Oak (Phoenix in Flames Book 7)

by Catty Diva

  Now we went to the meeting room where we would discuss what they’d found out with the other command crew. Everyone trailed in, some looking as if they’d been rousted from bed. His bet was they had.

  Flicker came in like a conquering general. “What do we have now?” He asked.

  “Oak spoke to Angel about camouflage. It seems there is a way to detect ships that use it. She ran the scans and there’s a large ship bringing up the rear of the fleet.” Teresa explained.

  “How does she know this?” Masters asked.

  “She’s had training in this type of thing.” Teresa mentioned.

  “It’s a big risk to take, to assume she’s right.” Masters said.

  “I’m glad you think so. I’m going to send you out in a fighter. You’ll sneak up on the big ship and take a few shots at it then run the other way. If you hit it, we’ll know more about it. If you hit air, we’ll be sure it’s not there.” Teresa observed. Masters had nothing to say now.

  “It’s a great plan. The meteoroid coming up is often used by pirates. Anyone would assume that’s who was attacking their pitiful fleet.” Elm said.

  “My thought exactly. They won’t know we are so close to them unless they have the equipment we do. But if they did they would be moving faster to catch us.” Oak thought.

  “I agree. Masters will get the pleasure of attacking our enemies. What a lucky bastard you are.” Elmo declared.

  Masters smiled feeling better about his assignment now. They would make his fighter look like one a pirate had captured and painted. A skull and crossbones and a fanciful name would help. They’d best hurry since the meteoroid wasn’t that far off. Angel was good at what she did, but knowing for sure and knowing more would help.

  The whole group went and got paint, brushes, and other items. Oak liked to paint, he’d gotten the talent from his mom. With the others directing them, he and Elm put some fancy designs on the plane. The name was Maverick. The skull and crossbones were neon green. It made him wonder what that color was doing onboard. When they were done, it looked like a pirate’s dream.

  “Thirty minutes to dry and you’ll be on your way. Stay safe.” Teresa said.

  Oak knew she would be upset to lose anyone even Masters who irritated her most of the time. “Get ready Masters and remember your training. This is a hit and run. Come in fast and after you hit them a few times, head the other way. Once you’re in a safe position, hit your camouflage and circle around to get back onboard. Got it?” Oak asked.

  “I got it. It’ll be a cakewalk.” Masters replied.

  “It’s never good to assume that. Expect the worst while you hope for the best.” Teresa counseled.

  Oak heartily agreed. The easiest mission could turn sour. Always have a backup plan in place. About thirty minutes later the paint was dry and it was time to see Masters off. All eyes on the deck would be on him as he carried out his mission. Oak watched as the fighter shot out of the bay and disappeared as camouflage kicked in. That stuff was neat, but now after what Angel had told him he knew it was limited. He hurried to the bridge. What was about to happen was important and he wanted to see every moment of it.

  Once on the bridge, he took the third in command seat because that’s what he was. Elm was at the weapons station even though it was unlikely they’d need them. Someone always sat at that station, just in case. It was a good policy. Other command crew including some off duty stood on the bridge wanting to watch what was about to occur.

  It was an hour later when space lit up as shots hit an invisible object. A camera caught it all so it didn’t matter that their eyes missed much of the show. The lights were too bright making it hard for any of them to see. Masters, regardless of how cocky he was, had pulled everything off perfectly up to this point. Now hopefully his strategic retreat would be perfect too.

  Replaying the film, showed Angel was correct except about what the large thing was. It was some kind of weapon being pulled along by the last two ships. He’d never seen anything like it in his life.

  “Any comments?” Teresa asked.

  “It’s a weapon of some kind and I’d say it has no way to move on its own.” Oak guessed.

  “I can agree to that. We can’t allow that to get near any of the Mazlan’s planets. I’ll alert Razar. He may have a plan.” She left to make the call in her office.

  When Teresa came back twenty minutes later, she didn’t look happy. She whispered to Flicker who now had an unhappy look on his face. Hopefully, they would soon share whatever they found so disturbing. Meanwhile, they were all waiting for Masters to make it back. It should be soon, but that depended on how far he circled around before heading back.

  “We need to go to the meeting room to view the shots Masters took at the thing. Maybe we can determine what it is and if it has any weak spots.” Flicker whispered to him.

  On his feet in a moment, he followed them to the meeting room. He noticed it was just the three of them. It wasn’t unheard of, but it was more common for a large group of command officers to meet. Once seated, Teresa dropped the screen and the footage played. The weapon was massive and it was obvious the reason the fleet moved so slowly was because the two ships struggled to pull it along.

  “Any idea what kind of weapon it might be?” Flicker asked.

  “It puts out the vibes if being a weapon and the situation makes it seem likely, but I can’t even say for sure that’s what it is. Maybe Angel would know.”

  “I’ll admit she’s been helpful, but why would she know about weapons?” Flicker asked.

  “She’s had a lot of experience on ships. That looks like a weapon kept in space. Surely someone knows what the damn thing is.” Oak said frustrated.

  “It wouldn’t hurt to let her look at it. She’s a trusted member of our crew.” Teresa said before she commed her. “She’s on her way.”

  A few minutes later there was a knock on the door. “Come in.” Oak said. Teresa sent him a sharp look. “Sorry.” He’d been too excited about seeing Angel.

  “You needed me?” Angel asked.

  “Yes, sit down. I want to show you something and tell me if you know what it is.” Teresa showed her the part where the thing was hit with the fighter’s lasers.

  “He shouldn’t do that. Those things aren’t stable.”

  “What it is?” Teresa asked.

  “I’m surprised you don’t recognize an old Earth weapon. Maybe I was just around all the old stuff. It’s contains several nuclear bombs. That model proved to be unstable. The bombs often exploded before they were deployed. Also as I’m sure you’re aware, those bombs destroy the places they hit. Most alien cultures destroy the people leaving the land ready to be repopulated with their own.”

  “Is that an MXY planet destroyer?” Teresa asked.

  “It is. I’ve seen one before, possibly that very one. Earth paid a company my dad worked for to dispose of it as far away from Earth as possible. My dad took me to the viewing area on the ship so I could look at it. He explain to me how dangerous they were. It was Earth’s reaction to the possibility that they might not be alone in the universe. If aliens approached them, they planned to destroy them.” Angel explained.

  He remembered thinking her people were unbelievably primitive. How could some of the wonderful females and a few males that were okay that he’d met, come from such a backward planet.

  “Thank you, Angel. It helps to know what we’re dealing with.” Teresa admitted.

  “Those rebels must not know what they’re dragging around.” Angel decided.

  “Doesn’t it scare you?” Teresa asked.

  “If it goes off, death will be quick and painless. It will also cover a quarter of this sector. That makes it hard to escape.” Angel informed.

  “You can get back to what you were doing.” Teresa instructed. Angel left quickly and quietly.

  “You’re familiar with the weapon?” Flicker asked.

  “I’ve heard about it but never saw one. I was only around the latest weap
ons. It was a crazy doomsday kind of thing. It would have taken most of us out with it. They had one that they sent out to Pluto which is a good distance from Earth. It exploded on its own with no warning. The crew assigned to it died as well as those on any ships in the area. Some of the fallout hit Earth in various areas causing death, destruction and lingering illness that resulted in death. In the usual way of our government they lied and said it was a meteor that had exploded. It wasn’t until a fifty years later the truth leaked out. This thing is probably seventy years old and more unstable than ever.” Teresa explained.

  “Why did they make such a thing?” Flicker asked.

  “Because at the time for my people it was cutting edge tech and they didn’t really understand its limitations. Once they did, they didn’t know what the hell to do with it. That’s when all those involved ran for cover and tried to dispose of the remnants of their program. All denied knowledge of the weapons.” She admitted.

  “Now what do we do?” He asked.

  “If I recall correctly all we have to do is remove the nuclear tube. The rest is as harmless as a several hundred ton thing can be.” Teresa explained. She was tapping her com which meant Razar was getting an update. It seemed like an impossible situation. “Razar will try to contact them. He doesn’t think they know how dangerous their load is. He feels if they are mercenaries, they will abandon it and leave it for us to deal with. For now, we’ll continue as we have been. We’re still over a week from Oison so they are still safe.”

  That apparently was his dismissal. Getting up, he nodded to his superiors and headed to the communications room where the female who had proven more than helpful was. When I entered, she was alone. “What time do you get off work?” He asked.

  “I could take off any time since I’ve been here longer than my usual shift. Nila has another assignment.” Angel responded.

  Chapter 7

  Only Love

  Oak looked at her as if he expected her to ask why he wanted her to get off work. She didn’t. If it came to stubbornness, she was sure she had more than anyone else on this ship. Danger surrounded them now that was true, but it wouldn’t make her jump into his arms even if she wanted to. At least she didn’t think it would.

  “Teresa is concerned that you’re not taking care of yourself. Let’s go eat supper.” He directed.

  “Why not?” She replied. It was true she’d not eaten for a while and she was hungry.

  They walked down the hallway to the cafeteria seeing few of their fellow crewmates. It must be an off time and most must be sleeping. Every ship she’d been on ran a different time schedule. They were based on the ship’s or the captain’s home port. This ship was based on Oison which was only right. Teresa was the captain and she had for the most part shed her ties to Earth.

  It wasn’t that she didn’t love her planet of origin, it was the corrupt government had soured all former Earthers on those connections. They did nothing for you, but always wanted something done in return. She’d heard Teresa had sent aid to the Chicago bubble that Razar had set up to save as many of those people as possible when Earth’s atmosphere became unable to support life in most places.

  Razar was a great guy, but he got thousands of potential mates for his warriors, not a bad deal. She hoped if the weapon went off and they all died, that her money would go to a needy area of Earth. There was no one else close to her that wasn’t on this ship with her. How sad.

  “Angel?” Oak said.

  That’s when she realized she was standing there staring at the food and not getting any. “Sorry. My mind went off on a tangent.” She smiled at him and heard him catch his breath. That’s when it occurred to her that this Phoenix warrior might really care about her. Wasn’t being with him better than being all alone?

  “Let’s find a seat, Sweetheart.” Oak urged.

  Once they were seated, she noticed her plate was overflowing with food. She sent a sharp look at Oak who looked innocent. Too innocent. Had he taken advantage of her distraction to add food to her plate? Whatever. She began to eat. Everything was as good as usual. Teresa made sure her people had the best in all things.

  It had never occurred to her before what risks they took. Maybe she spoiled them because each mission there was a possibility they would die. Her appetite increased and she dug in as she never had before. Enjoying life to its fullest was nothing she’d ever done before. Maybe it was time to start while she still could? She looked at Oak contemplating what he was offering her. Could it really be that easy?

  In her experience nothing was that easy nor was it as good as it seemed it would be. Right now she was lonely on a ship full of people and had no true reason to be happy. The temptation to be with Oak even if the sex wasn’t good because she had never had sex that was, well it was strong. Would she give? That remained to be seen but she was beginning to suspect she would.

  “Are you through eating? I love a female with a good appetite.” He observed looking at her nearly empty plate.

  “Yes, I’m ready to turn and get some sleep.”

  Oak chuckled. “I’m ready to help relax you, my sweet Angel.”

  “I bet you are.” She looked at him with a smirk on her face. It was true she was beginning to get used to the big lug.

  They tossed their trays in the bin and moved out into the hall. Oak stayed at her side not letting her get far from him. The reason became apparent when she tried to get into her room and shut the door.

  “Not so fast, Beautiful. Invite me in for a nightcap.”

  She shrugged. “Why not?” The door was pushed open once she stopped trying to close it. “Nothing exciting in here.”

  “Oh, I disagree.” Oak said staring at her. He plopped down in one of the two seats in her tiny seating area.

  “I need to go to sleep before too long. I’ll be needed soon.” She commented.

  “What makes you think that?” Oak asked.

  “Teresa will have a plan soon and she’ll need anyone with a technical background to assist.”

  “What can she do?” Oak wondered.

  “She’ll need to find a container that will absorb the radiation from the nuclear portion of the devices. Whoever goes on board will need protection while they gather them. My scans show two devices. It had room for five so we got lucky. Once they are contained, they’ll need to be taken somewhere safe and isolated. It will take thousands of years for them to neutralize. The spot will need to be marked for danger. I don’t envy Teresa her task.”

  “Sounds like you’ve thought this out.”

  “I have, but I had a head start. Earth sent instructions with the object when Dad’s employer was hire to neutralize it. I found them in the trash because they never intended to follow instructions.”

  “They had a plan?” Oak asked.

  “They did but I don’t think they ever cared if it was followed. It was always assumed they would hire someone and blame them if something went wrong. Don’t all governments do that?” She asked.

  “No, ours doesn’t and neither do the Mazlans now that Razar is in charge.”

  “I heard their old emperor was looney.” She observed.

  “He was. It was a blessing he died. It was a shame so many went with him.” Oak admitted. “Speaking of death, I’ll probably be sent to disarm the weapon.” He hoped she would have some sympathy for him. That Phoenix were immune to the results of radiation, well she just didn’t need to know that, did she?

  “Why you?” She asked. The fear she was showing for him made him feel good. His Angel cared if he lived or died.

  “I’m third in charge. These kinds of things fall under my purview. Not always pretty, I’ll admit. Elm will probably go with me since he’s fourth.”

  “In the Earth military high ranking officers rarely risk their lives.”

  “This ain’t Earth, Baby. How about a kiss for luck?”

  She thought about it. What if he died? That wasn’t a real concern because if he messed up, they’d all die. Leaning in, s
he gave him a quick kiss. She was beginning to enjoy them.

  Chapter 8

  Risking Death

  He looked at Angel. “You call that a kiss?”

  “Better than nothing, isn’t it?” She asked as he considered her question. “Maybe nothing is what you’ll get next time?

  “What have you got to lose, Angel? This time tomorrow we might all be gone. Don’t you want to know what it can be like between us?” Maybe it wasn’t fair to coerce her a bit, but damn it, he was tired of waiting.

  “It might be no good.”

  “You don’t believe that. It feels so hot and our body’s light on fire. We’ll give each other undeniable pleasure.”

  She snorted. “You’re so good at being bad. That kind of thing.”

  “Maybe we’re so good at being bad.” He moved like lightening pulling her into his arm. It felt good to be there.

  “Now what?”

  “Didn’t anyone ever tell you to never ask that?” He questioned before his lips came down to claim hers in an Earth shattering kiss.

  Once her lips parted he knew it was all over. He seemed to feed off her and felt her body get a fever that burned out of control. This was everything he’d wanted her to feel and now he was finally getting his way, or so he hoped.

  In seconds he had her on her bed and had started to undress her while still kissing her passionately. She moaned and his breathing got faster. “You’re so beautiful.” He whispered. His hands were everywhere at once because he couldn’t get enough of her.

  Would she stop him when it felt so good? Surely she was ready to finally go all the way. He pulled his shirt over his head tossing it on the floor. Her hands slid over his skin driving him nuts. His pants went next and he was completely bare. “Will that really fit?” She asked.

  “Oh, sweetheart, it will fit I promise you.” He replied.

  “I asked that out loud?”

  “You certainly did. But that’s okay. You can asked me anything.” He assured.

  “Men always say that but they don’t really mean that.” She observed.