by Ryk Brown
“I still think it was a mistake to give her that ship.”
“I thought you disliked the Mirai?”
“I did not dislike her, only the scant decor. Practicalities aside, a man of your position deserves better.”
“It is an unusual request,” the captain decided. “However, I will honor it.”
“You think she is up to something?” the commander wondered.
“She is the daughter of Casimir Ta’Akar,” the captain replied gravely. “I have no doubt that she is up to something.”
* * *
Marcus opened his door and found Josh standing in the corridor outside his quarters. “Josh. I wasn’t expecting you.” Marcus stepped aside to allow Josh to enter. “I thought you and Loki were down on Porto Santo?”
“We were,” Josh said as he entered Marcus’s quarters. “You got a minute?”
“Sure,” Marcus said, closing the door. “I was about to go chew on a sergeant’s ass, but I’m sure he won’t mind waiting.”
“Yeah, I’m sure he won’t,” Josh agreed, remembering all the times that Marcus had yelled at him growing up.
“What’s up?” Marcus wondered, noticing the serious expression on Josh’s face as he sat. The one thing that Josh was not, was serious. Not ever. “What happened? Kaylah finally dump you for good?”
“Naw.” Josh looked at Marcus. “I don’t know how to say this, so I’m just going to come right out with it. I’m going to resign my commission in the Alliance.”
“What? Are you stupid?” Marcus yelled, jumping back up from his seat. “I mean, I know you’re stupid. That’s a given. But this? This is really stupid!”
“I’ve got my reasons…”
“Did Kaylah talk you into this? What, does she want you two to run off together, get married, and start popping out kids?”
“Marcus…”
“Josh, you finally made it! You’ve finally made something of yourself, kid! Don’t fuck it all up now just for some girl!”
“Marcus! Would you shut up for a minute and listen?” Josh insisted.
Marcus stared at Josh a moment then finally took his seat again. “Very well.”
“Loki and I are both resigning.”
“I’m still waiting for the reason, kid,” Marcus said, holding back his anger.
“There’s something we have to do,” Josh explained. “And we can’t do it while we’re still in the Alliance.”
“What is it?” Marcus asked. “What is so important that you’d throw your entire future away?”
“I can’t tell you,” Josh said quietly, looking down.
“What?”
Josh looked back up at Marcus. “Not unless you come with us. We need a third person to have a full crew.”
“Jesus, kid. You realize what you’re asking of me?” Marcus leaned back in his chair. “I’m a master chief, now. Hell, I’m chief of the boat. That doesn’t happen to guys like me. Not ever.” Marcus looked from side to side, conflicted in his decision. He looked at Josh again. “Crew for what?”
“I can’t say.”
“Can you say where you’re going?”
Josh just shook his head.
“Can you say when you’ll be back?” There was still no response. “Can you say if you’ll be back?”
“Sorry.”
“Jesus, Josh. Will I ever see you again?”
“You could come with us,” Josh reminded him.
“Is it dangerous? Whatever it is you’re doing?” Marcus wondered.
Josh chuckled. “Does it matter?”
“Of course, it matters,” Marcus insisted. He shook his head. “What the hell is so important?”
“Like I said, I can’t tell you,” Josh replied. “Not unless you agree to join us.”
“Without even knowing what it is?”
“Trust me, Marcus. If you knew what it was, you’d come with us,” Josh promised.
Marcus looked long and hard at Josh, studying his face…his eyes. He had always been able to read Josh, ever since he was a child. He had never seen him look more determined than he did at this moment. Finally, Marcus sighed in acceptance. “All right. I’m in.”
“Are you sure?” Josh asked.
“No, but I’m still in,” Marcus replied. “Now, tell me what the hell is going on.”
Josh smiled. “We’re going to rescue Captain Scott.”
Marcus rolled his eyes, and threw up his hands. “Why the hell didn’t you say so to begin with, you little shit! You know damn well I would’ve said yes!”
Josh’s smile grew broader. “I was just having some fun with you, old man.”
* * *
Jessica reached her front door and peeked through the window to see who was ringing the bell. “Holy shit,” she mumbled to herself as she unlocked the door and opened it wide. “Admiral,” she greeted, surprise obvious in her voice.
“Jessica,” Admiral Dumar replied. He waited a moment for her to respond. When she didn’t, he spoke again. “May I?”
“Of course,” Jessica replied, embarrassed.
“I apologize for the unannounced visit,” the admiral said as he entered her home.
“What are you doing down here? I mean, over here. I mean…on Porto Santo.”
“You mean, what am I doing here?” the admiral corrected.
“That too,” she said as she closed the door. Jessica pointed toward the living room. “Please.”
Admiral Dumar entered the living room, immediately spotting baby Ania playing on the floor. “Is this her?”
“Yes,” Jessica replied. She squatted down and picked up Ania to show her to the admiral. “This is Ania. Ania, this is Admiral Travon Dumar.”
“She is beautiful,” the admiral said softly. “Such expressive eyes, especially for one so young.”
“Yeah, she’s something,” Jessica agreed, setting the child back on the blanket on the floor.
“It is a wonderful thing you are doing, Jessica, taking this child into your home to raise as your own.”
“Yeah, well, my mom has been doing most of the work, along with my brothers’ wives. I’m hardly ever here, it seems.”
“I take it she is the reason you are resigning your commission?”
Jessica looked at the admiral. “Surely, you didn’t come all the way down here just to try to talk me out of it?”
“Not that I wouldn’t have,” the admiral began. “I had a meeting with President Scott. I thought that as long as I was on Earth, I should at least come by and see if I might change your mind. But, after seeing Ania in person, I can see that I’d be wasting my time.”
“I do appreciate the thought,” Jessica told him.
“You have been an invaluable officer, Jessica,” the admiral said. “The Alliance will be hard-pressed to replace you.”
“The Alliance?” Jessica noticed the admiral’s context.
Admiral Dumar sighed. “Now that a cease-fire exists, the people of Earth are pushing for a change in leadership. Someone from Earth.”
“You’re kidding,” Jessica said, shocked.
“I can understand their desire for a military leader more directly connected to their world. It is only natural.”
Jessica closed her eyes. “Please, please tell me they are not putting Galiardi in command.”
“I’m afraid I cannot.”
Jessica shook her head. “You know, I wasn’t entirely sure I was doing the right thing by resigning, but now I have no doubts.”
“Galiardi is more than qualified,” the admiral assured her.
“Maybe,” Jessica admitted. “But he doesn’t care about his people, not the way you do. To him, we’re just assets.”
“It is the way tha
t generals and admirals must sometimes view things, I’m afraid.”
“That’s just an excuse bad generals and admirals use to make themselves feel better about the lives they throw away,” Jessica insisted. “The good ones care. They feel the loss of every person, both ours and theirs.”
“Perhaps.”
“That’s what made you a good leader, sir.”
Admiral Dumar smiled. “Thank you.”
The two sat in silence for several minutes, watching baby Ania chew on her toys.
“Where will you go?” Jessica wondered. “Back to Corinair?”
“Of course. I have family there. A wife, a son, and a daughter.”
“What will you do?”
“We have some land in the mountains, a few hours from Aitkenna, by a lake. It is very beautiful, and very remote. My wife and I have often talked of building a resort. Nothing fancy. Just some secluded cabins along the shore. A place where people can come to get away from everyone and everything, to be alone with nature.”
“Sounds nice,” Jessica said. “Then you will be retiring from military service?”
“Yes.” Admiral Dumar sighed. “I believe the time is finally right.” He looked at Jessica. “It has been a long time coming, you know.”
“If you don’t mind my asking, how old are you?”
“Not as old as you might think,” the admiral chuckled. “I am one hundred and thirty-seven of your Earth years in age.”
“Wow,” Jessica replied, impressed. “You don’t look a day over one hundred and ten.”
The admiral laughed even harder. “Yes, well, I ran out of anti-aging a few months after you put a bullet between the eyes of Caius Ta’Akar. I never did thank you for that, by the way.”
“My pleasure.”
“And what about you?” the admiral asked. “Will you be staying on Porto Santo?”
“Actually, no. I’m joining the Ghatazhak.”
“Really?” This time, it was the admiral who was surprised.
“Yup. Telles invited me.”
“That sounds like an interesting opportunity. Although, I have to say, the thought of you with the skills of a Ghatazhak is a little frightening. No offense intended.”
“Don’t worry,” Jessica assured him. “Telles intends to work on what he sees as ‘self-control’ issues.”
The admiral nodded his approval. “I should like to meet you again,” he said. “Perhaps in a decade, after you have completed your training. I suspect you will be most impressive.” The admiral looked at baby Ania. “But what of Ania?” he wondered. “I understand the Ghatazhak do not plan to remain on Earth for much longer.”
“Actually, the commander and I are going to find a suitable world on which to establish a permanent Ghatazhak base. Someplace near the Takaran sector, I suspect. Once we do, my family has agreed to come with me. We will need help building the new facilities, and my father and brothers are pretty good with tools. So, we’ll all be together.”
“That’s a big step for them, is it not? Traveling to another part of the galaxy.”
“Yeah, it’s a bit mind boggling,” Jessica admitted. “Especially for my parents. But I have a good feeling about it.”
“It sounds like a good plan,” the admiral said. He rose from his seat. “Well, I shall not bother you further, since I can see that your future is well considered. I wish you much success and happiness, Jessica.” The admiral reached out to shake her hand.
“Thank you, sir,” she said as she accepted the gesture. “Maybe, someday, we can come and stay at your resort.”
“We’d love to have you,” the admiral said as he headed for the door.
Jessica followed him from the living room to the front door.
The admiral paused, then turned back to Jessica, looking her in the eyes. “Jessica, not rescuing Nathan was the hardest thing I have ever done,” he said quietly.
Jessica stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the admiral. “Me, too,” she whispered back. “Me, too.”
* * *
Deliza spotted the admiral further down the corridor, and quickened her pace to catch up to him. “Admiral,” she called out, hoping to slow him down.
The admiral paused, turning to look behind him. “Deliza,” he greeted when he spotted her moving toward him at a brisk pace. “How are things going down in Grindelwald?”
“Well, I suppose,” she replied as she reached his side, and the two of them continued down the corridor together. “To be honest, I do not really know. Half the time, Yanni is excited about their progress, and the other half, he is upset at how difficult it is to get anything accomplished.”
“And the Data Ark?” the admiral wondered.
“Yanni said it should be up and running in another week. The new data cores provided by the Corinairans made a big difference.”
“That is good to hear,” the admiral said. He paused at the door to his private mess. “Care to join me for lunch?” he asked, gesturing toward the door.
“I’d like that very much,” she replied, nodding respectfully.
The admiral opened the door for her, allowing her to enter first, before following behind. “To be honest, I wasn’t expecting you back today. I thought you would be on the surface until Yanni finished his project.”
“There were a few things I needed from the black lab. Some project files to work on.” Deliza noticed two place settings at the table, with the food already prepared. “Were you expecting someone?”
“I was going to have lunch with Captain Taylor,” the admiral explained as he took his seat. “But her doctors wanted to run a few more tests before they released her for duty.”
“I heard a rumor that Cameron was going to take command of the Aurora. Is that true?” Deliza wondered.
“Indeed it is.”
“I wonder, how does Commander Willard feel about that?”
“Commander Willard asked to be replaced,” the admiral told her as he dished his first course. “He wishes to return to Corinair.”
“Seems to be a lot of that going around these days,” Deliza commented.
“Indeed.”
“I heard another rumor,” she said, looking tentatively at the admiral. “About you.”
“That one is true as well. I shall also be returning to Corinair.”
“How soon?”
“A month…two at the most, I expect. As soon as my replacement can take over.”
“And that would be the third rumor,” Deliza commented as she took her first bite.
“And that one would be true as well.”
“A lot of the old EDF regulars are not happy about that.”
“I am aware,” the admiral responded. “They are free to resign at any time.”
“Can the Alliance afford to lose so many people at once?”
“Better now, while we have a cease-fire, and have time to train their replacements,” the admiral said.
“I too am planning on returning to Corinair. I just haven’t decided when to leave.”
“How does Yanni feel about that?”
“He’s fine with it,” Deliza replied. “At least, he hasn’t voiced any objections as of yet.”
“The Alliance will have a hard time replacing you in the black lab,” the admiral commented.
“I doubt it,” she replied as she dined.
“Don’t sell yourself short, Deliza. Your contributions have been considerable.” The admiral paused and looked at her. “Your father would be proud.”
Deliza smiled. “I do wish I could stay longer,” she admitted. “The projects here are most challenging, and quite interesting. But Captain Navarro feels he is unable to serve as my proxy for business matters, and still run the Avendahl. He fears one, or bot
h, will suffer. That is why I am returning.”
“Yes,” the admiral replied. “I received his request to recall the Mirai’s flight crew. He, too, has lost several of his crew. It seems they have not fared their separation from Takara as well as he had hoped.”
“Not too surprising,” Deliza said. “Corinair and Takara are vastly different worlds.”
“Indeed they are,” the admiral agreed. “Have you considered who you will hire to crew the Mirai?”
“Actually, I have,” Deliza replied. “That’s why I wanted to speak with you.”
The admiral set down his utensils, waiting to hear her choice.
“I was hoping to offer the jobs to Josh, Loki, and Marcus.”
The admiral thought for a moment.
“I hope you don’t mind,” she said, noticing his contemplation.
“Josh and Loki are two of our best pilots,” the admiral said. “And Marcus Taggart is the Aurora’s chief of the boat. Are you sure they’ll want to leave?”
“Since the Falcon program is being discontinued, I was hoping they might be interested in the job. I thought it might appeal to them more than flying a shuttle for the Alliance.”
“They’d more likely be put into Super Eagles,” the admiral said. “Although, I cannot be sure, since that will be for my successor to decide.”
“That’s the other thing,” Deliza said, as she took another bite. “I think one of the reasons so many non-Terrans are looking to return to their homeworlds is that, with the change of command, they fear favoritism toward Terrans amongst the better positions.”
“Yes, I am aware of that as well.”
“You don’t believe it to be the case?”
“I did not say that,” the admiral replied calmly.
“Then you do believe it to be the case?”
“I did not say that, either,” the admiral pointed out. “However, I understand their concern.”
Deliza returned to her meal. “I think they’ll jump at the chance,” she finally said. “Even Marcus.”