Cain gave him an odd glance.
“Why do you ask?”
“There seems to be a green fog ahead of us. The only thing I know of that would look like a fog in space is a nebula.”
“I’m surprised you noticed.”
“You can blame the stalls. A bead of water was suspended in the Wall. If it weren’t for that, I would have missed the green smudge entirely.”
“There’s really a nebula ahead? I wouldn’t have guessed,” Humphrey tried to sound interested as he took a bite of his meal.
“Is it dangerous?” Owen asked, a little pale.
“Not if you know your way,” Rhea said.
“So you knew about it?” Tyra asked.
“Of course. Core Industries’ main world is nestled deep inside a nebula. They were the only ones willing to risk colonizing such an inaccessible world.”
“So it is dangerous.” Owen looked overly concerned.
“Very,” Rhea said with a small smile. “The nebula causes all kinds of problems with the jump windows. If any part of the window comes in contact with the nebula, it collapses.”
“Collapses?” Owen asked nervously. “What happens to the ship?”
Hiroko soothingly rubbed Owen’s arm trying to relax him.
“That depends,” Rhea said. “As I understand it, when the Wall collapses, it basically cuts everything on either side of it in two. Jumping into the nebula without knowing where safe pockets are could do anything from slicing off a tiny bit of the ship to cutting it in half.”
Owen turned as white as a sheet.
“That’s enough,” Hiroko said angrily. “We get the idea.”
“Why would anyone intentionally live inside such a thing?” Sanderson asked.
“That’s simple, protection,” Cain said with a smile. “There isn’t a pirate, outlaw, or rival corporation who’d dare deal with the nebula. CI has complete dominion over the nebula and everything inside it.”
“CI pilots must be crazy,” Doug said with a shiver.
“Not at all,” Cain said with obvious pride. “We observe the nebula constantly. We know where, when, and for how long a pocket of safe space will appear. It’s completely safe, I assure you.”
“Forgive me if I don’t exactly jump for joy at your reassurance,” Owen said.
“Was that a pun?” Hiroko asked with a smile.
The troopers chuckled as Owen got it.
“Well, between Brent falling unconscious and the pleasant idea of jumping into a deadly nebula, I’ve had my fill of excitement,” Kindra said with a weary sigh. “Who’s with me on watching a nice, calm, 3P?”
The troopers hesitantly looked at Brent.
“Sounds wonderful to me; I could use a break from bug filled jungles,” he said with a smile.
The others seemed relieved and started heading toward the recreation room.
“Tyra, I never heard what you thought about Cassandra’s 3P,” Brent said, walking alongside the squad leader.
“You mean the ‘surprise’ ending?”
“Well?” Cassandra pressed. “What did you think?”
“It was fun, but I don’t think I’m anything like the girl in the story. Plus, my mother could make that evil Governor shudder.”
Brent chuckled as Tyra smiled. Besides the bartender, the room was empty. That meant all the 3Ps would be available.
“So which 3P do you all want?” the bartender asked.
“I’m in the mood for something funny,” Kindra said.
“I could stand horror myself.” Doug used his hands to make fake fangs. “Something with vampires maybe.”
“Forget that,” Penny said, laughing at Doug. “I want a sweet romance for a change.”
“Action,” Mahoney said.
“An action romance with a comedic vampire?” the bartender asked with a raised eyebrow.
“You don’t really have anything like that . . . do you?” Tyra asked.
“It’s funny that you ask . . .”
The bartender rummaged through a bin of 3Ps for a few minutes.
“Here we go. The Adventures of the Red Fanged Pirates,” the bartender said, reading the title.
“You have got to be kidding,” Angela said skeptically.
“Read it yourself; that’s the name.” Tyra tossed the 3P to her.
“The Adventures of . . . I’ll be.” She couldn’t believe what she was reading.
“Sounds good to me,” Kindra said as she stole a glance over Angela’s shoulder. “Any objections?”
Without any protests, they started the 3P. It was a long one, but pretty good. Even Doug had gotten into it about halfway through, despite the few romantic interludes. Everyone stretched as they stirred from the powering down 3P. Brent stole a glance at his pocket watch. It was longer than he had thought.
“We’re not after your cargo, Miss.” Doug let out a loud yawn as he tried to quote the main pirate vampire. “We’re after you!”
The others chuckled at his poor impersonation. Penny pulled out her pad.
“Is it really that late?” she said in surprise.
“What’s the damage?” Tyra asked.
Penny turned her pad so the squad leader could read it.
“It was four hours long?” she shouted in surprise.
“At least it was bug free.” Brent nudged Cassandra.
Light laughter escaped between a few yawns.
“That does it for me,” Humphrey mumbled as he got to his feet. “I don’t care how small my bunk is, I’m going to sleep well tonight.”
“I guess we’ll see you two in the morning,” Tyra whispered to Brent. “Don’t do anything rash.”
He nodded to her as they all headed to their bunks. Cassandra was already headed toward the cargo bay. Brent quickly joined her.
“I can’t believe we actually found a 3P that featured a funny Vampire as the lead,” she said, stretching.
“A Vampire pirate no less.”
“I’d better not have to worry about you nibbling on my neck.”
“So, I’m a Vampire Weaver then. I suck your blood while analyzing how you feel about me sucking your blood.”
Cassandra let out a loud laugh.
“That sounds like a sequel to me,” she said. “I can see it now, ‘The Adventures of the Sensitive Red Fanged Pirates.’”
“We should be quiet; don’t want to wake everyone up.” He tried to quiet her down as he chuckled along.
The cargo bay was filled with sleeping civilians. The pair gingerly snuck past them to the bed waiting for them at the far corner. Philip and a few Protectorates were still awake, playing a quiet game of cards. They bowed like the tripod to Brent as he passed. He returned the gesture before closing the curtain. Cassandra was already prepped for bed when she turned to him.
“Why is it that no matter where we go, people are always bowing to you like that?” she asked.
“It’s my fault, really. I showed Philip the bow back on Deriso, and I guess he taught the others.”
“Well, for my sake would you not teach anyone else?”
“Your sake?”
“Of course. Its embarrassing watching people bow so elegantly to my future husband.”
Cassandra blushed a heavy red and smiled to herself.
“I’ll agree on one condition,” he said with a smile.
She sat on the bed as Brent set his pocket watch aside.
“What’s that?” she asked.
“That you stop asking stupid questions and accept that I love you.” He grinned as he got in bed.
“Isn’t that deal a little one sided? I mean, you don’t really have to do anything, but I have to go and change the way I talk to you.”
As he turned out the lights, she snuggled up next to him.
“You know, Tyra warned me to be careful around you,” Brent said with a chuckle.
“There’s nothing illegal about sleeping next to someone, is there?”
He smiled as he kissed Cassandra in the dark.
She returned the kiss and held him tightly. He reprimanded himself as he drifted off to sleep. The doctor had been right; the sickbay had been a horribly unromantic place. He should have picked a time like this. As he felt Cassandra’s warmth on his right arm, Brent let the thought go. It might not have been perfect, but for him, having her beside him was enough.
A glaring light woke Brent out of his slumber. Covering his eyes, he found the room bathed in a green light. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he realized the ship was jumping. The curtain at the end of the room was missing, a panoramic view of space replacing it. The bright green light was radiating from the large nebula. It was immense. It filled almost the entire expanse revealed by the Wall. Brent could make out flashes of multicolored light dancing along the cloudy edge of the nebula. It was an eerily beautiful thing. Today was the third day; they’d be entering that nebula soon. Somewhere in that swirling mass were Eos and Core Industries. With the Commonwealth at war with the ITU, the nebula might be one of the few last safe places to hide. Cassandra shifted uneasily next to him. He helped her sit up. She instantly raised her hands to cover her eyes.
“It’s too early; turn down the lights,” she groaned still half asleep.
“I would if I could, but I’m not the one responsible,” Brent said in a gentle voice.
“What do you mean? Just use your pad to dim . . .”
Cassandra went silent as she took her hands away from her eyes. She started to tremble slightly. Brent wrapped his arms around her. She clutched his arm tightly as she stared at the nebula. Her grip was starting to become painful.
“It’s okay, I’m right here,” he whispered in her ear. “Don’t worry.”
Her grip relaxed slightly. He held her close as the Wall crept nearer. Cassandra dug her head painfully into his chest as the Wall started to pass over them. A few moments later, the Wall passed and she started to relax. Brent rubbed at his rib cage.
“What was that?” Cassandra asked, forcing the fear out of her voice.
“I’m pretty sure that was the nebula.”
She suddenly turned her head and looked at him as if she was studying him.
“What’s wrong?” Brent asked while trying not to move under the inspection.
“Didn’t that scare you at all?”
“Not really, why would it?”
“You wake up to a giant ball of churning light eating the ship in front of you, and yet you’re perfectly calm?”
“Well, Cain did say Eos was inside the nebula, didn’t he? It was only a matter of time before we had to go into it.”
“I suppose, but you don’t have to be so calm. I was scared out of my mind.”
“I noticed,” he said with a chuckle.
“Dummy.”
Brent couldn’t help but laugh at the pouting expression on her face. She tossed a pillow at him with so much force his arm stung when it hit him.
“I give up; I surrender.” He used the pillow as a shield while Cassandra continued to pelt him with additional pillows. “Hold your fire. I promise to pretend to be scared of the next jump.”
“Pretend? Don’t tell me you’ve never been afraid of the jumps.”
“Not that I can remember at least. I think they are enjoyable.”
“Now I know you’re crazy. Everyone is scared of jumps at first.”
“Maybe that’s just because everyone around them is scared, a sort of mass hysteria. The others in the cargo bay didn’t seem all that scared after I put my hand through the Wall.”
“True, but you’re just insane enough to pull something like that.”
“Perhaps, but if I were normal you wouldn’t like me as much as you do. In fact, if I wasn’t a little insane, I probably wouldn’t have risked life and limb to get close to you in the first place.”
Cassandra lowered her weapons grade pillow as she thought it over. Before she could react, Brent gave her a kiss, subtly disarming her. He knew she hadn’t meant to hurt him; she was still anxious about the last jump. Drawing attention to the pillow would only upset her, and he didn’t want that. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he reached for his pocket watch. It was a little after eight thirty in the morning. The others were no doubt still trying to sleep in their cramped bunks despite the morning tone. As he was about to stand, Cassandra wrapped her arms around him.
“Thank you for always being so kind,” she whispered into his shirt as she hugged him.
Brent patted her head gently as she held him.
“You were the first person since I left home who didn’t see me as a freak. You’ve always been so kind and understanding.”
“Now, now. No need to get wet and weepy on me.”
“I mean it! I’ve tried to hurt you, I’ve embarrassed you – you even spent a week in Medical because of me. Through all of it, you’ve never once gotten mad at me. You didn’t even say anything just now when I walloped you.”
“I didn’t know you’d realized. It’s okay, no harm done.”
“That’s what I’m talking about! Why don’t you get mad at me? Why didn’t you say something?”
“Well that’s a simple question, because I love you. I suppose it’s safe to say I always have.”
She looked up at him with blurry eyes. He carefully wiped the tears away and kissed her cheek.
“I’ll admit, things weren’t always easy. But right now, sitting here with you, I wouldn’t change any of it. So, no more tears, okay?” He helped her off the bed.
She held him tightly. Brent smiled as he felt her warmth. He returned the embrace until she took a step away, a warm smile on her face.
“You don’t regret any of it?” she asked.
“None of it. No regrets.”
She smiled shyly as she took his hand and held it tenderly. Together, they quickly gathered their things and headed to the stalls. Brent tried not to notice the stares from the Protectorates. It was all he could do not to chuckle when he heard a contented sigh from one of the female members. He wondered if, in their eyes, the pair seemed like a young married couple. A married couple in combat boots and military uniforms, of course. While their current clothing was technically designed with sleep in mind, they were anything but pajamas. It made sense though.
In space, time was relative; there was no clear separation between nights and days. The time shown on the pad was an abstraction. And a military that kept the peace throughout an interplanetary Commonwealth couldn’t be caught literally with its pants down. As such, it made sense that the uniforms they wore now were more comfortable than normal, allowing for a pleasant night’s sleep but still ready for combat. If the ship had been attacked in the middle of the “night,” the troopers would be able to respond instantly without worrying about changing.
A gentle kiss on his cheek interrupted his thoughts. Cassandra winked at him as she picked a stall. Brent was glad she had calmed down. It was hard for him to imagine it, but it seemed the jumps were terrifying for a great many people. As he went about his business in the stall, he chuckled as he thought about how Owen must have reacted when he saw the nebula. As the stall walls receded into the floor after he was finished, Cassandra was already eagerly awaiting him.
“Well, you certainly are energetic this morning,” he said as she pulled him along.
“Cain might be right about you.”
“How so?”
“You’re no doubt a Casanova.”
“Should that worry me?” he asked with a grin.
“Not at all. You’re all mine. I don’t mind being sweet talked every now and then.”
Brent started laughing as they entered the mess room.
“Well, you two look well rested,” Rhea greeted the pair with obvious tiredness in her voice.
“Guess Brent struck out again last night,” Marie said with a snicker.
Tyra thumped Marie on the head with her fist. Liz chuckled as Marie rubbed the sore spot.
“Did anyone else see the nebula?” Cassandra asked excitedly.
“When
?” Cain asked groggily.
“I don’t know, half an hour ago?” She looked at Brent.
He nodded in the affirmative.
“Are you kidding? Tyra practically had to drag us here,” Doug said with a yawn.
“The 3P was four hours long.” Kindra was resting her head on the table, completely ignoring her meal.
Cassandra chuckled as the pair sat down and started on their breakfast. Brent noticed that, save for Tyra, Ronald, and Sanderson, the squad looked like a pack of zombies.
“Sanderson, is it possible for you to not look like you’re ready for a parade?” he asked, pointing his fork at the neatly dressed trooper.
“What do you mean?”
“Look around you. If I didn’t know better, I’d think the Vampire pirate in last night’s 3P had sucked out all their energy.”
Tyra let out a snickering laugh. The tired troopers pretended not to hear them.
“I have to admit I’m impressed,” Ronald said. “Besides a few occasional wrinkles, you are always immaculate in your appearance and the performance of your duties.”
“Better be careful, Sanderson,” Kindra said with a slight slur. “You’re starting to slip. The stuffed shirt I used to know wouldn’t let a single wrinkle get past him.”
Sanderson groaned at the use of his nickname.
“Seeing everyone like this, it’s hard to believe we are the squad that set the new record in the Gauntlet.” Tyra shook her head disapprovingly.
Brent smiled to himself as he took another bite out of his meal. For the first time, Tyra hadn’t passed off credit for the Gauntlet.
“So, how long until the next jump?” Cassandra asked.
“I’m not entirely sure,” Sanderson said with a shrug.
“What time is it now?” Cain asked slowly with a slight wobble.
“Just a bit after nine.” Ronald raised an eyebrow, watching the half sleeping trooper wobble.
“Then we won’t have to worry about a jump until around eleven.” Cain gave up and rested his head on the table like Kindra.
“You’ve been timing them?” Sanderson asked.
Cain weakly nodded his head on the table.
“This is just sad,” Tyra said as she poked the nearest half dead trooper. “I want all of you rested by the time we arrive at Eos. Is that clear?”
The Ninth: Invasion Page 22