She fidgeted with her uniform’s sleeve and smiled at the fact that she’d managed to go from a minion of High Elder Wylen to an admiral in the very Concord the evil man had attempted to thwart. She couldn’t have been happier at the irony.
Someone knocked on the glass door, and she peered up to see the handsome face of Admiral Baldwin. “Come in.”
Thomas walked over and pointed at the seat. “May I?”
“You know you don’t need to ask me,” she told him.
Thomas looked well, but she noticed the slight darkness under his eyes. Rene Bouchard had given birth six weeks earlier, and it was obvious the new parents were experiencing the joys of late-night bonding with their son.
“How are you finding the role so far?” The question felt loaded, but she took the bait.
“I’m enjoying it. I’ve had resistance from some of the partners about my role with the Ugna, but time is healing old wounds. I suspect it will be a while longer for a few, especially the planets devastated by Wylen’s turncoats.” Fayle had decided to be an open book with Baldwin since accepting this position, and he seemed to reciprocate.
“Did you know that I was first brought on by Jalin to keep an eye on you and the Ugna?” Thomas laughed, relaxing into the chair. His gaze drifted past her, and she followed it to the window, where a freighter was lowering a kilometer away to the warehouse district. Things were back in full motion on Nolix, the central hub of the booming Concord.
“I assumed as much,” she said. “Jalin Benitor was a great woman.”
“That she was. I had so many questions for her. But now that she’s gone, they’ll go unanswered.” Thomas was being pensive, thoughtful. It was a nice side to the strong man.
“You will learn as you go. It is how life is. Much like raising a child.”
This brought his attention over to her, and he grinned. “Is it that obvious?”
“I don’t need empathic abilities to see that you’re tired.”
Thomas laughed lightly. “Yes, but I have a son with the most wonderful woman I’ve ever met, so the trade-off is worth it. What news from Driun?”
Fayle was now the contact to ten partners, including her own people. “The Ugna from Earth have relocated to the northern hemisphere, making their current population one hundred and seventeen thousand, give or take. Ven is doing well at the capital. The people listen without question. He has a sense about him, doesn’t he?”
“How did he do it?” Thomas asked.
Fayle pretended to not understand his query. “Do what?”
“Wylen wouldn’t have sent himself into a star, Fayle. This has Ven’s fingerprints all over it.”
She smiled at him. “I always knew you were an astute man. It is not my story to tell, but there’s a reason I watched over Ven, and I think that was why. It changed the trajectory of the Concord forever.”
“Then I thank you for not letting Wylen sink his claws into Ven Ittix from a young age.” Thomas rose and started for the exit. “Ask if you need anything else. I’ll be away, but you know how to reach me.”
She nodded as she rose, walking him out. “I wish you the best of luck.”
“Until we meet in the Vastness,” Thomas said with a wink, and he was off.
Admiral Fayle returned to her desk and opened her tablet to the waiting work.
____________
Ven left the busy day behind him as he came upon the raging river that ran along the outer edge of their valley. This was the same body of water they’d followed the first time they’d stepped foot on Driun F49. He glanced to the forest beyond, recalling the moment Fayle had tapped in to his power to kill the dropping animals intent on eating them. Now the Vastness had closed to all of his people, but that didn’t mean they were done. Ven truthfully felt better than he ever had in his lifetime.
They were no longer bound to some identity that was forced upon them. Some of the Ugna hadn’t responded so well, and during the first few weeks, they’d lost hundreds to self harm. Ven didn’t blame them, not one bit, but treatment was offered to anyone seeking counseling. They were grieving the changes within themselves, and it made complete sense.
“I thought I’d find you here.”
Ven turned to see Hanli stepping down the rocky pathway that led to the city. “How did you know?”
“Intuition.” She walked to his side, slipping her fingers between his. It was a comfortable feeling, and a thrill ran over his arms.
“Did your last run to Earon go well?” Ven asked.
“As well as could be. But I wanted to speak to you about something.”
“Go on.”
“As much as I love heading my own ship, I’d like to ask if I could remain in the city for a while. Stay close to you.”
Ven thought about the feeling of euphoria as the voice of his mother had spoken to him through the Vastness, and he decided on something. “Hanli, I would like that very much. Come with me. I have somewhere to show you.”
“Now?”
“There is no better time.” Ven took her up the trail that led to the landing pad outside their compact city, and instead of directing her to her ship, he wound his way to the shuttle at the far edge of the open lot.
“The Nek shuttle?”
“Would you like to see it?”
Her eyes fluttered quickly. “It? Yes.”
He’d been waiting for the right time to bring her, and a spacesuit her size already sat within the shuttle. They dressed, and in ten minutes, Ven was lifting the pair of them in the shuttle, darting from Driun F49’s surface. “Do not tell Admiral Fayle we did this.” He laughed softly, imagining the old Elder’s expression if she heard about this trip.
“I don’t seek her punishing glares,” Hanli agreed.
The Nek drive hummed and cycled, charging fully, and soon, with his destination preset, he used it to cross countless light years to a spot he’d gone to in desperation only a few months prior.
The planet was the same dusty brown and red as it had been, and Hanli gasped under her helmet at the sight. “The Nexus…”
“The flow may have stopped, but we have a connection to the Flame forever. We must not speak of this location. It can be our secret.”
“I would like that, Ven Ittix.”
He took her into the atmosphere, aiming for the five mountains that circled the courtyard. Recalling where the descending drop was, he landed the shuttle close by.
They made the trek below the surface, the gravity as strong as before. Hanli didn’t complain once. She walked faster than him, enthusiastically moving for their target. The light was gone when they crested the rise, and Ven used his searchlight to seek it out.
“This is odd,” he told her, rushing toward the location where he’d found the glowing flame the last time. It took a while, but they made it, exhausted from the effort. The archway remained, with the alien etchings, but the flame was no longer burning.
Hanli touched the archway. “Is this it?”
“Be vigilant,” he warned her, peering inside. He stuck his arm through, and nothing happened. Ven took a deep inhale and walked through the arch, but instead of being transported to a distant moon, he remained in the cavern. “It is gone.”
“What does this mean?” Hanli asked.
“Nothing. It told me that the Nexus changed many times, and I suspect now that someone has found it, they have departed.” Ven had intended to show Hanli something magnificent and couldn’t hide his disappointment.
“What a blessing. You spoke with the Vastness.” She was close, and he turned to face her, their helmets’ shields bumping into one another.
“Hanli, will you remain with me on Driun? Will you become my partner?” He’d been intending to do this, but with a little more buildup. In the moment, the words rushed from his lips.
“You know I’ve been waiting for this. Of course I will.” Hanli acted relieved, and they stayed for a while, talking about their future while staring at the archway that once led to something
far greater and more advanced than themselves.
____________
The fleet was gathered. They had ten flagships in total, each with a full crew. The recruitment process had expanded more widely than ever before, with less emphasis on the Founders. While the Concord would stick to the four original members as figureheads, the other partners would have a larger role in the day-to-day, moving forward.
Treena Starling was glad for this. It offered so many capable people opportunities that hadn’t been available. She took stock of her own crew, so thankful that Brax Daak had stayed aboard. He was next to her in the commander’s chair, and he fit the role well.
Harry was on the bridge, finally emerging from the boiler room, and he was the best chief engineer left, since Reeve had taken the offer to captain Legacy after all. Treena stared at the helm position where Lieutenant Darl had sat, already missing him.
Rounding out the team was Executive Lieutenant Conner Douglas, and he peered over his shoulder, catching her stare.
Her body still ached a bit, but she’d grown accustomed to the pains. They were familiar and reminded Treena of all she’d been through since the day she’d almost died. It felt like a lifetime ago. She would keep Felix in her memories, but having Conner filled a void in her empty heart that she’d never expected to heal.
The Concord was strong, and their remote Academy signups had gone through the roof. Baldwin swore they’d have to stop recruiting, or else he’d be out of a job soon with all the overqualified entry exam scores they’d received from the Concord partners.
Treena saw Shu through the screen, and then the newly-minted Benitor, which was being led by Captain Kan Shu. The deceased admiral’s AI was on board, allowing her wisdom to continue to inspire future generations of executive teams.
Treena was thrilled to be part of the new fleet, each of these ten vessels heading to different quadrants to seek out new partners for trade and expansion of Concord space. She fully expected to run into some danger while on this two-year mission, but they were prepared for anything that came their way. Nothing would compare with what she’d already been through.
Prime Xune emerged on screen, his speech motivating and focused on the future of the Concord, and Treena smiled, thinking about Baldwin watching the same address from the bridge of Shu.
____________
Tom fidgeted, shifting Constantine in his arms. The boy was only a few weeks old, but he was already getting heavy. His dark blue eyes stared into Tom’s as a string of drool fell from his mouth. Tom wiped it off his uniform and returned his attention to the viewscreen.
“With that, be steadfast, be vigilant, be strong. The Vastness welcomes all.” Prime Xune’s image disappeared, and Rene sat down. The crew had changed drastically, but Tom knew she was pleased with the members. Some she’d gone to school with, others were newcomers, but each was experienced.
“Set course for the Carpreel system, and alert me if anything unusual occurs,” Rene said.
“Yes, Captain,” Commander Asha Bertol said, and began giving orders. Rene stood, moving toward her office as Tom lingered near the door.
“I feel like I’m invading, being here with…” Tom held Constantine out for Rene to take him.
“He’s your son, Baldwin.” Rene snickered and entered her office. Their baby had a crib tucked into the corner behind her desk, and she rested him inside it. A softly lit projection rotated above him, and he reached for the moving objects with a pudgy hand.
“My son? I seem to recall you being there as well.”
“Are you sure you should be coming with us? You have exactly one minute to decide.”
“We’ve been through this. I don’t think you’d make it for two years without seeing your son,” Tom told her with a grin.
“You think I’d leave him with you? You have to be kidding.”
Tom laughed. “Okay, then we’re in agreement. I’m staying. The Concord can handle things, and I have a Nek shuttle should anything go awry. I think you’re just nervous about sharing quarters with me.”
“No one said anything about sharing quarters,” she joked. “But seriously, I am glad to see you taking to this role so calmly. It was like you were born to be a father.”
“Who would have known? Most men my age would be scared to be starting this late,” he said.
“You’re right. I should have probably found someone a little younger,” Rene told him flatly.
Tom watched his son playing in the crib and thought about the adventures he’d been on recently. A two-year diplomatic trip was just what the doctor ordered.
“Did Doctor Nee’s recommendation come in before we left?” he asked after thinking about the profession.
“Doctor Kelli is in the medical bay, waiting for her first patient.”
Kelli was Nee’s nurse, but had also been studying to become a physician for years. Under Nee’s tutelage, she’d finished, and Tom was only too happy to have the affable woman aboard Shu.
As their ship flew from Nolix, Tom stared at the lined-up freighters and private vessels watching the flagship’s send off. He wondered what his mother and father would think of him now. Second in command of the entire Concord, with a child bearing his grandfather’s name—the same grumpy man who’d berated him into working harder as a kid, after his parents had been killed.
His thoughts drifted to the Statu and his first mission, then to Keen and the Assembly’s attempted sabotage. Dangers lurked everywhere, and even in his quick climb of the ranks, Tom knew that the list of accomplishments didn’t compare to his most important success.
He walked over to his son and let the boy tug at the corner of his blanket. Rene stood beside him, both of them staring at their little miracle.
The Concord was important, almost as much so as his very own life.
But this little Baldwin was his everything.
This was his true legacy.
THE END
Learn more about Constantine while he fends of the Statu in the first war, nearly 50 years before Confrontation.
Get Constantine free by signing up for Nathan’s Newsletter!
The Watchers are done waiting. Invasion is inevitable.
THE RESISTANCE series is together in a single box set for the first time.
The Earth Fleet has known of the Watchers for years, unwilling to share the knowledge. Now it might be too late.
Hidden away from the Fleet, one man is creating a new colony ship destined for the other side of the Rift, but he’s missing a few pieces.
Ace goes from the streets of Earth to the Fleet training facility on the moon. Flint, an ex-Fleet pilot, must decide if a job is worth his life, and Wren, imprisoned for a secret project years ago, is given hope as an unlikely ally whispers words of escape in her ear.
Their journeys lead to Councilman Jarden Fairbanks, who knows of the impending invasion, and has prepared. All they can do is wait for the Rift to open once again.
The Resistance joins an ensemble cast facing immeasurable obstacles. If you enjoy space battles, prison breaks, androids, and aliens, buried under a shroud of mystery, this book is for you. Try it today!
Included Inside:
Rift (The Resistance Book One)
Revenge (The Resistance Book Two)
Return (The Resistance Book Three)
The Resistance Box Set
Baldwin's Legacy: The Complete Series Page 160