”
“I told him you were in here with the Commander. And that Commander Diazal had dismissed me.”
“Shit!” Cas yelled, running back over to weapons control. “We don’t have a choice; we’ll need to launch it now. Bring her over here.”
“Easy!” Tileah said. Cas could now see the tattoo clearly on the side of her head. It was an intricate design crafted around a symbol Cas recognized. His stomach plummeted once he realized what it was. The symbol might have been augmented so it was difficult to discern, but Cas could still see the original outline of the Sargan Trade Commission. Tileah had been sold by the Sargans once upon a time.
“Consul, let her go,” Cas said. Tileah wrenched herself away from the much taller woman. “What planet are you from? Paxi?”
Her face turned into a scowl. “Senoj’A. You recognized it. Of course you would.”
He wanted to question her about it. Why hadn’t she had the tattoo removed? Or grown her hair over it? Why keep it on display for everyone to see, not that many in the Coalition would probably recognize it. But at the moment they didn’t have the time. Evie was possibly in danger of being discovered. “I need you to call up to the bridge, tell them we’ll be ready in five minutes. And you have to tell them Commander Diazal wasn’t here.”
The scowl was replaced by confusion. “Why would I do that?”
“Because it’s the right thing to do. And you know all about people being hurt for no reason other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
She stared at the missile. “This isn’t a biological weapon, is it?”
“The less you know, the better.”
“Better than dying, I guess.” She sighed and tapped the comm link. “Bridge, this is weapons control. Commander Robeaux reports ready to fire in five minutes. And I apologize, I meant to say Commander Robeaux dismissed me earlier.”
“Acknowledged weapons control,” Lieutenant Uuma said.
“Happy?” Tileah crossed her arms.
“It’ll do. Now what do we need to make sure this missile fires?” Cas asked.
“It will need new command codes,” Tileah said. “Each time a firing pattern is changed new codes are required. Since you removed the old missile I’ll need new authorization.”
Cas glanced back at Zenfor. “Guess you were right. These will be good for one more time.” He entered his personal code into the console authorizing the change.
“That’s all we need,” Tileah said. “Should I evacuate the room or something?”
Cas shook his head, pointed to Zenfor. “Stay here, make sure the missile doesn’t malfunction.”
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“The bridge. I need to make sure this happens the way we want it to happen.”
***
Evie walked back on to the bridge just as Uuma ended a comm with someone, but she hadn’t heard who. The Lieutenant briefly glanced her way, then returned to her duties. She couldn’t help but wonder if her cover was already blown. Maybe it would be better if she didn’t try to hide what she knew. But that would mean she was party to a coup. She glanced at Box who stood off to the side of the bridge, watching the action on the screen before them. In the center of the darkness, a pinpoint of light had appeared, though Evie couldn’t tell where it was coming from. But it looked like a nearby star.
“Would someone like to tell me what the hell it’s doing?” Greene asked.
“Unknown, sir,” Zaal said. “None of our readings have changed.”
“Is it coming from the creature?” Evie took her seat, hoping her absence wasn’t noticed by anyone other than Uuma.
“Again, unknown.”
“Engine status,” Greene said.
“Down to fourteen percent,” Ensign Tyler reported over the comm. Evie glanced to the bridge engineering station. Without Blohm there they had to communicate directly with engineering which was only one more thing on Ensign Tyler’s plate. “We can’t hold much longer sir, and our distance is still slipping. It’s slowly pulling us in.”