Taking Command

by Jennifer Leeland

  "General?” Jake called out.

  "Captain.” The General's voice sounded throughout the room.

  "Can you access this VFR program?"

  "Now, I can. He held me out for a while.” There was a pause and then Troy's shackles broke open and he fell to the floor. Sashina held him, tears streamed down her face.

  "It's okay, Troy. We found you.” She glared up at Jake. “I'll kill him. How dare he? No one marks Troy but me.” Her green eyes flashed in the fluorescent lights.

  "General, get us out of here, will you?” Jake sounded angry as well.

  Daniella was just confused. The rogue Tribunal went to an awful lot of trouble. And for what?

  "Why didn't he just kill Troy?” Daniella asked Jake in a whisper.

  "He wants us to suffer.” Jake's dark look was frightening. “The little therapy room should have told us that."

  "It's ridiculous. Why all the elaborate games?"

  "Perhaps there is more to this than just sabotage."

  Jake and Sashina supported Troy and got him out the door that appeared in the room marking their exit.

  There was a medic team waiting to perform first aid on Troy. Sashina held his hand and her eyes were anxious, searching Troy's face for a sign of consciousness. A security team surrounded them.

  "What's going on, General?” Jake contacted the old man.

  "Lestrano can't find Pasquel. The whole ship is on alert until he's found."

  Daniella gripped Jake's arm. “Jake. George Finton knew something. We need to make sure he's okay."

  "General? Do you have a location of George Finton?"

  A moment of silence and the General spoke. “His locator is in the mechanic shop."

  Jake and Daniella sprinted down the hallway.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Chapter Fourteen

  "It's very simple, Father.” A voice was speaking as Daniella and Jake snuck into the shop. “What has the human race ever done for me?"

  "It's Donny,” Daniella whispered.

  Jake nodded. He slid around and got closer while she followed.

  "They created you, Donny.” George's voice sounded weak.

  "They certainly did. Training under the Space Elite is brutal, did you know that? Being the bastard son of a failed sergeant didn't make me popular. Then, they sent me out on missions to kill people. Why would they object if I made a hobby out of it?"

  "I think they objected to the women you killed, Donny. Let this go. We can change your identity again. You can get lost in the shuffle."

  "Not this time, Father.” The way Donny spit out the last word made Daniella fear for George. “This time, I'll be rewarded by a race of people I understand. The Dormrela are killers. I belong with the killers. Before I'm done, the human race will be a distant memory."

  "I won't help you this time,” George cried out. Daniella couldn't see what Donny did, but it obviously hurt.

  "When have you helped me? I sabotaged those vehicles and you bring that bitch in to fix them. She was more important to you. You think I didn't see that she was taking my place?” Donny's voice was hysterical, insane.

  "She's not my blood, boy. You are. I helped you. I got you the access. I did everything you told me to do."

  "Daniella Pearce has to die, Father. I'm going to make sure they believe you did it, not me."

  The older man spoke louder. “They'll never believe it. They suspect you already."

  "They suspect you too, old man.” There was some pounding and the sound of a scuffle. “It's too easy, really. The Zenith is destroyed by you. We're almost to Asberek. Now, no one will know what happened.” There was sadistic pleasure lacing Donny's voice as he kept talking. “Did you know that the Ang predicted what I'm about to do? I'm going to change the course of the Universe's history.” His voice rang inside the hanger. “I'm going to create a world free of human stupidity."

  "You will still be alive.” George's voice sounded weak, tired.

  "I'm only human by accident. Your accident. It was never my destiny to be a human being. It is my destiny to end the swarming mass of ignorance that is man. And it's so easy. All I had to do was to kill Daniella and destroy this ship. Interstellar war. There are so many races eager to destroy humanity. It was quite easy."

  Jake plastered himself against the wall as Donny strode past him. The man turned and stared in the direction of his father. “I'm going to live with the Dormrela. My sweetest revenge will be that I'll be killing the human race as I leave. All they'll find is your technical fingerprints all over it.” His eyes glistened and his smile made Jake cringe. “It's a sweet revenge on a race that should have been destroyed centuries ago."

  "Someone will stop you."

  "Who? Captain Jake Tarune? He's dead. I sent him into the VFR and removed the failsafe. Just as he reaches his friend, he'll die. And so will that bitch, Dani."

  "No! Why? She was nice to you. She cared about you,” George protested.

  "You preferred her to me. I've always hated her,” he spat out. Donny flung himself toward the door and ignored the voice of his father.

  "Wait! Donny, please!” The door shut behind Donny.

  Jake and Daniella tore across the hanger towards George.

  They found him taped to the wall with a huge explosive strapped to his body. His gray hair was pasted to his forehead with sweat and his watery blue eyes held a tired and defeated expression.

  "Oh, my God!” Daniella whispered.

  "Don't touch me. If I move, it will go off."

  A timer was ticking on his chest and indicated they only had ten minutes to defuse the explosives.

  "It's primitive,” Jake muttered.

  "But effective.” Daniella inspected the electronics.

  "I don't think we have time to wait for the experts. You and I will have to figure this out,” Jake said.

  "Right.” Daniella studied the wires connecting the charge. “We have to hope he followed standard procedure."

  "With the colors?"

  "Yes. Blue is benign. Red is live. Cut the red one and it ought to trigger the explosive. Cut the blue one, and the timer stops. Then, we can dispose of the charge."

  The timer continued to count down.

  Daniella found a pair of wire cutters. “I'm doing this manually. I do not trust a computer with this."

  "What do you want me to do?” Jake asked her.

  "Find some cover.” Daniella focused on the blue wire. She had to cut it in one snip, or the thing would go off. Sweat gathered on her forehead.

  Thoughts passed through her mind. Memories of her mother, regrets of things left undone and her volatile relationship with Jake swamped her as she reached for the blue wire. It occurred to her as she faced her possible end that she became so like her father in the end she had distanced herself from everyone. Fear kept her safe, but lonely. If she didn't get blown to smithereens, she wasn't going to waste any more time living that way. To stay alive, she had to focus on what she was doing. Everything else faded into the background. Jake's voice, calling in the bomb experts, sounded distant.

  This was it.

  With one smooth cut, she severed the wire and waited.

  Time seemed to stand still. Daniella had her eyes closed and the whir of the machinery was the only sound in the room. She let out a slow breath she hadn't realized she was holding. It wasn't over yet.

  With careful fingers, she dislodged the charges taped to George's chest. Jake was right beside her and he had the titanium tube she needed and she didn't have to ask. One by one, she laid the four charges inside the tube and together, she and Jake placed the tube in the containment tote used to put out mechanical fires.

  Her breath wooshed out with a sigh. “I think we got it."

  "Thank God,” Jake muttered and whipped her into his arms, holding her close. “Oh baby. I don't want to live through another minute like that one."

  "Jake.” Her voice was strained. “I need to tell you something.” She leaned back in the ci
rcle of his arms.

  His black eyes shone as his gaze met hers and she couldn't believe what she saw there. Desire, caring, love. He didn't need to say a word, all of the emotion showed in his eyes. “You don't have to say it.” He brushed her lips with his.

  Her hands cupped his face. “I want to say it. I've never said it before. I love you. I've loved you almost since the moment we met."

  His response was everything she hoped. He didn't just kiss her. He devoured her. All the love she had seen in his eyes poured from his body.

  They broke apart at the sound of someone clearing their throat. “Do you think you could cut me down and get this crap off of me?"

  Daniella had forgotten about George.

  "Oh, George. I'm sorry.” She and Jake began to remove the tape and the explosives strapped to the man's body.

  The explosive experts appeared and she and Jake were whisked apart. George was taken away for interrogation. Jake had to be debriefed and the general shook her hand.

  "Nice work, Ms. Pearce."

  "What about Donny?” she asked.

  "We're tracking him. He took a shuttle to the planet surface."

  "I heard him mention that we should have died in the VFR? How did you manage to keep us safe?"

  "Pasquel believed Lestrano was your only help. He kept him busy searching the ship while he directed his little play. With my access, I was able to override some of the nastier surprises he had for you."

  "Thank you, General."

  "You're welcome. What I need now is those ATHVs fixed that Pasquel managed to sabotage again."

  "Will do, sir."

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Chapter Fifteen

  The next week was busy as Daniella worked overtime to fix the ATHVs before the Zenith reached the planet Asberek. Paul Lestrano was overseeing the repairs in George's absence. Paul didn't discuss Donny or the others until a week after Daniella had defused the bomb.

  He approached her as she was finishing on an ATHV and getting ready to close up shop for the night. His dark eyes were wary, as if he wasn't sure she'd accept him. In a way, he wasn't the friend who challenged her in Sky Chess. He was a Tribunal. A spook. Alone.

  "I suppose it would be pointless to ask if you'd like to play a game of Sky Chess."

  She had no answer for him. She gazed at him trying to figure out who he really was.

  He sighed. “How's Troy?"

  "Sashina says he's recovering but his injuries were more serious this time."

  "I hope he'll be okay."

  "Oh, he will. Physically.” Daniella kept it short and prepared to leave the hanger.

  "Dani, I'm sorry I let Donny get away.” Paul's voice stopped her and she turned to stare at him.

  "That wasn't your fault."

  "It was my responsibility."

  Daniella sighed. “We never considered the possibility he'd have the Dormrela pick him up on the planet surface."

  Paul's smile held no warmth. “My new orders are to stick to Sashina. The Earth government believes she is the new focus by the Dormrela."

  With pursed lips, she said nothing. She couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if there had been no computer glitch, no chance meeting of Captain Jake Tarune. It might have been less painful to have been manipulated by Paul Lestrano than fall in love with Jake. And since Jake only talked to her via vid phone, each time more distant and formal than the last, that thought was no comfort.

  "I'm also sorry that you had to find out about me the way you did.” Paul broke into her thoughts. Daniella smiled bitterly. Yes, wasn't it a shame she found out all her friends weren't what they seemed? Sashina was a fem Dom. Troy was a closet submissive. Donny was a maniac with George as his secret father. Paul was Tribunal and Jake—

  She shook her head. “It's all too much for me to grasp. If George hadn't found Donny when he was ten, maybe Donny wouldn't have joined the military. If he hadn't been a bastard child of a sergeant with zippers on his stripes, maybe Donny wouldn't have snapped. If he hadn't wanted to sabotage this colony, I never would have met you. If the computer hadn't had some weird programming, Jake and I...” She stopped. “What a mess."

  Paul's face was serious, his brows dipped down over his nose. “It usually is. I hope we can truly be friends."

  "How much of the real you did I get to see?"

  He smirked, his expression rueful. “More than I meant. Something about you got under my skin."

  She rolled her eyes. “I've been hearing that a lot lately."

  He nodded and a smile broke over his face. “Jake looked like a man on the edge.” She glared at him and his grin only widened.

  "I don't know what you're talking about."

  "When I saw him, he was taking an ass chewing for allowing you to disarm the bomb."

  Daniella's back stiffened. “I was the one qualified to do it."

  "I know that. So did the general. I think the problem was that Jake should have called in back up sooner, but he was too worried about you so he didn't."

  Warmth spread through her belly. The way Jake snatched her into his arms that day was the last time they'd touched. Since then, it was stilted vid phone conversations laced with proverbial ice. “There wasn't time,” Daniella answered, defending Jake.

  Paul nodded. “That was nice work, by the way."

  "What will happen to George now?"

  He shrugged. “Probably nothing. He only gave Donny access and didn't do any of it himself. They'll opt him out early on a pension and bury it."

  "That's something, at least."

  Like a curious bird, Paul cocked his head to the side and pinned her with a knowing glance. “Does Tarune know how you feel about him?"

  "I don't know what you mean."

  "Have you told him you love him?"

  Daniella could feel heat washing over her cheeks. “I don't think that's your business."

  "It is if he hurts you.” Though the words were casual, the threat behind them was clear. “I don't make friends easily, but I let my guard down with you.” He turned to stride out of the hanger. “You might mention that to Captain Tarune.” And he left.

  Her portable vid phone jangled against her hip. It was Jake. Her heart slammed in her chest. She pressed the button to connect the call. “Jake.” She didn't mean to sound so warm, so needy but her love for him was right on the surface.

  * * * *

  When her warm voice and shining face showed up on his vid phone, Jake wanted to reach through the phone and hang on. But with everything that happened, it seemed too unreal, too fast. Distance. He needed to find distance. “How are those ATHVs coming along?"

  The way the light died in her face wrenched his heart, but it was what he wanted, wasn't it?

  "They're fine. How is the investigation going?” Stilted. No expression.

  "The general seems happy. Look, I called to let you know we have to debrief you and Sashina tonight.” He shuffled papers trying to seem like a busy man about business.

  Her shoulders slumped. “What time?"

  "1800 hours"

  "And in civilian speak?"

  "Six o'clock."

  "I'll be there.” Her gaze shifted away from his. “Sashina is here. Thanks for calling.” And she hung up.

  He'd hurt her. He knew if he was in her shoes he'd be pissed. She told him she loved him and he didn't respond. It was for the best.

  Before him, she'd never explored her fantasies. And then there was the computer glitch and Donny. She never had a chance. Of course she thought she was in love with him. He wanted to give her a choice. So far, she'd had no choice.

  His desk was littered with work—information on the Dormrela, Donny's file, the Ang predictions—all lay scattered across the smooth surface. He couldn't concentrate on any of it. Of all the memories of the last weeks, Daniella's ringing tone when she lay in his arms, bleeding from stripes across her back kept replaying in his mind.

  I'm your submissive.

  If he didn't
give her space, he'd lose her. He thrust his hand through his hair so hard, it hurt. Hell, he might lose her anyway. He wanted her, needed her, loved her but how could he keep her when none of this was real?

  He knew the consequences of living on love that wasn't real. Their interactions had been based on a dream. His dream.

  Tonight he had to be in the same room, inhale her unique scent, and somehow keep his hands off her. She deserved a life no matter what the computer calculated and no matter what the Ang predicted.

  He groaned as pain radiated somewhere in the vicinity of his heart.

  * * * *

  Sashina seemed more subdued than Daniella had ever seen. Her face was thinner and there were dark circles under her green eyes. Daniella clasped her friend in a hug. “How's Troy?"

  Her friend shrugged. “He seems fine, but he isn't really talking to me much."

  "That must be difficult. Does he know what happened in the VFR?"

  With a vigorous shake, Sashina indicated a strong negative. “No. And I don't want him to know."

  "You'll have to tell him eventually.” She couldn't help thinking of her own doubts and frustration that she didn't know how Jake felt about her.

  Sashina fidgeted. “I know. It's just..."

  "What?"

  "He's never said he loved me."

  "And you don't want to be the first one to admit it, is that it?"

  Her friend sighed. “That's it."

  "It would be tough to say those three little words and not hear them back.” Didn't she know it?

  Those keen eyes studied Daniella's face. “I take it you've told Jake you love him."

  "Yes.” She mumbled the word.

  "And he didn't say anything?"

  "I thought he didn't have to. Now, I'm not so sure.” She shifted her feet.

  "Have you talked to him?"

  Frustration stretched her nerves and she sighed. “We've talked by vid phone. He's been formal and correct. I think he's letting me know not to take him seriously."

  "Well, ask him."

  Daniella glared at her. “Right. This is from the woman that will tell a hologram the truth but doesn't tell the man."

  A jerky shift of Sashina's shoulders and the defeated expression on her friend's face made the resentment drop away. “Your relationship with Jake is less complicated."