by Sarah Noffke
“Area 126,” Knox stated quietly.
“Lovely. A fine place, I’m sure,” the doctor said.
“There’s a woman…I think it’s a woman,” Knox said, speeding through the vision. Dr. Harrison was right; he could see to the end of the memory, and then rewind it. He could slow it down and hone in on details.
“A woman of sorts. Very nice. What happens next?” Dr. Harrison asked.
Knox bolted upright in the bed, suddenly breathless. He’d fast forwarded until he’d seen where the hologram had sent him.
Eddie and Julianna were both staring at him with wide eyes.
“You’re not supposed to come out until I say,” the doctor admonished.
Knox was trying to pull oxygen into his lungs. “I saw where Kyra sent me. I was placed under the protection of Alleira. In Sunex.”
After a moment of shocked silence, Julianna turned to Eddie. “Where you were nearly blown to bits…” Her voice was haunted.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Fat Cat’s Karaoke Bar, Onyx Station, Paladin System
Visiting hours had ended shortly after Knox’s revelation. With a reminder from Dr. Harrison of the promise they’d made, the members of Ghost Squadron left the good doctor to himself.
Eddie was happy they had a lead, and that they were familiar with Alleira and her people. They’d helped to protect them from the Brotherhood, so Eddie was certain that they’d be happy to return the favor and tell them what happened to Knox while he was with them.
“You don’t remember anything after being transported to Sunex?” Julianna asked Knox for the tenth time.
He shook his head. His mohawk had gone limp and now lay on one side of his head, seemingly exhausted, just like Knox.
Undergoing hypnosis must be taxing, Julianna mused.
“I remember landing and meeting Alleira. That’s it,” he admitted.
“How were you even able to resist the hypnosis and come out early?” Julianna asked.
“Like Dr. Harrison said, it’s all suggestive,” Knox said, stirring his drink. He hadn’t taken a sip yet, and most of the ice had melted.
“We’ve got a place to look next, and that’s better than what we had before our little visit,” Eddie said, taking a sip of his beer.
“And we have shots,” Lars chimed in, setting four shot glasses down on the table and nearly spilling them.
“Shots?” Julianna asked, looking between the overfilled glasses and then to Lars. “When did you become the alcoholic of the group?”
“He made me get them,” Lars said, pointing at Eddie.
“Guilty as charged,” Eddie said, waving Chester and Marilla forward. They were carrying their own shots from the bar, eyeing the drinks like they were lava.
“You won’t be happy until you have the whole crew sloshed, will you?” Julianna asked him.
“I think we need a little time off, is all,” Eddie said, lifting his shot glass in the air. “Cheers to being a part of a great team, who I’d fight a pack of giraffe assassins to protect.”
Julianna lifted her glass and paused. “Giraffe assassins?”
“With telescoping legs and necks,” Chester sang, clinking his glass with the others.
“Cheers,” everyone said in unison, before tossing back their heads and downing their drinks.
“Wow, that burns,” Marilla choked out, gripping her throat.
“Does it?” Julianna asked, placing her shot glass in the row with her other empties.
Eddie threw his thumb in her direction. “This woman has hair on her chest. Don’t listen to her.”
Julianna had abandoned her blazer and unbuttoned her blouse a couple notches. “I find it a little insulting that, since I can handle my liquor, I’m being compared to a man.”
Marilla nodded defiantly. “I agree. I think we should turn those references around on these guys.”
“Come on, ladies,” Eddie urged. “It’s not like that.”
“No, no,” Julianna argued. “When someone is a coward, what do you usually say?”
Eddie looked to Lars for support, but the lieutenant had found his drink and was using it as a distraction. “I-I-I usually say they should grow a pair.”
“Exactly!” Julianna said, taking a drink. “Do you mean a pair of boobs?”
“I mean—”
“And the other day, what did you call that pirate who’d looted a bunch of ships?” Julianna asked, leaning back and looking interested in the answer.
“The one I threw off the upper deck of the ship he’d stolen?” Eddie asked, needing to clarify. There had been so many pirates that it was easy to get confused.
“That’s the one,” Julianna sang.
“I think I called him a pussy,” Eddie said meekly.
“Oh, right,” Julianna took the shot that Chester handed to her.
The hacker also pushed one in Marilla’s direction. He was staying quiet during this witch hunt; Eddie wished he could do the same, but he’d already been tied to the stake.
“Hey, I call jerks ‘dicks’,” Eddie argued. “I’m not sexist.”
“Jerks are dicks,” Julianna stated.
Eddie lifted his beer, trying to catch Julianna’s eye, but she had her gaze stubbornly on the table. Is she actually mad about this? Or about something else? He wished he could ask Pip.
“I sincerely apologize if I offended you ladies,” he said. “I’ll quit calling dumb fuckers by gender-specific names, and comparing you to a man when you do something totally badass. I hope you know I’m capable of change.”
Everyone at the table fell silent, and their gazes fell on Julianna, like they were waiting for her lead.
She finally lifted her eyes, a sort-of-smile on her face. “I think, Captain, that you can be a real dick.” She paused before lifting her glass. “But for that matter, so can I. All is forgiven when you can admit your mistakes.”
~~~
It’s a little hypocritical, that’s all I’m saying.
Julianna ground her teeth together. Pip was right, but admitting it was difficult.
You’re guilty of gender-specific name-calling, too. It’s not just the captain.
Yeah, whatever. The captain had it coming.
Did he?
He did.
Because…
He breathes too loudly while I’m flying.
Pip made an audible gasp. Say it isn’t so? Blasphemy.
It’s annoying.
Does he also snore while sleeping?
How would I know?
I’ll tell you when I’m linked with him. I’ll tell you all sorts of things.
Julianna tried her best to ignore Pip, pretending to pay attention to the karaoke singer who was making a debauchery of “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC.
From the look on Eddie’s face, he was just as unhappy about the travesty.
“Is nothing sacred anymore?” he asked her, running his finger over the rim of his glass.
“We’re in a karaoke bar. What do you expect?” she asked, pushing her empty glass in his direction.
“Is that your subtle way of asking for me to get you another drink?” Eddie asked, his face full of amusement.
“That’s my subtle way of saying ‘if I’m not supplied with more whiskey, then the guy onstage is going to lose a limb’,” Julianna said.
Eddie stood and bowed slightly. “Then I’m honored to be a part of this public service.”
Julianna didn’t remember when she’d last drank this much. It wasn’t that she was drunk, but she was buzzed, which was rare. She strangely felt like saying something supportive to Knox, who was still sulking. Or maybe she’d say something nice to Lars, who actually looked to be having a good time as he tapped his foot to the horrible music.
They must not have good music on Kezza, she thought.
Then she turned to Marilla. The girl looked—well, there was no better way to say it. She looked miserable. Maybe it was being on Onyx Station, which was vibrating with life and diverse exp
eriences.
Is ship life starting to get to Marilla? She is used to sunshine and trekking through the forest on archeological digs…
“Hey, Marilla?” Julianna said, getting her attention.
The woman looked up, faking a smile. “Yes?”
“Do you want to go with us to Nexus? The land of Sunex is considered safe; maybe you can offer some insight when we’re dealing with the natives,” Julianna said.
Marilla nodded, her mood seeming to brighten. “That would be lovely. Thanks.”
“Then it’s settled,” Julianna said.
She noticed that Knox perked up at the mention of Sunex. She imagined he was probably both longing to track down the Tangle Thief and dreading it. There was a lot riding on his shoulders, and anything she might say in an attempt to comfort him would be a lie, so she decided not to say anything.
“Okay, thanks to Greg for the fantastic rendition of ‘Thunderstruck’,” the karaoke DJ said over the microphone.
“‘Fantastic’?” Eddie said in disbelief, sliding a drink next to Julianna as he took a seat.
“The guy is obviously deaf,” Julianna said, nodding her thanks in the direction of the shot of whiskey.
“Up next, we have a classic Beatles song,” the DJ said, squinting down at the screen in front of him. “Please welcome to the stage, Chester!”
Everyone at the table whipped around to find their Chester jumping onto the stage, holding up his hands to excited applause.
“Yeah, baby!” Chester yelled, eating up the attention.
Eddie leaned over and said, “When do you think that poor guy is going to come out of his shell?”
Julianna took a sip of her whiskey. “All we can do is keep coercing him.”
“Thank you! Thank you!” Chester boomed, taking the microphone. “I want to dedicate this song to someone.”
Julianna and Eddie looked at each other, the same hesitation in their eyes.
“You see, there’s this girl,” Chester continued. “And she’s mad at me because I won’t say what she deserves to hear.”
The crowd let out a chorus of “awes” and “ohs.”
Chester nodded, shrugging. He had both hands locked around the microphone, and his gaze was aimed down at the floor. “It’s true, but sometimes we don’t want to tell someone how we feel because we fear their rejection.”
“Yay!” the crowd cheered.
“This is either going to go over great, or we’re going to have issues,” Eddie whispered in Julianna’s ear.
“But I think when two people feel something, and neither is willing to admit it…well, there’s stress,” Chester said, now sounding like he was lecturing.
“It hurts so good!” someone in the crowd yelled.
Chester pointed at his new fan. “Exactly, brother. Anyway, this song is my way of telling someone special that she’s, well, special.”
Chester lifted the microphone and looked directly at their table.
The piano began. Chester cleared his throat. “Hey, Marilla,” he sang, changing the words for “Hey Jude.”
To no one’s surprise, Marilla covered her reddened face with her hands. Julianna probably would have clocked Chester for such a thing, but she suspected that Marilla liked it. And now she recognized why the comms officer had appeared so melancholy lately.
Love makes you crazy.
How would you know?
I’ve been in love before.
With who?
It’s better if I confess this in a song.
Ugh. Don’t.
Pip coughed, like clearing his throat. he started to sing, doing the worst impression ever of Aerosmith’s I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing.
I’m about to throw up.
Pip continued to sing.
Julianna downed the rest of her whiskey, which earned her a curious look from Eddie. He’d been watching Chester’s impressive rendition of the Beatles classic.
“What’s Pip saying?” he asked.
“He’s trying to murder my soul,” Julianna explained.
Eddie shoved his unfinished drink in Julianna’s direction. “Then you need this more than I do.”
The crowd had now fully joined in with Chester, clapping in the air over their heads.
Chester sang, his hand directed at Marilla who now had her fingers pressed to her chest and an elated smile on her face.
“They are going to be unbearable now,” Julianna said in a hush.
Eddie leaned back, a thoughtful expression in his eyes. “I think they’ll be better all around. Love makes us stronger.”
Julianna studied Eddie. “I never took you for a romantic.”
He tilted his head to the side. “I’m absolutely not. But I’ve seen enough to know what a good relationship can do for someone. My parents, for instance.”
And there they were; the demons returned in a flash, dancing behind Eddie’s eyes. They would surface at the mere mention of his parents. This time, though, the expression on his face was a mix of pain and fondness—like thinking of them simultaneously haunted him and brought him comfort.
“Sounds like they had a good thing,” Julianna ventured.
“They did,” Eddie said simply. “Something rare that you hardly ever see.”
She didn’t know what else to say, but thankfully the crowd erupted, joining in with Chester for the end of the song.
“Hey Marilla.”
Chester busted out the last note, sliding down to his knees and singing passionately for all the bar to see.
Marilla bolted out of her seat, leaping around crowded tables on her way to the stage.
Julianna turned her attention fully to Eddie, who also didn’t look keen on watching the display of affection that was about to ensue. “So, you and Chester think you can pull off a rendition of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’?”
“Yes and fuck yes!” Eddie said, smiling wide.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Alpha-line Q-Ship, Nexus, Tangki System
Fletcher scratched his chin and turned his attention to Lars. The pilot was strictly focused on staying in formation behind the captain and the commander’s ship.
“Nexus is a beautiful planet,” Fletcher said, hoping his voice sounded natural.
“Incredibly so,” Lars agreed.
“The area we explored last time was to the east.” Fletcher pointed in the direction of Area 126.
“Yes. I heard that the facility you searched had many oddities,” Lars said, making their descent to the lush land below.
Fletcher laughed. “ ‘Odd’ is the right word for it. There was a family tree that I found. It…well, never mind. You’re probably not interested.”
Lars darted his beady, lizard-like eyes at Fletcher, interest obviously written in them. “It what?”
Fletcher hoped he was playing this right. As the new XO for the ship, he had access to all the crew’s files, and therefore knew that Lars had lost both his parents at a young age. “Well, this family tree allows the person in front of it to talk to any of their ancestors who have passed over.”
“No way,” Lars stated.
“It’s true,” Fletcher said. “I talked to my grandmother.”
“How do you know it was her?” Lars asked.
Fletcher laughed easily. “Only one woman could taunt me the way that old lady did.”
Lars looked halfway between wanting to believe and not thinking he should. “No. There’s really such an object?”
“I swear it,” Fletcher promised.
“Man, it would be amazing to have five minutes with this family tree.” Lars lowered the Q-Ship, landing it smoothly.
“I still have the access badge to get into the facility,” Fletcher said matter-of-factly. He knew that, as XO, he could order Lars to take him, but motivation was key here.
“Yeah, but how are we going to get away? We have a mission,” Lars said, sounding defeated.
“True,” Fletcher agreed. “But we do have to sleep at some point. Unless you think you ca
n give up a few hours of shut-eye for a rogue mission…”
“I do sleep less than most,” Lars admitted.
“Then it’s settled,” Fletcher said at once. “You fly, and I’ll get us into Area 126.”
“But what about the captain and commander?” Lars asked.
“What about them?”
“Do you think they’ll mind?”
Fletcher shrugged. “I don’t see why they would. It’s not like we’re doing anything to undermine the current mission. What we do on our own time is our business.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Lars allowed.
Fletcher celebrated a silent victory. He’d secured what he needed for the next phase of his plan: a pilot to get him to the island where Area 126 was located.
If he was honest with himself, the whole endeavor was reckless. He knew that diverting his attention from the current mission was a risk. But how could he not take this opportunity to try and speak to his father? He’d had that chance stolen the last time he was in Area 126. It was time he had closure. It was time he got to say goodbye.
~~~
Nona leaned forward from the second row of the Q-Ship’s seats. Lately she’d spotted the restlessness in Fletcher’s eyes. She’d asked her lieutenant many times if something was bothering him; a question most couldn’t get away with. However, Fletcher didn’t seem to mind her questions. But he never answered them honestly.
The team’s spirited chatter made it hard for Nona to discern Fletcher and Lars’s conversation in the front of the Q-Ship. She was sure she’d heard them mention ‘family tree’.
She leaned in further, about to fall out of her seat.
If I can just get a little closer… Nona picked up her canteen, wedged it into her pack, and pretended to take a sip. When she screwed the lid back into place, she dropped the container, allowing it to roll to the front of the ship.
“Oops,” she said, but no one was paying her any attention, anyway.
Nona hurried after the water canteen, grabbing it when she was just behind the lieutenant’s seat. She stayed down low, listening intently to the conversation between Fletcher and the pilot. She navigated back to her seat just as the ship landed.