Victors
Page 27
“She’s not bent, so that’s a start,” Jannik said in an aggrieved tone that made Cross wince. The engineer’s voice softened as he continued, “The ship’s beautiful. You’re going to love her. It almost, almost, makes me wish I was heading out again.”
They shared a laugh, and the talk moved on to other things. Cross’s unease grew. After the incredibly public award of command, he had no idea how he was going to tell the admirals that he wasn’t taking her.
Every part of him wanted to keep the commitment he’d made to Kate much more than any part of him wanted the shiny new ship above. He considered it again, as he’d been doing ever since the announcement and arrived at the same conclusion. No matter how beautiful she was, the new Washington, DC couldn’t hold a candle to Kate.
He had nine months remaining on his service contract, and when it was up, he’d be assigned to the Pandora with her, or he’d be a civilian at her side.
Another acquaintance came over to congratulate him, and Cross greeted him with a huge grin, utterly confident in his choices. If the other person misinterpreted the reason for the expression, well, that was very appropriate for the day. He snuck a glance at Kate and saw no doubts in her eyes either.
For days, months, years, or decades. For however much time they had left in this world. They would be together.
Chapter Forty-Four
Nine months later
The ship was phenomenal. Admiral James Okoye led their group, showing off the new vessel to Cross, Kate, Claire Martin, Alan Jacobs, and several political dignitaries. Cross felt like it was just for him.
The tour had begun on the embarkation deck, a giant space with airlocks at port and starboard. It was twice as large as the ones on the older version of the Washington. It continued through engineering, where a set of eight cores were somehow linked to power the ship’s trio of engines and her weapons. Cross didn’t fully understand the science, but since it meant the loss of a core no longer meant the loss of an engine, he was very much in favor of the design.
Okoye took them through the auxiliary bridge, itself as nice as the main control area of the ship he’d commanded. He shook his head, remembering, and saw Kate do the same.
They rode a lift up to a middle deck, then emerged into a short hallway. Cross remembered the version from the Chicago and knew there would be anti-border weapons guarding the space, even though he couldn’t find them. His memory jogged, he realized he’d seen similar zones near engineering and the aux bridge.
Ahead, the double doors slid open with the slightest hiss, and they emerged onto the pristine bridge of the Washington, DC-B. All the standard stations were present, plus a few additional ones that seemed to have no purpose. Okoye explained, “Almost everything is modular and customizable on all our ships, from here forward. Every station can control any system, and there are extras to address any circumstances that might arrive.” He shrugged. “We expect that her captain and crew will teach us a lot about how best to use this stuff.”
“Weapons?” Jacobs asked.
Okoye grinned. “The new designs promise at least double and possibly triple the overall firepower of one of our carriers.”
Cross coughed and said, “Carriers? Did you say carrier?”
Okoye nodded. “She is a ship full of wonders, Cross.”
“She certainly is,” Admiral Margaret Flynn added, stepping through another entrance onto the bridge.
“Captain’s skiff?” he asked, and she nodded in reply.
“And a beautifully appointed ready room it makes, with several Domeki-inspired visual elements,” she said, joining them. “An additional feature we’ve borrowed from the Domeki is to include a manufacturing section aboard. Given the right raw materials, the ship can be self-sustaining for years at a time.”
Cross whistled. “She seems like a gem,” he said with a sudden pain in his voice.
He realized that both admirals, plus Claire and Jacobs, were grinning at him. Kate was shaking her head with her own smile.
“What?” he demanded.
“Having second thoughts, Captain?” she asked, teasing.
In a deadpan tone he responded, “Yes. I’m definitely going to choose the ship over the girl. Watch me make the dumbest decision of my life.”
They broke into laughter, and Okoye said, “For all our sakes, I hope our biggest mistakes are behind us.”
Admiral Flynn entered smoothly into the conversation. “Actually, Captain Cross, there’s been an unexpected development. Well,” she amended, “unexpected by most of the admiralty. James and I knew it would happen the whole time.”
Suddenly, he felt like a trap was closing on him. Again. He stared at his superiors without speaking.
“A two-thirds majority of the admirals have made a decision, persuaded by the efforts from several of us, including Admiral Petryaev, who convinced his half of the bunch to go along with the plan.”
Cross waited, hoping they were enjoying their little drama.
“The admiralty has decided,” Okoye took over from Flynn, “that each exploration ship should have a warship with her, since there’s no telling what we might find. The hand of peace carries more weight when a potential opponent can see it’s offered from a position of strength, not of weakness.”
“So,” Cross began, and Kate cut him off.
“So, the DC-B is yours if you want her. Either way, the Washington and the Pandora have been paired, and will be heading out on an unexplored vector within the month.”
He broke into a huge grin, then he turned to Jacobs, forcing his face back to stillness. “Allen, you’re okay with this? I know we all thought—”
Commander Jacobs held up a hand. “She’s yours, Captain, and always has been. I’m proud to continue serving as your XO.”
With a clatter, Saint and Sinner burst through the bridge door at a run and slid to a stop.
“Did he take it?” Sinner asked.
“He did,” Kate said.
“Very good show, Cross,” Saint said, and shook his hand. The Marine turned to Okoye. “We’ve got some particularly troublesome recruits that would make a great match for the Washington.”
The conversation devolved from there, with everyone getting at least one dig in against him. He loved every second of it.
Later that night, Cross and Kate spent what he hoped would be the first of many nights together in the captain’s quarters of the Washington. It lacked furniture, so they’d dragged sleeping bags from the ship’s supplies to make a bed. The displays that covered the walls in an unbroken arc were working, and they showed the starscape around their location, with all traces of ships, bases, and construction scaffolds electronically removed.
They admired the stars, held hands, and lay in silence. Words were neither adequate nor necessary. The story that had begun with coy glances across an academy classroom had reached its culmination. No matter what the universe had in store for them, Kate and Cross would discover it together.
Dear Reader,
I have a favor to ask. If you’ve enjoyed these books (and by making it to the end of the series, I must assume you have!) could you please check the next section and leave a review for one or more of them?
Reviews are the literal lifeblood of an author’s career, and you have the power to make sure that this series you’ve enjoyed gets into the hands of others that might enjoy it.
Thanks, and turn the page for some closing remarks…
Thom’s Victor’s Notes: 19 March 2018
Thank you for buying this book. Thank you for reading this book. Thank you for reading these notes. Seriously. Thank you.
I started this journey in August 2016; now, twenty months later, we’ve reached the end of the war with the Xroeshyn.
I hope you enjoyed the trip!
My next project is a collaborative space opera that’s proving seriously fun to write. I think if you liked this book, you’ll like that series as well. If you join my Readers’ Group, I’ll keep you up to date.
More thanks are warranted:
The members of my Readers’ Group continue to be fantastic. Thank you.
My editor, Charlotte, who improves my writing. Thank you.
My family and friends, who put up with me while I work and write and work and write. Thank you.
My colleagues who keep me from losing my last marble. Thank you.
I played Witcher 3 for a while, then got all busy again. I’m hoping to finish it in May.
Wound up taking a detour from “real” television to watch four seasons of Archer. It was a nice diversion, in very small bites.
Still haven’t seen Black Panther, but must, and Infinity War is impending.
After that, time to take a breath and decide whether to pursue a) my Urban Fantasy Project; b) my thrillers set in that UF world; or c) big fun space-pirate space opera series!
My readers’ group will have a say in that, and I encourage you to join us! Suicide Run is big fun, and I hope to provide more exclusive content and opportunities to those who join me for the rest of this adventure. You can do so at www.trcameron.com/chaos.
Please, please, please: if you enjoyed this book, or enjoyed Trespassers or Defenders or Protectors or Deliverers, would you help me out? Leaving a quick review of any or all on Amazon can literally mean the difference between success or failure of the series. Here are the links:
Review Trespassers | Review Defenders | Review Protectors | Review Deliverers | Review Victors
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As before, and as always: Peace, Joy, and Good Fortune to you - So may it be. TRC.
The Destroyer Lubyanka. Undefeated. Undefeatable.
Cadets Anderson Cross and Kate Flynn face the ultimate rite of passage: taking on the Lubyanka. Countless others have tried. Countless others have failed. Now it is up to them. Together, they will try to overcome the unbeatable enemy.
The Suicide Run is the start of the adventures of Cross and Kate, and it’s yours for FREE!
Join TR Cameron’s Readers’ group and download Suicide Run today!
Visit www.trcameron.com/chaos to download it for free!
Acknowledgments
Family, friends, and coworkers: thank you for continuing to bear with me during this process. You are appreciated.
Editing: Charlotte, you do great work.
Cover: Deranged Doctor Designs, who have been fantastic at dealing with a clueless new author.
I simply could not do this without the unwavering support of my wife and daughter. Thank you both.
About the Author
TR Cameron is an emerging author of Science Fiction Adventure. By day, he teaches things to people. By night, he writes and edits and does what it takes to be a decent partner and parent.
Once upon a time, he played World of Warcraft far too much, and remembers the days when Molten Core was everything. When he finds time to play now, story-heavy games are always at the top of his list. He’s still slogging through Witcher 3 at the time of publication, with the most recent Deus Ex on deck.
His personal favorite authors range from Douglas Adams to David Weber, Anne Bishop to Jacqueline Carey to CJ Cherryh, Matthew Woodring Stover to Stephen R. Donaldson.
You can find him here:
www.trcameron.com
troacameron@gmail.com
Also by TR Cameron
The Chaos Shift Cycle:
Trespassers
Defenders
Protectors
Deliverers
Victors
The Suicide Run - Readers’ Group Exclusive (Stories from the Chaos Shift Cycle 1)
This book (Victors) is a work of fiction.
All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are products of the author’s imagination.
Copyright © 2018 by TR Cameron
Cover copyright © 2018 by TR Cameron
All rights reserved, because piracy sucks. Unless it’s space pirates. Space pirates are awesome.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
The Chaos Shift Cycle and all that happens within it are copyright 2017 and 2018 by TR Cameron.