She wasn’t sure how much time had passed between when she first fell asleep and when Jag settled on the bed next to her, draping his arm over her side. Still groggy from exhaustion, she didn’t stew over her decision to seek comfort against his chest, and she rolled over to face him. His slow breathing and warm body brought her much-needed comfort, but there was something else.
Dani opened her eyes and pulled her head back enough to look at Jag’s face with a frown. “Jag?”
“Mmhmm?”
“Have you been drinking?”
“Shhh...”
“I can smell the booze on you.”
Jag squeezed her tightly. His eyes were still shut, and he seemed to be nearly asleep himself. “Why’dchu hafta go an’ kiss Talon?”
“What?” Dani said as she sat up.
Jag’s arm slipped off of her, and he responded only with a snore.
Dani closed her eyes and shook her head before looking around the dimly lit room. She finally spotted the neck of a bottle sticking out of a drawer. She got out of bed and picked it up. The bottle was three-quarters of the way empty, and a small, digital note was tied around the neck.
Already having an idea what the card would show, Dani reluctantly pressed play.
The shaky video was filmed in Talon’s quarters. Dani recognized it immediately as the video spun around and focused on Geneva’s face.
“I don’t know what it is about Dani. She brings out the worst in me. I actually got out of that hell of a prison on good behavior. I almost lost it all though, thanks to that whore.
“Anyway, Jag, I figured you had just as much of a right to see this as I do,” Geneva said before holding up a bottle of amber-colored liquor with her free hand in a toast.
The video then swung back around to focus on the screens in Talon’s room. Keys clacked off-screen, then the screens were filled with images of Dani and Talon from multiple angles at multiple occasions since their arrival. Geneva had taken the time to find any and all video clips of the two of them and displayed them on the monitors, up until the point when they left to get the jump drive. And there, front and center, the kiss played on repeat.
“Shit,” Dani muttered as she shook her head. She pursed her lips and glanced over at the passed-out Jag, who was now splayed out across the bed. Even though she didn’t initiate any of the physical contact, including the kiss, she couldn’t deny that she welcomed it. The guilt built up inside of her until she could no longer bear to be in the same room. She grabbed the bottle and left for the bridge.
Dani collapsed into her captain’s chair and rested her head back against the seat. She was starting to feel as though she couldn’t do anything right. Maybe I was better off in prison... or dead, she thought as she raised the bottle to her lips and took a swig of the pirate liquor.
It stung going down, then warmed her belly. She pulled the digital card off the neck of the bottle and flung it across the bridge, smiling upon hearing it shatter. The feeling quickly fled as she turned her head toward Cassia’s seat. Dani sat up, looking at her console as she took another drink. She ran a quick scan of the surrounding area to search for lifeforms.
There were an impressive number of rebels at the base. Osirion picked up their life signs in nearby buildings, as well as a few patrols and the guards around Osirion. She couldn’t help but wonder if any of the little dots on the display were Cassia. Dani wasn’t sure which building held the hospital, or if it was even in view, but she did hope that they were doing everything they could to save her.
The bloody platform flashed in her mind once more, followed by the look of sheer horror on Cruz’s face when he realized Cassia was the one who had been shot. Dani took another swig from the bottle as she thought back to all of their time together and how she had never seen him so upset as she did in that moment.
Dani looked down into the bottle, thinking of Jag passed out on his bed. She wasn’t sure if she should feel disappointed, angry, or if he was justified in his actions. Either way, she wished she hadn’t taken Cassia’s advice and had told him as soon as the kiss happened rather than sitting on it. Maybe then she could have gotten ahead of this whole ordeal and she’d still have her first officer in prime condition.
“What do we have here?” Howard’s quiet voice rolled out from behind Dani.
“Oh, hey,” she said as she tried to hide the bottle in the seat next to her.
“Hand it over.” Howard chuckled, extending his hand.
Dani plopped the bottle into the palm of Howard’s hand, and he lifted and studied it while lecturing her, “Pirate liquor isn’t always safe to drink, you know.”
Dani nodded. “I know. I took it from Jag’s room.”
Howard’s eyes left the bottle for a moment to examine Dani. “I see.”
“Anyway.” She shrugged. “It’s not bad.”
Howard removed the cap and took a drink himself, smacking his mouth after he was done. “I’d say that’s one of the finer bottles I’ve had. I can see why Jag drank so much. I imagine it helps numb the pain from that bite quite considerably.”
“I’m not sure that’s what he was trying to numb,” Dani mumbled.
Howard nodded and grunted. “I think I follow now.”
“I just don’t know what to do anymore.”
“About what, dear?” Howard patted Dani on the shoulder as he walked around the back of her chair.
“Jag, Cassia, Z, Sylvine, Talon, pick one.”
“Well, seems to me, those are all people. Not much you can do about people. You can only really account for yourself and how you react to them.”
“There’s also the fact that we haven’t been in contact with the Houston in who knows how long, the Vaerian war is escalating, the worst guy possible is in charge over at the GC, and we’re currently on a rebel planet in the system where my father died.”
“And what of that can you control?”
Dani turned in her seat to face Howard, who was leaning against her console. “What do you mean?”
“I mean exactly what I said. Of all of those perceived problems, what is within your control?”
“I guess not a lot, really.”
“Well, there ya go.” Howard smiled and took one last drink of the bottle before handing it back to Dani. “You focus on you and what you can control. There’s no sense in worrying about or dwelling on things you can’t.”
“It’s not that easy,” she said with a sigh.
Howard laughed once more, “Oh, Dani, I never said it would be easy. Just know, there are still a few surprises in store for you yet.”
Chapter 9
Dani squinted as the bright sunlight pierced the darkness of the loading bay while she dropped the loading bay door. After her talk with Howard, she had finished off the bottle of booze, partially to deplete Jag from his supply, and because she needed to find a way to disengage her own brain. After that, she fell asleep for far too short a time. Her captain’s chair was comfortable, but not great for sleeping.
Howard’s words echoed through her mind, and she decided to try to take his advice and control what she could. So here she was, taking charge. The light flooded across the floor of the loading area, illuminating the dried blood on the floor.
Dani took a deep breath and tried to shake the image of Cassia lying there, bleeding, out of her mind. Instead, she left for the kitchen and returned with a large bucket full of water and soap. Taking a scrub brush out of the supply closet, Dani knelt next to the blood and started scrubbing.
A little hard work always helped her to clear her mind. And, if Cassia didn’t pull through, the last thing Dani wanted Cruz to see was where he tried to save her life.
“Need a hand?”
Dani raised her hand to block out some of the light as she squinted at the male figure at the bottom of the ramp. The voice sounded unusually familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it. “Who’s there?”
The man started walking up the ramp toward her, his boots clomping on the metal.
Dani put down the brush and stood, walking toward him, her hand on her holstered weapon.
“Easy there.” He laughed as he got to the top of the ramp. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
Dani stared at his face, racking her mind for answers. He had sandy blonde hair and round cheeks. He was tall, but looked to be in rather good shape. “I know you, I think.”
He smiled. “Yes, we’ve spent some time together.”
“Were you on the Houston?”
“No, before that.”
Dani scoffed. “Before that I was in... David? Is that you?”
The man nodded. “Nice to officially meet you.”
Dani stared, slack-jawed, at the former prison guard. “What are you doing here? When did you join the rebels?”
“Long before I met you, actually.” David picked up the scrub brush and started cleaning the floor.
“Wait, what?” she asked after retrieving another brush from the supply closet. “You were with the rebels when I was in prison?”
He nodded. “Yeah, it’s kind of complicated. They had me there keeping an eye on things, then, when you came in, you got put on my list, too.”
Dani looked up from her scrubbing. “Why would the rebels want to keep an eye on me? I mean, Roni made it pretty clear—”
“Roni’s a bit of a loose cannon,” David explained with a chuckle.
“Okay, so were you the one who—”
David held up a hand to stop her. “Look, I can’t go into detail about everything right now, but I promise it will make sense later. I just wanted to come let you know that your friend is doing okay.”
Dani breathed a sigh of relief, ashamed that she had temporarily forgotten to ask about Cassia after David showed up. “That’s great. Is she awake?”
“No, not yet. Hopefully soon. Her boyfriend hasn’t left her side. He’s kind of a scary dude.”
It was Dani’s turn to laugh. “Yeah, he can be. I’m so happy to hear she’s doing okay. I know it was pretty bad.”
David nodded. “She was in surgery for quite a while last night. No one was sure she was going to make it, and they were pretty nervous about how you’d take it.”
Dani sat back on her ankles and looked closely at David. “Why are you here?”
“Well, after you and Roni got out of that hell hole, I didn’t really need to stick around any longer, so I got recalled back to HQ.”
“Here?”
“Yup, this is the Rebel Sector’s Headquarters. Welcome to Operation Ardent Redux.”
“Giving away all our secrets, David?” Roni huffed from the bottom of the loading ramp.
“You know me better than that, Roni.”
Roni walked up the ramp toward them. Dani stood, palm on her weapon once more.
“Relax.” Roni sighed. “I’m not going to attack you on your own ship. I just came to tell you your girl’s awake.”
A grin spread across Dani’s face. “Great! Thank you so much. Can I see her?”
“Well, not just yet.”
Dani’s smile faded. “Why not?”
“There are some other matters to attend to first. Round up your crew and David will bring you to the meeting hall.”
“Will do,” he responded with a nod to Roni before she turned and exited Osirion.
“I guess I had better go see if they’re up yet.”
“Go ahead. I’ll finish cleaning up here.”
“No, you don’t have to do that.”
David flashed a near-perfect smile. “It’s okay, I don’t mind. It’s the least I can do.”
Dani’s gaze lingered on him a moment as he returned to scrubbing. That’s a weird thing to say, she thought to herself as she made her way back into the halls of Osirion.
She first stopped in the kitchen, where Howard was making coffee.
“Morning,” he mumbled and poured a cup for himself and one for Dani.
“Good morning. Cassia’s awake.”
Howard perked up. “Good indeed, then.”
Dani poured another cup of coffee for Jag and one for Zadria, then passed it to Howard. “I’m going to go wake up Jag if you can check on Zadria. We’ve been invited to a meeting of some sort.”
Howard nodded and sipped his coffee. “Good luck with Mister Drunkpants.”
Dani sighed. “Thanks.” She left the kitchen and Howard’s company to head to Jag’s room. A soft knock on the door went unanswered. She debated a moment on leaving him there and going to the meeting without him, but instead opted to enter her captain’s override code, which slid the door open.
She stepped into Jag’s room to find him still sprawled out on the bed. At some point in the night, he must have shed his shirt because he was now shirtless, lying on his back. Dani’s eyes lingered on him a moment before she set the coffee cups down on the nightstand and perched on the edge of the bed.
“Jag,” she said softly, shaking his shoulder.
“Mmmm...” He buried his face in his pillow.
Dani took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Jag, come on. I need you to get up.”
He swung his arm up, hooking it around Dani and pulling her down to him.
She didn’t fight it and instead closed her eyes, soothed by his sleepy embrace. “Jag,” she whispered again softly.
“I love you,” he mumbled.
Her eyes popped open and she sprung up into a seated position once more. “What?”
Jag’s arm fell limply to the bed after Dani freed herself, and he snored loudly.
She shook him a bit more violently. “What did you say, Jag? Wake up.”
He rolled away, turning his back toward her, continuing to snore.
Dani pursed her lips and stood, grabbing her coffee and stepping back out into the hall, where Howard and Zadria waited. “I can’t wake him up.”
A sly smile was born on Howard’s face. “Do you mind if I give it a shot?”
Dani shook her head. “No, of course not. Good luck.”
Howard ran off to the kitchen while Dani and Zadria drank their coffee in silence. Zadria looked like she had been up for quite some time crying during the night. Her eyes were puffy and bloodshot, and her hair looked dull and frizzy.
“Cassia’s awake. I think she’s going to be okay,” Dani told her.
Zadria simply nodded and took another sip.
Howard returned from the kitchen holding a large pot of water and ice, giggling to himself as Dani let him in Jag’s room. A loud SPLOOSH and an echoing “GAAH!” followed by Howard’s belly laugh finally broke the tension between Dani and Zadria as the two women smiled at each other.
“He’ll be out in a minute.” Howard beamed as he left Jag’s room, holding the empty pot.
Dani nodded in appreciation. “Okay, let’s head to the loading bay and wait for him to get his shit together.”
The trio made their way back to where David had just finished up. Dani was relieved to not see Cassia’s blood all over the floor anymore and started introductions. “Z, this is David. David, Zadria. And I believe you already know Howard.”
Howard smiled and shook David’s hand. “Good to see you again, lad.”
Jag stumbled into the loading bay and bumped into a crate. He turned to glare at the object before continuing his way toward Dani and the others. Dani scanned him for any telling signs that he was aware of what he’d said earlier that morning, but there were none. She was somewhat disappointed, but she remembered what Howard said about not focusing on the things she couldn’t control. After all, he still appeared somewhat intoxicated and he could have been talking about anything, she reasoned with herself.
“This is Jag. Jag, David. He was one of my guards in prison.”
Jag squinted at the man and limped up to him, still favoring the previously injured leg. “Why the hell didn’t you do more to protect her?”
David shrugged. “Look, man, I couldn’t blow my cover. She’s not dead, is she?”
An awkward silence spread across the loading bay.
“That’s all in the past. Let’s get going.” Dani ushered them toward the ramp.
David’s gaze lingered on Jag a moment before he slowly shook his head and turned to lead them down the ramp and out onto the pavement of the landing site.
Dani eagerly took in their surroundings as David led them away from the ship and toward a cluster of buildings, not unlike a small town. Rebel soldiers watched them pass by, temporarily suspending their actions as they did. It was as though someone hit the pause button when Dani and her crew drew near, the paused subjects jarring to life once more as soon as they were a few feet away. Dani could hear their whispers after they had gone but wasn’t able to make out what they were saying about her.
The path wound down through the buildings, ending at a particularly large warehouse-type building. David knocked on the door and an armed guard opened it, then stepped aside, allowing the group to enter.
Inside was a podium on a small stage and a number of chairs. Roni stood next to the podium, arms folded across her chest. Several other rebel soldiers already had taken their seats up near the front, and David led Dani and her group to the first empty row.
“It’s about time.” Roni stared down at David disapprovingly.
David, ignoring her, turned to Dani and offered a tight-lipped smile before he got up and walked through a door backstage.
The rebel soldiers seemed to be ignoring them for the most part; a few sideways glances were all the attention Dani received. Howard and Zadria looked impatient and confused. Jag sat with his elbows on his knees, hands over his eyes, cradling his head at the end of the row. Dani was torn between feeling bad for him, her own guilt, and a steadily growing feeling of longing toward him. It had always been there on some level, but his angry outbursts and drinking had helped her keep her distance. She hadn’t realized exactly how much she cared for him until he uttered those words when she tried to wake him.
Roni straightened as a final group of rebel soldiers entered the hall, accompanied by Cruz, who quickly took a seat at the end of Dani’s row.
The Complete First Season - Episodes 1-5 Page 37
