Coalition Reckoning

by Cassandra Chandler

  “Careful, Vay,” Henry said.

  Vay was holding a container of red pepper flakes that Brigid had put on the table for those who liked to kick up the heat in their meal.

  “Of what?” Vay said. “These are so pretty and colorful.”

  Pretty?

  Brigid had never heard them described that way.

  “They’re hot,” Henry said.

  Vay looked at the glass canister, then held it in both hands, a thoughtful expression on her face. “I don’t think so. The jar is cool.”

  “No, the flakes are hot.” Henry let out a frustrated breath. “It’s a different kind of heat.”

  “It’s just to add some spice,” Brigid said. “You don’t need to use it.”

  Vay’s face brightened. “I like spice. Salt and sugar are my favorites.”

  “Sugar’s not really…” Henry’s voice trailed off.

  Vay must have never had spicy food before. Henry seemed to be struggling with how to explain it. Brigid decided to help him out. She was the chef, after all.

  “There’s a substance in those called capsaicin that causes a chemical reaction with the heat sensors in your mouth,” Brigid said. “If you put too much of that on your food, it’ll feel like you’re being burned.”

  “Wow.” Vay sprinkled a few flakes into her palm, then set down the shaker and carefully picked up a flake and put it on her tongue.

  At least that one’s an adventurous eater.

  Vay’s eyes widened and she smiled. “It does!” she said. Her face scrunched up and she stuck out her tongue, wiping it with her hand. “Ow, ow, ow.”

  “I can get you some milk.” Henry started to stand, but Vay stopped him.

  “No, it’s okay,” she said. “It’s passing now.” She turned to Brigid, beaming. “That was amazing!”

  Brigid could barely believe it. She had achieved a bit of fame in her circles for her use of science in cuisine, and this group was impressed by the capsaicin reaction of a single red pepper flake.

  She was totally making a baking soda volcano later. They wouldn’t be able to eat it, but it would probably knock their socks off to see just what kitchen ingredients could do.

  “I think Kira’s ready to join us,” Brendan said, looking up from the fancy silver watch he wore.

  Brigid glanced around the room. “I thought she was in Florida.”

  “She is.” Brendan smiled enigmatically. “But there are ways around that, with the right technology.”

  “Just remember that NDA,” Vay said, smiling toward Brigid.

  Light flickered in Kira’s empty chair, expanding into the shape of a woman. Her form was silvered and transparent, like a hologram in a sci-fi movie.

  Brigid’s skin prickled in goosebumps. That was so cool! But she couldn’t tell anyone about it. Suddenly, the NDA made a lot more sense.

  First the high-tech helicopter, and now this? Brigid pressed her lips together, biting them to keep them shut tight. So many questions were pushing to get out, none of which she would probably get answers for.

  They could tell me, but then they’d have to kill me.

  The thought helped curb her curiosity. Instead of focusing on her questions, Brigid looked at Kira. The image of Kira, anyway. Brendan’s wife had long, dark hair, strong features, and was absolutely, drop-dead gorgeous.

  What is it about the women here?

  The guys were cute, in a nerdy kind of way. Well, except for Dane, who was as Hollywood hot as Kira and Vay. For a moment, Brigid wondered if this was some kind of movie set after all. But she’d been on movie sets before, and had never seen anything like the level of technology that everyone around the table seemed to take in stride.

  “Hello,” Brendan said.

  Brigid had never heard a single word hold so much emotion. The expression on Brendan’s face as he looked at Kira made Brigid’s heart beat faster and her stomach warm. There was so much love and longing in his gaze.

  She wondered if anyone would ever look at her that way. Her gaze flicked to Dane before she could stop herself. He was still looking at her, holding her hand, his thumb lightly brushing across her knuckles.

  “Greetings.” Kira’s voice was strong and richer than most women’s. From the way Brendan smirked, Brigid wondered if the pair was sharing some inside joke.

  “Sarah said you made a special request for our meals to match today,” Kira said. Her plate held a transparent version of salad and spaghetti that looked very similar to what was already on Vay and Henry’s plates.

  “It’s something of a special occasion,” Brendan said. “We’re celebrating our new chef.”

  “New chef?” Kira looked around the table, her stern gaze finally settling on Brigid as if they were in the same room.

  Could Kira be sitting at a table with holographic versions of everyone at the lodge? Brigid did her best not to look around the room for cameras. Instead, she lifted her hand and waved.

  “Hi,” Brigid said.

  Kira’s lips pulled into a tight line. She turned back to Brendan. “Do you really think this is a good idea after what happened with the last one?”

  The last one?

  “She’s already fitting in nicely.” Brendan briefly glanced at Dane.

  “How long has she been here?” Kira asked.

  “A couple of hours,” Brendan said.

  “Um, excuse me.” Brigid raised the hand Dane wasn’t holding onto. “What happened to the last chef?”

  Everybody at the table turned to stare at her. Dane squeezed her hand tighter.

  “He couldn’t handle the noises Barbara made,” Dane said. “In the early days of her pregnancy, she was a lot more vocal.”

  “More vocal?” Brigid shuddered. She couldn’t imagine hearing that noise more often she already had.

  Kira slowly turned toward Brendan. “She knows about Barbara?”

  “I don’t,” Brigid broke in quickly. “I mean, all I know is that she loves eating peanuts and lives in the basement with Craig and that they’re not howler-monkey velociraptor hybrids.”

  Henry had been taking a drink, and he choked on it. He quickly covered his mouth with his napkin as he tried to stop his coughing. Vay patted his back.

  “Could you please try not to drown at the table?” Dane said.

  Henry gave him a thumb’s up.

  “That’s all?” Kira raised an eyebrow, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She turned back to Brendan.

  He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Smiling at her, he lifted his hand. Brigid saw a flash of silver from a wide metal wristband he was wearing under his sweater sleeve.

  Kira stared at his palm for a moment before resting her hand above his. Bright motes of light sparked where their skin should connect.

  Whoa…

  “I need to be here,” Brendan said. “And you need to be there. This is what we have right now. But I also need to feel that you’re with me. Everyday comforts are important.”

  “Brendan…” Kira reached out to him, her hand hovering just above his cheek. Brendan closed his eyes and lifted his hand to hers. More of those little motes of light sparked where their hands would be touching.

  What the heck kind of technology was this? The hairs on the back of Brigid’s neck stood on end and she gripped Dane’s hand harder.

  There was so much going on beneath the surface of “cooking for an eccentric billionaire.” And the surface was pretty weird to begin with.

  Whatever she’d landed herself into, the way Brendan and Kira were looking at each other hit Brigid hard. That kind of love was something she dreamed of finding. It was something worth fighting for and protecting, even if she wasn’t the one actively experiencing it.

  It sure as heck was worth putting up with a yowly whatever-it-was in the basement. If Brigid could give them some comfort while they were separated by cooking for Brendan and giving him a sense of normalcy, she’d do it.

  “I’m not learning as quickly as I should,” Kira said.


  Brendan opened his eyes and smiled at her. “You’re doing your best. You’ll get it in time.”

  “We don’t have time to—” Kira turned toward Brigid, her mouth snapping shut.

  “I can go,” Brigid said. “It sounds like you have some things to talk about.”

  Brendan shook his head. “It’s okay. There are lots of other topics that are better for the table. Like Dane’s cooking lessons.”

  “These meatballs are amazing.” Vay’s mouth was so full, Brigid could hardly understand her. “Cygnus X.”

  Wait, what did she say?

  Vay started sawing at her spaghetti noodles, cheeks puffed up like a chipmunk. “I can’t wait to try the spaghetti.”

  “That’s actually not how you’re supposed to eat it,” Brigid said.

  Vay’s eyes widened as she looked at her. She swallowed, then said, “Oh no. Did I break some cultural protocol?”

  “Cultural protocol?” Brigid laughed. “I guess that’s what this is. Here, let me show you.”

  Brigid finally pulled her hand away from Dane’s, then picked up the big spoon at her place setting. She scooped up a few noodles with her fork and put the tines on the spoon, using it to keep the noodles in place as she twirled the fork, wrapping the noodles around the tines. As she did, Vay’s eyes—and smile—grew bigger.

  “That looks like so much fun.” Vay picked up her spoon and mimicked Brigid’s actions perfectly.

  “Wow, you’re a natural,” Brigid said.

  Dane had been about to bite into a meatball, but he flinched. The movement knocked it from his fork. It hit the table with a splat, then rolled off the edge and onto the floor.

  “Shit,” Dane said.

  “I’ve got it.” Brigid used her napkin to quickly wipe the tomato sauce from the table, then ducked under it to clean up the floor. “It’s just like that kid’s song… We should grate some fresh cheese next time.”

  Her voice trailed off as she sat back up and saw that everyone was staring at her.

  “What does it mean to be a natural?” Vay said, her expression oddly guarded.

  Henry jumped in. “I think she just meant it usually takes people longer to figure out how to do that so well.”

  “Oh,” Vay said. She took another bite of meatball, staring at her plate intently.

  After a few moments of everyone eating in silence, Brigid said, “I kind of feel like I’ve broken some cultural protocols.”

  Vay let out a little laugh and smiled at her.

  “I know there are things—lots of things—you can’t tell me,” Brigid said. “And the longer I’m here, the more I’m understanding that. But if there are things I should—and can—know about you all, I’d like to learn them. This is already unlike any job I’ve had before, and I don’t want to step on anybody’s toes.”

  “You’re really tiny,” Vay said.

  Brigid felt her eyebrows lift. Sure, she was short and Vay was supermodel tall, but that was a weird thing to say. Then again, what about this job wasn’t weird?

  “I don’t know whether to say ‘thanks’ or ‘hey!’” Brigid said, forcing a smile.

  Vay was back to stuffing meatballs into her mouth. She somehow managed, “I just meant it wouldn’t hurt if you stepped on anybody’s toes. Unless you stomped on them. But you don’t seem like the type to do that.”

  “I’m not,” Brigid said. “I mean, I wouldn’t.”

  Vay smiled, her cheeks huge. Brigid fought the urge to laugh at the comical expression, and settled for smiling back instead.

  Weirdest job ever.

  But she was kind of starting to like it.

  Chapter Six

  Dane put the last dish in the dishwasher just as Brigid entered the kitchen. Her dark hair was wet and combed back from her face and she was wearing flannel pajamas and fluffy pink slippers shaped like some sort of animal with long, floppy ears.

  She stared at the dishwasher for a moment. “This is really going to take some getting used to.”

  “Given everything you’ve seen and heard today, I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

  She smiled as she approached. “Normally, when I’m hired to do a job, I’m treated at best like an employee and at worst like a servant. Often a not-very-appreciated servant. Everyone here is being so nice.”

  “And that’s a problem?” He started up the dishwasher.

  “I guess not. It’s just strange.”

  “Well, in case you haven’t noticed, we’re a strange lot.”

  She laughed. “Yeah, I did kind of notice that.”

  He walked a little closer. He wanted to wrap his arms around her, to kiss her and maybe carry her upstairs to one of their rooms. Instead, he leaned against the short side of the kitchen island counter, trying to feign a sense of ease.

  “Did your shower help?” he asked.

  “I feel a lot better now. I think I’ve caught a second wind.” She grinned, and added, “That means I have a renewed burst of energy.”

  “I’m pretty good with idioms.”

  “Vay is adorable when she can’t figure one out. She freaked when I told her I needed to take a shower ‘to feel human again’ and gave me a big hug even after I explained it.”

  Dane laughed. “Yeah, I can see her doing that. What else do you need?”

  Brigid shook her head. “See, that’s just what I’m talking about. I’m supposed to be seeing to all of your needs.”

  “We need you to be happy here.”

  “Mission accomplished.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.”

  Her cheeks turned pink as she stared at him for a few moments before looking away.

  “About earlier…” They both spoke at the same time. Same words, same tone, and then laughed together. That had never happened to him before.

  He straightened, stepping closer. “About earlier,” he said.

  “Yeah…”

  The skin on his arms prickled into goosebumps as he fought the urge to reach out to her. If he touched her, he wasn’t sure what would happen.

  He’d cleared off the counter. But then, if Brendan didn’t want them doing anything on the table, he probably wouldn’t like anything happening on the counter, either.

  “Do you want to watch a movie, maybe?” Brigid said. “I know I should be exhausted, but I’m too wired to sleep just yet.”

  “A movie sounds great.”

  The entertainment room was seldom used, close by, and had an overstuffed couch with plenty of room for them to…get comfortable.

  Her smile grew. “I’ll make popcorn.”

  Popcorn?

  She started going through the cabinets, looking for whatever popcorn was. He would offer to help, but didn’t have a clue what she was looking for.

  After all the strange topics that had come up during and after dinner, he didn’t want to give her more things to wonder about. Their ignorance of everyday Earthling things had caused Brigid to lift an eyebrow more than once.

  She was handling everything so well—unlike the previous chef, who had seen a box of floating peanuts one too many times and become convinced the place was haunted.

  At least he’d been focused on ghosts and never once mentioned anything about aliens. Dane doubted the guy would cause any problems for them with the huge payment Brendan had given him when he left.

  Dane still wished that the others had told him he wasn’t doing a good enough job when he’d stepped in to fill that void. Then again, if he had tried harder, Brendan wouldn’t have felt the need to hire Brigid.

  Dane had met countless other sentients, including quite a few Earthlings. He’d never reacted to anyone like he did to Brigid.

  “Aha.” She pulled out a small box, then opened it up. Inside, there were several folded bags wrapped in plastic.

  She tore open the plastic and unfolded the bag, then set it inside the microwave. “Can you get us out a bowl?”

  “Sure.” He reached over her to open the cabinet that held the dishes Brendan
and Henry used to eat cereal.

  “Not that kind of bowl.” She shook her head and laughed. “Bigger.”

  How the heck was that tiny flat bag going to produce something that needed a bigger bowl?

  He closed the door as she punched in numbers on the microwave. The process reminded him of how nutrient bricks were created and deployed back on the Arbiter.

  A chill threaded down his spine at the thought of his ship—and the one just like it that was on the way.

  The Reckoning could reach Earth in a matter of weeks. Even with the Vegans offering to use their advanced technology to assist in defending Earth, there was every chance of violence. Dane had high stakes on both sides.

  Dane’s thoughts had been swirling around the Reckoning’s crew ever since Brigid made that comment about Vay being ‘a natural’. Specifically, he kept thinking about the second-in-command, Marq.

  Dane’s brother.

  Dane’s not-genetically engineered brother.

  The Coalition might get their ass kicked by the Vegans when they arrived at Earth, but Marq and Dane were still soldiers. If anyone found out that they knew about each other, they’d get mind-wipes and be reassigned far enough apart that they’d never have a chance to reconnect, just like what had been done to their parents. It was a miracle Dane and Marq had discovered each other in the first place—and the truth about themselves.

  There was just too much to unpack when it came to Marq. How the hell could Dane keep his brother safe—and protect their secret—when the Reckoning arrived?

  If he kept thinking about it, he’d lose even more sleep. At this rate, he’d be completely non-functional when it was time to head to the Florida base to take their stand.

  Besides, he had much more pleasant things to occupy his attention—like Brigid.

  Bigger bowls were in the cabinet in the kitchen island. He was just turning to fetch one when he heard the first burst of weapon fire.

  “Get down,” he yelled.

  She let out a yelp as he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her against his chest. Ducking low, he spun them away from the sound. It was coming from right where Brigid had been standing, and increasing in frequency.