Once that was done, she left the bridge to head back toward the loading bay. Dani entered and immediately saw the blood-covered floor but no sign of Cruz or Cassia. Zadria sat on a crate, staring down at her own bloody uniform.
“Z?” Dani asked quietly.
“There was just so much blood,” she answered.
“Cassia?”
“Cruz took her.”
“Hey.” Dani walked over to Zadria and bent down to look her in the eye. “Why don’t you go get cleaned up? Take a hot shower.”
Zadria nodded and hopped off the crate, shuffling off to the showers in a zombie-like state, much the way Dani’s father had after her mother went missing.
Dani left and stopped by Cassia’s room first, only to find it empty. Next, she lingered outside of Cruz’s door, worried about what she might find inside. After a few minutes had passed, she mustered up the courage to knock on Cruz’s door. With no answer, she used her code to override it and enter. Cassia lay on the bed, white as a sheet, with Cruz at her side. She gently touched his shoulder and he raised his head to look at her.
The once-stoic soldier looked utterly broken. His eyes were red and rimmed with tears. His massive hands were intertwined with Cassia’s delicate fingers. Dani noticed that Cassia’s chest was rising and falling ever so slightly. She was still alive.
“What do you need?” Dani asked.
“Blood,” Cruz signed. “I stopped the bleeding and I’ve given her everything we had on board that matched her type, but she’s lost so much.”
Dani watched as Cruz held Cassia’s hand and rested his forehead on their coupled fingers. “We’re back in GC territory, but in an abandoned system with no ships nearby. I was hesitant to try to reach out for help until I knew what kind of shape she was in. But I’ll go see what I can find. Maybe there’s an outpost or ship or planet with some kind of hospital or other facility better equipped to help her.”
Cruz nodded.
Dani turned and headed back to the bridge. Once she got there, she found Jag standing at the holographic display. He looked up when she entered.
“Dani,” he said, stepping in front of the display to block her view.
“It’s okay. I know where we are. We need to get Cassia to a hospital.”
“Well, there’s probably one on that planet over there,” Zadria pointed as she entered the room. Her wet hair dripped onto her station.
“You doing okay?” Dani asked.
“I... I just don’t want to talk about it,” she answered quietly.
Dani nodded and looked toward the planet. “Looks like that’s where we’re going then.”
“If they let us land,” Zadria added.
“Why wouldn’t they?” Jag asked.
“It’s a rebel planet,” Zadria answered.
“Here? Are you sure?” Dani initiated a long-range scan of the planet.
“Wait,” Jag interrupted. “If the GC knows it’s a rebel planet, why don’t they do something about it?”
“Well...” Zadria sighed. “The GC may not actually know.”
“Okay, now I’m really confused.” Jag teetered slightly, then plopped down into his chair, his hand cupping his injured leg.
“My father knows a lot and doesn’t always share everything he knows with the GC.”
“I knew that guy was shady!”
“Jag,” Dani warned, “let her finish.”
Jag rolled his eyes but shut his mouth.
“The Houston has a lot of connections,” Zadria continued, “which means a lot of allies throughout the galaxy who all provide a lot information. But disclosing the information to the GC would mean giving up our connections, so Patrick bites his tongue. He doesn’t know that I break into the system and that I know as much as I do, but I did ask him about it once.”
“And?” Jag leaned forward in his seat once more.
“And he said it was for the greater good.” Zadria shrugged. “He is pretty secretive. It’s hard to get much out of him when he thinks he’s protecting me.”
“So use your connections to get us down there and get Cassia into a hospital,” Jag ordered as he pointed at the planet on the screen.
Zadria hesitated. “It’s not that easy. Just because we know it’s a rebel planet doesn’t mean we’d be safe there.”
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take,” Dani stated as she pushed Osirion toward the planet.
“Me too,” Jag echoed.
Zadria nodded. “I’m with you guys, I just wanted you to be aware of the risks.”
“Jag, reroute weapons power to shields. I want us fully protected and non-threatening.”
“Done,” he replied a moment later.
Osirion fell into orbit around the blue and green planet. Dani ran surface scans in an effort to determine the location of the primary colony, and likely the whereabouts of the hospital. Once she found a sizable colony, she broadcasted a message.
“This is Captain Dani Devereaux of the Osirion. We are in need of assistance. Please respond.”
Dani held her breath as they waited in silence.
“Initiating scan of the planet,” Zadria mentioned quietly before adding, “Just making sure they aren’t powering weapons.”
Dani sent the message again. “This is Captain Dani Devereaux of the Osirion. We just escaped Vaerian space and have a crewmember in need of medical assistance. Please respond.”
The seconds ticked by slowly as Dani kept an eye on their systems and the scan. She started to wonder if they were getting her message at all when they received a transmission.
“Osirion, proceed to the coordinates we just sent you.”
“That’s it?” Jag asked, frowning.
“Howard, you there?” Dani pressed the button on her comm.
“Yes,” he answered quietly.
“Can you please go check on Cruz and Cassia? She was shot when—”
“I’m here with them,” he said again with a hushed tone. “Things aren’t looking good.”
“We may be able to get her into a rebel hospital. Can we transport her to the cruiser?”
“Cruz is shaking his head ‘no.’ Can we take Osirion down instead?”
Dani hesitated; her plan was to fly Cassia down to the planet herself in the cruiser—that way, if anything happened, the rest of the crew could still get out of range of any weapons. However, not being able to move Cassia to get her in the cruiser would be a problem.
“If we take Osirion down to the surface, I can’t guarantee anyone’s safety or means of escape,” she finally answered.
“I’m not worried about that,” Howard replied once more.
Dani looked at Zadria, who gave her a quick nod, then to Jag. He was leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed. “Jag?”
“You know me.” He opened an eye and winked at her before closing it again. “Bring on the danger.”
“We’re coming in now,” Dani transmitted down to the planet. She pulled up the coordinates and entered them into the autopilot. The system would control their descent carefully while monitoring all systems and adjusting automatically. It was far more sophisticated than the cruiser. Still, despite its advances, Dani had to remain at the helm to oversee the landing procedure and ensure that the landing site was safe.
The crew watched in silence as Osirion dove through the atmosphere and toward the coordinates. Building structures came into view as they drew nearer. They passed over several large, ground-to-space cannons commonly used in some of the outer systems where GC patrols were few and far between. The sight of the cannons as they automatically rotated to aim at Osirion caused Dani to hold her breath. She hoped that the rebels would stay true to their word and allow them to arrive safely.
As the landing site came into view, Dani could see several dozen rebels scrambling to arrange artillery around the site. What she found most intriguing was the diversity among them. Initially, the rebels were human, originating from human worlds that the GC had left barren. It wasn’t unco
mmon for those left behind to seek employment either through the pirates or the rebel sector. However, now, there were other species as well. She even thought she caught a glimpse of the ever-loyal Gi’ran.
Dani carefully completed the landing protocol, keeping shields active. Their weapons were powered down, and the rebels should have been able to see that they weren’t a threat, but she still didn’t trust them. Not with so much firepower now surrounding Osirion.
“Go to Cruz’s room and wait with him and Cassia. I’m going to see what we’re dealing with and explain our situation.” The rest of the crew complied quickly and quietly as Dani briskly made her way to the loading bay.
As she lowered the cargo doors, several rebel soldiers drew their weapons and aimed at her, causing her breath to catch. She started wondering if she had made a mistake, and then she saw the medical unit standing by and thought back to Cassia.
Dani took a breath and raised her hands, slowly stepping down the loading ramp toward the soldiers. As soon as her boots hit the ground, a man rushed in from either side. One took her hands, placing them behind her head. The other patted her down, carefully removing each weapon she carried. Once they were done, one of the men gave a nod, and a gap formed in the grouping of soldiers.
A woman walked toward Dani, between the soldiers, each of them lowering their weapons as she passed. She continued toward Dani with a smirk. It was only then that Dani recognized her.
“Roni,” Dani said quietly.
“So you do remember me.” She tilted her head to the side, eyeing Dani.
“I’d love to catch up, really, but I have a badly injured crewmember on board in dire need of medical attention. I assure you, we mean you no harm.”
Roni turned and waved the medical team forward. They grabbed the stretcher and rushed toward Osirion and up the ramp.
“Thanks.” Dani nodded in appreciation.
Roni walked in a slow circle around Dani. She looked much like she had when they’d clashed in the GC prison, only now her hair was dyed red and instead of prison garb she wore leather armor and a long pair of blades sheathed upon her back. “You know, when I heard you were alive, I didn’t believe the rumors. Someone would have to have an awful lot of pull with the GC to have them fake your execution.”
Dani bit her tongue. She wanted to explain that it wasn’t faked, not really. That coming back was a walk through hell and one that she still had nightmares about, but she remained silent.
“You still look like shit, you know.” Roni stopped in front of Dani and put her hands on her hips.
“It’s been a rough few months,” Dani muttered, unable to maintain her silence. “How’d you get out?”
Roni smirked once more. “You aren’t the only one with connections, you know.”
The sound of wobbly wheels came from behind Dani. She turned to see the medical team rolling Cassia down the ramp, Cruz still at her side. They made their way straight to a transport that waited nearby, and then they were off.
“I really appreciate your help. If you’d prefer, my crew and I can stay on board while my communications officer undergoes treatment.”
Roni squinted past Dani at Osirion’s crew, standing at the top of the loading ramp. “I don’t just prefer it; I insist.”
Dani glanced down at her weapons on the ground. “I’m going to collect those now.”
Roni drew one of her swords, the ring of steel loud against the silence. She stepped back as she wielded the blade and nodded at Dani. “You may get your things and then return to your ship. You will not take off. You will not attempt to leave. We will provide you updates on your officer through your communication system.”
“You can leave your shields on,” Roni added, “But if any power gets directed to your weapons, we will kill each and every one of you.”
“Understood.” Dani knelt and collected her weapons, pausing at the bottom of the ramp to look at Roni once more before climbing up the ramp then shutting the loading bay door.
“You know her?” Jag asked, leaning on a crate and keeping weight off of his leg.
Dani nodded. “Prison is full of assholes.”
* * *
“I mean, you could stay in here if you wanted, but I don’t think I’d recommend it.” Howard dusted his hands on his pants as he peered out the large crack that had opened in the wall of Dani’s quarters. A rebel guard stared at them through the fissure from outside, the setting sun’s rays shining like a spotlight on the fracture in the hull.
“I just don’t know how it got this bad.”
“Oh, it was probably the trip through the atmosphere that did it. It’s really not as bad as it looks. Once we’re back in space, we just need to get close to this system’s star for a while and the glowshard will repair the exterior. They’ll multiply their numbers until they close that right up. The interior damage is purely cosmetic.”
“And until then?”
“Well, before we leave we’ll want to seal this room off completely again. But, until then, I’d say get what you need and stay in another room. I’d offer mine, but I’m afraid my CPAP machine might keep you up.”
“I’ll be fine. Go get some rest. You look exhausted.”
“My dear, I’m old. I always look exhausted these days.” Howard chuckled. “But I think I will take you up on that. Just knock if you need anything else.”
Dani stepped out into the hall a few minutes after Howard had left and locked her door behind her. The break wasn’t large enough to let anyone in, but she still didn’t like the idea of having the equivalent of an open window on her ship.
She turned down the corridor, wondering who she could bunk with. Cruz’s room was out of the question, as there was a good deal of blood still in the room. That, and the fact that Dani couldn’t bear to think about sleeping in there with the constant reminder that Cassia was wounded so badly. She stopped and opened the door to Cassia’s room and stepped in.
Cassia’s room was neat and orderly with splashes of color everywhere. Dani smiled at the personal items Cassia used to decorate: photographs, scarves, cards—she hung on to just about anything anyone had ever given her. Dani stopped and smiled at a picture of the two of them overlooking a vibrant blue ocean. The wind had tousled their hair, and Cassia’s fair skin had developed a pink hue from their day in the sun. Dani remembered the trip fondly. It was one of the few vacations they’d taken together.
Carl was curled up on the center of Cassia’s bed, and Dani approached him. She held out her hand to pet him like she had so many times before, but Carl responded with a hiss and a swat of his paw, scratching the skin on the back of Dani’s hand, causing small beads of blood to appear.
“Okay, buddy. I’ll find somewhere else.”
Carl seemed pleased with himself as he rolled onto his back, a gesture that seemingly invited her to rub his belly. It had only taken once for Dani to realize that it was not the case.
Dani turned to leave the room, her foot kicking something under the bed. She crouched down and found one of Cruz’s belts, still attached to the pants, and smiled. All of her suspicions were confirmed, and she was happy for them. In fact, she almost felt bad that they had to conceal their relationship from her, more or less.
Dani found herself outside Zadria’s room. She heard soft sobbing from within. She debated knocking anyway, but the truth was that Dani didn’t think she had it in her to be Zadria’s emotional support in that moment. She was too tired, too drained, and barely had a grip on reality herself.
Jag’s room was the only option left. That or sleep on the bridge, in the gym, in the kitchen, or somewhere else. She longed for the comfort of a bed, though. Her body ached in ways she had only experienced after an intense week at boot camp. She lingered outside his door, thinking back to Talon and their kiss and if she should tell him. A nervous feeling tingled in her stomach as she started to think that maybe the captain’s chair wouldn’t be such a bad place to sleep after all.
She started to turn away
, but Jag’s door slid open.
“Oh, geez, Dani, what are you doing out here? You startled me.”
“I just—I can’t use my quarters and Z’s in there crying, Howard snores and has that machine, Carl’s got Cassia’s room on lockdown and Cruz’s room... well...”
“So I’m your last choice?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Well... not exactly,” she mumbled. Honestly, he was her first choice, but she wouldn’t come out and tell him that. Not with all the rules against fraternization or after the incident with Talon. Her feelings still confused her.
She had always cared for Jag, but she wasn’t always so sure that the feeling was mutual. With Talon, there was no doubt he was interested. Dani suspected his forwardness was one of the things that drew her to him. Not to mention the fact that she had been in the GC so long that it was hard to break down the walls built up by their foundation of rules and regulations. With Talon, the GC taboo wasn’t there the way it was with Jag. He was logically the next closest thing to who she really wanted.
She started to wonder if she should say something to him. Just blurt it out into the open and find out once and for all. The GC was changing, and she didn’t even know if she was considered to still be one of their soldiers, so it couldn’t hurt. Right?
“Well?” Jag asked. “Are you just going to stand out here all night or are you coming in?” He laughed.
Dani cracked a small smile and followed Jag into his quarters. He scrambled to clean up, throwing garbage into the bin and clearing away dishes and trays, setting them outside in the hall.
“Sorry it’s such a mess. After they took Cassia, I had a bit of a binge-fest from the kitchen.”
“No, no, it’s fine.” She sat awkwardly at the foot of the bed.
“Hey, you look tired. Go ahead and lie down,” Jag said as he fluffed the pillow.
Dani lay on her side and rested her head on the pillow and sighed. She was exhausted. She had managed to nap here and there in the last few days, but she knew she wasn’t getting enough rest. Her joints ached, her head hurt, and every ounce of her screamed for sleep, so it didn’t take much for Jag to convince her to lie down. Her eyes closed almost instantly, and she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
The Complete First Season - Episodes 1-5 Page 36
