“Yes,” Tracht noted. “It seems that NessCorp’s contribution to the mission proved to be as treacherous as the Zduhać.”
“Looks like she got some poetic justice as well,” Bruce noted. “Seems her unholy creation ended up lobotomizing her.”
Carol nodded. “That is correct, sir.”
“You also indicate that it was only due to Kendrick Royce’s ability to merge with the ship that Fiona was able to overcome Xayasith’s synthetic.” Tracht was clearly proud of this.
“That is also correct, sir.”
“Which brings us to the status of the Selene, Lieutenant Royce and Doctor Kinsale-Royce,” Bruce said. “Care to elaborate?”
“I take full responsibility,” Carol replied. “They left me an O.S.D. containing Doctor Kinsale-Royce’s report. I made a serious miscalculation in my dealings with Xayasith; I gave Doctors Davis and Xayasith access to the Zduhać AI and the body of Miss Richardson.”
“You did what?” This time, it was Tracht who barked at her.
“Miss Richardson was alive, but brain-dead,” Carol explained. “Davis implied that they might be able to save her, so against my better judgement, I handed her over to them – it’s all in my report, sir.”
“That’s actually reasonable,” Tracht replied, his voice resuming its normal timbre and volume. Admiral Bruce was nodding as well. “What does that have to do with the Royces?”
Carol sighed. “Once Davis was out of the picture, Xayasith used Miss Richardson’s body to conduct an experiment in nanotech. Doctor Biggs had given the science team samples of Doctor Kinsale-Royce’s blood, which is laced with nanotech. The Zduhać AI had all of her notes. Between those two pieces, Xayasith was able to replicate what Fiona had done. The only thing she could not replicate was the implant that regulates the nanotech, keeping it from the brain.”
Both men stared at her with their eyes wide. Tracht shook his head. “Is this as bad as I think it’s going to be?”
“Worse,” Carol replied. “Xayasith constructed a synthetic woman with the same properties as Fiona, and then reprogrammed the Zduhać AI. This, she uploaded to the synthetic woman she had created from Miss Richardson. Xayasith named her creation Pandora.”
“A foreboding name to give such a creature,” Tracht observed.
“Pandora got into the servers, gaining full control of the ship,” Carol continued. “Then infected Lieutenant Royce and Doctor Xayasith with the nanites, which would turn them into one of her.”
“Infected?” Admiral Bruce looked confused.
“She infected them via salivary transfer,” Biggs interjected.
“Salivary transfer?” Bruce shook his head. “Please explain.”
“She forcibly kissed them,” Carol said before Jacob could say more. “She intended to do this to everyone aboard. Once Pandora sent everyone but the Royces into stasis, she allowed Fiona to give her husband the implant. The two of them were able to merge with her and force her from the servers and retake the Selene. They put us all into the stasis pods in the outpost. According to Fiona’s report, they took Pandora out of Alliance space, ensuring that it could never reach humanity.”
“But where?” Bruce asked. “Where did they take the ship? That is U.S. Starfleet property!”
“No, it isn’t,” Jax interjected, speaking for the first time. “It never was. Selene was always Kendrick’s ship, no matter what trickery you used in those damned Omega Protocols.”
“Those Omega Protocols were in place as they were for a reason, Commander,” Bruce retorted. “Royce had no right to just take that ship and….”
“Kendrick and Fiona were instrumental in stopping those creatures,” Jax interjected. “They risked their lives both in space and on the ground to do it. They fought and bled at our side. Kendrick was on the ground, shoulder to shoulder with me. He’s one of my marines, and I will not sit back and listen to you slander him.”
“Well said,” Tracht praised. “But putting aside the property issue, they’re technically guilty of desertion, Commander.”
“That ship is legally Starfleet property,” Bruce reiterated, “but given the circumstances, it seems Starfleet has no choice but to write her off as lost to the void.”
“In light of their service to both the United States and to the Alliance,” Tracht declared, “Both Kendrick and his wife are listed as missing in action. All records regarding their true disposition and that of the Selene are sealed and all of you are forbidden from speaking of it or disclosing it in any way. Nondisclosure agreements have been sent to your datapads. Sign them, or face court-marshal. Eos is on her way to pick you up and continue the mission.”
“Eos has a captain, Admiral Bruce,” Carol noted. “What are your orders?”
“You have been promoted to commodore, Giffords,” Admiral Bruce declared. “You will finish out the mission in an advisory role. Upon your return to Earth, you will be promoted to the rank of rear admiral in the Alliance.”
“Sir?” Only moments ago, Carol had been convinced that her career would top out at commodore.
“You were dealt a bad hand, Carol, but you made the best of it, and the mission is still a go. I’ll count that as a win,” Bruce replied. “Miss Reddy, you will continue as science officer, as Eos does not currently have one. Doctor Pallone will remain at the outpost and Biggs will resume his place as chief medical officer aboard Eos.”
“As of now,” Tracht declared, “Commander Jax has been transferred to the A.S.M.C. – the Alliance Space Marine Corps.” Then, he smiled. “Welcome back to the Corps… Major Jax.”
Jax grinned at this, responding with a hardy, “Hoorah!”
The End…
Table of Contents
Dedication
Prologue
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
Epilogue
The End…
The Silver Liner: Sails to the Edge! Page 21
