The Crucible- The Complete Series

by Odette C. Bell

  An uncomfortable feeling clenched my gut. “Sorry?”

  “You know what I’m talking about, Lieutenant Commander. The resistance is made up of a great number of different races, different creeds, and different groups. Some will be uncomfortable with the very existence of a soldier like Alyssa.”

  “Then make them comfortable,” I stated flatly. “You know as well as I do that if we are to win this impossible war against the Alliance, then we need impossible… allies,” I said, stopping myself from saying weapons. “The Star Forces have now turned their attention to destroying the resistance. We need to be organized enough to fight back and hit them where it counts. The only way we’re going to do that is if we make the most of our resources and play down the fears that hold us back.”

  The Captain took a moment to smile. It was a brief move. “You are correct, I know this. But I also know that my influence with the resistance is limited. I’m just another cog in the machine, if you will.”

  “You’re the commander of the Ra’xon, one of the flagships of the Alliance fleet. You have a strong, smart, capable crew willing to follow your orders. I’d say you’re a hell of a lot more than a cog in a machine, Captain.”

  Again she held my gaze. I would have given anything to know what she was thinking.

  “The Ra’xon, though powerful, is currently the most hunted vessel in the galaxy. The Star Forces will pool their resources to attack us before tearing down the rest of the resistance.”

  “So, what are you suggesting? Rolling over and giving up?”

  “No. I’m suggesting you are overestimating our power.”

  “I’ve known from the very beginning that this is going to be an impossible fight. We can’t go up against the raw power of the Star Forces. But we can whittle away their control. To do that, we need to look for allies. I’ve given this a lot of thought, Captain, and I think we need to reach out to the rest of the galaxy. It’s time the resistance lifts its head. No more hiding. We need to make ourselves public, and we need to ask for support.”

  “The Alliance controls all communication and media channels. Even if we do reach out to the galaxy, they will spin a story and we will be seen as monsters.”

  “Trust me, Captain, there’s plenty of people out there who want to see the Star Forces fall. We just have to find them. I’ve been working with J’lax,” I began.

  The Captain’s expression faltered. “I thought you two couldn’t work together?”

  “Yeah, that’s changed,” I admitted with a shrug. “We both think reaching out to the major pirate factions should be our next goal.”

  “The pirates are unstable. They have no command structure. Their leader changes every other week as the factions fight amongst themselves.”

  I nodded. “Believe me, I know that, but I also know that we need them. They’re good fighters, and they could probably teach the resistance of thing or two about evading Star Forces Security. After all, they’ve been doing it for over a century.”

  The Captain looked at me for a few seconds before a smile spread across her face.

  “… What?” I asked uncomfortably.

  “You have changed a great deal in a short time,” she noted.

  I stiffened.” Sorry?”

  “Not a day ago you were counselling me on how the resistance is a disparate force pulled asunder by too many opposing views. Now you have befriended J’lax and are admitting there is much you can learn from the pirates.”

  I suddenly felt exposed, and coughed quietly.

  “I was correct to select you as my second-in-command,” she noted.

  I managed a nod. “Thank you, Captain.”

  “Very well, bring her to our next briefing, which will be in approximately two hours.”

  I shook my head at the sudden change in topic. “What? Who?”

  “Alyssa Nightingale. I will accept your assessment. We will bring her into the fold.”

  I nodded, smiling as I did.

  “Dismissed, Lieutenant Commander. Before you attend the meeting, please provide me with a full brief on the Ra’xon’s security. I have requested the Chief overhaul all of our systems. I would like an update.”

  I saluted. I didn’t need to – we weren’t in the Star Forces anymore. Then again, she wasn’t technically my captain, and I wasn’t really a lieutenant commander.

  But I held onto that terminology and those symbols. For now they gave me comfort.

  I turned on my foot and left the Captain’s office.

  Then I made my way directly to engineering.

  When I walked in the door, I was surprised at what I saw.

  Alyssa was at the far end of the room, shifting a massive field generator from one end of the room to another. A few ensigns had paused to watch her with wide-eyed wonder, but everyone else, it seemed, had accepted her incredible abilities and were continuing their tasks.

  I stood there, and I wasn’t aware if my mouth was closed or open. I was only aware of my heart thumping hard in my chest.

  “What can I do for you, Lieutenant Commander?” the Chief asked as she walked towards me, two of her hands working on recalibrating a control pad while another hand scratched her chin.

  I forced my eyes off Alyssa. “What’s she doing here?” I asked.

  “Oh, you mean Ensign Nightingale? I’ve put her back to work. She’s showing promise as an engineer, after all.”

  My mouth slowly dropped open. “Sorry?”

  “As soon as I heard that she was allowed out of the med bay, I tracked her down and put her to work,” the Chief said once more, her words matter-of-fact. “That ain’t a problem, is it? Not considering how much work we have to do,” she said pointedly.

  “… No.” I swallowed.

  “Well, that’s great. Because she’s brilliant.” The Chief admitted as she slapped four of her hands together and wrung them tightly, a manic grin spreading over her face.

  I cocked an eyebrow. “Sorry?”

  The Chief gestured towards Alyssa as she helped shift a massive piece of equipment with nothing but her mind. “Just look at her, she’s worth 100 heavy duty hover pads. And she never breaks down.”

  I cleared my throat pointedly. “She’s not a tool, Chief.”

  The Chief shrugged off my comment. “I know that. She’s got a decent sense of humor when you pry far enough. What I wouldn’t give for more of her.”

  I shook my head. Then I allowed myself to be distracted by Alyssa for a few moments. She worked efficiently, gracefully, that distinct yellow light playing up and down her hands as she conducted heavy equipment with nothing but her mind.

  Maybe I allowed myself to be distracted for too long, because a second later the Chief elbowed me in the ribs.

  I doubled back and glared at her. “Was that necessary?”

  “Sure, Lieutenant Commander – you’re now the second-in-command on this ship, and you can’t allow yourself to be distracted by ensigns,” the Chief’s lips spread wide.

  Her tone was not lost on me.

  “It’s the first lesson you learn at the Academy, isn’t it? There’s no fraternization amongst the crew,” she cooed.

  I cleared my throat. “That’s enough,” I warned.

  The Chief chuckled, but appeared to drop it.

  “Seriously, how is the security overhaul going?” I changed the subject quickly.

  The moment of levity was gone. The Chief now looked at me seriously. “Slowly. I need to be meticulous – I need to know there’s no more surprises for us this time. I’ve overhauled the major systems, but we still need to go through the command code, line by line. It’ll take me another day or two.”

  I hissed through my teeth. “Fine,” I managed, disappointment swelling through me.

  “Any word from the rest of the resistance fleet?”

  “We’ve deliberately cut off ties with them,” I informed her. “Until we know how many Star Forces spies are amongst our ranks, “we can’t share information like that, even amongst the to
p echelons of the resistance. We can’t afford our ship locations to filter back to the Star Forces.”

  She nodded. Then she sighed. It was a heavy move that punched out of her throat as she brought up a hand and tapped it on her chest. “This has been a hell of a whirlwind,” she admitted. “I bet you’re happy you joined the resistance, ha? Seeing more action than you ever would on the Godspeed.”

  I was forced to snort. “That will be all. I just wanted to check on the security overhaul.”

  “And Alyssa,” the Chief commented.

  It took me a second to realize she’d spoken – because, unashamedly, I turned my attention back to Alyssa. I watched her as she conducted a massive crate across the room. She wasn’t breaking a sweat, and looked as if she was expending about as much effort as it took to blink.

  “Sorry?” I asked as I realized the Chief had said something.

  She snorted. “Never mind, Lieutenant Commander. You have my update. Don’t let me get in your way,” the Chief said with a grin as she walked away.

  It took too long for me to wrench my gaze off Alyssa, turn, shake my head, and walk for the doors. As I did, I caught sight of Alyssa once more in a shiny reflective panel.

  She was looking at me.

  For some reason, I smiled.

  Which was nice – it was good to have something to smile at right now.

  …

  Alyssa Nightingale

  I don’t know what Nathan had done, but people were starting to trust me.

  I expected people to be scared, terrified by my abilities, but they were adjusting. The Chief was helping, of course. Her direct mannerisms and cool attitude put people at ease.

  Plus, it was nice to be useful.

  Now, incredibly, I was being invited to a briefing. Not as a lowly ensign, but as the most powerful telekinetic warrior in the resistance.

  For the first time in my life, I had authority.

  It was an odd feeling.

  The key members of the resistance entered the discussion room and sat around the massive table.

  I hesitated, then Nathan walked right up beside me and pulled a chair out for me.

  He nodded to it. “You’ve earned this,” he said under his breath, then turned and sat beside me.

  I smiled, and followed suit.

  As we waited for the Captain to arrive, I couldn’t stop my gaze from drifting towards Shepherd. A few times, however, I saw he was looking at me, and I quickly looked at my hands, even clearing my throat.

  Lady Argoza and J’lax arrived.

  J’lax, to my surprise, sat next to Shepherd.

  I was under the impression they hated each other.

  As soon as J’lax was seated, he leaned forward in his chair, twisted his head around, and looked right at me.

  “… Yes?” I managed.

  “Neat trick you did with that guy’s armor. Remind me never to piss you off.” He grinned and turned around.

  “Ah, thanks.”

  I was suddenly aware that the Lady Argoza had stopped on the other side of the table, and she was staring at me.

  When I looked up, she glanced away and sat down.

  There was a certain… stiffness about her. I couldn’t really explain it.

  Soon enough the Captain entered. She cleared her throat, marched to her chair, sat down, and nodded. “We find ourselves in a position we could not have imagined. The resistance are on the run. We must now decide what we do next.”

  “My vote is we continue to rally people to our cause. It’s time to reach out to the pirate factions,” Nathan said.

  I was shocked by his suggestion. Despite the fact he’d joined the resistance, he seemed like a man who did things by the book. And reaching out to pirate factions was not by the book.

  J’lax nodded. “It’s a good plan. Most of the pirate factions know about the resistance, and while they haven’t joined us yet, I think we can sway them. We just need to make them believe that the sacrifices are worth it. That we have a chance.”

  “It’s a compelling point,” the Captain noted. “Now the resistance is fractured, we need support and supplies more than ever.”

  “Surely we must regroup. We must bring the resistance back together and hide until the current Star Forces’ onslaught subsides,” the Lady Argoza suggested, turning to the Captain. Though, for just a second, her gaze lingered on me.

  I don’t know why, but it made me feel uncomfortable.

  “That’s too dangerous right now,” Shepherd interrupted. “We have no idea how many Star Forces spies are still amongst us.”

  The Lady Argoza now looked directly at me.

  My stomach clenched.

  So that was it, was it? She thought I was a Star Forces spy.

  After everything that had happened to me at their hands, that pissed me off.

  “The Lady Argoza may have a point,” the Captain tried to mediate, “the current Star Forces’ onslaught may subside with time.”

  “We have to reach out and draw more people into the resistance,” Shepherd countered.

  J’lax nodded in agreement.

  “That’s too dangerous. We need to concentrate on drawing the resistance together,” the Lady Argoza repeated once more.

  Their words started to wash over me, and I could feel my hand clench into a fist.

  They were wrong. All of them were wrong.

  If they wanted to destroy the Star Forces, they had to start attacking. Not the relatively insignificant military targets the resistance had concentrated on in the past – but ones that mattered. Ones that would hurt.

  The Alliance wouldn’t wait around for the resistance to regroup and draw others into its ranks.

  They were going to attack. Now. Relentlessly.

  While we still had ships, we had to attack back.

  I curled my hand harder and harder into a fist.

  Then suddenly, while the Lady Argoza was distracted talking to the Captain, Shepherd leaned towards me. “Don’t take it out on your hand. Just tell us. You’re allowed to speak your mind, Alyssa.”

  I darted my gaze over to him, and he offered me a short nod.

  I relaxed my hand and took a breath. “That’s going to get you killed,” I interrupted Argoza.

  She swiveled her gaze towards me. “Sorry?”

  “All of this is going to get you killed. Sooner rather than later. You can try going to ground, but it isn’t going to work. You need to face the fact that the Star Forces have infiltrated the resistance. If you run, they are going to follow. And if you pause to bring others into the resistance, you’re just going to jeopardize their lives too. There will come a time to reach out to the pirates, but first we need to solidify our position. And the only way to do that is to start fighting.”

  “We simply don’t have the resources,” Argoza began.

  I spoke right over her. “Look around, you’re on the Ra’xon,” I said slowly, mouth moving around every word. “This is one of the best equipped heavy cruisers in the fleet. Sure, some of the newer ships may be faster, but they’re also untested. Right here we have an advantage. In a little under 24 hours, the Chief will have completed her purge of the system. There’ll be no more booby-traps, no more bugs. We’ll be free to take the fight to the Star Forces.”

  “And attack what?” Argoza said, words harsher than usual.

  It took me a second to gain the courage to say it. The word flickered in my mind, but I felt myself cowering from it, as if it could lash out and kill me. I blinked my eyes closed, then opened them. “The Miracle. We need to go after the Miracle.”

  The Lady Argoza let out a short laugh. “We would die.”

  “You’re talking about the central research vessel of the Enforcement Unit, aren’t you?” the Captain questioned.

  I nodded.

  “There is no way this ship would be able to take on the Miracle,” Argoza repeated firmly.

  “You’re talking like you know the technical specifications of the Miracle,” I commented coldl
y. “Have you ever been on board?”

  Argoza held my gaze.

  “I have. I was on that ship for three goddamn years. I know its weaknesses,” my voice dropped, “I also know how important it is. If we can only take out one ship, it has to be the Miracle. It’s not just the home of the Farsight Program,” I couldn’t control my tone, but kept my chin held high, “it’s where they develop all their prototype weapons. It’s also where you’re going to gain the information you need to undermine the Star Forces. If you’d had the release codes for that EF soldier’s armor, he would never have gotten that far. You could have disabled his armor with a single code. You’ll have access to the Star Forces’ greatest secrets as well as their next-generation weapons. You can just wait around until they use them on the resistance, or we can go in there and steal them now.”

  “It will never work,” Argoza said, somewhat haughtily.

  “Alyssa… that’s a hell of a target,” Shepherd said, using far more tact than Argoza. “Maybe the Lady is right, and maybe we wouldn’t be able to take it on. Hell, we won’t even be able to find it.”

  “The Miracle uses quantum destabilizer cores. I know this because once upon a time Professor Axis tried to see if I could shut them down,” I said through a forced, stiff smile, “you can scan for them. If you know what you’re looking for. The emissions are masked to look like ordinary quantum discrepancies. But if we know we’re looking for,” I repeated once more, “we will be able to find the Miracle.”

  “You suggest we scan the entire galaxy?” Argoza said pointedly, collapsing her hands into her lap and giving me a stern look that told me she thought I was an idiot.

  I stared straight back at her. “Reach out to the rest of the resistance. Make use of the fact we’re currently disbursed. With the number of ships the resistance has, it will be a relatively easy task.”

  “But I thought our current goal was not to share sensitive information with the rest of the resistance. If the Lieutenant Commander is correct, and there are still spies amongst us, they will warn the Miracle we’re looking for it.”

  “Nobody will know we’re looking for the Miracle. The Miracle is a high-level secret amongst the Star Forces. And nobody out there is going to know what kind of drives she has. We’ll tell the resistance we’re looking for quantum discrepancies because we’re searching for a place to hide.”