by Eric Warren
“With all due respect, sir, I wasn’t under your command. And I’m not right now. The Coalition and I…we just don’t fit anymore. My mistake was in thinking we did.”
Zaal spoke up. “His sacrifice would exonerate you and the Commander from any wrongdoing.”
“But then what happens to Cas? And the consul?” Evie asked. “We can’t just turn them over to the authorities.”
“I doubt Coalition Central will do anything to the consul, the bonds there are too fragile. They won’t want to risk what little progress we’ve made so far. As for the comm—mister Robeaux, I don’t know. A second offense, and one of this magnitude will not be easy. I expect they’ll pull him off at Cypaxia or Starbase Five and hold a trial, despite the fact he may have been resigned at the time. Even as a citizen there would be extreme consequences.”
Cas took a deep breath. Back to jail. Somehow he’d always known it was in the cards. Hopefully this time they wouldn’t try to kill him. “That’s fine. Tileah will say I tricked her, Xax can back it up. And neither of you have any knowledge of what I did until afterward.”
Greene worked his jaw. “I want to impress upon you how serious this is. By admitting to this you’ll be admitting you didn’t just break a law, you broke a regulation. The punishment may be more severe. At least if you were acting under my command—”
Cas shook his head. “The entire reason I was willing to use the missile in the first place was because this mission needs to succeed. And it can’t do that if its captain and first officer are arrested for environmental terrorism. I’m more than familiar with the punishments.”
Greene sighed. “Very well. If that’s—”
“No!” Evie yelled. “This is not acceptable. There has to be another option.”
“It’s a trans-dimensional weapon, I don’t think they make exceptions,” Cas said, leaning back in the chair. One thing was for sure, he was going to go get drop-dead drunk before they came for him. It might be last time he ever could.
“They can’t arrest him,” Zenfor said from her corner.
Cas turned to her. “Didn’t you read the Coalition’s Organizing Principles and their Amendments?”
“Yes. But it doesn’t matter. If they arrest you, I will declare any and all possibility of an alliance null and void.”
Cas stood. “I can’t ask you do to that. What if they call your bluff?”
“Who says it’s a bluff? You are the liaison to the Sil. Removing you from the equation would be a betrayal to us, telling us the Coalition is not serious about forming a long-term relationship. Not to mention I was the one who modified the missile. It was Sil technology, not Coalition.”
For a moment Cas didn’t know how to express his gratitude toward her. She was putting a lot of faith in him, why? She had never been much more than neutral toward him, and all members of the Coalition for that matter. But for some reason she was willing to risk herself for him. To risk the Sil future for him. Cas turned to Greene. “There’s no way they’ll let this go. It’s too big.”
“I guess there’s only one way to find out,” the captain said, standing. “I’ll make my report to Admiral Sanghvi and let you know what he says. Honestly, it could go either way. It depends on what the Coalition decides is the bigger threat: Andromeda…or you.”
He made to exit with Zaal following close behind. But before he was beyond the doors, he turned back. “Regardless of what happens, thank you for your willingness to fall on your sword for us. For this mission. And for the Coalition.” The doors closed behind him and Zaal.
Evie stared across the table at him, her eyes sad.
“Could you give us a few minutes?” Cas asked Zenfor. She nodded and left the room. “So.”
“So,” she replied.
“What’s on Cypaxia?”
She flinched. “My dying father.” She glanced down at his open uniform. One sleeve had torn somewhere between the weapons lab and the conference room. “Did you really resign?”
“Yep. You were right. The uniform was too tight after all,” he said, staring at the tear in the arm. “Turns out I can be more help when I’m not an officer.”
“How, by throwing yourself to the wolves?” Her face was unreadable.
“If that’s what it takes.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever understand you.”
“That’s because you’ve missed the last thirty lunches. Don’t you know? I’m incorrigible.” He smirked and she fought to smile back. “Plus, if I’m going to jail I want to make my last few meals enjoyable. And that’s only possible with good company. Join me?”
She stood, the smile reaching her eyes. “I’d be glad to.”
Thank you for reading DARKEST REACH. If you enjoyed the book please take some time to leave a review on AMAZON or GOODREADS. And look for future installments in the series. The easiest way to keep track is to sign up on my website where you’ll have access to all the INFINITY’S END exclusive stories and maps!
The journey continues in JOURNEY’S EDGE. Turn the page for a sneak preview!
JOURNEY’S EDGE: INFINITY’S END BOOK 4 PREVIEW
At any minute he was going to throw up.
Caspian Robeaux sat in one of the uncomfortable chairs, facing the small podium that had been brought in for the solemn occasion. The first two funerals had been bad enough, but this was the one he’d been dreading the most. This was the one that truly represented everything he’d lost in a matter of seconds.
Box sat beside him, unmoving except for his yellow eyes blinking on and off as the last few crewmen moved out of the way and the captain approached the podium. The robot had been uncharacteristically quiet the past few days, which was a welcome respite from the usual non-stop stream of words out his voice speaker. But this wasn’t a time for annoying or boisterous behavior and Box seemed to get that. And like a true friend he’d been right here beside Cas through all three of these Kor-forsaken things. Cas swallowed hard and turned his attention back to the front, willing his body to cooperate. The last thing he needed to do was cause a scene by losing what little he’d eaten all over the loading bay floor.
Why did they have to have these things in here? This was where Tempest, his current ship if he could call it that, housed the extra cargo and supplies not being used. For a ship of its size, Tempest required a lot of supplies to keep her crew working at top efficiency. And as one of the newest and most advanced ships of the Sovereign Coalition of Aligned Systems it had been packed to the brim. But it gave the room a very utilitarian feel; it wasn’t much more than a large box with a few windows to the left where the docking ports were located. All the chairs they’d brought in were lined up in rows parallel to the windows while the podium was situated in the very front. And there, sitting in front of the podium itself was the casket.
“Friends,” Captain Cordell Greene began as he stood facing the crew. As far as Cas could tell most everyone was here save a couple of dozen officers and crewmen and women left to run the ship as the ceremony took place. The ship was on a schedule and couldn’t even be bothered to stop for everyone to pay proper respects. They had to do it on the fly. After the Coalition had learned of Tempest’s ability to travel even faster using Zenfor’s advanced technology they’d wanted the ship to continue with its mission immediately and as quickly as possible.
“This is never an easy event. And we have had more than our fair share of these this week. But that doesn’t mean we’re not going to pay our respects. Suzanna was a valued member of our crew, and she deserves a proper sendoff.”
Suzanna. A name Cas had only just become accustomed to. Before the shuttle mission he’d known her as Commander Blohm. But then she’d opened up to him and they had even agreed to an informal get together after they’d gotten away from that creature living on the edge of the Excel Nebula. But it had never happened. There had never been a date because Suzanna and everyone else on the shuttle hadn’t come back. Unless he counted when the creature absorbed her voice and tried talking to
Tempest through her to lure them back in.
Yeah. That had been a fun day.
Cas closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, willing himself not to vomit. So maybe he’d been to the bar a couple more times than normal, so what? He could handle it. But he felt his hands shaking as he drew deep breaths in and out.
“Boss, you okay?” Box whispered in his electronic-tinged voice.
“Fine,” Cas whispered back. “Hush.”
“We gather today to celebrate the life of a talented engineer,” Greene continued. “I first learned of the commander when I was assigned command of Tempest over a year ago. And when we met in person I was impressed with not only her breadth of knowledge, but her dedication to the job. She’d already been an engineer for the Coalition for over ten years.” He paused and smiled. “And she’d been the chief on more than one ship in the past. So you can imagine how well it went over when I told her I needed her for a job in which she wouldn’t be the chief engineer.”
There were a few chuckles through the crowd. Cas didn’t see what was so funny. Technically Suzanna had been the chief engineer, it was a title she shared with Commander Sesster, a Claxian. Tempest was the only ship in the Coalition with a Claxian on board, and thus the only Coalition ship that could travel at speeds nearly twice what other Coalition ships could manage. The ship had been designed to house a Claxian as well as utilize their unique talents to increase the speed of the engines. The only problem was the advanced engines couldn’t work without Commander Sesster, so it wasn’t as if Suzanna could have taken his place. They’d had to work in tandem. And despite Greene’s words now, Cas knew she had been annoyed at the situation, if not downright disappointed.
“Still, she took it in stride,” Greene said. “She was excited to be part of this crew, to be on an experimental ship working with one of the most unique races in our Coalition to better the lives of every citizen.” He nodded toward the back. Cas didn’t have to turn to see that Sesster was positioned near the rear of the large space. It wasn’t often he left Engineering due to his massive size, but he’d made the journey up here to pay his respects, like most of the Engineering crew.
Cas took three deep breaths and opened his eyes again, only to find them wet, which he quickly brushed dry again.
“She was a dear friend. A loyal officer and a brilliant engineer. Tempest was lucky to have her, and she will be unreplaceable. I’d like to take this moment to invite anyone up here to say a few words about her if you wish.” Greene took a step back and clasped his hands behind his back.
Cas took a cursory glance around, seeing if anyone would take him up on the offer. During the funeral for Lecia Grippen the day before there had been a steady stream of people making their way up to the front, led by the spacewing Chief Rafnkell. Cas happened to catch her eyes now as he was looking around and wished he hadn’t. She’d been giving him death glares ever since the funeral yesterday and it seemed she wasn’t going to let up anytime soon. Grippen had been one of her best pilots and friends, and she took no precautions in making sure everyone on the ship knew that fact and that Cas had been the one to authorize the mission that had gotten her, Pearson and Suzanna killed.
As if he didn’t feel bad enough.
He hoped someone would stand up and say something about Suzanna. He didn’t know if he could bear it if that podium remained empty. Didn’t she have friends? Comrades who would regale good memories and stories about her? There was no way he could do it; he didn’t know nearly enough about the woman. Before the shuttle mission they’d barely said more than a few words to each other, though she’d always been more agreeable to him than most of the rest of the crew. He’d thought she was being nice, but it had turned out he was blind to everything she was doing for him. And he hated himself for it.
“Ahem.” Cas glanced up to see Evelyn Diazal, the Tempest’s first officer—and person who had wrangled him from Sargan space—stand up and take the podium behind the casket. She leaned forward, a shaky smile on her lips. “Being relatively new to Tempest I didn’t get a lot of time to know Suzanna. But I found her to be a warm and compassionate individual. But something you may not know…is she was terribly superstitious.” She paused a moment, the smile solidifying itself on her face. “Once she told me that if she didn’t have the exact same thing for breakfast every morning it was just asking for trouble. She said she’d made the mistake on one of her first days on the ship and it ended with the engines almost frying themselves.” There were a few more chuckles from the back. He couldn’t help but smile himself. That was something he probably would have discovered in short order.
“She also showed me her tattoo, just on the outside of her ankle. Of a rabbit’s foot; an ancient superstition handed down through the generations. Of course, now we don’t have rabbits anymore otherwise I think she might have actually carried around a real one.” Cas saw her smile falter. “She was a good officer and a good person. She didn’t deserve to die like she did, but she took an oath like the rest of us. And knowing her sacrifice helped us escape would have been more than a fair tradeoff in her mind. Though now we’re the ones who have to live with the loss. I once heard someone say funerals weren’t for the dead, but for those they leave behind, so that we may celebrate and move on. And I will always celebrate Suzanna Blohm. She will be dearly missed.” As she said the last words her gaze landed on Cas and he couldn’t help the tears spill from his eyes. Evie was one of the few people who knew about Suzanna’s feelings for Cas. She was also one of the few people who knew how much Cas blamed himself for what happened.
“Thank you, Commander.” Greene took the podium again after Evie had taken her seat. “Anyone else?”
Someone came up from the back, one of the engineers, and made his way to the podium, telling a humorous anecdote about the commander but Cas had stopped listening. All he could think of was watching Suzanna get in that shuttle with Grippen and Pearson, flying beside them out toward the creature and then them being pulled in while he had to sit there and watch, unable to do anything about it. He didn’t even bother hiding the tears anymore. It had been his idea to use two shuttles; one for each type of communication. He’d thought a split-test would be the easiest way to determine how to communicate with the creature. Had he known the creature was a malicious entity hell-bent on consuming them all he wouldn’t have bothered. But no, he’d been too busy trying to prove he was a capable Coalition officer, despite having been out of the service for over seven years. There was a good reason he’d initially declined retaking his commission, he saw that now. He was only capable of getting those under his command killed. There was no other way to see it.
Another half dozen people got up to speak about Suzanna, each with their own humorous or inspirational stories. It wasn’t as many as had spoken about Grippen, but it was a respectable number. After the last person retreated to their seat Box nudged him but Cas only shook his head. He couldn’t get up there. What would he say? That he was too stupid to see she was interested in pursuing a relationship with him until it was too late? That if he’d known he would have insisted Lieutenant Uuma go in her place and die instead? That he would do anything for a second chance with her?
No. He couldn’t get up there and talk about someone he barely knew like he was her best friend in the world. It would be an insult to her memory. And they had barely known each other, so why was he so hung up on what could have been? Why couldn’t he just let go of her? No one else affected him that way. Box nudged him again, but Cas stayed rooted to his seat.
“If no one has anything else then we will conclude,” Greene said, retaking the podium. He glanced around one last time to make sure no one else was standing then turned to the casket. “Please rise.” Everyone stood at once.
“Present arms,” the voice of the funeral guard said, approaching from the right. Everyone saluted the casket in unison—including Cas—while the guard stood directly beside the casket, taking the Coalition’s flag from the top and folding i
t, tucking it under his arm.
Greene stepped forward; his fist centered on his chest. “Lieutenant Commander Suzanna Erin Blohm, thank you for touching all our lives, in one way or another. Thank you for your skill and dedication and thank you for your service to the citizens of the Sovereign Coalition of Aligned Systems. May you find peace and serenity in death.” He dropped his hand, and everyone else in the audience followed suit. The guard placed his gloved hands on either side of the casket, moving it toward the far wall. He then loaded it into one of the tubes used to bring in supplies while a force shield formed over it. As they watched the casket itself appeared on the other side of the hull, floating free in space for a split second before it was whisked away at a thousand times the speed of light.
Cas took a hitched breath. Why was he so emotional? It wasn’t as if she was really in there anyway. It had been entirely symbolic. Her body had been destroyed when the creature had taken them. Something Rafnkell hadn’t forgotten to remind him more than once.
“Thank you all for coming,” Greene said. “Dismissed.”
Cas watched the stars blur by though the windows. “Goodbye, Suzanna,” he whispered.
To be continued in JOURNEY’S EDGE, available soon!
You’ve found the Map Piece for Book 3! Turn the page to see how it fits into the larger
Sovereign Coalition Universe!
You found segments N9-S12. Check out more books in the series for extra pieces!
Glossary
Planets/Stars/Outposts
Earth – homeworld of the human species
Quaval – one of the few charted systems inside Sil space
Thislea – Sil homeworld, much is unknown about this planet
Cassiopeia Optima – Sargan homeworld (settled by humans millennia ago)