He stared at her for a moment, his long face stiff with restrained emotion. "Ryelle," he said in a careful voice. "You’re accusing the Institute of a very serious crime on the basis of one man’s angry comment. Are you sure he wasn’t just—?"
"I have no proof, which is why I haven’t called in the civilian authorities. But I am sure, Commander." She studied him for a moment. "You don’t believe me."
He frowned, glancing around at the mess she’d made of his office. He returned his gaze to her, eyes tracing the contours of her face. She could see the doubt in him, the conflict. "Belief is hard when I’ve had honorable dealings with them before. But their treatment of you doesn’t speak well for them. And I’ve learned to trust you, little mims. If what you say is true, though, you shouldn’t leave the Odyssey. I can protect you—"
"No," she interrupted with a hard shake of her head. "I’m not the one who needs protecting. And you know the law—the Institute has the final say in any telenetic transaction. You can’t keep me here if they say I must leave. I’ll go to the Destiny. You can still command me from there. The further away I am from—from the people I care about, the safer you all will be."
He was shaking his head, a crease in his brow. "Ryelle, this is ludicrous. Even if they were serious in their threats, they couldn’t possibly—"
"No? They have a whole army of telenetics, Commander. They have grateful, satisfied customers in all areas of society, commerce, and government. They have a unique position and power. Do you truly believe they couldn’t possibly?" She said it tightly, trying to control the surge of helpless rage under her skin.
He watched her with a troubled, darkened gaze and said nothing, his hands hard around hers.
"I need time. I need to be able to appease them and keep them from action until I can return to the Institute to deal with them. Commander, they still have my mother. I have to get her away from them. She might—she might still…" She had to stop, close her eyes, and swallow hard. When she continued, her voice was a whisper. "There’s a chance she could recover, if I can get her to different facilities. Others might also be able to find proof of foul play. But I won’t be able to get anywhere near her if the Institute suspects what I’ve got planned. So I need to do as they say, for now. I need to do my job."
She opened her eyes and looked at him, feeling the ache of grief and burn of fury all the way to her soul. "I need to transfer off the Odyssey. Then I need to get rid of this damned war so I can return to the Institute. But I have to know that Declan is safe when I do. You have to promise me, Commander. Promise you’ll watch over him."
His eyebrows rose and for the first time a hint of humor crept into his expression. "Get rid of this damned war? I appreciate the sentiment, little mims, but how do you propose to do that?"
"Promise," she hissed, squeezing his hands until her fingers hurt.
"You don’t have to ask," he snapped, light blue eyes flaring at her. "He’s one of mine and I protect what’s mine. That includes you, little girl. I won’t let them transfer you without a fight."
She nodded, relaxing her grip. "You can try. It won’t work, but thank you. For trying and for protecting Declan. I need to know he’s safe, or I won’t be able to go."
He made a furious sound in his throat and slid forward to kneel in front of her, catching her upper arms and giving her a little shake. "You won’t be going, damn it."
"You’re a very nice man," she whispered, eyes burning with unshed tears. "I appreciate everything you’ve done for me. But you don’t understand—the Institute has threatened the ones I love. Declan isn’t the only one on this ship that I have to protect."
"Ryelle," he growled with another shake. Then he pulled her into his arms with a rough sigh. "This is why I never had kids. They’re such a pain in the ass."
He surprised a watery laugh out of her and she rested her cheek on his shoulder with a bittersweet sense of comfort. Strong and gentle, his arms felt so different from Declan’s. The memory burned and she pulled back to escape it. He let her go and resumed his seat, watching her with a wry smile and worry in his eyes.
"So, assuming I’m unsuccessful in keeping you on my ship and you continue to want to follow through on your plans, just how were you going to end the war?"
She looked at him, feeling the seething, wild strength of her talent around her. In a flat voice underlined with bitter conviction, she said, "I will destroy every last one of them."
His smile slipped away, eyes widening. "Ryelle…even if that was possible, could you? Could you commit genocide?"
She gave him a humorless, brittle smile. "Declan was right. All I needed was motivation. I can, Commander, and I will."
"How?" His eyes remained wide, his face blank and body tense.
She started to tell him, but before she got very far, he was shaking his head.
"No. No, you’re not doing it. Even if you could manage—"
"I understand that you’re the commanding officer of the Fleet, therefore the one in charge of this military action. But if your superiors had a chance to end the war, the entire war and be done with the GenTec, what would they say?"
His long face hardened, eyes narrowing on her. "Are you seriously threatening to go over my head on this?"
She said nothing, just watched him with a still face and blood under her nails. His lips curled back over his teeth in a silent, feral snarl that she knew was both for her and the situation. She didn’t even blink.
"Set that aside for now," he said with an edge of danger in his voice. "Let’s talk about the Institute. What do you expect to accomplish if you return?"
She talked; he listened. Then he talked and she listened. Together they formed the nucleus of a plan that would take them years to implement.
*******
Leaving the Odyssey gave Ryelle a physical wrench, like a sharp hook had ripped through her chest. She felt gutted and leaking, her breath hitching harshly in her throat as she entered the shuttle that would take her to the Destiny. She had seen no one and said goodbye to no one but the commander. If she saw Declan or spoke to him, she wouldn’t be able to leave.
She sat through the trip from one ship to the next with her heart shredding in her chest and tears pouring unheeded down her cheeks. When the shuttle docked with the Destiny, she scrubbed hastily at the wetness and smoothed her hair, working to find calm. She didn’t care if Captain Gibbs saw her shattered state, but she couldn’t afford for Telenetic Hoti to witness her emotion. For all intents and purposes, he was the Institute, and she had to walk a very fine line. From here on out, she was on display at all times and could not afford to show weakness.
When she rose and stepped out of the shuttle, she was cloaked in serenity, her talent flowing around her like a robe of dignity. She would no longer contain it. They had been wrong to force her to.
The Captain and Hoti were waiting for her side by side. The brown telenetic stared at her with thin lips and burning eyes, and Ryelle stared back in cold challenge while she approached.
"Welcome to the Destiny, Telenetic Soliere," Captain Gibbs said in sober tones. Commander Task hadn’t told her everything, but she knew enough to feel the gravity of the situation.
Ryelle responded without taking her eyes off the other telenetic. "Thank you, Captain. I appreciate you agreeing to this transfer. Well, Hoti?" she asked with raised eyebrows. "You obviously want to take me on. I don’t think the Institute would approve, but if you push me, I’d be happy to flatten you."
He recoiled, a flicker of fear in his eyes along with outrage. Hands fisting at his sides, he hissed, "You are a disgrace to the Institute and a monstrous freak of nature. They should have put you down when they found you."
"Eban!" the captain exclaimed, but neither telenetic acknowledged her.
Ryelle curled her lips in a humorless smile. "I’m sure some wanted to. But after I destroyed the entire Institute, they must have realized it wasn’t possible." She turned away from him in dismissal, giving the captain
a courteous nod. "Captain Gibbs, we need to contact the commander and let him know of my safe arrival. Has he briefed you about his continuing use of me?"
The captain stared at her with troubled eyes, a crease between her brows. Ryelle couldn’t bring herself to care. "Yes, Telenetic. Commander Task was quite clear. You are to be available to him at all times. Which seems an unnecessary complication to me—why not stay on the Odyssey if he wishes to retain complete command control over you?"
Ryelle rounded her eyes with innocent dismay. "We had a torrid affair and now he can’t stand the sight of me," she simpered, batting her eyelashes. Then she let her expression smooth into a bland smile while they stared at her with open mouths. "Shall we?" She swept around them, heading for the exit.
After a moment, the captain caught up with her, matching her stride. In a low voice filled with dry amusement, the blond said, "Well, you’ve changed. What happened to that self-effacing girl with no sense of humor?"
"I found motivation." I found a family.
"And God help the rest of us," the captain responded with a faint snort. "Am I going to have to put you and Eban on opposite sides of the ship?"
"Not necessary, Captain," she said. "Our disagreement has nothing to do with our duty. We’ll behave, won’t we, Hoti?" she asked without looking over her shoulder. She felt the burn of his hateful stare on the back of her neck.
"We are professionals, Captain. There will be no trouble, unless Telenetic Soliere endangers the mission or the ship."
Ryelle felt the quiet pull of the captain’s regard and glanced over to see the question in the woman’s stern gaze. She let her mouth curl on one side and rolled her eyes in full teenage disgust. The woman pressed her lips together and snapped her face forward, face pinkening with the effort to hold in her humor.
Ryelle let a genuine smile of grim satisfaction pull up the corners of her lips. The commander had been right to suggest this approach to the captain—the woman had complained to him about Hoti’s prim nature, though he was a competent telenetic. With calm confidence and humor, Ryelle could win the woman to her side and she wouldn’t be so swayed by the influence and accusations of the Institute or Hoti. Ryelle would need her when she was done with the GenTec.
They checked in with the commander, confirming her arrival and her status on the ship. The commander responded with cool professionalism, stating that he would be in contact when they reached Mirabella. For her part, Ryelle had to stare through him, focusing her mind on the river of rage in her heart to keep from breaking down. She knew separating from Declan would be hell, but she hadn’t thought she would feel so lost away from the commander and the Odyssey.
Some of her despair must have shown, because the captain quietly suggested that she retire to her new quarters until they reached the Mirabella star cluster in a few hours. With a nod, she left the captain and Hoti and found her way with the help of the ship’s systems to her new quarters. Similar to her old, they were too large, too empty for her peace of mind. She sat at the work station and stared at the com console.
Her need for Declan was a live, vicious thing in her chest, struggling madly to be free. But if she saw him, she would lose what tenuous control she still had. He deserved to hear from her, though. He deserved to know why she’d left and why she hadn’t said goodbye. With shaking fingers, she set the com for record and struggled to find the strength and words to compose a message for him.
"Declan," she began, and then took a shaky breath, tears stinging her eyes at the sound of his name. "I’m so sorry. I had to leave the Odyssey, and I’m sorry I couldn’t see you, couldn’t say goodbye. The Institute demanded a transfer, and they—" She turned her face away for a moment so he wouldn’t see the fury twisting her features. "They made a threat against you to force me to comply. This will be over soon, and—" She stopped again, realizing that she couldn’t give him details of their plans. The Institute might intercept the message, and she couldn’t give out any information that would tip them off. "And I wanted to tell you that I love you. I wish…" I wish I’d told you before instead of being afraid of what you’d think of me. I wish I had made more of our time together, that I had spent all of my waking and sleeping hours in your arms. Tears flooded her eyes and threatened to spill over her lashes. Hastily she looked down and reached for the controls to end the message. "I love you, Declan."
With a quick touch, she sent the message to the Odyssey, and then sat with her hands in her lap, waiting for the pain to subside. It never did.
*******
The news of Ryelle’s defection to the Destiny spread like wildfire throughout the Odyssey. Declan heard it from the Chief in the privacy of his superior’s office. He was muzzy headed with exhaustion, the evening’s exciting battle giving way to the night’s long, boring wait for more action. They would reach Mirabella soon and the Chief wanted all hands at stations. He had stimulants available for crew that needed to stave off weariness. When the Chief told Declan about Ryelle’s departure, he thought he should probably take the drug, since he was obviously so tired he wasn’t hearing right.
"Sorry, sir? Did you say—"
"She’s gone, Dec. Ryelle is now aboard the Destiny. From what the commander has said, she won’t be returning." For once, the Chief didn’t look serene and content, his narrow face lined with distress.
Declan’s weariness fled on a spear of panic, and he jumped to his feet. "What? Why?"
"All I know is that the Institute requested a transfer. Sam says that he fought for her to stay, but the Institute threw the law book at him. Their official reason for this decision was that they believed the environment on the Odyssey was not conducive to proper cultivation of their youngest active telenetic. Those were Sam’s exact words," the Chief said in a strained voice, running a hand through his thinning hair.
"This isn’t happening," Declan whispered, clutching at his chest where a fiery ball of pain had taken up residence.
"She sent you a message, Dec. I’ll leave you alone to see it." The Chief clasped his arm in a firm, sympathetic grip, his hazel eyes dark with sorrow, before he slipped past and left the office.
Declan almost fell into the seat before the com unit, his legs numb with shock and despair. Won’t be returning? It didn’t seem possible; the horror of it was too large to be real. His hand shook as he activated the message.
Ryelle appeared, her lovely face stiff and her dark eyes cutting through him like black arrows. "Declan," she said, and paused, her face still as stone. "I’m sorry. I cannot see you any more. The Institute does not approve of our relationship, and I will abide by their wishes. I hope you can forgive me and move on. I wish you the best, Declan."
Her beautiful, treacherous face disappeared, leaving him to stare at the dark viewer with blind eyes while vast rooms of emptiness opened in his soul.
Chapter 11
Mirabella was beautiful. The cluster of stars shown like the rainbow light of God, shedding glorious, frenetic energy in all directions. It was hard to see in all that light, both with human eyes and with the ship’s sensors. The GenTec used that wildly pulsing energy for cover, hiding in the dips and valleys of light, attacking and retreating in a strategy designed to wear down their opponents and decrease their numbers over time. Fleet Command guessed that they had either created technology to counteract the effects of the star cluster or their genetically altered bodies provided the means to navigate better than normal humans.
Either way, it made no difference to Ryelle. She could see them just fine. The commander had urged her to do just that, to scan for them while the Fleet picked them off one by one. She rejected it as too slow and inefficient. Working through the Fleet might be safer for her, but more dangerous for Fleet personnel, plus some GenTec were bound to escape. While she relayed some ship locations, the others would be sneaking away and they would be back to chasing GenTec all over the galaxy.
Instead, she was in a small, personal conveyer, flying into the light alone. Both the commander and
the captain had refused to allow her to go by herself, demanding that she take a pilot to fly the conveyer in case she became too occupied or incapacitated to do it. She’d let them demand and insist. When it came time, she’d calmly removed the pilot and flown herself. She refused to put anyone else in danger, especially when it wasn’t necessary.
Even with a protective visor and eyes closed, the light still penetrated, making her head ache. She felt stuffed with it, or maybe what she felt was the burning need to release her helpless fury. The GenTec weren’t the object of her rage, but they were the convenient target. She let the conveyer drift in waves of light and reached for them, locating them throughout the cluster. She reached further, wanting to find them all, and something caught her attention. At the center of one of the stars, a device…
Ryelle gasped, eyes flying open before she winced them shut again. She hadn’t given much thought to why the GenTec had chosen Mirabella to mobilize in such large numbers. They were drawing the Fleet here for a reason, and now she knew why. The sun’s massive energy kept the Fleet from being able to detect the device. They would keep coming closer, fighting the GenTec ships, until they were right where the GenTecs wanted them. Then they would detonate the device and the sun would go nova, forcing the other stars to do the same. The resulting series of supernovas would obliterate everything in this sector of space.
Ryelle couldn’t comprehend destruction on that scale. Why? Wouldn’t the GenTec be destroying themselves in the bargain? Unless they had a plan to escape. She supposed once they’d gotten the Fleet entrenched here, the GenTec could leave a few sacrificial ships behind to keep the Fleet interested while the rest fled. She shuddered. With the majority of the Fleet forces turned to space dust, the GenTec would be free to invade and conquer their ancestral homes.
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